Review : Line 6 HX Effects

While it may seem that multi-effects units are on the wane, that may be an exaggeration. The big name multi-effects units are commonly discussed in the topics of amplifier modeling and profiling. However, if you don't need modelling or profiling, but do want a giant drum of high quality effects options along with incredible ease of use, there are very credible options available. I recently added one to my range of tools, the HX Effects from Line 6.

This unit has all the same effects options as the powerful Helix Floor and Helix LT devices, without a built in expression pedal or any amplifier simulations. That brings the price down substantially and if you shop you can often find it at the same price as the less powerful Line 6 HX Stomp.

Regular readers know of my tendency to go for individual pedals and often those from less known makers, so why consider a multi effects unit from as big a name as Line 6, which is owned by the even bigger Yamaha?

While Line 6 is owned by Yamaha, in my opinion they still have some of the agility found in a smaller company. There's also the fact that for many musicians, the sounds delivered by Line 6 effects are perfectly effective. Remember that these are the same effects as found in Helix used by many professional musicians.

I find the HX Effects quite easy to set up to suit and easy to make changes if you want to switch one of the effects for another one. You can also use it just like a traditional pedal board and can also control the routing of your effects. In my use case, the HX Effects serves as the board for a Koch Multitone and the flexibility to have some of the effects in front of the amp and others live in the amp's effects loop if I wish brings me the kind of flexibility that I desire.

Unlike the big Helix, I still need a guitar amp and that is likely true for a lot of us. We have guitars and amps that we already own and like, but just want a compact pedal setup for gigs and easy travel. For me, tear down is just unplugging cables and the expression pedal that I have connected to the HX Effects. No power supplies, no patch cables, and the thing is light enough to go in a backpack. And, if you run all your effects in front of the amp, then cabling is super simple as well.

The other difference I see compared to some other alternatives is build quality. The box itself is tough and the foot switches feel the same as the switches on the full size Helix. This device can be used at home or even in the bedroom for practice but is tough enough to hold up on stage. I find it very quiet and that it works well with a variety of different pickups and guitars which is nicely flexible.

As you can see on the rear of the unit, the connections are well labeled and you can control the unit via MIDI if you wish. There is also a USB connection to manage firmware.

While a lot of folks use it as a giant stomp box collection (I do) there is also the ability to run the unit in preset mode which allows you to group effects together into a preset for easy large scale changes. The CPU in the box is powerful enough to run up to 9 effects at the same time. You can also load IRs into the device if you'd like.

The unit comes with a cheat sheet and I have to say it gets you started but if you don't download the full manual and spend time with it, you are missing out. This is a very powerful device with a ton of capability that could go unused without spending time in the documentation. Consider yourself warned.

Tone is very subjective, but I am going to give Line 6 a lot of credit in their delivery of effects simulation. In addition to the Helix effects which are typically mono/stereo (the whole box is stereo capable with independent right and left channels), there are what Line 6 calls Legacy effects, which are the effects from older dedicated Line 6 pedals such as their now very desirable delay device.

For my use cases, I found the Minotaur to be very Klon like, certainly close to the original just remember to adjust the settings as the initial start of the Minotaur is more harsh than a lot of people would set their Klon. The LA Studio Comp is a wonderful emulation of the fabulous Teletronix LA 2A. The Vermin Dist is very much like my old ProCo RAT and the Courtesan Flanger is reminiscent of the EH Deluxe Electric Mistress without the excessive noise. I also was pleasantly surprised that the Elephant Man delay sounds like my memory of my long since dead EH Deluxe Memory Man. Finally while I am not a Tube Screamer guy, the emulated TS is pretty accurate although my preference is the Valve Driver option that is really a wonderful clone of the old Chandler Tube Driver.

If you don't care for any of my faves, that's cool because there are over 100 effects built in. You can tweak with the knobs or even with your feet via the switches if you are so dexterous.

Could you buy nine individual effects, the power supply, the cabling and the board for less than the HX Effects? Not likely if you were going for better sounding pedals, and then you would have only nine decent pedals without the option for 91 alternatives.

For a lot of players, the HX Effects could very well be the right answer. Perhaps even for you. Consider your personal use cases and when you can head into your preferred guitar store, audition the HX Effects against individual pedals. It might be precisely what you are looking for.