Line 6 Helix

summer 2017 ToTal GuiTar
the tg test
97
F
or some time, professional
players have been trading in
their valve rigs for Axe-Fx
and Kemper units that rely
on amp, cabinet and
microphone modelling to
deliver consistent stage and
studio sounds. Not only that, but with a
wealth of guitar eects on tap and
many otherwise dicult signal routing
combinations on oer, these have
allowed a revolution in dynamic and
timbral shifts to occur in certain types
of music, with no pedal tap-dancing or
human error in sight. Progressive metal
titans like Periphery and Tesseract are
able to turn on a dime from heavy
sections to atmospheric passages
courtesy of their modelling rigs. This is
all very well but until now the price
point of these setups has been
substantial.
With the Helix, Line 6 shook up the
market by leap frogging from their
entry-level oerings to take on the
modelling titans at the top and the LT
oers a new, wallet-friendly
incarnation of that highly-praised unit.
The HeadRush Pedalboard, meanwhile,
is a new hardware oering from Avid,
the makers of Pro Tools, who you would
hope would know a thing or two about
software for guitarists. These units seek
to sell themselves on their ability to
replace real ampliers, although their
range of eects is not to be snied at
either. So is it time to throw out your
amp, cab and pedals? Let’s nd out…
Helix LT offers great
editing potential and wins
hands down when it
comes to effects options
TGR296.gear_test.indd 97 20/07/2017 11:34