Fractal Guy Tries HX Stomp

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A very strange day has come upon us all. I, Mathew Dale, a habitual and chronic Fractal Axe-FX user, bought and am using a Line6 HX Stomp *gasps*. All joking aside, this little powerhouse boasts some unique features I'd really like to see implemented in the Fractal-verse. First and foremost, the form factor is an absolute win for travel and Line6 really does earn its points for ease of use. I'm still new to this unit, so join me as I take a fresh glance at the Line6 HX Stomp.
#mathewdale #fractalaudiosystems #line6hxstomp #guitar #guitarist
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Line6 HX Stomp sweetwater.sjv...
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[@sboy1955]

Have owned my HX floor since 2015 so it’s second nature to me. I did order the FM9+ this year for a serious tryout and it is an excellent product as well. When I see anyone post negatively regarding either of these units, there is no doubt in my mind, they just did not know how - or did not spend enough time leaning how - to use the product.

[@mathew_dale]

Its a good time to be a guitar player with so many great products out there!

[@jaricklosey4607]

My main unit is an Axe Fx 3 but I use and enjoy the HX Stomp. Great pedal with quality drives and delays. Try the vintage delay for basic stuff, adriatic delay for a dm2 with modulation, or crisscross delay for the Keeley halo thing.

[@mathew_dale]

Will do! Thanks for the tips!

[@NJSonye]

I’m going on 2.5 yrs and know I’m not touching the surface. I find 6 foot switches would be better. Yes, I love the new Grammitco - yes I hate not having meters for balancing PRESENTS. I believe that I can get by with 3 PRESETS in Snapshot, but I would like to change Modes on the fly. Line6 recently sent out a questionnaire. It’s going to be interesting to see what may be implemented in newer Helix products.

[@fivefingerfullprice3403]

I love my Helix and I have an HX stomp coming in. I want to shrink my live rig to just the HX Stomp and a wah pedal. One thing I'd recommend is using the input block and you can add a noise gate that doesn't use any DSP from the line. Also you can change the impedance in the global settings. The new cab IRs introduced in update 3.5 are amazing, and for me I don't need 2000 IRs, I really only use about 8 that I have saved to my favorites depending on the amp. The HX stomp allows a creative person to grab some really great tones out of it.

[@aaronthomas7790]

I go back and forth between fractal and line 6. I prefer the sounds and feel of fractal generally. The meters like you said and the compression, ducking, effect eq, etc. are much easier to see fractal editor. The sliders drove me crazy and I just prefer knobs. That said, where line 6 excels is editing on the fly live. You really have to think ahead with the perform page for fractal or just get used to everything. The capacitive buttons on helix are genius. Lightly touch my delay switch and delay parameters are there. I could use it without an editor.

[@lawrenrich6419]

Love my stomp. Just really don’t need anything bigger. It does everything I need

[@ianwillo]

One of my favourite things to do with multiple reverbs etc is shift the order of the FX chain with a snapshot. So I'm in a covers band and we're playing a song that has a noisy breakdown. I hit a snapshot for that to turn on a reverb at the start of the chain, and then run that through the overdrive, delay, and amp/cab. Loads of oscillation! Then I hit the other snapshot and I'm back to my post-cab reverb and all is normal. FWIW I really like HXEdit, and I love how the full fat Helix functions as an audio interface. But I think a part of it is just what you're used to over time. All the systems these days are pretty good.

[@Terribleguitarist89]

I'm an HX Stomp user looking to jump to the Fractal world but I learned a few things I wasn't aware of haha

[@boimesa8190]

strong points! as a helix user I agree with all your points!

[@rolandmengedoth2191]

Still love my POD Go. Enough for me. Great Pedal as well.

[@mathew_dale]

Student of mine brought in a POD GO recently and from my brief look I liked that as well.

[@sejuyz]

HX Edit is incredible but that very last comment you made about accidentally changing parameters is true, I agree. What I don't agree is complaining about the number os amps/cabs available... man, there is PLENTY to choose from already. Yeah, less than what Fractal offers but still more than enough. Solid review.

[@mathew_dale]

Thanks for watching!

[@Scott__C]

I agree since most folks only use a few sounds.

[@Scott__C]

The fact is most folks use only a few sounds - clean, slight OD, OD, lead. All of the units today sound great, it's just a matter of deciding which interface you like and running with it. I think too many folks spend time laboring over minutiae of whether this one or that is "the best" and it doesn't matter that much if at all. Edit: I've tried Boss, Headrush, Line6, Hotone, Valeton, Tech21 and even the H&K BlackSpirit 200 floor. Everything does great stuff and there are working musicians using each.

[@Ottophil]

I agree, they all sound equally fake and bad. I’m using a friedman IRx and have finally given up my amps, but only because I have a portable analog tube high gain preamp.

[@MrVyrtuoso]

I'd prefer sliders over knobs, but I don't even like varying through the graphical controls, instead preferring to key in my values for precision. What I wish L6 Helix family stuff had that Fractal has is the suite of modulator blocks that includes an LFO, ADSR envelope, and step sequencer.

[@deans.4705]

you don't have to click on the faders, just hover your mouse over them and use the center wheel on your mouse to fine tune it. I went to fractal and miss my Helix. I think I'll be going back. although I'll keep my Fractal as a spare or give it to my dog.

[@mathew_dale]

That's the part I don't like- too many parameters I've accidentally moved by trying to scroll!

[@picksalot1]

I've had an HX Stomp for 2.5 years, and it is an amazingly powerful unit at a very affordable price, considering everything it can do. The "Helix Native Plugin" software gives you the power of the full Helix Floor unit, but on your computer - Really extraordinary. The "Command Center" offers another layer of powerful controls for what can be done using the footswitches, worth checking out. I also built my own 2-button foot Controller to give me a total of 5 stomp buttons, and it's surprising how much can be done with them. Many times, I've thought I needed more stomp buttons, only to discover that I really don't.

[@LuwiMartin]

I go in between Line 6 and Fractal Audio (The AXE-FX not the FM/AX) now a days which ever is convenient to use in whatever situation. For a quick and go gig or rehearsals I grab my line 6, For recordings or on a proper stage setup I'd bring the Fractal occasionally bring it into rehearsals see how it fits within the live mix (Personal choices

[@keithmulcahy3417]

Fractal stuff is great but it’s over priced for what it does, Helix is superb and line 6 makes is affordable and easy to purchase

[@weareeversis]

was not aware that you can use the hx stomp with 2 instruments, thanks

[@tj10777]

I love the Fractal sounds and effects, but hate the user interface. The Helix user interface is so much easier to navigate.

[@scottpeters4401]

Using IR’s sounds better than the HX cabs to me…..I still have my old HX Stomp..it’s pretty good,but it’s still no Fractal….I bought an FM3 a couple of years ago,then an AxeFXIII…the HX has been on the shelf ever since….I do like some of the FX though…the Vintage Delay and Transistor tape are killer…..

[@BobbyCulpepper.srv3fender]

what line 6 does better than fractal and neural, you can program any and every function to a footswitch, which for me is soooo much more useful than scenes/snapshots.

[@mattiakkanen7866]

In Fractal products you can use "per preset" function to override pretty much anything to a certain footswitch in a preset.

[@BobbyCulpepper.srv3fender]

@@mattiakkanen7866 ya I know, I had an fm9, that's cool and all but not good enough. At least the way they do it. I'd have to show u in person for you to see what I'm talking about,

[@mattiakkanen7866]

@@BobbyCulpepper.srv3fender Okay :) I also don't use scenes or snapshots with my Axe Fx 3 or Helix. I have both set up as old school pedal board. One switch for clean/dirty amp, the rest of the switches for separate effects.

[@BobbyCulpepper.srv3fender]

@@mattiakkanen7866 ya, I know what your talking about, but I still think l6 does more with that function, hard to explain

[@dantredogborsa7048]

Fractal guys watching this: "it's not that good... fractal way better... way better... yes... not that good this thing... miles apart... isn't it? I think it is... fractal way better " *sweating

[@r.llynch4124]

Yep that's why all the big boys use Fractal cuz it is way better than anything else.

[@AudioAtmos]

All I’ll say is you sound better through the Fractal gear.

[@mathew_dale]

🤣🤣

[@mcclain63]

Mathew can sound great plugging into anything, Though I agree that I hear better sound out of the Fractal gear

[@AudioAtmos]

@@mcclain63 Yes you are 💯 correct on that! Mathew is not just a super musician, but seems like a genuine nice person.

[@paulschlachter4313]

You can program a footswitch to toggle between or cycle through snapshots - so you don't really need snapshot mode.

[@mathew_dale]

Good tip!

[@boimesa8190]

but that footswitch would always be assigned. Double footswitch would circumvent this issue

[@IshredGuitar]

Its not the modeler its the player! A great player can make anything sound killer, Joe Satriani sounds awesome on a $50 amp and a cheap guitar. I've seen dudes who where mediocre players playing on a fractal sound like better players but not when they go down to less of a modeler or amp. Also you can't spend less than 10 minutes with a unit and really make a complete assessment of this modeler. I've owned this stomp for a few years now, you don't need IR's really with it! We never did as there's cabs in it if you know what you're doing with the presets, also Helix with their last update gave killer cab upgrades no IR's needed. The Dynamic 7 and 160ribbon mic and if you use a 57dynamic with dual cabs in the chain and other cab 4038mic for metal rhythm will blow you away with tone. its how you use this modeler and the experience one has with it.

[@r.llynch4124]

I guess if your on a budget it's ok but imo fractal is next level stuff.

[@user-ty6kn1dz5v]

Hmm what Im hearing is no where as good as my Fractal FM3 tones.

[@mathew_dale]

Lol. It hasn't replaced my Fractal gear for gigging, but I do love the form factor, value, and versatility of the Stomp.

[@nohero178]

"The product I'm loyal to is better!"

[@jlynnb1]

its fine, I still think L6 sounds cardboard/fake....it's also nowhere near Fractal in terms of feel.

[@thelolmighty]

After watching videos like this and like JNC for example, I think that great guitar players are going to sound great on whatever they play on, and even better on the gear they've spent the most time with. There are plenty of Helix players with more dialed-in tones. Similarly, they'd likely struggle to make a Fractal device sound as good as Matthew Dale off the jump -- if at all.

[@iam.miikey]

I agree it’s all in the hands. I’m looking at the POD Go for my needs. They are all great products.

[@ManchurianCounterweight]

well, the HXstomp is the number 4 selling pedal on reverb in 2022, so if it is experiencing guitar pedal levels of sales, I would say Helix total product sales probably eclipse Fractal sales at a 20:1 ratio, if not much higher. Fractal is not mentioned on any of these top-seller lists. I am not bashing Fractal, I'm just pointing out HXstomp sells like the proverbial Hotcake. It's a great tool. This product will do just about anything, and Line 6 updates it constantly, bringing in bug fixes, asked-for changes, new algorithms, shoot for 3.3 they refactored the entire codebase so you could access significantly more DSP. It's just a great tool by a really great company. For 600 bucks a guitar player gets everything they could ever want (just about) in package.