New Software Review: Helix Native by Line 6
Line 6 brings their popular Helix to your DAW—can this be the last amp simulation you’ll ever need?
I’ve loved the freedom and flexibility of amp simulators ever since I first played with a Line 6 POD. And over the years, the quality of amp sims has just gotten better and better.
These days, the amp sim market is very competitive with great products like the Axe FX, Kemper Profiling Amp, and a slew of great-sounding VST amp sims.
One standout unit in this saturated landscape is the Line 6 Helix, which immediately impressed me when it came out. Even more impressed was I when I found out that the company also released a Native plugin version—so I knew I had to try it out as soon as possible. Today we are going to take a look at the Helix Native plugin and see how it fares among its stiff competition.
Features and Use
Line 6 Helix Native comes with a ton of incredible features for shaping your guitar and bass sounds. Some of the features that help Helix Native sound the way it does include HX Cabs, Component Modeling, and Behavioral Modeling. HX Cabs offer the ability to choose between 16 different microphones and 23 different recording distances. Unlike an amp profiler, this software actually models the components of real amplifiers, including their power supply ripple and tube sag. This allows you to control the “squish” and compression that only a real amp brings.
The plugin offers over 80 different guitar and bass amp models, over 220 effects, and more than 40 speaker cabinet models. If you need more speaker cabinet options, you can also upload your favorite third party impulse responses. The stock impulse responses are quite nice, but the option of uploading third party IR’s is greatly welcomed.
I had a lot of fun digging into Helix Native and seeing what tones lie beneath the hood. The Brit Plexi amp model captures the beefiness of playing through a cranked Marshall stack. The Revv Gen Purple model is based on one of my favorite modern tube amps; it sounds nice and fat, and is incredible for the heaviest of djent-type chugged palm-muted riffs and metal lead solos. The Jazz Rivet 120, based on the famous Jazz Chorus combo amp, is an excellent choice for pristine cleans that have a lot of shine on the top end.
It’s also important to note that Line 6 adds more effects and amp models over time via their software updates, of which there have been 11 for Helix since its launch six years ago. The Placater, for example, is one of my favorite amp models for hard rock, and it came out in an update based off of Helix user requests!
While the Kemper and Axe FX are also great units, this plugin works fantastically in conjunction with the hardware Helix, and you can easily port presets from the plugin to the hardware and vice versa. As of writing, there is no standalone Kemper or Axe FX plugin equivalent of this, so the cross-compatibility between Helix hardware and software is unmatched.
As a guitarist, Helix responds quite well to dynamic picking and really does feel like you’re playing through a well-mic’d tube amp. As a producer, I’ve also found the effects incredibly inspiring, as Helix Native contains so many different types of traditional and modern options.
The Line 6 DL4 is one of my favorite delay pedals, and it’s great to have access to its iconic reverse delay sound from within my DAW. The Pitch Wham effect also lets me recreate Rage Against The Machine-type guitar solos; I love that it sounds glitchy and imperfect like the original pedal it is based on.
There’s also a Poly Wham which has smoother tracking and allows you to pitch shift chords without hearing digital artifacts. The tracking in this algorithm and the Poly Capo are so good that I can play a riff in standard E tuning and transpose the pitch down -7 semitones in the software for very convincing results. I am able to get some pretty authentic heavy metal 8-string guitar sounds from my Les Paul, thanks to this.
The Script Mod Phaser is a more traditional phaser sound and has quickly become my favorite software phaser. There are too many effects to address in this article, but rest assured that a majority of common effects types are covered in Helix Native! There’s even a Double Take setting that digitally recreates the sound of a double-tracked guitar performance in real time.
To Be Critical
It’s no surprise that the world of amp simulators is over-saturated, as most DAWs contain a stock/free version of some sort. IK Multimedia and Native Instruments also offer free basic versions of their Amplitube 5 and Guitar Rig 6. While I do like the sound of Helix Native, I think the UI is due for an overhaul soon, as it feels a bit clunky and can take some time to navigate. The crunchy Plexi sounds and Twin Reverb Blues patches are nice, but I think Helix Native excels at pristine cleans and the heaviest dirty tones, and thus may find the most use with metal guitar and bass players.
Some users may also find Helix Native quite expensive at $399. For what you get however, I feel like this is still a great value. I would happily pay that amount just for the effects like the Poly Wham and Script Mod Phaser.
Summing it Up
The Helix Native plugin is a very comprehensive guitar and bass processor, certain to be loved by many, but especially by hardware Helix owners. The metal amps, especially the Placater and Revv models, are sure to find a home with shredders and heavy metal enthusiasts. Producers will love being able to access classic Line 6 effects algorithms in their DAW and also experiment with those effects on other source material like drums, vocals, strings, synths, etc. Download the free 15-day trial of Helix Native and see for yourself how it can elevate your productions!
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