Creative Ways to Get Even More out of HX Stomp

The
Line 6 Helix multi-effects
floor processor has spawned numerous offspring. One of the
most popular is the lower-cost, slimmed-down HX Stomp. The
original HX Stomp had space for only six effects blocks because, unlike the
“full” Helix Floor/LT/Rack, there was
only one chip — not two — for processing digital audio. Later, Line 6 updated
the HX Stomp firmware to accommodate eight blocks instead of six. But they
cautioned that having eight blocks instead of six didn’t increase the
hardware’s processing power. A preset that wouldn’t fit into six blocks
wouldn’t fit into eight.

Ah,
but maybe it can — if you know some cool tips and tricks to streeeeeetch
HX Stomp’s processing power to the max. Such as...

Use Preamps to Save Processing Power

Line
6 recommends using the Preamp effects to feed external amps, but, to my ears,
the Preamps have a somewhat more focused distortion sound than the standard
Amps. When feeding a Cab and tweaking the Cab and Preamp parameters slightly, I
often prefer the Preamp sound.

Fig.
1 shows using different blocks, but they produce an almost identical sound. In
both cases, the Cab is a 4×12 Greenback 25. The Preamp and Amp, in the Amp+Cab
block, are Brit Plexi Jumps.

Figure 1: The top effects chain uses a Preamp and Cab to create an Amp+Cab sound (bottom chain), but the top chain requires much less processing power.

Audio
Example 1 plays two measures of the Brit Plexi Jump Preamp-based sound. The
next two are Amp+Cab. The next two measures return to Preamp-based sound. The
final two measures are the Amb+Cab. (No other effects are being used.) You
likely won’t hear much difference.




How Much DSP Power Do Preamps Save?

Quite
a bit — so you can retain a particular amp sound’s essence with enough power
left over for effects that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to use.

Figure 2: These presets sound virtually identical, but the upper option gives you more choices in adding effects.

In
fig. 2, the top Preamp and bottom Amp are both Brit Trem Brt. The Pitch block
requires quite a bit of power and is set up to transpose. Both paths use a 4×12
Greenback 25 Cab. But... if you want to add a distortion effect to the upper
path with the Preamp and Cab, you can choose from:

38 mono, 24 stereo, and 15 Legacy distortions

The
lower Amp+Cab limits your choices to:

11 mono, 1 stereo, and 0 Legacy distortions

Quite
a difference.

Fig.
3 shows how to take advantage of the eight blocks. This bi-amped preset splits
the input into high- and low-frequency subpaths for increased articulation by
using the Splitter’s Crossover function.

Figure 3: Even with bi-amping the Brit Plexi Jump Preamp blocks, it’s possible to add several more effects. The Mixer adds flexibility with stereo setups.

This
preset uses the Brit Plexi Jump Preamps, 4×12 Greenback 25 Cabs, LA Studio
Comp, Top Secret OD distortion, and closes out with a stereo Low/High Shelf and
stereo Dual Delay. Note that the Cabs feed a Mixer, so they can be panned
wherever you want in the stereo field — not just hard left and right, as you’d
have with a Dual Cab. Using a stereo EQ and delay preserves the stereo imaging.
Audio Example 2 demos how this preset sounds.




If
you want to make this preset with Brit Plexi Jump Amp+Cabs in parallel — you
can’t. The Brit Plexi Jump Amp+Cab is one of Helix’s most processing-hungry
blocks, and there’s not enough processing power to have two Brit Plexi Jump
Amp+Cabs in parallel, even without other effects. However...

Share a Cab

Let’s
suppose that you must have bi-amped Amps, not just Preamps. There’s a
workaround — share a Cab between them (fig. 4).

Figure 4: Two amps can mix into a single cab, which frees up processing power for other effects.

I
tried to come close to the preset in fig. 3, including bi-amping, as shown with
the Split block, and using Brit Plexi Jump amps with a 4×12 Greenback 25. But
having two Amps instead of Preamps requires tradeoffs. We can still fit a Top
Secret OD distortion at the beginning, but, because the Cab is mono, we can’t
pan with the Mixer. There’s enough processing power for a stereo Dual Delay to
broaden the stereo image, but it’s not possible to add more effects except for
a Volume/Pan block (which isn’t really useful here). Compare Audio Example 3,
from the above preset, with Audio Example 2, which uses the Preamps instead of
Amps. Even without the other effects, Audio Example 3 still gains extra
articulation from bi-amping.




As
a reality check, let’s do the preset in fig. 3 with a single Amp+Cab instead of
parallel Preamps and Cabs. Fig. 5 shows how it translated, and Audio Example 4
(below) reveals what it sounds like.




Figure 5: This is like the preset in fig. 3 — but uses a single Amp+Cab instead of parallel Preamps.

These
three methods of approaching a particular sound underscore HX Stomp’s
versatility and how you can choose the option that works best for you.

Of
these three presets, I like the one in fig. 3 the best. The distortion seems
more focused than the other presets, and it saves enough power to include
plenty of effects.

The
one in fig. 4 that shares a Cab is my least favorite of the three, but, to be
fair, the share-a-cab’s effectiveness depends on the Amp and Cab you choose.
Also, sometimes paralleling different Amps or Preamps takes the preset
up a notch. (For a level playing field, I used the default effects settings for
these examples.)

I
don’t like the distortion sound of the single Amp+Cab as much as the parallel
Preamps in fig. 3, but, because the preset uses only one Amp+Cab, it has the
most available processing power. So, if I was designing a preset that needed
lots of effects, this would be a better choice. However, my priority is always
the amp. Generally, I don’t mind giving up extra effects for an amp sound I
like better, and the Preamps — when tweaked — deliver a sound I like.

Here’s the Catch with Preamps

The
downside is inconsistent preamp output levels. Turning up the Ch Vol is often
enough to match typical Amp levels, and, if not, then also turning up the Cab
level could add the appropriate boost. However, other preamps may need a Gain
block following the Preamp or Cab (although needing another block negates some
of the advantages of the processing-power reduction). Then again, if you follow
the Cab with an effect that’s always enabled, like EQ, then raising its level
parameter value might be all that’s needed.

With
some of the really low-level preamps, you’ll need more gain than a single
Volume/Gain block can provide. I rarely use the following Preamps (listed from
approximately higher output to lower output) with HX Stomp because compensating
for their level issues uses up two extra blocks:

Placater DirtyANGL MeteorEssex A30German UbersonicJazz Rivet 120Archetype LeadDivided DuoPV PanamaArchetype CleanEssex A15Line 6 2204 ModLine 6 BadonkMandarin RockerSolo Lead CleanCali RectifireMatchstick Ch1Solo Lead CrunchSolo Lead ODLine 6 FatalityLine 6 Epic

But,
if I want their sound, I don’t mind the extra blocks (and, with Helix
Floor/LT/Rack, the two main paths can go in series anyway).

Tip: With a
parallel effects chain, the Mixer’s Level parameter may be able to add the
necessary amount of gain for a preset, so you won’t need a Volume/Gain block.
With low-level Preamps, the Mixer may be able to take the place of a second
Volume/Gain block.

Pseudo-3-band “Combi” Processing with
HX Stomp

One
of my favorite aspects of the full Helix is being able to do 3- and 4-band
multiband processing easily. This may seem impossible with HX Stomp — but we
can come close. Combi-Band processing delivers some of the benefits of
multiband processing and works with any Helix (although, of course, HX Effects
doesn’t have amps or cabs). How useful is it? Listen to the audio examples that
follow and judge for yourself.

Combi-Band
processing creates two parallel paths:

Midrange frequenciesLow and high frequencies (with greatly reduced midrange
frequencies)

This
improves on bi-amping because splitting a guitar into only lows and highs may
not process the sound the way you’d like. For example, suppose the crossover
frequency is too low, so the low band doesn’t cover enough low frequencies. If
you compensate by moving the crossover frequency higher so that the low effect
covers a wider range, then there may not be enough high frequencies for the
effect that processes the highs.

With
the Combi-Band approach, one effect handles the guitar’s all-important midrange
frequencies while another effect processes the low and highs. As a
result, both effects have an obvious impact on the guitar’s sound.

There
are three main ways to split the input into the three bands for Combi-Band
processing:

3-Band CompressorHigh/Low Shelf EQGraphic EQ

Creating Combi-Band Paths with the 3-Band Comp

The
3-Band Comp is ideal for this application because you can optimize it to act as a 3-band crossover. It’s
the most accurate, but also the most processor-hungry, of the three options
(fig. 6).

Figure 6: Mid path (left) and Low + High path (right) settings for the 3-Band Comp. Their parameters are the same except for the ones highlighted in blue.

Insert a 3-Band Comp into a path and monitor that path (we’re not using parallel paths yet).Change the Lo Thresh, Mid Thresh, and Hi Thresh parameters to 0.0. This defeats compression and turns the 3-Band Comp into a 3-band splitter. The Lo X Freq and Hi X Freq parameters split the audio into three bands:Insert a 3-Band Comp into a path and monitor that path (we’re not using parallel paths yet).Frequencies below the Lo X FreqFrequencies between the Lo X Freq and Hi X FreqFrequencies above the Hi X FreqStart by “tuning” the midrange. Set the Lo Gain and Hi Gain controls to -60.0dB and the Mid Gain control to 0.0dB.Adjust the Lo X Freq and Hi X Freq controls to focus on the midrange. A typical starting point is Lo X Freq = 300Hz and Hi X Freq = 1.5kHz, so the midrange band covers 300Hz to 1.5kHz. Check that this covers your desired midrange frequencies for guitar.Next, set the Mid Gain control to -60.0dB and the Lo Gain control to 0.0dB. Verify that the low band covers the desired frequency range.Finally, set the Mid Gain and Lo Gain controls to -60.0dB. Increase the Hi Gain control to 0.0dB and confirm that the high band covers the desired frequency range.

The
goal is for the Low, Mid, and High bands to cover equal parts of the guitar’s
range so that they all have roughly the same perceived levels. If needed, tweak
the Lo X Freq and Hi X Freq parameters to obtain the best balance among the
three bands.

Now
that you’ve “focused” the crossover frequencies to create the three bands, copy
the 3-Band Comp and create a parallel path. Set the input Split to Split Y and
set both Balance parameters to Center.

To create the Mid path, set the 3-Band Comp’s Mid Gain to 0.0dB
and both Lo and Hi Gain parameters to -60.0dB.To create the Low + High path, set the Mid Gain to -60.0dB and
both Lo and Hi Gain parameters to 0.0dB. The two 3-Band Comp settings should
now look like fig. 6.

About the Gain Blocks

In
fig. 6, inserting a Vol (Gain) block at the end of each path makes it easy to
mute one path while you adjust the effects parameters for the other path. You
can delete these blocks later to add more effects. To convert the Gain block
into a mute button:

Set the Gain block’s parameter to -120.0dB.Enable the Gain block to mute the associated path.Bypass the Gain block to hear the associated path.

Creating Combi-Band Paths with Shelf EQ

Splitting
with 3-Band Comps provides excellent isolation between the bands, but, to save
more processing power, split with the Low/High Shelf EQs (fig. 7). This provides
less isolation between the bands and not quite as flat a response but only
requires about half the 3-Band Comp’s processing power. It also has less of a
“split” sound due to the overlap between the Mid and Low + High bands.

One
EQ turns up the high and low shelves. This boosts the low and high frequencies,
which makes the mid frequencies softer by comparison. The other EQ turns down
the low and high shelves, which brings up the mid frequencies.

Figure 7:The Mid band shelf EQ parameters are on the left, and the Low + High band parameters on the right.

Creating Combi-Band Paths with Graphic EQ

Graphic
EQs can also provide frequency splitting (fig. 8). This draws even less
processing power than the shelf EQs. The tradeoff is a less accurate sound due
to phase shifts caused by the filtering, but you may actually prefer the
“character” this gives. Note that the choice of sliders and levels may not seem
logical, but these settings give the flattest response when both paths are mixed
together (possibly due to compensating for phase differences among the various
EQ bands).

Figure 8: The Mid band graphic EQ parameters are on the left, and the Low + High band parameters on the right.

The Mixer

For
the above Combi-Band approaches, the Mixer defaults to all levels set to 0, B
Polarity as normal, and panning toward center. However, changing these
parameters can give useful effects with Combi-Band presets.

With stereo, pan the two paths as desired.Adjust the balance of the two paths with the A and B Level
controls. (You can use these controls instead of the Gain blocks when you want
to compare the two paths, but I find enabling/bypassing a block to be easier.)Choosing Inverted for the B Polarity parameter may give
useful effects when the output is mono, but it could also create a thinner
sound — listen and decide.

Cool Combi-Band Presets

Okay,
you’ve dealt with the tech stuff — your reward is some presets that take
advantage of the Combi-Band approach.

Combi-Band Tremolo: This is one of my favorite presets for tempo-synced tremolo (fig. 9).

Figure 9: Combi-Band Tremolo preset optimized for note sync

The
midrange path (top) uses the Tremolo (left) set for a Saw Down waveform. The
sawtooth waveform creates a series of 16th notes with a rapid decay after the
initial attack. This provides a pulsing, rhythmic effect.




The
lower path’s 60s Bias Trem provides a slower tremolo rate for the low and high
frequency ranges. Because the note sync is slower, this path “rolls” while the
midrange path pulses. As mentioned previously, the Gain blocks simplify muting
an individual path while you optimize the other path’s settings, but you can
remove them to add more effects. Here are some tips on how to customize this
preset:

In the lower path, follow the 60s Bias Trem with another Tremolo
set for Note Sync = 1/2, Intensity = 10.0, Wave Shape = Square, and Duty Cycle
= 50%. Using a square wave for the Tremolo modulation source essentially
switches the eighth-note pattern’s audio on and off every half note. This
combines a solid rhythm with the pulsating midrange Tremolo in the upper path.Set the two different tremolos for polyrhythms. For example, set
the upper path’s Tremolo to a dotted quarter-note dot (and pull back its volume
a bit) with the lower path’s 60s Bias Trem set for 16th notes.

Combi-Band Delay: Delay is a great candidate for the Combi-Band technique (fig. 10). Any delay adds a rhythmic element, but the Combi-Band approach doubles the effectiveness. It’s at its best with rhythmic stabs that leave some space between upstrokes or downstrokes so that sustained chords or notes don’t cover up the delay’s tail. A reggae-style rhythm guitar is a great match for this.

Figure 10: Combi-Band delay. The Simple Delay is a good place to start.

With
rhythm guitar, I often use a longer delay on the midrange path (top) and a
faster delay on the path that affects the low and high frequencies. The shorter
delay requires more feedback for the tail to last as long as the longer delay.




If
you don’t use Note Sync for the delay time, then choose delay times that are
rhythmically related (e.g., 125ms and 250ms). You can customize this
preset in many different ways:

A dotted-value delay, like a dotted eighth note, combined with a
non-dotted rhythm (like a quarter note) can give a strong feeling of motion.Even with a mono output, try stereo with the Simple Delay for a
more rhythmic effect.For a triple-echo effect, use a mono Simple Delay for the midrange
and a stereo Dual Delay for the low and high frequencies (or the reverse). Try
a quarter-note delay for the Simple Delay and an eighth note and sixteenth note
for the two Dual Delay times.The Vintage Swell effect can work well for one of the paths.Use the Sweep Echo block (fig. 11) to replace the Simple Delay in
the Low + High path.

Figure 11: Settings for the Sweep Echo block that replaces the Low + High path’s Simple Delay.

Combi-Band Phaser: Phasers have a fairly clichéd sound, but the Combi-Band approach (fig. 12) makes the preset sound less obtrusive and better able to fit into a mix.

Figure 12: Try this preset for a kinder, gentler phaser effect.

The
Script Mod Phase works well for this application, and the settings aren’t too
critical. Fig. 12 shows the midrange (top path) filter settings on the left and
the low and high frequencies’ (bottom path) settings on the right. I prefer a
somewhat faster speed for the midrange frequency path, but that’s subjective.




This
preset is compatible with stereo or mono. You can spread the sounds far apart
in stereo for a dramatic effect, but setting the pan values to +50 and -50
seems more tasteful (fig. 13).

Figure 13: The A Pan is tilted toward the left, while the B Pan tilts toward the right.

Combi-Band “Amp Replacement”: To substitute a multiband amp for a single-band one, HX Stomp has enough processing power to handle two of virtually all Amp+Cabs except for the Brit Plexi Jump. But, for Combi-Band operation, you also need EQs before the amps to split the input into different bands. If there’s not enough processing power left to use two Amp+Cabs, then you can use the power-saving techniques described earlier (like substituting Preamps for Amps or having Amps share a Cab).

Figure 14: The two Amps share a common speaker to save processing power.

The
preset in fig. 14 showcases how you can do Combi-Band processing based on
splitting with 3-Band Compression and still have processing power left over for
other effects. An A30 Fawn Brt handles the Mid path while an A30 Fawn Nrm
covers the Low + High path. Instead of the Fawn’s usual 1×12 Blue Bell, the Cab
is a 1×12 Cali IV to “open up” and brighten the sound a bit more. The input has
a Deluxe Comp followed by a Stupor OD distortion while the stereo Ganymede at
the end adds the appropriate reverb fairy dust along with stereo imaging.

I
mostly use this preset when I need to combine “chunka-chunka” chords with
occasional forays higher up on the neck for single-note leads.

Use an EQ-based Cab to Save Even More Power: Fig. 15 still uses the 3-Band Comp for splitting but replaces the Cabs with EQs. This provides a separate “pseudo-cab” for each path. Although the sound won’t be as authentic as using a stock Cab, it saves processing power, allows stereo for panning and altering balance, and provides additional customization options.

Figure 15: Replacing the Cabs with EQ won’t sound as authentic, but it still retains the amp’s basic character.

Although EQ doesn’t re-create a Cab’s sound exactly, using EQ in each path provides decent speaker simulation, and you can tweak the EQ for each path to customize the sound. The next audio example plays a preset with an EQ-based cab. Although it doesn’t sound like the stock Cabs, it definitely has cab-like qualities.




Using
amps that don’t need as much processing power opens up processing power for
more effects. For example, I replaced two Amp+Cabs (Interstate Zed and Derailed
Ingrid) in a Combi-Band effect with only the Amps and two EQ-based cabs. In the
presets using Amp+Cabs, 16 distortions were available. With a couple of them, I
could also add some mono effects at the output, but only a couple of the
simpler stereo ones were eligible (e.g., I could choose from three
stereo delays). Output effects like reverb were out of the question.

With
the EQ-based cabs, there could be a Legacy reverb at the output as well as one
of 19 distortions. Using a stereo Dual Delay at the output instead of reverb
allowed choosing from 27 distortions.

Of
course, the tradeoff is requiring six of the eight blocks just for a pair of
3-Band Comp splitters, two Amps, and the two EQ cabs. But you can cut down the
processing power, and open up blocks, in several ways — like using the Split
Crossover or sharing a Cab between two Amps. Just remember that, if you want to
preserve stereo settings in the Mixer, subsequent effects need to be stereo.

Star Trek’s Scotty Would Be Proud

As
Scotty said in the 2009 reboot of Star Trek in response to Kirk wanting more
power from the engines, “I’m givin’ her all she’s got, Captain!” If only he’d
had HX Stomp, then he could have said “Sure, Captain, I can give her plenty
more power!” Or, at least, he could have if he had been aware of these tips.
And HX Stomp can do a lot more, which will be revealed in my upcoming book for Sweetwater
Publishing,
The Big Book of Helix Tips and Tricks.
The post Creative Ways to Get Even More out of HX Stomp appeared first on inSync.