Line 6 Helix Stadium

[Vic Winters]

Watching the interviews of DI saying Agoura methodology is faster/better/easier, I get the sense that OG Helix will still get cabs and effects ported over, but amp updates are done.

 

[ChordInversion]

They won’t I don’t think the product manager hates that

That'll be a significant expense to eat, but hey, all the better for people who want to do captures.

 

[Sascha Franck]

I've truly been convinced that user experience and just plain fun operating it matters.

Every bit this. That's also why, in the Kemper thread, even if I would possibly not use it often (let alone I don't own the unit), I was so astonished how people could compare any other device's controller assign functionalities to the morphing function of the Kemper. Sure, you can get the same results. But with the Kemper it's actually fun, with all other devices you can only hope it's not *just* as tedious.

Similar with the HX series' capacitive switches. Once I had my user defaults done back in my Floor days, I was sometimes creating patches from scratch pretty much out of fun, simply to see where it'd take me. And because operating it was incredibly satisfying.

UI matters. Almost as much as sound (which is at least acceptable on anything better than the lowest tiers anyway).

 

[Sascha Franck]

It's kind of throwing me that the smaller of the two Stadiums is called the Stadium Floor, after 10 years of Helix Floor referring to the OG "full-fat" version.

Just me?

Let me illustrate this new way of thinking for you:

 

[OrganicZed]

That's perfectly understandable. I don't think any platform's next-gen modeling is going to blow Fractal out of the water, nor do I think the reverse is true either. The FM9 is a stupidly capable and well-made piece of gear, and it has also been great-sounding, reliable and easy to use live (one I put in the work beforehand using Axe-Edit at home) for me too.

But in my ownership of Helix hardware, Quad Cortex and (currently) Tonemaster Pro, I've truly been convinced that user experience and just plain fun operating it matters. These ecosystems with easier UIs, cloud-based infrastructure and touchscreens make using this stuff so much more fun. What yesterday's prezzie showed me is that Line 6 is laser-focused on flying forward in those areas, while Cliff doesn't even seem particularly interested in UI/efficiency tweaks to the current hardware - which is perfectly fine.

But that's something I've begrudgingly agreed to live with to enjoy the superpowers of the Fractal library in that great FM9 hardware. What Stadium appears to be doing is saying why not enjoy all of the benefits of all of the current flagships PLUS a vision for how to do it all smarter and more efficiently while also supercharging how you practice or craft tones at home?

I agree that taking the FAS quality of sounds and adding Line6 level UI would be truly amazing. If Line6 can demonstrate that they've achieved parity with FAS and they also have the significantly more intuitive UI then they have made a total winner.

 

[Karl Houseknecht]

I'm gonna push back a little bit here and suggest that there is actually some type of noise issue with the current Helix. There are persistent and intermittent issues all over the web with static white noise being generated from the effect loops when using certain drive

This is a known issue with the effects loops on all the current HX hardware. And from what DI said about the headroom of the new inputs on the effects loops, it's addressed.

 

[DrewJD82]

Every bit this. That's also why, in the Kemper thread, even if I would possibly not use it often (let alone I don't own the unit), I was so astonished how people could compare any other device's controller assign functionalities to the morphing function of the Kemper. Sure, you can get the same results. But with the Kemper it's actually fun, with all other devices you can only hope it's not *just* as tedious.

Just as I’m truly astonished that such a limited feature with little practical use is heralded as a selling point of the unit so much that people are willing to dismiss the sheer amount of possibilities available on other units that can be achieved in less time than it takes to setup said limited feature.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Why in the living h3ll are we talking about "legacy media" and alluding to politics ("fact checking") in a thread about a Helix device?

 

[eggpl@nt]

I’ve thought of pre ordering all day. Just saying fuck it and taking 6 months figuring out selling shit lol

Preordering lights the fire under thine ass to move stuff out the door for cash, thus sayeth the wise

 

[Sascha Franck]

Just as I’m truly astonished that such a limited feature with little practical use is heralded as a selling point of the unit so much that people are willing to dismiss the sheer amount of possibilities available on other units

I absolutely never did that. The discussion started because someone said it'd be the same as on all other units. And it simply isn't. That's all, nothing more, nothing less.
If I had to choose between a Kemper and a FM9, I'd defenitely go for the latter and deal with the UI shortcomings.

 

[mikah912]

I agree that taking the FAS quality of sounds and adding Line6 level UI would be truly amazing. If Line6 can demonstrate that they've achieved parity with FAS and they also have the significantly more intuitive UI then they have made a total winner.

I'm sure @Digital Igloo would agree, but the "parity with FAS" framing is cringeworthy to me.

The only parity they should remain in pursuit of is with the actual amps they own. Line 6 will not likely ever try to get to the 350+ amp channels that Fractal offers (although Proxy cloning may make that a moot point), and they won't ever try to dip as deep (like having a Mesa Mark II, IV, V and JP2C with almost all modes/switches modeled or three different BE100s, etc.). They just have completely different goals, so why would Line 6 ever "catch up", so to speak?

What they have done with Stadium - and what excites me - is that they've thought long and hard on how to make tone crafting, practice, live performance and finding and managing new sounds (things that are incredibly important to me) as easy, fun and efficient as possible.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Why in the living h3ll are we talking about "legacy media" and alluding to politics ("fact checking") in a thread about a Helix device?

Just wait until I hop onto that train. It'll end that discussion instantly. And possibly get me a lifetime ban.

 

[Chocol8]

Only for the stupid fucks

My experience from traveling a lot of work and pleasure over the years is that Europeans tend to have a limited and often extremely distorted view of American news. More so even than the American “stupid fucks”.

Americans tend to have little view at all of European news, mostly because they don’t care and it’s not heavily covered.

 

[la szum]

Meanwhile, over at Fractal HQ.

Cliff even said a new Helix in Autumn 2025 awhile back, didn't he?

Competition is good. No, competition is great for us.... the end users!

 

[JiveTurkey]

Just wait until I hop onto that train. It'll end that discussion instantly. And possibly get me a lifetime ban.

Let's don't and say we did! You've socialized yourself quite nicely!

 

[Karl Houseknecht]

It's kind of throwing me that the smaller of the two Stadiums is called the Stadium Floor,

To be fair, they both have "Floor" in their names.

Helix Stadium Floor
Helix Stadium XL Floor

It's a bigger floor.

 

[Sascha Franck]

You've socialized yourself quite nicely!

Is that your way of telling me to come up with some more UI complaints? I'll happily deliver!

 

[GTR37]

Meanwhile, over at Fractal HQ.

Cliff even said a new Helix in Autumn 2025 awhile back, didn't he?

Competition is good. No, competition is great for us.... the end users!

Yes he did and said what the processors likely were
But he knew , industry guys know I am sure he was not surprised, same with Kemper
I truly believe that MK2 the reason they announced that is they knew about Stadium and the announcement and also the September availability

 

[JiveTurkey]

Is that your way of telling me to come up with some more UI complaints? I'll happily deliver!

I wasn't even going to ask if they updated their direct sunlight visibility!

 

[Mikael Dez]

My experience from traveling a lot of work and pleasure over the years is that Europeans tend to have a limited and often extremely distorted view of American news. More so even than the American “stupid fucks”.

Americans tend to have little view at all of European news, mostly because they don’t care and it’s not heavily covered.

Yupp, and they all have more in common than they think! I think the human experience is more common than our society’s cultural difference allow us to see through.