Line 6 Helix

Helix is a new kind of multi-effects guitar processor: it’s not only a tour-grade multi-effect pedal that sounds and feels authentic, it’s also one of the most comprehensive master controller for guitar systems ever built. Start by recreating the tones in your head with the new HX modeling engine - the new amps, cabs, mics and effects will feel familiar to anyone who has ever spent time in the studio getting the best guitar sounds from both vintage and modern gear. Have a pile of oddball pedals that you rely on for your personal sounds? No problem. Take advantage of the most comprehensive I/O and routing capabilities ever built into a multi-effect and easily integrate them into the Helix environment. Once connected, create custom setups and footswitch labels that make your external pedals feel like they’re all under the hood. Whether you spend your time in the studio or on the stage, Helix is the next-generation guitar processor you’ve been waiting for.

NOTE:
Line 6 has partnered with Steinberg to offer a Helix Recording Bundle promotion from September 14, 2021 to February 28, 2022. Any customer who purchases a Helix unit (Helix, Helix Rack, Helix LT) during that time will receive a free copy of Steinberg’s Cubase Elements music production software ($99.99 USD value), and a free copy of the Line 6 Helix Native plug-in ($399.99 USD value). Simply register your unit during these dates, and you will receive a download link to redeem your software.

Real tone that feels and sounds like your analog gear
When it comes down to authentic sound and feel, Helix represents a giant leap forward for guitar technology. The dual-DSP engine provides massive power to accurately recreate the dynamic feel of tube amplifiers, not just their sonic fingerprint. Each stage of an amp’s circuit has been measured and matched back to the original, so that each model reacts and interacts just like the real thing. This level of dynamic circuit detail extends into areas like power supply ripple, individual tube sag, and control over B+ voltages. Once these elements are captured, you get classic bloom and gooey compression on some amps, and a powerful gut punch on others. Helix also lets you load custom impulse responses, allowing you to personalize your rig setup.

So intuitive, you'll already know how to use it
Massive power traditionally comes with a steep learning curve, but Helix challenges that way of thinking. Touch-sensitive footswitches allow you to select an effect block for editing simply by touching it. In combination, the large 6.2 inch 800x480-pixel LCD display all but eliminates menu-diving and provides the same level of control you would expect from an external editor. Colored LED rings and customizable scribble strips complete the user interface, letting you know what each footswitch is doing at a glance. When it comes to creating tones, Helix is as fast as you are.

Part of the goal in developing Helix was to allow guitarists to interact with technology in ways that are more intuitive, making the creation of tones easier. This means that - for the very first time - you won’t have to stop playing to tweak a knob. With Pedal Edit Mode, you can edit any parameter you like using your foot: simply select the block that you want to tweak, and its parameters spill out onto the footswitches. Select a parameter, and tweak the value using the expression pedal.

Giving you the ability to touch a footswitch and quickly tweak parameters or easily assign or learn controllers, Helix is the fastest tone creator of its kind on the planet. But that’s only part of the story – it’s also the most flexible. Helix has four stereo paths per preset, allowing you to design complex routing scenarios for each patch. Creating variations on wet and dry routing schemes is as easy as loading a template or tweaking the joystick, and using the onboard effects models in conjunction with the four freely-assignable effects loops means that the tonal possibilities are truly huge.

Control of your entire rig–Integrate and control internal and external devices
As the most advanced guitar processor ever made, Helix can become the nerve center for your entire guitar rig. Easily integrate traditional effects pedals and other hardware into your environment, creating a seamless hybrid rig that incorporates the best of what software and hardware have to offer.

Helix has the most flexible audio routing ever seen on a guitar processor, thanks to its dynamically allocated DSP. Use the four effects loops to connect four separate pedal chains, or split them up and use them as freely-assignable inputs and outputs. In combination with four stereo paths, this means that you can process multiple instruments at once, send wet and dry signals to different places, and create large integrated systems that take advantage of both digital and analog I/O at the same time.

When you need to incorporate external devices via MIDI, Helix offers more flexibility than any multi-effects. In addition to powerful real time MIDI control, Helix can send up to six separate commands at patch recall that aren’t assigned to a footswitch, which means you can change a patch on a synth, start a sequencer, and turn up a fader on an external mixer, all with one press of a footswitch. Add three expression pedals, CV/Expression out, and external amp switching, and Helix can be the command center for any size rig.

Helix 3.15 Firmware Update
The Helix 3.15 update includes a new amp, ten all-new effects, and 18 additional Legacy effects:
• Line 6 Ventoux - Original amp with a unique gain and control design
• Ampeg Opto Comp - Based on the Ampeg Octo Comp compressor
• Ampeg Liquifier - Based on the Ampeg Liquifier Chorus
• Heliosphere - Original delay with reverb in the feedback loop
• ADT - Original automatic double tracker
• Crisscross - Original dual delay with cross-feed between delays
• Tesselator - Original delay
• Ratchet - Original delay
• Dynamic Plate - Original plate reverb
• Dynamic Room - Original room reverb
• Shimmer - Original shimmer reverb
• PLUS! 18 Legacy effects from the POD Farm 2.5 plug-in
There are also new features and updates, including:
• Input Pad now assignable per preset
• Global MIDI Control of Encoders 1-6
• Apple Silicon Support for the Helix Native plug-in