Line 6 releases Helix Stadium with Two Mighty Floorboard Modelers
Catching up to Kemper and Neural DSP!
4,2 / 5,0 | 
For weeks, Line 6 had been teasing something for June 11, promising a live stream. And then yesterday evening, the cat was out of the bag: Helix Stadium! Two powerful Flooboard modelers, one with and one without an expression pedal, with a gigantic touchscreen, and a new modeling technology. This is big!
The new Helix models
Line 6 Helix Stadium: Floor and XL Floor
Helix Stadium Floor and Helix Stadium XL Floor are the two new models in the series. Both come with an 8-inch touchscreen, twelve footswitches, a range of buttons and controls for controlling and adjusting effects and amps, and loads of connectivity options. A very solid foundation.
Among other things, both controllers feature the new Agoura amp modeling technology. Floor and XL Floor will initially come with sixteen amps, including classics such as Twin Reverb, Princeton, Hiwatt, and JCM800. There is also a special hype control that continuously mixes two amp emulations.
Good news for Helix users: Presets from older Helix models can be easily imported to the new models and opened without any change in sound. Speaking of presets, Line 6 has taken a leaf out of the book of software synthesizers such as Serum 2 and Omnisphere 2. If desired, each preset on the board can be accompanied by a directly played audio sample—very useful!
Connectivity
This is where the Floor and Floor XL differ slightly. The Helix Stadium Floor features an instrument input, an XLR input, two effects loops, two connections for expression pedals, two inputs for drum triggers (!), USB-C, USB-A, and a removable 32 GB SD card. The outputs include a couple of XLR outputs, a couple of jack outputs, and a mini jack headphone output. MIDI input and output are also included. The drum trigger inputs could make this thing a mothership for an entire band—wow!
The larger XL model features two instrument inputs, four effects loops (or two in stereo), four drum trigger inputs, four inputs for expression pedals, and “Scribble Strips”, which are small OLED displays above each footswitch. And, of course, the expression pedal with a toe switch.
Both models also have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi functionality. According to a Line 6 employee on The Gearpage forum, it will soon be possible to control the Helix Stadium wirelessly via a smartphone or tablet app. When connected to a computer, both floorboards act as eight-channel audio interfaces.
How much do the new Helix Stadium models from Line 6 cost?
You’ll have to be patient for both models to become available. According to Line 6, pre-orders will start on June 25, 2025. The XL Floor is expected to be available in fall 2025, followed by the Floor in winter 2025. The MSRP for the Line 6 Helix Stadium Floor is $1,799, while the larger XL Floor will cost $2,199.
A range of accessory devices will also be available. For instance, the EX2 is a separate expression pedal that also works with previous Helix models and has an RRP of $149.99.
With the Expand D10, you can also expand the connectivity options of both controllers. Variax modeling guitars, L6 Link, AES/EBU, and more can be connected directly. Its MSRP is $219.99. A matching backpack that fits both models will also be available for $249.99.
More on the new models from Line 6
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2 responses to “Line 6 releases Helix Stadium with Two Mighty Floorboard Modelers”
I had to laugh at the quote from Line 6): “There’s also detailed plate and grid voltage data, all-new sag, bias, ripple behaviour simulation, double-precision tone stacks, inter-block communications so cab blocks can communicate back to the amp block for dynamic speaker impedance curves.”
I’m surprised they didn’t mention the tordymium wiffle plate diopressor with pure neophymescence resistance strands, which precisely reproduce the harmonics of plywood with a 7% moisure content beneath and the dust on an aged Tolex cabinet coating.
Thankfully, I’m now at that age (which we do all reach eventually) where GAS has subsided to a vaguely fond memory, two or three sounds is all I need and rows of pretty lights, switches and knobs just make me realise how little I can be bothered with all that spurious stuff which the teenage me would have been convinced was totally necessary!
“Ripple behaviour simulation”, indeed. Aye, right! 🙂
To be honest, most of the features related to sound and effects leave me cold. I’ve already created sounds with the old Helix that I like 100%. I can’t complain about my current Quad Cortex either, and yes, I was happy with my Vetta Head back then.
For me, the real game changer is Showcase. If it’s implemented intelligently (which it looks like it will be), Line6 will be the first manufacturer of a multi-effects unit that has really thought about live use. All the setlist/song/song part approaches from the usual other manufacturers are rather rudimentary or half-hearted (apart from Headrush, which, however, fails to break it down from the largest device to the smaller ones, even though that’s exactly where it’s needed).
Maybe my dream of being able to play a whole gig with just one button, without having to lug around a Windows computer, will finally come true.