Line 6 Helix Stadium XL – How to Actually Use New Features
- Noise Harmony
- Jul 28
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 21
June 11, 2025 — that’s when Line 6 officially introduced the Helix Stadium XL, their next-generation multi-effects processor. We broke down the announcement in detail here. From what we’ve seen so far, this thing doesn’t just add features—it completely changes how you can use your pedalboard. There’s automation, backing track integration, advanced routing, and a new touchscreen that finally feels modern. It’s built for players who want to take control of their entire live setup—from the sound to the show itself.
Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you choose to buy through them, I’ll get a small kickback — at no extra cost to you. It helps me keep Noise Harmony going.
Also check:
You know the panic that hits when your foot slips and you land on the wrong preset mid-solo? Yeah, that’s a thing of the past now. With the new Showcase timeline system, Helix Stadium lets you automate everything: snapshot changes, MIDI control, volume swells, filter sweeps, tempo syncing—even lights. You build it like a session in a DAW. Just drop flags on your timeline, and the unit does the work for you. No need to tap through presets anymore.
Then there's the stem splitter. Say goodbye to jamming over songs that still have guitars mixed in. Stadium XL can break full tracks into stems—vocals, guitars, bass, drums—and let you remove or solo any part. You can build patches that sit inside the actual mix of your song or rehearse only the part you want to practice. And if you’re a solo performer, it means running your full set—presets, stems, automation, and click tracks—without needing a laptop on stage.
Routing has taken a big leap too. Each of the four stereo paths now supports twelve blocks with completely free signal flow. Split and merge them however you like! And with the new Matrix Mixer, you can mix your paths in any way you want. There’s also more DSP, which means more blocks without worrying about maxing out the system. You can go deep—dual amp, dual cab, stacked effects, and still shape your outputs with per-path compression or EQ.
Sidechain compression is now built-in. If you want your guitar to duck under vocals or a bass track to make room for kick hits, you can now set that up. Just assign a sidechain input and your sound starts breathing with the mix. It’s the kind of detail that can make dense live mixes sound more polished.
Check out our custom-made presets for Line 6 Helix!
NH_BELETH_R_KING
NH_LunarShine
And then come the expansion options—with the new Nexus system and Expand D10, Stadium XL can become the center of a complete stage setup. You can route separate outputs to front-of-house, give your sound engineer full control over each instrument, or run multiple players through one Stadium unit. If you’re sharing a board with other musicians, you can each have your own inputs and processing paths with everything still automated through Showcase.
The user interface also got a big upgrade. The 8-inch touchscreen supports drag-and-drop editing. New cab modules let you move mics virtually in 3D space. You can organize presets with tags, preview them with audio clips, and work wirelessly thanks to built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Legacy users haven’t been left out either—your old Helix presets and IRs will still work.
And there’s a new modeling engine under the hood: Agoura. This one simulates every part of an amp circuit down to how tubes interact with the speaker load. The demos we’ve heard sound detailed and responsive, very much like the real amp. It’s not about replacing vintage gear. But it might make you question why you’re still dragging it to gigs.
Helix Stadium XL brings a new level of control right at your feet, but it’s not for everyone, and that’s totally fine. Helix Floor and LT still hold up and continue to get support. But if you’ve been dreaming of a rig where everything just works together and follows the show, this might be your moment.
You can find the Line 6 Devices on Amazon.
FOLLOW US ON:
Comments