Jas Obrecht: Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Texas Flood” Sessions

May 19, 2023 Artists, Education, Gear History, Gear Tutorials, Recording

The inside story of the making of the landmark blues album and the gear used by SRV as told by people who were there.

Tags: b.b. king, blues guitar, buddy guy, Double Trouble, Dumble amplifier, electric blues, Fender amplifier, Fender Stratocaster, jackson browne, John Lee Hooker, srv, steel string singer, Texas Flood

Peter Hook—Revisiting Joy Division and Factory Records

Apr 21, 2023 Artists, Education, Gear History, Line 6 Artists, Recording, Thought Leadership

Barry Cleveland interviews the legendary bassist in celebration of Record Store Day—plus Hooky shares his HX Effects touring preset for free!

Tags: 24 hour party people, bernard sumner, cabaret voltaire, Durutti Column, ian curtis, Line 6 Helix, Line 6 HX Effects, new order, phil spector, post punk, tamla motown, unknown pleasures, yamaha bb bass

Dr. Molly Miller: Four of My Favorite Contemporary Women Guitarists

Mar 11, 2023 Artists, Education, Thought Leadership

Model Citizens spotlights Arianna Powell, Carmen Vandenberg, Emily Elbert, and Madison Cunningham in celebration of Women’s History Month.

Tags: Arianna Powell, Black Eyed Peas, Bones UK, Carmen Vandenberg, Emily Elbert, female guitarists, guitar player, guitar tone, Jacob Collier, Leon Bridges, Lorde, Madison Cunningham, Olivia Rodrigo, Sara Bareilles, smashing pumpkins, women's history month

Dave Hunter: Tone in a Box Part 2 – Tone Tweaking Via Speaker Swapping

Feb 4, 2023 Education, Gear History, Gear Tutorials, Helix Amp & Effects Processor, Thought Leadership

Take a deep dive into the history of guitar speakers and explore how speaker swapping—physically or virtually—can reveal a treasure trove of tones.

Tags: Alnico Blue, Altec Lansing, Celestion Greenback, Celestion speakers, Fender Bassman, guitar speakers, James B Lansing, Jensen speakers, Line 6 Helix, Marshall stack, vox ac30

Dave Hunter: Tone in a Box Part 1 – Tone Tweaking Via Cab Swapping

Dec 21, 2022 Education, Gear History, Gear Tutorials, Helix Amp & Effects Processor, Thought Leadership

Learn all about speaker cabs and how they affect your tone—then explore the new cabs and cab parameter options in Helix 3.50 “The Cab Update.”

Tags: Fender Bassman, fender deluxe, Fender Tweed, fender twin, guitar amplifiers, guitar speakers, guitar tone, Helix 3.50 Update, Hiwatt, Line 6 Helix, Marshall 4x12, Roland Jazz Chorus, Sunn, vox ac30

Jas Obrecht: Jeff Beck the Fusion Years, Part 2 – Keep Your Ears Wide Open or Music Will Pass You By

Nov 17, 2022 Artists, Education, Gear History, Recording, Thought Leadership

Beck’s Wired and There and Back albums further broadened the horizon for future instrumental guitarists such as Steve Vai and Joe Satriani.

Tags: Fender Stratocaster, fusion guitarists, fusion music, George Martin, Gibson Les Paul, Jan Hammer, led zeppelin, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Marshall amp, Minimoog, progressive rock, rock guitar, rock guitarists, Sunn

Jas Obrecht: Jeff Beck the Fusion Years, Part 1 – A Guitar Hero Reinvents Himself

Oct 28, 2022 Artists, Education, Recording

When Beck’s monumental Blow by Blow album was released in 1974 minds were blown and both rock and jazz guitar playing were changed forever.

Tags: Blow by Blow, classic rock, Eric Clapton, Fender Stratocaster, George Martin, Gibson Les Paul, jazz fusion, Jimmy Page, John McLaughlin, led zeppelin, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Miles Davis, rock guitar, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Yardbirds

Jeff Schroeder: Ambient Sounds Pt. 1 – “Frippertronics”

Aug 25, 2022 Artists, Education, Gear History, Gear Tutorials, Line 6 Artists, Thought Leadership

The Smashing Pumpkins guitarist offers insights into ambient guitar playing and shares his “Frippertronics” Helix presets. Free Download!

Tags: ambient guitar, Brian Eno, Chords of Orion, Effects Pedals, Guitar Effects, helix floor, king crimson, Line 6 Helix, Line 6 HX Stomp, live looping, robert fripp, smashing pumpkins, tape loops

Jas Obrecht: How Jimi Learned to Play Guitar Pt. 3 – Becoming “The Most Compulsive Player Ever”

Aug 1, 2022 Artists, Education, Thought Leadership, Uncategorized

Jimi Hendrix took the world by storm, but where did he come from? We trace the iconic guitarist’s origins in this epic three-part series!

Tags: Albert king, b.b. king, Band of Gypsys, chuck berry, electric ladyland, Howlin’ Wolf, jimi hendrix experience, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Mike Bloomfield, muddy waters, Voodoo Chile

Jas Obrecht: How Jimi Learned to Play Guitar Pt. 2 – Seattle Bands, Betty Jean, and The Blues

Jun 30, 2022 Artists, Education, Thought Leadership

Jimi Hendrix took the world by storm, but where did he come from? We trace the iconic guitarist’s origins in this epic three-part series!

Tags: Albert king, bb king, Bob Dylan, chuck berry, jimi hendrix experience, John Mayall, John McLaughlin, little richard, muddy waters, Supro guitar

Jas Obrecht: How Jimi Learned to Play Guitar Pt. 1 – Earliest Music, First Guitars

Jun 1, 2022 Artists, Education, Thought Leadership

Jimi Hendrix took the world by storm, but where did he come from? We trace the iconic guitarist’s origins in this epic three-part series!

Tags: Albert king, bb king, chuck berry, earl king, electric ladyland, Elvis Presley, fender telecaster, jimi hendrix experience, little richard, muddy waters, noel Redding

Dave Hunter: What’s Behind the Sag, Bias, and Bias X Controls in Helix Amps?

Apr 19, 2022 Education, Gear Tutorials, Uncategorized

Sharpen your Helix and HX tone-crafting skills by better understanding these critical tube amp parameters.

Tags: Fender amplifiers, fender champ, fender deluxe, fender princeton, fender twin, guitar amplifiers, guitar tone, Line 6 Helix, tube amp bias, tube guitar amps, vox ac30

Carol Hatzinger – From Recording Revolutionary to Senior Director

Mar 22, 2022 Education, Gear History, Thought Leadership

For Women’s History Month we spotlight our Senior Director of Project Management, who helped engineer the ADAT recorder—changing everything!

Tags: Alesis ADAT, Alesis BRC, audio engineering, digital recording, Fostex, home recording, line 6, Line 6 AxSys 212, Line 6 HX Stomp, Line 6 POD, Oberheim, women's history month

Jas Obrecht: Lonnie Johnson – The Most Influential Blues Guitarist Ever

Feb 22, 2022 Artists, Education, Thought Leadership

Veteran author and journalist Jas Obrecht spotlights the seminal yet often overlooked jazz and blues virtuoso in our celebration of Black History Month.

Tags: b.b. king, black history month, blues guitar, buddy guy, charlie christian, chuck berry, duke ellington, jazz guitar, louis armstrong, robert johnson, t-bone walker

Julien Baker – Indie Rock’s Reverb Queen Shimmers with HX Effects

Jan 31, 2022 Artists, Education, Gear Tutorials, Line 6 Artists

The singer, songwriter, keyboardist, and guitarist employs pedals and live looping to sculpt sounds as adeptly as she sings and turns phrases.

Tags: boss rc-3 loop station, electro-harmonix, fender telecaster, fractal axe-fx, Guitar Effects, HX Effects, kemper profiler, Line 6 DL4, Line 6 Helix, live looping, shimmer reverb, strymon bluesky

Reeves Gabrels – Is Art-Rock’s Jedi Master Really a … Blues Rocker?

Jan 7, 2022 Artists, Education, Gear Tutorials, Line 6 Artists

James Volpe Rotondi talks tone, effects, whammy bar technique, Helix, core influences and more with the former David Bowie and current Cure guitarist.

Tags: David Bowie, Grey Jedi, Leslie West, Line 6 Helix, Line 6 HX Stomp, Michael Schenker, Mott the Hoople, Neil Young, Ollie Halsall, Peter Frampton, Steven Stills, The Cure, Tin Machine

Dave Hunter: Unsung British Guitar Amps from the Golden Age of Rock

Dec 14, 2021 Education, Gear History, Thought Leadership, Uncategorized

There were more than a few British companies making great guitar amplifiers during the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. We spotlight four of the most important ones.

Tags: British guitar amplifiers, Cream, Fleetwood Mac, Hiwatt amplifiers, Jeff Beck, jimi hendrix, Laney amplifiers, Selmer, Sound City, The Beatles, the who, vintage guitar amps, Watkins amplifiers, WEM amplifiers

Jeff Schroeder on the Virtues of Running Delay and Reverb Before Distortion

Dec 7, 2021 Artists, Education, Gear Tutorials, Line 6 Artists, Recording, Uncategorized

The Smashing Pumpkins guitarist challenges convention and shares three vibey Helix presets as we mark the two year anniversary of Model Citizens.

Tags: billy corgan, Delay Pedals, distortion pedals, Echoplex, Guitar Effects, multi-effects, psychedelic-rock, shoegaze, smashing pumpkins, wah-wah pedals

Barry Cleveland: How Joe Meek Turned the Recording World Upside Down

Nov 2, 2021 Education, Gear History, Recording, Thought Leadership, Uncategorized

Is the mad genius behind the global hit “Telstar” and responsible for many recording “firsts” the most influential record producer and engineer ever?

Tags: audio engineering, audio production, home recording, home studio, Jimmy Page, record producer, recording engineer, Ritchie Blackmore, spring reverb, tape echo, tape recorder

Dave Hunter: Output Tube Types – Setting the Foundation of Your Tone

Oct 14, 2021 Education, Gear History, Gear Tutorials, Thought Leadership, Uncategorized

Learn why output tubes are an essential factor when it comes to tone, even when you’re choosing and dialing in amplifier models.

Tags: 6550, 6L6GC, 6V6GT, EL34, EL84, electric guitar, Fender amplifiers, guitar tone, jtm45, Marshall amplifiers, power tubes, tube amplifiers, Tube amps, tube tone

Jeff Schroeder on Sonic Inspiration and His Multi-Modulation Helix Preset (Free Download)

Aug 16, 2021 Artists, Education, Gear Tutorials, Line 6 Artists, Recording, Thought Leadership

The Smashing Pumpkins and Night Dreamer guitarist shares musical ideas inspired by his super-vibey post-punk-style preset—with audio examples.

Tags: Cocteau Twins, Durutti Column, Guitar Effects, guitar tones, John McGeoch, Line 6 Helix, Robin Guthrie, Siousxie and the Banshees, smashing pumpkins, Vini Reilly

Not Guitar: Touch Guitarists Markus Reuter and Trey Gunn Conjure Cosmic Tones and Soundscapes From Helix

Jul 31, 2021 Artists, Education, Gear Tutorials, Line 6 Artists

The singular progressive rockers divulge their deepest and darkest Helix secrets—and Reuter shares his “Glitch” and “Lead” presets.

Tags: chapman stick, Guitar Effects, helix floor, Helix Native, king crimson, POD HD500, prog rock, progressive rock, robert fripp, tony levin, warr guitar

Paul Freudenberg: Every Day Is Record Store Day When Your Record Label Releases Vinyl

Jul 15, 2021 Education, Recording, Thought Leadership

Dig vinyl? You’re not alone. This is a tale of one man’s journey back to vinyl and the lifestyle and aesthetic choices that accompanied it.

Tags: gatefold sleeve, music production, record albums, record jackets, record production, record store day, recording studio, turntables, vinyl lps, vinyl records

Garbage In, Garbage Out: Super Producer Butch Vig Digs Through Helix for Trash & Treasure

May 28, 2021 Artists, Education, Gear Tutorials, Line 6 Artists, Recording

James Rotondi and the renowned producer/multi-instrumentalist discuss Garbage and Helix, with additional insights from engineer/mixer Billy Bush.

Tags: garbage 2.0, guitar amplifiers, guitar pedals, helix rack, helix stomp, music production, nirvana, no gods no masters, record production, recording engineer, silversun pickups, smashing pumpkins, sonic youth

Julian Ward: The Three Simple Principles That Helped Me Enjoy Recording at Home

May 14, 2021 Education, Recording, Thought Leadership

How the lockdown led to identifying and overcoming obstacles—while simultaneously cultivating peace of mind.

Tags: acoustic guitar, cubase 11, electric guitar, guitar playing, gumption traps, home recording, instagram, live gigs, music recording, social media, software vs hardware

Michael Molenda: No Love From the Multitudes? Maybe Your Marketing Sucks

Apr 30, 2021 Education, Thought Leadership

If your current marketing approach isn’t delivering, your career-building strategies and tactics may be relics of the past.

Tags: airpods max, band promotion, clubhouse.com, COVID-19, driverless cars, music marketing, music promotion, music streaming, virtual reality

Dr. Molly Miller: Pioneering Women of The Guitar

Mar 30, 2021 Artists, Education, Thought Leadership

Dr. Molly Miller spotlights Memphis Minnie, Maybelle Carter, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe in this celebration of Women’s History Month.

Tags: blues guitar, country guitar, country music, maybelle carter, memphis minnie, mother maybelle carter, queen of the country blues, rock and roll, rock guitar, sister rosetta tharpe, the carter family, women guitarists

Rock, Race, and History: A Conversation with Vernon Reid

Feb 26, 2021 Artists, Education, Line 6 Artists, Thought Leadership

Joe Gore and the renowned guitarist discuss the racially fraught history of rock music and spotlight black guitarists that haven’t received their due.

Tags: living colour, r&b, rock and roll, rock guitar, vernon reid

Dan Boul: My Helix Native Lockdown Revelation

Feb 20, 2021 Education, Recording, Thought Leadership

After rediscovering Helix Native, the tube amp guru upped his home recording game, then convinced industry pros of the plugin’s powers.

Tags: 65amps, amp madelers, amp modeling, guitar, guitar plugins, guitar recording, guitar tone, Helix Native, helix plugin, home recording, recording applications, recording software

Scott Holiday – The Fuzz Lord Enters the Halls of Helix

Jan 29, 2021 Artists, Education, Line 6 Artists

The tone-savvy Rival Sons guitarist tells James Rotondi why and how he made Helix Floor the centerpiece of his live performance “B Rig.”

Tags: amp modelers, classic rock, Effects Pedals, guitar, guitar amps, Guitar Effects, guitar player, guitar rig, guitarist, helix floor, mesa boogie, rival sons

Barry Cleveland: How Les Paul Created His Extraordinary New Sound

Jan 20, 2021 Artists, Education, Gear History, Gear Tutorials, Recording, Thought Leadership

Barry Cleveland details the singular techniques behind the visionary guitarist and inventor’s revolutionary recordings.

Tags: guitar, home recording, les paul, mary ford, multi-track recording, music production, recording guitar, recording studio, recording techniques, sound-on-sound

Jeff Schroeder: When I Dream of Amps …

Dec 31, 2020 Artists, Education, Gear Tutorials, Line 6 Artists, Thought Leadership

The Smashing Pumpkins and Night Dreamer guitarist shares four of his “dream” multi-channel amp and effects Helix presets.

Tags: billy corgan, Boss Effects, guitar, Guitar Amplifier, guitar pedals, guitarist, Joe Satriani, Line 6 Helix, night dreamer, Roland JC-120, smashing pumpkins, Surfing with the Alien, The Cure

Allan Holdsworth’s Baby – The Story of the Yamaha UD-Stomp Delay Pedal

Dec 16, 2020 Artists, Education, Gear History, Thought Leadership

The legendary Allan Holdsworth (1946-2017) explains how he replaced vast arrays of rack delays with the Yamaha pedal he codesigned.

Tags: Allan Holdsworth, Dan Epstein, Delay Pedals, Digital Delays, Eilon Paz, James Rotodi, Stompbox Book, stompboxes, Yamaha Magic Stomp, Yamaha UD-Stomp

The Man Behind the Modelers – Eric Klein Talks Helix 3.0 with Joe Gore

Nov 27, 2020 Education, Gear Tutorials, Thought Leadership

Helix mastermind Eric Klein discusses Helix 3.0 highlights and personal favorites with veteran journalist, guitarist, and fellow Helix geek Joe Gore.

Tags: Amp Modeler, effects models, Effects Pedals, guitar, helix 3.0, helix multi-effects, Helix Native, HX Stomp, joe gore

Michael Molenda: Five Ways to Massacre Your Mix

Nov 17, 2020 Education, Recording, Thought Leadership

Michael Molenda reveals five ways to ensure your home recordings fail, while also providing pointers for avoiding all-too-common pitfalls.

Tags: audio production, garageband, home recording, microphone technique, mixing, music production, recording, sample rates

How Producer Michael Beinhorn Records Humongous Walls of Guitar

Oct 30, 2020 Artists, Education, Gear Tutorials, Recording

Producer Michael Beinhorn (Soundgarden, Ozzy Osbourne, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Aerosmith, Korn, Hole) shares his guitar recording techniques.

Tags: aerosmith, beinhorn, korn, music production, ozzy osbourne, recording, red hot chili peppers, rock guitar, soundgarden

Jon Herrera: What Is Re-Amping and Why Should You Care?

Oct 5, 2020 Education, Gear Tutorials, Recording, Thought Leadership

Bassist and recording engineer Jonathan Herrera expounds the nearly limitless tone-crafting power of re-amping.

Tags: di box, helix lt, Helix Native, re-amping, reamp, reamping, recording, recording bass, recording guitar, recording studio, recording techniques

Jeff Schroeder Shares His Helix Shoegaze Tones

Sep 21, 2020 Artists, Education, Gear Tutorials, Line 6 Artists, Thought Leadership

Jeff Schroeder (Smashing Pumpkins, Night Dreamer) offers a shoegaze guitar tone primer with audio examples and downloadable Helix presets.

Tags: Brad Laner, Guitar Effects, Helix Guitar Processor, My Bloody Valentine, psychedelic guitar, shoegaze music, smashing pumpkins, Swervedriver

Dan Boul: You’ve Never Actually Heard That Amp

Jun 30, 2020 Education, Gear Tutorials, Thought Leadership

Having trouble sounding like the guitarists on your favorite records? Tube amp guru Dan Boul explains why.

Tags: 1959 les paul, 65 Amps, dan boul, guitar amp, guitar tone, la-2a, ln 1176, Marshall amp, mic preamp, microphone, paf pickups, recording, recording studio, vintage guitar amps

Michael Ross: Gainful Deployment – Stacking Overdrives

Apr 27, 2020 Education, Gear Tutorials, Uncategorized

Michael Ross dishes the dirt on combining overdrive, fuzz, and other distortion pedals to open up whole new worlds of gain.

Tags: distortion, distortion pedal, fuzz pedal, guitar, guitar effects pedal, guitar tones, guitarist, Helix Native, Line 6 Helix, Overdrive effects pedal, pedalboard

Chris Gill: Nashville’s Dirty Secret – Country Music’s Founding Forefathers of Fuzz

Apr 8, 2020 Artists, Education, Gear History

Chris Gill recounts that years before and after the Stones recorded “Satisfaction,” fuzz guitar was featured on dozens of country singles.

Tags: blues guitar, country music, distortion, distortion pedal, fuzz, guitar, guitar effect, guitar effects pedal, guitarist, rock guitar, square wave distortion

Joe Gore: The Secret Power of Helix Snapshots

Dec 4, 2019 Artists, Education, Gear Tutorials, Recording, Thought Leadership

Snapshots is one of the most powerful, yet underutilized, features in Helix. Joe Gore unveils its secrets, step-by-step, with images, sound clips, and downloadable examples.

Tags: guitar amps, guitar effects pedal, Helix, Helix presets, Helix Snapshots, joe gore, Line 6 Helix, multi-effects processors, signal chains

Dan Boul: Crossing the Digital Divide – You Don’t Have to Choose

Dec 3, 2019 Education, Thought Leadership

Boutique amp builder Dan Boul loves tube amps, yet he’s also a huge proponent of amp modeling. Find out why he’s certain it’s okay to have it both ways.

Tags: 65 Amps, amp modeling, dan boul, digital modeling, Digital Modeling Technology, guitar amps, guitarist, Helix, line 6, modeling amplifiers, Tube amps