Line 6 Release Helix 3.5 - "The Cab Update"

News

Published Nov. 3, 2022

Helix 3.5 "The Cab Update"

Taken as a whole, this is the single largest update in the history of the Helix. Yes there are new amp models, distortion pedals, modulation effects and a new reverb, but the star of the show is an all new cabinet engine. There are literally thousands of new impulse responses captured with Line 6's automated capture technology. Best of all, these captures are selected using simple controls with no need to menu-dive in order to select the optimal mic and position. The icing on the cake is that IRs and the new cabinets now take up drastically less DSP, freeing CPU power for other uses in the signal chain. The Helix feels and sounds fresh and new.

Due to the massive improvement in sonic quality, we recommend that you backup your user presets and refresh to factory settings. This will provide you with a new baseline of sounds. Trust us, your old presets with stock cabs (now referred to as legacy cabs) will have an improved tone and feel by using the new cab technology.

You can update by following the instructions in this link.

Here is a list of the new amps and effects you can get in the update. There is a lot to explore.

New Amp and Preamp Models

MOO)))N T Nrm - Based on the Sunn Model T Normal Channel

MOO)))N T Brt - Based on the Sunn Model T Bright Channel

MOO)))N T Jump - Based on the Sunn Model T with Jumped Channels

PV Vitriol Crunch - Based on the Peavey Invective Crunch Channel

PV Vitriol Lead - Based on the Peavey Invective Lead Channel

New Effects Models

Pillars OD - Based on the Earthquaker Devices Plumes Distortion

Vital Dist - Based on the Earthquaker Devices Life, Distortion Mode

Vital Boost - Based on the Earthquaker Devices Life, Boost Mode

4-Voice Chorus - Line 6 Original Chorus Effect

Flexovibe - Line 6 Original Vibrato Effect

Dynamic Ambience - Line 6 Original Reverb Effect

Boctaver - Based on the Boss OC-2 Octaver

New Features

Reduced DSP usage for cab and IR blocks Line 6 engineering has massively improved the efficiency of their cabinet and IR modeling algorithms, so they now take up less processing power and allow you to do even more within a single patch.

Dual IRs in a single block - a much requested feature allows you to set dual IR's within a single block. You can set multiple parameters including panning L-R and polarity.

Disable snapshot control over parameter assignments - Prior to 3.50, when assigning a parameter to a physical control (EXP 1, footswitch, etc.) or MIDI, Snapshots are also always assigned. In 3.50, they still are, but there's an additional "Snapshot Control" parameter on the Controller Assign page that lets you bypass this default.

Improved physical knob controls - Encoder ballistics have been radically improved. You can now go from min to max with one knob turn.

Helix Floor/Rack/LT Shortcut - While the Model List is open, pressing [AMP] jumps to highlight the Amp category without having to scroll down to it