Helix 64bit for Mac is out. Website also updated!

[GeorgK]

Pay 75$ for an outdated synth now, and pay another 75$ in a few months to update it to a competitive one. Because two times 75 is sooo much less than 149.

Just my 75 cents.

[Sampleconstruct]

Pay 75$ for an outdated synth now, and pay another 75$ in a few months to update it to a competitive one. Because two times 75 is sooo much less than 149.

Just my 75 cents.

Jeez, give that guy a break, we heard you, no need to repeat your diss over and over again. I have no interest in Helix Schmelix, but your attitude in this thread is over the top it seems.

[Naenyn]

Yeah, for all conspiracy theorists out there, my reasoning is simple. The other day I was watching youtube videos of some newer synths out there that were priced like Helix, and I felt like Helix was over-priced. That's all.

No awesome replacement coming anytime soon

To clarify, I still think Helix sounds as good as any of them, but I see newer synths have _way_ more eye-candy and some ergonomically smart features. Re-vamping Helix ui and workflow would be a hard, lowering the price is easy, and I think it fits the KVR crowd better

"What's going on over at Audjoo?" is funny. It sounds like there is a skyscraper HQ somewhere, but like many vst-devs, it's actually a one-man part-time show.

Thanks for the explanation! Based on the dates on this thread and the last update to Helix, I was just concerned that it was going to be abandoned. Not trying to sound like a conspiracy theorist!

I hope your sale is successful and encourages you to enhance Helix. It definitely does sound good. I could see a Helix 2 with enhanced UI and updated feature set (I saw comments about filters in particular) being a popular thing.

[ftech]

Pay 75$ for an outdated synth now, and pay another 75$ in a few months to update it to a competitive one. Because two times 75 is sooo much less than 149.

Just my 75 cents.

Yeah. Old synths sound terrible when compared to shiny new ones.......
Now we've cleared that up, I'm off to play the MiniMoog.

[basslinemaster]

Anyway, IMO the reduction of the price of Helix should have done years ago.

This, and a much better UI should have been there from the start.

Also, such an incredibly low CPU hit could lead one to think that maybe quite a few corners have been cut internally, which is a putoff to some.

You have got to be kidding...
Who on Earth would think that "maybe quite a few corners have been cut internally"? We would think "This guy knows how to code and has optimized his code well."

It sounds great to me, and I welcome more synths at this price.

[Robmobius]

Pay 75$ for an outdated synth now, and pay another 75$ in a few months to update it to a competitive one. Because two times 75 is sooo much less than 149.

Just my 75 cents.

Its still sounds good, is very cpu efficient so what's the problem? The interface needs a face lift, who cares it's easy to learn once you start using it.

$75 for a synth that sounds that good, how is that not a bargain??

[ENV1]

$75 is a sweet price for a great sounding, deeply editable, and highly-efficient synth. Insta-buy if I didn't already have plugs offering similar sounds.

for 75 bucks helix is the steal of the century. period.

Nail -> Head.

(And if i remember correctly, it was your soundset included with the demo that best showed why.)


Tip: If you get it, (or even if you only use the Beta), be sure to make use of the custom waves option. One set that expands the capabilities of Helix tremendously is the original SQ-80 waveset, which can be found on Buchtys website if i remember correctly. Many of the waves included in this set give great results with the waveshaper, and the included drum waves can be used to turn Helix into a drum machine or to create real wierd oscillators.

[basslinemaster]

Pay 75$ for an outdated synth now, and pay another 75$ in a few months to update it to a competitive one. Because two times 75 is sooo much less than 149.

Just my 75 cents.

Does this sound "outdated" to you?

https://soundcloud.com/audjoo/helix-demo-pads

[trimph1]

Everything seems outdated to one who is jaded.

Or wants to be a hipster.

[kyodeejay]

I don't own Helix, and I don't have interest in it. However. Outdated? Hell no! I continue using my Virus B, and it will never be outdated. Maybe Helix is outdated for people that purchase 2 or more synths/year, but those people what need is learn their current synths instead "updating" (and others should do some full songs instead losing their time looking for new synths).

If it works without 32/64 adaptors and without bugs, it's fine, it's up to date.

[ENV1]

Everything seems outdated to one who is jaded.

Or wants to be a hipster.

You probably didnt mean to, but i guess youve just spelled out the truth.

Seriously, i for one will never understand why some folks act as if a softsynth suddenly wasnt good enough anymore only because it is older than a year. Its like these people are way more concerned with the novelty factor of an item than the quality and capabilities of the item itself, and if it doesnt have that anymore (that new-car-smell i mean) it at least has to have some sort of cult status within the community, otherwise it is considered 'old outdated crap' which, since fair is fair, should be given away for breadcrumbs and orange juice, if not for free.

Like i said, i just cant follow this kind of thought process. A synthesizer is either good or it isnt, and if one is good today, good enough to make good sounding music with it i mean, then it obviously will be so tomorrow since the results of a mathematical calculation is, luckily, a pretty constant affair.

I mean hardware, OK. Thats different. I can understand such thinking there. Parts are subject to aging and thus eventual failure, so there is definitely a reason to be concerned with the items age. But software, i dont think any of the stuff that has been released in recent years is of such poor quality that you could actually find yourself in a 'this cant go on this way' situation with it, and immediate replacement is simply unavoidable due to a totally unacceptable level of quality. It may have been so in some cases in the very early days, when this whole PC-based softsynth/emulation thing was still in its infancy and the products still had to mature a bit. But in my opinion those days are literally long gone, i think we were way, WAY past that point in about 2004/2005, and obviously it has only gotten better since...

[ftech]

Everything seems outdated to one who is jaded.

Or wants to be a hipster.

You probably didnt mean to, but i guess youve just spelled out the truth.

Seriously, i for one will never understand why some folks act as if a softsynth suddenly wasnt good enough anymore only because it is older than a year. Its like these people are way more concerned with the novelty factor of an item than the quality and capabilities of the item itself, and if it doesnt have that anymore (that new-car-smell i mean) it at least has to have some sort of cult status within the community, otherwise it is considered 'old outdated crap' which, since fair is fair, should be given away for breadcrumbs and orange juice, if not for free.

Like i said, i just cant follow this kind of thought process. A synthesizer is either good or it isnt, and if one is good today, good enough to make good sounding music with it i mean, then it obviously will be so tomorrow since the results of a mathematical calculation is, luckily, a pretty constant affair.

I mean hardware, OK. Thats different. I can understand such thinking there. Parts are subject to aging and thus eventual failure, so there is definitely a reason to be concerned with the items age. But software, i dont think any of the stuff that has been released in recent years is of such poor quality that you could actually find yourself in a 'this cant go on this way' situation with it, and immediate replacement is simply unavoidable due to a totally unacceptable level of quality. It may have been so in some cases in the very early days, when this whole PC-based softsynth/emulation thing was still in its infancy and the products still had to mature a bit. But in my opinion those days are literally long gone, i think we were way, WAY past that point in about 2004/2005, and obviously it has only gotten better since...

I'm reading this post nodding my head in agreement.
I'd also add in a bit of 'poor tradesman blaming his tools' as well as I've read a lot of posts where people say 'I can't get this synth to sound like X' or, 'This synth doesn't sound punchy/snappy/full/warm' etc, which makes me wonder
a) Are they using the right synth? and b) Do they even know how to use the synth they're referring to?

[chk071]

Everything seems outdated to one who is jaded.

Or wants to be a hipster.

You probably didnt mean to, but i guess youve just spelled out the truth.

Seriously, i for one will never understand why some folks act as if a softsynth suddenly wasnt good enough anymore only because it is older than a year. Its like these people are way more concerned with the novelty factor of an item than the quality and capabilities of the item itself, and if it doesnt have that anymore (that new-car-smell i mean) it at least has to have some sort of cult status within the community, otherwise it is considered 'old outdated crap' which, since fair is fair, should be given away for breadcrumbs and orange juice, if not for free.

Like i said, i just cant follow this kind of thought process. A synthesizer is either good or it isnt, and if one is good today, good enough to make good sounding music with it i mean, then it obviously will be so tomorrow since the results of a mathematical calculation is, luckily, a pretty constant affair.

I mean hardware, OK. Thats different. I can understand such thinking there. Parts are subject to aging and thus eventual failure, so there is definitely a reason to be concerned with the items age. But software, i dont think any of the stuff that has been released in recent years is of such poor quality that you could actually find yourself in a 'this cant go on this way' situation with it, and immediate replacement is simply unavoidable due to a totally unacceptable level of quality. It may have been so in some cases in the very early days, when this whole PC-based softsynth/emulation thing was still in its infancy and the products still had to mature a bit. But in my opinion those days are literally long gone, i think we were way, WAY past that point in about 2004/2005, and obviously it has only gotten better since...

I don't get it, especially, as Helix is from 2009 afaik. Not really that old.

[trimph1]

Oh, I meant it alright.

I find the whole outdated thing is a symptom of "old man syndrome"

The church I go to has an old pipe organ that sounds just as good now as when it was made. Just because the synth was produced in 2009 does not mean it is outdated.

Until such time that the VST's come with an expiry date I will continue to use this ...

[ENV1]

I've read a lot of posts where people say 'I can't get this synth to sound like X' or, 'This synth doesn't sound punchy/snappy/full/warm' etc, which makes me wonder
a) Are they using the right synth? and b) Do they even know how to use the synth they're referring to?

Wont go there.

(But i do know what you mean, if i had a dollar for every time i had to bite my tongue id probably have my very own GX-1 by now.)


Anyway, what puzzles me is that a lot of companies are actually prepared to play along with this. When i fire up a synth like Rapture, which can now be had for the price of a Burger and a Toothpick, i cant help but thinking 'Thats Insane!'. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that synth, on the contrary, it is packed with stuff that would have cost you thousands not that long ago. Every synth-orientated musician on the planet would have gone mad for joy if they could have had one, especially if it had the ability to self-replicate at the push of a button! (I mean imagine that, in 1982 they would have considered this magic!) And now look what Rapture is today. The status it has today. A giveaway. A footnote. Something to be mentioned in the latest Freeware list, but otherwise pretty much uninteresting.

I mean, isnt that a little odd?

Considering all the things you can do with Rapture in perfectly good quality?

I think it is, and God knows Rapture is by far not the only example that could be named here...