Line 6 HX Effects vs. Analog Effect Pedals - Audio Comparison (no talking)
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- čas přidán 25. 09. 2020
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Line6 Helix HX Effects
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Boss DS-1 Distortion
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Dunlop Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face
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MXR Phase 90
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Proco Rat 2 Distortion
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Boss SD-1 Overdrive
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Ibanez TS808
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Here´s a comparison between the Line 6 HX Effects and some original vintage analog pedals with many sounds and settings.
Soundfiles/Video: Thomas Dill
German article: bit.ly/HX-Effects-vs-Originals
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Usually not a fan of Line 6 products. But to be honest, I must confess it's impressive. And the price range of HX Effects is really good. Well done !
I've always been a fan (with the exception of the hideous Variax), I still have the very first Pod they released. I'll receive my HX Stomp tomorrow, can't wait!
@@christiaandemarezoyens4720 How did you find it Christiaan?
@@JeremyJames_studio I'm still getting familiar with everything this product can do! But so far, I'm really pleased with it. I work with film scoring and use a lot of guitar with multiple effects instead of synths like most composers use.
The Stomp has many uses for me. For example, I can record with it at night so that I don't pester the neighbors with my amps by using the amp/cabinet sims. They are great and by using effects before the HX I can have two different configurations (stereo) of amps and cabs. Another way for me is to place a whole bunch of pedals as inserts so that I can bypass them, use the stomp effects and for a different part bypass them and use mine going through it. I really like the compressors in the Stomp and the copy of classics like Tube Screamer and Fuzzes are really good!
@@christiaandemarezoyens4720 Yes it does sound so versatile. I already have a captor X for silent recording but I gotta say those stereo outs are seriously tempting!
Fair comment here:
Most of the effects in Helix sound really good and indistinguishable (from their analog counterparts) in a mix.
"in a mix"
Yes.
@@hadeseye2297 and in general. there are loads and loads of vids that prove that in a blind test you cannot tell them apart. Not just helix but all major players in modelling
@@mehegama "in modelling"
Well I hear a big difference between my Katana and Blackstar valve amp. And their response to pedals is also different. But it all boils down to the tone you are into. There is this guy who's name I always forget. He plays his gigs using unmodded squier bullet among many other guitars. You can find interview with him on Marty Music channel. Guy plays bluesy stuff.
And there is also the question of settings. Enough tweeking and i'd bet anyone money they could not tell the differences.
@@hadeseye2297 the katana is a solid state amp that’s not the same as digital modeling like the higher end helix stuff or the new pod go
This is the video I was looking for earlier this year! Thanks for the simple but effective comparisons.
Great demo. This machine is marvelous. All the effects are so close tomthe originals that if those had sounded like this, they would still be bona fide classics. In a mix, nobody could ever tell the difference.
Great demo. Nicely done. Also...I didn't realize the 70's chorus and the Pebble Phaser could sound that nice. Great stuff.
I'm watching and listening to this at a professional music recording studio through professional monitors. From what I can tell, the HX comes extremely close to nailing most of the time-based effects like, chorus, delay, vibrato, phase, etc... but when it comes to the distortion pedals, it tends to sound a bit on the thin side. Still seems like it's worth the money.
Nothing some minimal EQ can’t fix
An Eq could help the thinness, but I completely agree. Almost every effect was matched almost perfectly except heavy distortion. Thinness can be fixed with an eq, but even the dynamics seemed off to me. Still, the helix is awesome!! Me wanty
Agree... not sure if warmth could be good with EQ
Moreover, we shall not forget that having a lot of pedals on the board causes a significant signal loss through the whole chain, so the overall tone could sound even thinner than an Helix HX (unless you use a buffer and one or more high quality power supplies). In this test, the single pedals are compared to the HX one by one!
And yet this isn’t its main purpose. Does so much more but shows the versatility.
Really appreciate this comparison - thank you!
Nas distorções sentir uma diferença danada mas o restante é perfeito. Q pedaleira!!!👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Can we just stop and admire some of the rare classic pedals here???
Great video.
Excellent vid mate, exactly what I wanted to see, nice one
Great demo my man !!! thanks !!!
Love seeing those old school pedals! Would like to see a part 2 that compares the klon, zendrive, KoT and maybe some classic reverbs.
Up!
I watched a youtube video where the KoT was pretty much perfectly emulated on the Helix after a lot of tweaking, especially the eq. It used up 2 blocks though. Since I already have a KoT, I prefer placing it between the guitar and my HX Stomp XL. Saves 2 blocks and has dedicated knobs. Downside is no way to save settings, takes up more space, and requires more power and signal wiring.
this unit is amazing I have one worth every cent
Solid demo. Super helpful. Thank you.
Excellent demo! Thank you!
Simple. Sounds great.
Thanks for doing this, one of the best comparisons I’ve seen. Was interesting i much preferred the vox’s tremolo to the hx, also the phaser didn’t seem to have the definition of the pedal. But still overall can’t beat the versatility of this thing.
Great demo! I tried the Helix, but my problem was that I just sucked at tweaking it. I prefer my pedals and amps. It's more work in a way, but I have limited options, which is good! I still have a lot of versatility with pedals, but I don't have option paralysis and endless tweaking syndrome.
Just the fact that you can set up 128 unique pedalboards and the quality is 99% of the standalone pedal makes this so worth it. Want to set up a jack white pedalboard? Done. How about a Nirvana pedalboard? Done. What about your Pantera sound? Black album board, psych rock board, or a Hendrix board, or set up a board per song and use snapshots. It's so versatile and I think the exact answer I've been looking for
Well done video - thank you! The actual pedals sounded better to my ears almost every time but the differences were fairly subtle and I don't think you'd notice them in a live setting with a drummer. Great unit to gig with.
plus, the settings could be bumped/tweaked a bit.....it is a great pedal in any situation.
I wonder if you had the image of the real pedal during the Helix audio if you would have guessed the same.
@@newstuff1107
I went back and forth a couple times. The Line 6 consistently seems to always be a bit compressed, and there's a mild kind of warm background fuzz. The disparity is particularly noticeable on one of those last distortion pedals. But the first thing I clocked was the chorus not ringing or conveying as much space. Dunno how easy it is to fix these things if it's enough to make you care.
Thanks for this awesome comparison!!! In my opinion all effects sound great! The rest is a matter of taste.
These are close enough IMO that you can figure out which pedals you like best before your amp and experiment with different tones. If you get something you really like or want to incorporate in your core tone then go out and get the pedal it is emulating as yes, the actual pedal is going to sound a little better and probably be more responsive, sound better stacked with other gear, etc.... And you will still have a host of other very usable effects to work with in the HX. Some of which not only sound good, but actually really good. Another huge benefit to me is how readily you can play and switch the order of the effects or add modulated delays/verbs.
Amazing! Great sounds!
... my conclusion: the HX sounds really good
I agree, it's its own thing. Fun comparison, tho'
Sounds thin to my ears
@@rocksteady9115 it's very tweakable, and you have to invest time to get the sounds you want, but it pays back in flexibility and "remembory", plus the ability to send out external commands etc. I confess since getting mine I've hardly powered it on, being a bit disappointed with the OOB sounds, but watching the unit being used in the hands of the likes of Pete Thorn gives me the hope that there is a path forward. In the interim, my analog boards have grown substantially, so I've got some work to do before it satisfies my own comparisons. But I'm up for it.
@@johnvcougar I'm sure it's use able but to my ears I don't like the digital thinness, I'll stick with the old school approach that has worked for 40 years
@@rocksteady9115 sure, mate, I get it. The HXFX is the only digital unit I have in my arsenal apart from my Ox, a DAW and my Korg keyboard. I'm an analog guy too.
Really great job with this video!
Sounds great, awesome video. Thanks!
A great comparision, i think hx effect is very awsome, althought some of the pedal that emulate is abit diffrent but overall is amazing at the sound and the price
I used this in my rig for two years. With tweaking everything that’s emulated was able to be indistinguishable from its analog counterpart. The folks saying there are huge differences ... I call BS! Spend the time and tweak the effects
Huge differences no, almost indiscernible.
Agree. Unless you have a main guitar solo portions like doing blues n stuff and it just sounds totally off because your setting on the HX is totally off. Even so, all talented players will make anything sound good.
@@ChickenThug55 you’d just have to set things per song which is super easy in hx
Re: tweaking - I think he could have had a better comparison if he took the time to match the tones better, there were often simple EQ differences. Also, it should be played through an amp not an OX. Other than that, it's still interesting.
In una scheda audio si. Prova in un ampli.
The Boss DS-1 sounds so good here
that small stone tho 😍
Time based type effects sound amazing and some of the drives not as good but it’s convenient and amazing value plus it works great as an amp controller. We are spoiled for choice these days.
After watching this video, I feel like I don't know what reality is anymore. I'm gonna get an HX soon, kudos to you guys for making this illustrative video.
I have the HX Effects, tbh never been a fan of stuff like it, but I got it as a gift for christmas and gave it a shot of course. Hasn’t left my board since! Very easy and convenient to use, also sounds great
GREAT COMPARISON REVIEW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great video as usual. This channel deserves way more subs. Love from Spain, Guitar Bonedo!!
This is a really great demo.
For the most part, a lot of the pedals are indistinguishable from the physical pedals, and this makes the Line 6 practically a pedal killer. I've heard versions on my Stomp of the Klon Centaur and Tone King and they're very close to the real ones so as far as I'm concerned the HX is plenty good enough 👍
The distortion ones are easily distinguishable, as is the Electric Mistress Some of the others sound a bit different, some very close. All of the differences favor the analog.
Sounds great!
Killer riffs bruh!
I wanted to record a video just like this one, you nailed it!
I’m an acoustic looper and I use the line6 HX effects. Gotta say it’s amazing and such a space saver!!!
Thank you for doing this comparison. Very good showcase. I actually just bought one of these to maybe use in conjunction with my analog pedalboard and I'm sorry. This thing comes close but it has an overall harshness that has been really displeasing. Even when just using delay and a clean amp signal the overall tone just gets harsh. Has anyone else experienced this? Many of these kinds of demos don't demonstrate distortion correctly. You really need to listen to what happens as the sound dies down and it doesn't compare to the analog pedals at that level. I still may keep it for the dealy, etc. It is a good and overall versatile box that I can see many uses for but the purist snob in me has questions. lol
Perfect comparisons video and exactly what I needed to decide on the HX Stomp and retain my RJM PBC/6X with some choice fuzzes and drives in the loops, or go fully digital and get the HX Stomp XL. Definitely decided on the first option as although the Stomp does mods really well, the drives and fuzzes in it while sounding great compared to other modellers, are still one-dimensional digital and still have that digital brittleness.
Might be worth another look since Line6 has just released HX version 3.5 and this video is 2 years old. For what it is worth, the reviews on 3.5 are rave.
Check out Jonathan Nathan Cordy’s channel. He just did a new comparison of the HX Effects and traditional stomp boxes. Might be some more info there
3.6 now. On the time making this video only have vermin dist for RAT
I came here to see the RAT sound, didnt sound as good imho, but all the other effects were very close, been considering this or a stomp to open up some more fx options and I can still use my rat at same time. Thanks for the demo, amazing matching and comparisons. Appreciate the effort to set this up.
There has been a new RAT model added that sounds much closer to a real RAT. Line 6 stated that their original model was bugged.
@@shortorderproductions8688 thank you, really helpful to know.
Thanks for the review, I would really like a new review taking into account updates to helix effects and with many pedals!)
damn this is a well done video!
For me playing my hx stomp or analog pedals the biggest difference is in the compression of certain frequencies, resulting in a kind of filtered sound sometimes, and obviously usually less noise with the hx. Most effects are close enough to the originals to get the desired effect, and are probably even more desirable for recording. But I tend to use my analog effects for live sounds due to the more dynamic response and easier adjustment of settings. I don’t love using the hx knobs to tweak on the fly
I have mine running in front of a Marshal Origin 20c (dry) and a Benson modded HRD (wet) and I couldn't be happier. I'm only limited by my imagination and it's such an integral part of my rig that I think I should write the product team a letter telling them how happy I am with it.
Most of these effects sounded great, and the pedal seems like it can be set up in a lot of practical ways that would reduce the number of cables I run. I think I'll buy one...
...and a separate ProCo Rat.
too true
Got to admit, I prefer the real pedals every time here but in terms of value for money the HX is really good
Great Video!!!
Some were really close! Nice video
After having my memory man and my Digitech space station break on me at the same gig I bought the effects and no cap it's the best decision I've ever made
I got rid of my Mobius, Time Factor, BB Xotic as well as Blue Sky reverb once I got HX Effects. It's simply amazing, you won't be able to tell the difference. Obviously you need a very good valve amp. I go with JK Amplifiers.
I got rid of the valve amp when I got a line 6 Catalyst.
In my opinion analoug effects are always better sounding but for the money line 6 is realy good and probably the best sounding multi effects unit on the market. Although the trem sounds more like a vibratone than a tremelo
Amazing comparison. I’d love to see something similar with the ME-90
Plot twist, they actually switched the audio so all the analog pedals were the HX and vise versa
I know that’s not true. The Helix ds-1 is just not right. Has this ridiculous sag that a properly functioning ds-1 doesn’t have. Still don’t know how they managed to mess that one up (as good as the other models are) but it can be clearly heard in the HX Effects demo here.
@@jmclen7 it’s in the programming setup in the helix , you can fix that issue.
@@MrHoogoorock Oh really? Something like lowering the gain/changing the impedance? I know it can’t be that it was poorly modeled. Has to be a bug of some sort.
@@jmclen7 I do agree with you on the modelling, to me a big miss in the mid frequencies less full sound. to my point in bridging the gap in the difference have a look at the settings on the ds1 versus the helix for one the tone is right down on the helix. I’m going to jam on mine now to see what I can do, might even put an eq in front of it.
Line6 really made a great line. Used to be an all analogue guy, now for semplicity I bought a HX effects, never going to look back.
Excellent comparison! almost no difference on isolated tracks so no one will notice a difference in a mix or with a band, the HX effects is the best value for money multi FX, pair this with a Tone X One and you have a super compact and powerful rig
Helix sounds really good. The three pedals I didn't like were RAT, Big Muff and Arbiter Fuzz. The rest were very good, good or acceptable.
Actually it's kind of interesting that pedals like fuzzes with very simple 5 transistor circuits are the most difficult to replicate...
And most of us have a crap ton of them anyways😉
Most if not all vintage fuzzes change depending on what is before and after them, so they can vary A LOT, even using the same exact pedal.
Chaos is difficult to model. Fuzz and heavy distortion is very chaotic.
Very impressive. In my opinion the HX Stomp (not the hx effects) is best devices when it comes to price/value. Nothing better outthere.
They all sound great, just like the originals. Impossible to tell in a mix.
Very good multifx.
Thanks for this video - very well done. The HX nailed a few of them like the TS, but so many others missed the mark by a good bit. Maybe they would be perfectly usable if you didn't hear them compared to the real analog version. This video makes me appreciate the real thing even more than I did before.
Helix does well only the sounds I don't like very much. I don't think it's a deal. I got me a very descent pedal board for cheaper than that and I can change the stuff I don't like anytime. The only advantage is that you can store your settings. Thanks for the video.
That’s a great demo my friend. The playing and the choice of sounds are on point. Line 6 should pay you if they haven’t already.
not a fan of the drives but everything else, very usable. And this thing seems great as a hub kind of device for other pedals on a board.
OX is a winner! As far as the fx comparison i would say no real surprise. The individual pedals all sounded bigger and more open and more immediate and the models all sounded smaller and more compressed or closed to my ears. On other hand the Line 6 doesn't sound awful and gets you tons of fx and ability to tweak and combine them to heart's content for a reasonable price.
Im ready to change flamma fx 200 with this 😂😂. Thanks for the good video.
I have a Helix and i can tell its a very powerful multi effects. When it comes to overdrives, it seems to be missing some low end punch, specially with higher gain tones, pretty great sounding tho.
Od pedais soam melhor. Mas a Line 6 fez um excelente trabalho! Parabéns pelo vídeo 👏🇧🇷Brazil!
Thanks for video! Need to comparison Hotone ampero one with analogue pedals
Analog .... I love it
nice video!
I’m surprised at how good the drive and distortion emulation is, but it’s probably a bit more apparent if you’re in the room with the amp? I heard the most distinguishable difference in the modulation effects. They didn’t sound bad, just a little different.
Thanks a lot for this comparison!
Considering the fact that comparing analog pedals from the same production batch isn't a 1:1 thing, given tolerances, Helix is beyond perfect. Fair and true to the analog pieces of hardware and matching ridiculously well; just Space Echo and Electric Mistress would merit getting a Helix and it'd be a bargain! That said, DS-1 was a little warmer and more fuzz sounding that the Boss pedal you compared it with. In fact I preferred the analog one.I liked much more the Helix's own Rat version and Big Muff brilliantly on point. Phaser good but not perfect. Fuzz Face kinda useable but way off to my ears (very octave prone) unlike the analog one which also sounded more musical for high pitched single notes.
The fact that there are brilliantly useable classic and new effects which that you can combine and master in new ways has a lot going for digital units.
for me the helix fuzz sounded way better, more digital but cooler
Thanks for the video!
I've found most distortion effects are spot-on (minus the RAT and the Fuzz Face, which both sound pretty bad on the HX), but the differences between original and 'modeled' modulation effects are surprisingly noticeable to me:
- The original Small Stone LFO wave sounds rounder and smoother.
- The original CE-1 has different EQ (Line 6 possibly forgot to model the natural impedance mismatch and the preamp section).
- The original Electric Mistress sounds a bit more brighter, unmuddy.
- The tremolo examples are the most noticeable, both are worlds apart!
PS: Being said, the HX is a pretty awesome multi-fx processor, though.
I was about to post a comment but I noticed you covered the same bases I was going to. I will say that most of them are close enough that in a live situation or a studio mix with vocals and other instruments it will not be noticed even by aficionados. Be careful going solo with some though!
@Francisco Agreed!
I think the main reason for the differences in this vid are that the HX Effects doesn't have the variable input impedance circuitry that the full Helix, LT, and Stomp have. The CE-1, for example, has a fairly low input impedance which darkens the tone of the guitar, and on those other 3 Helix models, it has an analog impedance circuit that does this same thing. It really matters a lot for fuzzes in particular, which have very low input impedance. I'd really like to see this test repeated with one of the other Helix units that has the variable input impedance -- results will definitely be different and likely a lot closer to the real hardware.
I'm not a pedal snob, but I think every original effect sounded better than the HX. It was simply a matter of what sounded more inspiring. I didn't expect that.
Same!
I agree. I was expecting to not be able to tell much of a difference, but there was definitely some mojo missing in the HX emulations.
No doubt, but in the context of a full song mix, Especially when frequencies of guitars are beating cut or boosted to sit in a mix, who would know? And I say that as someone who uses analog pedals.
@@Two_Seat_Pete_FatA55 Good point. I just think that so much of guitar "sound" is really about feel (how the signal chain responds to your fingers), and RAT sound especially "felt" wrong, if that makes sense haha.
Ride Yer Camel Definitely a valid point. I was mostly thinking about that initial sonic experience and response when you play gear that really speaks to you. In my experience it makes me want to play more and often inspires new stuff. On the other hand I often feel stifled in my playing and ideas if the sound isn't "there". I guess that's why guitarists spend so much time searching for good tone - it's simply vital to play something meaningful.
Have you done a video like this with the Boss Katana? Would love to see it! I went back a year in your playlist, maybe I didn’t go far enough?
Hey dude you R a true wizard !!! you R the first guy 4 years that almost sold me a Line6 products .....WoOw m@n you R so strong 👻🤪🤡 but actually i found relistening to this demo that the sims R just sims which have some kind of plastic flavor once you carefully pay attention to the subtle details ...it's very obvious with the beautiful Boss RE-20 (there is some crappy reflections going on at times)
Great comparison! HX is amazing for a buck. Very practical and simples. Although it failed miserly compared with the VOX amp. And maybe not so good compared with the fuzzes.
Nice riff on the Big Muff
I find the re 20 echo the most successful of its simulations, Bravo, the modulations are doing well even if it's different, on the other hand the OD / DIST is disappointing, thanks for the demo
gostei muito do comparativo
Wow! The Helix effects seem close enough to the real thing to be practically indistinguishable. Even then, the physical pedals sound perhaps slightly different, not necessarily better.
Well, to my ears the analog versions sound better every time. More dynamic and natural sounding.
@@zenquad 😂
@@alexisdepena8635 Don't you think so? Might be tone deaf then
@@zenquad i think you are a tone snob
@@zenquad I think if you were hearing these in person you could make a quality distinction, which would subjective, of course. But by the time you hear anything on youtube the sound has been converted and compressed so many times it's impossible to properly assess the sound quality of any of these devices.
It’s pretty hard to tell on most of em to be honest. Some of the higher gain stuff was slightly off. Particularly in the low end. But it’s only going to get better.
Can you repeat this test with either the Stomp, LT, or Helix Floor? The reason I'm asking is because those units have an analog variable input impedance circuit on the guitar input, which switches based on the effect you've chosen. It matters a LOT for things like fuzzes, and I think you'd get much closer matches to the real pedals by using the Helix units which have this extra impedance circuit.
Ds1 emulation is spongy in comparison and brighter as well, the tubescreamer was spongy too but not as much.
Great video. Honestly though. The digital board has a digital board feel in every single example. The only all-in-one pedal I've ever used that avoided this pitfall is the TC Electronic Nova System. And it was cheap. Under $200 for a used one (it's discontinued now).
I went along to see a band who I believed would be using analogue old school pedals. Imagine my disgust in a loud noisy bar with sound bouncing all over the place to pick up that they were in fact using one of these modern doo-hickeys. It ruined my evening of musical philistinism. I shall never wear my leather dust coat to a gig again.
Hahahahahaha
Imagine listening to vinyl and found out they are using digital multi effects. So disgusting...
I bet they didn't even have a real Klon.
Idk bro that duster is pretty badass
If you’re a musical philistine, why do you care? By definition you don’t understand art.
dayum, that boss chorus ensemble has mojo XD
There are several Line6 FX that have a touch more high end snap at the transient then the originals have. That is a sound I'm always looking for because it cuts a bit better in a mix.
I've been using the hx stomp for a while now and the fx section is quite impressive, even when it comes to drive pedals that tend to be the weak spot of digital modellers. As for fuzzes, that seem to be the main "against" argument, I've never been good at using them but I've heard my bassist switch from a standard pedalboard to an hxfx and the triangle fuzz sounds way better in a mix than the ehx fuzz p whatever reissue he had. Sure, it pales in comparison with a well kept vintage original one but I guess that if you can afford that (and the risks of gigging with it) you are definitely not looking at devices like this one. If you compare it with pedals of it's budget range (reissues, clones) the result is pretty much identical. Hell, as a long time line 6 user, I must say that this time around they even added the proper settings for each pedal instead of watering down or complicating some in order to have a "standardized" layout for each fx type as it happened in the past.
The EHX Big Muff reissues are the exact same circuit as their "vintage" counterparts. There are a ton of videos showing this and even the company explained this.
sounds pretty good but I'm hearing a little more warmth on some of the original pedals
I've replaced most of my effect pedals with a Helix. But I still can't get the Helix drives to push my amp the way analog drives do, so these stay. That's going into an already dirty amp (JCM800 style)
I read all comments here. Some say this not what you expect other says it's worth for the price good sounding. But for me what ever effects out there it's still in the hands of guitar player.
They all sound different from the real pedals buts thats not really the point. The whole idea of a multi FX is convenience. It allow a guitarist to have a number of patches and change FX easily during a gig. It's ideal for a cover band playing lots of different venues. It's ideal for a guitarist that wants to create their own sound and experiment with different FX. For the cost of the HX Effects or a HX Stomp you get a great value package.
However for a guitarist that needs a few pedals then separate pedals maybe a much better option.
Also pedals don't have to be bought at all at the same time but they can be a money pit
For me, it about the money. Guitarists can easily spend thousands of $ on effects pedals (I was well on my way to that). Helix offers all of those effects (maybe not exact, but really, really close in almost all cases) for a fraction of the cost.
Something about digital always builds up lot of low mids during palm mutes and slightly more shrill highs.
Thank you, now I know which boxes (and approximations) to buy as I continue slowly replacing my hd500x. That'll be a board I can use at home, maybe with students, but man I fucking FELT 5:55