Line 6 Helix

NUMBER OF MODELS: 33 amps, 15 cabs,
10 microphones, 42 effects
KEY FEATURES: Effects modelling, amp
modelling, recording interface,
expression pedal, scribble strip
displays, 7" touchscreen
CONNECTIONS: Input, stereo aux input,
2x outputs, 2x XLR outputs, phones
output, send/return, MIDI in, MIDI out/
thru, USB, expression pedal
CONTACT: HeadRush 01252 896040
www.headrushelectronics.com
at a glance
summer 2017 ToTal GuiTar
the tg test
99
Has Avid made anything like this before?
As it happens, yes, they have. The Eleven Rack
was a standalone rack unit for guitar and
e ects processing that Avid released a few
years back. It had a few issues, most notably
that a fl oorboard and expression couldn’t be
connected at the same time. These concerns
have been taken on board, ahem, for this unit,
and the results of their hard work are clear.
Isn’t this the same as the Eleven Rack
then?
Well, unlike the Eleven Rack, there’s no
bundled Pro Tools; this seems like a clear
indication that this unit is primarily aimed at
the gigging guitarist. In addition, it’s powered
by the Eleven HD engine, which is an
improvement on the original from the rack
unit. Under the hood, there are some
similarities, but this ships with a wide array of
amps and e ects that are intended to be more
than adequate for the end user to create their
own patches without the need to dig into third
party add-ons.
How easy is it to program?
With the integrated 7" touchscreen,
navigating patches, creating your own,
assigning footswitches and modifying
parameters is easy. There’s a slight black
mark in that when paging up or down
between your current active editing
parameters the transitions can be a bit abrupt,
but it’s a minor gripe.
How good are the effects?
The e ects on the whole are pretty strong.
The distortions in particular deserve a
mention as they seem to preserve much of the
harmonic complexity of the originals, and
particularly when stacked into an already-
dirty amp sound they deliver that rich, thick
sustain that characterises a real tube amp
breaking up.
Do the amps sound realistic?
A common problem for modelling amps has
been the ‘ zz’ associated with trying to model
a saturated ampli er sound. This isn’t present
even on higher-gain patches and the closer
you get to a clean amp sound, the more
convincing it is. All your favourites are here,
as well as some high-end options like
Soldano, but we found ourselves sticking to
classic Marshall and Fender sounds for the
most part.
Can you use it to record?
Naturally. Using a USB cable, you can record
directly into your DAW and send four
channels in and out as well as stereo dry and
wet, meaning you can cut down on cable
clutter when recording at home.
HeadRUSH PedaLBoaRd
Turn it up to 11
£899
With no bundled Pro Tools the
HeadRush is clearly aimed at
the gigging guitarist
TGR296.gear_test.indd 99 20/07/2017 11:34