Line 6 Helix Stadium Pre-Launch Discussion

[Sascha Franck]

The Vetta amps had a global reverb knob that would scale any given preset's reverb block wetter or drier. Only applicable for this one effect, but it was a good idea.

Same with Boss' GT units, in fact since ages already. They also have a global noise gate threshold and the programmed values are relative to that.
Obviously, that also works because there's always only 1 reverb and 2 gates, so it's easy to grasp.

But it also comes with some limitations. Not so much for the gate but for the reverb. In some patches, I may just want the full enchilada, regardless of the global setting - which I might have turned down already. Which is why I'm not making use of that feature anymore ever since the GT-1000 but have most reverbs set to global (or not, depending on the patch type).

 

[spawnofthesith]

It would be cool if there was something like an "auto-leveller/balancing" function that you could run across a group of presets to ensure equal volumes...

 

[Karl Houseknecht]

’m moreso curious if Proxy will satiate people who are holding off on the platform because <some-amp> isn’t there.

It absolutely will, for both amps and effects that are still missing when Proxy launches.

Maybe, but I'd temper expectations around capturing. You're not going to get an amp that's missing. You're going to get a snapshot in time that kinda sounds like an amp at certain settings but responds in the way that the underlying model has been built. It will be a quick way to get a particular sound that's close enough for some and not good enough for others.

 

[Sascha Franck]

I think Sascha has a whole laundry list of other parameters in mind, though.

True.
Really, as said before, what I wish for is things to work pretty much exactly like a giant loopswitcher based setup (think Bradshaw and what not), just more flexible (as nothing would be cast in stone).

There's really so much things this would allow for.
Want to deactivate the cab sim globally because you need to run through a rental amp's return? If you had them set to be global blocks, it'd be a 2-3 click affair.
Singer's got a sore throat inmidst of a tour, so you need to play some tunes, say, transposed down -1 (and this is right out of my personal history, we had to tune down all our stuff for some days)? Just do so with the poly pitch block you've added in advance. Sure, would require some pre-planning, but you could then decide to play in the OG tuning or lower at any time. I know, it's not feasible on the OG HX line because poly pitch is too CPU expensive in many cases, but you get the idea.

 

[Sascha Franck]

It would be cool if there was something like an "auto-leveller/balancing" function that you could run across a group of presets to ensure equal volumes...

Defenitely!

I think I even posted something like that on Ideascale quite a while back.
Not sure whether auto-balancing would really be possible (quite a difficult thing to please anyone), but my proposal was to have a kinda setlist thing which would allow you to slap an additional "overall output" parameter on top of things, so you could check and balance your levels within that very setlist - but without ever editing the actual patches and resaving them. Just scroll through your patch list and quickly adjust the output, that setting would then not require any saving but would be autosaved with the setlist.

 

[EOengineer]

Maybe, but I'd temper expectations around capturing. You're not going to get an amp that's missing. You're going to get a snapshot in time that kinda sounds like an amp at certain settings but responds in the way that the underlying model has been built. It will be a quick way to get a particular sound that's close enough for some and not good enough for others.

Yeah those limitations are important and why I'm hesitant to assume Proxy would fill that amp gap. I'm usually able to make static captures work for me but it's a somewhat divisive technology for some of us.

 

[dk_ace]

A lot of Fractal users have been asking for one for a long time. One issue is that despite having so many Plexis, they're all lead spec and are relatively similar. It could probably stand to just have one 100w and one 50w and it would be good enough. The Helix actually has a better variety. The Brit Trem model is supposed to be very similar to a JTM50. Hopefully there will be an Agoura version of that at some point.

That really isn’t accurate. The fractal has more Marshall style amp variety by a pretty wide stretch. The only material gap in their lineup from a classic amps perspective is the super bass.

Important disclaimer, I’ve never had the opportunity to play a super bass. I’ve just always wanted to and would like to see them done well in modelers. Cool that they put one in Stadium. I’ll probably have to try stadium now just to try the super bass lol.

D

 

[EOengineer]

That really isn’t accurate. The fractal has more Marshall style amp variety by a pretty wide stretch. The only material gap in their lineup from a classic amps perspective is the super bass.

Fractal is kind of synonymous with amazing Marshall models. I just assumed they had like 5 superbass models.

Important disclaimer, I’ve never had the opportunity to play a super bass. I’ve just always wanted to and would like to see them done well in modelers. Cool that they put one in Stadium. I’ll probably have to try stadium now just to try the super bass lol.

D

FWIW I have a 1959 clone that started life as a Superbass. Both are really cool, I sometimes feel like we overstate the differences between them.

 

[mbenigni]

Quoteworthy!

All your toanz belong to mankind!

Proxy, etc.: The public controls the means of production™.

(@Mods this is only a parody of politics LOL.)

 

[mbenigni]

Want to deactivate the cab sim globally because you need to run through a rental amp's return? If you had them set to be global blocks, it'd be a 2-3 click affair.

The-modeler-that-shall-not-be-named (which I've too often named in this thread already) actually has a pretty effective way of dealing with this, with a little matrix of checkboxes in the Globals section.

And I expect Stadium's Matrix will be effective for this sort of thing, provided you've built your templates/presets with your eventual needs in mind.

 

[Sascha Franck]

The-modeler-that-shall-not-be-named (which I've too often named in this thread already) actually has a pretty effective way of dealing with this, with a little matrix of checkboxes in the Globals section.

Didn't know that. Quite decent. But then, Boss had this as well since decades.

 

[mikah912]

That really isn’t accurate. The fractal has more Marshall style amp variety by a pretty wide stretch. The only material gap in their lineup from a classic amps perspective is the super bass.

Important disclaimer, I’ve never had the opportunity to play a super bass. I’ve just always wanted to and would like to see them done well in modelers. Cool that they put one in Stadium. I’ll probably have to try stadium now just to try the super bass lol.

D

Yes and no. Fractal is miles beyond pretty much anybody with "modern" Marshalls - your Jose mods, #34, boutique variants like Splawn, Cornford, Cameron, Friedman BE-100 iterations, Satch and non-Satch versions of the JVM410, etc. Always will be. I don't see Line 6 or anyone else trying to dedicate that much modeling real estate to that.

If you're looking for a more historical focus with Park amps or Bluesbreakers or whatnot, then Fractal is just like anybody else.

Ultimately, I believe Line 6 will add 3 or 4 more of these types in the Agoura era. If @Digital Igloo is looking to go where Fractal and everybody else has not tread, I'd suggest starting with Headfirst Amplifiction Alta, and maybe the Victory Super Sheriff 100. Heck, get the Bogner Snorkler in there too to complement the Ecstasy, Shiva and Uberschall.

I've already told him the first "Agoura Original" should be their own in-house version of this. Start with a Plexi circuit, add a tweakable and movable clipping diode where you can put it in several places within the topology (e.g. in the tonestack or with the PI or with V1/V2 or wherever), add tweakable negative feedback for the girth.

 

[EOengineer]

The-modeler-that-shall-not-be-named (which I've too often named in this thread already) actually has a pretty effective way of dealing with this, with a little matrix of checkboxes in the Globals section.

View attachment 48314

And I expect Stadium's Matrix will be effective for this sort of thing, provided you've built your templates/presets with your eventual needs in mind.

IIRC Tonex also has a master IR defeat of some sort. It’s in the hardware’s menu somewhere and has been useful on a few occasions here.

 

[mbenigni]

Didn't know that. Quite decent. But then, Boss had this as well since decades.

IIRC Tonex also has a master IR defeat of some sort. It’s in the hardware’s menu somewhere and has been useful on a few occasions here.

What's unique (or OMG elegant) about the implementation in The-Modeler-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named, is that you can have complex routing set up to suit one application (e.g. studio), and then use the individual lane settings to conditionally re-purpose each of them for another application (e.g. live), without changing any of your presets.

 

[Mongillo19]

The-Modeler-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named

 

[EOengineer]

What's unique (or OMG elegant) about the implementation in The-Modeler-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named, is that you can have complex routing set up to suit one application (e.g. studio), and then use the individual lane settings to conditionally re-purpose each of them for another application (e.g. live), without changing any of your presets.

Yeah that is a great feature and one I have seriously hoped would be added to Tonex so I could split to FOH and poweramp/cab.

 

[ccc118]

That really isn’t accurate. The fractal has more Marshall style amp variety by a pretty wide stretch. The only material gap in their lineup from a classic amps perspective is the super bass.

Important disclaimer, I’ve never had the opportunity to play a super bass. I’ve just always wanted to and would like to see them done well in modelers. Cool that they put one in Stadium. I’ll probably have to try stadium now just to try the super bass lol.

D

I'm only talking about the Plexis. I know Fractal has more of the other Marshall types. All the Plexi models in the Fractal are lead spec and they all have quite a lot of gain. I'd rather have a few less aggressive ones mixed in. In addition to the bass spec amps, many of the early tremolo amps were shared cathode and had a smaller bright cap, which is basically what the Brit Trem model is. There isn't really anything in the Fractal that gets that type of sound.

 

[Antipodes]

Does Kemper support profiling other stuff that are not amps or cabs?

I'm not sure if I'm understanding correctly, but I'm getting that there could be Proxy distortions, Proxy reverbs... If that's true, I do much wonder how that would work :-O

It will profile drive pedals.

 

[JiveTurkey]

BREAKING THE LAW BREAKING THE LAW

 

[mbenigni]

BREAKING THE LAW BREAKING THE LAW

(I already deleted that post because it didn't get a laugh. However, on Saturday, "Halford couldn't make it so they grabbed some other bald guy", did.)