KVR Audio

recursive one · Post by **recursive one** » Fri Oct 03, 2014 3:41 pm

chk071 wrote:
recursive one wrote:I was also interested in Helix a while ago, but then was distracted by newer options, like Spire and Dune2.

Can somebody of the actual users say how does it stand up to the newer synths?
Both definitely better in terms of sound quality, and usage. Helix' oscillators sound quite well, and it uses very small CPU, but the filters are not on par with Dune 2's or Spire's, and especially the envelopes lack punch IMO. Well, a lot of time has passed since Helix has been released, so, no wonder. It's a good synth i guess, but for the price, there's a lot of better options now.

Thanks for your input. So Helix becomes another "synth I wanted to buy but never will"

(I have both Dune2 and Spire),

chk071 · Post by **chk071** » Fri Oct 03, 2014 4:00 pm

Don't take my word for it though. Best to demo i guess.

bharris22 · Post by **bharris22** » Fri Oct 03, 2014 4:01 pm

valerian_777 wrote:Got it when it was on sale. 64bit and excellent sound quality.

Ugh - when was it on sale? Was the sale directly from Audjoo's site? Any idea how often it goes on sale?

Thanks!

C-note · Post by **C-note** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 4:16 am

GeorgK · Post by **GeorgK** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 7:30 am

There was a huge hype around this synth a few years ago - mainly for the free beta, as people on kvr just seem to LOVE everything that is free...
You can see from the comments that a lot of praise still goes for the free version.
The hype obviously never converted into big sales, so the developer lost interest in it. There is a 64-bit, and some small bugfixes, but thats it for the development over the last years.
The only interesting points are the CPU-efficient waveshaping oscillators. But be aware, it is only waveshaping, not wavescanning, so the ascillators are quite limited. You can modify the waveforms with several parameters, but (as it is often the case), 95% of the outcome is useless soundwise.
Back in the days, it was also praised as some kind of "modulation monster". In fact, the modulation interface is just bloated, but there are many useful modulation targets missing.
Envelopes are limited, too (no MSEGs, no free choice of curve shape), and the filters are quite weak IMHO.
Last: it is way too expensive now (maximum half the price would be reasonable), and it is NFR (reeeealy bad).

G.

valerian_777 · Post by **valerian_777** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 7:34 am

bharris22 wrote:
valerian_777 wrote:Got it when it was on sale. 64bit and excellent sound quality.
Ugh - when was it on sale? Was the sale directly from Audjoo's site? Any idea how often it goes on sale?

Thanks!

Contact the Dev, he's a friendly guy. Maybe he can work something out for you?

bharris22 · Post by **bharris22** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 8:59 am

Good idea! All he could do is say no . . . .

JonasNorberg · Post by **JonasNorberg** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 5:08 am

Hi all, Jonas (the author of Helix) here, After reading this thread (a bit late I agree) I realize that Helix has been around for a long time now, and it's time for a price drop. New Price $75 (including VAT for you Europeans). So if you've been on the fence about Helix I hope this makes it easier to take the plunge! As always find it here: http://www.audjoo.com

Merry Christmas (or Happy Holidays, whatever floats your boat),
Jonas

GeorgeZ · Post by **GeorgeZ** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 6:01 am

Time to demo again

werp · Post by **werp** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 6:07 am

I think I'd put it in no-brainer category after playing with it for ten minutes.
I may have to invest in a magnifying glass though...Glad I'm on the high-res mac.

werp · Post by **werp** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 6:13 am

It pays to play with the mod wheel with each preset you demo too.

MillerSam · Post by **MillerSam** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 4:12 pm

To bad what I have heard now is that they will be only fixes for user reports of Helix.
So the go down in price is of the stop of developing

Sendy · Post by **Sendy** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 4:17 pm

GeorgK wrote:There was a huge hype around this synth a few years ago - mainly for the free beta, as people on kvr just seem to LOVE everything that is free...
You can see from the comments that a lot of praise still goes for the free version.
The hype obviously never converted into big sales, so the developer lost interest in it. There is a 64-bit, and some small bugfixes, but thats it for the development over the last years.
The only interesting points are the CPU-efficient waveshaping oscillators. But be aware, it is only waveshaping, not wavescanning, so the ascillators are quite limited. You can modify the waveforms with several parameters, but (as it is often the case), 95% of the outcome is useless soundwise.
Back in the days, it was also praised as some kind of "modulation monster". In fact, the modulation interface is just bloated, but there are many useful modulation targets missing.
Envelopes are limited, too (no MSEGs, no free choice of curve shape), and the filters are quite weak IMHO.
Last: it is way too expensive now (maximum half the price would be reasonable), and it is NFR (reeeealy bad).

G.

I never found the waveform modulation useless at all. Could you not modulate the parameters? I never used the synth much because I have tons of the damn things, but I seem to remember the waveform modulation assignments being just as good as a wavetable sweep, only not set in stone (so in some ways better!).

That was a long time ago, though, so I may be wrong.

JonasNorberg · Post by **JonasNorberg** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 4:29 pm

MillerSam wrote:To bad what I have heard now is that they will be only fixes for user reports of Helix.
So the go down in price is of the stop of developing

On the other hand Helix has not changed much in several years

Robmobius · Post by **Robmobius** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 4:34 pm

I really like Helix... It's a great synth. Its sound is very good and it's capable of a broad range of tones.

It seems to have slipped under the radar. I don't know why...

I think the interface could do with an overhaul, as it takes some getting used to.

At $75 is a great bargain imo.

Audjoo Helix opinions?