Helix Stadium Native vs Soundshed Guitar

Helix Stadium Native is an amp and effects plugin that brings Helix Stadium hardware sounds and tone tools into a digital audio workstation. It runs on macOS and Windows in AAX, AU, and VST3 formats, and is not a standalone app. The product page lists 132 amplifier models with 152 channels, more than 260 effects models, and more than 60 speaker cabinet models. The full license lists 27 Agoura amps with 55 channels plus 111 HX amps, 46 cabinets, and 274 studio effects. Hype control blends between more authentic and idealized amp sounds, while Focus View provides contextual parameter controls. The plugin supports third-party cabinet impulse responses and Proxy clones, as well as presets and setlists from Helix Stadium and Helix Stadium XL and original Helix and HX products with firmware 3.50 or later. External MIDI controllers and software can control parameters and snapshots. A free Intro plan is available; the full license costs $399.99 as a one-time purchase purchase and includes a 15-day trial.

Soundshed Guitar is a free guitar and bass multi-effects app for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It runs standalone or in a DAW through VST3, AU, or CLAP. Neural Amp Modeler A2 supplies amp tones, with Tone3000 available inside the app. Effects can be arranged in any order, split into parallel paths, connected through graph-based routing, and combined with other plugins. Impulse-response cabinet simulation lets users load and blend their own cabinets. Community presets and tone packs can be browsed, complete setups imported, and preset assets transferred between systems or collaborators. Built-in tools include a tuner, metronome, jam backing tracks, quick riff capture, and a Practice Tool. Version 1.6.0 adds nine effects, fifteen drive pedal models, gapless preset switching, signal-chain undo, and A/B comparison. Minimums include Windows 10/11 x64 with AVX2, macOS 11+, 4GB RAM, and 500MB disk space. Listed audio rates are 44.1–96kHz with latency under 10ms at 48kHz.