Line 6 Helix Stadium Pre-Launch Discussion

[2dor]

OK ... not at home ... listening on the built-in speakers on a 10 year old 11" Sony Ultra book

These sounds are utterly amazing ..... what shocked me is how - to my ears at least - its sounds almost nothing like the Helix.

The new Agoura Modeling is clearly the real deal.

Well done L6.

And I'm not even buying one - until the "Stompium" is released :)

Yeah and the Hype knob's pretty cool - not overdone or anything.

 

[MTB1973]

Release The Chugs™

Badonk!

 

[Orvillain]

Stuff's starting to come out now; another one:

I feel like it is OBVIOUSLY better sounding than Helix Floor..... I hear no squirrels, I hear a kind of detail in the high-end that Helix is lacking.

Now ... am I smoking crack?

 

[Orvillain]

The tuner is fucking epic.

 

[paisleywookiee]

There are a lot things to like here. For example, the way Line6 uses skeuomorphic design as an aid without becoming a slave to it. But overall, I think this demonstrates Line6's unmatched understanding of how to make use of a modeler fun and inspiring.

Yeah it doesn’t strike me as baby’s first modeler, like the Fender TMP.

 

[Orvillain]

And I swear the delays and reverbs sound clearer to me in these latest few videos....

 

[DanRad]

I don't get crazy with my paths usually, and I have a really hard time wrapping my head around parallel paths. So what is the effect of dropping down the fuzz into a parallel path but not routing around a different effect? Does it just blend in some dry guitar?

 

[EOengineer]

I don't get crazy with my paths usually, and I have a really hard time wrapping my head around parallel paths. So what is the effect of dropping down the fuzz into a parallel path but not routing around a different effect? Does it just blend in some dry guitar?

Yeah, the dry signal along side the fuzz can keep your amp sounding punchy and clear whereas traditionally something a full on Big Muff very easily turns into a wall of mush through many amps. The physical big muff deluxe pedals actually give you a knob to blend in dry signal for exactly that reason.

That said, I think they put the fuzz after the cab in that video, so then it’s more like a quirky saturation effect.

 

[Orvillain]

I don't get crazy with my paths usually, and I have a really hard time wrapping my head around parallel paths. So what is the effect of dropping down the fuzz into a parallel path but not routing around a different effect? Does it just blend in some dry guitar?

Yes basically. But you can imagine it like this:

Guitar comes in. Split into two paths. You have one effect on path A, another effect on path B. The outputs of these effects join afterwards.

This means the effects do not interact - ie; your compressor doesn't affect the level of the guitar going into the fuzz. Your chorus doesn't affect the signal going into the reverb.

etc etc.

 

[Whizzinby]

SW is shipping. My rep just reached out.

Have fun boys!

 

[EOengineer]

Stuff's starting to come out now; another one:

I’m just a few mins in but have to say I’m loving what I’m hearing. It’s been pointed out in other clips, but there’s something different with the attack that plain sounds better than Hx. The clipping character is awesome too. When he rolls his guitar volume down with the SLO you get a really nice listen to how the clipping softens up.

I can’t pick out a sonic flaw or non-natural fingerprint at all with this right now.

 

[eggpl@nt]

Me, just waiting for the non-XL Stadium

 

[Orvillain]

Stuff's starting to come out now; another one:

haha! I got my 42 & 2 riff for a brief moment!

 

[DanRad]

Yes basically. But you can imagine it like this:

Guitar comes in. Split into two paths. You have one effect on path A, another effect on path B. The outputs of these effects join afterwards.

This means the effects do not interact - ie; your compressor doesn't affect the level of the guitar going into the fuzz. Your chorus doesn't affect the signal going into the reverb.

etc etc.

Yeah, I kind of understand that use case — routing around another effect so they don't interact. I just hadn't seen using it, I guess, to route around the dry guitar.

 

[wharf rat]

Me, just waiting for the non-XL Stadium

View attachment 55033

I actually laughed at this.

 

[JiveTurkey]

"Modelers don't typically do high gain as well?"

Some definite scratchiness on that Panama preset. Smooths out a bit and sounds good when it's pitched down though.

 

[EOengineer]

Some definite scratchiness on that Panama preset. Smooths out a bit and sounds good when it's pitched down though.

I actually came away from that video liking the Panama Red and I’m not usually a 5150 guy. There’s a spot where he starts sliding octaves around and there’s SO MUCH more weight there than I’m used to in Helix.

 

[Orvillain]

Yeah I thought the Panama sounded good. Better than what I remembered using from HX.

 

[EOengineer]

MF/GC crew out here like

 

[GTR37]

"Modelers don't typically do high gain as well?"

Some definite scratchiness on that Panama preset. Smooths out a bit and sounds good when it's pitched down though.

I noticed a bit of that and string noise but that to me is going to happen if you are gating really tight or if you have a tone of upper mid / presence but that is the modern sound and easy to rectify switch mics , high cut the cab , move the mic
I have my Fractal and it does that as well with noise under the notes depending on gate and eq setting