Line 6 HX Effects Vs Boss MS-3

meltedbuzzbox

Jota said:

@meltedbuzzbox yes, there's always a gap between presets in almost every multi-fx unit but Boss had so many switching options that there's a great chance you don't need to change presets middle song.

you say that but Zoom have had it down to 2ms for over 10 years. 

Boromedic

Think I'm going to wait for an MS3 to pop up, I have no desire to make my board bigger than it is already. Especially when the extra FX I may use will be rare so the quality isn't an issue really. 

I need to switch amp channels, use 3 midi FX (Timeline/Expanse/EQ), and have a Fat General, Mayo, Treble Booster, TS9 in some config or other. That's it really, then add some FX if needed. I have a DPC5 and it's great, but I like the switching options within patches on the Boss, so momentary switching for a flanger, or turn on a chorus.

Anything else is overkill, especially a G2 which I'm sure is amazing but it doesn't have built in FX and is massive!! Most of the sounds I use are the amp, that's why I bought it, so pedals are for boosts or colour where needed so it would be pointless anyway as I'm not using tons of pedals. I was interested in the HXFX but it's twice the size and has less loops. 

Thanks for all the input though, it's appreciated. Mostly folk seem to be confirming that there's not a lot of difference between the HXFX and the Boss. It's down to individual usage.

monquixote

Your mileage may vary, but I've worked really well with simple rows of pedals, or multi FX, but I've always found the boards where you have a switcher and a load of pedals controlled by MIDI to be the worst of all worlds.

They are a tedious pain in the arse to build configure and tweak live and when they go wrong at a gig (which they always do) you are basically screwed.

Boromedic

I have had that fear mate, I've been okay with my DPC5 though so far. I think one of the plus points with the MS3 is that it's simpler than others. Not gigged in ages so I guess I'll worry about it whenever that happens!!

DrJazzTap

Slight necro bump on this. I'm looking to delve into multi fx. 
Long story short moving away from a bypass looper with stand alone effects pedals. 
I want to get to the point where I can tap one switch and get to a fuzz sound with flange and delay. 

The ms3 has peaked my interest as it has reverb and delays included and i could run three pedals in the loops. 
Alternatively looking at the es5 and investing in the standalone rv500 and dd500 seems like a huge investment. Thinking I may as well just go for a gt1000

Jota

MS-3 effects are pretty good.

onyir

I think the MS3 effects sound pretty good, but have in mind that the buffer cannot be bypassed, in case you want to use a fuzz in one of the loops

LionAquaLooper

I've had both at the same time. Sold the MS3...mainly because I could sell it for more than the HX. But for your purposes you're better off with the MS3. It has 3 loops while the HX only has 2. It's designed to be a dedicated switcher that can do FX, while the HX is a dedicated FX unit that can do switching.