Line 6 unveils HX Stomp compact Helix processor

December 11, 2024 · 3 sources

Line 6 introduced the HX Stomp, a compact guitar processor that carries the company's Helix amp, cab and effect modeling, according to a press account of the unveiling¹. The pedal was announced on October 4, 2018, at a list price of $839.99 and was available worldwide at that time².

The HX Stomp uses the same DSP and HX Modeling technology as the larger Helix units and can run up to six processing blocks at once². It holds over 300 Helix amps, cabs and effects, including legacy effects from Line 6 M-Series pedals and stompboxes such as the DL4 delay, plus a looper²¹. Amp models range from the Fender Bassman to the Bogner Uberschall, with bass models including the Ampeg SVT and Gallien-Krueger GK 800RB, and users can load custom impulse responses².

Controls are a 320 x 240-pixel color LCD and three capacitive-sensing footswitches with color-coded LED rings, with external control through optional footswitches or expression pedals². Connections include MIDI I/O, impedance balanced outputs, a TRS dual expression pedal/footswitch input and an assignable stereo effects loop for 4-Cable Method rigs². The USB audio interface runs 24-bit/96kHz multi-channel audio for Mac and Windows computers, and the free HX Edit app handles preset editing, librarian functions and third-party IR loading². Line 6 rates dynamic range at 123dB and offers a choice of DSP bypass with trails or true bypass switching².

Delicious Audio described the pedal as roughly the size of a BOSS Space Echo and noted that earlier Helix products were as large as a regular pedalboard¹. Guitar World's May 2019 item on a demo video listed the same figure of over 300 amps, cabs and effects and the same uses: a backup or travel rig, an add-on tone expander with other modelers, an audio interface, or a complete guitar or bass rig³.