Line 6 Helix User Manual

4
Welcome to Helix
Thank you for purchasing Helix, one of the most powerful and exible audio proces-
sors ever created. We hope it helps drive your search for tonal bliss and spawns years
of creativity, both on stage and in the studio.
What Have I Gotten Myself Into?
Although Helix may appear complicated at rst glance, it's designed in such a way
that once you learn a few basic concepts and shortcuts, you'll be able to construct
both simple and complex tones at nearly the speed of thought, with very little menu
diving required.
Although you’re likely anxious to rip open the plastic and plug in, wait! At the very
least, check out the big color Helix Cheat Sheet that came in the box, and keep it
handy. Then read the "Quick Start" chapter of this manual and we’ll have you up and
shredding in no time.
TIP: Be sure to also visit line6.com/videos where we're always adding new
video tutorials covering the latest Line 6 gear!
What’s In the Box?
• Line 6 Helix
• Full-color Helix Cheat Sheet (read that one rst!)
• USB ash drive containing the Helix Owner's Manual you’re reading right now
and more
• AC power cable
• USB cable
• Hex wrench for adjusting the resistance of the Helix expression pedal
• Warranty card
Common Terminology
While reading this manual, you may encounter several unfamiliar terms. It’s important
to know what they mean. Don’t worry—there’s no math.
Home
The Home screen is your primary workspace for creating and editing
tones. If you ever get lost, press to return to the Home screen.
Block
Blocks are objects that represent various elements of a preset, such
as amps, cabs, eects, splits, loopers, inputs, outputs, and impulse
responses.
Path
A path represents the signal ow of your tone. Helix has two separate
paths, 1 and 2, each with its own input(s) and output(s). Paths can be
serial (single) or parallel (dual). Path 1 can be routed into path 2 for
more sophisticated tones.
Preset
A preset is your tone. It consists of all blocks on the Home screen, foot-
switch assignments, controller assignments, and Command Center
messages.
Setlist
A setlist is a collection of presets. Helix has eight setlists containing
128 presets each.
Model
Each processing block can accommodate one model (or in some
cases, two models). Helix includes 38 guitar amp models, 7 bass amp
models, 30 cab models, 16 mic models, and 70 eects models.
Controller
Controllers are used to adjust various parameters in real time. For ex-
ample, the expression pedal can be used to control wah, or the tone
knob on a Variax guitar can be used to control amp gain and reverb
depth.
Send/
Return
Sends and Returns are used to connect additional equipment to Helix
for eects loops or processing multiple instruments simultaneously.
Helix has four mono sends and returns, but adjacent pairs can be se-
lected for stereo operation.
IR
IRs (Impulse Responses) are mathematical functions representing the
sonic measurements of audio systems (for Helix, speaker cabinet and
microphone combinations). Helix can store up to 128 custom or third-
party IRs at a time. See "Impulse Response (IR)"
Variax
®
Variax isn't just a great guitar, it also contains special electronics that
recreate the sound of other specic guitars and instruments, and allow
for instant retuning of each string. Helix and Variax communicate with
one another in unique and powerful ways. See "What is Variax?"
L6 LINK™
L6 LINK provides easy, single-cable, digital audio connectivity between
Helix and Line 6 StageSource
®
monitors and/or DT-Series ampliers.
See "L6 LINK Output"
FRFR
FRFR (Full Range, Flat Response) speakers, such as Line 6 Stage-
Source monitors, have the ability to amplify a modeler without adverse-
ly aecting its tone, ensuring great detail, a wide sweet spot, predict-
ability, and consistency from studio to stage. You could almost think of
FRFR monitors as very loud, gig-ready studio monitors.
DAW
DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) refers to any computer (or iPad
®
) used
for audio recording. The components of a DAW include an audio in-
terface, audio recording software (such as Cubase
®
, Logic
®
, Garage-
Band
®
, Pro Tools
®
, etc.), and monitoring system (amplier & speakers
or headphones). Helix functions as a high-performance USB 2.0 audio
interface with all major DAW software - See "USB Audio"

Line 6 Helix Specifications

General

Type	Multi-Effects Processor
Inputs	1 x XLR (mic)
Outputs	1 x 1/4" (headphones)
Display	6.2" LCD
Footswitches	12
Connectivity	MIDI In/Out, USB, S/PDIF
Power Supply	Internal power supply (100-240V)
Amp Modeling	Yes
Software	Helix Edit
Expression Pedal	Built-in
USB	Yes
Presets	1024
Looper	Yes (up to 60 seconds)