Line 6 just threw the gauntlet down with their Helix replacement. Capturing, backing track player with full automation such as changing preset for verse chorus etc, Bluetooth, WiFi the list goes on
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Im not sure about capturing abilities as it was kind of vague but great time to be a musician with all the great choices available for everyoneās workflows.
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The bean has come a long way! Loved my bean(s)
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Live stream with a lot of info on Helix Stadium starting at the 36:00 mark. Impressive stuff.
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Some true innovative things are coming on the new Line6 platformā¦ NeuralDSP better pay attention and catch up.
Weāre still waiting on those bloody plug-ins that are soooo hard to get done. I wouldnāt call that innovation tbh. Itās a distractionā¦
A lot of people will switch to the new thing if it sounds any goodā¦ especially since the platform is way way more mature
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Yes this looks like a great machine indeed bluetooth wifi capturing it can playback stems.? read in another forumā¦ Looks incredible to be fair a QC killer evenā¦ Maybeā¦ If the modeling is upto snuff it will have me thinking of changingā¦
Just kidding lol people are so tempermental and letting what I say get to you is childishā¦
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Line 6 Helix series has always set a high standard when it comes to footswitch functionality and customizability. The depth of what you can assign to each switchāsnapshots, stomp mode, command center for MIDI, external control, etc.āgives users a ton of flexibility, especially in live settings.
In contrast, while the QC is incredibly powerful in terms of processing and tone quality, its footswitch flexibility still feels more limited by comparison. The rotary encoder switches are clever, but users have consistently asked for deeper customizationāmore macro control, MIDI expansion, and better snapshot/stomp hybrid workflows.
If Line 6 is pushing footswitch functionality even further with the next-gen Helix, itās a clear challenge to Neural to step up. Hopefully, Neuralās upcoming software updates bring significant improvements in this area. It has been way too long of a wait.
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looks good but I donāt get the gushing over it tbh lots of features that even chineseium modellers have now.
QC is still plenty powerful with potential to grow if it ever gets updates and if there is a new hardware iteration at some point they could learn some things for sure
The features they have for Helix Stadium are wild. Love the QC, but this feels like a total game changer tbh
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Iāll be honest : iām really impressed by the new Helix. It has everything , except the form factor, to be the QC Killer.
A lot of clever ideas : builtin explanation of every knob is really nice, the āmorphingā feature, cloud based capture for better quality and less local processing, the stem separation thing (having an integrated neural processor builtin helps a lot)
NDSP should really deliver something big for everyone , not just for PlugIns owners, otherwise the amount of sh*t theyāll receive will be well deserved !
I really hope that 3.2 will add a lot of new blocks (effects, amps, synth) for everyone and not only for Plugins owners (and I own a lot of plugins, so iām not talking for myself) , because since 3.0 the non-plugins users have been left on the side. (and even since the 2.1 release, the amount of new effects/amp is really low, imho)
Come on NDSP, the QC could be much better than it is today !
Iām not overly optimistic for the 3.2 release schedule, as 3.1.1 will be released before, it would not make any sense to release 3.1.1 and 3.2 one or two weeks apart. The ā3.2 released shorly after 3.1.1ā sentence reminds me of all the āsoonā bshit we all heard too often anywayā¦ (and donāt get me started with the āwe are shifting gears to deliver more frequent updateā , we already heard that in the ā2.0ā era)
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Line6 has many years of experience and the Helix was a great device. The Stadium looks really promising and NDSP better really up their game with the QC. The QC is powerful enough to stand strong against the Stadium, but it is still behind in functionalities. I have been a Helix Rack user for many years, I switched to QC because of processing power and sound quality, but I still miss some things my old Helix did, and I might switch back to Line6 and sell my QC.
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It looks like they took feature ideas from all the major players and added more of their own. They donāt list dimensions but it looks like the smaller unit is closer to the QCās form factor or maybe Tonemasterās. Sweetwater is taking pre-orders for a fall ETA. Did you see the prices at the bottom of the Stadium webpage? $1800 and $2200 USD. It doesnāt say if thatās retail or the estimated selling price. With the tariffs, Line 6 may not know thir production cost yet. I love the sound and UI of my QC but, man, so many OS shortcomings and development has been like frozen molasses. I my have to check out a Stadiumā¦eventually.
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This thing is really cool! Really innovative and it seems they got everything right, where others miss one or two things.
For sure this Unit will sound awesome - no doubt. Line 6 is in the Game for so long, they will deliver.
Iāll stick with the QC for the next time - just because iām used to it. But maybe if iām hyped enough and iāll get to test the Line 6 iām switching. Not because i dislike the QC, just because i like those QoL Things theyāve integrated.
But NDSP really has to deliver some up to date features which are highly requested (button assignments, playback, QoL stuff, more fx especially synth)
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From what Iāve heard Neural has snapped up a load of the TC engineers, after Behringer closed down the R&D centre in Denmark.
Letās hope all that TC knowledge can push Neural to new a greater things.
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Letās hope. Though it is more than knowledge. Neural is slow in implementing upgrades (I guess because of their strategic choices: we already have purchased the QC, so potentially, we are not new clients). Also: Line6 is basically Yamaha, they have a lot more power than NDSP.
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The thing that has always put me off of Line6 is the sound. It has never sounded right, and always has a digital undertone that cannot be gotten rid of. They know its true, otherwise why does the stadium have a completely new algorithm that is NOT backwards compatible?
As far as āthis is a _____ killerā - grow up. No manufacturer is going to ākillā all of the others. They all have their strengths. Most sound very good these days. Line6 has a huge following due to (I think) the access to cheaper levels of gear. Those that can afford he Helix are already whining about the $2200 cost. But if you are seriously in this space you gotta pay to play.
I would not be selling my QC for the bells and whistles of this thing without hearing the sound, and waiting to see if the Proxy capturing is any good. And even then, canāt see giving up my QC for it. I would only possibly, add it to my arsenal.
The last thing I will say about it, is that it is presently half baked. It will sell in the Fall WITHOUT Proxy Capturing capabilityā¦ they are still testing. With only 16 amp models that run the new Agoura algorithm (Old Models are there), So they are releasing the product with promises. Sound familiar?
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Sounds familiar, though Line6 has Yamaha to back them 
Also, from a personal point of view, I donāt give a ā¦ about captures. Never used them, never will. And I have always found that my Helix sounded great since they updated the sound engine algorithm. I bought a QC for the form factor and DSP power, but I have been missing things from my Helix.
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Haha folks get so upset when someone uses words they donāt likeā¦There certainly will be alot of folks jumping ship and getting this new helix for sureā¦ For me line 6 has never sounded good Iāve tried and had a couple of units and sounds like a headrush primeā¦since I used plugins from ndsp after trying the boss the prime mooer valetonā¦ I said I dig the plugins I use so might aswell just get the quad cortex and it was instantly ābooooomā it was there a delightful warm valve soundā¦then I started capturing my own collection of amps and man captures it is for me great unitā¦
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No doubt, for my money, the QC modeling sounds better than the current Helix but weāre talking about 10+ year old technology. When Helix was introduced, it was, arguably, the best sounding modeler out there. Iām curious to hear what Line 6 comes up with. BTW, I got a reply from my Sweetwater Sales Engineer, $1800 US and $2200 US will be the selling prices so I wonāt be switching any time soon. 