Creating patches for common worship songs on the Line 6 Helix can help you achieve the right tones and textures to complement the music, enhancing the worship experience. Additionally, having well-crafted patches will save you time and allow you to focus on playing the song, rather than tap dancing on your pedalboard while on stage. In this guide, we’ll provide tips on how to build patches that match the sounds of popular worship songs, ensuring a seamless and inspiring performance.
1. Research the Song’s Original Tone
Before you start building a patch, listen to the original song and pay attention to the guitar tone. Take note of the effects used, the level of distortion, and any unique characteristics of the sound. If possible, watch live performances or tutorials by the original guitarist to gain more insight into their gear and settings.
2. Choose the Right Amp and Cab Models
Selecting the appropriate amp and cab models is crucial for capturing the essence of the guitar tone in a worship song. Familiarize yourself with the different amp and cab models available on the Helix, and choose one that closely resembles the original sound. You can also use impulse responses (IRs) to load custom speaker cabinet simulations for more accurate tones.
3. Add Essential Effects
Overdrive/distortion, delay, reverb, and modulation effects are commonly used in worship music. Start with these, and then experiment with adding or adjusting others as needed. Here are some suggested effects:
- Overdrive/Distortion: For a smooth, transparent overdrive, the “Heir Apparent” model is an excellent choice. If you need more gain, the “Teemah!” model might be what you’re looking for.
- Delay: To replicate a Strymon Timeline-like delay, try using the “Transistor Tape” or “Vintage Digital” delay models on the Helix. They offer a wide range of delay times and modulation options, similar to the Timeline.
- Reverb: The “Glitz” reverb model can emulate the lush, ambient reverb sounds that are often associated with a Strymon Big Sky.
- Modulation: Chorus, phaser, and tremolo effects can add depth and movement to your sound. Experiment with the various models on the Helix to find the one that suits the song.
Setting Up a Quarter Note Delay
- Select the Delay Block: Navigate to an empty block in your signal chain on the Helix and select “Delay -> Transistor Tape”.
- Set the Delay Time: Under the parameter settings, find the “Time” parameter. Since we’re setting up a quarter note delay, you’ll want to set this to match the BPM of the song you’re playing. If the song is at 120BPM, for instance, a quarter note delay would be 500ms. (click the knob in to toggle the setting by BPM)
- Adjust the Feedback: This controls the number of delay repeats. For a standard delay sound, a setting between 20-30% is a good starting point. Adjust to taste.
- Set the Mix: This controls the balance between your dry signal and the delayed signal. A setting of 30-35% usually works well, but adjust to taste based on how prominent you want the delay to be.
- Other Parameters: The “Wow & Flutter” parameter can add some tape-like modulation to your delay if desired, similar to the Timeline. A setting of 3-5 is subtle but noticeable.
Setting Up an Eighth Note Delay
- Select the Delay Block: Navigate to a different empty block in your signal chain on the Helix and select “Delay -> Transistor Tape”.
- Set the Delay Time: For an eighth note delay at 120BPM, you would set the delay time to 250ms. (or you can click the knob down to toggle BPM setting)
- Adjust the Feedback, Mix, and Other Parameters: Follow the same guidelines as the quarter note delay.
Creating Strymon Big Sky-like reverb settings
- Select the Reverb Block: Navigate to an empty block in your signal chain on the Helix and select “Reverb -> Glitz”.
- Set the Decay: The decay parameter controls how long the reverb tail lasts. For a lush, ambient reverb similar to the Big Sky, a setting between 6-8 seconds is a good starting point.
- Set the Pre-Delay: Pre-Delay determines the time gap between the original dry signal and the onset of the reverb effect. A setting of around 20ms to 50ms can add a sense of spaciousness without making the effect sound too distant.
- Adjust the Mix: This controls the balance between your dry signal and the reverberated signal. For an ambient worship sound, you might want the reverb to be quite prominent. A setting of 35-45% usually works well, but adjust to taste based on how much reverb you want in your mix.
- Set the Modulation: The Glitz model has a built-in modulation effect that can add richness and movement to the reverb tail. Set the “Modulation” parameter to around 50% to start with and adjust to taste.
- Other Parameters: The “Low Cut” and “High Cut” parameters can be used to shape the frequency content of the reverb. For instance, reducing the high frequencies with the High Cut parameter can make the reverb sound warmer.
Remember, these are starting points. Feel free to tweak these settings to suit your taste and the requirements of the song you’re playing.
If you want to switch between this ambient reverb setting and a more subtle reverb effect, you can create another reverb block with different settings and use footswitches or snapshots to switch between them.
4. Fine-Tune Your Settings
Once you’ve selected the right amp, cab, and effects, adjust the settings to match the tone of the worship song. Consider the following:
- Gain: Balance the gain levels between the amp and overdrive/distortion pedals to achieve the desired amount of crunch or saturation.
- EQ: Use the EQ controls on the amp model and/or an additional EQ effect block to shape the frequency response of your guitar tone. This can help it sit well in the mix with other instruments and vocals.
- Effects Parameters: Tweak the settings of your effects to achieve the right mix of wet and dry signals, the appropriate decay times, and the desired intensity of modulation.
5. Utilize Snapshots and Expression Pedals
Snapshots and expression pedals can help you smoothly transition between different sections of a worship song. For example, you can use snapshots to switch between clean, rhythm, and lead tones, or use an expression pedal to control the mix of a reverb or delay effect.
6. Test and Refine Your Patch
After building your patch, play along with the worship song to see how well it matches the original tone. Make any necessary adjustments to the settings, and continue refining your patch until you’re satisfied with the results.
By following these steps, you can create Line 6 Helix patches that closely match the tones of common worship songs, allowing you to faithfully reproduce these sounds during live performances or studio recordings.
To switch between these two delay settings, you can assign them to footswitches or use snapshots. If you’re playing a song that requires both types of delay, you could set up one snapshot with the quarter note delay enabled and another with the eighth note delay enabled. Then, you can switch between them on the fly with a single footswitch press.