What's the next Helix Stadium SKU you'd like to be released next?

[molul]

Made some research and found these Helix family release dates (might be wrong, so take them with a grain of salt):

• Floor: June 2015
• HX Edit: September 2015
• Rack: June 2016
• LT: April 2017
• Native: August 2017
• HX Effects: January 2018
• HX Stomp: October 2018
• POD Go: April 2020
• HX Stomp XL: March 2021
• HX One: October 2023

I guess the new Helix App (which I guess will be the substitute for HX Edit) will come first. I'm also aware they're first working on the Proxy feature to release it in 2026.

Both the app (especially the mobile ones) and Proxy are probably the most anticipated features.

We already have the Floor and LT (the non-XL Stadium), and I don't think there will be a new Pod GO, HX Effects (it would make no sense as it doesn't have amp modeling, unless they eventually make Stadium exclusive effects, or they just make a new device with touchscreen and revamped UI, or with Bluetooth so it can be tweaked via mobile app) or Rack (unless they reduce the screen size a lot).

So that might leave the "products to update" list like this:

• Native
• HX Stomp
• HX Stomp XL
• HX One

So hopefully the next in line would be Native Only Line6 knows, but I really hope we don't have to wait 2 years until we can record directly in our DAW with the new Agoura models and exchange presets between our Stadium and our computer.

I would expect a single successor to both Stomp and Stomp XL (smaller screen, less switches and smaller footprint than Stadium), and I think a new HX One would make sense, but not sure if they will hurry with that.

 

[laxu]

Stomp and Native. A compact unit and a plugin have a lot more value than editors, when the touchscreen UI will be already very good.

I almost never use the editor app on my Hotone, only if I want to upload captures or IRs.

 

[dws2384]

Stomp and Native. A compact unit and a plugin have a lot more value than editors, when the touchscreen UI will be already very good.

I almost never use the editor app on my Hotone, only if I want to upload captures or IRs.

Agreed. This would round out almost anyone’s needs for sometime. Make 4 switches on the stomp though.

 

[molul]

I would love a mobile app, although not more than Native.

Being able to change your presets while standing up is very convenient. Moreso when we're gonna be able to record a custom clip and test it in loop while we change parameters.

The desktop app, I'm not sure if it would be as used as current HX Edit, if we're having touchscreen and mobile app.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Where's the coffee machine option?

 

[molul]

Where's the coffee machine option?

Should have added "Other" option for that xD

 

[Sascha Franck]

My uneducated guess would however be that they will release a new Stomp earlier than 3 years after the big boys, given what a success it has been.

 

[molul]

My uneducated guess would however be that they will release a new Stomp earlier than 3 years after the big boys, given what a success it has been.

Yeah, no point in delaying much more what has proven to be one of the most embraced units.

I wouldn't buy it, but I'm heavily interested in seeing how they will solve the footprint with the new UI. You can't squash that touchscreen very much.

 

[laxu]

My uneducated guess would however be that they will release a new Stomp earlier than 3 years after the big boys, given what a success it has been.

A big part of the HX Stomp success is its pricing. I would expect a HX Turkey Sandwich to be closer to Helix LT pricing.

 

[Sascha Franck]

You can't squash that touchscreen very much.

Well, depends. You could massively "feature reduce" it. Just selection and moving of blocks plus parameter readouts for the (hopefully) 4-5 encoders below. I for one would happily accept that certain features of the big units simply wouldn't exist on the Stomp, such as the focus thing, the XY-pad, showcase and what else might require a larger touchscreen to properly work with.
I could imagine most people interested in a new Stomp to be happy with something not delivering much more than the current version, just with improved processing to run the new amps and what not, and improved usability.

 

[Sascha Franck]

A big part of the HX Stomp success is its pricing. I would expect a HX Turkey Sandwich to be closer to Helix LT pricing.

Defenitely.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

I kind of want to see Line 6 make some bold calls on the next iterations of the Stomp and plugin.

As amazing as the new Stadium looks, it’s seems very familiar to the existing flagships (even with the touchscreen and wifi/bluetooth). It feels more like the features have updated to me.

I’d like to see Helix Native be more than just a plugin version of the HW editor. And I’d kind of like to see the stomp be made even smaller and even more of a “pedalboard companion”.

I think as the Helix platform has grown, the products have gradually got more and more focussed towards their own niche rather than being “the same but smaller”.

 

[molul]

A big part of the HX Stomp success is its pricing. I would expect a HX Turkey Sandwich to be closer to Helix LT pricing.

Current HX Stomp XL is 675€, and LT 890€.

I would bet for 790€, removing features like Showcase and having a trimmed down UI. Then Stomp XL would go down to 590 and Stomp to 525.

 

[molul]

I could see the Up and Down buttons merged with Mode and Tap, switching between them by pressing the two together.

The screen could fill the entire space above Mode and Tuner and they could add a small row at the top with all the necessary buttons.

That would be 1/3 wider than current Stomp and 1/3 smaller than Stomp XL.

 

[Sascha Franck]

I’d like to see Helix Native be more than just a plugin version of the HW editor. And I’d kind of like to see the stomp be made even smaller and even more of a “pedalboard companion”.

What I'd like to see in HX Native is it to directly communicate with the hardware. So it'd work exactly like an editor on one hand and the hardware could as well serve to control your HXN patches and be used to write automation data.
Didn't Access do something similar with the Virus and their plugin? Ok, in that case the plugin only served as a hardware "communicator", but that kinda shows it's possible.

Edit: Maybe that way they could even avoid having to maintain both HX Edit and the plugin and just come up with a standalone version of the latter.

 

[molul]

What I'd like to see in HX Native is it to directly communicate with the hardware. So it'd work exactly like an editor on one hand and the hardware could as well serve to control your HXN patches and be used to write automation data.
Didn't Access do something similar with the Virus and their plugin? Ok, in that case the plugin only served as a hardware "communicator", but that kinda shows it's possible.

Edit: Maybe that way they could even avoid having to maintain both HX Edit and the plugin and just come up with a standalone version of the latter.

The Arturia MiniFreak vst works like this. Not bad, but I think that would make development more complicated, and Helix App is still being developed.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

What I'd like to see in HX Native is it to directly communicate with the hardware. So it'd work exactly like an editor on one hand and the hardware could as well serve to control your HXN patches and be used to write automation data.
Didn't Access do something similar with the Virus and their plugin? Ok, in that case the plugin only served as a hardware "communicator", but that kinda shows it's possible.

Edit: Maybe that way they could even avoid having to maintain both HX Edit and the plugin and just come up with a standalone version of the latter.

For what reason?

I’d imagine with the wireless features of the HW, it can sync presets automatically. I’d rather keep them a bit seperate honestly and try to optimise Native more for the platform is built for, rather than being constrained as a kind of HX Editor.

I think the constraints needed for the old Helix models justified keeping things a bit more simple and straightforward but the goalposts have moved a bit now with a big touchscreen and wireless editing.

 

[Sascha Franck]

For what reason?

As said, for controlling the plugin.

I’d imagine with the wireless features of the HW, it can sync presets automatically. I’d rather keep them a bit seperate honestly and try to optimise Native more for the platform is built for, rather than being constrained as a kind of HX Editor.

Why would it be constrained?

The additional hardware-only features could easily be taken care of on, say, a separate page that wouldn't be available in case the unit wouldn't be connected.

 

[molul]

As said, for controlling the plugin.

Oh, I thought it was the other way around: to control the hardware from the plugin.

If what you want is being able to control the plugin with something better than the plugin's UI (which might be improved), maybe a connection to the mobile app would be a simpler and just as good solution.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

As said, for controlling the plugin.

I wouldn’t mind that if there’s a product in the line that isn’t primarily designed to be on the floor.

Why would it be constrained?

The additional hardware-only features could easily be taken care of on, say, a separate page that wouldn't be available in case the unit wouldn't be connected.

Basically everything about how Helix Native currently works is so there is parity with HX Edit and I think it means that many of the benefits of using a plugin on a computer get lost.