Helm

This is a great quality synth hard to believe it's free.

Really good GUI, similar to best commercial ones, demonstrates how GUI can help with workflow and usability. Also, the automation concept is powerful, allowing so many parameters to be automated creatively.

This could develop further to something very powerful and leading ... The idea that comes to mind is ... how to combine Synth1's powerful engine and myriad of presets with this open-souce (means anybody/everybody could take it from here) and great UI and make it one.

Could we convince Mr. Ichiro Toda to join forces or ... could somebody develop a patch/preset conversion tool to convert Synth1 presets to at least similar .helm patches. I used to be a programmer and I believe this could be done. Then, it would be the leading free VST.

There is this package of Synth presets in VST3 format which seems quite readable. That could be used to convert them to .helm. I know this wouldn't work directly, but with some testing /and having this converter OS or configurable) we might get it to some level of usefullness :)

Anybody up to the challenge?

Actually, I found that now I can try this and experiment ... VST3 is known and of course .helm is also fully readable. Will keep you posted.

Ver. 0.8.6 (this page should really be updated) x32 under win7 / dotnet 4.6.2 / Vc runtime 2015 + 2013 gives always an Error "Der Prozedureinsprungpunkt "ucrtbase.terminate" wurde in der DLL "api-ms-win-crt-runtime-l1-1-0.dll" nicht gefunden." and then the host says it's not a valid .vst plugin. Same with the digits vst. But the Helm.exe works.

What helped NOW, after I read another post (for digits) and installed the 2015 again to no success, was the ADDITIONAL installation of "Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable Update 3 RC".I only noticed the existence of this pack because it was second in the google search.
Now Helm works, and I am happy.

Thanks to the Admin for updating the page, by the way.

An incredibly fresh synth that I used to great effect in my new album. It is so deep with creative potential I barely scratched the surface.

Two tracks that it's most noticeable on are:
03 Cannon Rock, '72
06 Ciskei

Album preview here:
https://soundcloud.com/clocolan/nothing-left-to-abandon

Keep it going Matt...you're on to something with this instrument.

For some reason i cant import banks onto Helm on Mac Ableton, any ideas why? Thanks.

Same problem here on Mac Reason. Let me know if you figured it out.

A pretty, cool synth !!.

:-)

Presets can't be loaded? The internal Synth browser have a function called "Banks" for find., When I navigte to a folder where are the downloads -ready uncompressed- dont detect nothing..

I think it's a configuration problem that have not their presets/banks all ready located - I have satisfactory used in other computer without need to find - but it's strange can not make it manually...

Otherwise its a great Synth. Equitable to many of other similar so expensive. CHAPEAU.

If you are having problems loading patches, the VST will look for presets in the following folder, per their website.

Where does Helm store files?

GNU/Linux:

Standalone - /usr/bin/helm.

LV2 - /usr/lib/lv2/helm.lv2.

VST - /usr/lib/lxvst/helm.so (if installed).

Local Presets - ~/.helm/patches.

Factory Files - /usr/share/helm/.

Config File - ~/.helm/Helm.config.

Mac OS X:

Standalone - /Applications/Helm.app.

VST - /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST/helm.vst.

VST3 - /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/helm.vst3.

AU - /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/helm.component.

Local Presets - ~/Library/Audio/Presets/Helm.

Factory Presets - /Library/Audio/Presets/Helm.

Config File - ~/Library/Application Support/helm.

Windows:

Standalone - C:\Program Files\Helm\helm.exe (default).

VST - C:\Program Files\Steinberg\VstPlugins (default).

VST3 - C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\Helm\helm.vst3.

Local Presets - C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Helm\Patches.

Factory Presets - C:\Users\Public\Documents\Helm\Patches.

Config File - C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\helm\Helm.config.

So you have to transfer the downloaded presets into this folder then you will see them when you browse on the VST.

Hi there, this is a great synth, really. But I'm having an issue with the arpregiator, it's out of sync (VST) but the tempo is locked correctly to the host tempo, and it slows up and down when the master clock does so. Only, not the correct tempo. Did anyone else notice this?

For anyone wondering the answer to this question, like I was... it's most likely due to the sample rate of your audio driver (ASIO in my case) being at a rate other than 44100. In my case, I changed ASIO drivers and my Helm's Arp went completely out of wack. I later noticed my sample rate was set to 48000. I tried changing it to 44100, and voila. I'm not sure if it's possible to configure Helm to match the rate, but seems like a bug.

Good find. Unfortunately I'm tied to 48k.....

Anothe questio/issue: how can I use program changes over midi? (VST version in a host). I can only change the first 15 or so by midi, I have no idea how to access the other ones. The file structure introduces a non-existent (in the MIDI specs) level we have banks-then folders-then presets. When I manage to change presets it does actually call the first 10 in the first folder of the first bank, the a couple more in the second folder and that's all. I can't change banks by MIDI either. Any thoughts? Apert from that, I reeally like this synth. It's powerful.

I like Helm, easy to grasp editing with a nice range of sounds.
I use it quite a bit with my Linux/Ardour setup.
I went and donated a few bucks, I feel it's worth supporting.
I'd like to use it more often with my Win10 /Studio One rig.
However, I'm running the displays at 125% size and Helm doesn't resize it's GUI to fit.
If I Really want to use Helm there I have to rescale my desktop to 100% which is a pain.

Is there a setting that I'm missing here ??
The display size options with Helm don't appear to help.