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New to HX Stomp


LorenO
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Hi All!

 

Been a while since I have had a Line 6 product. The last one I owned was the POD XT Live. at the time, it was a break through. Loved it! 

 

A few days ago I took the jump and purchased the HX Stomp. I wanted a multi effects pedal to replace my board of wet effects (TC Electronics single pedals: chorus, phaser, tremolo, delay and reverb). 

 

For that purpose, it delivers!

 

I had been struggling though with the amp modeling part. Was not considering the amp modeling at all. Just the wet and additional features out of that for live use with two channel amps or a two amp set up. But a few days ago, with headsets, I played the amp modeler section anyways. Downloaded HX Edit. 
 

I am using my Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster and my cable is a Lava Magma 10 footer. Strings are GHS Nickel Rocker 10’s. 

 

In the beginning it was tough. Just sounded off. Then yesterday, I happen to hear the sound samples on the Pod Go on the Line 6 Pod Go website and wondered, how do I get that heavy tone? Where is it in my HX Stomp? If the Pod Go could sound like that, that sound must be in my HX Stomp?

 

I found something that worked for me. Instead of finding an amp + cab direct sound, I am now thinking of a whole preset to come up with an amp + cab sound.
 

Using my headsets (am out of town right now), to get heavy guitar tones I heard on the Pod Go site, my basic preset: 

1. Turn on the NOISE GATE on the input (a must for high gain settings)

2. Put a COMP block (Dyna Comp, acts like a slight tone thickener but still transparent to me)

3. a DRIVE block (Kinky Boost, adjust drive level, usually way less to adjust overall saturation, Boost On)

4. then a high gain AMP + CAB (stock cabs)

5. into a Parametric EQ block. To get the mid frequency that I like and helps to cut down a bit of high’s using the filter. 


Was surprised! It sounded really good. So far am blown away. This is miles away better than my old Pod XT Live. The Helix sounds and feels better, no more odd compression that the old Pod XT Live had, and the assignment of blocks in any order was always a dream of mine and I am sure many others. The edit display on the unit is incredible.
 

In the old days, I had an Alesis Quadraverb was it the Plus or 2, where you could assign blocks in any order and choose any effect in it with pretty much the same routings, back in the days when this wasn’t available in any other rackmount that I was aware of at the time.

 

When building a patch It helps for me to not look at the name of the amp models. Just use my ears and work on that. I have to admit, I am extremely overwhelmed with the options available with getting a good amp model sound. Am relieved that I found a way to keep it simple for me. Maybe later on, can work on those cab switching.

 

In a few days, I hope to work on a mid break up sound and also clean tone. If I can find those other two I will be all smiles ☺️  No rush. Taking my time. Having fun with it. I can now listen to the Line 6 Pod Go website sample as a basis. The clean sounded great!

 

The big final test:

 

I will be back home tomorrow and can finally plug my HX Stomp into my Yamaha HS8’s and see how that works out. Am crossing my fingers. Right now, it sounds great through my Audio-Technica headphones. Hope it sounds great there as well. (I guess that is where the Global EQ comes in handy).

 

Have great day everyone!
 

Loren 

 

 

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 Hi Loren

I also used the POD XT Live and then the HD500 using the amp models direct into the board for many gigs in smaller venues with a duo. I went back to pedals and amp with my new louder band. Recently got the HX Stomp to replace many pedals and to have the option of going direct with amp modeling for duo and trio gigs in small venues. I have spent hours with it. It can be as simple or complicated as you want to make it but to get the sound you are looking for takes time. The effort paid off. Played my first gig with the band last night and the HX Stomp more than exceeded my expectations. It is one serious tone machine and brilliantly designed. I agree to forget your preconceptions about amp models and pedals and use your ears. Some  good surprises using that approach.

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On 2/27/2020 at 2:13 AM, LorenO said:

I can now listen to the Line 6 Pod Go website sample as a basis.


Hi,

 

While you were checking out the stuff on the POD Go site, you may have seen the videos featuring the splendid Paul Hindmarsh. Not sure if you may be interested, but Paul has posted to CustomTone a couple of the presets which he created for the NAMM demo session. These should be compatible with the Helix products including your HX Stomp, and so you can load the presets into HX Edit to see exactly how he has put these tones together.

 

Find the patches here:

 

https://line6.com/customtone/search/helix/1/?sort=&sort_dir=&search_term=Hindmarsh

 

Have fun exploring your new toy!

 

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On 2/29/2020 at 11:26 PM, bluebirdrad said:

 Hi Loren

I also used the POD XT Live and then the HD500 using the amp models direct into the board for many gigs in smaller venues with a duo. I went back to pedals and amp with my new louder band. Recently got the HX Stomp to replace many pedals and to have the option of going direct with amp modeling for duo and trio gigs in small venues. I have spent hours with it. It can be as simple or complicated as you want to make it but to get the sound you are looking for takes time. The effort paid off. Played my first gig with the band last night and the HX Stomp more than exceeded my expectations. It is one serious tone machine and brilliantly designed. I agree to forget your preconceptions about amp models and pedals and use your ears. Some  good surprises using that approach.

Hi Bluebirdrad!

 

I agree. I did take some time to work on the presets and just learning how to use the unit. It wasn’t that hard thankfully (manual + Youtube!) and so after about a day (that long Hehehe), I was familiar enough that I was really just working on getting some tones off the Hx Stomp and no longer “where is what and how to do”? Interface is very nice. Makes a lot of sense. Sounds great to me! 
 

I am also checking out the Send/Return. I have a Sansamp Blonde (set clean), plugged it in the effects loop and removed the Sansamp’s Cab Sim. I then turned on the HX Stomp’s Cab Sim (1x12 Deluxe). I now have the Sansamp as a “block”. The Cab Sim of the HX went next. I then tried my drive pedals in front of the HX Stomp. Very nice too! 
 

Very flexible and great sounding unit. Great as a stand alone option or as part of a system. Definitely fun to use! 

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23 hours ago, datacommando said:


Hi,

 

While you were checking out the stuff on the POD Go site, you may have seen the videos featuring the splendid Paul Hindmarsh. Not sure if you may be interested, but Paul has posted to CustomTone a couple of the presets which he created for the NAMM demo session. These should be compatible with the Helix products including your HX Stomp, and so you can load the presets into HX Edit to see exactly how he has put these tones together.

 

Find the patches here:

 

https://line6.com/customtone/search/helix/1/?sort=&sort_dir=&search_term=Hindmarsh

 

Have fun exploring your new toy!

 

Oh coolness! Thanks! Will check it out! Those tones on the Pod Go site really helped me! :) am out of town again, when I get back home, will be on my “first thing I do when I get home” list. 


It’s funny, my wife keeps saying when it’s a chore, am always “tired” but when it has something to do with the guitar, I am never tired! 

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I discovered the “Gain” effect yesterday. Love it that it is just a transparent volume boost. I set up foot switches as effects On/Off, FS1 for modulation, FS2 for delays and FS3 for boost. Additional footswitches via a midi controller so I am not limited to just the three switches.

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12 hours ago, LorenO said:

I discovered the “Gain” effect yesterday. Love it that it is just a transparent volume boost. I set up foot switches as effects On/Off, FS1 for modulation, FS2 for delays and FS3 for boost. Additional footswitches via a midi controller so I am not limited to just the three switches.

Which midi controller are you using? How well does it work? I'm using the Mission Engineering dual button switch to change presets using the EXP 1/2 jack. It adds two switches of course and integrates easily but it does take your expression pedal jack. 

I've found the send/return  very useful. I run my electric guitar through the main in/out to my tube amp. I run acoustic instruments through the return/send to an acoustic amp or board.Using different paths. It's easy to switch from one to the other using the HX Stomp with the benefit of effects for the acoustics. You do lose the tuner function on the send/return path but I'm using external tuners anyway to free up the third switch on my Stomp. I also run the acoustic path through a passive DI because of possible ground loop issues when using two amps with one device.

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@bluebirdrad

 

Wow! Amazing routing options! I didn’t think you could insert two instruments that way! I too play acoustic, sometimes live with both my Electric on the same night. Been a while since I did that though. 
 

I use a Pedalbot Midi Controller. Pretty standard device, where I live, the Philippines, it’s hard to get anything like midi controllers. Lucky a guy builds them here. Reasonably priced too. 
 

I use it to access all the screens: Scroll, Stomp, Preset and Snapshot with two foot switches then the other two, one for tuner and one for tap tempo. Love it!

 

I am still in the process of building my board. 

9355816F-F0EF-4A80-949D-93E05024FF1C.jpeg

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@bluebirdrad

 

Almost there :) One more missing item The Lehle is a parallel mixer, true bypass pedal. So if I want to play the HX Stomp as a wet effects only effect, I would kill the dry signal and set 100% wet (using parallel routes and volume pedal effect blocks) in Snapshot mode. But if I want to go straight to the board, then I simply remove the Lehle from the set up and plug straight to the HX Stomp and out of it straight to the board. 
 

More often though I just bring a Fender Deluxe Reverb and plug this set up through a 2nd out, split by an ABY box (Radial Engineering) and have the mix to where it is a good balance of dry and wet. So I use the wet only mixed with my dry signal. The Deluxe Reverb has 2 independent channels so that is cool. I find overdrives love darker channels and chorus and mod effects prefer brighter channels, that’s why I split them. 

264F4E6B-EDB9-45DE-A33C-B2BB80EADC22.jpeg

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Am a Fender guy all the way too! I’ve got a ‘59 Bassman LTD (changed the speakers to 4x10 Eminence GA10-SC59 alnicos), a ‘65 Deluxe Reverb (with 1x12 GA12-SC64), a ‘65 Princeton Reverb (1x10 GA10-SC64) and my only non Fender amp is a Suhr Badger 30 and you guessed it, loaded 2x12’s GA12-SC64. I have been experimenting on different speakers for years. I have finally settled in on the GA’s. I absolutely adore the George Alessandro speakers! They capture the most important frequency of the guitar, the mids, perfectly for me. Love his EJ speakers too for more of a very open sounding Jensen vibe. More highs. I got the Suhr to have a Marshall flavored amp (ala JTM45). It isn’t quite that though. I find that it is like a Fender / Marshall hybrid. Am envious of your ‘64 BF Deluxe! All my electric guitars are Fender. 

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3 hours ago, LorenO said:

Am a Fender guy all the way too! I’ve got a ‘59 Bassman LTD (changed the speakers to 4x10 Eminence GA10-SC59 alnicos), a ‘65 Deluxe Reverb (with 1x12 GA12-SC64), a ‘65 Princeton Reverb (1x10 GA10-SC64) and my only non Fender amp is a Suhr Badger 30 and you guessed it, loaded 2x12’s GA12-SC64. I have been experimenting on different speakers for years. I have finally settled in on the GA’s. I absolutely adore the George Alessandro speakers! They capture the most important frequency of the guitar, the mids, perfectly for me. Love his EJ speakers too for more of a very open sounding Jensen vibe. More highs. I got the Suhr to have a Marshall flavored amp (ala JTM45). It isn’t quite that though. I find that it is like a Fender / Marshall hybrid. Am envious of your ‘64 BF Deluxe! All my electric guitars are Fender. 

I love the old amps. I also have a 64 Vibrochamp and 68 Princeton Reverb. Not the reissues though I owned a DR reissue and it was a great amp -- the new Fender amps are awesome. When I bought that old Deluxe it came with a Scumback M75-60-- copy of Celestion greenbacks-- and it is just killer. The guy said he tried every speaker possible and this was the best -- but maybe I would want to change to something more conventional. Thank you -- I am very happy with this Scumback! Bringing the conversation back to the relevance of the HX Stomp. I would say melding state-of-the-art digital audio with 50+ year-old tube technology is quite something special. 

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A very nice collection of amps you have there! Now I am triple envious! Always wanted a Champ. :)

 

I have to admit, when I buy an amp, I already know I am going to change the speakers and the tubes. I have heard Fender mention that they expect people to change the speakers too.
 

When we change the speakers and tubes and are happy with the result, if becomes more than a Fender amp, it becomes a “Bluebirdrad amp” or a “Loren amp”. The original speakers in these reissues were not to my liking at all. But I know from experience, the tone is there. We just need to help bring it out a little :) It’s not a Fender thing. Seems like it is a general rule with me. 

 

In the case of the Suhr. I bought the head with the matching Suhr cab, I was surprised to find that it was loaded with non recommended Suhr speakers (Celestions). So I bought the recommended ones (Warehouse something) to hear what Suhr intended for us to hear and still ended up replacing them for the George Alessandro speakers. The recommended Warehouse speakers didn’t sound bad at all. But I was looking for something else. 
 

David Gilmour influenced me in more than just my playing. He taught me not to be afraid of technology. To embrace it. They can both work together beautifully. So true. I agree 100%. 
 

For now, until I get my direct sound set up properly, I’ve got the HX going through these amps and it sounds great! 

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