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

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StewRacing

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If Fractal is the gold standard for a touring / studio all in one modeling rig. How close on a percentage basis is the Line 6 Helix platform with 3rd party impulse responses loaded in?

The HX Stomp would be perfect for my pedal board and rig. Price is right too. But if I am going to hear a difference between the HX Stomp with 3rd Party Impulse responses and a Fractal unit, I am thinking I should wait a little while longer. At least till after NAMM. Thoughts.
 
Long-time Fractal user. I've been using the Helix for the past 6 weeks while I wait on an FC-12 for the FX-III. With a good IR, the Helix can sound pretty good on clean to driven tones. I would say close, but not as good as FAS. Same results with how it "feels"... close, but not quite as good.

The L6 delays are pretty good and easy to dial in. I miss the Multi-Delay. Where I I really struggle with the Helix is the reverbs... no where as good as FAS.

I think the Line 6 implementation of snapshots is much better than FAS scenes (that's tough to admit). It is very easy to assign and track parameters that change based on snapshots. I hope to see some improvements to scene controllers on the Fractal units.
 
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Well...

I've been testing Helix Native and wasn't super impressed at first. It was good but not great. Then I threw in some Ownhammer IRs and some judicious post-amp GEQ and I must say, I'm mighty impressed. I think FAS and Kemper are both incrementally better, but certainly not by miles. Line6 has said something about the hardware units feeling a little more "realistic" since they are loading down the guitar properly, whereas most interfaces don't.

It took a little while to get familiar with the amps and what makes them tick. Some FX are better on FAS, some are better on Helix. But I agree with @jamn4jc , the snapshots implementation is really nice. But I wish you could do damping so you can ramp snapshots.

You should download Native and test it out if you have an okay interface.
 
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Brave post :)

Using a Helix is super simple. 3rd party IRs can make a (good) difference with the Helix, though stock cabs can be good as well.

What types of tones are you looking for? Super gainy, super clean or midgain stuff? The stomp is limited in the number of blocks you can have per preset and I think that will be a big factor to consider.
 
FAS doesn’t go to NAMM so your not really waiting for anything there

How much better soemthing sounds is a relative term and no one can answer that for you. It’s your budget, your size needs etc

One mans night and day difference might be insignificant to another and how much “better” is worth in terms of dollars is quite individual as well.

Some guys think a $8000 guitar plays “better” enough than a $3000 guitar to be ‘worth it’

Another guy thinks a $300 epiphone is more than “good enough” for their own needs

Have to try it and see and make your own decision based upon what your ears tell you and what your wallet says you can afford
 
I have pre and post eq as well as a boost in front of the amp as well as using a 3rd party IR almost all the time. That's 5 out of 6 available blocks right there. If you need compressor, verb, delay, any other modulations; you are pushing it at that point. Though if you have those options in other pedals on your board; you might be ok.

If we are being honest; I think it would be awesome for, um; ahem; OTHER companies to go the mini route.
 
JiveTurkey said:
I have pre and post eq as well as a boost in front of the amp as well as using a 3rd party IR almost all the time. That's 5 out of 6 available blocks right there. If you need compressor, verb, delay, any other modulations; you are pushing it at that point. Though if you have those options in other pedals on your board; you might be ok.

If we are being honest; I think it would be awesome for, um; ahem; OTHER companies to go the mini route.
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I'm really hoping for an AX8-MKII. Add LEDs above the switches and having a second reverb and the ability to add another block or two would be THE perfect solution for me. I'm currently using an H9 with the AX8, but would love to have all that in a single unit.
 
jamn4jc said:
I'm really hoping for an AX8-MKII. Add LEDs above the switches and having a second reverb and the ability to add another block or two would be THE perfect solution for me. I'm currently using an H9 with the AX8, but would love to have all that in a single unit.
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Agreed!
 
JiveTurkey said:
Brave post :)

Using a Helix is super simple. 3rd party IRs can make a (good) difference with the Helix, though stock cabs can be good as well.

What types of tones are you looking for? Super gainy, super clean or midgain stuff? The stomp is limited in the number of blocks you can have per preset and I think that will be a big factor to consider.
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My tone is basically simple hard rock and grunge. I would use the unit mainly as an amp modelers with some effects here an there depending on the song. I have a full pedal board. I would use the effects on the unit as well. I would run FOH set up at home. In the future I would also look to add a PowerStage power amp for driving a cabinet to create feedback.

I would also use the unit on a mini board set up for playing open mic acoustic.

I play both electric and acoustic standard scale and baritone.
 
Sounds like the HX stomp would do what you need. It’s got a nice price and form factor.


That said, sometimes more is more, to quote YJM. I don’t need an Axe III, but I sure do enjoy having an absurd amount of processing power to do most anything I could ever dream of.

Do you want the minimum or do you want the “best”?
 
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lqdsnddist said:
Sounds like the HX stomp would do what you need. It’s got a nice price and form factor.


That said, sometimes more is more, to quote YJM. I don’t need an Axe III, but I sure do enjoy having an absurd amount of processing power to do most anything I could ever dream of.

Do you want the minimum or do you want the “best”?
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We know it will happen, the AX8 will be upgraded to something better and the whole landscape will be reset again. If the HX Stomp is 99% in tone compared to Fractal, then why spend more?
 
StewRacing said:
We know it will happen, the AX8 will be upgraded to something better and the whole landscape will be reset again. If the HX Stomp is 99% in tone compared to Fractal, then why spend more?
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Because some people enjoy chasing that 1%

We see it in golf clubs, racing bicycles etc, increasing money for diminishing returns.

But, the HX Stomp can’t do nearly what the Ax8 can, much less what a newer unit could do.

The HX Stomp is pretty limited for a lot of people’s needs, and does all the more some people need

I personally love having dual amps, with multiple delays, reverb etc all at once so for me, even the Ax8 wasn’t powerful enough, I bought the III
 
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StewRacing said:
My tone is basically simple hard rock and grunge. I would use the unit mainly as an amp modelers with some effects here an there depending on the song. I have a full pedal board. I would use the effects on the unit as well. I would run FOH set up at home. In the future I would also look to add a PowerStage power amp for driving a cabinet to create feedback.

I would also use the unit on a mini board set up for playing open mic acoustic.

I play both electric and acoustic standard scale and baritone.
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You could do all of that (theoretically) with the Stomp. Really only you could make the decision of whether or not the tones are "good enough" for you.
 
Heck, you don’t even “need” a Stomp

Those little Mooer “amp in a box” pedals can give you some nice tones for under $100, or Tech21 has been doing amp/cab emulation pedals for at least a decade or two. Your limited to most one amp model, but for some, it’s all they need.

The Amplifire Box is amazing bang for the buck too. Like 12 amp models, loads IR’s, has delay and reverb etc, cost like $300...

For free you can run amp sims in Garage Band on a smartphone that doesn’t sound too bad even

Countless ways for people with essentially any budget to get pretty decent guitar tones these days. Great time to be a guitar player overall

Of course that all said, still is fun to have the cool fancy toys, provided it fits into the budget.
 
lqdsnddist said:
Heck, you don’t even “need” a Stomp

Those little Mooer “amp in a box” pedals can give you some nice tones for under $100, or Tech21 has been doing amp/cab emulation pedals for at least a decade or two. Your limited to most one amp model, but for some, it’s all they need.

The Amplifire Box is amazing bang for the buck too. Like 12 amp models, loads IR’s, has delay and reverb etc, cost like $300...

For free you can run amp sims in Garage Band on a smartphone that doesn’t sound too bad even

Countless ways for people with essentially any budget to get pretty decent guitar tones these days. Great time to be a guitar player overall

Of course that all said, still is fun to have the cool fancy toys, provided it fits into the budget.
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Cool thanks. I have been doing plenty of research. I have a SanAmp Classic for the Nirvana Distortion tone. I own a PA in my house. I know I will buy tube amps here and there too. I won't suffer from shortage of gear.

I looked at those Two Note Le Clean and Le Lead as well.

Thanks
 
I got to compare these side by side quite recently. Helix has "potential" but I never thought I'd feel like I want more advanced amp parameters. There's no way to control how the low end reacts on those amp sims. F.ex. Mesa amps have a lot of dynamic sub content that isn't there on the Helix and there's no post EQ that can bring that back if it isn't there in the first place. Maybe it was the power amp modeling or something but I don't think the presence knob does what it should do in real life.

Like @benvigil said, a lot of post EQ and having amp settings like bass at 0, middle at 0, treble at 10, presence at 10. And that's me comparing the Helix to real amps, not the Axe-Fx III, while the real amp and the Axe-Fx III sound pretty much identical. That being said, once the tweaking was done on the Helix it was capable of passing as a real tube amp for sure. JUST DON'T TOUCH ANY THE KNOBS BY ACCIDENT! :)
 
I have an hx stomp and got it as a portable backup for my fractal stuff. I haven't tried 3rd party irs with the hx. I have played with my Axe-Fx III and am much more familiar with it and I think their is a night and day difference in amp models and effects. Yet I do like the hx stomp for what it is :rolleyes:
 
NeoSound said:
I have an hx stomp and got it as a portable backup for my fractal stuff. I haven't tried 3rd party irs with the hx. I have played with my Axe-Fx III and am much more familiar with it and I think their is a night and day difference in amp models and effects. Yet I do like the hx stomp for what it is :rolleyes:
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Thank you. I do live sound for an open mic and have a good sense for tuning a tone so its probably best for me to hold out for a future Fractal purchase. Maybe get a Le Clean Preamp pedal or another affordable option in the mean time.
 
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