I've had a Line 6 Guitar Port for about 20 years. It was $99, and emulates amps, cabinets, pedals, console channels, rack effects, etc., admittedly offloading the work into a computer that (at the time) cost about a grand.
Are they perfect emulations? No. Did anyone notice that in my music? No. Would I take that rig on stage? Also no.
It did help me find sounds I liked though, and over the years I've bought hardware equivalents of some of my favorite emulations, and I've bought hardware that goes beyond anything Line 6 can do.
As to whether Line 6 is cool or not, NIN/Trent Reznor toured with Line 6 rigs to sold out arenas 20 years ago, and today the live rigs are managed by the FOH using software emulations that can be automated or managed from on-stage controllers. Maybe you don't think that's cool, but the important takeaway is that you should use the tool that's right for you.
I think it's good to see people tinkering with new ways to reduce the cost around modulating audio signals in interesting ways.
Are they perfect emulations? No. Did anyone notice that in my music? No. Would I take that rig on stage? Also no.
It did help me find sounds I liked though, and over the years I've bought hardware equivalents of some of my favorite emulations, and I've bought hardware that goes beyond anything Line 6 can do.
As to whether Line 6 is cool or not, NIN/Trent Reznor toured with Line 6 rigs to sold out arenas 20 years ago, and today the live rigs are managed by the FOH using software emulations that can be automated or managed from on-stage controllers. Maybe you don't think that's cool, but the important takeaway is that you should use the tool that's right for you.
I think it's good to see people tinkering with new ways to reduce the cost around modulating audio signals in interesting ways.