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Line 6 HX Stomp

Thanks for the tip, I'll have to check this one out... I never found a good Auto Swell, but ended up adding an expression pedal to my board that I ended up assigning to volume for a couple of my ambient patches.

5sg.
I used this delay for its autoswell capabilities in the M9 when I had one for both Rhodes and guitar and for me it worked at least as good if not clearly better than any other autoswell in pedal form I’ve tried. The L6 effect seemed to track faster, and I’ve noticed some others that I otherwise like sometimes have an attack artifact that is annoying and this is minimized on the Line 6 algorithm as I recall (I haven’t actually used it that much in the Stomp, though I need to as IIRC it is cleaner than the Meris Merc 7 version I’ve been using lately)
 
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So this happened

Nothing on the Line6 site yet; I suspect Sweetwater might have jumped the gun

Edit: Never mind, the official videos are out from Line6 now. Looks pretty neat; an M5 for the new generation.

Screenshot_20231024_071354_YouTube.jpg


Link:
 
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This might be a bad time to ask this as there will likely be some excitement around the new release but I'm hoping one of you might be able to shine some light on what I'm experiencing.

These screenshots provided are of my standard path. I'm attaching various photos of where I suspect something could be occurring. The first three photos are of my 'Main L/R' input, my 'FX Loop', and the 'Output'.

Screenshot 2023-10-23 at 11.05.07 PM.png
Screenshot 2023-10-23 at 11.04.42 PM.png
Screenshot 2023-10-23 at 11.04.59 PM.png


Now, what I'm experiencing is when creating a parallel path, simply dragging a preexisting block, delay in this example, down to create an alternate path, all while keeping blocks disengaged, and with no other changes, I'm experiencing a noticeable tonal change. Things seem to get louder and more full. High end information definitely increase as well. Here is the parallel path mentioned.
Screenshot 2023-10-23 at 11.05.28 PM.png

It's driving me bananas. Any time a parallel path is created, with no changes to level, or blocks being engaged, there is a clear tonal shift happening. Has anyone else experienced this? What is happening?!
 
I created a new path the other day and it happened more or less tha same. I took my core tone (Retro Reel, Comp, Studio Pre and HPF/LPF) and add some fuzzes and effects. I created a parallel path and, with everything off in the parallel path, the sound was not exactly the same. I even like it a bit more. I am also not sure what happened, but it sounded cool.
 
This might be a bad time to ask this as there will likely be some excitement around the new release but I'm hoping one of you might be able to shine some light on what I'm experiencing.

These screenshots provided are of my standard path. I'm attaching various photos of where I suspect something could be occurring. The first three photos are of my 'Main L/R' input, my 'FX Loop', and the 'Output'.

View attachment 5228971View attachment 5228972View attachment 5228973

Now, what I'm experiencing is when creating a parallel path, simply dragging a preexisting block, delay in this example, down to create an alternate path, all while keeping blocks disengaged, and with no other changes, I'm experiencing a noticeable tonal change. Things seem to get louder and more full. High end information definitely increase as well. Here is the parallel path mentioned.
View attachment 5228976
It's driving me bananas. Any time a parallel path is created, with no changes to level, or blocks being engaged, there is a clear tonal shift happening. Has anyone else experienced this? What is happening?!
When you make a parallel path and nothing is in one path you basically are blending in your dry signal from the block before the split. Basically setting the mix on the split block to 50% of what it currently is set at.
 
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When you make a parallel path and nothing is in one path you basically are blending in your dry signal from the block before the split. Basically setting the mix on the split block to 50% of what it currently is set at.

Im happy that there’s an explanation for this…but I’m not following. Can you dumb this one down for me and give it to me in numb skull terms? It sounds like it’s functioning as it should be?
 
Im happy that there’s an explanation for this…but I’m not following. Can you dumb this one down for me and give it to me in numb skull terms? It sounds like it’s functioning as it should be?

The split actually copies your signal and sends it to two different paths.

A "true" split would split your signal strength in half, so that when you joined it together it would go back to the original volume. However, the default split in the HX copies your signal, which means that both paths are individually as loud as your original signal was. When you join these together, they will get a lot louder than your original signal.

The "fullness" you're hearing is most likely just because it's louder, and our ears perceive the EQ of loud sounds differently than quieter sounds.

Basically, you need to play around with the volume controls in the mixer block to where you feel your signal gets back to "normal".
 
It's incredible what this thing is capable of. The possibilities are literally limitless. Add the Retro Reel too. Even if you don't want it for any saturation, it adds a rich, 3D texture to the tone that I can't live without. My only problem is now I use like 6-7 blocks just for my basic tone. So if I actually want to add any effects, like overdrive, distortion, chorus, etc, I don't know what to cut. Lol. I almost need a second one to run in series for adding actual effects.

man HXFX would work great for that, since it just has effects no amps.
 
Was hoping there would be bluetooth so you could manage it from a phone or iPad. Seems rather lacking given that so many other pedals have this functionality.

I'm guessing that this is a precurser for a revamped HX Stomp, which if this is any indication will probably come next year. They are likely launching the entry level model first, working out any bugs, then launch the flagship products.

Overall like the look and feel, seems really powerful, but limited to only 1 effect at a time and no advanced routing makes it a pass for me. I can see the use case though.

The flux feature would make the Whammy Ricochet possible, which I was trying to figure out last week to no avail. Maybe they can implement a hold feature to add it into existing footswitches. I always wished there was an option for holding a footswitch to implement a secondary function.
 
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The split actually copies your signal and sends it to two different paths.

A "true" split would split your signal strength in half, so that when you joined it together it would go back to the original volume. However, the default split in the HX copies your signal, which means that both paths are individually as loud as your original signal was. When you join these together, they will get a lot louder than your original signal.

The "fullness" you're hearing is most likely just because it's louder, and our ears perceive the EQ of loud sounds differently than quieter sounds.

Basically, you need to play around with the volume controls in the mixer block to where you feel your signal gets back to "normal".

Ah! Ok, thanks for your sage wisdom. I knew folks here would be able to explain what was happening. Now to get that half hour of my life back...
 
So this happened

Nothing on the Line6 site yet; I suspect Sweetwater might have jumped the gun

Edit: Never mind, the official videos are out from Line6 now. Looks pretty neat; an M5 for the new generation.

View attachment 5228925

Link:

Just one effect at a time, no amp/cab sims, no headphone out at more than half of the price of the stomp ? Really ?

C'mon Yamaha, you can do better than that.
 
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I personally have been waiting for a multi-effects single stomp pedal as a worthy successor to Zoom’s MS60B. Close, but with only the single effect, not quite there yet.

Still tempting though… An all-around jack-of-all-trades pedal for those boards where space is a premium?
 
Just one effect at a time, no amp/cab sims, no headphone out at more than half of the price of the stomp ? Really ?

C'mon Yamaha, you can do better than that.

It's worked well for other brands lately. Many of them have even taken a single effect out of their multi-FX pedal and made a dedicated pedal for it (Eventide, Strymon, etc). Like I said, this is an M5 for the new generation.

But I can't help but think that it would have been smarter to go for a mini HX that was a pure amp and cab modeler, instead of a pure FX platform. A dedicated amp modeler with all the Helix amps and cabs (plus IR capabilities), with an FX loop and a DI out for $300 would have sold like hotcakes, I bet.

Also, I'm curious about the firmware plans for a unit like this. It's not clear whether or not it contains *all* the effects from the Helix units (like the HX Effects), or just a subset. If it's a subset, then how will firmware effects be handled in terms of adding new effects? Will it get separate updates like the Pod GO, and potentially be left out in the same way?
 
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