Line 6 Helix Stadium Pre-Launch Discussion

[Orvillain]

You're late.

You know what is funny, I deliberately never talked about Headrush when I worked for inMusic (the manufacturer!) because of my relationship with various of the other manufacturers, and not wanting to appear biased, but the Headrush units are actually quite cool. I'd take one of those over a QC most days of the week.

 

[Mongillo19]

You're late.

He was eating naan with Matilda

 

[mbenigni]

You know what is funny, I deliberately never talked about Headrush when I worked for inMusic (the manufacturer!) because of my relationship with various of the other manufacturers, and not wanting to appear biased, but the Headrush units are actually quite cool. I'd take one of those over a QC most days of the week.

To me, this reads like a rave review. But then I remember that most days you'd take herpes over a QC.

 

[Orvillain]

To me, this reads like a rave review. But then I remember that most days you'd take herpes over a QC.

Matilda is clean. Shush.

 

[mbenigni]

"Allow me to introduce myself
My name is touch screen
Pronounced with a QC
Was it a Headrush
Let-me-get-a-bit-juicy
To all the modelers out there
Please allow me to dump thee"

I don't know if this a Sympathy for the Devil thing, or if you've been rapping off that teleprompter too much, or what.

 

[mbenigni]

Matilda is clean. Shush.

Literal LOL.

 

[Digital Igloo]

"Allow me to introduce myself
My name is touch screen
Pronounced with a QC
Was it a Headrush
Let-me-get-a-bit-juicy
To all the modelers out there
Please allow me to dump thee"

I love you.

 

[Sascha Franck]

"Introduced" could be debated tho'; Headrush released a touchscreen-based multieffect first and TC did rotary footswitches forever ago. Mobile editing and cloud sharing were Line 6. Modeling+capture tech was first introduced in the THU plugin a year or two before QC, but yes, Neural put a combination of both in hardware first.

I don't think this is something that needs to be debated at all. There's some genuine designs that simply found their way into pretty much anything. Touchscreens existed before they were used in modelers, switches you could as well use as encoders, too (just that they weren't supposed to be stepped on), etc.
If you wanted, pretty much everything could be claimed as being "stolen", regardless at which company you look at.
If we really went into the details, everybody is stealing 1/4" outs (from whomever invented them). Or endless encoders. Or signal flow diagrams. Or iconized representations of whatever.

It's really all about how well you put things to use.

 

[JiveTurkey]

I love you.

It's the one rap song I actually "memorized" and didn't need on the teleprompter

 

[mbenigni]

If you wanted, pretty much everything could be claimed as being "stolen", regardless at which company you look at.

Mostly agree. Some things are inevitably derivative because what's gone before makes good sense.

Anyway, I never really meant for "introduced" to imply novelty. I could just as well have said "brought", "arrived with", "shipped with" or whatever.

 

[Digital Igloo]

I don't think this is something that needs to be debated at all. There's some genuine designs that simply found their way into pretty much anything. Touchscreens existed before they were used in modelers, switches you could as well use as encoders, too (just that they weren't supposed to be stepped on), etc.
If you wanted, pretty much everything could be claimed as being "stolen", regardless at which company you look at.
If we really went into the details, everybody is stealing 1/4" outs (from whomever invented them). Or endless encoders. Or signal flow diagrams. Or iconized representations of whatever.

It's really all about how well you put things to use.

There's truth in this. The thing that irks me isn't so much the blatant lifting itself (although that is really lazy), it's the feigning credit for what was lifted:

"Hey everyone! We've designed and developed the most groundbreaking, unparalleled, and easiest-to-use UI!"
​

Which is then parroted by clueless sycophants in the YouTube comment section.

 

[Orvillain]

NDSP in vulgar display of arrogance! Shock horror!

 

[molul]

"Hey everyone! We've designed and developed the most groundbreaking, unparalleled, and easiest-to-use UI!"​

I hate this style of communication. I don't trust companies that come up so arrogant. If your product is really that good, the audience will tell.

 

[Sascha Franck]

it's the feigning credit for what was lifted

We defenitely don't need to talk about that. But then, pretty much all kinds of extreme marketing blurb really go on my tits, so to say.

 

[timbuck3]

View attachment 48030

Hey that looks like me on the ground.. hmm

 

[Chocol8]

you'd take herpes over a QC.

That’s a tough call!

 

[laxu]

I don't think "on paper" is exactly fair. These are all real characteristics of the device.

The only paper comment is more to do with the on paper specs of the QC. If you look just at that it seems fantastic.

Similarly, I don't think "me too" is a fair assessment of the QC. (I'd go so far as to say QC introduced some ideas that we're now seeing on Stadium.) But I agree with you regarding Fractal's sound quality and Line 6's track record for supporting their products.

Modeling and captures in one box was new at the time, and I think it was the first hardware unit with the user friendly movable mic cab sims.

The point was that it should've dominated the market more than it has, and all that's on NDSP.

 

[Blix]

There's truth in this. The thing that irks me isn't so much the blatant lifting itself (although that is really lazy), it's the feigning credit for what was lifted:

"Hey everyone! We've designed and developed the most groundbreaking, unparalleled, and easiest-to-use UI!"
​

Which is then parroted by clueless sycophants in the YouTube comment section.

Like when Vemuram claimed three years of development for their Jan Ray, creating a "unique and innovative circuit". Turns of it was a Timmy with an extra trimpot

 

[Orvillain]

I think it was the first hardware unit with the user friendly movable mic cab sims.

It sounds terrible though. Easily the worst cab block on any hardware platform.

 

[mbenigni]

The only paper comment is more to do with the on paper specs of the QC. If you look just at that it seems fantastic.

Or if you look at the QC itself. The specs you cited (modern UI, plenty of DSP horsepower, compact form factor, modeling and captures in one) are all right there in person. I feel like we're talking in circles.

The point was that it should've dominated the market more than it has, and all that's on NDSP.

And it's sold like hotcakes. Whether it will have a shortened lifespan on account of their numerous screw-ups remains to be seen.