Multi & Modelling effects
Our programmable pick of one-stop solutions for sonic revolutions
line 6 Helix lT £933
The full-fat Helix was a game-changer when it came out, but kudos to Line6 for following it up with a pared-down version that keeps the original modelling engine intact, and is almost £300 cheaper. Yes, the scribble strips – the backlit legends that told you what patch was assigned to each footswitch – were a nice feature of the original, but, after gigging the LT, we found it as intuitive to use thanks to its big display and new Performance View with real-time info. Even though the build differs to the original (the pedal is folded steel as opposed to cast aluminium), the LT is still robust and, crucially, the sonics seem identical. Overall, if you don’t need the extra I/O of the full-on Helix, the LT is a savvy buy for casual and semi-pro users especially. uk.line6.com
elektron AnAlog Drive £349
If you’re not familiar with Elektron, they’re a Swedish company known for making innovative synths and workstations, such as the cultfollowing Octatrack. This is their first offering aimed at guitarists and, while it’s quite chunky, the Analog Drive’s phalanx of eight drive modes is arrestingly impressive. The core tonal quality is superb, while the voicing of the various drives is expressive, detailed and authentic: transparent and penetrating where you’d expect it to be, thick and splintery with woody mids elsewhere. Powerful EQ rounds out an impressive package. We called it: “a no-brainer for a guitarist who has to accurately reproduce a wide range of covers in a set or needs a comprehensive distortion tool for studio work.” www.elektron.se
Hotone xTomp mini £129
The sleek zinc-alloy enclosure gives the first hint of the Xtomp mini’s Terminator-like shapeshifting ability. In essence, the Xtomp Mini is less a conventional multi-effect and more an ‘any effect you want it to be’, because you can choose between over 140 stompbox models that can be loaded into the pedal one at a time via an app. The library of effects includes decent emulations of classics such as the Uni-Vibe and all the well-known overdrives, making the Xtomp Mini perfect for those times when you need a specific effect but don’t need a new pedal. Best of all, the firmware gets updated every few weeks, so the library grows all the time. Priced as keenly as this, it’s worth looking past the anodyne styling to the colossal functionality on offer here. www.hotoneaudio.com