Line 6 Helix Stadium Talk

They were very close
It sounds like the only amp that may have something odd now Is the 5153
And maybe Jubilee
But the Mark 2 , XTC, 800, Revv, SLO
They seem to have nailed pretty good

Don't know why you include the Jubilee. I frickin' love that amp model. Got nothing but great results from day one, and I've heard nothing but compliments on my tones with it both last weekend's gig and in the clip I shared here.
 
On real Marks I never set the presence high. I guess it just depends on what you want to hear. I think of it as a way to add top end sheen, but only if called for.
I think my ears are blown out so that might explain it :bag :rofl

Here's my entrance into the reamp wars. I just did the IIC on the Stadium. I used my favorite HX Mandarin 2x12 V30 cab. DI by LT :satan I believe I disabled the GEQ and Minotaur block on this reamp but this is whereI landed with my IIC Stadium amp block.
 
There's some weirdness happening there. Extreme upper high end static or clipping. I'm not going to say the name of the rodent because I don't think it's that and I don't hear it in the model when I play it. But that's what it reminds me of.
christmas vacation squirrel GIF
 
This the same DI reamped through the Cali Rectifier. No GEQ or Minotaur to provide pick attack

I always end up sizzling the living crap out of the Helix stuff.
 
A = Agoura
B = Fractal

I didn’t go to any special trouble to match these other than using the same settings and then trying to match levels. Imagine what someone with better ears for that could do.

I had the same results with the 2203, EVH, Revv, and Ecstasy. The AC30 is more different because they are different amps but it is still close. This amp is particularly eyebrow raising because Fractal is known for / prides themselves on their accuracy of the Mark models.

My main point here is anyone claiming “light years” of difference in the modeling quality between the platforms is listening with their eyes. And even I fully expected Fractal to still have an edge. If they do, it’s not something I can quantify.

I agree with you 110%, and honestly didn't want to have a Fractal device onhand when I got my Stadium.

I've lost the appetite for creating A/B shootouts, personally. I was on the verge of doing it with my FM9 and ToneMaster Pro earlier this year, and every time I would boot up the the TMP and enjoy those sounds immensely...I thought "why bother"?

Agoura has more than proven itself for me across a range of models, and the Stadium XL hardware has me falling back in love with many HX models (which really shouldn't just be assumed they're a tier of quality below) too.

I get it if folks like JiveTurkey need "a range of" Mesa Marks or "a range of" modded Marshalls or whatever have you that Fractal provides. In my extensive time with the FM9, I grew to appreciate that less and less. One day, I could prefer the Mesa Mark V channels, and a week later, I'd be back to the Triaxis, then maybe the OG IIC+ after that.

The only way I could actually get down to making music with them was to pick one or two and stick with it. Honestly for my bread and butter (modded Marshalls), I'm already spoiled for choice on Agoura with the Silver Jubilee, 2203 (w/ SD-1), Soldano, and Bogner Ecstasy. For now, I'm picking the Jubilee and sticking with it.
 
This the same DI reamped through the Cali Rectifier. No GEQ or Minotaur to provide pick attack

I always end up sizzling the living crap out of the Helix stuff.


Yeah, you might be missing higher frequencies in your hearing, sir, because those clips/tones are hot as hell.

I do not need EQ tricks or boosts to provide pick attack with any Stadium tones I dial up, although I do love slapping on a Precision Drive with the Attack parameter cranked to make a rhythm tone extra clanky sometimes.....
 
I agree with you 110%, and honestly didn't want to have a Fractal device onhand when I got my Stadium.

I've lost the appetite for creating A/B shootouts, personally. I was on the verge of doing it with my FM9 and ToneMaster Pro earlier this year, and every time I would boot up the the TMP and enjoy those sounds immensely...I thought "why bother"?

Agoura has more than proven itself for me across a range of models, and the Stadium XL hardware has me falling back in love with many HX models (which really shouldn't just be assumed they're a tier of quality below) too.

I get it if folks like JiveTurkey need "a range of" Mesa Marks or "a range of" modded Marshalls or whatever have you that Fractal provides. In my extensive time with the FM9, I grew to appreciate that less and less. One day, I could prefer the Mesa Mark V channels, and a week later, I'd be back to the Triaxis, then maybe the OG IIC+ after that.

The only way I could actually get down to making music with them was to pick one or two and stick with it. Honestly for my bread and butter (modded Marshalls), I'm already spoiled for choice on Agoura with the Silver Jubilee, 2203 (w/ SD-1), Soldano, and Bogner Ecstasy. For now, I'm picking the Jubilee and sticking with it.
That amp is soooo gratifying to play, it's silly!

In other news, I'm reading the Mesa IIC+ manual, pretending I own the actual amp :bonk

I still haven't decided what amp I'm going to use for the cover band. A lot of indie/alt rock material in the repertoire, so maybe the AC30 is the most sensible in that context, but I think I prefer playing through the Jubille and Super Reverb.
 
That amp is soooo gratifying to play, it's silly!

In other news, I'm reading the Mesa IIC+ manual, pretending I own the actual amp :bonk

I still haven't decided what amp I'm going to use for the cover band. A lot of indie/alt rock material in the repertoire, so maybe the AC30 is the most sensible in that context, but I think I prefer playing through the Jubille and Super Reverb.

That Agoura Super Reverb is also a killer, killer amp model. I just keep it with the Hot Springs in front and maybe a boost pedal too, and it can do soooooooo much.
 
There is a kind of inherent lack of sizzle, fizz, and Kerrrrrannnnggggg in Stadium. I don't like to admit it, but I hear a difference when comparing Stadium to Fractal, and also when comparing Stadium to my real amp.

I can make my real amps sound ugly in a fucking cool way. I can't make Stadium sound ugly in a cool way.

I don't think it sounds bad. AT ALL. That really isn't what I am saying. But there's a distinct difference that jumps out in those clips @Karl Houseknecht and if you cannot hear it, more power to you. Keep enjoying your gear.
 
I sincerely hope that will come to Stadium over time. The IIC+ isn't my favorite Mark. That would be the IV. And I do want an AC20, BE-100, a Dirty Shirley, and (please, please, please) a Splawn Quick Rod. Sure, I can pick a current Agoura model and make music, but those are real amps and models that I love and use, and Fractal has them.

To be clear, I'm not waving off further Agoura models at all. Everybody has real life faves, and I sincerely hope Line 6 taps as many of those as possible. I'm glad that they're not looking at Proxy as the main vehicle for achieving that, and have plans for Agoura-fying the vast, vast majority of existing HX amps (all of which they own except for two).

They've also said they want to get new stuff in there, and this most recent firmware was a perfect example. The BE100 is a virtual lock, I figure. Morgan AC20 would be sweet and I cosign that. I liked the Splawn QuickRod on Fractal for sure (never tried a real one), but that might be a tougher one to convince them to acquire.

For what it's worth, you have my +1 on it. (Paging @Digital Igloo)
 
I quit A/Bing amp stuff a while back. I could get sounds out of Helix that I was 100% happy with for the sounds I use most (clean, crunchy fender, crunchy Marshall, occasionally a Vox, and a couple of flavors of high gain). That’s all I really cared about. I wasn’t obsessing over whether it could indistinguishably nail a specific amp, because I used helix in situations where I wasn’t going to use an amp anyway.

I think the fractal modeling is a little better than the latest HX stuff, and a lot better than some of the earlier HX stuff.

The agoura clips I’ve heard sound like they’ve improved the things I thought were less than ideal in the HX stuff, so I’m sure I could be happy with it.

I’m not saying that anyone who is hung up on the amp modeling is “wrong” - we all have our thing.

D
 
Live and let live?

Block and let block. There’s a reason a lot of people here ignore him, and he’s long since banned elsewhere. He’s fucking annoying. Better just not to interact with the him.

I can handle discussion that’s repetitive, but when it’s the same myopic bullshit over and over, with a condescending douche tone, it gets old.
 
I've owned two different Quick Rod's and two different Street Rods. They are kinda one trick ponies, but they do an amazing trick. In many ways I like them better than the BE.
It’s actually one of my favs in the Axe right now , I won’t say it totally dethrones a JVM orange
But man it is good your preset that you sent to have pimped sounded great
And Marcos factory preset w a couple of tweaks is killer
 
I've owned two different Quick Rod's and two different Street Rods. They are kinda one trick ponies, but they do an amazing trick. In many ways I like them better than the BE.

Funny, Splawn seems to position it and its "gears" much the same as Marshall does the various channels of the JVM410: They both describe them as Hot-rodded Plexi > Hot-rodded 800 > Super Hot-Rodded 800 and so on.....
 
Funny, Splawn seems to position it and its "gears" much the same as Marshall does the various channels of the JVM410: They both describe them as Hot-rodded Plexi > Hot-rodded 800 > Super Hot-Rodded 800 and so on.....
I would say they are similar for sure
With the Splawn maybe a bit of a dryer more percussive distortion the plate stack vs cathode
The Marshall can be a bit more saturated especially in the red
I believe the Splawn in OD2 actually does bring in a CF for more compression
 
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