Revised Line 6 M Series and/or Mini-Helix...what are the chances?

colourofsound

After purchasing and enjoying the Line 6 M5; I'd love to see a revised version with a smaller enclosure and improved algorithms (polyphonic harmony/octave!). This seems unlikely to me so...

Do you reckon they might release a single pedal Helix? No modelling or anything, just MIDI controlled effects? I feel like there's a gap in the market for affordable multi-effects - only Zoom are still creating and updating products in this area and they're not MIDI controllable.

Thoughts? What would you like to see? Anyone from Line6 care to weight in if you're on here?

Cookiemonster

I would like just fx as well. 5 switches and a expression pedal. 

John_A

Would love a mini Helix.   M9 size with maybe one DSP chip for one amp & cab and a few FX, or just FX, 3 snapshots and 3 stomps.  Basically a Zoom G3n but with a Helix brain.  Would buy one now

guitarfishbay

I think it's a matter of time before there's a Helix M type pedal.

Whether they'll make the amp modelling available at a lower price point than the LT I'm not sure.  At least there will be the plugin version for people who only want to use it/record at home

english_bob

I'd kind of like to see an updated M5 style product- IMO the M5 is perfect for use with something like the Boss ES-5 looper that can alter loop order so you can use more of the effects, and that can send clock data, PC and CC via MIDI. At the current price point of the M5 you could have several to cover a lot of bases with a fairly small board without breaking the bank. There's nothing else that does the "swiss army knife" pedal thing like the M5 does for anything like the same price or in the same small(ish) footprint. Fix the picky PSU requirements, give it proper MIDI thru and update the onboard effects, price it right and it'll fly off the shelves. 

On the other hand, I've just bought a second M5 for my current board and I'd be annoyed if I didn't get some mileage from it before the Teeny Helix comes along and gives me GAS.

Sporky

I can imagine a half-Helix. A Spiral?

Lose one DSP and just have a single path (though that could have parallel sections still).

That sounds like it'd be quite simple to do from the Helix. I s'pose they could lock out the amp modelling in software.

EricTheWeary

Pretty much as soon as the Helix was announced the question of an FX only one got raised. Are we about two years into this now? If people are paying £400 for a Boss MS3 then a Helix level equivalent would surely blow that out of the water? 

hubobulous

Aside from new hardware, it would essentially be free to Line6. Easy way to make tidy profit from existing R&D. If the delays and reverbs get an update to Strymon/Eventide levels first, they'll be in a very good position.

Dominic

A Helix effects board running into a Kemper and then into a Mission Stereo Gemini cab = Digital Heaven

handsomerik

Even the full fat Helix doesn't have polyphonic pitchshifting so I wouldn't get your hopes too high about that!

handsomerik

The UI on Helix is second to none though. Line 6 could design an awesome programmable looper with a screen. Or something like the new boss looper with built in Helix fx would be brilliant. 

John_A

Problem is we all want somthing a bit different, my vote goes to a mini Helix where you pay for amps and effects so you can have a fx only one if you want, or if like me you'd want modelling too you just cough up some more money.  

I'd be happy with a simple UI and a PC editor.

colourofsound

handsomerik said:

Even the full fat Helix doesn't have polyphonic pitchshifting so I wouldn't get your hopes too high about that!

Seriously?! That's fucked up.

jeztone2

I like the M5, it's the mainstay of my board. It works. 

Digital_Igloo

colourofsound said:

handsomerik said:

Even the full fat Helix doesn't have polyphonic pitchshifting so I wouldn't get your hopes too high about that!

Seriously?! That's fucked up.

Huh. Such strong verbiage. Most would argue Helix's lack of polyphonic pitch shifting—especially when it's so easy to insert one's favorite pitch shifting pedal—is... mildly irksome at worst. Now alternative facts, stage 4 cancer, Brexit... that's deserving of "f@¢#ed up." Life's too short, my friend.

colourofsound

Digital_Igloo said:

colourofsound said:

handsomerik said:

Even the full fat Helix doesn't have polyphonic pitchshifting so I wouldn't get your hopes too high about that!

Seriously?! That's fucked up.

Huh. Such strong verbiage. Most would argue Helix's lack of polyphonic pitch shifting—especially when it's so easy to insert one's favorite pitch shifting pedal—is... mildly irksome at worst. Now alternative facts, stage 4 cancer, Brexit... that's deserving of "f@¢#ed up." Life's too short, my friend.

Haha; okay, it's eff'd up in this context at least. I'm just surprised that such a fully featured unit doesn't have a seemingly standard effect, and advertising the loops for use for something the unit can't do seems counter-intuitive.

So as a Senior Product Manager at Line 6, @Digital_Igloo, have we anything to look forward to...? And when's Helix native out??

Digital_Igloo

colourofsound said:

Haha; okay, it's eff'd up in this context at least. I'm just surprised that such a fully featured unit doesn't have a seemingly standard effect, and advertising the loops for use for something the unit can't do seems counter-intuitive.

So as a Senior Product Manager at Line 6, @Digital_Igloo, have we anything to look forward to...? And when's Helix native out??

Not sure I'd call polyphonic pitch shifting standard. Very few companies do it well, and Line 6 won't bother unless we can do it well too (it's certainly in our gargantuan list). I'll be the first to admit that Helix was never designed to be all things to all people—if anything, it's designed to be the centerpiece of one's rig, and that rig likely has a few favorite pieces people can't live without... like a POG 2.

Lots of things to look forward to. Helix Native is hopefully no more than a few weeks out—we're just squashing last minute bugs at this point. Testing in a dozen DAWs across a dozen versions of Mac OS and Windows is always a herculean effort and is rarely without its surprises.