Native or Stomp for home recording?

[GraceToo]

New forum user, long-time Line 6 user...

 

I'm looking for some advice: as someone who no longer plays live and only records guitar and bass covers in Cubase/jams along to backing tracks, would you recommend Hx Native or Hx Stomp?

 

My HD500 isn't really cutting it for me anymore tone-wise and I really want to dip my toes into Helix's waters, but I'm a little overwhelmed by the options. The LT seems like overkill (especially with regards to the physical size and price of the unit), given that I record in multiple takes and don't really need to activate different presets on the fly. The Stomp seems like a decent Helix delivery system that would fit nicely on my desk. I do, however, also have a Focusrite Solo (3rd Gen) that I use for my bass recordings.

 

Is the Stomp a better option for guitar recordings overall, or would it be functionally no different to using a combo of Native and Focusrite? My only concern with Native is that I would have to monitor while recording guitar (unlike with my bass recordings), and I don't know if latency will be an issue. I tried Native for free when it first came out, but that was before I had my Focusrite. I was using my HD500 as my interface, and didn't have the greatest results. Another concern I have is what to do when I need to use an expression pedal. I know I can set up an expression pedal with the Stomp fairly easily, but are there any inexpensive midi expression pedal options for Native?

 

Thanks in advance.

[datacommando]

7 hours ago, GraceToo said:

would you recommend Hx Native or Hx Stomp?

Hi,

 

Here is possibly the best solution for you.
 

Buy the HX Stomp. 

 

Once you have purchased and registered the hardware, you are eligible for the discount on Helix Native priced at $99.99. Occasionally there are promo deals and there may be even more of a discount bringing the price down to in the region of $70.

 

While waiting for a good deal on the software you can be recording with your Stomp, and also download the free 15 trial version of Native. That way you can experience the best of both worlds. Oh, yeah you can also record both your guitar and bass - easy. Stick in an inexpensive M-Audio expression pedal and away you go. If you need a MIDI expression there are lots of options, but the Behringer FCB1010 MIDI Foot Controller seems to get lots of votes on here.

 

Hope this helps/makes sense.

 

[soundog]

That's good advice from @datacommando. I use a Stomp in the studio on my desk and it is extremely versatile in terms of studio integration, I/O, and MIDI. I'd start with it, and then wait for a deal on Native.

 

A few nice things about owning a Stomp and Native: a) you can run the Stomp through your Focusrite (and into monitors) so you can always practice and play without booting up your computer, b) you can record a dry guitar track while monitoring your Stomp's wet signal with zero latency along with tones that will inspire better playing, c) after recording the dry track, you can use Native to treat your guitar and bass however you like in your DAW during mixing.

 

I used to own a full blown Helix (and an HX Effects), but sold them before buying the Stomp. I find that having only 8 blocks in the Stomp have forced me to create better and more efficient presets. If I can't do what I need with 8 blocks, I shouldn't be doing it. In my opinion, the Stomp is the best bang for the buck in the Helix lineup.

[GraceToo]

 

Thanks for the insight, guys.

 

I guess the only thing that's still holding me back from getting the Stomp AND Native is this: if the recording quality through the Stomp alone is on par with Native + another interface (in my case, Scarlett Solo), doesn't it make more sense to just get Native and save some money? I don't have speakers in my music room, as I live in a row house and don't want to annoy my neighbours. I always listen through headphones. The Stomp, if I got it, would not utilize any other outputs besides the USB out.

 

To get an idea for how my PC performs while directly monitoring a CPU-intensive plugin, I downloaded the free version of Amplitube 5 (don't worry, I don't plan on buying that - I read the reviews, listened to the muddy clips, and ugh). I was able to monitor with no latency that I could notice, and without any pops or fizz. I tried it in isolation on a track of its own, and then plonked it into a very busy 25+ track Cubase project, and it still performed well. Do any of you know how Native compares, CPU-use wise? I unfortunately used up my free trial when it first came out, so I can't compare myself.

 

Of course, there's also the issue of the expression pedal. I know there are expression pedals that work with the Stomp, but has anyone been able to set up midi expression pedals with Native to control Whammy pitch-shifting, wah, etc?

 

EDIT 1: Just want to clarify that I did search extensively to see if anyone has been able to set up a midi expression pedal with Native, but all the posts I'm finding are from 2018/2019, and I know that Native has been updated since then, so I'm not sure if there's better support now for midi expression pedals or even just midi pedals in general.

 

EDIT 2: In the absence of a compatible midi expression pedal, is it possible to create automation lanes that can control various parameters within Native (e.g. wah or pitch shifting) after you've recorded your track, like you can with midi tracks? If so, that would be a really simple solution that would honestly be preferable to buying a midi expression pedal. Wouldn't be able to hear the wah or pitch shifting while actually recording the guitar, no, but at least it would be an inexpensive workaround.

[soundog]

Then you should try the 15-day free Helix Native demo and see how it behaves for you. Native may be all you need if you don't plan on jamming with your guitar in the future with other folks (where a Stomp would be quite useful). The Native demo should demonstrate how it performs with your computer and DAW with regards to latency and horsepower required.

 

It takes a bit of doing to get an expression pedal to work with Native, but everything works dandy when you get it going. You can find info on the forum and in youtube videos that help explain how to get it set up. And the Native manual is quite detailed. Further, automation works great for controlling Native after recording the track ..... at least it did for me with Logic (I imagine Cubase would work also).

 

If you decide to buy, there are sales a couple of times a year at quite a savings. And sometimes you can find someone selling their license. Also worth a mention, you might want to also try demos of S-Gear and some of the NeuralDSP amp sims (I like Cali Suite, Cory Wong, and Parallax). These and Native are outstanding.

[GraceToo]

Just now, soundog said:

Then you should try the 15-day free Helix Native demo and see how it behaves for you. Native may be all you need if you don't plan on jamming with your guitar in the future with other folks (where a Stomp would be quite useful). The Native demo should demonstrate how it performs with your computer and DAW with regards to latency and horsepower required.

 

It takes a bit of doing to get an expression pedal to work with Native, but everything works dandy when you get it going. You can find info on the forum and in youtube videos that help explain how to get it set up. And the Native manual is quite detailed. Further, automation works great for controlling Native after recording the track ..... at least it did for me with Logic (I imagine Cubase would work also).

 

If you decide to buy, there are sales a couple of times a year at quite a savings. And sometimes you can find someone selling their license.

 

Unfortunately, as I mentioned in my original post and my reply, I used up my 15 day trial back when Native first came out -- this was long before I had my Scarlett Solo. I didn't like the sound quality I was getting while using my HD500 as my interface (I think it may have been a Global EQ thing with the HD500, I didn't delve into it all that much) so I didn't play around with it a whole lot before the trial expired. I also had a much less powerful laptop back then, so latency was a problem. I have a decent laptop now that should handle Native with no problems. It manages Amplitube 5 without a hitch.

 

Great to hear that automation works with Native. That makes the decision a little easier. I don't HAVE to hear the changes live, can always tweak later. I so seldom use wah or pitch shifting as it is, so a compatible midi expression pedal is not a must-have for me if automation works for those parameters.

 

Thinking now I may hold out for a Native sale. Do you know when the last sale was? It currently works out to roughly CDN $500 for me, which is pretty steep... still better than the almost CDN $1000 that the Stomp comes to after tax, though.

[soundog]

I think the sale usually comes up around March. But who knows what determines when it will happen?

 

I wonder if you put in a request to Line 6 via a support ticket they would give you another 15-day trial if you explain the situation...

[GraceToo]

I'll hold out for a little while and see. My tax return should be done around then, so it would be perfect timing, haha.

 

In the meantime, looking into seeing if they could give me another trial might be a good idea, just to be absolutely sure that it will work. Even with a sale (I see the sales are usually 30% off), it's still a pretty significant investment.

 

Thanks for the help and suggestions.