Any Line 6 HX Stomp users out there - audio dropouts as you change patches ?

SpikeyMcSpikeFace

I'd really value some honest feedback from Line 6 HX Stomp users about gigging ...

I've recently put together a 'fly board' for small gigs, and got a TC Electronics Plethora X3 for delays / verbs / modulation. But having now used it for a couple of gigs, I've come to the conclusion it's just not workable - the audio dropout every time you change a patch (which TC call a 'Pedalboard') is insanely long. Certainly too long to use in a live a setting if you need to change between patches regularly within a song - literally the signal disappears for a good chunk of a 16th note, so it's painfully obvious.

I've had a couple of people recommend the HX Stomp as a better alternative. I have no doubts about the quality of its sounds (I've used Line 6 gear a gazillion times over the years), but wanted to check whether any dropout when changing patches is sufficiently noticeable that it might cause me similar problems. Obviously you'd expect some slight drop for bigger algorithms, but not for every patch (I use an Eventide H90 in my main rig, and 90% of the patches change with absolutely no discernable drop because the 'gap' is so short, and I had a couple of Strymons on my previous 'small board' which were great, too ... frankly, I've never encountered a pedal with this problem to the same extent as the X3).

Thanks.

stickyfiddle

Yep, this is normal if you’re switching between presets.

This why everyone recommended using snapshots for mid-song sound changes   

abw1989

There are work arounds for both; and really midi is your friend here!

The PX3/PX5 got a decent update not so long ago that introduced the 'Hotknobs' function via midi cc so you could assign different parameters to any already loaded pedal. Also need to ask the question do you need to change boards during a song; you can double up on the pedals on the board to have a normal reverb and a solo reverb and switch between them as required.

Similarly for the HX Stomp, the snapshots are designed for large changes within a patch akin to the Hotknobs above. Three buttons on the Stomp gives three snapshots per patch so three distinct tones.

Add a small midi controller (Hotone Ampero Control, Morningstar MC3 etc) for a bit more control, and you'd be amazed how much variation you get get from one Pedalboard on the TC or one patch on the HX.

SpikeyMcSpikeFace

Thanks for the reply - as I say, most digital units will have some slight dropout between presets, but normally it's either too short to notice or short enough it's not a problem (eg. Eventide H9 or H90, Strymon, etc).

My issue with the Plethora is that the dropout is really, really long - way longer than any similar FX unit I've played. 

So you seem to be suggesting that the HX Stomp is another pedal where the processor isn't quite sufficient to cope with loading algorithms efficiently, and therefore like the Plethora, there's a significant delay. Yes ?

Cheers.

TheBigDipper

The only things I've ever used where the speed of loading a new preset is fast enough to feel almost instantaneous is the H90 (which I'm using) and Strymon big boxes like the Mobius.

The Boss GT1000 loads new presets seemingly instantly, too, but sorting out how to get "trails" is something I never solved.

Line 6 modellers have a noticeable gap when loading a new preset, but if you don't change the effects that are in the preset, and just change their status (on/off) or certain parameters and store them as snapshots, then it's fine. 

To be fair to the Plethora, it wasn't designed to be used like a preset-focused modeller.  "Board" load time is poor (0.4 sec) compared to most others. There is some MIDI control available, to turn slots on/off or manipulate HotKnobz to change parameters, but it's a bit of a faff and some MIDI controllers send CC commands quicker than the Plethora can process them, causing incoming commands to be ignored and not processed at all. 

As an H90 user, you're spoiled! And it appears they are getting cheaper... :-) 

SpikeyMcSpikeFace

Thanks all - some really useful perspective. I actually use an RJM PBC-6X controller on my 'fly board', which is uber powerful for  use with MIDI controllable pedals. I think the point everyone's making about the X3 load time is my experience - I've tried workarounds like one or two 'boards' per song, and for the most part that's fine. The problem is for some songs I can't get away from needing more than one 'board' (eg. one for pitch shifting, another for chorus or whatever) - I play for stacks of different people, so I have to cover a lot of ground.

Sounds like I might be advised to think a bit more about my options ...

Thanks again.