Line 6 Helix Stadium Pre-Launch Discussion

[molul]

View attachment 47952

Multiplexer?
Side-chain?

This looks like it's moving. I wonder if it's a mixer that reacts to how strong you're playing.

 

[laxu]

View attachment 47952

Multiplexer?
Side-chain?

I think that's just the split routings from Helix.

This could be the dynamic split. In the same preset you can see the A/B and crossover splits too.

 

[Vic Winters]

I think that's just the split routings from Helix.

This could be the dynamic split. In the same preset you can see the A/B and crossover splits too.

You're probably right.

 

[Sleezy E]

Yeah the $250 backpack smarts, NGL. I guess it feels weird to bitch about it right after dropping $2k for a device, but $250? Ouch.

Imma wait till I figure out if mah OG helix backpack will fit the xl... I kinda figure it will...

 

[Digital Igloo]

No joke, "The Humpty Dance" is my karaoke jam. Old band in Tucson would do a metal version and I'd rap on it.

A potentially "game changing" feature in Helix Stadium is Showcase. We haven't seen anything like it on any other digital modeler. Are there other tools to do that? Absolutely, but having it easy and convenient goes a long way.

Man, watching all these Showcase-like iOS apps and boxes come out over the years has been brow-furrowing. Probably setting myself up here, but the circa-2012 touchscreen Helix design had a a scaled-down version of Showcase too:

And we haven't seen 80% of the features that Line6 already knows will be added to Stadium.

Not quite. 80% of the bullets had to be removed from the FAQ. Some represented entire features, yes, but some were simply extensions of existing features. But we also have a massive sustaining TRD going with 100+ items that aren't in any other official documentation, nor were they in the FAQ. So it's very squishy.

So who are these new guys in the neighborhood?

We have more granularity in our block icons now, so you have a better idea of what a preset might sound like at a glance. Here are all block types found in 1.0:

No, at no point did we consider showing real amp and pedal images on the home screen. With up to 48 block locations, all nuance would be lost, plus it'd look cartoony and amateurish. Fender does a really nice job with theirs but it just wouldn't work with our signal flow layout.

EDIT: Crap, I had to keep editing post-1.0 block types out.

 

[Lysander]

We have more granularity in our block icons now, so you have a better idea of what a preset might sound like at a glance. Here are all block types found in 1.0:

This is great, thank you - being able to identify the sub-category of a block at a glance will be incredibly useful.

 

[molul]

Some represented entire features, yes, but some were simply extensions of existing features

Hehe, I expected something like that. I look forward to seeing those smaller things anyway :)

Here are all block types found in 1.0:

Niice. Most of them were pretty intuitive. Kudos to the designer

 

[guyonthefox]

It's like having to change your Global Settings icon from a globe+gear icon to a ratchet+wrench icon for fear of alienating flat earthers. Never Placate Ignorance©.

Exactly, you Placate them with a Placater Amp

 

[mbenigni]

Why are we controlling drum trigger inputs again?

I could see using them for keeping time with something like this, but you'd need the ability to trigger samples...

 

[mbenigni]

If Stadium isn't attractive at a certain point in time, check it out a year later and it very well could be.

 

[mbenigni]

It probably won't, if only because of how red the competitive ocean is right now (and how many damn Helices we've sold over the last decade). Big reason why we're finally patenting the hell out of everything we can.

You'd know better than anyone else here, but as far as I can tell the Stadium products are going to have the competition on the run. NDSP must be thinking about ways they can lower manufacturing costs on QCs so they can put a little more daylight between their price vs. a non-XL Stadium.

 

[mbenigni]

It is. I mean, at this point, what would it take for a guitar modeler to be considered something entirely new? Reacting in realtime to your chords making full band arrangements with AI?

File under: Be careful what you wish for.

 

[mbenigni]

This comes from the Stadium announcement:
View attachment 47931

And these are current Helix blocks:
View attachment 47933

So who are these new guys in the neighborhood?
View attachment 47935

The first one looks like a volume pedal block. The block before the delay in the second row looks like a variant of the delay block. And the one right next to the delay might be a modulation variant too.


On the other hand, @Digital Igloo , it might be handy having an indicator on whether the block is stereo or not. Something like this (in the delay block):
View attachment 47937

I want to see the settings of the Stadium's Send/Return block. (Specifically: are USB audio channels available as I/O?)

 

[HomespunEffects]

.

EDIT: Crap, I had to keep editing post-1.0 block types out.

“Accident”.

 

[mbenigni]

Man, watching all these Showcase-like iOS apps and boxes come out over the years has been brow-furrowing. Probably setting myself up here, but the circa-2012 touchscreen Helix design had a a scaled-down version of Showcase too:

Are you talking about the likes of Camelot Pro? Think of it as advertising LOL. All of the functionality I've grown to love on iPad? All the better to have it without the iPad.

View attachment 47967

Gah! OK, GAS is now in full swing. Lovely design work here.

 

[HotRats]

No joke, "The Humpty Dance" is my karaoke jam. Old band in Tucson would do a metal version and I'd rap on it.

Man, watching all these Showcase-like iOS apps and boxes come out over the years has been brow-furrowing. Probably setting myself up here, but the circa-2012 touchscreen Helix design had a a scaled-down version of Showcase too:
View attachment 47960

Not quite. 80% of the bullets had to be removed from the FAQ. Some represented entire features, yes, but some were simply extensions of existing features. But we also have a massive sustaining TRD going with 100+ items that aren't in any other official documentation, nor were they in the FAQ. So it's very squishy.

We have more granularity in our block icons now, so you have a better idea of what a preset might sound like at a glance. Here are all block types found in 1.0:
View attachment 47967
No, at no point did we consider showing real amp and pedal images on the home screen. With up to 48 block locations, all nuance would be lost, plus it'd look cartoony and amateurish.

EDIT: Crap, I had to keep editing post-1.0 block types out.

New icons are really, really nice!

 

[Digital Igloo]

I want to see the settings of the Stadium's Send/Return block. (Specifically: are USB audio channels available as I/O?)

Not at launch, but USB Sends and Returns are definitely something we want to eventually tackle (with all the requisite warnings of USB latency creep). Yes, I had to remove them from the table above, as there's a USB icon on them:

 

[Digital Igloo]

“Accident”.

I'll bite. Let's play Guess The Missing Block Types©.

Number of items removed from the block table before sharing on TGF:

• Input: 1
• None: 1
• Amp: 1
• Preamp: 1
• Distortion: 1
• Reverb: 1
• Wah/Filter: 1
• Looper: 3
• FX Loop: 6
• Split: 1
• Output: 1
• Additional column A: 3
• Additional column B: 8
• Additional column C: 1

 

[timbuck3]

You'd know better than anyone else here, but as far as I can tell the Stadium products are going to have the competition on the run. NDSP must be thinking about ways they can lower manufacturing costs on QCs so they can put a little more daylight between their price vs. a non-XL Stadium.

Maybe most but not fractal I bet

 

[mbenigni]

Not at launch, but USB Sends and Returns are definitely something we want to eventually tackle (with all the requisite warnings of USB latency creep). Yes, I had to remove them from the table above, as there's a USB icon on them:

View attachment 47975

The sooner the better. :) I'll take solace in the fact that the icon exists. And yes, I take full responsibility for whatever latency I incur. (9 times out of 10 I'm using that USB loop to convert to MIDI, so there's enough latency to give Leo Gibson fits anyway... P.S. If you'd like to take over on pitch-to-MIDI conversion, I'm all for it LOL.)

Will likely pre-order today. Feels like coming home. :)