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Helix Stomp or individual pedals
- Thread starter Tonecaster
- Start date
I’m doing the cover band thing and am using the Stomp XL.
I’ve never had a pedal board before but needed a few effects here and there.
For me it’s a perfect solution. I got my tuner, compressor, octaver, fuzz, chorus, and a pitch shift all in one box.
If we decide to do a tune that needs some other effect, I can just click through and add it.
There’s a lot of tips and tricks to get good sounds out of it. It’s a little overwhelming at first but once you read up and learn about what blocks are really special (like the retro reel) you can really get it to come alive.
I’ve never had a pedal board before but needed a few effects here and there.
For me it’s a perfect solution. I got my tuner, compressor, octaver, fuzz, chorus, and a pitch shift all in one box.
If we decide to do a tune that needs some other effect, I can just click through and add it.
There’s a lot of tips and tricks to get good sounds out of it. It’s a little overwhelming at first but once you read up and learn about what blocks are really special (like the retro reel) you can really get it to come alive.
I have some VERY different output basses from a P with average output, to a much quieter fretless Jazz, an active Ibanez, an active 8-string and a passive MM style humbucker wired in series.
I was starting to collect pedals but found that I needed a number of preamp type pedals to balance volumes, very different EQ etc and I could see things getting out of hand.
I got the B3n and made some patches.
The main one is completely clean with no amp sim etc (the P and Ibanez use the same patch as they are similar). One for the MM style with an EQ to bring down the volume and some EQ tweaks.
One for the fretless with some gain boost and EQ and one for the 8-string.
In each patch are a few effects that I use on very rare occasions such as chorus, envelope filter and reverb.
It took a while to get the volumes and EQ where I want them but they are generally close enough now and it's very easy to navigate. Once a patch is selected I have two or three effects that I can switch just like having three pedals available.
Just got to remember to select the right one for the right bass or it can get loud... or very soft... depending on the combination my mistake takes.
Any of the options you are looking at should be as good or even much better.
I prefer individual pedals for live/rehearsing - I only use a few somewhat sparingly: octave, envelope filter & sometimes a compressor. I have the usual others, mostly overdrive and fuzz flavours but they don't get used for my current outfit. Love the idea of multi-fx though, at home I'm always messing around with effects in the DAW.
Individual gives to you the chance 'play the field' so to say. It's fun seeing what options are out there and how things differ. If you just want a tool to cover sounds, Helix all the way. I like to see how things have variation. I find the digital multi-effects world boring myself. Discovery can't be limited in a single unit is the sea is filled with cool poopie. That's why tone chasing has no end. It's like being a great musician...you will never be best out there..ever. so just and make yourself better through discovery. Don't even get me started on my guitar overdrives : /
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I have a helix stomp LT. Love it. It let me replace an entire analog board, albeit one with only a few actual audible effects. I can even split the signal so I send effects and amp/cab sim to FOH from one output and effects + parametric eq out the other to my amp in the room. That’s do-able in the analog world but not in the same footprint.
The downside is immediacy of tone changes. What you program is what you get. Reverb too wet? Mix in the delay too high? Too bad, unless you thought ahead to assign those parameters to the front panel knobs.
Overall I’m super happy with it. I did keep my Mesa Subway Plus preamp though, because that thing is so awesome.
The downside is immediacy of tone changes. What you program is what you get. Reverb too wet? Mix in the delay too high? Too bad, unless you thought ahead to assign those parameters to the front panel knobs.
Overall I’m super happy with it. I did keep my Mesa Subway Plus preamp though, because that thing is so awesome.
One cool thing about the HX STOMP is the effects loop, have a pedal you can’t live without? Hook it to the effects loop and stick it wherever you want in the chain.
There is no right or wrong, I have both and I prefer to set up a dedicated board to use with the band. Where I think the Stomp excels is reamping in a mixing scenario. Especially with it being stereo really cool
Especially with a Boss RE202 in the loop!
There is no right or wrong, I have both and I prefer to set up a dedicated board to use with the band. Where I think the Stomp excels is reamping in a mixing scenario. Especially with it being stereo really cool
Especially with a Boss RE202 in the loop!
If I didn't know what I wanted, I would definitely go with a modeler. You'll get a ton of effects and you can hone in on what you like and don't like instead of buying and flipping pedals. Learn how to program the thing and changing settings quickly can be easy, depending on which one you get.
Personally, I started on a multi-fx unit in the 90s and moved on from it quickly. I've been using individual effects since. I anticipate getting back into multi-fx sometime in the next 5 years. The tech and the interfaces have come a long way.
Personally, I started on a multi-fx unit in the 90s and moved on from it quickly. I've been using individual effects since. I anticipate getting back into multi-fx sometime in the next 5 years. The tech and the interfaces have come a long way.
I play in a tribute band that doesn’t require any effects. I go IEM and run this analog board. There is an always on HPF under the board as well.
I also play at church (IEM) and use a PODGo. I needed the effects so the PODGo seemed like a great solution. I can mimic my analog board and throw in my tube preamp in the effects loop to get me as close as possible to “my tone”. The PODGo settings can be changed on the fly and you don’t ever have to really hook it up to a PC or app to get the most out of it. The only thing is that you can’t do parallel routing, and that matters to some people. PODGo is worth a look.
I also play at church (IEM) and use a PODGo. I needed the effects so the PODGo seemed like a great solution. I can mimic my analog board and throw in my tube preamp in the effects loop to get me as close as possible to “my tone”. The PODGo settings can be changed on the fly and you don’t ever have to really hook it up to a PC or app to get the most out of it. The only thing is that you can’t do parallel routing, and that matters to some people. PODGo is worth a look.
Knobs and cables will always be more fun than menus and scrolling
If you don't actually need all the amp modeling options of the Helix you may find the HX Effects to be more in line with what you are looking for. It's purely a stompbox machine, no amp modeling or other non-effects to deal with.
I have one and found it really handy and it sounds solid. I plugged it into my PC to use the app for setting up each effect, I think that is way easier than scrolling through menus on the tiny screen. It took a while to set up but once you get the hang of it the process is fairly straightforward to dial in your sound, lock it into a block, label it, and you can set each bank to do different things or for different gigs/songs.
The looper is missing a lot of features so it's not really useful, but I found all of the actual effects tones to be quite solid.
I still have a big board full of boutique pedals but I'd often take the HX instead and nobody could hear much of a difference.
If you decide to go that route I strongly recommend adding a simple expression pedal. You can set every effect to have any parameter controlled by the pedal (or two if you want to go nuts). So your overdrive could go from "light dirt" to "chainsaw Armageddon" via the expression pedal, or your octaver could go up or down like an old pitch shifter. There's so much you can do with that extra control, it really opens up space to get multiple levels of tone from each programmed effect.
I have one and found it really handy and it sounds solid. I plugged it into my PC to use the app for setting up each effect, I think that is way easier than scrolling through menus on the tiny screen. It took a while to set up but once you get the hang of it the process is fairly straightforward to dial in your sound, lock it into a block, label it, and you can set each bank to do different things or for different gigs/songs.
The looper is missing a lot of features so it's not really useful, but I found all of the actual effects tones to be quite solid.
I still have a big board full of boutique pedals but I'd often take the HX instead and nobody could hear much of a difference.
If you decide to go that route I strongly recommend adding a simple expression pedal. You can set every effect to have any parameter controlled by the pedal (or two if you want to go nuts). So your overdrive could go from "light dirt" to "chainsaw Armageddon" via the expression pedal, or your octaver could go up or down like an old pitch shifter. There's so much you can do with that extra control, it really opens up space to get multiple levels of tone from each programmed effect.
My only regret/complaint with the Stomp is I didn't switch to it sooner.
You can tailor your usage to the stomp as simple or as complex as you like. I have lots of downloaded presets that I use that I made no changes to and sound great. I have others that I have obsessed about and had a lot of fun creating and at the same time learning the tool.
Good Luck!
Also in a cover band and I love my HX Stomp. Get the extra dual footswitch and use those to scroll up and down through the presets. There’s so much you can do with the HX Stomp.
My suggestion:
- Source Audio C4 + midi controller
- Tc Electronics Hall of Fame/Boss RV-6
And you are covered
Figured I'd drop in to echo what many are saying. There's really no downside I can see to owning the HX Stomp. The flexibility it offers, the pedal modeling is great and the effects loops are key. I would consider my setup to be pretty hybrid, mix of analog pedals, digital modeling, an analog preamp but I also utilize Cab IR's I can load into this unit as well as things like the Retro Reel that make my tone pop that much more. The Stomp is also flexible in that you can add things like extra foot switches, an expression pedal, midi controller etc to really tailor the unit to the job you're doing. For instance I've got the extra two foot switches from Pedalnetics, one I use for tuner/tap and the other as another sound option like an oscillating delay for big transitions. If I needed to change that at any time so I can use it to scroll through settings I could; I could then set scenes within a song and use the three foot switches to trigger specific sounds etc.. Sounds to me like your setlist is pretty set in stone, you could easily program your entire set and scroll through the different sounds song after song if you wanted easily!
I had a bunch of pedals and always thought it was a hassle… I switched and started with the Stomp then added a Morningstar 6 button… then the XL came out with the extra buttons and that was a perfect fit for me. Use it for a cover band (80s-2000s rock). In addition to the usual stomps, I use the pitch shifter too… I play a 5 and have a couple of songs where I need to drop 1/2 step so I have low Bb, or need to drop an Eb for open string droning and it works well. I’ve been using it since it was introduced. I then picked up a second one to use at home so I don’t have to unpack my gigging board. Also use it for guitar, it covers all of my needs.
There’s a good community here and for synth tones you may want to consider picking up Ian Allison’s tone packs or just build your own.
There’s a good community here and for synth tones you may want to consider picking up Ian Allison’s tone packs or just build your own.
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I'm in the same boat as OP. For a coverband I could use a few effects (the usuals like Sledgehammer, or most of the pop songs from the last 30 years that were synthier), I've been also been getting frustrated with having to go down a half-step for some songs like Chaka Khan's Ain't Nobody. I've swapped basses at gigs but it's still time consuming and can really ruin the flow of a set, having a patch with a -1/2 step pitch shift and some added effects to complete the sound would be ideal. My TC BH800 amp has 2 slots for toneprints, having just one knob to adjust an unknown parameter is getting a bit annoying, plus it not having a pitch shifter as an option is a bummer too.
I've been looking at an HX stomp (XL), or maybe a TC plethora but the lack of drives and filters has slightly put me off them. What I find difficult is that in my area there are no music shops that carry of these, I just have to get one online and either return it or sell it on (depending on if I go 2nd hand or new). It's a difficult issue that likely has no single solution for everyone. I'd love to try single pedals as well with the C4 synth and a Midi controller being an option for a bunch of sounds but for the money you can get an HX and then immediately have things like compressors, chorus, etc. at your disposal as well...
I've been looking at an HX stomp (XL), or maybe a TC plethora but the lack of drives and filters has slightly put me off them. What I find difficult is that in my area there are no music shops that carry of these, I just have to get one online and either return it or sell it on (depending on if I go 2nd hand or new). It's a difficult issue that likely has no single solution for everyone. I'd love to try single pedals as well with the C4 synth and a Midi controller being an option for a bunch of sounds but for the money you can get an HX and then immediately have things like compressors, chorus, etc. at your disposal as well...
The nice thing about switching exclusively to digital multi-effects is that it takes pedal GAS out of the picture entirely. Make the best of the options available within one single device.
Going with the LT/Floor would give you more flexibility with assigns. Could have everything you need in one patch and use snapshots to enable/disable effects and change parameters as necessary. But many ways to do what you need.
Going with the LT/Floor would give you more flexibility with assigns. Could have everything you need in one patch and use snapshots to enable/disable effects and change parameters as necessary. But many ways to do what you need.
