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For stage I've run: 2 x L6 PC+ Various powered wedges Yamaha and QSC FoH boxes set-up as monitors Valve power amps and speaker set-ups All sound and feel different, and have tempted me to tune my patches to them. Unfortunately that impacts on FoH (generally negatively). You will need to be clear (for yourself) what you want and try things until you find what works for you. If you don't run through FoH and just have stage sound I'd reccomend good FoH style speakers for the best reproduction, accepting the stage sound will not (should not??) be an amp in the room sound. If you want that amp in the room "spill" type sound, good guitar speakers and a power amp (not necessarily valve). This will limit your pallet significantly as guitar speakers significantly colour your sound. Its part of their charm. For studio - you want the best monitors you can afford for whole of recording reproduciton, and the Helix will just be part of that.

Or jump to the Stadium and get the updates it has got: Stabilty and bug fixes - not an issue for Helix OG Agora amps - not possible for Helix OG Proxy - not possible for Helix OG None of this has relevance for the OG, which is a stable and mature product with the Stadium following a very similar maturation route as the OG. Have a quick delve in this forum to see the early OG complaints and concerns, and don't ask anyone who was there what updating was like. You brought the OG at a great time - its a fully functional unit, stable unit, and updates are genuine updates (when and if they occur). As a "working pro" what exactly is it that is NEEDED? I couldn't trust the Stadium for live work at this point, BECAUSE it NEEDS frequent updates. OG is in the "Plateu of Productivity", Stadium is on the "Slope of Enlightenment" (just). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gartner_hype_cycle - choose your poison.

Hi Helix Stadium XL Team, I own the Helix Stadium XL and often have it on my desk when working with it and not using in a live playing situation. I do this because like many of us, I'm not able to continuously lean down to use it while on the floor. I know I can use the Helix App, which I also use and think is really well done! When I'm working with the Stadium XL on the desk, I can use my 8 switch MIDI foot controller on the floor and between what I can reach over and physically tough on the XL and what I can do with the MIDI foot controller, I can simulate just about everything I want to do when testing things out to be ready to use the XL in a live situation when I move the XL to the floor. One big missing feature is having the ability to map switches on my MIDI foot controller to directly to each FootSwitch on the XL using CC MIDI commands (ie: MIDI CCx for FootSwitch 1 on the XL, etc). I see that this feature was available in prior Helix version, but seems to have been explicitly removed from the XL. I realize I can map midi from the foot controller to blocks that are assigned to foot switches, but what I'm talking about is the ability to map a foot controller switch directly to a specific Foot Switch on the XL, as was available in prior Helix models. Any chance you will bring this back? Thanks, Dan

Yes, two amp+cab blocks can be used in a preset. Depending on the block choices they may not be able to be placed in the same path due to the DSP constraints that you mention. As I hinted earlier you should consider using a dual path preset. That will ensure you can do both. Using two amp+cab blocks in serial with both on will probably sound terrible. If placed in serial you will need to toggle them on/off oppositely. It is very common for two amp+cab blocks to be used in parallel, blending the levels as desired. I’m not sure but there may be a factory preset in the Templates setlist that demonstrates the setup.

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

That’s a known issue, especially when using load boxes, that I believe will be addressed in the next update. Patience.

I would open a support ticket.

1) Yes, and there’s no problem if you want them both on at the same time. Sonically that might not sound good if they are in the same signal path, but a dual path preset with both amps on can sound great. 2) Yes. One difference is signal routing. With Amp+Cab you can’t place FX blocks between the two. With separate Amp and Cab blocks you can do that, simulating an FX Loop in a real amp.

Well, you got off to a really good start by actually being very controversial and extremely misinformed. The hardware remains unchanged, but the firmware has received plenty of updates. I bought my Helix floor way back in 2015, for what it could do then - which at that time comprised of 46 Amps, 30 Cabs, and 79 Effects. Since then we have had many FREE firmware updates, and Core operating system improvements, so that now at version 3.80, Helix is loaded with 103 amps, 41 cabs, and 241 effects. Yay! All FREE. You’re a little late to the Helix party, and especially after the recently released new flagship “Stadium” model, you decided to launch into a diatribe about how badly done by you feel after buying an earlier unit. It may have been useful to do some really thorough research into what exactly you were about to purchase. “Caveat emptor”. Me - I’m sticking with my Helix floor and Helix Native, which are used almost daily, and do exactly what I require. Are you sure you bought the correct tool to do the job. Hope this helps/makes sense.

Thank you very much Opening this thread has caused me to question what I've been doing I haven't explored the sounds for many years and I hadn't appreciated that the string volume balance varies according to the model selected Therefore a global adjustment wouldn't work, and a visit to a repair shop wouldn't be the answer I now see that if I want to improve the situation I need to edit each setting that I commonly use I may have to come back here if I have any questions about the process, but in the meantime ... SOLVED CASE CLOSED!

My sincere apologies; my troll line was unwarranted. A few points: 1. The HARDWARE wasn't updated. I mean, maybe bits that don't matter much due to component sourcing, but the actual DSP power/speed wasn't changed, nor were the D/A and A/D convertors updated to the degree that any sonic differences were claimed. 2. The software CODE was updated. There were 2 big ones - an update of the core engine in 2.80 (2019) and the new cab engine in 3.50 (2022). With roughly 2x yearly updates, not only were new amps, FX, and features added, but DSP usage was optimized, allowing more FX than was originally possible. There was also an "increased oversampling" change made in firmware 3.1. Maybe these are what was meant by "the DSP was updated". We can petition (and do all the time on The Gear Page - https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?forums/digital-modeling-gear.53/), and as I have an LT and a Stomp, I'd LOVE to see new firmware for them. And I think we will; Eric at Line 6 has said so. Unfortunately no details or ETA were given. That's normal; they never do that beforehand. But it's also never been 16 months since an update, so we're all skitchy. But Helix is still in the lineup and being sold, and apparently it's only an incremental effort to add new effects and models when they're developing them for the Stadium. The problem is ATM they're squashing Stadium bugs and developing things that WON'T port to Helix - Stadium-only features and Agoura models for amps that already exist in Helix. Once this flurry of activity calms down IMO we'll see some Helix updates, though not at the pace of years past. As others have said, it's a mature product and has a TON more features than when I bought it - and I thought it was great then.

Sure you did. Your entire tone was uninformed, combative and accusatory. The PHYSICAL DSP - the actual chipset - is the same as it ever was. The DSP CODE has been changed countless times over the years. What you read was wrong. Wrong again. Do what I told you to do over on TGP to get the real facts. No need. Again, go to TGP where Digital Igloo - aka Eric Klein, the L6 Chief Product Design Architect - has repeatedly assured us that at least one more update is in the works. I don't use Facebook, but DI also posts on at least one Facebook group.

Guys, don't feed the trolls. I mean, ToneMaster is the counterexample? How long did Fender support the Mustang Floor - 4 years?

You can’t be serious here. 10+ years is a rapid product generation in the tech sector? C’mon, man.

I think you’re confusing product support with product evolution. Line 6 is still selling and supporting the Helix/HX product lines. You can expect to be able to get problem resolution including replacement parts and service for years to come. Same with the history of software and firmware updates which continue to be available for download and installation. That’s called support. The enhancements and improvements (evolution) have slowed down, which is absolutely normal for products that are much younger than Helix’s 10+ years. What’s surprising is that Line 6 is apparently planning another update even though the next generation product (Stadium) has been released. Your expectations are quite unrealistic.

In 2016 Helix was $1500. You got a deal! Especially factoring in inflation! $1500 in 2015 is worth approximately $2058 today! Considering that Helix was the flagship for 10 YEARS, I wouldn't say that it was killed by "rapid product generations". Since further updates, though likely minor, ARE still being planned, you can't really claim "lack of support". The "latest model" of the Helix Floor is identical to the first model of the Helix Floor. Only the SW has changed through 10 YEARS of updates. Also, bug fixes and other support will be available for years to come. HONESTLY, ALL products eventually reach their End Of Life. I have a synth that was a high-end/high-dollar unit in the mid-eighties, used by top bands. The company that made it (Seiko) doesn't even remember that they ever made synths! I discovered that when I tried to get a manual from them. TO BE QUITE HONEST, you knew that a new flagship was on the horizon, YOU CHOSE to take the deal on the OLD tech, rather than spend the coin required to get the NEW tech. And now you're whining! In LARGE FONT! You are the poster child for ENTITLED ATTITUDE! MAN UP! Take responsibility for your choices! Lastly, ROCK WHAT YOU GOT! If it NEVER gets another update, it's STILL some of the VERY BEST gear on the market!

This is a user-to-user support site. No one from Line6 hangs out here. Go to The Gear Page>Digital and Modeling Gear and search for posts by @Digital Igloo (Eric Klein of L6). You'll find many replies to your question "Will there be updates and when". The short answer is "YES" and "When we get around to it". That has been the answer to the question since the Helix was first released in 2015. Rock what you got in the knowledge that you paid less and got A LOT more than what I got when I bought mine in 2016.

Digital Igloo: We're working on something but if it takes too long, we may have to add clone support to CustomTone

I was able to do a full reset and that fixed the issue.

I'm trying to download Line 6 Central from the official software page, but the download link seems to be broken. Every time I click the button, nothing happens. Does anyone have a working mirror link or a workaround for this?