HX STOMP USER TIPS
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The guitar community has recently become more and more digital as companies have put out newer products that get us closer to "that tone". With new technology comes lots of questions, trial and error, and user paralysis to where we give up on the product completely for being too difficult to manage. This page is for the new HX Stomp users who need to know where to start and tips for getting the most out of the unit.
UPDATE YOUR STOMP
Updating your unit is always best practice to ensure that it is free from bugs and has the latest amps, cabs, effects, and other features that work with content creators patches. Here are the steps:
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Go to Line 6 Downloads
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Make sure your quick search bar you select "HX Stomp" as your Hardware, "HX Edit" for software, choose the OS of your computer (Mac or PC), then click "Go".
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Download the latest version and follow installation prompts.
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Go back to the Line 6 Download page to download Line 6 Updater.
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Plug in your HX Stomp via USB to your computer and open Line 6 Updater.
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Select the latest firmware and go through the prompts to update your HX Stomp.
Once you do your first update when you get your HX Stomp you can update directly from HX Edit by clicking in the lower left corner of the app where it says 'check for updates'. ALWAYS CREATE A BACKUP!​​
TWO GREAT MODES FOR LIVE USE
Snapshot Mode
In this mode you have three switches available to turn on/off any of the blocks or adjust parameters in your signal chain. I would say the most common way to use Snapshots is to have a clean, rhythm, and lead sound. Keep in mind that using this method will utilize all switches so the use of tap tempo or tuner wouldn't be an option (you could use an external switch to trigger the tap tempo). A great way to get around this (minus the use of the tuner) would be to save multiple presets in snapshot mode with the programmed tempos for each song, then bank up/down once the song is over. I've found this to be the most useful for programming individual song settings with your very basic effects (compression, drive, delay, and reverb).
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Let's say a song requires your guitar to sit back in the mix a bit with a dirty rhythm sound, but then you need to pop for a lead. Instead of adding more volume or relying on an FOH to ride the fader, you could use Snapshots to bump up the mids to push through the mix. Or even if you want to have one dedicated Snapshot for ambient tones you can hit one switch to trigger adjustments for delay mix and feedback, and adjusting reverb mix and decay. The options are endless and will get better with the release of update 3.0 with the addition of two blocks.
Stomp Mode
I think Stomp Mode gives you the most flexibility because you can still use the tuner/tap tempo while also utilizing parameter shifting and on/off functions of Snapshot Mode. You can expand your options even further with a dual switch or MIDI controllers.
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Here's an example of how I might use Stomp Mode for a live setting with a dual switch in a very basic signal chain:
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Signal chain: compressor>drive pedal>delay>amp+cab>reverb
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Switch 1: toggles amp drive up and down for a clean to rhythm tone.
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Switch 2: turns the drive pedal on/off
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Switch 3: tap/tuner
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Switch 4: adjusts delay mix/feedback up and down together.
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Switch 5: adjusts reverb mix/decay up and down together.
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If you think about it, there are actually four gain options with this setup; amp clean amp, dirty amp, drive pedal by itself, and stacking the drive pedal with the amp drive. This is more specifically how I would use this approach in a church setting because of its versatility to be a rhythm patch or lead patch with all the gain options and ability to wash out your sound with time based effects.