This is clearly the best Prime review, hence the big viewer numbers. Steve, could you consider doing a follow-up that focuses on scenes and songs, various modes, and setting it up for gigging. I think alot of us have our Prime sounding awesome, but I see alot of confusion, inc me, about how to setup scenes and songs, assigning to the footswitches, various modes, and how to best set it up for a progression of presets for a gig. I see alot of guys confused at this aspect on the Prime. This was such a great review for us Prime owners, we would love a follow-up (once you get back from Europe). Thank you again Steve. 🎸
Hey Chris! Thanks so much for the kind words. I do have plenty of that planned. Keep in mind, each musician will have their own needs and workflow. That's the fun part. My way won't be "right or wrong" and neither will yours. I will absolutely be showing how I do things though! So stick around 😉 thanks again
After just getting back into playing with a band, I have taken the plunge and purchased the Prime and the 108 FRFR. This is an excellent overview of the product and I am now very excited to start playing with the Prime and jamming with the band.
In terms of usability, workflow and GUI, I think the Headrush Prime has nailed it. And with all the new extras (vocals/auto-tune, profiler, number of foot switches, etc) this is now a monster modeller. In terms of sound, it sounds great but I'd prefer to hear it in the flesh before passing any judgment - YT is not the best medium. I am sorely tempted to buy one. I know a lot of people are going to say it's too big but quite honestly I think that's being picky. Given the fact that the GUI is brilliant, you won't need to hook it up to a PC. As for taking it on the road - come one, it's not a deal-breaker.
So many cool features, great guitar playing by the way! I couldn't see the screen readouts very well, I guess that's super tricky to film. But thanks for such a great video. You rock!!!
Great review. Usability is what Headrush always nailed, and they sound "good". Tracii Guns did the entire last LA Guns album on a Headrush pedalboard. People forget you have to tweak....on any effects unit. Killer tones here!! 💪
Sounds like a great unit. I have been using the headrush pedalboard for about 3 years now. Those stock presets sound awesome. I am most excited about the vocal effects.
ToneX has no effects, no looping, no vocal effects, no expression pedal.. also you can’t switch through tons of different amps with just the ToneX pedal.
@@jeffbateman2339 you can load 150 different presets onto the tonex- the forst headrush doesnt sound as good as the eleven rack rack with an ir loader- i have a gigboard i havent used since i got kemper and wont bother with this
@@bikeman1x11 ToneX for $399 would quickly add up to a lot more once you add everything you need to match what another full modeler has… If the amp cloning/capturing feature of this new Headrush is as accurate as the Tonex and Quad Cortex, then this would be an incredible unit. If the amp models aren’t great and the cloning doesn’t work well, then I agree with you… and it’s not for me.
@@jeffbateman2339 im gonna try the tonex sonce some of the free profiles sound good and its compact and can hold 150 - kemper is tops IMO but for under $400 its worth a try
Was a Headrush pedalboard beta tester for the past few years and recently sold the board, it was time to move on. May have to get back on the train. Thanks for the video!
I had an original Headrush and switched to the Helix floor to get away from the "Rainbow of Death". Plus, at the time the Helix's models had more guts to them but it looks like Headrush has closed the gap. A lot of the videos I've seen on this thing have the demonstrators playing the presets and other than Fractal nobody's factory presets ever sounded good. Great job Steve.
Uhhh….I can’t breathe right now! Being a current owner, I am soo excited for this! I knew something new was on the way from HR but I didn’t know was gunna be soo soon and soo freakin extensive. Great review man!🤙🏾😎😎
@@gbarth77 Greg I cannot believe they didn’t clue you in or rightly just hand you a unit to preview! WTH!? You’ve done soo much for the HR community man!🤨 I hadn’t seen if Doc got one either. For sure you guys both deserve a seat at the HR table for your efforts.
@SDNA Studios hey man, thats a real bummer and very disappointing for me to hear. I would've assumed you guys had one. I was added on literally last week and figured it was a last minute extra. I'm honestly not okay with them not taking care of you and doc.
Thank you for this review Steve. I look forward to more. I think this unit could really mature into something we have all been looking forward to in a working man's price point.
Had to go straight to criticisms and downers to avoid a reflex buy. There wasnt much there! Really well thought out box. I'm too heavily invested in my QC but this looks so well thought out.
Greetings Steve! Hey! Congratulations on the Sweetwater gig! That is prime visibility for Jessica and get some much deserved attention. Best Regards and Best Wishes! It's only $1,300!!!! Wow.
@@SteveSterlacci - I was AT Sweetwater in Ft Wayne last Saturday and saw Jessica Lynn up on the electronic marquee outside. I sure hope I can make it down there in April (I think that's when it is).
Great video, just upgraded from Headrush pedalboard to this, the Prime. Amazing bit of Pro kit at an affordable price. Scenes are def the way to go. Set master output vol on the dial close to full if running through an amp to get the best sound out of it, especially the cleans. Thanks again.
Thanks for sharing this with us Steve. Always liked hands free when I play live. Not that fussed with the amp capture but it worked well enough with the Mooer GE-300. It does looks better and the menu side looks a look a nicer. Lets wait and see. Best wishes from the UK 😎😎😎😎👍👍
Great quick review Steve! Gotta say I’m impressed with the features! The hands free editing is a great one. I agree that it needs to have a desktop editor.
@@officialWWM I agree. That’s what I love about the quad and Headrush. I don’t need to bring a laptop to do what I need. I’m currently losing my mind trying to use fractal.
It absolutely needs a desktop editor for the additional option. It cant be a touch screen and a flooboard at the same time to build a rig or name your clones/captures/presets. The tweaking hands free is awesome, but theres a lot of work flow things that need to be done ona desktop tk avoid constantly standing up, kneeling down, move the guitar, grab the guitar. Its a first world problem, but hey....
@@SteveSterlacci I get where you are coming from. I’m not into editing on computer. I’ve been forced to with fm9. But I loved not having to do that with the QC. That being said the Prime is huge I’m comparison and wouldn’t be great on a desktop lol. All that being said I’ve given the fm9 another shot and I’m ready to shoot it and go back to qc or maybe this.
@Chris Allarie Music I get that side too. I HATE how you literally need your laptop for the fm9. It drives me nuts and prevents me from taking it into professional situations. That being said, helix is the best middle ground in that regard
Wow!! Thanks for the quick overview of this product. I think your the first. I just subscribed, you always give a fair unbiased opinion on all your video's , rock on.
Having owned a BOSS GT-1000 and a Headrush MX5 in the past, I can say that the Headrush Prime not having a desktop editor is not a dealbreaker for me. It would be convenient to have one, but the Headrush UI is so intuitive and easy to navigate that a user can survive without it. Unlike the BOSS GT-1000 which was a nightmare without the desktop editor or mobile app. When plugged into a computer via USB, I would assume the Prime is not unlike the MX5 in that it is recognized by Windows as being an external hard drive. This makes swapping presets and loading IRs super easy. With the MX5, it also makes it super easy to remove any factory presets that you don't like. Since the Prime now has WiFi capabilities, I assume such functionality may not be limited to USB. The GT-1000 is a super powerful unit, but cumbersome to use. The MX5 sounds great and was super fun to use but I found the 3 switches to be limiting. The small touch screen on the MX5 was a bit frustrating since there is no desktop editor. Unless Line 6 releases an updated Helix soon, the Headrush Prime will likely be my next modeler!
I wouldnt mind an mx5 picking up and putting down. This thing is just MASSIVE to not have a desktop editor. Picking up and putting it down for routing, then naming presets and stuff is just a pain
I hope they develop a really good desktop editor and release it soon. Nu-x, a Chinese manufacturer, has an excellent desktop editor. As a 40+ yo guitarist with back problem and farsighted, a desktop editor helps alot!!!
Excellent summary, very useful, thanks! Some interesting features and some (to me) obvious omissions (HAS to have an editor on the way, surely?) If nothing else this certainly puts pressure on the competition which can only be good!
Gonna call you first look Frank! Great video my man, didn't know this was a thing until I woke up to your thumbnail in my notifications. This may be my first Headrush product 😎
Holy cow! That's a lot of great features in one fine looking unit! I could definitely fall in love with it, and I'm yet to learn the guitar LOL. I agree with you about the option for using PC for programming. Sometimes you just have a better overview and control when using PC IMO Great video Steve! Looking forward to hear more about this! :)
Steve Please do a video on how this board can be used with acoustic guitars since I am predominantly an acoustic guitar player. I am also getting an Emerald X10 with the very soon with all 3 of the electronic pickup the Piezo, the magnetic, and midi ghost system. How will This board react to the Emerald. I know you have one so please be the first to do an acoustic video demo for this brard. Kim
Amp guy here, not really by choice or religion... Just what I've always done. That said, I'm very open to these new floor pedals and had an opportunity to test drive the Helix for a few weeks. After going back and forth with it my final conclusion was "Not right now". Partly because I found myself diddling with it more than making music, but really in the final analysis there were two main things. First, and this could be my perception, I feel an ever so slight delay in response. Perceived or not, it jacked with my timing. Second, I was constantly battling really high end needles that I could only correct by putting an aggressive 3K high cut on the cab. Other things like running out of DSP emerged but there are inconvenient work arounds for that in my case. I would like to know if you experience the needles by default, as well as if you notice the response delay. The delay is really imperceptible except to the player. Also a comparison of DSP capacity with the Helix would be helpful.
Pretty cool. They seem to be listening to what people are asking for unlike some of the competitors. The only thing they are going against the trends is with the size of the unit.
Its funny, some people complain Quad Cortex is too small, now this could be too big. I do think its a touch big way too big LOL but its easy to see everything
@@SteveSterlacci I actually like the form factor of the Fractal AX8. Easy to fit a 7" touch screen up there and its slightly bigger than the QC which I felt was too small to access the switches easily.
@@robertsmith8282 Sure a tube amp and pedal board are bigger/heavier but most of them never leave the house. I think this is competing with the multi fx units and it's on the big side for that. I think Line 6 sells way more HX Stomps than they do Helix floor units. Still looks very cool though.
I have my rigs so dialed in with my existing Headrush that I just can't justify moving on without becoming a better player first (as I am loading one up in my Sweetwater cart...)
Thanks for this video.. Even as a newb to Headrush you were able to give a great overview... That's how easy and intuitive it is. Totally disagree about desktop editor though. I thought that at first too (I have all the pedals too) but the touch screen interface is so superior to every unit I have ever used and is perfect. Put it on the desk when you edit. The power button... it prompts if you want to power off which is perfect too. A hard switch will break eventually and this won't. I grabbed one of these to add to my collection because it's only a matter of time before the price goes up and matches the other units out there. This is a steal at this point. Took them a while but now they are light years ahead of the Quadcore, Fractal, Helix...
I won't be convinced that putting this on a desk is convenient lol maybe I need a bigger one then 😅🤣 really only want it to build out presets and then make tweaks on the floor like i normally would
Thanks for the review! Two urgent questions: 1. What's in the vocal efx path in addition to autotune? Harmonies, doubling? 2. Is the looper one track, 5 minutes, or more than just one track?
You're talking about the size and yes the Headrush is big, but what I use with my Kemper Stage is a music stand that is tilted back and I use a music stand for my Behringer X-Touch with 8 faders and a master fader.
Last thing you should want is a PC/Mac editor. Once that happens they'll de-emphasize the physical interface on the device itself and it won't be nearly as intuitive. It'd literally be the death-knell of one of the biggest selling points of the devices that you can program it quickly and easily from the touch screen.
I don't know. I'd rather do some work at home with getting it set up with a workflow, and then having a smaller footprint when actually using it live. Plus I don't want to look at a screen on the floor. I'm thinking something like Loopy Pro with a MIDI foot pedal is going to be the future. And even then if it's configured intuitively you still shouldn't need the screen all the time. You could have it running on an iPhone out of sight. But I'm still excited for this. I actually ordered a LooperBoard last week that should be coming in today. Love the options and features on that. But this is even more incredible. Looks like we may finally have a successor to the TC Helicon VoiceLive3 for an all-in-one pedal.
I dont think that would be the case. Both have their place. When I am routing captures, auditioning captures (clones, sorry), renaming blocks and presets, it gets very annoying dancing from the guitar to the floor back up and down a bunch of times
I hope the build quality is better than the former headrush units. The old headrush pedalboard was famous for its "rainbow of death" you turned it on, all lights flashed up once and the unit was broken. The Gigboard was known for it usb failures. My Gigboards usb had to be repaired by the service twice so far. So I fear they can achive the good price by using cheap electronic parts inside that dont last very long. I hope this unit will prove me wrong, because the features sound like a dream...
Great content. Couple of questions... first, how is it regarding noise, especially with hi gain tones. I know it has a couple of gates, but how well do they work? Second... how do you think this would work going in to a Seymour Duncan Powerstage 200... going into a 2x12 cab? Can i shut cab sim, while still using amp sim? Can i shut on and off cab/amp sim separately to each output. For example, shut of cab sim for the 1/4 jack output but leave amo AND cab sim on for the XLR output?
Looks great. Lots of features I'd love to have. Until I saw how many menus you had to dive in to assign the switch. Sounds great. Love the audio file playing, vocal stuff. With the routing flexibility of my Helix LT I don't see me changing. But really cool.
Great overview of the features. I'll be interested to hear: 1) how good the cloning is vs kemper/tonex 2) can it do stereo amp paths (I.e. Is there enough dsp?) 3) how good is the modeling vs Fractal. Btw, why do factory presets always get drenched in post amp reverb and delay? I really want to hear that "amp in a room" vibe!
Two questions maybe 3… 1. Does i do fuzz well like a analog fuzz, (you kind of just answered that but since this video) most modelers don’t do fuzz well.. 2. Does autotune or harmonizers etc follow your guitar pass through? Thats how I use my Boss vocal pedal. Or is it key and scale only? 3. Can you record your wet and dry signal for reamping later. Oh and 4. do they give bass players some love?
Hi Steve Great video as always. I reached out to headrush, a day ago, to enquire if there were any plans for a desktop editor. The reply was, Not at the moment but the enquiry would be passed on to the technical development team. I completely agree with your views on the unit and your criticisms, why headrush have not included a 1/4 inch headphone jack will probably only ever be known to themselves. If the unit had a DT editor it would be one hell of a unit. Cheers
Holy mind boggling electronics Batman!!, I've got to buy this but will I ever fully understand how to use it and understand all of it's features. I'm not that great at understanding complex software and features of electronic devices but I've got to buy this, it's a serious toy and I can't stop myself from buying toys, it's an addiction, you should see my place, I've got so much cool stuff I know I'll never have the time to fully appreciate all I have but what the heck, he who dies with the most toys, wins. I swear when I finally croak my family is going to go nuts trying to figure out what to do with all this stuff, hahahahaha 🤣🤣 Anyway, I'm going to need to find someone to teach me how to use this device, in the mean time I'll watch your videos over and over again to hopefully glean some of the cool information to enjoy the device. In college I always had tutors because to really learn something I need to be spoon fed. I had heard this modeler has auto tune built in, I'm not big on so called professionals using auto tune to enhance their music and crappy voices but for just me in my home I don't have a problem with it. Oh, listening further into your video I see you mentioned auto tune. Steve, thank you for the very informative video, great stuff, new subscriber. Peace!
Makes me appreciate my pedalboard more. It already is plenty for me, prime might be too much for my basic needs. By the way the hands free mode is available in the older pedalboard as well.
Another great vid! I am a Helix owner and just picked up the HR Prime. In my opinion, the Helix sounds allot better to me. Maybe I am just used to the Helix to my ears, but when I did a side by side, the Helix sounds more realistic, full tone, better feel...its just better. The features of the HR are great, but the tones (which is most important) are just not as good as the Helix.
@@SteveSterlacci I did some preamp cloning of my ENGL Fireball onto the HR and it actually did a GREAT job. So if I were to keep the HR I would just use it as a "Profiler" because I am still not a fan of the HR factory amps, the Helix amps are MUCH better. Now all we need is for Line6 to make a new Helix 2 with a clone feature!
I think modeler brands have voicing tendencies just like tube amp brands. Soldanos for example are bright amps voiced mid-high, Bogners in contrast are voiced darker, deeper, woodier, more low mid to me (and I have both). Line 6 stuff (which Ive always enjoyed) is voiced brighter, grainier, and a bit thinner, which is fine, it would ride great in the mix. Headrush stuff definitely leans big and round, which probably won't have the attack of Line 6 stuff, but sounds beautiful in its own way. People who love brighter stuff (which is me), usually love Soldano and Line 6 products. Those who enjoy deeper and woodier, will surely love Bogners and Headrush stuff. All tones are unique and special, esp in the hands of a great player like Steve who can showcase them properly. To me, tones aren't better or worse, they're just different.
I almost ordered one when it went live on Sweetwater last night. Lol. PS: Rig is the term that’s been used by Kemper for over 10 years. Unless you take this one on tour, I’m not buying. :-)
Would love to have this. However, if it does not have an online editor, as a studio user, this is a deal breaker for me. I understand it has the touch screen but it's a floor unit. I don't want to have to lean down constantly to tweek and adjust volumes and etc while trying to record and mix. I have a MX-5 that I like but it's back in the closet and I use a PODGO because it has the editor
According to the user guide the Headrush Prime weighs 16.5 pounds, which is about 2 pounds more than the Helix Floor. I got tired of carrying my Helix Floor back and forth multiple times a week, so I switched to an HX Stomp XL rig I could throw in my backpack. I'm not sure the features of the Headrush Prime can convince me to go back to carrying a heavy board again 😬
This is not a fly rig, it is large. But it’s all down to use case, I love Helix but I’d never buy a stomp, not enough buttons and half the DSP. So in my case I’d rather have the functionality over size, our use cases are different.
Please, when you can model or clone a fuzz pedal, preferably the Fulltone 69. I would love to hear if it cleanes up with rolling down the Volume nob on a strat, like the real thing does. Also, how it responds with the pickups. Stay after them with developing the editing software that would put this over the top. Love the fact that they finally made the pedals look like the real thing.
I'd be surprised if they come out with a desktop editor. People have been asking for a desktop editor since the original came out years ago. And if they were going to have one, surely they would have released it with one?
I wasn't 100% sure on that one but was wondering! I only got it days ago so I havent been able to fully dive in. Thats great to know! So theres no gap between rigs?!
@@SteveSterlacci correct. the delay and reverb has spillover between rigs and scenes. I am working on getting one of these units as I have 5 years worth of Headrush videos on my channel :)
Thank you! Honest review! Very much appreciated. The thing that draws me to this is the easy user interface. Show me L to R pedal board and let me swipe to change. But the amp sim technology has to be be on par with quad cortex. Can we make that marriage work?
Thx for taking the time to post this! I currently have a Headrush MX5 and I like some of the amp models. I’m wondering if those models were designed by cloning the amps that they model? Also, they didn’t send u a manual? I would think they would have one online that u could download. I know they have an online version for my MX5. Just thought I would mention that. Cheers! 🙂
Get one here sweetwater.sjv.io/PyjZGe
where did you get the sound from? Yamaha hs monitors?
@@zaporoshti3392 i have those in the back, but I was using studio cans
@@SteveSterlacci is the sound output in this video from the digital record or have you micro-phoned the monitors?
@@zaporoshti3392 i used the prime as my recording interface and recorded direct
@@SteveSterlacci okay thank you. which monitors or speakers do you suggest using with multi effect pedals & guitar processors?
Headrush + Profiling + More DSP + Vocals + Wifi
And the biggest feature we've all been asking for: the pedals look like the pedals on the rig screen 😍
Its very cool!
And its 1299, very good price for the features compared to its competition
you dont think the editor is the big one? of course its the one we still dont have.
What about drums? Is this better than headrush looperboard.
@@jeremynollen3569 meh. Broken record. I'm sure if you all got an editor you'd still complain
Finally. I needed 16 scenes years ago. Not a joke. Glad someone did it.
digusting!
This is clearly the best Prime review, hence the big viewer numbers. Steve, could you consider doing a follow-up that focuses on scenes and songs, various modes, and setting it up for gigging. I think alot of us have our Prime sounding awesome, but I see alot of confusion, inc me, about how to setup scenes and songs, assigning to the footswitches, various modes, and how to best set it up for a progression of presets for a gig. I see alot of guys confused at this aspect on the Prime. This was such a great review for us Prime owners, we would love a follow-up (once you get back from Europe). Thank you again Steve. 🎸
Hey Chris! Thanks so much for the kind words. I do have plenty of that planned. Keep in mind, each musician will have their own needs and workflow. That's the fun part. My way won't be "right or wrong" and neither will yours. I will absolutely be showing how I do things though! So stick around 😉 thanks again
After just getting back into playing with a band, I have taken the plunge and purchased the Prime and the 108 FRFR. This is an excellent overview of the product and I am now very excited to start playing with the Prime and jamming with the band.
Its a great unit!
In terms of usability, workflow and GUI, I think the Headrush Prime has nailed it. And with all the new extras (vocals/auto-tune, profiler, number of foot switches, etc) this is now a monster modeller. In terms of sound, it sounds great but I'd prefer to hear it in the flesh before passing any judgment - YT is not the best medium. I am sorely tempted to buy one. I know a lot of people are going to say it's too big but quite honestly I think that's being picky. Given the fact that the GUI is brilliant, you won't need to hook it up to a PC. As for taking it on the road - come one, it's not a deal-breaker.
Holy shit. This thing definitely brings a lot to the table. More musician focused than guitar focused, that's really nice to be honest.
Def its own vibe!
So many cool features, great guitar playing by the way! I couldn't see the screen readouts very well, I guess that's super tricky to film. But thanks for such a great video. You rock!!!
Thanks so much!
This device will get lots of buyers for sure 👍👍
Its a beast!
Great review. Usability is what Headrush always nailed, and they sound "good". Tracii Guns did the entire last LA Guns album on a Headrush pedalboard. People forget you have to tweak....on any effects unit. Killer tones here!! 💪
@kevone. Yes, great point.
Sounds like a great unit. I have been using the headrush pedalboard for about 3 years now. Those stock presets sound awesome. I am most excited about the vocal effects.
headrush not close to Kemper as only one model sounds good and the tonex pedal @ $399 make this not worth it
ToneX has no effects, no looping, no vocal effects, no expression pedal.. also you can’t switch through tons of different amps with just the ToneX pedal.
@@jeffbateman2339 you can load 150 different presets onto the tonex- the forst headrush doesnt sound as good as the eleven rack rack with an ir loader- i have a gigboard i havent used since i got kemper and wont bother with this
@@bikeman1x11
ToneX for $399 would quickly add up to a lot more once you add everything you need to match what another full modeler has…
If the amp cloning/capturing feature of this new Headrush is as accurate as the Tonex and Quad Cortex, then this would be an incredible unit.
If the amp models aren’t great and the cloning doesn’t work well, then I agree with you… and it’s not for me.
@@jeffbateman2339 im gonna try the tonex sonce some of the free profiles sound good and its compact and can hold 150 - kemper is tops IMO but for under $400 its worth a try
Was a Headrush pedalboard beta tester for the past few years and recently sold the board, it was time to move on. May have to get back on the train. Thanks for the video!
Thanks for checking it out Steve
I had an original Headrush and switched to the Helix floor to get away from the "Rainbow of Death". Plus, at the time the Helix's models had more guts to them but it looks like Headrush has closed the gap. A lot of the videos I've seen on this thing have the demonstrators playing the presets and other than Fractal nobody's factory presets ever sounded good. Great job Steve.
Your reviews are so balanced and thorough! You’re just tremendous!
You're right on target on the editor! For me this is a must have!!
Headrush setup i’ve always liked more then any of these units. Very easy to use and the layout is perfect
I was able to do this whole thing without a manual and owning it for 3 days. Pretty great to use
Uhhh….I can’t breathe right now! Being a current owner, I am soo excited for this! I knew something new was on the way from HR but I didn’t know was gunna be soo soon and soo freakin extensive. Great review man!🤙🏾😎😎
I can't wait to try it too. If only Headrush would have thought about letting the ones who have been waving the flag for years.
its a killer unit!
@@gbarth77 Greg I cannot believe they didn’t clue you in or rightly just hand you a unit to preview! WTH!? You’ve done soo much for the HR community man!🤨 I hadn’t seen if Doc got one either. For sure you guys both deserve a seat at the HR table for your efforts.
@Keoki Heller it's all good. I have one coming. I agree with you though. No Doc didn't get one which blew my mind.
@SDNA Studios hey man, thats a real bummer and very disappointing for me to hear. I would've assumed you guys had one. I was added on literally last week and figured it was a last minute extra. I'm honestly not okay with them not taking care of you and doc.
Thank you for this review Steve. I look forward to more. I think this unit could really mature into something we have all been looking forward to in a working man's price point.
Hoping they keep it moving forward
pedalboard has looper too but the dropbox and wifi option is damn cool for band members who live far away and can share ideas more easily.
Absolutely! And the wifi is actually fast
Had to go straight to criticisms and downers to avoid a reflex buy. There wasnt much there!
Really well thought out box. I'm too heavily invested in my QC but this looks so well thought out.
Greetings Steve! Hey! Congratulations on the Sweetwater gig! That is prime visibility for Jessica and get some much deserved attention. Best Regards and Best Wishes! It's only $1,300!!!! Wow.
Thanks so much! Means the world. Its gonna be super fun!
@@SteveSterlacci - I was AT Sweetwater in Ft Wayne last Saturday and saw Jessica Lynn up on the electronic marquee outside.
I sure hope I can make it down there in April (I think that's when it is).
@Fk45 yeah man! Would be awesome to see you there. Please keep me posted
This looks like it could be a game changer. Unbelievable at that price
It might just be!
Great video, just upgraded from Headrush pedalboard to this, the Prime. Amazing bit of Pro kit at an affordable price. Scenes are def the way to go. Set master output vol on the dial close to full if running through an amp to get the best sound out of it, especially the cleans. Thanks again.
Still say all this stuff is from the ship that crashed in Roswell.
🛸👍
Hahaha i like it
It might have!
Looks like a weather balloon to me. Nothing to see here.
I started thinking that when the Ipad came out!
You really did a great Job Steve and your playing shined through this unit. I'm very interested !
Thanks so much! Means a lot
Thanks for sharing this with us Steve. Always liked hands free when I play live. Not that fussed with the amp capture but it worked well enough with the Mooer GE-300. It does looks better and the menu side looks a look a nicer. Lets wait and see. Best wishes from the UK 😎😎😎😎👍👍
Hello there! Thanks for checking it out. Come and see us out there in July
...Thank-you,Sir, for this most-"EXCELLENT" intro to this deep-device...
Nice demo, even the presets sound great. Liked and subscribed! 🎸
Headrush prime is a gamechanger, the new features will likely be copied off by other companies. Good job for not making it overpriced!
I am hoping it does big things!
You've done some good work here.
Thank you
Awesome review buddy! Can’t wait to play one 🤘
Thank you bro!
I just got the OG pedalboard in a trade and as a hobbyist player for 20+ years its all Ill need for quite some time.
its a great pedal!
Holy Crap! This is so cool Steve! Thank you for posting this. Fantastic!! Hope you're doing well these days.
Great quick review Steve! Gotta say I’m impressed with the features! The hands free editing is a great one. I agree that it needs to have a desktop editor.
It doesn’t need a desktop editor. That’s the whole point of a Headrush! You can easily do everything with your feet!
@@officialWWM I agree. That’s what I love about the quad and Headrush. I don’t need to bring a laptop to do what I need. I’m currently losing my mind trying to use fractal.
It absolutely needs a desktop editor for the additional option. It cant be a touch screen and a flooboard at the same time to build a rig or name your clones/captures/presets. The tweaking hands free is awesome, but theres a lot of work flow things that need to be done ona desktop tk avoid constantly standing up, kneeling down, move the guitar, grab the guitar. Its a first world problem, but hey....
@@SteveSterlacci I get where you are coming from. I’m not into editing on computer. I’ve been forced to with fm9. But I loved not having to do that with the QC. That being said the Prime is huge I’m comparison and wouldn’t be great on a desktop lol.
All that being said I’ve given the fm9 another shot and I’m ready to shoot it and go back to qc or maybe this.
@Chris Allarie Music I get that side too. I HATE how you literally need your laptop for the fm9. It drives me nuts and prevents me from taking it into professional situations. That being said, helix is the best middle ground in that regard
Most impressive aspect was the tone of your cloned St. James. Hoping you'll share that clone with the Headrush community.
Thanks! I for sure will as I get better on the unit
Wow!! Thanks for the quick overview of this product. I think your the first. I just subscribed, you always give a fair unbiased opinion on all your video's , rock on.
Thanks Brian ! Means a lot
Hands Free mode has been on Headrush for years :)
Great feature!
Thanks, Steve. Interesting unit! NAMM coming up, I'm waiting to see what Line 6 comes up with....
Having owned a BOSS GT-1000 and a Headrush MX5 in the past, I can say that the Headrush Prime not having a desktop editor is not a dealbreaker for me. It would be convenient to have one, but the Headrush UI is so intuitive and easy to navigate that a user can survive without it. Unlike the BOSS GT-1000 which was a nightmare without the desktop editor or mobile app.
When plugged into a computer via USB, I would assume the Prime is not unlike the MX5 in that it is recognized by Windows as being an external hard drive. This makes swapping presets and loading IRs super easy. With the MX5, it also makes it super easy to remove any factory presets that you don't like. Since the Prime now has WiFi capabilities, I assume such functionality may not be limited to USB.
The GT-1000 is a super powerful unit, but cumbersome to use. The MX5 sounds great and was super fun to use but I found the 3 switches to be limiting. The small touch screen on the MX5 was a bit frustrating since there is no desktop editor. Unless Line 6 releases an updated Helix soon, the Headrush Prime will likely be my next modeler!
I wouldnt mind an mx5 picking up and putting down. This thing is just MASSIVE to not have a desktop editor. Picking up and putting it down for routing, then naming presets and stuff is just a pain
How many amps ? How many IR Cabs ? What kind of accuracy sound of amps, IR Cabs ? Like Fractal FM9 ?
The touchscreen has been the Headrush for years! So has the ability to edit with your feet.
Thats an awesome feature!
I hope they develop a really good desktop editor and release it soon. Nu-x, a Chinese manufacturer, has an excellent desktop editor. As a 40+ yo guitarist with back problem and farsighted, a desktop editor helps alot!!!
I agree! I want one too
The doubles scenes thing is really cool!
Excellent summary, very useful, thanks! Some interesting features and some (to me) obvious omissions (HAS to have an editor on the way, surely?)
If nothing else this certainly puts pressure on the competition which can only be good!
Absolutely agree and hope so!
Gonna call you first look Frank! Great video my man, didn't know this was a thing until I woke up to your thumbnail in my notifications. This may be my first Headrush product 😎
Whatever you call me, just wash your hands first! Thanks for checking it out
Great review. Game changer.
Thanks Joe!
Holy cow! That's a lot of great features in one fine looking unit! I could definitely fall in love with it, and I'm yet to learn the guitar LOL. I agree with you about the option for using PC for programming. Sometimes you just have a better overview and control when using PC IMO Great video Steve! Looking forward to hear more about this! :)
Thanks for checking it out Kenny. Its a great unit!
Steve Please do a video on how this board can be used with acoustic guitars since I am predominantly an acoustic guitar player. I am also getting an Emerald X10 with the very soon with all 3 of the electronic pickup the Piezo, the magnetic, and midi ghost system. How will This board react to the Emerald. I know you have one so please be the first to do an acoustic video demo for this brard. Kim
That Super Lead sounded sweet!
Great video I have been a headrusher from the start.
Oh, cool, there’s a built in metronome too 👍 That’s a good addition 👍
Shhhhhh! Guitarists dont need those 😉
@@SteveSterlacci 😂
Yes, a desktop editor would be my most wanted... I have the MX5 and the tiny screen can get very frustrating at times....😵💫
Yep! Need it
I’m guessing if they did it would only work for the prime due to the UI differences. But it would be a nice addition to the Prime
I would rather have this than my helix. This looks insane and I thought the original headrush was awesome too.
Fractal FM9 blows this unit and the Helix away.
Its a great unit!
Still can't beat Helix.
@@TheBbtlegit agreed
As a Variax user, I'm still locked to my Helix. If there was any way that Headrush could add Variax control, I'd be all over this.
Looks very cool and nice features for 1300 bucks. At least it came out of the blocks firing unlike the Cortex
GREAT VID, you got me sold on this unit!! 🤘
Nice! Hope you enjoy it
Amp guy here, not really by choice or religion... Just what I've always done. That said, I'm very open to these new floor pedals and had an opportunity to test drive the Helix for a few weeks. After going back and forth with it my final conclusion was "Not right now". Partly because I found myself diddling with it more than making music, but really in the final analysis there were two main things. First, and this could be my perception, I feel an ever so slight delay in response. Perceived or not, it jacked with my timing. Second, I was constantly battling really high end needles that I could only correct by putting an aggressive 3K high cut on the cab. Other things like running out of DSP emerged but there are inconvenient work arounds for that in my case.
I would like to know if you experience the needles by default, as well as if you notice the response delay. The delay is really imperceptible except to the player. Also a comparison of DSP capacity with the Helix would be helpful.
Pretty cool. They seem to be listening to what people are asking for unlike some of the competitors. The only thing they are going against the trends is with the size of the unit.
Its funny, some people complain Quad Cortex is too small, now this could be too big. I do think its a touch big way too big LOL but its easy to see everything
@@SteveSterlacci I actually like the form factor of the Fractal AX8. Easy to fit a 7" touch screen up there and its slightly bigger than the QC which I felt was too small to access the switches easily.
How much does your amps, cabs and analog pedalboard weigh?
@@robertsmith8282 Sure a tube amp and pedal board are bigger/heavier but most of them never leave the house. I think this is competing with the multi fx units and it's on the big side for that. I think Line 6 sells way more HX Stomps than they do Helix floor units. Still looks very cool though.
I'd love a deep dive video on the vocal stuff. Routing, vocoder, etc.
I have my rigs so dialed in with my existing Headrush that I just can't justify moving on without becoming a better player first (as I am loading one up in my Sweetwater cart...)
The presets are backwards compatible! So you can import them
Thanks for this video.. Even as a newb to Headrush you were able to give a great overview... That's how easy and intuitive it is. Totally disagree about desktop editor though. I thought that at first too (I have all the pedals too) but the touch screen interface is so superior to every unit I have ever used and is perfect. Put it on the desk when you edit. The power button... it prompts if you want to power off which is perfect too. A hard switch will break eventually and this won't. I grabbed one of these to add to my collection because it's only a matter of time before the price goes up and matches the other units out there. This is a steal at this point. Took them a while but now they are light years ahead of the Quadcore, Fractal, Helix...
I won't be convinced that putting this on a desk is convenient lol maybe I need a bigger one then 😅🤣 really only want it to build out presets and then make tweaks on the floor like i normally would
Thanks for the review! Two urgent questions: 1. What's in the vocal efx path in addition to autotune? Harmonies, doubling? 2. Is the looper one track, 5 minutes, or more than just one track?
I will have to look deeper into those in future vids. Its still new to me so I am getting to know it
@@SteveSterlacci it seems that 1. Yes, there are harmonies on the vocal path, 2. The current looper is unfortunately just one track thingy
Great video Steve
Great video I have to mention that the fractal can do three scenes per switch
Thanks John! My fm9 definitely cannot. Unless I have missed something. Link me that video please!
@@SteveSterlacci ruclips.net/video/vbaZjJfpr2M/видео.html
I really like the presets for pedals idea - Helix should do that as it's quite overwhleming and you may not know how to adjust for a certain sound
You can save Favorites in Helix and recall your fav settings, but they are less organized than this version
I only have a MX5 and pretty impressed by it.
You're talking about the size and yes the Headrush is big, but what I use with my Kemper Stage is a music stand that is tilted back and I use a music stand for my Behringer X-Touch with 8 faders and a master fader.
Whatever gets the job done
Amp cloning, your soldano maybe? A list and demo of dirty amp sounds? A few different IRS with those? Love to see that stuff
It will definitely be cloned! Gonna have all sorts of preset run throughs
Last thing you should want is a PC/Mac editor. Once that happens they'll de-emphasize the physical interface on the device itself and it won't be nearly as intuitive. It'd literally be the death-knell of one of the biggest selling points of the devices that you can program it quickly and easily from the touch screen.
Bummer when I heard doesn't got pc editor
I don't know. I'd rather do some work at home with getting it set up with a workflow, and then having a smaller footprint when actually using it live.
Plus I don't want to look at a screen on the floor. I'm thinking something like Loopy Pro with a MIDI foot pedal is going to be the future. And even then if it's configured intuitively you still shouldn't need the screen all the time. You could have it running on an iPhone out of sight.
But I'm still excited for this. I actually ordered a LooperBoard last week that should be coming in today. Love the options and features on that. But this is even more incredible. Looks like we may finally have a successor to the TC Helicon VoiceLive3 for an all-in-one pedal.
I dont think that would be the case. Both have their place. When I am routing captures, auditioning captures (clones, sorry), renaming blocks and presets, it gets very annoying dancing from the guitar to the floor back up and down a bunch of times
Thanks Steve. Great job.
Thanks for checking it out Gene!
Very interesting! Cool video mate 🤙
Thanks Dan!
Awesome! Guess I'll have to start building a room addition just to fit it in😲😂🤣
Just put a walls and roof on it! Its big enough to be its own floor 🤣
@@SteveSterlacci You just saved me enough to buy the Pedal, you Are the Effin Man!!😂🤣
My 15 year old Roland gr55 guitar synthesizer pedal has a port for a USB stick so you put backing tracks on it❤
Great run down. Dig the new look!
Thank you brother!
Wow...just.. wow.. never thought I'd ever want to replace my Helix, but now....
I don’t want to replace mine yet, although this Hadrian is badass. I’m waiting for a new unit from line 6.
Its definitely some competition! The models are not better IMO though. Captures are a different ball game
I’m sold😁, now I’m thinking of getting this
I hope the build quality is better than the former headrush units. The old headrush pedalboard was famous for its "rainbow of death" you turned it on, all lights flashed up once and the unit was broken. The Gigboard was known for it usb failures. My Gigboards usb had to be repaired by the service twice so far. So I fear they can achive the good price by using cheap electronic parts inside that dont last very long. I hope this unit will prove me wrong, because the features sound like a dream...
Great content. Couple of questions... first, how is it regarding noise, especially with hi gain tones. I know it has a couple of gates, but how well do they work? Second... how do you think this would work going in to a Seymour Duncan Powerstage 200... going into a 2x12 cab? Can i shut cab sim, while still using amp sim? Can i shut on and off cab/amp sim separately to each output. For example, shut of cab sim for the 1/4 jack output but leave amo AND cab sim on for the XLR output?
This thing reminds me of when I fist bought my eleven rack and thought man this is the best
This is so cool. Nice review as well.
Thanks for checking it out
Looks great. Lots of features I'd love to have. Until I saw how many menus you had to dive in to assign the switch. Sounds great. Love the audio file playing, vocal stuff. With the routing flexibility of my Helix LT I don't see me changing. But really cool.
Great overview of the features. I'll be interested to hear: 1) how good the cloning is vs kemper/tonex 2) can it do stereo amp paths (I.e. Is there enough dsp?) 3) how good is the modeling vs Fractal.
Btw, why do factory presets always get drenched in post amp reverb and delay? I really want to hear that "amp in a room" vibe!
I threw 2 of those in there, and the last tone is my actual cloned amp with nothing really on it. I will consider all those in future vids. Thanks
Two questions maybe 3… 1. Does i do fuzz well like a analog fuzz, (you kind of just answered that but since this video) most modelers don’t do fuzz well.. 2. Does autotune or harmonizers etc follow your guitar pass through? Thats how I use my Boss vocal pedal. Or is it key and scale only? 3. Can you record your wet and dry signal for reamping later. Oh and 4. do they give bass players some love?
Hi Steve
Great video as always.
I reached out to headrush, a day ago, to enquire if there were any plans for a desktop editor. The reply was, Not at the moment but the enquiry
would be passed on to the technical development team. I completely agree with your views on the unit and your criticisms, why headrush have not included a 1/4 inch headphone jack will probably only ever be known to themselves. If the unit had a DT editor it would be one hell of a unit.
Cheers
Holy mind boggling electronics Batman!!, I've got to buy this but will I ever fully understand how to use it and understand all of it's features. I'm not that great at understanding complex software and features of electronic devices but I've got to buy this, it's a serious toy and I can't stop myself from buying toys, it's an addiction, you should see my place, I've got so much cool stuff I know I'll never have the time to fully appreciate all I have but what the heck, he who dies with the most toys, wins. I swear when I finally croak my family is going to go nuts trying to figure out what to do with all this stuff, hahahahaha 🤣🤣 Anyway, I'm going to need to find someone to teach me how to use this device, in the mean time I'll watch your videos over and over again to hopefully glean some of the cool information to enjoy the device. In college I always had tutors because to really learn something I need to be spoon fed. I had heard this modeler has auto tune built in, I'm not big on so called professionals using auto tune to enhance their music and crappy voices but for just me in my home I don't have a problem with it. Oh, listening further into your video I see you mentioned auto tune. Steve, thank you for the very informative video, great stuff, new subscriber. Peace!
Makes me appreciate my pedalboard more. It already is plenty for me, prime might be too much for my basic needs. By the way the hands free mode is available in the older pedalboard as well.
Yeah! Thats awesome. Stick with what works best for ya
Another great vid! I am a Helix owner and just picked up the HR Prime. In my opinion, the Helix sounds allot better to me. Maybe I am just used to the Helix to my ears, but when I did a side by side, the Helix sounds more realistic, full tone, better feel...its just better. The features of the HR are great, but the tones (which is most important) are just not as good as the Helix.
I do feel the same but haven't spent a ton of time with captures yet. The prime is quite old tech coming from the 11 rack and revalver
@@SteveSterlacci I did some preamp cloning of my ENGL Fireball onto the HR and it actually did a GREAT job. So if I were to keep the HR I would just use it as a "Profiler" because I am still not a fan of the HR factory amps, the Helix amps are MUCH better. Now all we need is for Line6 to make a new Helix 2 with a clone feature!
I think modeler brands have voicing tendencies just like tube amp brands. Soldanos for example are bright amps voiced mid-high, Bogners in contrast are voiced darker, deeper, woodier, more low mid to me (and I have both). Line 6 stuff (which Ive always enjoyed) is voiced brighter, grainier, and a bit thinner, which is fine, it would ride great in the mix. Headrush stuff definitely leans big and round, which probably won't have the attack of Line 6 stuff, but sounds beautiful in its own way. People who love brighter stuff (which is me), usually love Soldano and Line 6 products. Those who enjoy deeper and woodier, will surely love Bogners and Headrush stuff. All tones are unique and special, esp in the hands of a great player like Steve who can showcase them properly. To me, tones aren't better or worse, they're just different.
I almost ordered one when it went live on Sweetwater last night. Lol. PS: Rig is the term that’s been used by Kemper for over 10 years. Unless you take this one on tour, I’m not buying. :-)
Its just too big for europe. But id consider taking it here if I can get my captures up to snuff
Would love to have this. However, if it does not have an online editor, as a studio user, this is a deal breaker for me. I understand it has the touch screen but it's a floor unit. I don't want to have to lean down constantly to tweek and adjust volumes and etc while trying to record and mix. I have a MX-5 that I like but it's back in the closet and I use a PODGO because it has the editor
Im right there with ya. Even the QC gets less time and its 1/5 the size. No editor makes workflow very annoying
Man this looks pretty awesome!!
Its a great unit so far!
I made it to the end. Very Interesting. I love pete's loop but I dont think it will sell ! LOL
Thanks for checking it out!
thats fine brother pure fine
You're fine
According to the user guide the Headrush Prime weighs 16.5 pounds, which is about 2 pounds more than the Helix Floor. I got tired of carrying my Helix Floor back and forth multiple times a week, so I switched to an HX Stomp XL rig I could throw in my backpack. I'm not sure the features of the Headrush Prime can convince me to go back to carrying a heavy board again 😬
It absolutely is massive 🤣😅 main gripe in the criticism section of the vid. How can it be this big with no desktop editor
Would you rather carry all your amps and cabs?
HeadRush still offers the Gigboard and MX5 to compete with HX Stomp. Prime and original Pedalboard compete with Helix full board.
This is not a fly rig, it is large. But it’s all down to use case, I love Helix but I’d never buy a stomp, not enough buttons and half the DSP. So in my case I’d rather have the functionality over size, our use cases are different.
Please, when you can model or clone a fuzz pedal, preferably the Fulltone 69. I would love to hear if it cleanes up with rolling down the Volume nob on a strat, like the real thing does. Also, how it responds with the pickups. Stay after them with developing the editing software that would put this over the top. Love the fact that they finally made the pedals look like the real thing.
I'd be surprised if they come out with a desktop editor. People have been asking for a desktop editor since the original came out years ago. And if they were going to have one, surely they would have released it with one?
What.? Doesn't got one, modelers from the 90s came whit it
@@jcalzada74crazy it doesn't
Thats how I Feel too. I think its a must
Would this be your first pick? Wondering if spending the extra money on the Kemper Stage or Quad Cortex would be worth it.
Its too big to be my number one. Having all of them, you really cant go wrong...
Since a Rig has Gapless switching you can treat rigs like you would scenes if you choose to work that way.
I wasn't 100% sure on that one but was wondering! I only got it days ago so I havent been able to fully dive in. Thats great to know! So theres no gap between rigs?!
@@SteveSterlacci correct. the delay and reverb has spillover between rigs and scenes. I am working on getting one of these units as I have 5 years worth of Headrush videos on my channel :)
stock presets sound very very good !!
Thank ya bro
Thank you for this video! Is the cloning as good as the profiling from Kemper or from Tonex etc.?
Thank you! Honest review! Very much appreciated. The thing that draws me to this is the easy user interface. Show me L to R pedal board and let me swipe to change. But the amp sim technology has to be be on par with quad cortex. Can we make that marriage work?
Thx for taking the time to post this! I currently have a Headrush MX5 and I like some of the amp models. I’m wondering if those models were designed by cloning the amps that they model? Also, they didn’t send u a manual? I would think they would have one online that u could download. I know they have an online version for my MX5. Just thought I would mention that. Cheers! 🙂