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Sharing this because I went crazy trying to figure it out, and maybe it’ll save someone else some time. A few days ago, I tried logging into Line 6 Helix Stadium, but the QR code never appeared. The manual login didn’t work either. To make things worse, the HX Stadium App kept crashing, and I couldn’t update it from my computer or through Line 6 Central. Ironically, those were the two options the manufacturer recommended when I contacted support. Since I work in tech, something didn’t add up. Everything pointed to the app not connecting to the server, which explained why the QR wouldn’t generate. Then I thought: “What if it’s the time zone?” I tried something simple: Disabled automatic time synchronization Set the time manually And… BOOM! The QR popped up instantly, and I was able to log in without any issues. Hope this helps someone out there.

I spent a lot of time going through the settings the Tone War guy suggested for all the metal amps and got those where they sounded great. I came across this by accident looking for different blocks to try...At the very end of your final chain get a stereo model of the Bass DI (located in the Dist section) put the Bass and Treb at 4-5 and the level to suit, this will give your preset a full rich low end def and sparkle presence no EQ or Comp can do. Try it you will be adding it to your presets asap. I have no idea what it was intended for but man it fixes the punch and feel of the real amp that is missing.

A reminder to all users that this forum is a peer-to-peer user forum. No one from Line 6, particularly not the developers, is required to hang out here. Some do occasionally out of personal interest but we as users shouldn’t count on it. Nobody here can fix a bug or implement a new feature. Accordingly, this is not the official place to make bug reports or feature requests. If you want your bug report or feature request to actually reach Line 6 you need to do something else. To report a bug, open a support ticket. https://line6.com/support/tickets/add.html To submit a feature request: https://line6.com/company/contact/productfeedback/

Hey everyone, we wanted to share a beginner-friendly tutorial series for the Line 6 Helix Stadium on YouTube that we’ve been working on for over half a year! The course is completely free! Yesterday, we published the final episode of the series, so now feels like the right time to post about it here. The full series contains almost 2 hours of Helix Stadium knowledge, so if you want to learn something new, understand the unit better, or simply see whether the Helix Stadium is the right fit for you, we’d love for you to check it out. Across the whole course, we cover everything you need to know: hardware and navigation, presets and setlists, blocks and signal flow, building your first tones, snapshots, routing and stereo, Song View and automation, controllers and footswitches, the Command Center, and finally global settings, USB audio, and maintenance. We also included a lot of practical audio examples, real-world use cases, animations, and graphics to make everything easier to follow, especially for beginners. We put a huge amount of work, time, and our own knowledge into this series to make the content as clear, practical, and reliable as possible. The series is available both as individual episodes in a playlist and as one full tutorial video, depending on how you prefer to watch. We’d genuinely appreciate any feedback. Let us know what you think - we really hope this helps someone get more comfortable with the Helix Stadium and make better use of it! :) Tutorial on YT:

First good size show with Stadium last night and it went great. New form factor was nice getting there (able to fit in my carry on). Love the touch screen capabilities and on site tweaks and levelling. Also liked the easy to get at mute on the XLR mixer matrix for front of house. Updated all my patches to use agora and they sound WAY better. Less digital artifacts and just more clarity and feel. Not just me - bass, vocals and others commented. Used showcase to import my stems and get ready. Great start and can't wait to see what's in store.

I can understand your disappointment. Of course, disappointment is a corollary of expectations. Recall that, late in development, Line 6 publicly polled users with the question “Would you prefer a more complete and finished product that will be released later, or a less complete product available sooner?” The clear user preference was sooner, with additional features coming later. Accordingly one should not expect a complete product at this point. You’re absolutely right that promised features like proxy capture remain unfulfilled, as expected. Will other features like preset spillover be added in a future firmware release? I certainly expect so, but I’m not putting any timing on that. Helix Stadium is still very much in its early development. It will, and already has, been much improved. For instance the Showcase feature was not released in v1.1; it arrived in v1.2. Also, v1.2.1 was released very recently, fixing some 50-odd bugs. I think anyone who owns a Stadium device now should consider themselves to be early adopters, complete with the associated bugs and glitches. You don’t have to use it yet. You can wait for several more months until it is more complete and less buggy. Most users responding to the Line 6 outreach wanted it sooner rather than later, and that’s what Line 6 did. Who knows what Stadium will become? Recall that the original Helix product has evolved significantly since its release. It is hardly recognizable now compared to that time. The same will happen with Stadium. As you point out it is currently unfinished. Of course, your feelings are your own and they are legitimate based on a certain set of (reasonable?) expectations.

I have read the Stadium online manual from beginning to end. I realize it cannot be in download format because of the embedded videos. So, whether that is good news or bad news it is, in my humble opinion, just news. I realized answers to about 80% of the questions so far, including my 60% of questions, are in the manual. There are few typos regarding XL versus no XL but Line 6 may correct them once the non XL ships. I, for one, will be sitting down for about a week going through each step of the manual. The various sub displays on the touch screen make it worth it for me. If I am not back in a week that means I wasn't able to shower after woodshedding and my wife isn't allowing me in the house until I go YMCA and shower there. I can only speak for myself in that, after reading the complete manual and checking the videos, it will be well worth the trouble for me. Wish me luck. jpd

I captured a bit of Steve Sterlacci's video: and imported into Logic so I could use Match EQ to learn more about the differences between Helix Floor and Helix Stadium Agoura amp models. Steve clearly demonstrates the long known issue with Helix Floor having a somewhat odd high-end emphasis (sometime call squirrels, fizz, ice-pick, etc.) that needed to be tamed with pretty aggressive high cuts in the cab block. The Agoura amp models don't see to have this emphasized and somewhat tiring high end. We can use Logic's Match EQ to get a better idea what EQ would be required to make Helix Floor more closely match the Agoura models, and maybe be better informed about how to EQ Helix Floor to tame the high end. The Match EQ graph is quite interesting: As we might have expected, there's additional high end in Helix Floor starting at around 1 kHz, gradually increasing to about 8 dB at around 6 kHz that Match EQ is cutting. What's surprising is the significant boost in the "air" frequencies about 6 kHz and up to 20 kHz. That could be part of the amp models, or the better hardware in Helix Stadium. Now I captured this off a YouTube video, so I don't expect the audio to be that great. And I only matched one sample from the video. So this might not be that accurate. But it perhaps gives us a starting point to know how a little more about how to tame the Helix Floor's high end. So try it, using a high cut at say 5 kHz, or parametric, graphic or even global EQ to match what Match EQ is suggesting. This might breath new life into your Helix Floor.

Why is there no option to have the preset BPM persistently displayed above the tap tempo switch like there was in Helix floor? I have looked everything in global settings as well as the same spot in the OG Helix Displays settings. Would love for this to be included in the next update, please!

Windows 11 considers this driver invalid and refused to switch 'core isolation' on, which MS considers a safety issue.

None of the manufacturer's recommendations fixed the problem. Considering that it appears to be a connection problem with Line 6's servers, I tried something simple: I disabled "Date Time via Wifi" and setting the time/date manually, and boom! It fixed everything instantly! Incorrect time zone prevents connection to Line 6 servers.

I will be taking a two week hiatus from music starting this week. Hope you all have a great Christmas and a fun filled entrance into 2026. This will be the first year I did not applied for any music jobs during the end of year and first of year since 1967. My present to my family and myself is to be present this whole period. If I do not appear active for the next few weeks I am not being rude. Maybe you all and the Line 6 staff you may read this have a wonderful time this season! jpd

Anyone else having compatibility issues with Windows and the Spider remote app? I cannot connect the device at all. Its clearly connected for sound as my laptop plays sound through it just fine, and the settings on the amp itself work fine but I cannot get the two to talk to each other. I have uninstalled and reinstalled, done all the usual stuff. It was working fine a couple of weeks ago but now wont connect at all. I did note that when I re downloaded the app, Windows had flagged the download as being unsafe (or words to that effect) so dont know if that has anything to do with it?

The way I read it, some CCs are RESERVED for GLOBAL FUNCTIONS. These are called when CCs are sent on MIDI Channel 1. Use MIDI Channel 2 for USER ASSIGNED CCs.

Are all of your computers Windows 11? A recent update (maybe several) caused the problem. On one of my W11 boxes the problem was caused by a ".net Framework" update (KB5092427). Rolling back to a restore point previous to that update and preventing Windows Update from reinstalling it fixed the problem. On another W11 box I didn't have a similar restore point and simply uninstalling (KB5092427) didn't fix it. On my last remaining W10 box it's not an issue, USB MIDI works fine.

I would be happy to have a phone or video call with you. If you give me contact information I will follow up to arrange the details.

Capture was taken with the same settings on the amp as in the preset. Let me know what you think. Best, Tim Rockerverb VS.hsp LRS Orng Rock Gain 5 DI.clone

For anyone hitting this post searching for how to run Helix Stadium on Linux, I've figured out one way to do it - but it only works if you have Wifi setup on the Stadium Install Steam Download the Helix Stadium installer In Steam go to Library > Add a Game > Add Non-Steam Game and select the downloaded installer exe Find the entry in your Steam Library and click Play, the installer should show up. Go through the install steps choosing the defaults Once that's done you'll need to find the directory that Steam puts file under. For me it was ~/.steam Under that directory you need to find where it installed Helix Stadium. For me it was ~/.steam/steam/steamapps/compatdata/{the most recently created folder}/pfx/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/Line6/Helix Stadium/Helix Stadium.exe. Copy the full path to the EXE In Steam right click on the entry for the installer and choose Properties... Rename it to Helix Stadium Change target to "{path to the exe above}". For me it was "~/.steam/steam/steamapps/compatdata/{the most recently created folder}/pfx/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/Line6/Helix Stadium/Helix Stadium.exe" Change Start In to "{path to the exe above but without the exe filename at the end}". For me it was "~/.steam/steam/steamapps/compatdata/{the most recently created folder}/pfx/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/Line6/Helix Stadium/" Close the Properties window Click Play and Helix Stadium app should start I had to cancel the auto connect, and manually type in the IP address, then click Connect (this needs to be done at the start every time) Once I did that it works as expected! Hope that helps somebody.

Kind of defeats the purpose of a modeller doesn’t it?

This biggest point here is this: Line 6 asked the community if they would be willing to wait or get it earlier - most said they could ride it out and get the updates as the bugs were worked out . . . it sounded like most wanted the unit sooner rather than later (I know I did). Since I'm not using it to gig with at this time, I'll push thru the problems for now. Syphus

If you are on Windows, please look in Device Manager and let us know if you see 'Helix Stadium Bulk Transfer' listed under 'Other Devices.' You may see a blue question mark inside a white circle associated with it. That means the Line 6's Windows USB driver didn't load which will explain the Stadium app crashing every time you attempt to connect to the Stadium XL. I have a support ticket submitted for this. For me personally, it is a moot issue at this point since I decided to order a MacBook Air to work around the issue.

Just received the THON (Thomann) case for my Stadium. I love their cases - have been using one for many years. Built like a tank AND cheaper than the backpack :). It can be operated from inside the lid. It has room in front (where the vents are) and the unit sits suspended by foam sides about 2 cm in the air, so there is plenty of room for heat dissipation underneath. There is also room behind the unit, for the power cable.

please check to see if you have it set (global settings) to automatically assign the block to a footswitch. If this is set to manual, then adding a wah or volume will not work correctly until you make their assignments manually. easiest fix is to delete them, turn on the automatic add and add them again. Hope that helps.

Yes. In your Stomp XL preset use separate amp and cab models (not an integrated amp+cab) and place a SEND block between the amp and cab blocks in the signal chain. Connect the SEND output to the amp’s cab input. Connect the main outputs to FOH. Make sure the output and input levels match. You can position any FX blocks before or after the SEND block depending on whether you want them to be heard in your onstage cab or not.

Yes. That’s what I did: backup factory reset restore backup delete songs reimport kind of a pain but it’s still working for me!

The issue was confirmed and reproduced by line 6 support. fingers crossed!

Great discussion. Being able to recall songs via midi (with an associated Preset) will be critical for me (and I suspect others). I may delay purchasing the Stadium until I know this feature has been added. In my small acoustic duo, I use OnSong on an iPad to send PC changes to my devices (BeatBuddy, HX Stomp, and Rc500 looper (backing tracks)) for each/every song. I then use a Morningstar MC8 to control these devices while performing the song. My intent is/was for the Stadium to replace the HX Stomp, RC500, and Morningstar (smaller footprint and less complexity). I go into every gig with a pre-built setlist (in OnSong), but invariably every show is different and we make changes on-the-fly depending on the vibe in the room, audience requests, etc. In those situations, all I need to do is select the song in OnSong, and it loads the beats and/or backing tracks and presets across all my devices - no menu diving, no tap dancing. I get that I could build Setlists (presets) or Playlists (songs) in Stadium, but those don't seem to easily allow for flexibility when ad-hoc set list changes are taking place. The internal Set Lists/Play Lists probably will work fine for larger shows with pre-defined lists that won't likely change. For smaller acts, we're going to need flexibility to call up songs (with associated presets) in a much more flexible manner. Showcase has such promise to help smaller acts add new elements to their shows and I hope Line6 can incorporate features that meet the needs of both large and small acts/performers.

I connected the send 1 from my Stadium to the input for a stage monitor I have on hand. I set the FX loop 1 output to instrument because line level was too loud. Then I set the output for the tuner to send 1. When I used the tuner there is no output to FOH and the monitor gave me my ""on stage" audio. Adjusting the level output on the monitor, I was able to have a very controlled output volume to listen to my tuning as well as if I wanted to "test" a part without going through the board. If you have something like a Behringer EUROLIVE B105D (or smaller) and a On-Stage SSAS7000B it could be a solution for about $150.00 without having to bend over. Just a thought. jpd

My levels are about the same. I wouldn’t worry about it unless you hear something you think isn’t right. I pay more attention to the signal level indicator in the Output block; if that turns red it means there’s clipping. Also, you can test the output level meter (the one on the right thwt you refer to) in the Amp block. If it behaves like a normal level meter it might change colour to orange and then red as you raise the amp’s Drive/Gain, Master, and/or Channel levels. I don’t know if it actually does change, but if you can make it change colour then you can be confident everything’s OK as long as it stays green.

Yes, custom setlists is the way to go for live events. Be aware, though, that the implementation of setlists is completely different in Stadium vs. OG Helix. There is a big conceptual change, and I think some bugs that still need to be worked out. The following is aimed at all readers here, not you specifically….. Conceptually, the USER setlist is now the only place where the actual presets live. A custom setlist is a list of aliases (pointers) to the USER setlist presets. Read the associated section in the online manual for clarification. This is still early days for the new mindset and implementation. I have experienced and reported some behaviours that I think are bugs: - when you Export a preset from the USER preset view it creates the associated preset file on your computer, as expected. When you Export a preset from a custom setlist view it creates a copy of the alias on your computer. If you’re not careful you can overwrite the actual preset on your computer. I think Exporting presets from the setlist view should be disabled; I can’t see any use for saving a single alias in a file. I can see a use for exporting/saving a setlist of aliases. - I have also experienced duplicates. I think there should only be a single copy of any preset name. I think any bracketed duplicate preset name is the result of a bug. If it’s a different preset it should have a different name; if it’s actually a duplicate of the same preset it shouldn’t exist. That’s the whole idea of the new implementation. My suggestion at this point, until some bugs are resolved, is to edit and Save presets only from the USER setlist view. The interaction between the presets themselves in the USER setlist and their aliases in custom setlists is where I think the bugs live. This will require careful attention and some extra touches (on the device) or mouse clicks (in the app/Librarian) for a little while to make sure you are in the USER setlist view but it should reduce the unexpected behaviours. I may end up eating my words here. If there is a valid reason for duplicate presets to exist in the USER setlist I would like to hear it. Meantime I encourage everyone experiencing duplicate preset names to open a support ticket to report it. The more info and evidence Line 6 has of these bugs the more likely they will get fixed sooner than later.

When are we going to get a printable file version of the manual? Some of us like to read and understand things to make better use of the unit's features. Especially with the upgrades coming for Showcase and Proxy. The on screen stuff is great and all but something of this depth and complexity needs a manual.

Hope this helps as well - In the list view for amps (not legacy amps) there will be a thin gray line and any amp above is Agora and those below are HX.

STFW means Search the F*&$ Website! I just want to highlight that Line 6 has taken a new approach to the product manual for Helix Stadium. It is not a downloadable PDF file. Instead, it is its own integrated, cross-referenced, well indexed, searchable website that includes links to videos where appropriate. It also includes the Helix Stadium app ‘manual’. The Support -> Manuals area provides a link to this new ‘manual’. I strongly suggest you check it out. For your convenience… https://line6.com/helix-stadium-manual/ We all know that it is common etiquette in user forums to do at least some research for existing answers to questions, especially basic operational questions, before asking in the forum. This new approach to the manual makes that very simple. So, in future, rather than suggesting that someone RTFM I will just say (politely, of course) STFW.

That may be the case, but it is the most likely place to find Eric in his guise of Digital_Igloo. Plus it was in TGP where he first mentioned the continued support for the original Helix range of products.

You'll never get an answer. Line 6 doesn't give a damn about its users.

I have the same problem with the conflict between Windows 11 Memory Integrity and the L6PODHD564.sys driver for my POD HD500. I was going to buy the Helix but not so sure anymore.

This seems to be a question about gain staging, which is a whole world of its own. In the digital world there is an opportunity for clipping and harshness to occur at virtually all points in your signal flow, especially if you increase a block's Level parameter above 0db. This can potentially overdrive the input of any following block(s) causing clipping and harshness. The Stadium's Output block will tell you if/when clipping is occurring, as described in the manual. If it is, you need to identify which block(s) in the signal chain is causing it and reduce the output level of that block. In my experience the best way to do that is to bypass all blocks and listen to the effectively dry incoming signal. If the Output block still shows clipping then you need to reduce the level of the incoming signal from external equipment, or address it in the Input block by lowering the Trim parameter. After all blocks are bypassed and the Input Trim is reduced if required, then you begin to turn the processing blocks ON one at a time. I generally begin with the amp . If that introduces clipping at the Output block you need to lower the Gain, Level, or Master level - or perhaps the Tone stack levels - in the amp block. These interact with each other so you may need to adjust more than one. Then I move on to the cab block which can introduce fizz and harshness. Experiment with mics, and Hi/Low cut levels. Once the Output block is no longer clipping with amp/cab active, and you don't find the tone too harsh, you can move on to other blocks in the preset. Continue to activate them one at a time. If clipping appears at the Output block, lower the levels in the offending block. Rinse and repeat until your preset no longer shows clipping at the Output block. Tedious? Yes. But learning how to properly gain stage your signal path is a critical part of preset and tone development. The art of Gain Staging is not specifically a Line 6 or Stadium topic. It's a general audio engineering art/skill. Google and/or your favourite AI agent can help you learn more.

From the POD Go Wireless FAQ: (see top of this page Support -> KB and FAQs -> POD Go) Q: How do I use multiple POD Go Wireless systems? A: Up to four POD Go Wireless and/or standalone Line 6 Relay wireless systems can be used on the same stage. However, care should be taken to ensure all systems are set up properly: 1. For the first system, connect the G10T transmitter to the POD Go Wireless GUITAR IN jack and wait 10 to 15 seconds. Make sure the transmitter’s LED lights green. 2. Connect the transmitter to your guitar’s output. 3. Before the first transmitter goes to sleep (after 4 minutes of no audio input), repeat the above steps 1 and 2 for any additional POD Go Wireless systems. Each system’s scanning procedure works around other active wireless channels to help ensure high quality performance for all systems.

Thanks very much, appreciate this info, I have posted to the dedicated Stadium section...Thanks

I'm glad I came across this thread (finally), I have been working on this for a few hours and your explanation made my "light-bulb" pop on. Now the preset does exactly what I wanted to. Syphus

(I know Kemper does not have such a gap at all.), But... Helix always has had a gap when switching presets. So does the Boss processor and most other old-school digital processors. On the Helix, you have snapshots to circumvent that gap, that (annoyingly) is there. Each snapshot is your different sound within a preset, which is your virtual guitar rig. Preset spillover does not yet exist in the Stadium, as I understand. On the Helix, you sacrifice one DSP chip, to be used as a buffer for switching your presets. So you sacrifice half of your signal chain, and have pretty seamless switching between your presets. I never found myself in a situation to have needed this "feature". On the Helix Floor, I actively use snapshots and do not ever have a need or reason to switch presets during a song. Each preset is each own song. There's a gap when switching, but that that's when you stop and start the next song. That's how modellers should be used -- each preset corresponds to each song. Otherwise, you have several presets that can cover all your repertoire, have a preset for each type of song you'll ever need. In my set, when I was touring, I had 26 presets, which I went through on a nightly basis. I organized them in the order of the set, and just pressed "up" to go to the next song. We had 2 songs that were connected, and I just found a "gap", where I could switch to the next preset. But trust me, once you start creating individual presets (which is what I do), there's no going back IMO.....

All, I was making this too complicated ... I WAS WRONG - for those who read the two responses I just deleted. So after much trial and error it runs out the instant command (thunderbolt) feature in command center is much easier than I thought for sending MIDI commands via Snapshots. Or as Mark said in the movie "Renaissance Man" ... "Too easy drill sergeant!". Unlike the OG Helix Floor were I had to use a instant command for each snapshot, in the Stadium I start with snapshot one. Then I go to command center and select just the first instant command thunderbolt. For my amp I will only have to use MIDI channel one using CC as my command selection. I will start with my mesa JP-2C channel one which is CC#20 and set it for snapshot control (in the Stadium app it is a right click on CC# label then use the slide bar to enable)(on the Stadium itself you will see it pop-up when you touch the CC# label if enabling touch). 64 will be my on value and I am testing various wait commands currently using 2 ms; not sure but I may just set it to zero later after some final tests. Then I just activate the snapshot I want to change the CC# value for, make the change, and done. So you only need one instant command in my scenario with variable CC# YMMV. It may seem like more work to go between home change snapshot then back to command center or you can have the Stadium at your computer/laptop while working on this for a little less work. It almost felt like an Easter Egg until I read and read and then read again within the manual and then the lightbulb turned on in my pea brain. <darn it> jpd

I love mine. Honestly, I thought it was a bit of an unnecessary purchase as I love my OG Helix floor just fine and I had no desire for a touch screen. After getting it, I do not regret it at all. It has some quirks, it has some things I like better about the old Helix, but overall I think it's an improvement and will only get better. Line 6 has said that most folks said they'd rather have it sooner than later even if that meant more features and bug fixes in later updates. I've come to LOVE the touch screen that I initially thought was unnecessary (for me). So yeah, I don't think it's going to be any huge world shattering game changer for you, and it takes some time to get used to the new ways of doing things (set lists, presets, and such are very different now and I do still prefer the old way better, but I'm getting used to the new work flow). I've gigged with it, and it is now my rig of choice going forward. I use it with every band I play with as well as a MIDI controller for my Nord Stage 3, so as with my old unit, it will get used a LOT, but I've gone all in on it now.

I spent most of my career in technical training and education in the private sector (i.e. a business, not a publicly funded institution). Prepare for a potential short term expression of ‘need’ (desire, actually), followed by a deafening silence once the actual cost per student for business viability is known. But please, everyone, surprise me! Indicate in your expression of need how much you would be willing to pay per hour of learning.

Just compared the file contents of the original (problematic) file with the second one I recreated from scratch and noticed that the snapshot settings for all of the blocks is populated with null after the first three Snapshots (which work correctly), instead of true or false as opposed to the Preset that is working properly. I did create the preset with the Stadium App (as that is still my preferred method) so I can not report whether it was the App or Stadium XL that created the problem. But once the preset is created with these null values then I think that it can not be corrected unless you edit the file (perilous and error-prone at best) or just re-create the Preset from scratch as @bverdon suggested. Either way, it is definitely a bug. For further clarification: Original (problematic) Preset: the "snapshots" element is each block records "false, false, false, null, null, null, null, null" The re-created Preset: the "snapshots" element is each block records "false, false, false, true, false, false, false, false" I typically expect true/false to be binary unless there is another purpose being used for the value. This would lead me to believe that those blocks are not being set properly and may either be turned on or off depending on the last snapshot loaded (or another internal array).

Glad you got it working. I want to correct some inaccurate information I provided earlier. The Helix StadiumMaintenance screen is not available from the Menu icon. It is only available through a startup sequence. You can hold down either FS 6 and 12 (as I suggested) or the Home and Song buttons (as described in the manual) when powering up.

He also frequently reminds us that they don't publicly discuss the details of future updates. Reading between the lines, look at the price points of the products. Helix is still in the top three modelers for both quality of sound and features. Unless you NEED the advanced features of the Stadium products, the only reason to dump your Helix for a Stadium is that you have too much money in the bank. The only REALLY BIG DEAL feature in Stadium is the "PROXY" capturing/profiling (COMING SOON!). I own a ToneX and have tried NAM and, TBH, I'm underwhelmed. Not that they sound bad but faced with the choice of tweaking knobs until I get a sound I like (what we do with REAL WORLD amps) or auditioning 100,000 captures (another rabbit hole like the 100,000+ IRs I have purchased over the years), I'll keep tweaking, Thank You Very Much! Helix will continue to sell well to players who need a great sounding modeler and would rather spend our time PLAYING MUSIC. As to updates, I've owned mine for 10 years and never been disappointed in the updates. If they never added another feature I wouldn't complain, but I suspect that we'll be pleasantly surprised as they continue to improve/optimize the platform in order to continue their dominance at the Helix family's price point in the market. Interesting side note - Fractal just released a new product that looks VERY MUCH like the HX Stomp XL, at that price point. No capturing there either.

I STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT YOU READ THE DIEZEL VH4 MANUAL!!! Section 3.2 contains a VERY detailed explanation of the FX Loop functions! Up until now you've been flying paper airplanes. You're trying to move to an F-35! READ THE MANUAL! VH4&VH4S_Manual_05062024.pdf If I understand you correctly, you don't want any effects (such as modulations - phaser, flanger, trem/vib) BEFORE the DZ Preamp. All you want is some time-based effects between the pre and power amp. Sell the Helix, get a couple of TC Electronics Hall of Fame pedals (delay/reverb) and spend the difference on wine, women and song. If you'd prefer to continue to under-utilize your Helix (still better than the above TCE solution), take the SEND 1 from the DZ into the Helix Input (INSTRUMENT LEVEL) and the Helix Left Mono Out (INSTRUMENT LEVEL) to the DZ RETURN A SERIAL. Place your time-based FX blocks in the signal path between the Input and Output. I'm going to assume that you are playing HEAVY METAL music. Maximum GAIN. For the sake of clarity, if you are using both reverb and delay, place them in PARALLEL. When all of your delay repeats are drenched in reverb (as when the FX are in SERIAL) your sound turns to MUD. The simplest way to do this is to split the Helix signal path (RTM) and place the Reverb in PATH A and the Delay in Path B. You can then use the LEVEL and MIX controls in the individual FX blocks and the MIX Block (where the two paths merge back into one) to fine tune the FX to taste. Your wiring remains the same UNLESS you want to mix the un-effected DZ Preamp signal with the effected signal from the Helix. In that case you would use the RETURN A PARALLEL instead of the RETURN A SERIAL and control the MIX from the rear panel FX Loop Parallel VOLUME control. Did I mention that I STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT YOU READ THE DIEZEL VH4 MANUAL!!!? If, at some point, you decide to take full advantage of the capabilities of your Helix, read the Helix manual's section on "Four Cable Method" (4cm). Even METAL music uses things like WAH (Kirk Hammet?), flangers and phasers. Just sayin'.

I would go for Option 2. Things you may not have thought of: External drive pedals in the HXFX Loop could be too noisy (IMO) due to the small amount of noise added by the Loop. With "Lots of dirt pedals" you'll already have plenty of noise. YMMV depending upon the pedals, but that has been my experience. If you haven't spent much time with the HXFX dirt pedals, try them and compare. You might end up selling the physical pedals. Option 2 also allows you to put your MOD FX before the Opus and your time-based FX after, as would be done in a studio in post production. There's no reason to further complicate your signal chain with external MOD pedals, the ones in the HXFX are quite capable. Also, keep in mind that every time you go from analog to digital and back you're introducing latency which, even if not enough to throw off your timing, can still affect the "feel" of your rig. More external pedals=more cables=more potential failure points. "KISS" theory applies.

Just because you have a YT Channel doesn't mean that you know what you're doing. You can't actually HEAR a computer. You can't actually HEAR Helix Native or, for that matter Helix or any other modeler OR your "REAL" amplifier. The "chunkiness" of a "real" amp is largely a property of the amp's cabinet and speaker. Route your MOTU's output through the RETURN of a real guitar amp and speaker and it will suddenly be chunkier. EQ the crap out of the signal you send to your 3" studio monitors and it will sound exactly like your 3" studio monitors. Helix Native sounds just like Helix. Both sound like the playback system which provides the actual SOUND to your ears. My 6" Rokit studio monitors sound very different than my HR FRFR112 or my Catalyst100 or my Powercab PC212+. Death metal palm mutes sound very different when you play through a Fender Twin vs a Dual Rectifier and 4x12 cab. Finally - "TONE" is subjective. "Chunky" is a perception. 65db bedroom levels thru studio monitors will NEVER be as chunky as 105db thru the aforementioned Dual Rectifier and 4x12. Google "Fletcher-Munson". Have fun looking for a playback system that appeals to YOUR ears in YOUR playing environment! ;-)