Line 6 HX Stomp w/ 3rd Party Impulse Responses vs Fractal

I've just ordered a Stomp as a b rig to the Ax8 as I never really got on with the Atomic Amplifire I've got

I'm interested to see how it goes
 
I wonder what gets closer to the AX8 quality better the HX Stomp or a Two Notes Le Clean with Torpedo C.A.B. mixed in with an Angry Charlie for Marshall tone and some other drive pedals for other tones. I know the HX Stomp has more amps and effects to play with, but if you want the best possible Fender and Marshall tones would the Two Notes do that better then the HX Stomp?
 
Don't really want to talk smack about any products but personally I'd much prefer HX Stomp over any preamp pedal especially when there's only "one sound" in each of those pedals and they're priced that high. That's a no-brainer IMO.
 
I recently purchased a Helix floor to use as a b-rig, source for creating presets, and as a floor controller + 4cm compliment to my Axe-FXII Mark II.

The UI on the Helix itself and on the computer is dirt simple, much easier to use and program than the MFC-101 (which I sold at peak resale value ). The Helix has very gig usable sounds with some of the stock ir files.3rd party files do indeed kick it up a notch, and that is not any bias based on the fact that I create ir files, that's just what my ears are telling me.

However same stock models head to head between Helix and Axe-FXII with no heavy parameter tweaking , the Axe FX-II wins almost every time, exception being the SVT. The SVT in the Helix is more like the real life SVT amps I used in terms of grunt.

Each unit does have unique amp models to their respective units that the other hasn't modeled. It doesn't seem fair to compare them but I will say they are both fun and usable.

The Klon in the Helix is nice and actually beats the FET Boost simulation trick we use in the Fractal to get a similar sound. The sound of that block alone is what convinced me to run Helix 4cm into the Axe-FXII, everything else is just gravy. The fuzz in the Helix stock blocks react much better than the fuzzes in the Fractal. There are tricks you can do with the Fractal to get near the same kind of feel though.

Where the Helix falls apart for me is in the blooming distortion of high gain, some of the low end Mesa content, and the lack of a variac to make thing grind or tighten up more. The feel of the amps on the Helix for the most part are a little stiff. The Helix feels like there are training wheels on the model that are stiffening everything up so that you can't get awful sounds. The Fractal models let you get to that edge of glory or edge of disaster type of sounds.

The Fractal effects also have more options in the tone section of most effects block which are absent in the UI of the Helix. In the Helix, I miss having access to dynamics modifiers like the Fractal units have. Sound quality of the effects are ok. If Helix effects are like EHX, then Fractal is like Lexicon.

If you want to be down and dirty in your sounds with an easy to use UI, then Helix is a good choice. If you want pro level studio quality and realism with a lesser UI (except for the III, I can't judge what I haven't used), then Fractal is your choice.
 
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One other thing I miss in the Helix is the dynamically controlled output compressor in the amp block, like the Fractal has. That was good call by the Metallica crew and has really improved the real feel of the Fractal models IMHO.
 
dr bonkers said:
One other thing I miss in the Helix is the dynamically controlled output compressor in the amp block, like the Fractal has. That was good call by the Metallica crew and has really improved the real feel of the Fractal models IMHO.
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I'd prefer to buy the AX8 but I know its going to be updated soon with the same DSP processor tech as the AXE FX III. No one has to sell me on Fractal. I have been to so many shows where bands use it live and it sounds better then real mic'd amps in my opinion. I just like how small the HX Stomp is for my pedal board. I figured I would go Two Notes and use my Nirvana style pedal rig into it direct into my PA.
 
StewRacing said:
I'd prefer to buy the AX8 but I know its going to be updated soon with the same DSP processor tech as the AXE FX III. No one has to sell me on Fractal. I have been to so many shows where bands use it live and it sounds better then real mic'd amps in my opinion. I just like how small the HX Stomp is for my pedal board. I figured I would go Two Notes and use my Nirvana style pedal rig into it direct into my PA.
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The Two Notes is something that I really didn’t bond with. It you are looking for an IR loader, the Mooer Radar was equally good compared to the Two Notes in my try outs.

Fractal has not announced an update to the AX-8 to date. We know all Fractal development efforts are focused on the Axe-FXIII at this point in time.

If past timelines are an indicator, Fractal will probably wait 2 to 3 years before introduction of the AX-8 replacement . They would not want to interfere with the launch of the foot controller products with a replacement of the AX-8. If you look at Fractal product releases, they never release new products that could cannibalize each other's sales at the same time. If they broke that pattern, I would be surprised.

According to Premier Guitar, the foot controller replacement for the MFC-101 to control the Axe-FXIII is supposed to come out fall 2019.

If that's the case, do you want to wait 2 or 3 years or do you want to rock now? Only you can answer that.
 
I wonder what is the standard? Quality of its sound or the number of units in use? In the case of the latter Helix probably beats Fractal as its cheaper and thus more affordable to most guitarists. And what is the point of saying X is better then Y if most people can't afford X? I'm sure Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes, and the various super sports car manufacturers make excellent cars, but I can never afford those, so Volkswagen it is for me. I think we Fractal users tend to forget that most people will not be able to get a Fractal, so therefore Helix and Boss's counterpart are the standards for most people.

lqdsnddist said:
Because some people enjoy chasing that 1%

We see it in golf clubs, racing bicycles etc, increasing money for diminishing returns.
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Yeah, but in those areas chasing that 1% is the difference between 1st and 2nd place. Between lucrative sponsorship deals and having only a sports scholarship. When spending thousands can net you millions, then chasing that 1% makes sense. It's the opposite of diminishing returns. Chasing that 1% for a little more analog sustain on your guitar sounds makes no difference whatsoever, other then to you. It will not sell any more records, it will not get you more gigs, it's totally pointless other then for some personal obsession with tone. If that obsession gives you joy, go for it, but in no way whatsoever is it comparable to sports.
 
If the consensus is that we are 2 years away from a revised AX8 or smaller unit, that will certainly change my thinking. Was thinking we were a littles ways away or we would be surprised in the next few month. AXE-FX III came out after NAMM. I was hoping to be surprised now so I don't drop $1099 now and then see a new unit right around the corner.

Having learned how to swing a golf club when I was a kid and having worked at a driving range one summer I can tell you that most guys and girls chasing the 1% are not pro's. They can't hit blades or 7% drivers. They are always chasing the best cavity back club or newest driver, putter or ball. I can hit blades and I don't even play golf. Just like I can dial in tone and I am not a pro musician. But I can't play guitar as well as a pro. I will hear when something is not as good as it can be. But I also don't want to be dialing in forever when I need to spend more time playing. Trying to keep it simple.

All the touring pro's I like use Fractal except for Dustin Kensrue from Thrice who uses Helix.
 
I just bought a Helix floor and the PRS Archon model with the OH BOG 212 V30/M25 mix is the best amp sim I've played to date, that includes the Kemper, Atomic, and AX8. No real amps have 1000 parameters to tweak so why do amp sims? They all sound good and I'd be content owning any of them.
 
pat6969 said:
I just bought a Helix floor and the PRS Archon model with the OH BOG 212 V30/M25 mix is the best amp sim I've played to date, that includes the Kemper, Atomic, and AX8. No real amps have 1000 parameters to tweak so why do amp sims? They all sound good and I'd be content owning any of them.
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Seriously; all the top level digital gear can do the job. Focus on the features you need and the device that provides that functionality and pretty much any the rest of your "problems" will solve themselves.
 
pat6969 said:
I just bought a Helix floor and the PRS Archon model with the OH BOG 212 V30/M25 mix is the best amp sim I've played to date, that includes the Kemper, Atomic, and AX8. No real amps have 1000 parameters to tweak so why do amp sims? They all sound good and I'd be content owning any of them.
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Glad you chimed in after 7 months of inactivity to let us know :p
 
Ideally, yes the goal is to be able to use amp sims just like the real amps. However when comparing the Helix Dual Recto and Mark IV with the real life counterparts in my studio I was in desperate need of speaker resonance control and most importantly the low cut frequency control.
 
NeoSound said:
Glad you chimed in after 7 months of inactivity to let us know :p
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ML SOUND LAB said:
Ideally, yes the goal is to be able to use amp sims just like the real amps. However when comparing the Helix Dual Recto and Mark IV with the real life counterparts in my studio I was in desperate need of speaker resonance control and most importantly the low cut frequency control.
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I think Pat was being honest to himself while doing a bit of
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It's been so long since I've had "real amps" that I focus moreso on sounding good versus accurate. The default values for amp settings in Fractal land seems a little closer to "ideals" but some tweaks get me to good places in L6 land as well.
 
JiveTurkey said:
I think Pat was being honest to himself while doing a bit of
EJDw00M.gif


It's been so long since I've had "real amps" that I focus moreso on sounding good versus accurate. The default values for amp settings in Fractal land seems a little closer to "ideals" but some tweaks get me to good places in L6 land as well.
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I also own both units so I'm definitely not here to poop on anyone. I was also honestly saying that I never use the advanced parameters on the Fractal. Honestly just the speaker page when I have accurate measurements made from my real cabs. Then the low cut frequency. Those two I'd love to have on the Helix but I 100% agree that even I, quite a tweaker geek, don't touch most of the advanced features on the amp sims.
 
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