Helix is like no other guitar pedal. It gives you an array of high quality models, simulations and effects allowing you to quickly create or recreate the perfect guitar tone.
- Dual DSP-powered HX modelling engine with 4 discrete stereo signal paths, 45 amps, 30 cabs, 16 mics and 70 effects
- Imports 3rd party 1024/2048 cab IRs (impulse responses)
- 12 capacitive touch-sensing footswitches and customisable scribble strips - touch to edit, hold to assign, press to engage
- Hands-free Pedal Edit mode lays out effect parameters across switches and expression pedal
- Near-instant footswitch and controller assignment
- Up to 3 expression pedals, CV/Expression out, external amp switching and deep MIDI control
- Extensive I/O for seamless integration with your entire rig - 10 inputs 12 outputs (including four fx loops), plus 8-in/8-out USB audio interface
- AES/EBU, SPDIF and VDI interfaces
- Industry-leading 123dB of dynamic range on the guitar input, for tremendous depth and ultra-low noise
- Tour-Grade chassis strength
Real. Smart. Control.
Helix is a new kind of guitar processor; it's not only a tour-grade multi-effect pedal that sounds and feels authentic, it's also the most comprehensive master controller for guitar systems ever built. Start by recreating the tones in your head with the new HX modelling engine. The new amps, cabs, mics, and effects will feel instantly familiar to anyone who has ever spent time in professional studios 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 unit and easily integrate them into the Helix environment. Once connected, you can 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.
Real Tone
When it comes down to authentic sound and feel, Helix represents a giant leap forward for guitar technology. The dual-DSP engine provides huge amounts of power to accurately recreate the dynamic feel and response of tube amplifiers - not just their sonic fingerprint. Each stage of an amp model's circuitry has been measured and matched back to the original so that each one 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.
Smart Interaction
Massive power traditionally comes with a steep learning curve, but Helix keeps things straightforward. Touch-sensitive footswitches allow you to select an effect block for editing just by touching it. In combination, the large 6.2 inch 800x480-pixel LCD display all but eliminates inspiration-crushing menu-diving and yet provides the same level of control you'd expect from an external editor. Coloured LED rings and customisable scribble strips complete the interface, letting you know what each footswitch is doing at a short 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 4 freely-assignable effects loops means that the tonal possibilities are truly huge.
Control of your entire rig
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-effect ever. 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.
