Thomann Affiliate: www.thomann.de/intl/index.html?offid=1&affid=3210 Sweetwater Affiliate: sweetwater.sjv.io/k0mGvx My personal Thomann recommendations: thmn.to/thocf/cv37zixo68 My webstore for Captures, presets etc: ko-fi.com/sonicdrivestudio
0:00 Intro 1:07 What are we going todo today 2:38 Nothing todo with companies paying 3:33 Disclamer 4:15 ToneX not included 6:51 One more thing 7:57 8 - Prime by HeadRush 10:35 7 - GT-1000 by Boss 13:36 6 - Amperium Live by St. Rock 15:35 5 - Ampero II Stage by Hotone 17:38 4 - Tone Master Pro by Fender 21:43 3 - Quad Cortex by Neural DSP 25:58 2 - FM9 by Fractal 38:58 1 - Helix by Line 6 41:20 Outro Great job!
As a professional musician with many different gigs every week (in France), I chose a HeadRush Prime for several reasons. I knew it wasn't the best of all, but that wasn't a big deal. I needed a tough board with many switches with a large gap between them, an expression pedal, two different signal paths, IRs, and amp sims from others. Plus, Bluetooth and the vocal signal path were necessary for a few events. The HeadRush Prime was the only one that met all my requirements. I worked on one preset for about 3 or 4 months to find the right sound. Today, I use it almost every day, in many situations, both indoors and outdoors. I play many different kinds of songs with one rig. Guitar > Gate > Wah > Pitch > OD 1 > OD 2 > Dist > Amp 1 > Amp 2 > EQ 1 > Dim D > EQ 2 > Slapback > Delay 2 > Spring Reverb > Console. I don't use any amp sims from the unit. One and a half years later and after more than 100 shows, I still don't regret my purchase. In the studio, I've worked a bit with Neural DSP, but it's a bit too synthetic for my ears (SLO 100, Mesa, and Archetypes). Sometimes, I use UAD ones. Otherwise, I use my HeadRush Prime. And I've had a lot of good feedback about my tone.
Good luck if you need support from the brand (or communications of what's to come), or expect firmware updates. HeadRush is the absolute worst brand in that respect.
I owned the Helix and Headrush. I kept the Headrush. People are being entirely brand loyal and frankly snobby in their judgments of which modelers are "better" and "worse". It's all very similar modeling technology of very similar amps and effects. In a blind comparison, after trying to get the Helix and Headrush as close as possible with my generic Vox tone, the Headrush sounded better to my ear. And the sound guy at my next gig asked (without knowing I had a new board) why my tone was better this week. Imagine that. I've been perfectly pleased with it. I am missing absolutely nothing from the Helix. The Helix has more stuff, but I don't need more stuff.
Your chain is remarkably similar to mine. I made the EXACT same decision for the same reasons. Many switches. The ability to make a single rig that had low, medium, and high gain. Slapback and ambient delay. Tight reverb and big reverb. All in one scene or rig, and in stomp box format.
@@DKinMN I have a Helix and more recently added a Headrush. I played a Vox AC30 for years and have to say Helix AC30 is nowhere near what I hear in a Vox. So it is no surprise to me you preferred the HEadrush for a Vox sound. I do LOVE the Helix but feel it lacks in the Vox sound...the MArshalls, really close though!
Agree 100% on Helix Native being a huge benefit. As someone who switched from Helix to Fractal, and now is back to Helix, the primary reason was Helix Native. When I'm writing/mixing in my DAW I am using Helix Native because it's a million times easier than re-amping and tweaking Fractal presets constantly. Also, if I want a wacky filter effect or something, I can find it on the Helix and spent 2 minutes dialing it to taste. On the Fractal, you can probably get that exact sound but often times you have to spend hours trying to build it from scratch. On the flipside, Fractal's IR management is leaps and bounds better, the fact that you can add a noise gate anywhere in the chain but triggered by the Input block, you have separate volume controls right on the wardware unit for the multiple outputs, etc, make me really wish Line 6 would hurry up and put out a new version
Totally agree on this. I use the Helix Native app pretty much exclusively now and the huge advantage the helix platform has over anything else at the moment is the ability to just dump the entire preset from the plugin straight into the hardware unit to play live.
I 'm a Helix to Fractal FM9. I do agree that Helix is a lot easier. However, I went to FM9 it's because I want more options and more flexibility. For one example...I can select Marshall JVM (and it sounds perfectly what we hear on the real amp). But then, if you tweak a few more buttons, suddenly...that JVM sound turns to another amp: JVM+Mesa+5153+ENGL. I'm like..."holy shit! I always thought JVM needed this certain sound, touch or feel, etc....and now, it's there. It's even better." Lol. So yes. I'll never change back to Helix. A few months ago, Fractal updated to "Gapless". and this is even better. No more GAP! 😁
The 3.5 update on the Helix line makes it a completely new unit, honestly. Before that, the cabinets weren't the easiest to get sounding good; after that update, I no longer use IRs.
Haven't found anything I can't do with my Helix yet (in 6 years). Add in Native and the constant updates (3.5 was amazing) and you just can't beat it. I will play my tube Marshall or Boogie amps for a while then pop back to the Helix and always shake my head as how good it sounds and how it just has everything. It really does deserve to be at the top.
I have had my Helix LT for a long time and have tried a few of the other modelers as well. I much prefer the UI and functionality of the Helix. I’m pretty excited to see what Line 6 does next. Hopefully the next gen Helix is slightly smaller though!
Great selection of quality products. I went with the Hotone Ampero II Stage because it basically had the Kitchen Sink. Drum machine, in depth Looper, Vocals features, 2 instrument inputs, XLR out. Good bang for the Buck product.
I'm thrilled with my GT-1000. It is certainly a little more complicated to program but once you understand how it works, it's great. It is compact and the sound change is instantaneous. It has more effects than the Quad Cortex and is of very good quality.
I am a GT-1000 user for 2 years straight, and I am happy still. There is no latency and the Boss effects need no explenation. Additionally(!) I recently compared the units cap/mic IR's against the brand new UA OX Stomp, and guess what, I returned the UA box as it did not convince me in tones. Don't get me wrong, the OX Stomp is fantastic, but not needed for a live musician running a GT-1000, totally my opinion.
Just ordered the GT1000CORE. I'm pretty stoked for it. Will be using the fx loop with ToneX one pedals (that 1ms latency). And often just on its own. Any tips?
The gt 1000 core was trash imo. The distortions absolutely sucked. And I could not get rid of this constant low hum, a problem I never had with the hx stomp. I really wanted to like it but I was totally disappointed
Also love the gt1000, especially the new Optima amp. Sounds great through fx return of amp + stereo monitors, extremely low latency too. I just wish it had a channel and input for playing backing tracks through.
@@progrob27 .3 I plug my GT1000 straight into my pc, usb out to pc, then select GT1000 in the pc audio output and my backing tracks play back through my GT1000 and whatever I have it plugged into
Hi Folks, i sold my FM3 for the Helix. It was to complicated to Change Parameters when we had an audience, with the FM3. And the Sound dosn.t work and would need a little bit adjustments and tweaking sometimes with the Band. When Fractal would allow to tweak it with an Ipad and an Editor, it would be easier but the Platform on the unit are to Complex. But the Helix allow me this to Change every Parameter to adjust easy Fix in the Situations. And i don't need the Helix editor live. This is why i sold Fractal. The Sound of the gear is awesome, but Line6 is awesome to and easier to edit for me.
I've got an HX Stomp, and Helix Native. The Stomp sits on my desk, and the learning to use the Knobs directly on the device made a big difference in my ability to dial in great sounds. I got Helix Native on sale, and being able to get something very close to the full Helix Floor experience/power in software, is mind-blowing!
Love my Axe-FX III, it is a beast and Cliff and his team is just amazing with the regular updates. The best part about it is that you can tweak every single aspect of the amps, pedals, effects…etc. It replaced a lot of my tube amps. 🤘🎩
TMP user here, in Aus I can get it for cheaper than the Fm3/9, QC and Helix, and being a previous helix owner I said why not and bought the TMP. I absolutely adore this unit, I can only see it improving, really great tones, the selection is a tad limited right now, but even if they never added another model, I’d still be happy! Well worth the money, glad to see it climbing the ranks :) thanks for the great vid guys!
Yeah same , everyone losing their shit about price when it came out but it’s the cheapest thing on the market in oz We really do get smashed on price here 🤨
In my research I chose for the ampero stomp. Reasons include: - Size - Stereo capabilities (I can run acoustic and electric separately live) - Power did not need 3000mAh only 800mAh so can easily run on power supply. - more slots than the line 6 stomp 8 vs 12. - Price, great value for money! - it has allot of stuf in it and works very smooth. It has never crashed or whatever on me. And sounds just fine for me. Amazing actually. - never hardware than a stomp and they update their software.
Here’s my ¢2 on modelers. If they are any good then you shouldn’t need any overdrive or distortion pedals. Nothing sounds better than an overdriven amp. Right? Well I have the Boss GT 1000. Instead of using my overdrive pedals (and I have more than a few) or the ones included with the unit I’ve been trying the amp models overdriven themselves. What I found is that they are better at mimicking an overdriven amp than using my pedals or those included in the models. They truly recreate the overdrive sound of the model. The British Stack has that raspiness. The Boutique is smooth and rich. The Fender Tweed (Bassman) has the boxiness we love. Forget about the pedals and use the amp models the way they were intended. I’m more than sure that the other modelers could do the same. I have a bunch of overdrive pedals and the amp models are better. If your modeler can’t do this you need to spend some time twiddling the knobs to get it right. These companies spend $$$ to get this stuff right. Use it. P.S., the Twin clean sounds absolutely fantastic.
People have been using overdrives for decades. I think you’re saying you get the same tones without using a pedal, which means either they didn’t profile the amps accurately or your input gain is higher than intended which is doing the same/similar thing as an overdrive pedal anyways. At the end of the day it’s all about the sound that comes out of your speakers so if you like it then keep doing what you’re doing 👍
ODs are great. But I agree, the test of the amp modeling should be the amp model itself. I use the Ampero II, which has clean and drive channel models of each amp. Pretty good.
@@kez850 with the GT-1000, you can set each amp model to a “low”, “medium” or “high” gain mode, so you can get overdriven tones even with your pristine clean amps depending on how you set it.
Kemper’s releasing some new Mods too. Maybe after Neural gets all their plugins ported over to the QC I’ll switch, but for now I love the functionality and sound of the Kemper.
TMP fan here. It took a lot of tweaking and the firmware updates, but it sounds killer now and provides a wide variety of tones from clean to dirty. Its good for bass and acoustic guitar too. PS - I'm using the TMP exclusively for direct recording in my studio.
You mentioned the Fractal FM9 having USB issues...? I literally just sent my unit back for repairs due to it not connecting to my computer. Two different computers wouldn't recognize the unit. I'd love to hear more info on this issue if anyone has details! Thanks
That's a shame, sorry to hear that. Ib my case the Fractals sometimes disconnect the USB when there's a power spike or fluctuation, like when I turn on or off an amp for example
I am really in a dilemma between buying a new Headrush Prime vs used Helix LT..the price here almost the same.. In your opinion after both latest firmware update.. Which one is better for me as a club gigging guitarist with various songs cover? Thank you so much in advance..
I got a Quad Cortex in May this year but switched back to the Helix now. The QC was a great device, but for me, the Helix suits my workflow better. The Helix is built like a tank and is awesome for gigging or touring due to its build quality and better power supply. For me, the Quad Cortex had some major issues: a poor external power supply with low-quality cables, not enough space between the footswitches, the Quad Cortex often freezes, and there are grounding issues when using it on stage in a case with rubber feet (you can read about this in some forums online). The Helix is an absolute game changer for me, even though it has been on the market for so long, thanks to regular updates and especially because of Helix Native. This allows me to use my sounds from the Helix directly in a DAW without needing to bring my Helix from the rehearsal room. The great thing is that today you can buy almost any amp, and they all sound fantastic!
Yeah. Headrush doesn’t deserve last. It’s the easiest to use and get good tones quickly from. If you struggle with parameter fatigue, this one is for you. Spent less time tweaking and more time rocking.
Agreed. I love the cloned amps that I have made. I also have the Ampero which I love and use the drives alot but to me I would actually switch the two on the list but I am really into the cloning which I enjoy more than I did with Kemper I owned for 5 years. BTW did I miss it or did Kemper even make the list??
Headrush might be dated, but it's the only platform that actually caters for players who are also vocalist. Yes the Ampero, QC and Helix let you plug a mic (and there are easy hack to do so even on the FM3), but if you wanna properly process voice you need a four part harmoniser and Headrush (shockingly) is the only platform offering this. One wonders why, but I lost hope on most other platforms delivering that... aside TMP - at the rate Fender is developing the unit, let's watch that space!
It’s unfortunate that Line 6 has mostly abandoned the Helix + Variax possibilities. If they introduced a new higher processing power version of the Variax, then it would be a combination capable of anything.
Very Nice. For Bass,which is the best? Helix,GT-1000,Headrush?( I need expression pedal for thus reason i don't consider QC,Fractal, Fender Tone Master)
On the topic of capturing and profiling, have you experimented much with Neural Amp Modeler? It's the most accurate I've ever used. Being able to capture my gear and use them in a plugin has been a gamechanger!
To celebrate the SEVEN YEAR anniversary of buying my beloved Axe-FX II, I finally decided to upgrade...my brand new Axe-FX III Turbo that should be here next week. Tons of stuff out there these days but I still think FAS overall leads the pack...their amps are amazing, cabs are awesome, their effects are incredible, the hardware is BEYOND track tested and proven...FAS always has been, and still is, king as far as I'm concerned. The only shortcoming they have is their screen on the front, but honestly...if you're not controlling the thing over usb, I have no idea what you're doing anyway. lol
Ive a question. Helix floor owner. I never really clicked with the icon thing. The TMP is so pretty and looks easier to me. Quick vote. TMP or Helix. My helix is pretty much unused from new
Sold the crappy Headrush Prime for the Fender, huge upgrade and no regrets. And I agree with you the presets and captures are way more realistic and the Fender is much more user friendly without a pc than your top 3. The quality of the assembly is also outstanding.
When I first bought my Helix a few years ago, it underwhelmed me. But after all the updates, it is totally loveable ! Got Native recently and Softube Marshall too.The BOSS GT1000 Core is truly great too.
I use a red line 6 pod go and have been happy with the results being able to use third party IR's. I believe if you have good drum tones that you can craft great usable guitar and bass tones around that using the deep editing software in any modeler.
I got a hottone stomp after watching something John cordy was playing with it. it sounds as good to me as a lot of the nural dsp plugins I have. Only thing is octaver not great. But I have a lot of pedals anyway so this just fits in well.
I’m currently running a Tone Master Pro. I’m not a professional musician, but I do play a lot for my own enjoyment. I initially found the TMP a bit lacking, but I got some York Audio IRs and this thing came ALIVE. You can get just about any tone you want from this thing with the supplied amps with the right IR. I just found the stock cabs to feel a bit hollow to my ear. Again, I’m not a professional musician gigging this thing or making a living, but I do love the interface and a few IRs just made this thing my go to. For reference, I also use IK multimedia with an AXE I/O one. I really like that software and interface, but using a MIDI controller for effects and switching is a bit annoying to me. The TMP solved this issue with great tones and its extremely useful friendly interface. I currently have a Neural Quad Cortex heading to me to test out. I’ll see how that goes. To the dude on the left; if I, as a non professional, can use my own money to buy these things, so can you. Stop trying to hustle companies for free shit and put your own money up for your content.
I have a Headrush pedal board and I had a Helix. I tried to use the Helix and I really tried to like it, I really did but after using the Headrush and the Helix I can say that the Helix does not do downtune as well as the Headrush.. Because of that I sold my Helix. Downtune is one effect that I use all the time and it needs to be good..I look at it like this I would rather have a few really great effects than every effect especially when they are not great.. the other thing is the Headrush has a looper that allows you to save loops for later use.. good luck doing that on a Helix.. Headrush has a hard drive that allows for me to save hours and hours of loops. I'm very happy with my Headrush pedal board.
TMP user here, it’s a beast and changed my entire workflow. Love it. The rest of the gear on this list is equally awesome. How great is being a guitarist in 2024?
Lots of good ones out there. Had a QC and sold it simply because they were super slow with things. QC sounds great and is super fast to dial things in. Have the Tonex and Kemper Stage but I find myself playing the Kemper far more simply because time spent dialing things in and it does it all. Once you make or find the profiles that work for you it's just fantastic and I do love it. With that said if someone already has pedals they love the Tonex is an easy choice here and super affordable and a can't miss choice.
Can you guys maybe turn the devices ON when explaining the screens and what you see and how the buttons/knobs work?? Idk….just seems like that would be obvious ESPECIALLY when ranking all the devices.
I love my headrush core, but I should have gone for something with more switches. So here I am, wondering if I just wanna get a midi switch or actually get an upgrade. This video should be helpful!
I have one question about the Line6 Helix, Everytime they come with a new update there has always been problems with the Boot failure, What is your solution for this problem and how can we fix this problem if we have been facing boot failure issues currently and in the future updates? Thankyou
@@gauravlama2079 Just follow the instruction on the HX Edit when updating. To the tea that is. And the booting takes longer when first updated cuz Helix has to rebuild all the factory presets so wait it out. That's it. Helix is a solid unit with not much issues at the software side of it. I'm running into hardware issues now such as footswitches not registering and double registering.
I own a Headrush pedalboard and I think it sounds great. Easy to use bad thing is i can’t update it so my next purchase will probably be the fender tone pro. No more Headrush. Also I used to have the pod go and I preferred the Headrush way more. Don’t think Headrush should be last on this list.
Great video, I appreciate the comparison, now days with so many different units and options it’s hard to keep up. Currently on my board I’m using the HX fx as a controller for other pedals and for sounds as well, I also have the HX floor and the stomp xl, certainly the workflow using line 6 products is hard to beat, amazing quality and customer service, and they constantly bring new updates with more options and better sound. The only thing I don’t agree with is with your placement of the Headrush. I would have set them in 4th place. And like you said really it’s easy to set any of the top three as number 1. Great review. Thank you 😊🙏🏼
I'm in the market for a multi effects pedal. I like the idea of being able to rearrange the order and parallel different effects, etc. Call be weird but I am not, oddly enough, really interested in the IR's or amp modelling. So, my question then, is this... Is there a good multi effects processor out there that has a ton of great features at a decent price (like the Valeton GP-200) that focuses more on the effects and less on the IR's and amp modelling?
Man, the Helix on it's own is up to 2024 standards. This thing is just NUTS, especially after you really get over the learning curve. I just discovered the joys of the Global EQ and I wish I had've known about it when I first got it. Dialing in the stock cabs has been a dream since. I don't need IRs, for sure. Maybe some people will wanna start with IRs, but I'll be another person on the Helix that will tell everyone that they are COMPLETELY unnecessary to get the Helix sounding great, without any doubt in my mind. I can a/b between the best IRs and the Helix cabs and they run neck and neck, especially if you know what to do with the Global EQ.
I’ve had helix native since it came out but I’ve never tried the hardware. Compared to my axfx3 I think it sounds and feels terrible and it’s hard to get a convincing sound even with the same IR. Anyone that has both have you found the hardware to be any better? I like the was the unit looks and they are a good deal used and want one in my collection but not if it’s not even a slight improvement to native. Perhaps the dedicated input stage would help like it does on the axfx3?
I found my Headrush MX5 was immediately great for cleans but it sucked for metal tones. Using a tubescreamer before and an EQ pedal after the amp changed everything for most of the amp models. I enjoy it almost as much as my Fractal FM3.... Its just takes more work to get good tones. Buying the full sized Headrush products over Helix/Fractal doesnt make a ton of sense though (imo).
I am sorry to mention, that the Mooer GE1000 and GE300 is a better product than the Hotone Ampero 2. I wish you would say something about these products are great. I have both of them and i run them both.
I just got them both. I think they both sound great, but the Li version of the GE1000 is awesome. Why can’t they all run off battery? Even the hotone Mini should at least be able to do that with it’s size!
The TMP. I'm Gen Xer, and Fractal blew chunks, and the others that need a computer to really dial in. The TMP does all of it on board. Need the computer for the updates and walk away. Had mine for a year now. At first, I felt hosed. First update, meh. Second update did a lot and this unit came to life. Using the SLO 100 with 2 cabs wet and dry. Love it.
On the Fender Tone Master can you copy your own amps like Kemper and the Axe III and Quad Cortex? I heard the Fractal FM9 cannot copy or capture your own amps.
ok here's a question to you @SDS... seeing all those HAF amps behind you and all the modelers... when not working for youtube or anything.., what do you use for jamming around? real amp,, modeler or amp sim?
I had the PodGo and quickly learned that I don't want to spend my free (guitar playing) time turning knobs. Sold it and just got the ToneX, it took me one day to set up 30 presets from clean to heavy distortion, goes after my modulation effects, and done. AxeFx looks quite nice if you are a pro that can spend 10 hours a day surrounded by guitars and have a roadie.
Finding the right Amp Modeler is hard enough with all the differing opinions. Even working with Sweetwater and others who sell the devices all have varying opinions within their own store. Here is a good example too. I just saw your video on Hotone stage where you didn't see much of a difference in the quality of the tones on Hotone and Neural yet you were slightly less than excited over it on this video. I would love to 'hear' on the videos some tones clean and dirty side by side with the same setting as possible on all those devices. I know much of it is subjective but it might help everyone individually make their minds up.
I'm in the process of choosing a modeller, and have seen comparisons of HX Stomp and Ampero Stage, and the Ampero seems to have much more going for it than the Helix with comparable if not better sounds. These guys seem to disregard it though. Is it because it's Chinese, or is it because they weren't sent a free one ? Still can't make my bloody mind up. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. 😫
@@winstonsmith8240 For my 2 cents is looking at the Valeton GP=200jr. I gone through a bunch of Helix stomps and sold them. I spend more time tweaking tones than playing my guitar. Plus 'for me' the tones didn't excite me. Then I tried Tonex. Same situation. I saw a video by Andertons on Valeton. ruclips.net/video/W1zHjl9e9yk/видео.html It had more things such as drum machine, Looper and has a great screen with expression pedal. All of that for about $500. The pre set tones are much more useable and can be tweaked a little if wanted. You have software thats easy to use and install. You also can get from 3rd parties great patches. I look at it as a great start and if I get more serious I'll go all the way for a Neural. The Valeton is just a great option and the tones are easy to dial in. I like it far more than the other two I mentioned.
@@winstonsmith8240 I can only give you my opinion. I've tried Helix Stomps and spent more time tweaking than playing and really never found what I wanted. After buying and selling 3 of them I stopped. Then I tried Tonex. Same thing. So I was going to save up for a Neural DSP. I came across a video from Andertons. They thought a Chinese made modeler "Valeton CP-200 Jr." was great. I bought one on sale. (They also make Hotone ampero) It is by FAR the easiest to play. A number of the presets were useable. Sturdy and quality build. It has a built in expression pedal, looper and tuner. All for a little less than a Helix Stomp. I'm have more fun with it than the others I purchased. Easy to tweak presets and they have 3rd party IRs and presets that sound great. All I can tell you is I like it a lot and it satisfies my itch for Modeling. Maybe it's the first step for going all the way but it's a great first step. ruclips.net/video/C-CDBGFaycs/видео.html Hope it helps
Great to meet you guys at Gear Street! I have Hx Stomp, Fractal FM3, QC, Kemper and Tonex. One big plus I have found with the kemper it that the same hardware has improved massively with software over a long period of time. That just doesnt happen that much anymore. Honestly, I find the Kemper more accurate than the tonex, but love the tonex for size and on pedal board dropping. Never been attracted to the headrush, dont know why, must have been asleep that day. Love my QC.
Always appreciate a re-evaluation video like this. I have had most of the modelers on this list with exception to the fractal stuff. I ended up sticking with the quad cortex mainly because I use a lot of their plugins and kept my fingers crossed for when plugin compatibility became a thing! The current plugins are absolutely phenomenal by the way you should absolutely mess around with them more or do some full videos on them they certainly warrant a good look!
I use the Helix, Tonex and Kemper and actually don’t use the amps on the Helix much. Their effects are sweet. I 4 wire the Kemper to the Helix and have even started playing with the Tonex as send return to a Helix amp spot. The Helix has the I/O I need in a studio, but you need room for this thing. I am close to moving it to another room and getting the HX Stomp and live with less I/O options. I have odd Guitar amps from the late 80’s and an expensive Bass rig setup that I profile and want to capture. Nano Cortex has to be more simple than Tonex capture or the Kemper profiling, so that is a thought to those who need an easy box to capture an amp, etc.
Another unique thing about the helix is the integration with Variax guitars. Insanely useful for playing live. Instead of bringing 3-4 guitars with different tunings, and acoustic guitar, and a sitar (paint it black) i just bring the Variax. Different presets/snap shots reconfigure the Varaix for each song. The electric guitar models are just OK sounding, and the 12 string models are just weird sounding, but the acoustic models and the sitar sound very good.
I can't agree with you about Headrush. Just because you struggle with sound doesn't mean it deserves to be last. I bought Headrush Prime after being a Line6 fanboy for years. Headrush is great. Amplifiers sound organic, in my opinion slightly better than Helix. Effects are good, there is AMP CLONE wich is a big deal. With high-quality IR, you can get a sound that's second to none. By the way, I'm selling the Line6 POD GO!
Helix also has Powercab and Variax integration. I agree with your top three but would reorder them based on flexibility and tone for live guitar use: FM9, Quad Cortex, Helix. FM9 has the best tones, footswitch layouts, gapless switching, and deep editing of amp and effect models. This puts it at the top for me. But I'm keeping and using all three for different purposes.
I’ve had them all, favourite is the QC, especially now the effects are excellent. My Engl & 5150 captures are spot on and flawless. Perfect piece of equipment
Question: I'm in need of a new practice/home amp... I'm feeling overwhelmed by all the choices, but not being able to really "demo" them in my area. I am a Mesa Rectifier lover, but cannot afford anything like that. I tried the latest 5150 1x12 combo amp which is really great, but I prefer the mesa/SLO 100 tones for my lead work.. I'm a Steve Vai lover ...and a old era Metallica/Dream Theater lover. What would you suggest that's less than around $1,000 that will give that classic Rectifier heavy metal rhythm tone, but allow me to get the more buttery, searing Vai lead tones that also pushes alot of air like the 5150 does, and doesn't sound like a cheap modeler toy. Does that exist? I've tried Line 6 (hated), I've tried Fender Mustangs (not bad, but not good), I had a Vox tube hybrid that was "alright".... but nothing pushes air like that 5150 combo. It makes me feel like the 5150 is a bonafide, real amplifier, and the others are just cheap toys... it's a huge "resonate in your chest" sort of presence the the others just don't give. Would you think getting the 5150 combo for the real "oomph" is the thing to do, and then just add pre-pedals to get your overall tonal character (like Vai, or And Justice Metallica)? Or is there an all in one modeler/hybrid/combo solution that gives higher quality?
Any modeler of this list get you where you want. The 5150 is actually very similar to the Mesa boogie with the proper equalization (it has much more gain, and more trebble, and Mids, if you scoope the sound it will be very similar to a dual rect, the pre amp of both are very similar, both based on the Soldano SLO). But keep in mind the Cab or IR you use makes MUCH more difference than the amp itself. I love the 5150 because it`s like a blank canvas for tone, you can make it sould from a marshall to a Dual Rectifier, depending on eq and IR. I can sound like Randy Rhoads to Panetera, to Periphery to a Worship tone just changing the IR You can get an Ampero or HX stomp and a FRFR cab, if price is the problem. The 5150 combo is good but try to see the Speakers it has and compare the sound of the speaker you like. The speaker and Cab make more difference than the amp.
Got the Ampero Stage to replace my Tonex pedal and I dont think thats going to happen soon, Ampero sounds thin and needs a lot of EQ to get it to sound right, my main complain is with Chorus effect, it sounds like a flanger, and with the RTN/Send it colors the tone way too much... I'm amazed how no one has complain about it. So as the masochistic I am, currently making them both work.
I feel like Fractal and Quad Cortex is like a Windows computer, and a Helix is like a MacBook, meaning I feel the MacBook is modern style interface, and ease of use, where the other two are for people who wanna deep dive and program and have more control unlocked
Good info. Nice work. A couple comments. I'm a huge BOSS GTK fan for many reasons. Every patch has a ton of editability. Typically done on an IPAD and not on the unit. The BOSS effects are killer. It does have killer amps but you have to pay attention to the overall level through the whole chain. Most don't do this. So, I would say it's more tempermental than others. Where it really shines is in a "hybrid" environment in 4cm configuration. Sub outs to FOH and outputs to amps. So real amps (preamp and power amp) can be leveraged and BOSS amp models can be used.
I've owned both the Headrush Gigboard and the Pod Go for years now. Honestly the Headrush sounds much better to me when it comes to getting a decent sound for home recording than the pod go. The Pod Go has a much larger set of Metal Amps to choose from but they have issues when it comes to getting a useable high end and low end for saturated tones. The Headrush has its problems to. The 5150 model in the Headrush doesn't sound or work like a 5150 at all. You have to play a game with the president gain and post gain to get a useable tone but the Mark 2c+, Slo 100 and Dual recto models are easy to use and sound great.
Using a kemper for years and I know why. It is still the best unit and the fx are outstanding meanwhile. I also use a nux mg30 as a backup. Check that budget thing out, it has an IR loader and the sounds are not bad for the bucks. Miss some tiny functions there but for 280€ it is a funny thing to play with. Software for desktop included.
How come Fractal having updates all the time can be a drawback? If you like your sound and are afraid of it just don't update it, Fractal gives you this choice at least
And good morning gentleman. What a nice Vid. Dan/Jon. I think your visit showed us what great guy Jon is. Well i think the writing is on the wall. It looks like this platform of amp is slowly creeping in, in lieu of traditional guitar amplifiers. Kind of sad that eventually all amps will end up as a ICON on a display somewhere, but it is the way of the world. My question to you gentleman is, on average how long do you figure it takes to learn and pretty much master using digital modeling amps to get to the 'okay I'm done -it's time to play mode'? Or do you constantly fiddle with the programming? I would probably get impatient myself.. but then again i'm old:)). Thoughts on that?
Depends. If you're like me, I spent maybe a half hour dialing in a preset on my TMP. I very rarely play any other preset. I found "my" sound, I'm good...
@@SonicDriveStudio that's what's biting a lot of beginners in the ass when they start using a modeler. people tell me all the time that helix has a huge learning curve, but the issue isn't helix, the issue is that helix gives you access to a ton of gear that they wouldn't be able to properly set up in real life either. what works with real gear works pretty much the same with a modeller. so if you know what gear to use and how to set it up for the sound you're going for, it's easy to just do the same in helix. but if you come from 4 years of playing a marshall mg30 with two pedals, and have never recorded an amp in real life, i can definitely see how you can get lost when you suddenly have access to all that gear, whether it's real or modelled. the mistake many of those people make is blaming it on the modeller instead of their own skills and knowledge...
At this point, you can`t really go wrong with any of the "top-tier" devices. They all have pros and cons. But you have to choose what YOU like. I`ve been using modelers since way back when, but my first really good experience was with the Helix. A great unit till this day, but when it comes to amp sounds , it is nowhere near the QC or the Fractal.(Just my opinion 😉)
When you say, it comes to AMP SOUND and it's "nowhere near the QC or the Fractal," I'm assuming you have all THREE modelers to make that conclusion, right ($1700 x 3 = $5100)? Be careful telling people that if you haven't owned QC and/or Fractal. I've been watching Helix since 2011 - 2022 in RUclips and I finally pulled the trigger and it only last me 3 weeks. I returned mine back to Sweetwater. It was another year (2023) and I got into Fractal waitlist. To me, "SOUND" itself is beyond my Helix. So....be careful posting the wrong info if you have not have REAL experience and own them.
@@heut4384 I have experience with all 3 units. Sold my helix,had it for years. . Currently have the QC and a fm3 turbo. Also have had a bunch of tube amps. Dont give flying fuck what you may think i do or do not own. I have 30+ years of guitar playing experience and belive it or not CAN afford high-end gear. The helix is a great device,but qc and fractal are in my opinion better.
@@heut4384 I played a helix for years, now i have a QC and a fm3 turbo. I have been playing guitar for 30+ years. Owned a bunch of tube amps through the years. Who are YOU to tell me anything? I have experience with all 3 units. DO YOU?
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0:00 Intro
1:07 What are we going todo today
2:38 Nothing todo with companies paying
3:33 Disclamer
4:15 ToneX not included
6:51 One more thing
7:57 8 - Prime by HeadRush
10:35 7 - GT-1000 by Boss
13:36 6 - Amperium Live by St. Rock
15:35 5 - Ampero II Stage by Hotone
17:38 4 - Tone Master Pro by Fender
21:43 3 - Quad Cortex by Neural DSP
25:58 2 - FM9 by Fractal
38:58 1 - Helix by Line 6
41:20 Outro
Great job!
Thx, man, for the effort 👍
As a professional musician with many different gigs every week (in France), I chose a HeadRush Prime for several reasons. I knew it wasn't the best of all, but that wasn't a big deal. I needed a tough board with many switches with a large gap between them, an expression pedal, two different signal paths, IRs, and amp sims from others. Plus, Bluetooth and the vocal signal path were necessary for a few events.
The HeadRush Prime was the only one that met all my requirements. I worked on one preset for about 3 or 4 months to find the right sound.
Today, I use it almost every day, in many situations, both indoors and outdoors. I play many different kinds of songs with one rig.
Guitar > Gate > Wah > Pitch > OD 1 > OD 2 > Dist > Amp 1 > Amp 2 > EQ 1 > Dim D > EQ 2 > Slapback > Delay 2 > Spring Reverb > Console.
I don't use any amp sims from the unit.
One and a half years later and after more than 100 shows, I still don't regret my purchase.
In the studio, I've worked a bit with Neural DSP, but it's a bit too synthetic for my ears (SLO 100, Mesa, and Archetypes). Sometimes, I use UAD ones. Otherwise, I use my HeadRush Prime.
And I've had a lot of good feedback about my tone.
Good luck if you need support from the brand (or communications of what's to come), or expect firmware updates. HeadRush is the absolute worst brand in that respect.
@@DebowyMocnyWe just got a firmware update last week, friend.
I owned the Helix and Headrush. I kept the Headrush. People are being entirely brand loyal and frankly snobby in their judgments of which modelers are "better" and "worse". It's all very similar modeling technology of very similar amps and effects. In a blind comparison, after trying to get the Helix and Headrush as close as possible with my generic Vox tone, the Headrush sounded better to my ear. And the sound guy at my next gig asked (without knowing I had a new board) why my tone was better this week. Imagine that.
I've been perfectly pleased with it. I am missing absolutely nothing from the Helix. The Helix has more stuff, but I don't need more stuff.
Your chain is remarkably similar to mine. I made the EXACT same decision for the same reasons. Many switches. The ability to make a single rig that had low, medium, and high gain. Slapback and ambient delay. Tight reverb and big reverb. All in one scene or rig, and in stomp box format.
@@DKinMN I have a Helix and more recently added a Headrush. I played a Vox AC30 for years and have to say Helix AC30 is nowhere near what I hear in a Vox. So it is no surprise to me you preferred the HEadrush for a Vox sound. I do LOVE the Helix but feel it lacks in the Vox sound...the MArshalls, really close though!
Agree 100% on Helix Native being a huge benefit. As someone who switched from Helix to Fractal, and now is back to Helix, the primary reason was Helix Native. When I'm writing/mixing in my DAW I am using Helix Native because it's a million times easier than re-amping and tweaking Fractal presets constantly. Also, if I want a wacky filter effect or something, I can find it on the Helix and spent 2 minutes dialing it to taste. On the Fractal, you can probably get that exact sound but often times you have to spend hours trying to build it from scratch. On the flipside, Fractal's IR management is leaps and bounds better, the fact that you can add a noise gate anywhere in the chain but triggered by the Input block, you have separate volume controls right on the wardware unit for the multiple outputs, etc, make me really wish Line 6 would hurry up and put out a new version
This 100%. I wish Fractal had plugins 😔
Totally agree on this. I use the Helix Native app pretty much exclusively now and the huge advantage the helix platform has over anything else at the moment is the ability to just dump the entire preset from the plugin straight into the hardware unit to play live.
I 'm a Helix to Fractal FM9. I do agree that Helix is a lot easier. However, I went to FM9 it's because I want more options and more flexibility. For one example...I can select Marshall JVM (and it sounds perfectly what we hear on the real amp). But then, if you tweak a few more buttons, suddenly...that JVM sound turns to another amp: JVM+Mesa+5153+ENGL. I'm like..."holy shit! I always thought JVM needed this certain sound, touch or feel, etc....and now, it's there. It's even better." Lol. So yes. I'll never change back to Helix. A few months ago, Fractal updated to "Gapless". and this is even better. No more GAP! 😁
Sidechain noise gate would be such a nice thing to have in Helix world.
@@yikeluthe helix does have noise gates. You even have one in the input settings
I think Line 6's major update on the cabinets and microphones was awesome. Now it's easier to get different tones out of it.
The 3.5 update on the Helix line makes it a completely new unit, honestly. Before that, the cabinets weren't the easiest to get sounding good; after that update, I no longer use IRs.
Same here.
Haven't downloaded a single IR since 3.5.
Me neither. The new Helix cabs and mics are fantastic
Haven't found anything I can't do with my Helix yet (in 6 years). Add in Native and the constant updates (3.5 was amazing) and you just can't beat it. I will play my tube Marshall or Boogie amps for a while then pop back to the Helix and always shake my head as how good it sounds and how it just has everything. It really does deserve to be at the top.
I have had my Helix LT for a long time and have tried a few of the other modelers as well. I much prefer the UI and functionality of the Helix.
I’m pretty excited to see what Line 6 does next. Hopefully the next gen Helix is slightly smaller though!
Great selection of quality products. I went with the Hotone Ampero II Stage because it basically had the Kitchen Sink. Drum machine, in depth Looper, Vocals features, 2 instrument inputs, XLR out. Good bang for the Buck product.
How are the tones vs other models you looked at?
I'm thrilled with my GT-1000. It is certainly a little more complicated to program but once you understand how it works, it's great. It is compact and the sound change is instantaneous. It has more effects than the Quad Cortex and is of very good quality.
I am a GT-1000 user for 2 years straight, and I am happy still. There is no latency and the Boss effects need no explenation. Additionally(!) I recently compared the units cap/mic IR's against the brand new UA OX Stomp, and guess what, I returned the UA box as it did not convince me in tones. Don't get me wrong, the OX Stomp is fantastic, but not needed for a live musician running a GT-1000, totally my opinion.
Just ordered the GT1000CORE. I'm pretty stoked for it. Will be using the fx loop with ToneX one pedals (that 1ms latency). And often just on its own. Any tips?
The gt 1000 core was trash imo. The distortions absolutely sucked. And I could not get rid of this constant low hum, a problem I never had with the hx stomp. I really wanted to like it but I was totally disappointed
Also love the gt1000, especially the new Optima amp. Sounds great through fx return of amp + stereo monitors, extremely low latency too. I just wish it had a channel and input for playing backing tracks through.
@@progrob27 .3
I plug my GT1000 straight into my pc, usb out to pc, then select GT1000 in the pc audio output and my backing tracks play back through my GT1000 and whatever I have it plugged into
Hi Folks, i sold my FM3 for the Helix. It was to complicated to Change Parameters when we had an audience, with the FM3. And the Sound dosn.t work and would need a little bit adjustments and tweaking sometimes with the Band.
When Fractal would allow to tweak it with an Ipad and an Editor, it would be easier but the Platform on the unit are to Complex.
But the Helix allow me this to Change every Parameter to adjust easy Fix in the Situations. And i don't need the Helix editor live.
This is why i sold Fractal. The Sound of the gear is awesome, but Line6 is awesome to and easier to edit for me.
Did you use the "perform pages"? They make it super simple to tweak parameters on the unit during a gig.
TMP has desktop app as well as iOS and Android apps for full wireless editing over Bluetooth on phones and tablets.
Thanks for mentioning that! That's awesome!
I've got an HX Stomp, and Helix Native. The Stomp sits on my desk, and the learning to use the Knobs directly on the device made a big difference in my ability to dial in great sounds. I got Helix Native on sale, and being able to get something very close to the full Helix Floor experience/power in software, is mind-blowing!
Love my Axe-FX III, it is a beast and Cliff and his team is just amazing with the regular updates. The best part about it is that you can tweak every single aspect of the amps, pedals, effects…etc. It replaced a lot of my tube amps. 🤘🎩
Nothing compares to the Axe-fx in my opinion. I've had them all (almost) and none of them were as flexible or sounded as good.
Great video guys...I recently got a Helix floor after using Native for a couple years...been loving it.
TMP user here, in Aus I can get it for cheaper than the Fm3/9, QC and Helix, and being a previous helix owner I said why not and bought the TMP. I absolutely adore this unit, I can only see it improving, really great tones, the selection is a tad limited right now, but even if they never added another model, I’d still be happy! Well worth the money, glad to see it climbing the ranks :) thanks for the great vid guys!
Yeah same , everyone losing their shit about price when it came out but it’s the cheapest thing on the market in oz
We really do get smashed on price here 🤨
In my research I chose for the ampero stomp. Reasons include:
- Size
- Stereo capabilities (I can run acoustic and electric separately live)
- Power did not need 3000mAh only 800mAh so can easily run on power supply.
- more slots than the line 6 stomp 8 vs 12.
- Price, great value for money!
- it has allot of stuf in it and works very smooth. It has never crashed or whatever on me. And sounds just fine for me. Amazing actually.
- never hardware than a stomp and they update their software.
It's probably my favorite. That's what I want to buy!
Here’s my ¢2 on modelers. If they are any good then you shouldn’t need any overdrive or distortion pedals. Nothing sounds better than an overdriven amp. Right?
Well I have the Boss GT 1000. Instead of using my overdrive pedals (and I have more than a few) or the ones included with the unit I’ve been trying the amp models overdriven themselves. What I found is that they are better at mimicking an overdriven amp than using my pedals or those included in the models. They truly recreate the overdrive sound of the model. The British Stack has that raspiness. The Boutique is smooth and rich. The Fender Tweed (Bassman) has the boxiness we love. Forget about the pedals and use the amp models the way they were intended. I’m more than sure that the other modelers could do the same.
I have a bunch of overdrive pedals and the amp models are better. If your modeler can’t do this you need to spend some time twiddling the knobs to get it right. These companies spend $$$ to get this stuff right. Use it.
P.S., the Twin clean sounds absolutely fantastic.
People have been using overdrives for decades. I think you’re saying you get the same tones without using a pedal, which means either they didn’t profile the amps accurately or your input gain is higher than intended which is doing the same/similar thing as an overdrive pedal anyways.
At the end of the day it’s all about the sound that comes out of your speakers so if you like it then keep doing what you’re doing 👍
I've heard this said before I think I need to give this a shot❤
@@kez850 Overdrive pedals were developed to mimic the sound of an overdriven amp?
ODs are great. But I agree, the test of the amp modeling should be the amp model itself. I use the Ampero II, which has clean and drive channel models of each amp. Pretty good.
@@kez850 with the GT-1000, you can set each amp model to a “low”, “medium” or “high” gain mode, so you can get overdriven tones even with your pristine clean amps depending on how you set it.
still a Kemper fan,but i really enjoy the QC,Fractal and Tonex
Kemper’s releasing some new Mods too. Maybe after Neural gets all their plugins ported over to the QC I’ll switch, but for now I love the functionality and sound of the Kemper.
TMP fan here. It took a lot of tweaking and the firmware updates, but it sounds killer now and provides a wide variety of tones from clean to dirty. Its good for bass and acoustic guitar too. PS - I'm using the TMP exclusively for direct recording in my studio.
Fender TMP user here, couldn’t be happier playing guitar. Also had the fm9 turbo and it’s a beast.
You mentioned the Fractal FM9 having USB issues...? I literally just sent my unit back for repairs due to it not connecting to my computer. Two different computers wouldn't recognize the unit. I'd love to hear more info on this issue if anyone has details! Thanks
That's a shame, sorry to hear that. Ib my case the Fractals sometimes disconnect the USB when there's a power spike or fluctuation, like when I turn on or off an amp for example
I am really in a dilemma between buying a new Headrush Prime vs used Helix LT..the price here almost the same..
In your opinion after both latest firmware update..
Which one is better for me as a club gigging guitarist with various songs cover?
Thank you so much in advance..
I got a Quad Cortex in May this year but switched back to the Helix now. The QC was a great device, but for me, the Helix suits my workflow better. The Helix is built like a tank and is awesome for gigging or touring due to its build quality and better power supply. For me, the Quad Cortex had some major issues: a poor external power supply with low-quality cables, not enough space between the footswitches, the Quad Cortex often freezes, and there are grounding issues when using it on stage in a case with rubber feet (you can read about this in some forums online).
The Helix is an absolute game changer for me, even though it has been on the market for so long, thanks to regular updates and especially because of Helix Native. This allows me to use my sounds from the Helix directly in a DAW without needing to bring my Helix from the rehearsal room.
The great thing is that today you can buy almost any amp, and they all sound fantastic!
Upgrading power supply to high end regulated one solves QC problems. Ifi elite good examples. Grounded, extreme low noise, etc
I use Helix for weddings and hotel gigs. It’s never let me down with my Stratocaster. I love how organic the amp models sound.
What do you play it through?
@@Chadabaddaythe PA
Yeah. Headrush doesn’t deserve last. It’s the easiest to use and get good tones quickly from. If you struggle with parameter fatigue, this one is for you. Spent less time tweaking and more time rocking.
Agreed. I love the cloned amps that I have made. I also have the Ampero which I love and use the drives alot but to me I would actually switch the two on the list but I am really into the cloning which I enjoy more than I did with Kemper I owned for 5 years. BTW did I miss it or did Kemper even make the list??
If only IK Multimedia released a tonex multi-effect with more banks, effects, expression pedal and let us take best of both worlds.
It comes...don't worry 🙂↕️
Helix! The best purchase I ever had… I was using a big analog pedalboard… I don’t know why I didn’t tried the Helix before… no way back.
Headrush might be dated, but it's the only platform that actually caters for players who are also vocalist. Yes the Ampero, QC and Helix let you plug a mic (and there are easy hack to do so even on the FM3), but if you wanna properly process voice you need a four part harmoniser and Headrush (shockingly) is the only platform offering this. One wonders why, but I lost hope on most other platforms delivering that... aside TMP - at the rate Fender is developing the unit, let's watch that space!
You can also do that on the QC.
The harmonizer block gives you two additional voices and you can run up to 4 of those blocks in parallel.
Yeah I’m hoping TM bring some dedicated vocal effects in an upcoming update
The headrush core isn't even a year old yet I don't think
It’s unfortunate that Line 6 has mostly abandoned the Helix + Variax possibilities. If they introduced a new higher processing power version of the Variax, then it would be a combination capable of anything.
I agree. Stepping on a switch to a new amp/effects AND guitar and pickup combination is amazing. And acoustic tones too.
Wait until the helix goes into the used market more, then theyll RnD that for you :)
I love the amp and effect models of the hotone ampero. Zero issues.
Very Nice.
For Bass,which is the best?
Helix,GT-1000,Headrush?( I need expression pedal for thus reason i don't consider QC,Fractal, Fender Tone Master)
My 2 favorite tubers in 1 video. Awesome! Keep it going guys, keep it going.👍👍
Cheers mate!!
Hello sir, is there a chance for you to compare between Valeton GP200 with NUX MG30 etc ? Thank you sir
I got a used GT-1000 for $450 and integrated the ToneX pedal in the loop. It's fricken awesome.
On the topic of capturing and profiling, have you experimented much with Neural Amp Modeler? It's the most accurate I've ever used. Being able to capture my gear and use them in a plugin has been a gamechanger!
To celebrate the SEVEN YEAR anniversary of buying my beloved Axe-FX II, I finally decided to upgrade...my brand new Axe-FX III Turbo that should be here next week. Tons of stuff out there these days but I still think FAS overall leads the pack...their amps are amazing, cabs are awesome, their effects are incredible, the hardware is BEYOND track tested and proven...FAS always has been, and still is, king as far as I'm concerned. The only shortcoming they have is their screen on the front, but honestly...if you're not controlling the thing over usb, I have no idea what you're doing anyway. lol
Ive a question. Helix floor owner. I never really clicked with the icon thing. The TMP is so pretty and looks easier to me. Quick vote. TMP or Helix. My helix is pretty much unused from new
Sold the crappy Headrush Prime for the Fender, huge upgrade and no regrets. And I agree with you the presets and captures are way more realistic and the Fender is much more user friendly without a pc than your top 3. The quality of the assembly is also outstanding.
I sold my headrush for the TMP as well. No regret. I love the unit and the support from fender.
Crazy comment. Fender doesn't compare to the Core.
The Headrush always sound like garbage to me...
When I first bought my Helix a few years ago, it underwhelmed me.
But after all the updates, it is totally loveable ! Got Native recently and Softube Marshall too.The BOSS GT1000 Core is truly great too.
I use a red line 6 pod go and have been happy with the results being able to use third party IR's.
I believe if you have good drum tones that you can craft great usable guitar and bass tones around that using the deep editing software in any modeler.
I got a hottone stomp after watching something John cordy was playing with it. it sounds as good to me as a lot of the nural dsp plugins I have. Only thing is octaver not great. But I have a lot of pedals anyway so this just fits in well.
Is the pitch/octaver better on the stage 2 than the stomp or same thing?
I’m currently running a Tone Master Pro. I’m not a professional musician, but I do play a lot for my own enjoyment. I initially found the TMP a bit lacking, but I got some York Audio IRs and this thing came ALIVE. You can get just about any tone you want from this thing with the supplied amps with the right IR. I just found the stock cabs to feel a bit hollow to my ear. Again, I’m not a professional musician gigging this thing or making a living, but I do love the interface and a few IRs just made this thing my go to.
For reference, I also use IK multimedia with an AXE I/O one. I really like that software and interface, but using a MIDI controller for effects and switching is a bit annoying to me. The TMP solved this issue with great tones and its extremely useful friendly interface.
I currently have a Neural Quad Cortex heading to me to test out. I’ll see how that goes.
To the dude on the left; if I, as a non professional, can use my own money to buy these things, so can you. Stop trying to hustle companies for free shit and put your own money up for your content.
Nice comparison, what should i choose from using ME80 to others modellers ? Thank you
I have a Headrush pedal board and I had a Helix. I tried to use the Helix and I really tried to like it, I really did but after using the Headrush and the Helix I can say that the Helix does not do downtune as well as the Headrush.. Because of that I sold my Helix. Downtune is one effect that I use all the time and it needs to be good..I look at it like this I would rather have a few really great effects than every effect especially when they are not great.. the other thing is the Headrush has a looper that allows you to save loops for later use.. good luck doing that on a Helix.. Headrush has a hard drive that allows for me to save hours and hours of loops. I'm very happy with my Headrush pedal board.
Did you try the PolyCapo effect?
I‘m not that deep into the modeler game but I‘m having a lot of fun with the ToneX One lately. Better late then never! 😅
Thank you very much indeed for your choice tu put Helix at number one! I'm very happy about it!
TMP user here, it’s a beast and changed my entire workflow. Love it. The rest of the gear on this list is equally awesome. How great is being a guitarist in 2024?
What about Kemper?
Does my Gibbo SG into my Blues Junior iv count? Thought not! I got a Sonicake Matribox ii 2 days ago. It's a lot of fun and some very useable sounds.
Lots of good ones out there. Had a QC and sold it simply because they were super slow with things. QC sounds great and is super fast to dial things in. Have the Tonex and Kemper Stage but I find myself playing the Kemper far more simply because time spent dialing things in and it does it all. Once you make or find the profiles that work for you it's just fantastic and I do love it. With that said if someone already has pedals they love the Tonex is an easy choice here and super affordable and a can't miss choice.
Love Kemper’s effects, I think the only thing that QC has that’s significantly up from Kemper’s are the transpose effect.
I'm a Fender Tonemaster Pro, it's really such a good unit, and it's still in his baby shoes, i love this thing 🥰
I also love the TMP. I guess I'm not alone after all. Got the FR -12 at the same time. I can't really imagine my guitar sounding better...
@@brianmiller3287what have you used previously?
I have the TMP with FR 12 as well. Just perfect. The community is getting bigger every day! ❤
@@Sispheorhave had since around launch, got rid of the helix after I got the tone master.
Can you guys maybe turn the devices ON when explaining the screens and what you see and how the buttons/knobs work?? Idk….just seems like that would be obvious ESPECIALLY when ranking all the devices.
I love my headrush core, but I should have gone for something with more switches. So here I am, wondering if I just wanna get a midi switch or actually get an upgrade. This video should be helpful!
Would the MIDI Captain be something that would work for you? It’s on Amazon and looks like they’ve put tons of work and features into it…
@@donniejean I'll check it out, thank you!
I just purchased a M vave Chocolate plus pedal to go with my head Rush core around $30
I have one question about the Line6 Helix, Everytime they come with a new update there has always been problems with the Boot failure, What is your solution for this problem and how can we fix this problem if we have been facing boot failure issues currently and in the future updates?
Thankyou
Helix guy here for the last 9 years or so.
never had a single boot issue.
@@nachodaisuki91 What are the things to keep in mind before the update in order to get rid of boot issues?
@@gauravlama2079
Just follow the instruction on the HX Edit when updating. To the tea that is.
And the booting takes longer when first updated cuz Helix has to rebuild all the factory presets so wait it out.
That's it. Helix is a solid unit with not much issues at the software side of it. I'm running into hardware issues now such as footswitches not registering and double registering.
I own a Headrush pedalboard and I think it sounds great. Easy to use bad thing is i can’t update it so my next purchase will probably be the fender tone pro. No more Headrush.
Also I used to have the pod go and I preferred the Headrush way more. Don’t think Headrush should be last on this list.
I thought you could update it? I just watched a video on it. Am I missing something?
Great video, I appreciate the comparison, now days with so many different units and options it’s hard to keep up. Currently on my board I’m using the HX fx as a controller for other pedals and for sounds as well, I also have the HX floor and the stomp xl, certainly the workflow using line 6 products is hard to beat, amazing quality and customer service, and they constantly bring new updates with more options and better sound. The only thing I don’t agree with is with your placement of the Headrush. I would have set them in 4th place. And like you said really it’s easy to set any of the top three as number 1. Great review. Thank you 😊🙏🏼
Which one has the best options for delay?
If I recall doesn't the boss have the lowest latency of all of them?
I run tonex through the Bods 1000 core effects loop. Works perfectly. Tonex amps, Boss effects. Simple
Boss*
I'm in the market for a multi effects pedal. I like the idea of being able to rearrange the order and parallel different effects, etc. Call be weird but I am not, oddly enough, really interested in the IR's or amp modelling. So, my question then, is this... Is there a good multi effects processor out there that has a ton of great features at a decent price (like the Valeton GP-200) that focuses more on the effects and less on the IR's and amp modelling?
Put a ToneX One in the loop of the Helix and you have infinte amp models. Upgraded Helix to 2024 standards!
Man, the Helix on it's own is up to 2024 standards. This thing is just NUTS, especially after you really get over the learning curve. I just discovered the joys of the Global EQ and I wish I had've known about it when I first got it. Dialing in the stock cabs has been a dream since. I don't need IRs, for sure. Maybe some people will wanna start with IRs, but I'll be another person on the Helix that will tell everyone that they are COMPLETELY unnecessary to get the Helix sounding great, without any doubt in my mind. I can a/b between the best IRs and the Helix cabs and they run neck and neck, especially if you know what to do with the Global EQ.
Profiles are just not the same thing as models. So rigid...
Tonex One has a place in the Sliced Bread Hall of Fame.
I’ve had helix native since it came out but I’ve never tried the hardware. Compared to my axfx3 I think it sounds and feels terrible and it’s hard to get a convincing sound even with the same IR. Anyone that has both have you found the hardware to be any better? I like the was the unit looks and they are a good deal used and want one in my collection but not if it’s not even a slight improvement to native. Perhaps the dedicated input stage would help like it does on the axfx3?
I found my Headrush MX5 was immediately great for cleans but it sucked for metal tones. Using a tubescreamer before and an EQ pedal after the amp changed everything for most of the amp models. I enjoy it almost as much as my Fractal FM3.... Its just takes more work to get good tones. Buying the full sized Headrush products over Helix/Fractal doesnt make a ton of sense though (imo).
I am sorry to mention, that the Mooer GE1000 and GE300 is a better product than the Hotone Ampero 2. I wish you would say something about these products are great. I have both of them and i run them both.
I just got them both. I think they both sound great, but the Li version of the GE1000 is awesome. Why can’t they all run off battery? Even the hotone Mini should at least be able to do that with it’s size!
Between the Quad Cortex and Tone Master Pro, which would you think would be easier for someone who is less experienced with digital gear?
The TMP.
I'm Gen Xer, and Fractal blew chunks, and the others that need a computer to really dial in.
The TMP does all of it on board. Need the computer for the updates and walk away.
Had mine for a year now.
At first, I felt hosed.
First update, meh.
Second update did a lot and this unit came to life.
Using the SLO 100 with 2 cabs wet and dry.
Love it.
Used quad cortex once and TMP is easier to use as well.
On the Fender Tone Master can you copy your own amps like Kemper and the Axe III and Quad Cortex? I heard the Fractal FM9 cannot copy or capture your own amps.
Not yet, don't know if it will be added. The Axe Fx can only copy the eq curve. It's a tone match, not a profile
ok here's a question to you @SDS... seeing all those HAF amps behind you and all the modelers... when not working for youtube or anything.., what do you use for jamming around? real amp,, modeler or amp sim?
@@tgstk2 that varies a lot! Sometimes an amp, sometimes a modeler, sometimes not plugged in at all
I had the PodGo and quickly learned that I don't want to spend my free (guitar playing) time turning knobs. Sold it and just got the ToneX, it took me one day to set up 30 presets from clean to heavy distortion, goes after my modulation effects, and done. AxeFx looks quite nice if you are a pro that can spend 10 hours a day surrounded by guitars and have a roadie.
What shelves do you have?
I can’t believe you have less than 100,000 subscribers. Your content is excellent. You’re playing is superb. must be the hate factor..
@normanwaller2924 thanks a lot! Working on it :)
But for some bizarre reason they forgot to include the Kempers. 😂
It's like doing a guitar shootout without Fender.
Finding the right Amp Modeler is hard enough with all the differing opinions. Even working with Sweetwater and others who sell the devices all have varying opinions within their own store. Here is a good example too. I just saw your video on Hotone stage where you didn't see much of a difference in the quality of the tones on Hotone and Neural yet you were slightly less than excited over it on this video. I would love to 'hear' on the videos some tones clean and dirty side by side with the same setting as possible on all those devices. I know much of it is subjective but it might help everyone individually make their minds up.
I'm in the process of choosing a modeller, and have seen comparisons of HX Stomp and Ampero Stage, and the Ampero seems to have much more going for it than the Helix with comparable if not better sounds. These guys seem to disregard it though. Is it because it's Chinese, or is it because they weren't sent a free one ? Still can't make my bloody mind up. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. 😫
@@winstonsmith8240 For my 2 cents is looking at the Valeton GP=200jr. I gone through a bunch of Helix stomps and sold them. I spend more time tweaking tones than playing my guitar. Plus 'for me' the tones didn't excite me. Then I tried Tonex. Same situation. I saw a video by Andertons on Valeton.
ruclips.net/video/W1zHjl9e9yk/видео.html
It had more things such as drum machine, Looper and has a great screen with expression pedal. All of that for about $500. The pre set tones are much more useable and can be tweaked a little if wanted. You have software thats easy to use and install. You also can get from 3rd parties great patches. I look at it as a great start and if I get more serious I'll go all the way for a Neural. The Valeton is just a great option and the tones are easy to dial in. I like it far more than the other two I mentioned.
@@winstonsmith8240 I can only give you my opinion. I've tried Helix Stomps and spent more time tweaking than playing and really never found what I wanted. After buying and selling 3 of them I stopped. Then I tried Tonex. Same thing. So I was going to save up for a Neural DSP. I came across a video from Andertons. They thought a Chinese made modeler "Valeton CP-200 Jr." was great. I bought one on sale. (They also make Hotone ampero) It is by FAR the easiest to play. A number of the presets were useable. Sturdy and quality build. It has a built in expression pedal, looper and tuner. All for a little less than a Helix Stomp. I'm have more fun with it than the others I purchased. Easy to tweak presets and they have 3rd party IRs and presets that sound great. All I can tell you is I like it a lot and it satisfies my itch for Modeling. Maybe it's the first step for going all the way but it's a great first step. ruclips.net/video/C-CDBGFaycs/видео.html Hope it helps
Great to meet you guys at Gear Street! I have Hx Stomp, Fractal FM3, QC, Kemper and Tonex. One big plus I have found with the kemper it that the same hardware has improved massively with software over a long period of time. That just doesnt happen that much anymore. Honestly, I find the Kemper more accurate than the tonex, but love the tonex for size and on pedal board dropping. Never been attracted to the headrush, dont know why, must have been asleep that day. Love my QC.
Always appreciate a re-evaluation video like this. I have had most of the modelers on this list with exception to the fractal stuff. I ended up sticking with the quad cortex mainly because I use a lot of their plugins and kept my fingers crossed for when plugin compatibility became a thing! The current plugins are absolutely phenomenal by the way you should absolutely mess around with them more or do some full videos on them they certainly warrant a good look!
The Mooer GE300 or GE1000 LI were not included in your TOP 10. They would be interesting. Regards!.
The Mooer .GNR amp models are pretty good. I miss them in Helix even but the reverbs in Mooer are crap in comparison.
Is there a tone difference between the Helix Native and the Helix Floor Pedals?
No
@@SonicDriveStudio Appreciate the feed back 👍
Just make sure to level match them. Depends on the input level of your audio interface. Helix is 11.5 dBu if I recall correctly.
Just bought a Helix LT for $600… Feel good about my purchase even more after this vid. Purchase validation!!!
I use the Helix, Tonex and Kemper and actually don’t use the amps on the Helix much. Their effects are sweet. I 4 wire the Kemper to the Helix and have even started playing with the Tonex as send return to a Helix amp spot. The Helix has the I/O I need in a studio, but you need room for this thing. I am close to moving it to another room and getting the HX Stomp and live with less I/O options. I have odd Guitar amps from the late 80’s and an expensive Bass rig setup that I profile and want to capture. Nano Cortex has to be more simple than Tonex capture or the Kemper profiling, so that is a thought to those who need an easy box to capture an amp, etc.
Another unique thing about the helix is the integration with Variax guitars. Insanely useful for playing live. Instead of bringing 3-4 guitars with different tunings, and acoustic guitar, and a sitar (paint it black) i just bring the Variax. Different presets/snap shots reconfigure the Varaix for each song. The electric guitar models are just OK sounding, and the 12 string models are just weird sounding, but the acoustic models and the sitar sound very good.
I can't agree with you about Headrush. Just because you struggle with sound doesn't mean it deserves to be last. I bought Headrush Prime after being a Line6 fanboy for years. Headrush is great. Amplifiers sound organic, in my opinion slightly better than Helix. Effects are good, there is AMP CLONE wich is a big deal. With high-quality IR, you can get a sound that's second to none. By the way, I'm selling the Line6 POD GO!
Helix also has Powercab and Variax integration. I agree with your top three but would reorder them based on flexibility and tone for live guitar use: FM9, Quad Cortex, Helix. FM9 has the best tones, footswitch layouts, gapless switching, and deep editing of amp and effect models. This puts it at the top for me. But I'm keeping and using all three for different purposes.
I’ve had them all, favourite is the QC, especially now the effects are excellent. My Engl & 5150 captures are spot on and flawless.
Perfect piece of equipment
Yeah it's such a fun unit!!
Question: I'm in need of a new practice/home amp... I'm feeling overwhelmed by all the choices, but not being able to really "demo" them in my area.
I am a Mesa Rectifier lover, but cannot afford anything like that. I tried the latest 5150 1x12 combo amp which is really great, but I prefer the mesa/SLO 100 tones for my lead work.. I'm a Steve Vai lover ...and a old era Metallica/Dream Theater lover.
What would you suggest that's less than around $1,000 that will give that classic Rectifier heavy metal rhythm tone, but allow me to get the more buttery, searing Vai lead tones that also pushes alot of air like the 5150 does, and doesn't sound like a cheap modeler toy. Does that exist? I've tried Line 6 (hated), I've tried Fender Mustangs (not bad, but not good), I had a Vox tube hybrid that was "alright".... but nothing pushes air like that 5150 combo. It makes me feel like the 5150 is a bonafide, real amplifier, and the others are just cheap toys... it's a huge "resonate in your chest" sort of presence the the others just don't give.
Would you think getting the 5150 combo for the real "oomph" is the thing to do, and then just add pre-pedals to get your overall tonal character (like Vai, or And Justice Metallica)? Or is there an all in one modeler/hybrid/combo solution that gives higher quality?
Any modeler of this list get you where you want.
The 5150 is actually very similar to the Mesa boogie with the proper equalization (it has much more gain, and more trebble, and Mids, if you scoope the sound it will be very similar to a dual rect, the pre amp of both are very similar, both based on the Soldano SLO).
But keep in mind the Cab or IR you use makes MUCH more difference than the amp itself.
I love the 5150 because it`s like a blank canvas for tone, you can make it sould from a marshall to a Dual Rectifier, depending on eq and IR. I can sound like Randy Rhoads to Panetera, to Periphery to a Worship tone just changing the IR
You can get an Ampero or HX stomp and a FRFR cab, if price is the problem.
The 5150 combo is good but try to see the Speakers it has and compare the sound of the speaker you like. The speaker and Cab make more difference than the amp.
@@Renato_Carai second that!!! Find YOUR speaker/cabinet first …
Get a spark, awesome portable practice amp.
I wouldn't put the BOSS ahead of the Headrush by any means. It loses a lot in the pre-amps, which are the most important effects within a unit.
Got the Ampero Stage to replace my Tonex pedal and I dont think thats going to happen soon, Ampero sounds thin and needs a lot of EQ to get it to sound right, my main complain is with Chorus effect, it sounds like a flanger, and with the RTN/Send it colors the tone way too much... I'm amazed how no one has complain about it. So as the masochistic I am, currently making them both work.
I'm a FM3 and AmperiumLive user, the quality of AMP modeling is amazing. Also I have Helix Native , but I use it very rarely
I feel like Fractal and Quad Cortex is like a Windows computer, and a Helix is like a MacBook, meaning I feel the MacBook is modern style interface, and ease of use, where the other two are for people who wanna deep dive and program and have more control unlocked
Good info. Nice work. A couple comments. I'm a huge BOSS GTK fan for many reasons. Every patch has a ton of editability. Typically done on an IPAD and not on the unit. The BOSS effects are killer. It does have killer amps but you have to pay attention to the overall level through the whole chain. Most don't do this. So, I would say it's more tempermental than others. Where it really shines is in a "hybrid" environment in 4cm configuration. Sub outs to FOH and outputs to amps. So real amps (preamp and power amp) can be leveraged and BOSS amp models can be used.
I've owned both the Headrush Gigboard and the Pod Go for years now. Honestly the Headrush sounds much better to me when it comes to getting a decent sound for home recording than the pod go. The Pod Go has a much larger set of Metal Amps to choose from but they have issues when it comes to getting a useable high end and low end for saturated tones. The Headrush has its problems to. The 5150 model in the Headrush doesn't sound or work like a 5150 at all. You have to play a game with the president gain and post gain to get a useable tone but the Mark 2c+, Slo 100 and Dual recto models are easy to use and sound great.
Don’t have a computer and not interested, the quad cortex as really been so great for me especially with updates making it better and better
Using a kemper for years and I know why. It is still the best unit and the fx are outstanding meanwhile. I also use a nux mg30 as a backup. Check that budget thing out, it has an IR loader and the sounds are not bad for the bucks. Miss some tiny functions there but for 280€ it is a funny thing to play with. Software for desktop included.
Definitely impressive and surprised that helix still on top in this rematch..
How come Fractal having updates all the time can be a drawback? If you like your sound and are afraid of it just don't update it, Fractal gives you this choice at least
Two epic gear heads join forces! Love it.
And good morning gentleman. What a nice Vid. Dan/Jon. I think your visit showed us what great guy Jon is. Well i think the writing is on the wall. It looks like this platform of amp is slowly creeping in, in lieu of traditional guitar amplifiers. Kind of sad that eventually all amps will end up as a ICON on a display somewhere, but it is the way of the world. My question to you gentleman is, on average how long do you figure it takes to learn and pretty much master using digital modeling amps to get to the 'okay I'm done -it's time to play mode'? Or do you constantly fiddle with the programming? I would probably get impatient myself.. but then again i'm old:)). Thoughts on that?
I think, the more experience you have with tube amps, the easier it is to dial in a modeler.
Depends. If you're like me, I spent maybe a half hour dialing in a preset on my TMP. I very rarely play any other preset. I found "my" sound, I'm good...
@@SonicDriveStudio that's what's biting a lot of beginners in the ass when they start using a modeler. people tell me all the time that helix has a huge learning curve, but the issue isn't helix, the issue is that helix gives you access to a ton of gear that they wouldn't be able to properly set up in real life either. what works with real gear works pretty much the same with a modeller. so if you know what gear to use and how to set it up for the sound you're going for, it's easy to just do the same in helix. but if you come from 4 years of playing a marshall mg30 with two pedals, and have never recorded an amp in real life, i can definitely see how you can get lost when you suddenly have access to all that gear, whether it's real or modelled. the mistake many of those people make is blaming it on the modeller instead of their own skills and knowledge...
I have the amperium live.
Best peice of gear i have ever bought.
I pair it with my hx fx and those two together are to die for.
Just clicked on this on a whim and I am wearing the exact same Atari shirt dude is wearing! It must be a sign. I will heed his recommendations!
Saying the Headrush Prime is repacked Eleven rack is like saying the Helix is a repackaged Line 6 Pod bean.
Hot-One, Hot-Tone, or Ho-Tone? I keep on thinking the latter.
At this point, you can`t really go wrong with any of the "top-tier" devices. They all have pros and cons. But you have to choose what YOU like. I`ve been using modelers since way back when, but my first really good experience was with the Helix. A great unit till this day, but when it comes to amp sounds , it is nowhere near the QC or the Fractal.(Just my opinion 😉)
When you say, it comes to AMP SOUND and it's "nowhere near the QC or the Fractal," I'm assuming you have all THREE modelers to make that conclusion, right ($1700 x 3 = $5100)? Be careful telling people that if you haven't owned QC and/or Fractal. I've been watching Helix since 2011 - 2022 in RUclips and I finally pulled the trigger and it only last me 3 weeks. I returned mine back to Sweetwater. It was another year (2023) and I got into Fractal waitlist. To me, "SOUND" itself is beyond my Helix. So....be careful posting the wrong info if you have not have REAL experience and own them.
@@heut4384 I have experience with all 3 units. Sold my helix,had it for years. . Currently have the QC and a fm3 turbo. Also have had a bunch of tube amps. Dont give flying fuck what you may think i do or do not own. I have 30+ years of guitar playing experience and belive it or not CAN afford high-end gear. The helix is a great device,but qc and fractal are in my opinion better.
@@heut4384 I played a helix for years, now i have a QC and a fm3 turbo. I have been playing guitar for 30+ years. Owned a bunch of tube amps through the years. Who are YOU to tell me anything? I have experience with all 3 units. DO YOU?
@@ThomasOnGuitarYeah, you tell him! Zimbabwe!