Are All in One Floorboard Modelers Dying? Helix, Fractal, Quad Cortex, Kemper Stage, Tone Master Pro

[@SteveSterlacci]

Do you follow me on Instagram? instagram.com/stalach

[@MrHitthespot]

@@SteveSterlacci I’m old school Steve. I don’t have an instagram account.

[@TheBbtlegit]

No there's no end it's just the beginning I love an all in one unit. I love my Helix I can do any gig with it. Compared to using twenty different pedals and tap dancing all night. I'm hoping Helix comes out with the new version of the Helix floor.

[@josuesamaniego182]

Clearly they need to pay the bills just talking nonsense

[@StratsRUs]

I think it's the songs that matter more. The Helix still warms my heart !

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thats right!

[@akmetalhead95]

I've been using Neural DSP plugins for close to 5 years now and finally just pulled the trigger on a Quad Cortex. It came in the mail a week ago, and I'm loving it so far! Such a cool unit.

[@StephanePericat]

a good ol' amp never goes out of fashion

[@michael.folsom]

As you mentioned, I think there’s still a market for all-in-one modelers with those who have different gear for different purposes. Let’s not forget the main selling point of the larger footprint units: simplicity. There’s no patch/power cables to fail. There’s very little to maintain and troubleshoot. I would suggest that the Helix Floor is still pretty much the optimum size and layout for those who prefer scribble strips ample spacing between switches, and a full-size treadle. Again, as you said, 99.9% of the audience won’t miss subtle differences in tone compared to studio recordings, so in most cases, faithfully recreated models aren’t as important as functional ones, and it comes back to the discussion of need vs want. There’s advantages to a bigger physical footprint in some use cases and advantages to the smaller units in other cases.

[@bassyey]

These things are far from simple though.

[@mikegroop7509]

@@bassyey That's true, but there's nothing "simple" about the trend of buying one of these mini all-in-ones, adding midi pedal board that needs programming, which by the time you add a couple traditional pedals and power supply costs and weighs more and takes up the same amount of space as a Helix or Stage, plus the need to mount all this to a board as opposed to just taking the Helix or stage out of a padded bag and plopping it on the floor.

[@danieldesy2969]

Variety is good. And all those products have a place. That being said, I use a Helix floor and NO other pedals, and I don’t see myself changing.

[@TaylorBellemare]

I hope all in one modelers aren't going away. I love being able to try a bunch of different things all in one box, that I wouldn't necessarily have the chance to otherwise. Along with that, touring is so easy with one. I don't have to worry about a bad patch cable, multiple power supplies, size, etc.

[@adminag1]

Hi Steve, The Quad Cortex is wider and lighter and has XLR out 11.4"x7" @ 4.2 lbs. The HX Effects is deeper and heavier 10.8"x7.84" @ 4.9 lbs and you have to add a DI box for the balanced XLR out.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thank you for this info! Much appreciated

[@rockrep]

They could all learn a thing or two from the Headrush user interface. Combine that with the improved modeling of something like a Fractal and it’s unbeatable

[@SteveSterlacci]

Unfortunately headrush needs more than just a touch screen to convert people!

[@rockrep]

@@SteveSterlacci Yeah, I'm not trying to convert people to Headrush. Just trying to imply Fractal has some UX improvements they could make.

[@steveliberty]

"Modular Multifx / Modelers" What a concept. This is largely why I went with an HX Stomp and a MIDI controller instead of an LT. I can mix and match. I can take just the Stomp for simple outings. I can use the MIDI controller for other pedalboards, etc. I can't wait to see what Line 6 does next.

[@MrHitthespot]

I love the form factor of the all in one unit. However there is a lot to be said for mixing and matching what fits your needs.

[@dpoultski2499]

I picked up a Friedman IR-X and love the feel of it. Sold my modelers and I'm back to a few pedals.

[@mhmoretti]

Helix Floor (in my opinion) is the perfect floor modeler as far as what it is physically, screen size, and most importantly, the UI. One can argute other modeler are sonically superior, but for form factor, build quality, and execution, Line6 hit it out of the park. I can't say this enough, the Line6 Helix UI on the device is hands down the best out there. That said, I do agree, we are seeing a shift where people want elements of what specific modelers offer, but do not want to lose the qualities of specific stand-alone pedals. Steve, you hit the nail on the head, having the ability to use a Fractal VP4 and a Kemper player and you have a highly capable small board that can cover all the ground you could possibly need while getting the best of what both companies offer. As guitar players, we are in a truly golden age of options, portability and super high-quality tones in nearly any package size we could want.

[@marcuslewis8890]

If the helix amps sounded as good as the UA amps, it would be all I would need, but to my ear, the UA amp pedals are just better. I own both. It hurts me that my UA pedals don’t sound as good when I run them through the Helix.

[@Utube-s8m]

The best Ui is the quad. Helix sounds inferior and feel too needs help. Amps win but helix sold. Tweaking not playing.

[@sokas]

Just got my FM9. To me is just the begining.

[@SteveSterlacci]

It sure it. You're gonna have A LOT of fun with it

[@slimmestcharlest]

You've pretty much described me with picking up the tonex one... Fits on any board, cheap, modular... Let's you have the full pedal experience but gives a ton of flexibility .. and you can put your own profiles on there, so you don't end up with 100+ models but only use three of them.

[@Mondayman622]

I have the Headrush Eleven pedalboard which I love however the USB port no longer works 🤬. And reading the forums Headrush has done virtually nothing to fix the issue and communication with the company about this problem has been nearly non existent. So I’m looking into possibly the quad cortex

[@newcroft76]

I have a Helix LT, an HX Stomp and an HX Effects. Having used the LT for several years live I just switched back to the HX Stomp having built a 1 foot by 2 foot midi switching pedal board which actually gives me way more flexibility in other ways than the all in one LT did. Also, a large unit is great if you need to use all of it but if you don't then you still have to take all of it with you, smaller units can offer the chance to 'right size' your rig to suit your needs.

[@vincelupone]

All the digital stuff is so cool, but I still prefer amps. The VP4 and a Mesa head are just an awesome combination.

[@Anth55]

All in one floorboard for me.

[@euclidesanatolly6175]

It's not the end, but more options and detailed offers for different budgets.

[@revcanada2147]

Nope ! All in one floorboard all the way. Holding out for Helix 2.

[@CharlesStratton-oi8ef]

#this

[@SteveSterlacci]

I'll definitely be getting one! It's gonna change the world

[@revcanada2147]

@@SteveSterlacci I agree. But I feel it will still be a little bit before we get it and the trend your talking about will continue to grow until it finally does come out. Then Marketplace be will flooded with Small units cuz people will be seeking g them off to afford the New Helix 😂😂😂

[@CharlesStratton-oi8ef]

@@SteveSterlacci I hope it doesn’t have a foot pedal and that it has so much dsp no one could ever run out. I hope it’s not too big…and I hope it’s light weight

[@JamieC-Music]

I agree. I just would like it a little smaller

[@deanbibb3680]

When I read the headline I thought, “no”. But having watched the video I see where you are going with this and I can see an entire generation or group of players who could approach modeling in this manner and it makes sense. Whatever someone needs to make it work is good.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

There is definitely going to be a market for both… but man, for me I’m all about the all-in-one units. I’ve seen too many guitar players have to do the “panic search” for which patch cable has gone bad on their mutli-pedal pedalboard. All in one eliminates that, and the fx sound very useable in all-in-one systems. That’s just be personally though. I actually don’t own any individual pedals anymore (although selling my Strymon Timeline and POG pedals were tough). Team all-in-one 💪 but you nailed it… there is a market for everyone

[@Joop5000]

I love my Helix Lt! I like the fact that with Helix and Fractal and Head Rush you have the effects blocks visible and can change the parameters and move the blocks around and create different signal paths etc. It would be kind of hard for me to go back pedals not capable of those things. You do have a good point though when you mentioned about pairing units together.

[@getvicky13]

I went modular a while ago, while adopting a hybrid analog/digital rig that goes both direct to FOH (with cab sim) and to a power amp and cab on stage. The rig revolves around the Friedman IR-X and an HX Effects, with a smattering of other pedals for different colors, all controlled by an RJM Mastermind LT.

[@MotownGuitarJoe]

I did almost the exact same thing as you: HX Effects and Friedman IR-D and I use a MIDI controllable dual analog overdrive (TC Electronic Nova drive). Best tone I've ever had. Cheers!

[@getvicky13]

@@MotownGuitarJoe I agree. Analog gear has become convenient enough today!

[@CVieg]

Exactly, I have pod go and I am super happy lol.

[@collinsstudios7098]

This is exactly what I’m discovering. I’ve used a helix floor for a long time but I’ve messed around with pedals + stomp in the past. I fell in love with the tonex I bought on a whim and use it with the floor. Realized I use 10% at most of what the floor can do. Going to go with the tonex + stomp XL. Especially with the upcoming Fx update for the tonex.

[@JoshGordonGuitar]

It's great to have many flavours or option combinations available with all these new smaller modellers. However, it's getting more and more overwhelming with so many choices. I feel one has to truly asses their needs...must have fx and amp/cab mods, occasional use fx, and wish list fx that may get used but most likely will not as they aren't essential to their rig. I did a guest spot this afternoon and just took a Sonicake Matribox 1. Two switches and an expression pedal. I had stacked drives, chorus engaged for clean tone when drives went off, used the EQ block as a solo boost, and the expression pedal controlled my amount of delay...onboard tuner worked fine as well. It was simple, covered everything I would typically use, and it allowed me to focus on playing. A nice little all-in-one pedal. I still love a pedalboard and tube amp...hard to beat tone-wise. But, my Matribox "rig" fit in my gig bag pocket along with my adapter, cables, and extension cord. That's kinda hard to beat as well. Sure, a bigger all-in-one floor modeller isn't as compact and won't slide into a gig bag but it still contains everything many players would need...and still cancels the worry of troubling shooting a bad cable or something along those lines. But I see your point, the options of these new smaller digital products can allow for some great pairing and tone possibilities. Personally, I dig just using the HX Stomp on my gigs...I've even done a gig or two with just a BOSS drive pedal and manipulating the guitar's volume and control knobs...even more liberating perhaps and makes one really centred on playing.

[@donniejean]

I’m getting overwhelmed too. I spent half my day dialing in a tone with my headphones on. Hooked it up to a cab a boom, just wasted hours since I forgot thats what I’d be playing through :/

[@marshallmason1621]

I like the fact that I don’t have to deal with patch cables anymore. Only one going to the poweramp and one to the FOH Helix is larger than some of the other ones but I also appreciate the intuitive design as well as the pedal switches being far enough away from each other where I’m not gonna mess up on switching. I’m looking forward to more innovation on the next Helix.

[@Place_to_keep_videos]

Started with the Helix Floor in 2017. Used it exclusively to tour and hauled it all the way to Trinidad, Santo Domingo and even Puerto Rico. Once I reevaluated my actual needs versus the kitchen sink that it is, I leave it at home and now use an HX Stomp XL with a Boss DD-200 and Rv-500 (Best audio quality 96 kHz...really does make an audible noticeable difference!) in the loop connected by midi to midi clock of the Stomp and Patch changes. It's lighter and offers me more of what I want precisely rather than trying to make it all work in the Floor. I prefer Boss Time based effects. I just think they do it better than everyone else. I can fit all three pedals on a medium sized pedal board along with my Shure GLDX16 wireless and a Mini X Value pedal all on one contained unit.Cioks Power Supply to power it all. I only have to bring along a Power Cable and ask the venue sound crew for a stereo D.I.. I run the "THRU" signals to unmixed amps for stage volume and band mate monitoring. Nothing I don't need and everything I could ever want.

[@matheusfabris4496]

I moved from a mesa boogie amp to fractal fx II to helix lt, then helix stomp and now fractal fm3 and I believe that this is the ideal for me and I don’t see moving any time soon

[@garrysimmons111]

My Helix LT has been my go-to rig since 2018. It does everything I need and I think the size is fine. I don't own ANY standard effect pedals. I was a guitar straight into tube amp guy with just a hint of reverb and delay to add some space and the Helix does it all...

[@fido083]

Just a merry‐go‐round we are all riding. I have the Helix floor, hx stomp, and tonex one. Started with floor, went to stomp with analog on a pedalboard. After a glitch during a show (either power supply, power cables, or patch cable failure) I returned to Helix floor for reliability and simplicity. I just ordered a small board for stomp and just a few pedals. Like I said never ending circle...

[@Scott__C]

To me, the all in one unit is the be all, end all. POD express with the 2 extra footswitches is great. To me, for a live performance, I prefer not having extra pieces/cables/connections to fail. I still think Line6 has had the long game planned out very well. Shame the Variax didn't get more uptake. Clicking a footswitch to go from a 12 string acoustic sound to a neck pickup tele to a bridge pickup LP sound is pretty awesome.

[@mwdanny]

I’ve only ever used my Helix floor as a basic pedal board. I know a lot of people use very complicated routing, but my stuff is so simple. I use, basically, three patches. Grammatico, Matchless, Friedman. And each patch has just basic effects. Univibe, delay, reverb, OD, and or Fuzz and wah. It’s just compact for me.

[@jmaccess]

Wholeheartedly agree with your point. I run a Stomp plus 4 individual pedals and have the best of both world. I use the Stomp’s MIDI and snapshots to manage everything

[@ShreddingFinn]

I would certainly consider the next all in one, but as it stands I have two stomps on my board, plus additional pedals so I guess I have more power than a standard helix in a slightly smaller footprint, which is nice

[@fkfakemusic3172]

MARK V+ 6505+ Recto cab.. =rock for real guys!

[@leavingsoulsBO]

I think we are nearing a new generation of bigger units. After all the newer one is the Quad Cortex which is already a couple of years old, which is a lot in technology years. Smaller, pedalboard friendly units, are a good way to fill a generational gap since don't require much of R&D and both Line6 and IK multimedia proved there is a market for such devices, be it modellers or profilers. Personally, as a user of both types, I enjoy a smaller unit in a pedalboard scenario to have as a "palette" of sorts during jams or writing sessions, but when performing I prefer the "all in one" reliability with maybe a cheaper alternative or last gen unit as a backup...faster to troubleshoot and easier to fix when sound goes down in the middle of a gig.

[@papablue3015]

Things are getting interesting! Thanks Steve 🤘

[@SteveSterlacci]

So many great options!

[@jakestewartmusic]

There will always be a place for all-in-one units. Frankly, I prefer all-in-one because I can't be bothered with boards, power supplies, patch cables, etc anymore. I just want one unit with one power cord. That's why I went to modeling in the first place - less clutter, less to go wrong, less to replace. I think we're seeing more small units because a lot of the big modeling brands already have flagship products out there. They knew the flagship all-in-one is the most important product, the one that sets the tone and builds the name recognition, and now they're filling out the product line in different pricing tiers.

[@telejas]

I think if you're in a cover band, or in a band that covers a lot of different tonal variances... Or something that needs a lot of DSP for over the top reverb and delays, you need the bigger floorboard. Yeah, I'm sure the processing power will get more powerful in these smaller units over the next few years... But I personally need the extra foot switches for the additional tones. If I had to go back to my using my tube amp and pedalboard live, I'd have about three or four dual-drive pedals, two different delay pedals, a clean boost, and a few different modulation effects. That board is about four times the size of a Quad Cortex, and a little over twice the size of my Kemper stage.

[@davidjoel111]

I feel that if you’re going full direct you can get away with smaller units like the HX stomp, nano cortex, even tone x with the new update. But if you want a complex signal path, or if you want an amp on stage I feel the full size unit work better. With a full size unit you can plug in an amp with 4 cable method for stage sound or monitoring and send a direct signal to FOH. Also i would rather use the Helix or the Tone Master pro over some mid size units just because they’re easy to power.

[@stevekatz5685]

totally love this trend! Got rid of my Headrush Prime - too big and lesson-learned-NO computer editor is a deal breaker here on out. I’ve been flirting with trying the VP4 (to marry with my nano). But i’m confused by pre and post amp effects and did you place your vp4 upstream or downstream of your nano?

[@caleshtcincredibles]

I use a NUX Trident has 2 XLR outs plenty of footswitches , can be peogrammed on go without hooking it up to computer . I can download custom IRs into it .....built like a tank , fits in my gig bag . Im keeping it ! Oh yeh it still has knobs I can tweak on a dime !

[@skylork1990]

Still use helix floor on 3-4 hour gigs every gig

[@jburdsinfuse]

I just ordered an FM9… so not for me

[@willrowe9920]

Got mine a month ago. Won’t go back!

[@GP-mk5tj]

Steve, I'm a firm believer in the floor models. I do not like all that pedal mess and pedals will take up more room. I can understand someone just going with an fm3 that's different. I see a lot of pedal boards and I'm just glad I'm not into that pedal mess. I've gone from DigiTechs (RPs), to Boss GT-10, to Line 6 helix floor, AX8. I can honestly say since I don't gig and I'm a bedroom player, that my fractal FM9 turbo unit is a total game changer for me. I can understand if you're getting and you just want to take one little unit. My take on it is yes they like to have little units but I think they're still going to be making some bigger units. Steve technology is getting better too so they will slim down some.

[@picksalot1]

Floorboards are necessary when you have to change Presets, etc. while your hands are busy playing guitar and bending down is impractical. Making things smaller and more powerful is the evolution standard. Most of the time I play sitting down, and the HX Stomp has just about everything I need in a design that is near perfect for me. I keep the Stomp on my desk, as I've found the "physical" interface of dialing in sounds easier and more satisfying than doing that in computer software. I like that the Stomp is small it does NOT include an Expression/Controller Pedal, as I want that on the floor.

[@davidjoel111]

8:10 talking about acoustic live sounds, I would love to hear your opinions on acoustic IRs. Have you tried them?

[@gangrenebob7281]

Your right Steve. I've hated the Helix amps since day one but love the FX. So I use 4CM. But now I'm looking at at something smaller now hoping there is something. I have no interest in capturing but I would use other peoples. So like you said, maybe now I just add that Tonex mini into my LT chain, or maybe that tonex...sell my LT and go with the HX effects? Looking at alt's is part of it now. Maybe a tonex mini plus my old M9 will do the trick?

[@MotownGuitarJoe]

HX Effects + something like a Tonex or a tube preamp pedal like the Friedman IR-D/X/J is a nice modular setup

[@redcomn]

I actually straight up switched back to my old setup from the mid 2000s Roland Jazz chorus and boss multifx Sure it ain’t no tube amp but i sure as heck knew what dirt box sounded good with it, and it is easy as heck to setup live. Btw I don’t use the amp modeling in it. Only the effects. JC40, SY1000 and soon gx-10

[@SteveSterlacci]

very nice! ultimately, whatever works for you is whats best!

[@jshearer94]

Every company wants as much market share as possible. So they make different products for people’s different wants. I don’t see me going back from the full size stuff. But it sounds like you said that too.

[@CharlesStratton-oi8ef]

The future is pedalboards like the Hotone Ampero II Stage

[@rykendawg]

What would you say is the positives of the Quad Cortex over the other modelers (outside of the touch screen)? I really have been thinking of getting the Quad Cortex, but haven't completely made up my mind yet.

[@Mondayman622]

I’ve been looking into the quad cortex myself

[@Dan_Ranger]

Modular all the way. More options, if one part of the rig dies it’s easy to replace or get by. The way I used pedals and amps. I use that ethos in the digital realm.

[@jasonraceproductions2061]

Biggest issue I’m finding with this modular approach is limited or no MIDI capabilities on some of these smaller, units. They need to iron this out, unilaterally for this approach to work, even if it cost a little more for the unit. Also, I feel like they’re all just copying the line 6 approach and once the new wave of flagship modelers drop in the next two years, then this whole trend will start over again over the next few years following. BTW, love all of your videos and your “common man” perspective that a lot of us have but it’s not always easy to find any KZbin video.

[@Guitarman007]

Modular has always been where I wanted it to go. The only problem with modular is when you want to use multiple modules together I don't want any AD/DA conversion going on. These guys need to start adopting a standard for digital to digital I/O routing from one device to another like SPDIF/ADAT, so the only AD/DA happens at the beginning and end of the chain.

[@kevinsuraj9736]

BossChorus ch1 boss flanger bf2 boss metal zone boss turbo dist and mooer ge100 on my pedalboard im happy all musician is happy with there own style😉 😊👍

[@BillySoundFarm]

I think my favorite thing ever was hx effects in 4 cable with a kemper toaster (running the amp model only)… if kemper players were out before I got my toaster and sold my hx effects, then HX Effects with Kemper Player might have been my final rig. Except I’d have to have bought the Player before this bait-and-switch unlock shenanigans, because the Player disgusts me now. But if all that had happened exactly that way… As it stands, I’ll probably never get away from my Kemper toaster. The UI is just way too perfect for me, and I love my profiles, and I can live with the effects.

[@EdsonOchoa]

Interesting. I play in my company's house band (cover band obviously), so I need somewhat different sounds. Right now I have a big pedalboard with Strymon Iridium as an amp, and most of my pedals are controlled by MIDI. Although I'm very back and forth thinking if to buy a Quad Cortex, and "ditch" the board, and have an easier to thing to carry. Or buy something like the Nano Cortex or Kemper Profiler Player, since I already have a Morningstar MC6-pro where I can controll everything by MIDI... still no idea what to do haha.

[@tjnathan]

I love the idea of the small modeler arms race because the competition is best for us the end consumers. Idk about the full featured modelers going away completely but it definitely might be relegated to touring acts that can afford the extra hassle.

[@AlexGiordaniMusic]

Maybe there's too much competition and not so much difference in quality, so there is no need to buy big, complicate and expensive multifx like Helix, Quad Cortex, fender master pro etc, while for a fraction of the price you can have excellent Gear in a smaller size like Ampero Stage and 2, Tonex, Mooer and so on...

[@denniskrottje012]

I love my Fractal FM9. Floorboards are great!!

[@KingDjH19]

I use a pod go and a Seymour Duncan power stage 700 and 2 4x12 for stereo. High gain patch. I destroyed my friends Triple rectifier with it. It's so loud and clear and easy to transport. And I can leave the cabs at home and go direct in. I have all the pedals I need. If the pod craps out I can just buy another one for 300 bucks. If the Seymour Duncan takes a shit. I can buy another one for 650. Way cheaper, and less maintenance than a amp. The only reason I would ever use a amp is for recording at home. It would sit there forever and never move. So the market needs to continue so all the updates for these modulers can be used. The software people need jobs. The more you buy the longer they stay around.

[@XspenceifMC]

I actually had someone come up and ask me after a show if my delay was wrong for one song.

[@mhb450]

The reason I disagree, one of the issues a full featured modeler does that a modeler and pedals or pedals and amps is eliminate points of failure. Cables, power, etc. played a full gig with the same preset all night yesterday, I just copy it and per song work out snapshots, intro, verse, chorus, solo etc. copy that the basic preset again for the next song, build song specific scenes. Worst case, go back to the master preset and use it in pedal board mode.

[@willmims3859]

However... with the all-in-one to perfection board, I don't have to go buy anything else when my tone tastes change. Just can't see the big modelers going away completely! If Fractal made an FM24, I'd buy it! 24 single press, 24 long press options. Sweetnessssss!!!

[@benderdiver]

thanks for your timely had all the old rack mounts back in the 80s,you go to play and the room is very live or it summer and hot and humid and your reverbs and echo sounded badly just went back to my impend a drive peddle, and a delay peddle, you can just on the fly you are right you can set you amp and peddles for the room instantly I'm seventy nowise you should have listened to grandad,eric buddy carols jimmy Stevie ect,all them peddles are grate in the studio,becouse you want to sound the best you can, the record is listed to over and over again, live you and the crowd are sharing the gigs you are right, my best amp was the groove tube trio, clean mean and screem with power amp with el34 and 6ls,with a stereo 4x12 cab, isn't that what Steve used and Eric ect a fender and a Marshall at the same times couldn't lift it now or afford one, I only have one guitar ,I tried all the new amps none of them feel rights I got a peavy bandit £35.0 and a tube screamer ,its ok ,I can't afford al thought £1500. computers but the peavey is ok, I enjoy your chats keep up the good work,

[@rodneyguinn1887]

I think it’s now to have options. But… for me a working musician i hate the cables and power supplies and all that went with making boards . The all in ones are a god send but we all want them to be better and better and lighter . That’s the future not going back to building boards ourselves and power cables and patch cables

[@achutomo]

why there is no Multi effect Signature ?

[@SteveSterlacci]

What do you mean?

[@achutomo]

@@SteveSterlacci like guitar, and other instruments such as ernieball has majesty etc

[@SerpentsBane1995]

@@achutomo Well, there's the Friedman IR-J Jake E. Lee signature amp modelling pedal, other than that I haven't really seen too many signature multi-effects / modelers since those old Zoom G1 & G2 series. Dave Mustaine, Kiko Lourero, Michael Amott, George Lynch Mr. Scary anyone? \m/

[@dividedbytimestudios]

Kemper Player for acoustic 🤔 Could you capture Grace Alix pedal? That would be interesting, if you could capture pedals like that and just have a different capture for each acoustic

And what about Universal Audio UAFX ?

[@jackprice7828]

Steve I think we may have seen the end of the very large floor models. In general players are downsizing in general even non modeler users. There will always be guys with the big boards and a gazillian pedals. Nothing wrong with that. But if you are an artist who’s flying a lot smaller is very practical.

[@RusticSpirit]

HX Effects in a more compact size would be awesome.

[@nigeldaddyo]

i NEED all the foot switches that my LT has. at least for my Rush tribute band. if everything goes dinky footprint, that'll push me back to a real amp and pedal board.

[@bassyey]

I need these things to be smaller. I hate how they intentionally gatekeep the features from the smaller models, when smaller units can have the same features, just no buttons.

[@BillySoundFarm]

it will come back… remember a few years ago when people thought pedalboards were dead?… it always comes back around, that’s how the sales cycle works. All-in-one floorboards will be all the rage in a couple years and companies will act like it’s a brand new thing. No complaints, either, it’s all good.

[@Utube-s8m]

Amps will always be here. Just like vinyl records came back. I use both analog and digital but digital doesn’t take pedals as well. I just enjoy my amps more.

[@gregrevuelta2447]

Different size vehicles for different needs.

[@pauliusmscichauskas558]

Unless you're in some sort of a shoegaze or avantgarde experimental band, you are probably just going Amp+Cab, with a few effects, at most, added sometimes. If that's all you're using, do you need a device capable of running hundreds of effects at a time? no. So, what's the point of carrying around a huge pedalboard, if a smaller unit can do literally everything you need it to do? I have a FM3. It does all I would ever need it to do, and I'm still not even close to maxing it out. I have absolutely no use for anything larger. I use the FM3, because of it's MIDI capabilities, and I can also run my vocal effects alongside my guitar. If I didn't need that, i'd just use the TONEX. I have a TONEX ONE pedal, and this tiny thing is all most musicians actually need for a gig. Seriously.

[@SteveSterlacci]

There is SO much power at our disposal

[@johnbrewer62]

And here I was thinking my traditional individual pedals were going extinct. I really hate choosing whatever sounds I like in whatever combination I like with whatever amplifier I like.

[@skylork1990]

My thing with the larger units. If you’re going to spend 1300+ on a unit why would you not use it to its full capabilities. I typically play as a utility player whether that being bass, rhythm, lead, or acoustic 10-15 gigs per year. I use the helix floor for EVERYTHING. It’s so much easier than purchasing amps and pedal boards per instrument.

[@shendrie]

Nope. Just brands making different units to keep the cash flowing. Most are copying Line 6 business model and the variety of offerings they have.

[@AlecBourneMidiMadScientist]

Copying poorly at that.

[@RodrigoAlves_Guitar]

The big ones, maybe. The compact ones (like the new Boss GX10) definitely not!

[@katseazzz]

you forgot to mention the biggest reason..the weight.The weight of helix floor or fm9 for someone who are on the road 3-4 times a week and carry it with a guitar and all the other stuff(clothes etc) is really painful and can cause damage to your body..i sold fm9 and helix floor and bought stomp xl it saved me now i will pair it with the vp4 for different flavor of effects and have again lighter setup.Most people doesn't care about the weight because they are bedroom players or do a gig every 6 months.

[@SteveSterlacci]

You should feel my backpack from this years European tour! LOL it wound up super heavy

[@katseazzz]

@@SteveSterlacci i can feel you bro i am still in bed from this weekend live gigs guitar life and back problems come together.

[@gregalon]

R&D is expensive and there are diminishing returns at this point since they all sound pretty good already. Companies are trying to make the most of the technology they already have. Old tech + new form factor = new sales. That’s all this is.

[@ericajohnson7535]

No

[@AnimalJohn85]

Floor units all the way, these dinky little things as clever as they are just dont have the switching or expression pedals im looking for. My helix floor is not only my pedalboard with my amp (i have a dedicated list for this) its also my recording interface and practice amp all in one. The size is still smaller than my old pedalboard and it weighs bugger all. All in all i cant see the big ol floor units going anywhere anytime soon, its like tube amps supposedly dying out even though a lot of folk are going down the hybrid route. Time will tell though :)

[@russellzauner]

They're not dying, the curve is just rolling off. Race to the bottom and whatnot, if you participate in it, even win it, you still kinda lost at the end. ;-) Donner dropped a DSP stomper for 80 USD, and that's less than the cost of parts (well, quality parts, anyway). I can say that because there's been a DIY DSP pedal out for a while (Cleveland Music Hothouse) that has just as many knobs and switches as the Neural Nano but for 89 USD (there's an upcharge for an assembled/soldered unit), except they're clear about which parts they use and they're all reputable brands of quality. (not affiliated with any of these companies or products, just an interested enthusiast)

[@mrserv0n18]

For a home user which is a large percent of all these companies markets, the floorboard size is irrelevant. Id never buy a NANO or stomp over a FM9 or cortex etc

[@uktmaxx]

give me all the surplus to requirement Helix Floor units!!!!!!!! smaller isn't better imho!

[@iamstan_rimp]

Yeah for some reason I can’t do without an analog pedal lol! I think the sounds of digitech distortions have me PTSD 🤣

[@PondoSinatra680]

Floorboard modelers are not dying. They will incrementally get smaller and more efficient but they are not going anywhere. What you are seeing is companies releasing competing products such that every manufacturer covers every price point and feature set. The fact that as a consumer you can mix and match products from different companies is just an unexpected benefit. Fractal wants you to pair the VP4 with an FM3, not a Kemper.

[@katseazzz]

no fractal wants you to pair vp4 with anything so they have to sell tons of this units they don't care if you pair it with kemper or tonex they still get their money

[@PondoSinatra680]

@@katseazzz True, but I was thinking more about this unit as an introduction to Fractal. I think they would prefer if you stayed within the Fractal ecosystem. The person that already owns (and is happy with) a full size modeler is not buying this. This is for people with tube amps and pedalboards. Of course they’ll yake your money if you want to pair this with a ToneX or Nano but their ultimate wish is for you to go full in with an FM9 or AFX3 down the road. These are just my thoughts, I don’t want to appear argumentative. ✌️

[@BobbyCulpepper.srv3fender]

I guess im the only person then that prefers 1 iec cable and hates messing with pedal power supplies and their flimsy power cables and various voltage/amperage

[@SteveSterlacci]

I won't use a board without an IEC. So I'm with you there

[@kimblez]

doubling up on latency by going from one digital unit to another would drive me nuts

[@SteveSterlacci]

Its a non issue with any of these devices

[@hughrocko6791]

I use what works for me bro

[@SteveSterlacci]

thats the best!

[@JHMNSFTFAD]

Nah. The whole point of digital modeling is to have an all in one unit that you can set and forget. There's always going to be your special snowflakes that have to have a personalized pedalboard to show off how unique and quirky they are. I own a helix floor, and the only thing I wish it did better was polyphonic drop tuning. If I had to run one pedal outside of the helix it would be the digitech drop. There's just so much versatility in having a good polyphonic pitch shifter when you gig. Being able to go from standard to E flat or lower is great when you have to cover 25 songs a night. I think that's something Neural does very well, but I don't like their unit specifically because it doesn't have an expression pedal. If I'm gigging I just want to bag a couple things up grab my guitars and go.

[@nekkon1989]

Bro you need to get some modellers, you don't have enough 😂

[@SteveSterlacci]

I have issues 🤣

[@grahamokeefe9406]

Electronic things will always get smaller. It's just the way things go.