closed beta, by invitation
Become a beta tester.
We are looking for a small group of guitarists and producers to try Helix Tone Matcher and tell us what works and what doesn't. The beta is free and places are limited. You can take part in two ways: if you have a suitable computer you run the program yourself; if you don't, you send us the song and a recording of your guitar, and we do the calculation.
how you can take part
With your computer, or with your files.
A
I have a suitable computer
You install a small program on your PC that does the heavy lifting with your graphics card and the Helix Stadium Native plugin you already own. You upload the song and your guitar on the website, and the program works on your computer. Check the requirements below.
B
I don't have a suitable computer
You send us two files: the source track (the song, or better the guitar-only track of the song) and the DI, that is your guitar recorded clean. We do the calculation on our computer and send you back the preset and the listening files. You need to be able to record the DI: the guide is below, step by step. Because we do it for you, it will take some time: jobs go in a queue and we process them one at a time (each job takes from a few tens of minutes to a couple of hours); we let you know when the result is ready.
In both cases you listen to the results blind and tell us how it went (rating and comment): that is the part we need most. We are still preparing the beta: there is no date and the program to install is not ready. Applicants go on a list and receive an invitation when it is their turn; with the invitation we also tell you where to upload your files.
way A: your computer
Computer requirements.
The program uses the hardware of whoever tries it, so it matters. These are values we actually tested; where we have no measurements we say so. If your computer does not meet them you can take part the B way.
| Component | Minimum | Recommended | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 10, 64-bit | Windows 11 | macOS and Linux are not supported in the first beta. |
| Plugin | Helix Stadium Native (VST3) installed and activated with your own licence | The licence is yours and is not included. You do not need the pedalboard or any Helix hardware. | |
| Processor | 4 recent cores | 6–8 recent cores | The plugin runs on the processor. A full search takes 30 to 90 minutes on our PCs: longer on slower processors. We have no measurements on weak processors. |
| RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | Separating the guitar from a full song needs about 9 GB free. |
| Graphics card | Not needed if you only upload guitar-only tracks | NVIDIA with 8 GB of memory or more | Needed to separate the guitar from a full mix. Tested with an RTX 3060 (12 GB) and an RTX 5060 (8 GB). AMD or Intel cards and Macs: not tested. |
| Disk space | 10 GB free | 20 GB | For the separation models and temporary files. |
| Connection | Stable; about 20 MB uploaded for each job | The PC must stay on and connected while the program works. | |
| Your guitar | An electric guitar with an audio interface that has an instrument input (or a DI box), or an already recorded DI file | You need a clean recording, with no amp or effects: see the guide below. | |
The program is experimental. The presets it produces should be tried with care: back up your pedalboard or your presets before loading them.
way B (and useful for way A too)
How to record your DI and what to send us.
The DI is the signal of your guitar recorded clean, straight from the instrument input of an audio interface, with no amp, pedals, simulators or effects. It is the material the program uses to try sounds: the cleaner it is, and the closer to what the song plays, the better it works.
1
What you need
An electric guitar and an audio interface with an instrument (Hi-Z) input, or a DI box plugged into an interface, or a USB guitar cable. Recording software (a free one is fine, such as Audacity, or Reaper's trial) and headphones. Without one of these you cannot record a DI and for now you cannot take part.
2
How to connect
Guitar → the interface's instrument input → recording software. Switch off anything in between: no virtual amps, no effects on the track, no "monitoring with effect" in the software. Record a mono track.
3
Level
Set the interface gain so the peaks reach between −12 and −6 dBFS, never 0: if you see the red bar it is too high. A very low level (peaks below −18 dBFS) skews the result. Use no compression, EQ, reverb or normalisation.
4
What to play
The part of the song you want to imitate, 20–30 seconds, as in the original: same notes, same way of playing (chords, arpeggio, riff). Two repetitions in a row is best. Play with the volume knobs and pickup selector the way you want the guitar to sound, and write them down.
5
The DI file
When we invite you, you can upload the file (WAV, mono, 48 kHz and 24 bit; 44.1 kHz or 32-bit float are fine too; for example song_title_DI.wav, about 4 MB for 30 seconds) or record the DI straight from the browser on our site, choosing your interface's input: no recording software needed.
6
The source track
It is the sound you want to imitate. The best is the guitar-only track of the song (if you have it from a multitrack recording or a "no drums and bass" version). Otherwise send us the full song: we separate the guitar ourselves, but the result is less precise. You can upload the file or paste a YouTube link: we download the audio ourselves. Remember the point of the song to imitate, for example "from 0:56 to 1:12".
Before you send, check
- The DI is clean: no amp, effect, reverb or compression.
- The peaks are between −12 and −6 dBFS and there is no digital distortion (clipping).
- It is a mono WAV file of 20–30 seconds, of the same part of the song you want to imitate.
- You noted: guitar, pickup selector position, interface used, and the time range of the song.
- From the song you send only what you have the right to use, or use for personal purposes.
When you upload the files we ask the same things our program asks
With the invitation you get access to the jobs page, where you upload the files (or record the DI, or paste the link) and fill in the same fields we use: song name, the part to imitate (from which second and for how long), whether the file is the guitar alone or the full song, your guitar and notes. What you write goes straight into our system and starts from there: we do not have to copy anything by hand, and you do not have to write things twice.
The jobs page does not exist yet: we are preparing it. Do not send us files before, and do not email them; the form below only collects your contact details.
what we ask of you
A few clear things.
Songs for personal use
Upload only songs you have the right to use, or that you use for personal purposes. The files you upload stay private: they are never published or shared.
Listening and comments
After each job we will ask you to listen to the results blind, give a rating from 1 to 5 and, if you like, write a comment.
Beta terms
Before starting you will read and accept the terms: how long we keep the files, how to delete them and, for those who use their own computer, how we use your Helix Stadium Native licence. They are not published yet.
apply
Request to take part.
Fill in the fields: they will help us choose whom to invite. Fields marked with an asterisk are required. You do not upload files here: we tell you how, with the invitation.