Digital Igloo (Eric Klein, YGG)

[Iron1]

Like this?

No.

From what I’ve seen from L6, the Catalyst was launched under the “simple plug and play” mindset to serve players who just wanna plug in and play and not go down a rabbit hole of infinite tone options.

And that’s great for those who want that.

What I would love to see is essentially a Helix combo, that offers ALL the amps, pedals, cabs, etc that you get in the Stomp/Rack/LT/Floor.

So, I can access my Helix multiverse in a unit that also has an amp and speaker. Then I can manipulate the tone choices simply by standard knobs/small screen or way in depth by connecting the amp to HX Edit.

 

[JiveTurkey]

The HX Combo has been shot down a number of times historically. Best you could do is an @Boudoir Guitar rehouse.

Edited for apologies for being a

 

[Iron1]

The HX Combo has been shot down a number of times historically. Best you could do is an @Boudoir Guitar rehouse.

Edited for apologies for being a

Maybe I can duct tape a Stomp and Seymour Duncan Power Stage to a Mesa 112 Cab…

 

[Mookyshoots]

I'd just like to have a functional Windows 11 driver. I haven't been able to access or update my Cat60 on either of my Win11 PCs due to driver errors for at least a few months now. I've disabled memory protection as directed in a few Line 6 forum threads but still nothing. I've also reset the amp multiple times and no luck with that either. I can access the amp via Catalyst Edit on my iPad but cannot update it. It's just really frustrating at this point.

 

[the-trooper]

What I would love to see is essentially a Helix combo, that offers ALL the amps, pedals, cabs, etc that you get in the Stomp/Rack/LT/Floor.

So, I can access my Helix multiverse in a unit that also has an amp and speaker. Then I can manipulate the tone choices simply by standard knobs/small screen or way in depth by connecting the amp to HX Edit.

How would that be better / different than Helix + any of the powered speakers / "FRFR" solutions?

 

[Iron1]

How would that be better / different than Helix + any of the powered speakers / ""FRFR"" solutions?

The same as any combo would be better than (insert two or more things) in as much as they are. Self contained practice amp I can grab and take wherever with minimal hassle.

 

[yeky83]

The same as any combo would be better than (insert two or more things) in as much as they are. Self contained practice amp I can grab and take wherever with minimal hassle.

What’s the point of the full Helix platform with all the amps and effects without the proper footswitching or editing? No one wants that.

 

[Iron1]

What’s the point of the full Helix platform with all the amps and effects without the proper footswitching or editing? No one wants that.

The editing would come via HXEdit. And apparently a lot of people want that or else Katana, Spark and Mustang GTX wouldn’t be a thing.

 

[yeky83]

The editing would come via HXEdit. And apparently a lot of people want that or else Katana, Spark and Mustang GTX wouldn’t be a thing.

Those are a thing cus they have good nuff built-in capability mostly for practice at <$500. You want Line 6 to put their flagship product into a combo and make it worse with an crappy interface to compete within a product space of practice amps for how much?

 

[Iron1]

Those are a thing cus they have good nuff built-in capability mostly for practice at <$500. You want Line 6 to put their flagship product into a combo and make it worse with an crappy interface to compete within a product space of practice amps for how much?

The same thing Fender and Boss are doing in the same price bracket.

 

[JiveTurkey]

I have a Rittler power amp you could mount in the back of a 112 cab. Stomp for tones and footswitching up front and you're "done". It'd get done quicker than a Helix combo, at least :)

 

[Byrdman]

I have a Rittler power amp you could mount in the back of a 112 cab. Stomp for tones and footswitching up front and you're "done". It'd get done quicker than a Helix combo, at least :)

We can call it the "Jive Turkey Impulse"

 

[JiveTurkey]

We can call it the "Jive Turkey Impulse"

So many impulses

 

[Byrdman]

So many impulses

But never too many

 

[JiveTurkey]

But never too many

Always Be ImplusingTM

 

[Digital Igloo]

How would that be better / different than Helix + any of the powered speakers / ""FRFR"" solutions?

That's pretty much our take too, except replace "powered speakers/"FRFR" solutions" with "your favorite playback system," which could very well be a tube power amp and cab.

Any combo with the full compliment of Helix amps and effects would require some way of controlling it live; as soon as you add a robust enough controller—even if it connects and is powered via FBV—the only convenience a Helix combo would give you is one fewer audio cable (Stomp > Amp) and one less power supply (Stomp). But you're then stuck with whatever cabinet and speaker we'd give you. The convenience argument holds water on a spreadsheet, but not really in practice.

The bigger issue is whether or not the market would embrace a $2000+ digital amp with no tubes. There's definitely a "I won't buy this amp because new amps should last until 2070 and the software might not be supported in 2030" thing going on. Which I kinda get, because my old Parker MIDI Fly couldn't be tweaked because I didn't have a Windows 98 System.

EDIT: I shoulda just said "because it'd have knobs."

 

[CakeEater]

The same as any combo would be better than (insert two or more things) in as much as they are. Self contained practice amp I can grab and take wherever with minimal hassle.

I get it

That's pretty much our take too, except replace "powered speakers/""FRFR"" solutions" with "your favorite playback system," which could very well be a tube power amp and cab.

Any combo with the full compliment of Helix amps and effects would require some way of controlling it live; as soon as you add a robust enough controller—even if it connects and is powered via FBV—the only convenience a Helix combo would give you is one fewer audio cable (Stomp > Amp) and one less power supply (Stomp). But you're then stuck with whatever cabinet and speaker we'd give you. The convenience argument holds water on a spreadsheet, but not really in practice.

The bigger issue is whether or not the market would embrace a $2000+ digital amp with no tubes. There's definitely a "I won't buy this amp because new amps should last until 2070 and the software might not be supported in 2030" thing going on. Which I kinda get, because my old Parker MIDI Fly couldn't be tweaked because I didn't have a Windows 98 System.

EDIT: I shoulda just said "because it'd have knobs."

A HX take on the Yamaha THR would be more sensible, but I get the whole toe-stepping thing. It would be right at home at casual music sessions with acoustic instruments though.

 

[Digital Igloo]

A HX take on the Yamaha THR would be more sensible, but I get the whole toe-stepping thing. It would be right at home at casual music sessions with acoustic instruments though.

Yep, that would be our AMPLIFi (2012). Positive Grid was smart enough to read between the lines, took the ball after we fumbled it, ran with it, and has been wildly successful.

I could maybe see a POD-branded practice amp, but it'd probably make more sense to make a deeper and more flexible Catalyst MkIII. Any amp branded "Helix" or "HX" would need to be worthy of rock stars on world tours.

 

[Iron1]

… it'd probably make more sense to make a deeper and more flexible Catalyst MkIII. Any amp branded "Helix" or "HX" would need to be worthy of rock stars on world tours.

That part I get. Just would rather give Line 6 my money and have a Katana/Mustang-esque combo that gives me tones I get from my Stomp and Rack.

Or maybe a combo that is Native-driven?

 

[Whizzinby]

That part I get. Just would rather give Line 6 my money and have a Katana/Mustang-esque combo that gives me tones I get from my Stomp and Rack.

Or maybe a combo that is Native-driven?

I mocked this up for Cliff, but could apply to Line 6:

But my idea would be to just have the amps in there. Bring your own pedals and effect just like a real amp. Just amp models, real knobs to tweak, and a quality SS power section.

Of course I might be the only one that would buy it, but still.