Fender Tonemaster Pro vs Line 6 Helix User Interface

Are Helix users missing out?! The Tonemaster Pro is supposed to be the new king of the user interface, but is it really? I wanted to compare the old bull to the young calf side by side to see which is easier to build and edit a preset on...

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00:00 Intro
00:49 Size and Switches
1:45 Touchscreens are overrated
2:56 Begin our preset build
6:00 Basic FS Assigning
6:54 Building out an identical-ish board
8:00 Assigning the board
9:00 TMP All Red FS vs Colors on Helix? How to customize...
10:23 (MUST WATCH) Making adjustments on the fly at gigs or rehearsal...
12:17 Parameter Control - Solo Boost Button on each
15:14 Weird our of sync bypass on Tonemaster Pro
20:11 Preset Spillover is also possible in Helix...
22:36 Single line view vs 2 line view

[SteveSterlacci]

Are Helix users missing out?! The Tonemaster Pro is supposed to be the new king of the user interface, but is it really? I wanted to compare the old bull to the young calf side by side to see which is easier to build and edit a preset on...

[Monahan_TP]

Your video was the final push that helped me decide between the TMP and Helix Floor; I went Helix. The user interface on the Fender seemed to be the answer as I'm not fond of deep-dive units. But you're absolutely right-- the Helix is simple & straight forward. The only thing missing is pictures of the units in the signal flow. Your video, and the fact that Line6 has continued to support the Helix (and Pod, etc) for many years. After spending a few weeks with the Helix I'm really glad I passed on the Fender. Thanks for the excellent videos!

[DaviSiqueiraSilva]

Well, that was indeed an eye opener. The Helix UI looks so outdated and we take so much of it for granted, but it's really shocking to get to the newest kid on the block just to find out it still can't do what Helix do in a fast and reliable way.

Even the QC, which evidently copied the Helix UI to a great extent, can't be compared to it when it comes to a well thought out real use scenario.

[RBL]

Love this guy and love this video.
I can definitely appreciate the comparisons.
Sure…in all fairness…he has far more hands on experience with navigating through the Helix than the Fender. Familiarity = speed at times.
But all in all…this was a great video to give anyone who’s entertaining that idea of jumping ship…a bit more to think about before doing so. 👍🏼

[marekgitarzysta]

Helix, a piece of gear from 2015 (!), showed us a GOOD platform is all that matters. You can keep developing it for years. I want to see if Fender does the same, or if they kill this version in two years and come up with a new yes, a touch screen as long as it is a hybrid design, may be a cool thing, but will never replace actual, tactile buttons and encoders

[JStillwell-wmln]

@15:30 when you created the footswitch assignments, you manually bypassed the blocks, which put them out of sync with the footswitch LEDs.
Also, you can touch the virtual footswitches on the pedal to bypass them.

[AnthonyBullock]

Great video. So this shows us just how good Helix was from the get-go. The only improvement would be to add text or pictures instead of the existing icons/blocks. But who plays while looking at the Helix screen. The Fender isn't bad - its just not as good (yet) for work flow. I imagine they'll make changes when the yahoos start playing these in the wild.

[WickedAwesomeBand]

Super informative Steve.. great job on the comparison…Hey Audrey.

[JerikoBlaq]

Great video man! Incredibly insightful

[scottakam]

Thanks Steve. Helix set the standard for UI 10 years ago. There is no excuse for new equipment to not be at least as good as the Helix UI in 2023. I was waiting for the part where you spilled a beer on them and then compared how easy they are to use!

[dansomerville]

I hope they come out with helix 2 in a smaller size with a few newer features next year.. I’d like a touch screen for naming things and probably some other stuff. The built in Bluetooth on the TMP is pretty useful too. More processing power would be great. They don’t need to reinvent the wheel. I think now they have seen what everyone has done they just need a refresh.

[okayguitarplayer]

Wish more people could see this. I love my Helix LT. Use it everyday... Sometimes I just build presets for fun and use different mic placements/cab-amp combos. Super powerful unit.

[ParanormalResponse]

First. It is obvious you haven't reached the age that you can't get off the floor! Secondly. You saved me from buying the Fender. I watched so many videos and was ready to buy. AFter seeing this, I think I would be highly annoyed trying to use it!

[hisdudeness]

I am pretty happy that I own a Helix. I agree that that realistic graphics would be great, but the functionality of the Helix appears to be a slam dunk winner. Also, I have more confidence in Line 6 support as they have proven that they can and will keep making the unit better.

[moskcastilloguitarmusicand]

Why did you put adhesive tape on the helix knob?, excellent video by the way

[sjsphotog]

Steve you forgot to show how easy it is on the Helix to switch the location of 2 pedal assignments just by using the cap-touch buttons !! Super fast on the Helix

[markjohnson]

thanks for the video, one question, at 21: 27 you hit the pre set mode switch and it says 8 presets and the scrible strips indicate 9 a 9b 9c 9d ect. so when your in this mode can you switch to a different preset without latency or is there a delay? for say like in a live situation? i hope that made sense. you do it so fast i had to slow it down to see what the hell you did. all the videos i have watched on this thing, not one person ever goes over that part of the unit!

[_billion_suns]

The Helix’s UI is extremely solid because they have someone on their team who is an expert in UI design and takes it very seriously. The TMP looks cool, but it’s going to be years before it can be compared to all the capability and numerous models of the Helix.

[pippinson]

Thank you for the very true to life use demo. Agreed on many points

One thing I've not seen yet on the new ToneMaster, and the manual doesn't touch on in detail, is MIDI integration

How simple is it to set up footswitch controls to send midi ccs/pcs to outboard gear?

[francvernet]

Sooo Steve, help me out here 😅 As a long time Helix user, what should I get next to backup/replace my Helix LT for gigging.. Headrush Prime, QC, Tonex, Tonemaster Pro? You seem to have tested them all. I really wouldn’t know what’s the next step for me.😊