I was invited to Line 6's ten-year anniversary celebration of the Helix on June 11. There was a huge suprise for all who attended—the announcement of the new Helix Stadium and Helix Stadium XL digital amp modeler and multi-effects processors.
To get the scoop on what we can expect from Helix Stadium, I sat down with Line 6 Chief Product Design Architect, Eric Klein, Senior Director of Software Engineering, Brandon Nelson, and Sound Design Manager, Ben Adrian. What jumped out at me most was the new Agoura sound engine, which Eric explained offers significantly higher fidelity, improved modeling, and exceptional control capabilities.
The Line 6 Helix Stadium also includes preset Audition audio clips, Showcase live automation and Hype (morphs between authentic and idealized amp tones) to make sound crafting more streamlined, fun and surprising.
After our chat, I was given the opportunity to have a playthrough session with Helix Stadium. After A/B’ing Stadium with an original Helix, all I can say is, “Wow.”
I know the rest of the Guitar Center team is just as excited as I am for us to partner with Line 6 to bring Helix Stadium to you.
Powerful New Agoura Sound Engine
We got to hear some of the new Agoura-powered models, including takes on iconic British cleans and crunch from the ’60s, and high gain from the ’80s.
Frankly, the former stood out to me as the single-best AC30-inspired emulation I’ve ever heard. The biting, aggressive midrange was there; the dynamic touch response was there. Charming analog quirks and all, the level of detail made it virtually indistinguishable from the real thing.
According to Line 6 Sound Design Manager Ben Adrian, the Agoura sound engine is the result of an entirely new approach to amplifier and effect emulation for the company: “We worked with some of our expert DSP engineers and developed a whole new way of simulating vacuum tubes, circuit behavior … It’s a totally new method of modeling unlike anything we’ve ever done here before.
“I remember the first time we did a test run, and we’re like, ‘Okay, how’s this gonna sound?’ We play it and realize, ‘There’s something here. This is working—let’s go!’”
Overhearing the first chord played on a JCM800-flavored model during that test drive, Chief Product Design Architect Eric Klein was also fooled by its sonic integrity: “I honestly swore someone dragged a JCM into the lounge. The sound was unmistakable, immediately,” he remarked.
Our own Dylan Van Vleet—pedals & amp buyer at Guitar Center—got an early playthrough of Helix Stadium, too. He was floored: “The difference is clear … the new Helix sounds so responsive, full and balanced. It feels like you’re in the room with the amp. It’s incredible.”
The Line 6 Helix Stadium lineup will feature 16 Agoura guitar amps and six bass amplifiers at launch.
Hype Control
Have you ever plugged into a classic amp and been shocked to find its tone a bit underwhelming? You wouldn’t be alone. Sometimes our perception of an amp’s sound is actually an idealized, studio-recorded version of it, where lots of additional processing has been applied and warts are concealed.
The Hype control offers a quick way to zhuzh up any of the Helix Stadium’s models, softening those rough edges you might encounter in the real amplifier that’ve been translated to the emulation.
“We’ve been in the room and done the A/B, double-blind listening tests with engineers who record these amps. We’ll sequence changes between the real and modeled amps, and engineers will go, ‘When are you going to switch?’ Well, we did—11 times while you were playing,” Klein explains. He knows accuracy isn’t the issue when it comes to Line 6’s models—sometimes, a 1:1 copy isn’t really what a player wants.
Hype strives to make more of the mythology associated with legendary amps real. Klein continues, “There are all sorts of inadequacies with real amps, and if you can somehow make that great amp sound even greater—or closer to what you believe that amp sounds like—that’s what Hype attempts to do.”
Which Features Will Current Helix Players Find Most Exciting?
I posed this question to the Line 6 panel, and without missing a beat, Klein confidently answered, “Agoura. Agoura for sure … There’s something pretty special about it. It doesn’t sound like a Line 6 product.”
Senior Director of Software Engineering Brandon Nelson thinks current Helix devotees will appreciate preset combability: “Your Helix presets will be able to be loaded into Stadium … Everything is going to sound as it did, or [better] with the improved hardware.”
“I didn’t think I’d like the touchscreen as much as I did,” Ben Adrian tells us. He’s learned to navigate the original Helix interface without a hitch, but the Stadium’s touchscreen really makes all the difference. “I’m having band practice, and I wanted to adjust my sound … I jam my finger into the non-touchscreen Helix. I guess I really like this new one.”
Line 6 Helix Stadium and Stadium XL Are Almost Here
Put Guitar Center’s Gear Adviser hotline—866-498-7882—on speed dial, and preorder your Helix Stadium or Helix Stadium XL today. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to get your name in early.
While you wait for your Helix Stadium to arrive, check out the complete interview above. And before you even ask—no, our conversation wasn’t sponsored by Adidas. But there’s nothing stopping you from dialing in the nastiest nu metal tone on the Line 6 Helix Stadium when it arrives.