Line 6 Helix Stadium

[Fireproof]

Is it Fall yet???

 

[AlbertA]

Is it Fall yet???

T − 36 days until astronomical fall begins, as of this writing.

 

[timbuck3]

My hotub has a “ hype” button that turns on champagne air bubbles to add oxygen into the water

 

[Sascha Franck]

My hotub has a “ hype” button that turns on champagne air bubbles to add oxygen into the water

Maybe that's where L6 took the idea from.

 

[Eagle]

No rack means no serious big acts are going to use it. Even Kemper has a rack and 99 % of the time when you see it live that’s the format. Same for Axe, 3 is used by big acts and FM 9 for the pub players.

 

[laxu]

No rack means no serious big acts are going to use it. Even Kemper has a rack and 99 % of the time when you see it live that’s the format. Same for Axe, 3 is used by big acts and FM 9 for the pub players.

Lots of bands cram amps in roadcases, or have rack drawers with pedals, Quad Cortex or whatever. If they like the HX Stadium, they'll figure out how to make it work.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

No rack means no serious big acts are going to use it. Even Kemper has a rack and 99 % of the time when you see it live that’s the format. Same for Axe, 3 is used by big acts and FM 9 for the pub players.

what about big acts using QC? Its like saying big acts would only use amps or pedals that can be rack mounted.

Lots of bands cram amps in roadcases, or have rack drawers with pedals, Quad Cortex or whatever. If they like the HX Stadium, they'll figure out how to make it work.

Exactly this. Trivially easy to solve it for any serious act, even moreso in 2025 when there is less reliance to edit on the device itself.

 

[Eagle]

Lots of bands cram amps in roadcases, or have rack drawers with pedals, Quad Cortex or whatever. If they like the HX Stadium, they'll figure out how to make it work.

Maybe but most won’t. QC is a terrible form.
The issue you will come up against is no foot control except a third party midi if you put it in a rack draw. They should do a rack.

 

[laxu]

Maybe but most won’t. QC is a terrible form.
The issue you will come up against is no foot control except a third party midi if you put it in a rack draw. They should do a rack.

They should do an external footswitch controller ala Helix Control.

IMO the rack format is not that important, and it's poorly suited for the new user interface as the rack unit quickly grows large. Maybe a 2U rack unit only controllable from mobile/computer editors?

 

[Orvillain]

I think big acts would use whatever gets them the tone they want. Small to mid sized acts are the ones fannying about with wanting to carry everything as carry on.

 

[Eagle]

I think big acts would use whatever gets them the tone they want. Small to mid sized acts are the ones fannying about with wanting to carry everything as carry on.

Remote control of this unit will be a problem. It’s just not a serious format. It’s going to have to be a lot better than Helix is now though.

 

[Orvillain]

Remote control of this unit will be a problem.

I doubt that quite honestly. It supports all the standard midi assignments that Helix does so anything people are already doing with Helix, this will do. But it has the new showcase feature.

Unless I am seriously reading the situation wrong, this will be the first modeller on the market where you can do all of the following without needing additional computers, controllers, or other assorted gear to control your rig throughout the set:

- Connect the unit to FOH.
- Connect the unit to IEM's or backline monitoring.
- Send a click track to the drummers IEM's, at a different level to the rest of the band.
- Send midi-clock to everyone in the band from a single unit.
- Dedicate one lane to each guitarist - or the guitarist and bassist - and process them on a single unit; without requiring additional Hi-Z outboard, DI's, etc.
- Change synth presets, lights, smoke machines, music score software on an iPad, in time with the click-track or backing track.

Probably a ton of other use cases I've not even thought about. Being able to do all of that all at once from a single unit that sits on the floor.... I genuinely think will be, if not a gamechanger, then seriously impressive once people start actually utilising it.

It’s just not a serious format.

It has already been pointed out to you that there are many bands touring with the Quad Cortex and Helix right now. So I don't see how this unit is any worse than those?

And more to the point, the demand for floor units massively outweighs rack units right now. All across the spectra - that's local players right through to stadium players.

It’s going to have to be a lot better than Helix is now though.

I think it is already safe to say that it is, based on everything I've read and seen so far.

 

[Eagle]

I doubt that quite honestly. It supports all the standard midi assignments that Helix does so anything people are already doing with Helix, this will do. But it has the new showcase feature.

Unless I am seriously reading the situation wrong, this will be the first modeller on the market where you can do all of the following without needing additional computers, controllers, or other assorted gear to control your rig throughout the set:

- Connect the unit to FOH.
- Connect the unit to IEM's or backline monitoring.
- Send a click track to the drummers IEM's, at a different level to the rest of the band.
- Send midi-clock to everyone in the band from a single unit.
- Dedicate one lane to each guitarist - or the guitarist and bassist - and process them on a single unit; without requiring additional Hi-Z outboard, DI's, etc.
- Change synth presets, lights, smoke machines, music score software on an iPad, in time with the click-track or backing track.

Probably a ton of other use cases I've not even thought about. Being able to do all of that all at once from a single unit that sits on the floor.... I genuinely think will be, if not a gamechanger, then seriously impressive once people start actually utilising it.


It has already been pointed out to you that there are many bands touring with the Quad Cortex and Helix right now. So I don't see how this unit is any worse than those?

And more to the point, the demand for floor units massively outweighs rack units right now. All across the spectra - that's local players right through to stadium players.


I think it is already safe to say that it is, based on everything I've read and seen so far.

I’m still concerned it may be a helix with an iPad stuck to it but I will happily be proven wrong.

 

[Orvillain]

I’m still concerned it may be a helix with an iPad stuck to it but I will happily be proven wrong.

What are your concerns?

 

[ian_dissonance]

I doubt that quite honestly. It supports all the standard midi assignments that Helix does so anything people are already doing with Helix, this will do. But it has the new showcase feature.

Unless I am seriously reading the situation wrong, this will be the first modeller on the market where you can do all of the following without needing additional computers, controllers, or other assorted gear to control your rig throughout the set:

- Connect the unit to FOH.
- Connect the unit to IEM's or backline monitoring.
- Send a click track to the drummers IEM's, at a different level to the rest of the band.
- Send midi-clock to everyone in the band from a single unit.
- Dedicate one lane to each guitarist - or the guitarist and bassist - and process them on a single unit; without requiring additional Hi-Z outboard, DI's, etc.
- Change synth presets, lights, smoke machines, music score software on an iPad, in time with the click-track or backing track.

Probably a ton of other use cases I've not even thought about. Being able to do all of that all at once from a single unit that sits on the floor.... I genuinely think will be, if not a gamechanger, then seriously impressive once people start actually utilising it.


It has already been pointed out to you that there are many bands touring with the Quad Cortex and Helix right now. So I don't see how this unit is any worse than those?

And more to the point, the demand for floor units massively outweighs rack units right now. All across the spectra - that's local players right through to stadium players.


I think it is already safe to say that it is, based on everything I've read and seen so far.

Hey dude, he has big time professional friends and a bunch of dust-free amps he’ll use if the Kemper (the only serious digital solution) doesn’t get the profile right. Obviously you don’t know shit about fuck in comparison.

 

[GTR37]

My hotub has a “ hype” button that turns on champagne air bubbles to add oxygen into the water

Ambient mood lighting ?

 

[Fireproof]

No rack means no serious big acts are going to use it. Even Kemper has a rack and 99 % of the time when you see it live that’s the format. Same for Axe, 3 is used by big acts and FM 9 for the pub players.

Define “serious big acts”.

That’s probably in the hundreds, right. If we are talking arena/stadium-playing acts.

Compared to club/pub players in the tens of thousands.

Compared to hobbyists and other casual users in the millions.


If I were Line6 - I’d do the exact same thing. Start with your biggest market. Use the profits to fund additional development for the smaller market.

 

[paisleywookiee]

No rack means no serious big acts are going to use it. Even Kemper has a rack and 99 % of the time when you see it live that’s the format. Same for Axe, 3 is used by big acts and FM 9 for the pub players.

Uh, tons of bands tour with existing Helix, QC, FM9T, and the Kemper Stage.

 

[Sascha Franck]

If I were Line6 - I’d do the exact same thing. Start with your biggest market. Use the profits to fund additional development for the smaller market.

Pretty much so.

Yet, and IMO that's defenitely a thing that shouldn't be underestimated:
- Professional users possibly allow for more effective marketing, especially in case they're really using your products.
- Professional users are likely to have at least quite some solid experience and could hence possibly voice a well back upped opinion on what could possibly be improved.

 

[EOengineer]

There’s nothing preventing someone from throwing the stadium in a rack drawer or shelf and running MIDI control. You can control A TON of stuff in Helix via MIDI.

I don’t understand the criticism.

I do trust L6 to respond the their customers and the market though. If there’s sufficient demand for a rack unit, I bet we see one.