bsd512

Edit to the above Edit ... I was wrong on the stereo chorus. Granted, it's a little frivolous anyway, but really just showing how much you can do with this little single DSP Stomp. With the amps I chose BE100 Clean and Gain channels, it was just too much to put in a stereo chorus. But if you replace the Placater Clean with a Jazz Rivet (an awesome clean amp), that gives you plenty of DSP to add a stereo chorus and a bunch of other options. Moral of this story - the Stomp is pretty incredible, and to do some dual-amp patches - either with the amps combining their output for a centered "brand new" tone, or using the split and snapshots to "channel switch" between two different amps, judicious choice of amps that still serve your purpose can get you there, since not all amps are created equal in the amount of DSP they use. Also, if you keep the Placater Dirty (BE100 drive channel), you have some other options as well, such as the US small tweak and the Soup Pro for clean amps. If you go with something other than the Placater Dirty (an intensive DSP amp) and instead with something like an ANGL Meteor (ENGL Fireball), your options increase quite a bit more to the Interstate Zed, AC15, both A30 Fawn channels, Matchless CH2, and - yes the Placater clean (a really great clean amp). There hasn't been much that I've really wanted to do that I haven't been able to do in the single-path 6-block Stomp. And it's TINY!!! Did I mention it's Tiny!? Dang, I'm starting to sound like a Line 6 commercial.

Doesn't work, unfortunately. Even if you limit to six blocks. HX Edit throws a pop-up error saying "incompatible device type". That's very unfortunate. Especially since my Stomp and Helix and usually remote from each other so it's pretty inconvenient to plug them in at the same time to the same computer. If you do that, though, you *can* copy a block from the Helix HX Edit window to the Stomp HX Edit window. That works fine, but any snapshots and stuff will need to be re-sync'd manually, which is a pain. I was really hoping for Line 6 to translate Stomp presets to Helix and vice versa. I'd be fine with throwing an error pop-up if the Helix preset wouldn't work in the stomp, but work fine if it would, i.e., limited to 6 blocks on Path 1 and 3 snapshots and 3 stomp assignments. That *should* translate just fine. But you have to do it manually instead. The only help they give you is copying a block and all it's settings. I debated about returning my Stomp and paying the difference for an LT. But an LT really doesn't solve my use-case. It's just too big - only slightly smaller than the Helix itself. I really still LOVE my Stomp though. The preset thing is an inconvenience and not enough of an inconvenience for me to not own it and use it to its fullest. I made this dual-amp preset on my Helix - it uses the Placater (BE100) Ch1 and Ch2 amps feeding into the same cab. I used snapshots to change the cabinet settings (mic, distance, cuts, etc) as appropriate for each channel and came up with a very nice "clean", "crunch", and "gain" preset that works really well for me. And it translates to the Stomp perfectly. Pretty awesome little device! EDIT: and actually, I think there was enough DSP for a stereo chorus for dreamy cleans in that patch that would be enabled on the "clean" snapshot. The problem with that of course, is it would then exceed 6 blocks so I'd have to eject something else for the Stomp. I like everything else in there better than the Chorus, so the chorus got the boot. :-)

About 97 degrees F or 36 C. Just about all electronics are rated for more than double that.

Awesome amp! One of my favorites in the Helix.

While you can do a lot in 6 blocks, to do completely agree that this would be a great way to extend the block count without any UI compromises - at least as I've listened to DI and others describe that it was designed the way it is for simplicity. As I've been thinking about this myself, I thought the best way to add more blocks was not to further miniaturize the 6-block row length to squeeze in 2 more blocks, but to simply remove the restriction that when you split the path, allow two blocks to sit on top of each other like on the Helix instead of them having to be staggered like on the current Stomp. That way, if you split the path, you'd get 12 blocks total - kind of like the "super serial" template in the Helix. That would solve the block count limitation, IMO, without deviating from the spirit of simplicity that the Line 6 designers wanted to maintain with the Stomp.

I haven't looked at the preset - can't right now. The dual-cab pans one cabinet hard-left and the other one hard-right. It is possible your output block is panned full right or left, effectively silencing the other cab?

I'm super happy with the Stomp. It's almost everything I've wanted - it didn't have all my wishlist items when we've posted about a mini-Helix in the past (search forum). I was hoping for full dual DSP and full preset compatibility compressed into a small size about the size of the Amplifi TT. For my purposes, that would have been perfect. When the Stomp came out, I bought one immediately since it seemed like it would still work for my purposes, just not quite what I was hoping. But still - I've been very impressed at what I've been able to do in 6 blocks. I think in the Helix, with so many blocks, dual paths, dual DSP power, and so on, I would tend to add things just because. Hey, there's room, why not put 4 different distortions in front of the amp and pick the one I like the best at the time with a button. And heck, why not add an EQ or 3? With the stomp you can't do that, so how that translates for me is that I think I'm making smarter preset choices, but not really compromising much on tone. In fact, since I have less cruft and fluff, one could argue my 3, 4, 5, and occasionally 6-block presets are better. The simplicity is liberating! EDIT: I should add that no way would I trade in my full Helix for a Stomp. The Stomp is an extremely nice accessory for me and solves a specific use-case challenge for me. I hate to say never, but it will be a cold day in hell before I give up my Helix.

One more quick follow-up ... Using a single cab and a single mic from the stock cab inventory, I can still get great results. So in no way is this the end of the world or anything. I was mainly surprised that the Dual Cab block worked the way it did - panning on cab hard left and the other hard right. And fixed that way with no option to vary them. And what I was trying to do was to mix a dark mic with a bright mic to get a nice full range - the smooth fullness of a ribbon and the brightness and bite of a dynamic. And use that as if it was a single cabinet mic'd with two very different mics. So it was my own misunderstanding of how the dual-cab block works that led to the above. I mentioned I'd been using IRs for years - mainly because I had trouble with the stock cabs early one, multiple people suggested IRs, I tried a few - they were great, and I stuck with them ever since. But now after a couple of years of experience using IRs, I know a lot more than I did about mics, speakers, and cabinets - more than I ever thought I would or needed to. But with the release of the Stomp without HX Edit, I was forced to use stock cabs since there was no way to use IRs. But in doing so, and with the couple of years of using IRs under my belt (I could dive into an OwnHammer pack and pick the 3 IRs I wanted out of 700 in about 30 seconds), I found it a 1000 times easier to set up the stock cabs to my liking. So thanks to HX Edit being late to release for the Stomp, I'm a convert. I'm now a stock-cab guy. Stock cabs rock! So I'd like to extend a personal thank you to Line 6 for NOT releasing HX Edit at the same time as the Stomp. If they did, I would have certainly loaded up all my IRs and gone on with status quo. As it is ... now that I've "discovered" stock cabs and their awesomeness, it's like I got a whole new Helix Update that now includes great stock cabs. :-) (Education and experience are a wonderful things!) On this whole dual cab behavior thing - yes, it would be great if L6 might include pan knobs for each cabinet so you can vary their contribution a bit easier and not have to pan them fully left and fully right. But I'm still getting great tones and results from single cabs - now that I have more experience with that - ironically, from using IRs for several years. Why didn't anyone ever tell me stock cabs were so awesome?! Ok, yes, I've heard that many times on this forum but dismissed it because I thought I knew more than I really did. :-) Anyway, I can get really close to that dual cab sound using a couple of the mics available - some might need a bit more or less hi-cut, and maybe an amp tone knob trim or two, but this really is not a big problem. I'll call it a nice to have - and the computer scientist in me says the panning capability should be there for completeness and not fixed at hard L and R. Also - one big advantage of using a single cab with the Stomp is that you can simply use the Amp+Cab block which frees up yet another block. So where I might use the split method before, that frees up 2 blocks. And if I used the dual cab to get that mic-mix sound, it frees up 1 block. So all's good. Great even. Final word - the dual cab block still needs pan knobs for the cabs. It just seems like an oversight. :-)

I looked at checking phase alignment - I didn't know how to do that for the left and right side of a stereo output. However - I think I have an answer for what is happening. Unfortunately, I think the answer means that the dual cab block is not useful to me. amsdenj's suggestion got me looking closely in Logic and Native. The difference between the dual cab block and putting two cabinets on a split path - all cabinets with identical settings is how those cabinets are panned left and right (or not). The dual cab block pans one cabinet far left, and the other cabinet far right. You can do that in a split path, but in my preset above with the split path and separate cabinets, I had the merge block to center them. If instead I pan one of the cabinets at the merge block all the way to the left and the other all the way to the right, I can reproduce the exact behavior of the dual-cab block. So that mystery is solved. But what the heck - the dual-cab block really needs a pan dial for each cabinet. What I'm trying to do is simulate a dual-mic'd cabinet coming down the center, not panning two totally different sounds panned hard left and hard right. I find it hard to imagine that this behavior is what Line 6 intended with no flexibility to mix those cabinets either fully (centered) or partially to the left and partially to the right, versus being fixed at hard-left and hard-right. Thoughts? Note - this isn't a huge problem for Helix and Native - we have plenty of blocks to spare. But I also have a Stomp and blocks are a lot more precious in that box which only has 6. I'd like to get one back by using a dual cabinet. But the sound I'm after is way off vs the split approach. Not to mention dual cabinets would be a lot more flexible if each cabinet could be panned. If so, this thread wouldn't exist. :-)

I like my interpretation better. :-)

Here are the presets pulled out of Native Incase someone can double check me and make sure I didn't do something the cause this that I didn't notice. I40 is the Dual Cab. 2xI40 is the split path version. Archon I40.hlx Archon 2xI40.hlx

Here's a screen shot showing both instances up in Native. The one on the right is the Dual Cab, where the one on the left is separate single cabs on a split path. Note the stereo levels on the right - the right channel (sorry, I said left before) is slightly higher than that of the left channel. The input to these Native instances is the Logic Pro X "Test Oscillator" so that the signal is nice and pure and unvarying so that the output is stable. Just eyeballing the rather coarse output meter in the Native Instance, the Dual Cab right channel looks to be about 4 dB higher than the same cab on the split path version.

2.7

Following up ... I recreated this in Logic Pro X with two instances of Native, one with two separate cabs, the other with a single Dual cab. With the two separate cab version, the output is evenly balanced feeding into a stereo delay and stereo reverb between the left and right channels. With a single dual cab with two identical cabinet settings, the left output channel is slightly higher than the right channel - which is what my ears were hearing. Flipping the polarity of one of the instances, resulted in incomplete cancellations. It was a lot quieter, but they did not completely cancel. If I sum both instances to mono - I can get the inverted polarity a LOT quieter, but not to completely cancel. I'm assuming this might be because a Dual Cab outputs in mono? While a split path with a cab in each path is ultimately recombined and merged in stereo? But still - why would one side of the stereo path have slightly more gain than the other for a dual-cab block which outputs in mono than for a split-path+2 cabs that outputs in stereo? The dual cab block is driving my ears nuts whereas a split path w/cab in each path is perfectly fine. What gives? Any advice appreciated? I'd open a support ticket, but this seems like it might be really hard to explain in a ticket.

Known Issues: Loading a Distortion > Kinky Boost block can sometimes result in an audible thump That cracked me up! I don't think that's a reference to an actual audio artifact. Lol :-)

I've been a pretty hard-core IR guy for a long time but recently started using stock cabs (because HX Edit was late at Stomp release and I was forced to use stock cabs). Long story short - I now love stock cabs, I just wasn't very good at making good cab and mic choices. This leads me to a strange situation I encountered. If you make a preset with an amp (not amp+cab) - put two cabs after it in a split path then merge immediately after the cabs. Follow that by anything else (delay, reverb, whatever - might need to be stereo, not sure). Then if you copy that preset exactly. Delete the two stock cabs and replace them with a single dual-cab block. In the dual cab block, duplicate exactly the settings you have in the two separate cabs in the original preset. You might need to lower the pseudo-merge block in the original preset by about 2db to account for the volume difference. Now A/B those two presets using headphones so you can hear the nuance. Should those two presets produce identical results? I'm 100% convinced they are different. Should they be the same?

Great information, thanks!

Just my 2 cents on the iOS app and bluetooth. I had an Amplifi 150 and an Amplifi TT. Good lord I hated that iOS interface. When it worked it was kind of ok and even then there were so many mis-fires with the interface - you touch and drag, it doesn't pick up the touch, so you constantly have to do things twice to get a response. Also, and even worse, there were so many disconnect problems. I was constantly having to shut down the app, go back into the phone's system->bluetooth control panel, disconnect from the device, wait a few seconds, reconnect, open the app back up, and attempt a reconnect from there. Fine - now it works for about 10 or 15 minutes and disconnects again. What a pain. Worst amp/pedal adjustment tool ever. I wouldn't object to the capability being there for others that have better luck, but Line 6, please don't force me to use it - please continue to provide the USB connected HX Edit.

Enough testing and reproducing some of my favorite presets from the Helix on the bench. The Stomp has officially replaced my Amplifi TT as my "downstairs" processor in my living room by the easy chair. Good lord ... the difference in quality is tremendous. Do I really need it for that - no, this is a pure luxury item for me, and I'm happy to have it. It sounds incredible - just like the Helix. What a great stomp! Note - that's the Amplifi TT under the Stomp - the Stomp is about 2/3's the size of the TT in length and width, and probably 1/3 total physical volume. And sounds 100 times better.

I'm having some serious fun with this tiny Helix! A while back I got a little VOX Adio Air GT for ultra portability and good sound (it does sound good!). It's full stereo and also designed to stream backing tracks and so on, so it's essentially a tiny stereo FRFR will a modeler built-in. It also has an AUX input for connecting any 3.5mm stereo plug - you can connect a drum machine, MP3 player, whatever. I connected up my Stomp from its stereo outs using a 3.5mm stereo -> 2 x 1/4" mono adapter cable, and was STUNNED at how good it sounded. For such a small amp, it delivers a GREAT sound for the Stomp. Of course, it wouldn't be appropriate for a live band setting, it doesn't get quite that loud, but the sound is huge for its size. I fed couple presets into it - the one loaded below is the ENGL with a stereo ping-pong delay feeding into the ganymede stereo reverb. Again ... I was stunned! I must say, I am extremely happy with the Stomp. And if you're looking for a very small stereo capable playback amp that packs a good sound for its size, try the VOX Adio GT. It's not the prettiest thing to look at, but it sure does sound great driven by the Stomp (or Helix). It sounds way bigger than it looks.

I've heard some folks saying it gets pretty hot. It does get a little warm, but not much more than some other pedals I have. Looks like about 100F or 36C. Line 6 says that's normal. While it's warm, it doesn't feel hot. The stomp is on the desk upper left.

Mine arrived today. I know I'm not Line 6's exact market for this since I'm already a Helix owner and already sold on modelers. I recreated one of my favorite presets in the Stomp and I'm totally impressed!! No, a couple of my wish-list items were not included, but it was close enough so I got it. It will work great for me. And so small ... This is a brilliant product - considering their entire HX ecosystem from Helix, Helix LT, Native, HX Effects, and now HX Stomp - all compatible to the highest degree that makes sense. By themselves they are all great products. When considered together - the product line is a tour-de-force of modeling and marketing genius. Line 6 is taking over the world. I did some Stomp vs Helix testing and am completely satisfied.

This is almost exactly what I've been wanting for a long time. I already ordered. Just take my money!

Multiple splits and merges within a path.

Maybe just redirect this whole forum over to TGP. Might save Line 6 some money and that's where all the L6 staff hang out and answer Helix questions anyway. :-)