I’ve been a guitarist for my church since I was 12 years old (19 now) and I have always struggled with my tone. At home my amp and pedals would sound good but then when my amp was mic’ed up I couldn’t get a good tone. If I turned it up, the tone was good but singers complained about it being too loud. Turned down then I couldn’t even hear myself through the in ears. I’ve been watching a lot of your videos and decided I would rent a hx stomp (cheapest option) and I was amazed at how this little box just fixed 7 years or struggling. Now I’m looking at eventually purchasing either a used helix floor or LT after I have saved enough cash. Thank you for all your videos and suggestions on how to choose. All in one and ready made presets are important to me as college is intense enough without having to figure out something as complicated as a modeler.
I absolutely love my Quad Cortex. I found it incredibly intuitive and simple to use, plus the size and portability are perfect. Along with tone and ease of use, that was a huge seller for me. I’m going to be serving as a missionary in Tokyo, which means I need to CARRY my gear wherever I go (no car to throw it into, haha!). The QC is perfect for that.
I’ve been using the MX5 since it came out and I’ve loved it. Most of this time I’ve been using my own presets, but David Hislop from Bethel recently released some Headrush presets. They’re made for the pedalboard but it all works the same on the MX5, you’ll just have to assign the footswitches yourself. If you use a headrush modeler for worship, you should definitely check them out!
Had the original pedal board. I had reliability issues and it didn’t cut it for cover band use. Great for worship band work. Went back to amp and pedal board that made me happy every gig.
We don’t utilize the unit or have one. It’s not an oversight as much as it’s just that we do not really want to add something else right now. Thanks for understanding.
The modellers are all fabulous. I went up through the Line6 stuff from the Pod 2, to the X3, HD500X, HX Stomp and now have a full Helix Floor. Fantastic things. All the other modellers are great, but I love my Helix ... and if I'm travelling light, then I can run the HX Stomp off a Mission Engineering 529 rechargeable power bank, and just plug it into my laptop to record audio and create arrangements.
I’m an inexperienced electric player and still very much learning. But I’ve really been pleased with my PodGo. I’ve downloaded and installed several patches/IRs from WT and find that’s all I need. Compared to the costs of the other modelers, I think it’s the best thing going. Grateful to Brian’s recommendation on a Worship Artistry podcast about a year ago when I first started looking for a solution.
Ended up going with the Kemper Stage for a couple of reasons… First, before joining a worship team, I did not dive into effects. I was very much a minimalist, guitar-into-amp guy, so amp tone was the first thing I looked at. I also love vintage and hard to find/acquire amps, and Kemper has more options in that arena than I could ever hope to find. Second, while the built-in expression pedal makes the Helix a nice all-in-one, I know volume/expression pedals will wear down and eventually break. Much easier to replace an outboard exp pedal than send off the entire unit to have it fixed or replaced… but you do have the added cost and a couple extra things to carry. Watched the entire series, and I thought you all did an excellent job of providing pertinent info for anyone looking to buy an all-in-one solution with the major players in the market. Thanks for your time and effort!
Just got a pod go for our church to use as a church board and to let some of our college students use to start working on electric! Hoping it will be a good simple option for good sounds for our less experienced players
I’ve owned Axe3, Quad Cortex and Kemper. I landed on UAD Dream 65 with King of Tone and pedals. No interface necessary and the best tone I’ve ever had. All in one for me was Quad Cortex. Great video/series guys! 👍🏻
My knowledge/use of amps and modelers has been very limited, but I LOVE my HX Stomp. It’s been a complete game changer for me. I can use it as an all-in-one rig, or I can use just the modeling and a full board. What I’ve been doing is: HX Stomp XL, Jackson Audio Asabi, Walrus Audio R1, Sonicake vol/wah (don’t judge) and a mini compressor. The Stomp doubles as a “midi controller” in snapshot mode, and the XL has 2 bank switches, 4 snapshots and a dedicated tap/tuner. If you’re on a budget and want something portable and versatile, but still want quality, then this kind of setup is for you. I sold/traded my mini bass/acoustic board and my full rig and got down to what I use now and I’ve never looked back.
This could have been a 3 hour video, so I appreciate how succinct this video was! Community has been #1 for me. Line 6 is nit the best but I’ve been a Line 6 customer since the AX2 was released.
Was a helix user. went to the Headrush PB for gigs and picked up an MX5 as a backup and for rehearsals. Feel like some people don't even consider the Headrush. Honestly, less option paralysis - found it easier to use, quicker to get to a good sound and more dynamic than my helix was. Helix sounded muted next to my HR. I feel like Helix users are just stuck cause they THINK its the best. No regrets selling mine.
I switched from a full helix to a kemper stage. Best decision for me. I found it easier to get a good tone out of the kemper with minimal tweaking like I did on the helix. That’s just me though.
I’m happy with my full fledged Helix Floor unit! I sold all of my analogue gear and amps and never looked back. I’ve had nothing but compliments with my tone. Guitars used: Suhr JM PRO (Thornbucker and Thornbucker+) Suhr JM PRO (S90 pickups) Ricardo Sánchez Tele (Lambertones Ristretto and Crema)
I own an hx stomp and have integrated this with my pedalboard using this regularly for Sunday morning worship.....HX modeler's are the trustworthy "workhorse" unit that delivers week in and week out. That being said, I wish line 6 would add the ability to use longer IR lengths in one of their updates (even at the cost of using much more DSP).... That option alone would just be great.... Line 6 if your listening, please consider!! Great video as always guys 👌
Great video! I use my Helix 80% of the time just for ease of use at church, on the other hand if I'm gigging one off shows I love my amp and pedal board. Also my amp and pedal board is always set up and ready to go to practice at home. Cheers!
I’d have to say that for me, the Headrush is easiest and great sounding. The first time I played one I was able to build a rig in about 5 minutes that sounded great and had people looking to see what I was playing with. I can’t do that with Helix or Boss. They take a lot more time to hone in a flexible rig that doesn’t sound like a digital reproduction or overly effected/processed sound in my experience but it’s true, tone is subjective and so too is modeling. Otherwise there’d only be one line or unit to choose from.
Just want to pop in and say I appreciate all the content you guys put out. It has been really valuable for me! I started my pedal board journey a couple of years ago and just took the plunge into the modeling world by purchasing the HX Stomp. Now it’s time to dig further into the wormhole and watch how to best integrate it with my current pedals haha.
It might be worth, sometime, checking out the boss gx-100 sometime. I think it’s the first boss all in one that could actually stand up with the helix flexibility.
@@JackOwensMusic GT-1000 blocks are locked to only one reverb and one master delay. GX-100 allows several of those blocks. That’s why it’s more flexible.
@@Subilon touch screen is easy to use, lots of boss effects and I like the boss amps. Bluetooth editor AND audio with the add-on is nice too...bluetooth audio makes practicing very easy.
Lot of comments urging reviews on Boss and Headrush… but guys.. remember the WT guys have a business focused around the Line6, Kemper, and Fractal stuff. Asking them to add vids and patches on other units is sortve like asking your wife to make dinner, put the kids to bed, do the dishes, work a full time job, clean the house, AND mow the lawn. A wise man only asks his wife to do 5 of those 6 things. You can’t have everything! Just mostly everything. Don’t get greedy
hahaha! We actually use all the units we make content for. We'd have a hard time selling patches for a unit we don't use. Would feel odd. But who knows 🤷♂🙃
QC all the way. Started out in Helix world and used WT patches quite a bit... but the capture capability, touch screen, processing power and form factor make it a no Brainer. I hear all of the commercial content makers here on youtube complain about no marketplace, but we simple guitar players love being able to share ideas on the QC page for free along w the guest artists that Neural has develop patches to share with all of us
First, great video / information as always. Secondly, it would be nice if you watch and reply my comments because your advice is very important to me at this time. After watching your Line 6 Helix video, I sold my Boss GT 100 immediately with the intention to buy the Helix, especially so I can buy your Helix patches (although the Fractal audio pedal is very high on my list too). I play worship music with several bands and at church. But it seems difficult to get the Helix, it seems to be out of stock everywhere (even a worse situation with fractal audio). So in the meantime, I went back, gathered my old boss stomp boxes, and decided to I built a pedalboard based on stomp boxes. The challenge at this time is guitar amp. I do have my own amp but don't like the hassle of carrying amp around anymore and at church, we play using in ear monitoring and don't use amps anymore. So I would need a amp simulator stomp box. After doing some research, I found the Quilter Labs SuperBlock US 25-watt Guitar Amplifier Pedal online and it seems like a great addition to my stomp boxes and the fact that I can use it without an amp. What is your opinion on these kind of setup (except that it might be a limited setup)? On the other hand, I do have most of the pedals needed for worship, so with a good pedal preamp, I will be fine for the time being. Just one more question: you guys never review boss multi fx pedals. Why, you don't like them? And if it is not possible to get the Helix (btw, it is a very old model at this time), would you recommend the Boss GT 1000 or GX 100, wait for the Helix you guys have or wait in case there is a new one? Or maybe even go with Fractal? If I buy a multi fx pedal, the intention is to use it for a very long time.
I'm a worship leader...my church isn't large by any means. I'm a school cafeteria manager as a primary occupation. I had been watching this channel pretty regularly when school was remote, I mean, what else could I do with my time besides form RUclips addictions. I stopped watching a while ago, because most of the equipment you use is strictly unobtanium. I can't afford most of it, so I tend to look at more budget equipment. When I began building a stereo rig, and wanted to switch to modelers and cabsims, I started researching. Strymon Iridium seemed to be the standard....yet financially didn't make much sense to me. I started down a rabbit hole of trying to put together budget pedal boards. I eventually decided an all-in-one modeler would fit my needs. A while ago, I purchased a Valeton GP100, and thought it was pretty nice. It wasn't extremely pricy, but it lacked something for me. So, I got the Hotone Ampero, then quickly upgraded to the Ampero II Stomp. Based on reviews that I've read/watched, many people say that the amp/cab tones of the Ampero II are at least equal to the HX stomp, while also being about $200 cheaper. It also appears to be much easier of an interface to use. Then I see this video pop up..."The ultimate guide to buying a guitar modeller." You mention 4 companies. Nothing from Boss, Mooer, Nux, Headrush, Zoom, Veleton, Hotone or others. While, yes, it is difficult for people to compare all of the modelers on the market, you've barely dipped your toes in the water. I searched past videos to see if maybe I had missed some, but even the song lessons/covers only used rigs that included those in your top 4. I think you might be surprised at how these more affordable options stack up to the ones you've mentioned. The first week I used the Ampero, my sound guy said it was possibly the best guitar tone I've had, in the 7 years of leading worship...A lot of youtubers would be well served to "slum it" sometimes, and not make it seem like people need to spend $1000 or more on a piece of equipment. There are many more choices than just the 4 companies you mentioned.
Totally hear you and understand where you’re coming from. Sorry we couldn’t be of more help for you. We study the market and strive to help how we can with the units that appear to be at the forefront. We know of the other units you’ve mentioned but just don’t really feel it’s something we need to jump into. We’ve never been “you just spend $1000 on a unit” kinda guys either. We only speak from the units we have experience with and just share our experience with those units. And we actually use all of these all the time.
Thank you for distilling all the info for us! I was convinced that the QC would be right for me as I felt it would be future proof, however I've always liked my rig to be simple and quick, so I'll be taking a second look at the Line6
I wanted something that would work really well for the album I'm recording right now and would also be something that I could use with ease at church. And for me that was an OMG 9 setup from fractal. I tried really hard to get an FM9 but at the time I was buying scalpers wanted like 3 grand for it :(( lol. But ya dialing in tones with the fm3 editor is SO much fun. Thanks for all you guys do! I love that you guys make these videos but also have an influence as well for some guys that probably need it. Cheers :)
Hey Brad! Would you guys consider doing a video on cheap units like the stuff from Mooer, Nu-x, and Hotone? Even the POD Go is 2x their price in countries like where I live, India.
Another great episode. I like the decision making structure of attributes of what is import to you. I recently went from the AX8 to HeadRush. Drivers of that decision… ease of use and great tone. Weakness… market adoption thus size of user and support community. With that said, I remain surprised that you completely leave it out of your reviews and videos like this. Did I make a gigantic mistake?
We get asked about headrush a bit. We haven’t really spent a lot of time with one which is why we didn’t include it in these videos. We don’t want to speak on it without having used it a lot first. When Headrush first came out we made a decision not to invest in the platform for presets and content mostly because the modeling is based on the Avid 11 Rack. We’ve actuality used that quite a bit. It can sound great but we feel like it’s pretty far behind (at least one generation) the other current modeling platforms. That said, I’m not sure if they have further developed the platform beyond the original avid tech. The bottom line is if it sounds great and works great for you, then it’s the right choice.
@@worshiptutorials Thanks for taking the time to respond. I understand where you are coming from ... yes it's working well for me. Like anything there is always something better coming or here I suppose. With that said others have done head to head comparisons between the HR and Line6 equivalent units and it's done well. The price point is also lower. I actually have the Gigboard. Quad Cortex would be great but above my price point at the moment. Again thanks for responding. Blessings, Joe
Kemper for me. I don’t use a ton of effects and when I do use them, I just need a basic representation and not a specific pedal example. That being said - I love the interface of the Helix and the digital preset labels above the footswitches. But I am a set-it-and-forget-it kind of player so after the initial set up and tweaking is done, I may never touch any settings again
I have a Helix floor with a Bigsky midnight edition. It was fine before the Bigsky but I personally think it gone up a level with it. All I want to do is play my guitar all the time now. It’s a real problem.
The All-In-One feature actually is the main reason why I love Helix the best. If I need to drag around extra cables, a separate unit and exp, just stick to your pedalboard lol. Brian said it best, yes the fractal stuff may be “better sounding” but only ever so slightly. It’s marginal as Brian put it. No one in your congregation will be able to tell a difference. Period. You probably even won’t if you don’t know what you’re doing haha. But yeah, Helix all day for me. Not to mention the price in comparison. Easy purchase. Scribble strips are a game changer lol. Looking at a screen then having to piece it together in your head which button correlates to that particular effect, too much for me haha.
I agree, the all-in approach gives you all the benefits. If i was still an amp and pedalboard player a Stomp would be the first thing to put on my pedalboard. MIDI, amp switching, looping, effects loops, audio interface, effects, modeling as a backup rig… It is a no-brainer. IMO HX sounds as good as Fractal, it just takes more tweaking and has different amps and effects that shine.
I doubled down on line 6. Had a stomp, felt like I needed a little more, so I bought an Effects to go with it instead of upgrading to Helix. I wanted the extra snapshot (controls the stomp through MIDI), for more than anything I wanted those windows above each switch that I can label for each snapshot. After I bought the affection I realized I could label the snapshots on the stomp, but it would be smaller text. I regret nothing.
I agree totally that people need to identify what is important to them. But, in that you missed a criteria. How much does it matter if the unit improves regularly. Because if it is, imho, it makes the HX Stomp or Stomp XL a better budget floor unit than the POD Go. Why only floor units? TRUE all in one options would be a Katana, Catalyst, Mustang etc. Those truly need nothing else, but can use FOH. And for Budget, imho the HX Stomp XL is a clear winner over the POD Go, and an argument could be made for the HX Stomp. Currently, I have Axe FX III Mk 2 in the studio, Katana and HX Stomp, together and seperate with a Morningstar Midi pedal for out and about small venues, and a Catalyst and Spark Mini for Living Room practice and noodling., I have HAD a Kemper, Blackstar ID TVP and Silverline, Helix floor.
Oh man, I'm even more confused than ever... just kidding! Bottom line is that there are many flavors for all kinds of tastes out there and you broke them down for us. Many moons ago, I started out with the HD500 and got a Kemper in its 2nd year. I added on an HX Effects to account for Kemper's deficiencies. At a certain point, the Kemper started catching up with the HX pedals, but then 3.15 was released and since I still had mine connected, I transitioned to using the HX again. Now I'm about to pick up the Quad Cortex in a couple of weeks and I'm planning on still using my HX... hopefully I can find a way to keep my Kemper too! Great job, guys!
Good conversation guys. Just picked up a QC and really enjoying the UI, particularly after trying to learn the FM9. It really does feel like a piece of next gen tech, but it's certainly got a lot of growing up to do. Also not super confident in the build long term... we'll see! The QC does highlight imo how badly kemper needs a revision out. And that's coming from a kemper fan that's made hundreds of my own profiles and owns two 😄
As per usual. You guys deliver great videos on a great topic at a great time. I’m considering all options right now. Some are getting long in the tooth. Trying to figure this out is like trying to decide which WR to draft in the 6th round of my fantasy football league. Which one is maxed potential and which one is on the rise?
I would like to have a FM9, but I think it's too expansive for my use, and I'm having such a good time with my Pod Go today that in a real world situation I don't need anything else right now.
I use the Fractal AX8, which I believe is no longer manufactured. But the guys from Worship Tutorials have a handful of about 10 or 15 really nice patches for the AX8 for sale on their website. It’s almost an all inclusive pedal except you have to buy a separate volume pedal for it. It would be a good pedal to find used. One drawback is that Worship Tutorials stopped making patches for it. But you can still download those other ones I was talking about.
I got the QC and friggin love it. After I ordered mine, Sweetwater actually called me up to tell me it was back ordered and that he thought it was funny that I went with the QC (see my name).
For me, nothing comes close to a Fractal. Yes I get there’s not a huge difference, however, there really is if you go into the different tabs on the different blocks and really make them your own. I know that’s not for everyone but it’s important to me without even realizing it was until I got to that level.
Everyone else on my team has a Helix but I went with the Pod Go for budgetary reasons. I think the only thing I am really missing is the ability to do parallel processing. I did the 6 module json hack so I don't feel like I'm stuck with only 4 pedals. In the end I can get 80% of a Helix patch for 1/3 the price, and 1/2 the weight.
I own both a kemper stage and an hx stomp. Some of my profiles are so amazing to me that i cant get close on the stomp. If only I could get them to match because I love taking my stomp to gigs cause its so tiny and fits in my mono tick thats attached to my gig bag. I would really love to try the quad cortex because of the ability to capture my od pedals
Are the Line 6 POD and Helix power supplies universal? I live in India, where the power is 230V. Do I need to make sure I get the right voltage unit? Another plus for Axe-FX is the Universal power supply.
I have a Floor, but really, if you can't get all of them to sound both great, and indistinguishable from each other in a mix, you're doing something wrong. (I'm sure someone will tell me that their Fractal or QC "sounds better in my bedroom with headphones on" and that might be true, but in real-world usage, so what?
Two reasons: 1. This video is geared more toward all-in-one modelers (like Helix, Axe-FX, etc). We consider amp replacement devices (like Stomp, Iridium, ACS1, and the UAFX pedals) in a different category. 2. They were released after we filmed these videos, ha.
The more you guys talk about it the more I want a Helix or something close to it. I currently run an ACS1 and I just can’t get any headroom. It just breaks up so quickly.
Something sounds amiss then. It’s designed to be basically all clean and max in the edge of breakup. What do you have running in front of it? And are you on the latest firmware?
Line6, Kemper and Fractal all have an artist page on the website. Most of them can be placed in the catory "solo guitarist" or bands that play rock/metal. Thats a small percentage of the whole market. Why so many professional bands skipping the modelers? I hope you guys can make a video about that topic. Modelers and professional artists. Example of bands that still use analog amps and pedals: Foo Fighters, RHCP, Maneskin, Muse, Greenday, Imagine Dragons, Weezer, Coldplay, Paramore, etc.
I just don’t think it’s a need for them. Especially since they have techs to move and set up their stuff and they play in big arenas where noise isn’t an issue.
I'm stuck between getting the Helix or the POD GO. The thing is I'm not computer savvy and I'm not computer friendly. I would like to use pedals. But theres not enough room for that a or big clunky pedal board!
Some things to consider: - The Helix (Floor and LT) is BIG! Definitely check it out in store first so you know what your in for - If you don’t need an expression pedal, the HX Stomp XL is a better choice than the Pod Go IMO - Helix (Floor and LT) have two processing chips while the Pod Go an the Stomps have one. Practically, this means your presets will fit half the amount of amps and effects before running out of processing power - The amps and effects sound the same in all the HX units If you are planning to use a fairly simple signal chain (amp, overdrive, delay, reverb and modulation) , only need 4-6 switches, and don’t want an expression pedal then I would go with a Stomp XL If you want a simple signal chain, 4-6 switches and an expression pedal then the Pod Go is the one If you want lots in your signal chain (like the free worship tutorials helix preset) 6-8 switches and an expression pedal then you need a Helix LT or Floor God bless
Here is what worries me to death-- I buy the Helix and a brand new fully evolved one is released! The way I look at it, the Helix is old by pedal standards. What do you think the chances are of a brand new Helix?
I have owned the HXFX and the HX stomp and they were both very easy to use and sound great to me. Most of us are playing small churches where the congregation won’t know difference.
You can ultimately achieve the same quality of tone with both. So the question is, what sound cooler/more fun to you: pedals, or programming in tones and big changes at the press of a button. Both are a lot of fun.
As we said in the videos, we think Kemper, Fractal, and Quad Cortex all do amp tones the best. It’s a 3-way tie in our opinion, so their other strengths (and weaknesses) come into play when considering that. Also the new UA amp pedals are very good if you only need an amp sim solution
I love mine and love the tone more than the line6 stuff (which all has a specific sheen to the tone to me), but it has a pretty glaring fault of locked blocks and only one reverb block. I always end up using outboard reverb with it (even if it is the rv-500).
I’ve been a guitarist for my church since I was 12 years old (19 now) and I have always struggled with my tone. At home my amp and pedals would sound good but then when my amp was mic’ed up I couldn’t get a good tone. If I turned it up, the tone was good but singers complained about it being too loud. Turned down then I couldn’t even hear myself through the in ears. I’ve been watching a lot of your videos and decided I would rent a hx stomp (cheapest option) and I was amazed at how this little box just fixed 7 years or struggling. Now I’m looking at eventually purchasing either a used helix floor or LT after I have saved enough cash. Thank you for all your videos and suggestions on how to choose. All in one and ready made presets are important to me as college is intense enough without having to figure out something as complicated as a modeler.
I absolutely love my Quad Cortex. I found it incredibly intuitive and simple to use, plus the size and portability are perfect. Along with tone and ease of use, that was a huge seller for me. I’m going to be serving as a missionary in Tokyo, which means I need to CARRY my gear wherever I go (no car to throw it into, haha!). The QC is perfect for that.
I use a Headrush MX5, it's been amazing so far, but I'm also new at EG modeling and effects. That's part of the reason I picked it.
Also picked up one recently. I'm slightly annoyed more people don't use it tbh 😂😂😂😂
I’ve been using the MX5 since it came out and I’ve loved it. Most of this time I’ve been using my own presets, but David Hislop from Bethel recently released some Headrush presets. They’re made for the pedalboard but it all works the same on the MX5, you’ll just have to assign the footswitches yourself. If you use a headrush modeler for worship, you should definitely check them out!
Had the original pedal board. I had reliability issues and it didn’t cut it for cover band use. Great for worship band work. Went back to amp and pedal board that made me happy every gig.
I'm not part of a worship group but you two put out fantastic content. Thank you for sharing what you know.
Well glad you are here! Thank you!
@@bmitchellmusic should I pick the hx stomp? Looking to put that into a lr bags anthem and use the j45 pack. Is it worth it?
Headrush was overlooked by you two, again.
We don’t utilize the unit or have one. It’s not an oversight as much as it’s just that we do not really want to add something else right now. Thanks for understanding.
Ordered my PodGo with the support of my wife. Can't wait for it to arrive.
The modellers are all fabulous. I went up through the Line6 stuff from the Pod 2, to the X3, HD500X, HX Stomp and now have a full Helix Floor. Fantastic things. All the other modellers are great, but I love my Helix ... and if I'm travelling light, then I can run the HX Stomp off a Mission Engineering 529 rechargeable power bank, and just plug it into my laptop to record audio and create arrangements.
I’m an inexperienced electric player and still very much learning. But I’ve really been pleased with my PodGo. I’ve downloaded and installed several patches/IRs from WT and find that’s all I need. Compared to the costs of the other modelers, I think it’s the best thing going. Grateful to Brian’s recommendation on a Worship Artistry podcast about a year ago when I first started looking for a solution.
Ended up going with the Kemper Stage for a couple of reasons…
First, before joining a worship team, I did not dive into effects. I was very much a minimalist, guitar-into-amp guy, so amp tone was the first thing I looked at. I also love vintage and hard to find/acquire amps, and Kemper has more options in that arena than I could ever hope to find.
Second, while the built-in expression pedal makes the Helix a nice all-in-one, I know volume/expression pedals will wear down and eventually break. Much easier to replace an outboard exp pedal than send off the entire unit to have it fixed or replaced… but you do have the added cost and a couple extra things to carry.
Watched the entire series, and I thought you all did an excellent job of providing pertinent info for anyone looking to buy an all-in-one solution with the major players in the market. Thanks for your time and effort!
Just got a pod go for our church to use as a church board and to let some of our college students use to start working on electric! Hoping it will be a good simple option for good sounds for our less experienced players
You guys should make some content for the Boss GX-100. It’s quality and rivals the helix stuff in terms of sound.
I’ve owned Axe3, Quad Cortex and Kemper. I landed on UAD Dream 65 with King of Tone and pedals. No interface necessary and the best tone I’ve ever had. All in one for me was Quad Cortex. Great video/series guys! 👍🏻
this!
@@MitchellSpille you connect to PA?
I have the Helix LT and it checks all the boxes for me! I am in love with it!
I own a Helix and it works a 100% with what I need… Great video by the way 😎
My knowledge/use of amps and modelers has been very limited, but I LOVE my HX Stomp. It’s been a complete game changer for me. I can use it as an all-in-one rig, or I can use just the modeling and a full board.
What I’ve been doing is:
HX Stomp XL, Jackson Audio Asabi, Walrus Audio R1, Sonicake vol/wah (don’t judge) and a mini compressor. The Stomp doubles as a “midi controller” in snapshot mode, and the XL has 2 bank switches, 4 snapshots and a dedicated tap/tuner. If you’re on a budget and want something portable and versatile, but still want quality, then this kind of setup is for you.
I sold/traded my mini bass/acoustic board and my full rig and got down to what I use now and I’ve never looked back.
This could have been a 3 hour video, so I appreciate how succinct this video was! Community has been #1 for me. Line 6 is nit the best but I’ve been a Line 6 customer since the AX2 was released.
The full video is an hour long and we hit each modeler’s pros and cons :)
Was a helix user. went to the Headrush PB for gigs and picked up an MX5 as a backup and for rehearsals. Feel like some people don't even consider the Headrush. Honestly, less option paralysis - found it easier to use, quicker to get to a good sound and more dynamic than my helix was. Helix sounded muted next to my HR. I feel like Helix users are just stuck cause they THINK its the best. No regrets selling mine.
Had an 11Rack. Same tech. Didn’t care for it 🤷🏻♂️
I switched from a full helix to a kemper stage. Best decision for me. I found it easier to get a good tone out of the kemper with minimal tweaking like I did on the helix. That’s just me though.
I’m happy with my full fledged Helix Floor unit! I sold all of my analogue gear and amps and never looked back. I’ve had nothing but compliments with my tone.
Guitars used:
Suhr JM PRO (Thornbucker and Thornbucker+)
Suhr JM PRO (S90 pickups)
Ricardo Sánchez Tele (Lambertones Ristretto and Crema)
I own an hx stomp and have integrated this with my pedalboard using this regularly for Sunday morning worship.....HX modeler's are the trustworthy "workhorse" unit that delivers week in and week out. That being said, I wish line 6 would add the ability to use longer IR lengths in one of their updates (even at the cost of using much more DSP).... That option alone would just be great.... Line 6 if your listening, please consider!!
Great video as always guys 👌
Great video! I use my Helix 80% of the time just for ease of use at church, on the other hand if I'm gigging one off shows I love my amp and pedal board. Also my amp and pedal board is always set up and ready to go to practice at home. Cheers!
I’d have to say that for me, the Headrush is easiest and great sounding. The first time I played one I was able to build a rig in about 5 minutes that sounded great and had people looking to see what I was playing with. I can’t do that with Helix or Boss. They take a lot more time to hone in a flexible rig that doesn’t sound like a digital reproduction or overly effected/processed sound in my experience but it’s true, tone is subjective and so too is modeling. Otherwise there’d only be one line or unit to choose from.
Just want to pop in and say I appreciate all the content you guys put out. It has been really valuable for me!
I started my pedal board journey a couple of years ago and just took the plunge into the modeling world by purchasing the HX Stomp. Now it’s time to dig further into the wormhole and watch how to best integrate it with my current pedals haha.
It might be worth, sometime, checking out the boss gx-100 sometime. I think it’s the first boss all in one that could actually stand up with the helix flexibility.
Wouldn’t that be the boss gt1000
@@JackOwensMusic GT-1000 blocks are locked to only one reverb and one master delay. GX-100 allows several of those blocks. That’s why it’s more flexible.
I’m interested in the gx100.What are the good things about it?
@@Subilon touch screen is easy to use, lots of boss effects and I like the boss amps. Bluetooth editor AND audio with the add-on is nice too...bluetooth audio makes practicing very easy.
@@TheCodeMonk thanks bud I appreciate that
Lot of comments urging reviews on Boss and Headrush… but guys.. remember the WT guys have a business focused around the Line6, Kemper, and Fractal stuff. Asking them to add vids and patches on other units is sortve like asking your wife to make dinner, put the kids to bed, do the dishes, work a full time job, clean the house, AND mow the lawn.
A wise man only asks his wife to do 5 of those 6 things. You can’t have everything! Just mostly everything. Don’t get greedy
hahaha! We actually use all the units we make content for. We'd have a hard time selling patches for a unit we don't use. Would feel odd. But who knows 🤷♂🙃
Going to get the Pod Go, as I improve maybe I’ll upgrade to an LT down the line. Thanks for the info!
I have the Headrush Gigboard and I LOVE IT!! Highly recommended it. I will be purchasing the Headrush Pedalboard as soon as it's available somewhere.
I’ve had the Helix, FM3, HX stomp, FM9. I’ve landed on the Axe fx 3 and QC. All units are great in their own right.
Stop being so objective and sensible! This is the internet, you have to pick a side and show total, irrational bias
@@kyran4238 hahaha
What did you miss from the Axe FX 3 that you didn't have in FM9?
QC all the way. Started out in Helix world and used WT patches quite a bit... but the capture capability, touch screen, processing power and form factor make it a no Brainer. I hear all of the commercial content makers here on youtube complain about no marketplace, but we simple guitar players love being able to share ideas on the QC page for free along w the guest artists that Neural has develop patches to share with all of us
First, great video / information as always. Secondly, it would be nice if you watch and reply my comments because your advice is very important to me at this time.
After watching your Line 6 Helix video, I sold my Boss GT 100 immediately with the intention to buy the Helix, especially so I can buy your Helix patches (although the Fractal audio pedal is very high on my list too). I play worship music with several bands and at church.
But it seems difficult to get the Helix, it seems to be out of stock everywhere (even a worse situation with fractal audio). So in the meantime, I went back, gathered my old boss stomp boxes, and decided to I built a pedalboard based on stomp boxes. The challenge at this time is guitar amp. I do have my own amp but don't like the hassle of carrying amp around anymore and at church, we play using in ear monitoring and don't use amps anymore. So I would need a amp simulator stomp box. After doing some research, I found the Quilter Labs SuperBlock US 25-watt Guitar Amplifier Pedal online and it seems like a great addition to my stomp boxes and the fact that I can use it without an amp. What is your opinion on these kind of setup (except that it might be a limited setup)? On the other hand, I do have most of the pedals needed for worship, so with a good pedal preamp, I will be fine for the time being.
Just one more question: you guys never review boss multi fx pedals. Why, you don't like them? And if it is not possible to get the Helix (btw, it is a very old model at this time), would you recommend the Boss GT 1000 or GX 100, wait for the Helix you guys have or wait in case there is a new one? Or maybe even go with Fractal? If I buy a multi fx pedal, the intention is to use it for a very long time.
Watched your videos, got a pod go. Watched this video, still happy with my pod go 😊
I'm a worship leader...my church isn't large by any means. I'm a school cafeteria manager as a primary occupation. I had been watching this channel pretty regularly when school was remote, I mean, what else could I do with my time besides form RUclips addictions. I stopped watching a while ago, because most of the equipment you use is strictly unobtanium. I can't afford most of it, so I tend to look at more budget equipment. When I began building a stereo rig, and wanted to switch to modelers and cabsims, I started researching. Strymon Iridium seemed to be the standard....yet financially didn't make much sense to me. I started down a rabbit hole of trying to put together budget pedal boards. I eventually decided an all-in-one modeler would fit my needs.
A while ago, I purchased a Valeton GP100, and thought it was pretty nice. It wasn't extremely pricy, but it lacked something for me. So, I got the Hotone Ampero, then quickly upgraded to the Ampero II Stomp. Based on reviews that I've read/watched, many people say that the amp/cab tones of the Ampero II are at least equal to the HX stomp, while also being about $200 cheaper. It also appears to be much easier of an interface to use.
Then I see this video pop up..."The ultimate guide to buying a guitar modeller." You mention 4 companies. Nothing from Boss, Mooer, Nux, Headrush, Zoom, Veleton, Hotone or others. While, yes, it is difficult for people to compare all of the modelers on the market, you've barely dipped your toes in the water. I searched past videos to see if maybe I had missed some, but even the song lessons/covers only used rigs that included those in your top 4. I think you might be surprised at how these more affordable options stack up to the ones you've mentioned. The first week I used the Ampero, my sound guy said it was possibly the best guitar tone I've had, in the 7 years of leading worship...A lot of youtubers would be well served to "slum it" sometimes, and not make it seem like people need to spend $1000 or more on a piece of equipment. There are many more choices than just the 4 companies you mentioned.
Totally hear you and understand where you’re coming from. Sorry we couldn’t be of more help for you. We study the market and strive to help how we can with the units that appear to be at the forefront. We know of the other units you’ve mentioned but just don’t really feel it’s something we need to jump into. We’ve never been “you just spend $1000 on a unit” kinda guys either. We only speak from the units we have experience with and just share our experience with those units. And we actually use all of these all the time.
Thank you for distilling all the info for us! I was convinced that the QC would be right for me as I felt it would be future proof, however I've always liked my rig to be simple and quick, so I'll be taking a second look at the Line6
great job guys! Keep the good work!
I wanted something that would work really well for the album I'm recording right now and would also be something that I could use with ease at church. And for me that was an OMG 9 setup from fractal. I tried really hard to get an FM9 but at the time I was buying scalpers wanted like 3 grand for it :(( lol. But ya dialing in tones with the fm3 editor is SO much fun. Thanks for all you guys do! I love that you guys make these videos but also have an influence as well for some guys that probably need it. Cheers :)
FIRST. The biggest question I think we get! Hope this helps!!
I lol. When people sell helix, headrush, boss etc thinking the unot is the issue. They all rock
Hey Brad! Would you guys consider doing a video on cheap units like the stuff from Mooer, Nu-x, and Hotone? Even the POD Go is 2x their price in countries like where I live, India.
Another great episode. I like the decision making structure of attributes of what is import to you. I recently went from the AX8 to HeadRush. Drivers of that decision… ease of use and great tone. Weakness… market adoption thus size of user and support community. With that said, I remain surprised that you completely leave it out of your reviews and videos like this. Did I make a gigantic mistake?
We get asked about headrush a bit. We haven’t really spent a lot of time with one which is why we didn’t include it in these videos. We don’t want to speak on it without having used it a lot first.
When Headrush first came out we made a decision not to invest in the platform for presets and content mostly because the modeling is based on the Avid 11 Rack. We’ve actuality used that quite a bit. It can sound great but we feel like it’s pretty far behind (at least one generation) the other current modeling platforms.
That said, I’m not sure if they have further developed the platform beyond the original avid tech. The bottom line is if it sounds great and works great for you, then it’s the right choice.
@@worshiptutorials Thanks for taking the time to respond. I understand where you are coming from ... yes it's working well for me. Like anything there is always something better coming or here I suppose. With that said others have done head to head comparisons between the HR and Line6 equivalent units and it's done well. The price point is also lower. I actually have the Gigboard. Quad Cortex would be great but above my price point at the moment. Again thanks for responding. Blessings, Joe
Good stuff, gentlemen!
Simplicity and ease of use are important to me and from what I've experienced so far, that means the Quad Cortex. Larger touch screen and intuitive.
Kemper for me. I don’t use a ton of effects and when I do use them, I just need a basic representation and not a specific pedal example. That being said - I love the interface of the Helix and the digital preset labels above the footswitches. But I am a set-it-and-forget-it kind of player so after the initial set up and tweaking is done, I may never touch any settings again
I have a Helix floor with a Bigsky midnight edition. It was fine before the Bigsky but I personally think it gone up a level with it. All I want to do is play my guitar all the time now. It’s a real problem.
The All-In-One feature actually is the main reason why I love Helix the best. If I need to drag around extra cables, a separate unit and exp, just stick to your pedalboard lol.
Brian said it best, yes the fractal stuff may be “better sounding” but only ever so slightly. It’s marginal as Brian put it. No one in your congregation will be able to tell a difference. Period. You probably even won’t if you don’t know what you’re doing haha.
But yeah, Helix all day for me. Not to mention the price in comparison. Easy purchase.
Scribble strips are a game changer lol. Looking at a screen then having to piece it together in your head which button correlates to that particular effect, too much for me haha.
I agree, the all-in approach gives you all the benefits. If i was still an amp and pedalboard player a Stomp would be the first thing to put on my pedalboard. MIDI, amp switching, looping, effects loops, audio interface, effects, modeling as a backup rig… It is a no-brainer. IMO HX sounds as good as Fractal, it just takes more tweaking and has different amps and effects that shine.
They can all achieve equally good tone IMO. The difference is which amps and effects sound best and how hard you need to work to get the tone to 100%
I doubled down on line 6. Had a stomp, felt like I needed a little more, so I bought an Effects to go with it instead of upgrading to Helix. I wanted the extra snapshot (controls the stomp through MIDI), for more than anything I wanted those windows above each switch that I can label for each snapshot. After I bought the affection I realized I could label the snapshots on the stomp, but it would be smaller text. I regret nothing.
I agree totally that people need to identify what is important to them. But, in that you missed a criteria. How much does it matter if the unit improves regularly. Because if it is, imho, it makes the HX Stomp or Stomp XL a better budget floor unit than the POD Go. Why only floor units? TRUE all in one options would be a Katana, Catalyst, Mustang etc. Those truly need nothing else, but can use FOH. And for Budget, imho the HX Stomp XL is a clear winner over the POD Go, and an argument could be made for the HX Stomp.
Currently, I have Axe FX III Mk 2 in the studio, Katana and HX Stomp, together and seperate with a Morningstar Midi pedal for out and about small venues, and a Catalyst and Spark Mini for Living Room practice and noodling., I have HAD a Kemper, Blackstar ID TVP and Silverline, Helix floor.
Oh man, I'm even more confused than ever... just kidding! Bottom line is that there are many flavors for all kinds of tastes out there and you broke them down for us. Many moons ago, I started out with the HD500 and got a Kemper in its 2nd year. I added on an HX Effects to account for Kemper's deficiencies. At a certain point, the Kemper started catching up with the HX pedals, but then 3.15 was released and since I still had mine connected, I transitioned to using the HX again. Now I'm about to pick up the Quad Cortex in a couple of weeks and I'm planning on still using my HX... hopefully I can find a way to keep my Kemper too! Great job, guys!
Good conversation guys. Just picked up a QC and really enjoying the UI, particularly after trying to learn the FM9. It really does feel like a piece of next gen tech, but it's certainly got a lot of growing up to do. Also not super confident in the build long term... we'll see! The QC does highlight imo how badly kemper needs a revision out. And that's coming from a kemper fan that's made hundreds of my own profiles and owns two 😄
What a wonderful time to be a guitarist!
Headrush???
We haven't used one so we don't really feel qualified to talk about it with any kind of authority.
Thank you for the advice it help me a lot. May God bless yall.
I chose the UA Dream 65…. I love it!!
I own it too, just wished it had headphones output
As per usual. You guys deliver great videos on a great topic at a great time. I’m considering all options right now. Some are getting long in the tooth. Trying to figure this out is like trying to decide which WR to draft in the 6th round of my fantasy football league. Which one is maxed potential and which one is on the rise?
How about an axe effects with no amp (for effects) into dual Kemper’s for amps. Can we hear that?
I would like to have a FM9, but I think it's too expansive for my use, and I'm having such a good time with my Pod Go today that in a real world situation I don't need anything else right now.
You guys should do a similar video about guitars. Personally I'm confused should I get a strat or a gretsch
We’ve done a video about both of those. Check em out!
I use the Fractal AX8, which I believe is no longer manufactured. But the guys from Worship Tutorials have a handful of about 10 or 15 really nice patches for the AX8 for sale on their website. It’s almost an all inclusive pedal except you have to buy a separate volume pedal for it. It would be a good pedal to find used. One drawback is that Worship Tutorials stopped making patches for it. But you can still download those other ones I was talking about.
I got the QC and friggin love it. After I ordered mine, Sweetwater actually called me up to tell me it was back ordered and that he thought it was funny that I went with the QC (see my name).
Hey thx so much for this vid, you gave me more than directions ;)
For me, nothing comes close to a Fractal. Yes I get there’s not a huge difference, however, there really is if you go into the different tabs on the different blocks and really make them your own. I know that’s not for everyone but it’s important to me without even realizing it was until I got to that level.
Do you ever play a traditional pedalboard/amp/mic set up?
Everyone else on my team has a Helix but I went with the Pod Go for budgetary reasons. I think the only thing I am really missing is the ability to do parallel processing. I did the 6 module json hack so I don't feel like I'm stuck with only 4 pedals.
In the end I can get 80% of a Helix patch for 1/3 the price, and 1/2 the weight.
I own both a kemper stage and an hx stomp. Some of my profiles are so amazing to me that i cant get close on the stomp. If only I could get them to match because I love taking my stomp to gigs cause its so tiny and fits in my mono tick thats attached to my gig bag. I would really love to try the quad cortex because of the ability to capture my od pedals
Are the Line 6 POD and Helix power supplies universal? I live in India, where the power is 230V. Do I need to make sure I get the right voltage unit? Another plus for Axe-FX is the Universal power supply.
I have a Floor, but really, if you can't get all of them to sound both great, and indistinguishable from each other in a mix, you're doing something wrong. (I'm sure someone will tell me that their Fractal or QC "sounds better in my bedroom with headphones on" and that might be true, but in real-world usage, so what?
Why aren’t the UAFX pedals in this discussion?
Two reasons:
1. This video is geared more toward all-in-one modelers (like Helix, Axe-FX, etc). We consider amp replacement devices (like Stomp, Iridium, ACS1, and the UAFX pedals) in a different category.
2. They were released after we filmed these videos, ha.
Hi, no mention of the Headrush units, do they just not register on the radar? Would be interested in hearing your thoughts.
The more you guys talk about it the more I want a Helix or something close to it. I currently run an ACS1 and I just can’t get any headroom. It just breaks up so quickly.
Something sounds amiss then. It’s designed to be basically all clean and max in the edge of breakup. What do you have running in front of it? And are you on the latest firmware?
Very helpful, thanks.
Line6, Kemper and Fractal all have an artist page on the website. Most of them can be placed in the catory "solo guitarist" or bands that play rock/metal. Thats a small percentage of the whole market. Why so many professional bands skipping the modelers? I hope you guys can make a video about that topic. Modelers and professional artists.
Example of bands that still use analog amps and pedals: Foo Fighters, RHCP, Maneskin, Muse, Greenday, Imagine Dragons, Weezer, Coldplay, Paramore, etc.
I just don’t think it’s a need for them. Especially since they have techs to move and set up their stuff and they play in big arenas where noise isn’t an issue.
Tho I don’t think I saw something about Muse using Kemper.
Because they’re tone purists snobs that swear analog is better. Digital is the fushure. Welcome to the new age.
Or we can just agree that it’s ok for a person to like what they like 🤷🏻♂️
I'm stuck between getting the Helix or the POD GO. The thing is I'm not computer savvy and I'm not computer friendly. I would like to use pedals. But theres not enough room for that a or big clunky pedal board!
You might really like the new Universal Audio amp modeler pedals, I'd check them out if you're not super tech savvy
Some things to consider:
- The Helix (Floor and LT) is BIG! Definitely check it out in store first so you know what your in for
- If you don’t need an expression pedal, the HX Stomp XL is a better choice than the Pod Go IMO
- Helix (Floor and LT) have two processing chips while the Pod Go an the Stomps have one. Practically, this means your presets will fit half the amount of amps and effects before running out of processing power
- The amps and effects sound the same in all the HX units
If you are planning to use a fairly simple signal chain (amp, overdrive, delay, reverb and modulation) , only need 4-6 switches, and don’t want an expression pedal then I would go with a Stomp XL
If you want a simple signal chain, 4-6 switches and an expression pedal then the Pod Go is the one
If you want lots in your signal chain (like the free worship tutorials helix preset) 6-8 switches and an expression pedal then you need a Helix LT or Floor
God bless
I know this video came out 9 months ago but what do you guys think about the Headrush Prime modeler?
Here is what worries me to death-- I buy the Helix and a brand new fully evolved one is released! The way I look at it, the Helix is old by pedal standards. What do you think the chances are of a brand new Helix?
Zero idea. But the Helix won't suddenly get bad because a new unit comes out!
ok what one do they recommend
I thought that the new UA Ruby, Dream and Woodrow would be a part of this video. Strange...
They are not multiuse modelers, they also didn't include Iridium or Mooer Preamp x2 for the same reason
We were only talking about 'all-in-one' units. 'Pedal amps' like that are another topic for another day :)
I have owned the HXFX and the HX stomp and they were both very easy to use and sound great to me. Most of us are playing small churches where the congregation won’t know difference.
JW, why not include options like the Walrus Audio ACS-1 or Strymon Iridium as budget options?
We are talking about ‘all-in-one’ units in this particular series.
I’d like an FM9 but the wait is terrible
Being a creature of no comprise, you just told me I need all of them.
Brian here - my ‘no compromise’ modeling solution would be (is) Axe-FX III and FC-12 👌🏻
Fractal FM3!
Manufacturer's customer service: #1 Neural
I should buy a Fractal Axefx3 for studio and Fm9 for gigs but ain’t got no money LMAO !!
2024 should i make a pedalboard or go for a fm9 / helix?
You can ultimately achieve the same quality of tone with both. So the question is, what sound cooler/more fun to you: pedals, or programming in tones and big changes at the press of a button.
Both are a lot of fun.
@@worshiptutorials pedals do sound more organic. But duble the price
Maybe they do, but you could make the argument that they don’t (don’t get me wrong - I love pedals).
ruclips.net/video/kfW-y0P_wZI/видео.html
Yeah but which is best with pedals
As we said in the videos, we think Kemper, Fractal, and Quad Cortex all do amp tones the best. It’s a 3-way tie in our opinion, so their other strengths (and weaknesses) come into play when considering that.
Also the new UA amp pedals are very good if you only need an amp sim solution
Very true
KPW 4 lyfe 💙
oh wut up Nozzi
You guys never even considered GT1000
Or any of its variants
We haven't spent much time with one in the past, so we didn't feel qualified to talk about them with any authority.
I love mine and love the tone more than the line6 stuff (which all has a specific sheen to the tone to me), but it has a pretty glaring fault of locked blocks and only one reverb block. I always end up using outboard reverb with it (even if it is the rv-500).
What about hx stomp
We talk about that in the full video but we categorized that differently. Will be addressing it sooner or later tho.
I think anything is easy to use once you learn how to use it. lol. Question is which one is the easiest to learn?!
I wish this was a 3 hour video… 😂
There’s a full hour video on the description :)
Fractal prices though….😅
The fact that you didn't even mention the Johnson Jstation is a travesty! For the price, portability and vintage digital tone it can be beat! ;)
Ha honestly vintage digital tone is actually a pretty desirable thing, but not really in this case :).
Team HXStomp here💪….. I got mine for $400 used and never looked back.