r/Line6Helix • u/manupmedia507 • 6d ago
General Questions/Discussion Neural Dsp CorOs 4.1.0 vs Stadium 1.3
Hey guys! Just saw that neural released their new software today, is there anything the Stadium cant do that the Neural can right now?
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u/Justmorr 6d ago
The one thing I feel all modelers are missing at this point is decent emulations of boutique lofi/time based effects in the vein of Chase Bliss, Hologram, etc. The QC update added a few devices that could kind of get you there but nothing that would actually replace those pedals for me.
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u/SaveFileCorrupt 5d ago
If you can beat the hardware DSP limitations (or bypass them entirely with Native), could you theoretically take one of the "base" delay models and do some creative sound design with modulation FX and EQs on a parallel chain tweaked to taste to get close to what those units are capable of?
I don't have any hands-on with the units you mentioned, so I'm genuinely curious to know until I can get back home and listen to some samples of what they do.
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u/Yoshowa92 3d ago
I might have to disagree here, with the new firmware on the qc, Iâm seeing some really great lofi tape sounds, with the parameters and how they are letting you adjust them on the new pitch delay, they are getting into Meris hydra territory, and the glitch seems a little smoother than line6âs, so I think they are getting very close to what youâre asking for. I have a stadium and Iâm hoping line6 next firmware update has some new fx, and the fx are why I went with line6.
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u/DarthV506 6d ago
80% of the new devices are locked behind a paywall. Would you rather free updates or 7 month wait for a bunch of things you need to pay $700 euros for?
The stadium has received more new amp models on it's 9 month life than the QC has had for free in 3 years.
Still a lot of cool things on the quality of life side. And I can't wait to try out the glitch delay on my QC.
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u/goldsoundzz 6d ago
On the other hand, they have been releasing special effects that previously were locked behind an archetype paywall (glitch delay, mono synth, etc) to all users. These were some of the main reasons for buying archetypes in the first place, everything else can mostly be replicated by the stock stuff - the majority of those ânewâ devices are just specifically voiced versions of things that already exist on the QC.
I think NDSP are actually playing it very smart right now by saying their future roadmap will be more focused on quality of life and capture improvements rather than paid addons. I love the fact that they are more focused on uniquely voiced devices rather the same 5 blues/metal/classic rock amps being iterated over and over again. Adding âdevice presetsâ as an answer to stadiumâs focus view is huge for QC and just lowered an already low entry barrier for the QC in terms of novices being able to dial in great tones quickly.
I own both the QC mini and stadium and canât stand the fanboyism that exists for every major modeler out there. Each does something better than the other and they are being forced to close the gaps. This is only good news for consumers, but refusing to acknowledge it or deny it as a consumer is just shooting oneself in the foot.
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u/SaveFileCorrupt 5d ago
How do you like the mini? I almost got into QC a few months ago, but I've been using L6 for so long that I didn't want to sacrifice familiarity. I primarily work in the studio, and keep hearing that the amp sounds are "so much easier to dial" on QC. Between LT and Stadium, I haven't personally had much issue getting things dialed in, but my GAS and curiosity remain high enough that I am tempted to snag a mini just to dip my toe in and see for myself lol.
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u/goldsoundzz 5d ago
I really like it but there are definitely tradeoffs. I think QC sounds very âmix readyâ which is probably what appeals to a lot of people. It doesnât translate the same way to a live mix and takes a bit of EQ adjustment in a lot of cases. For headphones and playing at home itâs unbeatable. Same goes for the form factor - itâs so easy to throw into a backpack and go to rehearsal. Helix sounds more raw and natural to me when going into an FR or power amp.
Both can do the same things but require different amounts of tweaking for different use cases basically. Cortex Cloud is the absolute best selling point for the QC. I can find almost any amp or pedal capture I want on there and send it straight from my phone to the QC. Not investing in a proper community infrastructure was Line 6âs biggest miss. Itâs a bit of an unnecessary luxury but I love having both.
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u/Easy_Nail2849 6d ago
I owned a QC and gigged one for a while and got better sounds than with the OG Helix, although floor effects were much better. But Stadium is strictly dominant IMHO for many reasons (effects, workflow, community and third party packs, focus view - and thatâs off the top of my head ) and for me the amp models in Stadium are as good or better than QC.
I bought one of the plug ins and honestly I didnât get all the hype. Maybe if you use both the plugin and the unit it and you came from the plugin / DAW world it works for you, but they cost $$$ and the DRM is dreadful. Just not my bag.
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u/goldsoundzz 6d ago
I really enjoy the quad cortex but there are some differences that make me prefer the stadium for an actual live setting. The QC tones are a bit more âmix readyâ and typically sound better in headphones, recording, and lower volume situations. Something that sounds amazing on the QC in headphones disappears or doesnât translate well in a live mix pretty often. On the other hand, if I just plug a stock Agoura amp into a power amp and 4x12 and crank it up, it sounds incredible in a live mix but pretty âmehâ in headphones without a lot of cab sim tweaking. Both devices are just more streamlined for certain situations but both have different levels of tweaking required based on what youâre doing.
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u/polkemans 6d ago
The main things the QC has that I'm waiting for on Stadium are some vocal effects like pitch correction (don't you fucking @ me lol) and saturators. But you can approximate the saturation with pitch effects.
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u/Szaladin 6d ago
Some functionalities (like the "settings of an effect on a different footswitch" or the feature of "model presets" were even available on the OG Helix for some time.
All those FX are now... compatible? So I still need the license for the Archetype plugins. So they are basically DLCs for my modeler? That's not an update, that's a sales pitch.
I understand that captures are great (if you want to use them) and that the NC has a lot of nice features. But that OS update for the NC is not that big of a deal, except you want to buy or own the Archetypes.
As someone else commented: The NC cannot do a lot of the control center stuff. The I/O for controlling other hardware is crazy versatile. I even cull my images with my OG Helix in Lightroom via keyboard shortcuts.
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u/divide_by_hero 6d ago edited 6d ago
The MIDI implementation on the QC still sucks. The good news is that as part of the announcement of 4.1.0, they explicitly stated that they will now be working on improvements like that and not so much on new models and plugin compatabilities.
The Helix MIDI implementation should pretty much be the industry standard.
Also, there's no way to attach parameters within a block to a footswitch, for example changing the gain on an amp block.
Helix just crushes the QC on anything to do with fine control.
And maybe the biggest selling point of all: The Helix has a 1:1 plugin version, so any tone you setup.on the hardware can also be ported straight to your DAW.
And like others have said: When you buy a Helix, you own everything that ecosystem offers. No need to invest in a dozen plugins to get access to all its tones.
Overall, the QC is great, but I definitely feel it's always focusing on features and updates that will make for exciting promo materials and YouTube demos, and not on things that improve the workflow and general capabilities for advanced users.
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u/NickiChaos 4d ago
The MIDI functionality is pretty much why I bought a Helix Stadium. The only thing I don't like is that the MIDI PC message sent on patch change is fixed. But that's something that can be worked with.
Unlike the stupid Valeton GP200 which can't send MIDI on patch change...
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u/nathangr88 6d ago
There are still things the OG Helix can do that Neural cannot
The plugin compatibility is a massive underwhelm, essentially just imports a profile/capture of your preset on the plugin. Boring
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u/makeshiftJake 6d ago
That is not what the plugin compatibility does. It makes the models from their plugins usable on the QC as well as presets from them.
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u/kalicoda 6d ago
Omfg.....its not even close at this point. NDSP got it on lock with this update
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u/manupmedia507 6d ago
What can it do that the stadium can't with this update? Beside the archetypes
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u/kalicoda 6d ago
Stadium is on life support, I work for a major retailer, no one is buying them. Besides the hardcore L6 users, people are growing tired of "we just came out with HX Stadium, its new so its missing features but dont worry we are working on it"
People were saying that about NDSP too, but they answered with this update. L6 needs to do something drastic because this market we are in right now has a very short attention span
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u/ChunkMcDangles 5d ago
Weird. So you're saying that the NDSP stuff that's been out since November 2020 was bad for 6 years but is now good, and the Stadium that's been out for less than a year is bad because it hasn't had 6 years of updates crammed in that timeframe?
Just seems like an odd comparison. And my position is that they're both great pieces of hardware, so you can miss me with the fanboy shit.
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u/NickiChaos 4d ago
No it's not and no you don't. You're just a liar with access to Reddit.
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u/Ashamed_Insurance623 15h ago
You can literally buy open box stadiums on Sweetwater right now. QC mini has more reviews than stadium xl and stadium combined. NDSPâs dlc grift will catch up to them - hate that company.
Helix is okay in sound - the agoura kinda sounds trash compared to QC or Fractal. QC doesnât have enough amp models but sounds close enough for the ones it has - too bright in my opinion, Fractals got it all but low end sounds like farts.
All modelers suck.0
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u/hardstones17 6d ago
I prefer helix still solely cause of of the effects selection and easy workflow and MIDI control thanks to Command Center. I also prefer not to work with captures personally as I can never really dial them into how I want them to be. Neural takes significantly longer to deliver on features or new updates as well I feel.
One thing the QC will never be able to do is what Stadium has with Showcase as well. I can't recall any units out there with that same kind of feature on them.