What works on your Line 6 device
Every Line 6 modeler in this guide loads MultiTracks Impulse Responses. Only Helix Stadium loads amp captures (Line 6 calls them Proxy clones). Hardware presets are device-specific, so buy the preset built for your exact unit.
Device | Impulse Responses | Amp captures (Proxy clones) | MultiTracks presets | IR storage |
Helix Stadium / Stadium XL | Yes (.wav) | Yes (.clone) | Stadium presets (.hsp); also imports Helix/HX .hlx presets | Up to 2,048 IRs |
Helix Floor / LT / Rack | Yes (.wav) | No | Helix presets (.hlx) | 128 IR slots |
HX Stomp / HX Stomp XL | Yes (.wav) | No | HX Stomp presets (.hlx) | 128 IR slots |
POD Go / POD Go Wireless | Yes (.wav) | No | POD Go presets | 128 IR slots |
If you own a Helix or HX unit and want amp captures, you have two paths: run a MultiTracks preset that uses the built-in amp models, or add a capture-capable device in front of your Line 6 unit and use the Line 6 unit for cab IRs and effects.
Know your device
The four families share the same amp and cab DNA, but each one loads sounds through a different app and a different menu. Find your device below before you start.
Helix Stadium and Stadium XL. Line 6's newest platform with a touchscreen, a new amp-modeling engine, and the Proxy cloning engine for amp captures. Edits from the free Helix Stadium app on macOS or Windows. Presets use the .hsp extension; clones use .clone. Stadium imports older Helix/HX .hlx presets and converts any legacy cab blocks automatically, so expect a slightly different sound on converted presets.
Helix Floor, Helix LT, and Helix Rack. The original full-size Helix line. Edits from HX Edit. Presets use the .hlx extension. Two DSP paths, so you can run two amps, two cabs, and plenty of effects in one preset.
HX Stomp and HX Stomp XL. The compact Helix with the same models in a smaller box and a tighter block count. Edits from the same HX Edit app as Helix. Presets use .hlx but are not interchangeable with full Helix presets because of the block limit; buy the HX Stomp version of any MultiTracks preset.
POD Go and POD Go Wireless. The entry-level Line 6 modeler with a fixed signal chain: one amp block, one cab or IR block, and a set number of effect slots. Edits from POD Go Edit, a separate app from HX Edit. Because the chain is fixed, POD Go presets are their own format and do not cross-load with Helix or HX Stomp.
If you have HX Effects, it loads IRs the same way as HX Stomp through HX Edit but has no amp blocks, so pair it with a real amp or an outside amp source.
Before you start
Update first. Most import errors on Line 6 devices come from a firmware or app version that is older than the file you are trying to load.
Download the editor app for your device from line6.com and install it: Helix Stadium app (Stadium), HX Edit (Helix, HX Stomp, HX Effects), or POD Go Edit (POD Go).
Connect your device to your computer with a USB cable, then launch the app. If a newer firmware is available, the app walks you through updating. Back up your presets when the app offers to.
Unzip your MultiTracks download. Keep the folder somewhere permanent; the device identifies IRs by their contents, so you will want the original files if you ever restore or re-import.
Check what is inside the download. A typical MultiTracks Guitar & Bass product includes IR files (.wav), a preset file for your device, and a readme that names the IR each preset expects.
You do not need a Line 6 account to load IRs or presets. You only need one for Marketplace purchases and firmware downloads.
Downloads, manuals, and editor software
Every editor app and firmware installer lives on one page: Line 6 Software Downloads. Pick your hardware from the first menu, the app or firmware from the second, and your operating system from the third. Manuals live at Line 6 Product Manuals; Helix Stadium also has a live web manual that tracks the current firmware.
Device | Editor app (free) | How firmware updates | Manual |
Helix Stadium / Stadium XL | Helix Stadium app for macOS and Windows, from Software Downloads | Inside the Helix Stadium app, or on the unit over Wi-Fi after logging in to your Line 6 account. Line 6 Central is the Windows connection helper if the app cannot see the unit. | |
Helix Floor / LT / Rack | HX Edit for macOS and Windows, from Software Downloads | HX Edit prompts you when a new firmware is available and walks through the update over USB | |
HX Stomp / Stomp XL / HX Effects | HX Edit (same app as Helix), from Software Downloads | Same as Helix, through HX Edit over USB | HX Stomp Manual (PDF); Product Manuals for Stomp XL and HX Effects |
POD Go / POD Go Wireless | POD Go Edit for macOS and Windows, from Software Downloads | POD Go Edit prompts you and updates over USB; it also updates the Relay transmitter on POD Go Wireless |
Update the editor app on your computer first, then let it update the hardware. A mismatched pair (new firmware, old app, or the reverse) is the most common reason an import fails.
Loading Impulse Responses
All four families accept standard .wav IR files and convert them on import. Helix, HX, and POD Go store up to 128 IRs; Stadium stores up to 2,048 and lets you organize them in folders. You never need to convert a MultiTracks IR before loading it.
Helix Stadium / Stadium XL (Helix Stadium app)
Connect Stadium over USB and open the Helix Stadium app.
Click Librarian, then click Cab IRs in the left column.
Click Import and select your MultiTracks .wav files, or drag them from your folder into the Cab IRs list. Create a New Folder named MultiTracks if you want to keep them grouped.
Go back to Home, open a preset, and tap an empty spot on the path. Choose Cab, then tap Cab IR in the sidebar and select 2048 IR.
Tap the pink EMPTY box, browse to your MultiTracks folder, and tap the IR to load it. A Cab block holds two slots, so you can blend two IRs or an IR with a stock cab.
Save the preset.
Helix Floor / LT / Rack and HX Stomp / Stomp XL (HX Edit)
Connect over USB and open HX Edit.
Click the Impulses tab in the left panel. You will see 128 numbered slots.
Drag your MultiTracks .wav files onto empty slots, or click Import and choose them. HX Edit sends them to the device immediately and converts sample rate and bit depth for you.
Open a preset, select an empty block, and choose Impulse Response from the model list. Pick IR 1024 to save processing power or IR 2048 for the full-length file.
In the block's IR Select parameter, choose your MultiTracks IR by name.
Save the preset. On current firmware the device recalls IRs by name rather than slot number, so the slot you chose does not matter.
POD Go / POD Go Wireless (POD Go Edit)
Connect over USB and open POD Go Edit.
Click the Impulses column next to Presets.
Drag your MultiTracks .wav files onto empty slots or use Import.
Open a preset and select the Cab/IR block. POD Go has one Cab/IR block per preset; switch its model from a cab to Impulse Response.
Choose your MultiTracks IR in the IR Select parameter and save.
If you later delete an IR from the device, any preset that used it will show UNRESOLVED or fall back to a slot number. Keep your downloaded files so you can re-import.
Loading amp captures on Helix Stadium
A Proxy clone is Line 6's amp capture format, introduced in Stadium firmware 1.3. Stadium plays a test signal through a real amp, preamp, or pedal, listens to what comes back, and builds a model of that exact piece of gear at those exact knob settings. The result is a .clone file that behaves like a snapshot: one amp, one channel, one set of knobs, captured once.
That is the key difference from a stock Stadium amp model. A model gives you every knob of the original amp to turn. A clone gives you the sound a producer dialed in, with a smaller set of controls around it: Level (which also sets how hard you push the clone for more or less saturation), plus tone shaping after the fact. It will not turn a clean capture into a high-gain one or the reverse, so buy the capture that matches the sound you need.
Four clone types exist, and a MultiTracks Proxy pack tells you which you are getting:
Amp+Cab captures the amp through its speaker cabinet and a microphone. It is the complete sound and needs no Cab block.
Amp captures the amp's output into a load box with no speaker. Add a Cab block with a MultiTracks IR after it.
Preamp captures only the preamp section through the amp's preamp out or effects send. Add a Cab block with an IR; the Stadium's own power-amp modeling fills in the rest.
Distortion captures an overdrive, distortion, or fuzz pedal. Place it in front of any amp model or clone, the way you would a real pedal.
What to expect from a MultiTracks Proxy pack: a set of .clone files, usually several captures of the same amp at different gain settings so you can cover clean, edge-of-breakup, and lead from one amp; a matching MultiTracks IR for Amp and Preamp types; a Stadium preset that wires them together; and a readme listing the clone type, the amp it was captured from, and the IR it was designed with. Each Clone block uses roughly as much DSP as one of Stadium's larger amp models, so plan on one or two clones per preset.
Clones created on Stadium hardware also load in the Helix Stadium Native plugin, so a Proxy pack works in your DAW as well as on the floor unit.
Connect Stadium over USB and open the Helix Stadium app.
Click Librarian, then click Clones in the left column.
Click Import and select your MultiTracks .clone files. You do not need to pick the right folder first; the app sorts each clone into Amp+Cab, Amp, Preamp, or Distortion automatically.
Go to Home, open a preset, and add an Amp block. In the Model List choose the Clones category, then click the Clone Selection box in the Inspector and pick your MultiTracks clone.
If the clone is an Amp or Preamp type (captured without a speaker), add a Cab block after it and load a MultiTracks IR or a stock cab. Amp+Cab clones already include the speaker, so skip the Cab block or you will double up.
Save the preset.
Clone blocks do not auto-add a cab and cannot be linked to a Cab block the way stock amps can, so always check the signal path visually after loading one.
Stadium does not load NAM or ToneX capture files. If you own those formats, see the general NAM guide for hardware and software that plays them.
Loading hardware presets
Load the IRs first, then the preset. A preset that references an IR you have not imported yet will load, but its IR block will be empty and the sound will be wrong.
Helix Stadium / Stadium XL
In the Helix Stadium app, open Librarian and click Presets, or use the Preset Panel on the Home view.
Select an empty preset location. Importing onto an occupied slot permanently overwrites it.
Click Import, choose the MultiTracks .hsp file, or drag it directly onto the slot. Stadium also imports Helix/HX .hlx presets and converts them.
Check the Cab block. If it reads UNRESOLVED, tap it and choose the MultiTracks IR named in the readme.
Save.
Helix Floor / LT / Rack and HX Stomp / Stomp XL
In HX Edit, select an empty slot in the Presets list.
Drag the MultiTracks .hlx file onto the slot, or right-click and choose Import.
Confirm the IR block shows your MultiTracks IR by name. If it shows a number instead, the IR was not imported before the preset; import it and reselect it in the block.
Save.
Make sure you bought the preset built for your model. Full Helix presets contain more blocks than HX Stomp can run and will not import; HX Stomp XL can load HX Stomp presets.
POD Go / POD Go Wireless
In POD Go Edit, drag the MultiTracks POD Go preset file onto an empty slot in the Presets column.
Open the preset and confirm the Cab/IR block is set to Impulse Response with your MultiTracks IR selected.
Save.
If POD Go Edit refuses the file, update POD Go firmware and the app, then retry. Presets saved on newer firmware will not open on older firmware.
Making it sound like the demo
The single biggest reason a preset sounds wrong on a Line 6 device is output setup, not the preset. Run these four checks before you touch any tone knob.
Guitar input level. Set Guitar In-Z to 1M on any Helix-family device. By default, Line 6 units set the input impedance to match the first block in the chain, which mimics how a real pedal loads your pickups and rolls off some top end and dynamics. Switching to 1M keeps the full signal of your guitar reaching the amp model or clone. You will find it in the Input block's settings (or Global Settings on some units). Leave your guitar volume at full while you set up.
Output level. Send the 1/4" or XLR outputs at line level to a flat-response speaker, powered monitor, interface, or front-of-house. If you are plugging into a guitar amp's front input, the preset will sound dark and boxy because the amp and speaker are coloring a signal that already contains an amp and cab. Use the amp's effects return or set the cab/IR block to bypass.
Cab block on, once. Every MultiTracks preset is built with the cab or IR block on. If you use a real guitar cab through a power amp, turn the IR block off; if you go direct, leave it on. Never stack a stock cab after a MultiTracks Amp+Cab clone or after an IR.
Global EQ. Set the device's Global EQ flat when auditioning. Many used units arrive with a low cut or high cut dialed in, which changes every preset.
Once those match, adjust in this order: amp gain for feel, then the IR's Low Cut and High Cut for room, then the block's Level so the preset sits at the same volume as your other presets. A low cut near 80 to 100 Hz and a high cut near 8 to 10 kHz is the usual starting point for a direct worship mix.
Do not change the mic parameters on an IR; IRs already include the mic. Those controls only apply to stock cabs.
Troubleshooting and FAQ
The preset loaded but sounds thin or fizzy. The IR block is empty or pointing at the wrong file. Open the block and select the MultiTracks IR named in the readme. On Stadium, look for UNRESOLVED on the Cab block.
The editor app will not import the file. Update firmware and the app, then retry. Also confirm you bought the version for your device: HX Stomp cannot load full Helix presets, and POD Go presets are a separate format.
My IR shows a number instead of a name in the block. The preset was imported before the IR. Import the IR, then reselect it in the block and save.
I deleted an IR and now several presets are broken. Re-import the original file from your MultiTracks download. The device matches IRs by content, so the same file restores every preset that used it.
Do I need 1024 or 2048? Use 2048 unless you are out of DSP. 1024 fades the IR out halfway and saves processing power; most players cannot hear the difference on a full-band mix.
Can I load a stereo IR? Yes. Helix, HX, and POD Go keep the left channel; Stadium sums to mono. MultiTracks ships mono IRs, so nothing is lost.
Can my Helix or HX Stomp load MultiTracks NAM or ToneX captures? No. Those units have no capture block. Helix Stadium loads Proxy clones only.
Can I move my Helix presets to Stadium? Yes. Stadium imports .hlx files and converts legacy cab blocks to its new cab models, which changes the tone slightly. Re-check your IR selection after import.
The preset is much louder or quieter than my others. Adjust the Output block Level or the amp's Channel Volume, not the master. That keeps the preset balanced with your other sounds.
I run into a real guitar amp and it sounds muffled. Turn the IR block off, or route into the amp's effects return instead of the front input.
What to look at next
Start with the format your device supports best, then add presets built for your unit.
Any Line 6 device: MultiTracks Impulse Responses for electric guitar, bass, and acoustic. One purchase works on every unit listed here and on most other modelers you may own later.
Helix Stadium owners: MultiTracks Line 6 amp captures (Proxy clones), paired with a MultiTracks IR for Amp and Preamp types.
Helix, HX Stomp, and POD Go owners: MultiTracks hardware presets built on the stock amp models, each shipped with the IR it was designed around.