I just switched to using an IMA preset but it sounds about the same as when I just added the pitch block at the beginning of my basic preset. I think in a live situation and only going down a 1/2 step it sounds just fine. I'm not sure I'd record like that, but if I were recording I'd have an Eb bass. This just makes it so easy live. It doesn't matter what bass I have on when an "Eb" song is called. Hit the foot switch and I'm good to go.
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Line 6 HX Stomp
- Thread starter been_effected
- Start date
I checked out the simple pitch to see what it was all about and I think it is a pretty cool effect to have if you need it. I tried it on Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So”, because that song is in Eb.
It tracked well enough to play against the recording and I would definitely use it in a live setting.
Pretty cool to have the pedal do the work instead of having another bass detuned.
Yep, what I set up is for each of my presets, the three snapshots are 1) pitch shift off, 2) pitch shift down 1/2 and 3) pitch shift up 1/2 (yes I do use that). Set up one footswitch to cycle through these, and voila. Plenty good for live playing, you forget pretty quick it's not in EADG!
One thing to watch is, you've gotta set the mix on the pitch shift to 100%. Otherwise it defaults to 50% and you get half E and half Eb, which is... interesting.
Yeah, I've started the next song in Eb more than once.
I usually try to just shift and/or re-learn songs in different keys, but the pitch shifter saved my bacon for two gigs this weekend.
We dusted off You Give Love A Bad Name which we play maybe once or twice a year, but we drop it a half step and I haven't updated my brain with the alternate fingering yet. Certainly doable of course, but would take a little work to reprogram muscle memory and I don't know that I even want to bother, given how infrequently we play it.
Luckily, I have a bank of patches on my Morningstar to call up various half- and full-step +/- shifts in case of emergency, so all was good.
5sg.
We dusted off You Give Love A Bad Name which we play maybe once or twice a year, but we drop it a half step and I haven't updated my brain with the alternate fingering yet. Certainly doable of course, but would take a little work to reprogram muscle memory and I don't know that I even want to bother, given how infrequently we play it.
Luckily, I have a bank of patches on my Morningstar to call up various half- and full-step +/- shifts in case of emergency, so all was good.
5sg.
I regularly play several complete tracks a whole tone lower and the pitch shifter in the stomp does a fantastic job. I've tried all sorts of analog pedal mines - none of them are any good.
In one set I play a whole chorus 7(!) semitones lower at the end and with the chorus. That's lower than a standard tuned 5-string. I get asked every time after the gig how I do it. Both from bassists in the audience (who I can recognize from the stage by their dropped jaws) and from "normal" listeners.
In one set I play a whole chorus 7(!) semitones lower at the end and with the chorus. That's lower than a standard tuned 5-string. I get asked every time after the gig how I do it. Both from bassists in the audience (who I can recognize from the stage by their dropped jaws) and from "normal" listeners.
Hey, I got a question to those who used the Sadowsky outboard (or onboard) preamp.
I’m using the “Sadowsky preamp” preset on my HX Stomp and I think it works great. However, I’m wondering it may be missing that mojo or zing that you can only get from the original preamp. Is the actual Sadowsky SBP-2 pedal that different that it’s worth getting?
I’m using the “Sadowsky preamp” preset on my HX Stomp and I think it works great. However, I’m wondering it may be missing that mojo or zing that you can only get from the original preamp. Is the actual Sadowsky SBP-2 pedal that different that it’s worth getting?
I assume you are referring to the parametric EQ block settings that Dr. Tone came up with to match the Sadowsky with both knobs at 10? I have an outboard Sadowsky pre and have played with that preset, and think it gets pretty close, though I would never play that pre with both controls turned up all the way. Still I think leaving that little mid cut in and doing more mild Bass/Treble boosts with the same frequency and Q gets pretty close. There is no magic in the Sadowsky pre IMO- it’s a pretty simple/basic preamp with a slightly built-in tone contour (even when set “flat”, which is both Treble/Bass turned all the way off)
Yup, the Dr. Tone, that’s the one!
That’s good to know. I’m glad you mentioned that because logically it seems like if you match the EQ, you’d get very close to it. So I lowered the bass and treble a bit in the Dr. Tone setting and left the mid cut. It seemed pretty close to me. Looks like I’ll save some money and make much more use on the wonderful HX Stomp. Thanks for the reply!
I was not 100% satisfied with what my overdrive tone in my HX Stomp. So I have being thinking about getting a separate pedal. I think my favourite that I heard lately is the Darkglass Vintage. But also the EBS Blackhaze 2 sounds really good.
However, I had an Ampeg Scrambler that I used to love before switching to the HX. And I still have it.
However, since there is an Ampeg Scrambler in the HX Stomp(when dialing my overdriven sound, I always start with it) I decided that today I was going to compare them.
My results: I think they don't sound 100% the same, but probably 95% the same. Really really close. The thing is that I saw a demo of the Darkglass and I loved the sound. Knowing the settings in that pedal, I tried to replicate it with the Scrambler pedal, and then, in the HX Stomp. And I love my tone now... Sometimes your head just says "meh, sounds too digital" until you compare it to the real thing and they sound about the same.
However, I had an Ampeg Scrambler that I used to love before switching to the HX. And I still have it.
However, since there is an Ampeg Scrambler in the HX Stomp(when dialing my overdriven sound, I always start with it) I decided that today I was going to compare them.
My results: I think they don't sound 100% the same, but probably 95% the same. Really really close. The thing is that I saw a demo of the Darkglass and I loved the sound. Knowing the settings in that pedal, I tried to replicate it with the Scrambler pedal, and then, in the HX Stomp. And I love my tone now... Sometimes your head just says "meh, sounds too digital" until you compare it to the real thing and they sound about the same.
The HX does have the Darkglass B7K Ultra emulation as well - the Obsidian 7000. I find it a very accurate emulation of my B7K, which of course is a little different than the Darkglass Vintage. Worth a try though
I've been tricked before by engineers who used my clean DI through plug-ins instead of my mic'd tube amp or my analog drive signal chain, either because the effected signal was compromised somehow or because it just required too much work to slot into the mix. Confirmation bias is real- I probably would have made a stink about it had I known they planned to do it, but I ultimately didn't even know they'd done it til I was told so had no complaints! Another related story- an old band of mine when recording our first record had an engineer who screwed up the original drum recordings, despite our drummer investing tons of time into getting the right tones and nailing the performances. A friend of ours who is a pretty notable professional engineer replaced all the drums with triggered samples (triggered by the amplitudes of the original recordings), and nobody except that producer friend and our bandleader ever knew til after the record was released when the bandleader let it slip to me (with the promise that our drummer never be told!).
I use that as my "amp" in all my main presets, either with or without the distortion block active, and with varying degrees of grit. The powerful EQ and blend options make it a really versatile effect block.
I do the same. Indeed, the presence of that effect in the distortion category enabled me to purchase the HX Effects rather than the Stomp. I didn't/don't feel the need for any of the other amp or preamp blocks.
I'm in the market for one of these and saw that Sweetwater is currently running a deal for $599.99, is this the lowest these will go new or is it worth holding out for a better deal?
I see you can save a few more bucks on Reverb, but with a unit this complicated and expensive I'd be antsy about not having the warranty... curious if anyone has thoughts on the risk there?
I see you can save a few more bucks on Reverb, but with a unit this complicated and expensive I'd be antsy about not having the warranty... curious if anyone has thoughts on the risk there?
If you want to inject a little fun into your HX stomp searching, I'd say find a color you like and wait for and exclusive production run. They've made them in white. blue, red and purple as far as I've known. Got my purple one exclusive from Guitar Center. Open Box Line 6 Purple 197881145750 | Guitar Center
I don't think you'll find a new one for less than that by waiting. Personally, I'd go with a new one with warranty if you can swing it and I'd want the XL for the extra buttons. In December, I went for the Effects instead of a stomp - $100 less than the Stomp XL. The only bit I miss from the stomp is the headphone out.
