Man that capture was so good. Noticed the amp had a tad bit more low end than the Quad Cortex. It’s as you said though no one would complain about the capture in real life. Just us audio nerd who have the privilege to hear A/B comparisons lol
The capturing is what makes this so powerful. Being able to get a studio sound with added benefit of plugins and studio gear and capture that entire rig and bring that to a gig is pretty insane really.
Awesome ! Being able to load the plugins we’ve already purchased in a mobile platform besides a laptop is exactly what I was hoping they would include. That is the deciding feature for me.
Your waving around of the unit showed me the answer to one of my questions. How visible is the screen from various angles? The answer? No problems at all.
Amazing A/B testing! It was pretty much the same, though i heard something going on in the low end of the Quad. It was Cutting a tiny bit of low end, but not something that cant be fixed. Absolutely amazing piece of equipment!
I debated waiting for this, but I pulled the trigger on a Axe 3. Loving it, so if this ends up better, then oh well. I'm glad the tech is improving so dramatically.
I think from a accuracy perspective its great, but not the best I've heard. The style and everything is 100% the same, and in context of a mix the difference is not rly audible to me anymore, however without backing u can hear the difference quiet well - I had more problems hearing difference from real amp to kemper. But in general, in most cases the stuff which happens below 350hz shows the differences, on higher frequencys its kinda the same to me, but then again I'm old.
Don't own any of the current DSP units, but have tried them in the past. Just been waiting for the technology to get better, and it sure seems to be. Enjoyed your review. Much appreciated.
I watched this video while in my car with buetooth audio and literally couldn’t tell the difference between the real amp and the quad cortex so it passes the car test.
The capture is great. Side by side, you can tell the slight difference, but the feel is there. If it's just the quad cortex itself, I don't think people will tell if it's an actual amp or not.
Give it 2 years tops before a rack mount version is announced. Once touring resumes, and touring bands want this in their rig, there'll be a push for it. Hell, you could have the whole band be setup with a single unit .
@@neighbourhoodmusician Hell yeah man. I wasn't exactly a fan of B.C Kochmit's stuff when he came in during New Tradition, but when they released Hail Mary with Clint and Troy back, it was awesome!
Quad cotexing all around 🔥 i bet this brick will be the BOMB in future years ! I mean , maybe a Wah/Xpression/Volume pedal next time , a lil more ventilation , and even bigger and more powerfull CPU 🔥🔥🔥🔥
That riff from sound clip 1 you have done alot. Its always sounded awesome, but I honestly think it sounded the best its ever has in this video. Idk if its the cortex tones or what but was really impressed with the tones
FM3 is cheaper BUT runs out of CPU very quickly and with only 3 foot switches.. The plugins will be a game changer for sure. I think the capture feature is best in class. This unit is awesome and I can't wait for mine from Sweetwater. Thanks for the review.
@@r.llynch4124 I find this very surprising. Have you tried stepping down the quality in the Reverb block? I have a bunch of presets running Reverb and Delay blocks and none of them max the CPU, even one of the factory presets that runs all 12 blocks including Delay and Reverb doesn't max the CPU to the point of shutdown.
That amp match was impeccable! The match sounded like it lost just a little bit of the beef in the low’s, but overall it’s extremely close and I’d take it over any amp personally.
I would love to see this unit compared to the Kemper and the latest AXE-FX III. Also if you use a single coil guitar to capture an amp vs using a humbucker equipped guitar.
Seems like recording a modeler is almost always super close to the real amp. To me, the test is the “feel”.....as in, turning the guitar volume down and seeing how that reacts to the touch and the dynamics of the hands....plus “the gate” if there is one....(chopping off notes early, etc)
They need to put a couple letters in the background of the symbols on the display like OD for overdrive, RV for reverb ect. I cannot wait to get this thing. Most of people's issues can be solved with simple user interface updates.
It’s getting there. Compared to the price of axefx or kemper, the quad cortex is pretty affordable. Helix is around the same price, but like half the capabilities.
Great demo. I think I'll let the guinea-pigs have a go at it for a year or two - then see how the firmware updates and reliability issues pan out. People love to sh*t on Fractal - but their community and support are outstanding. If Neural follows in their footsteps, I'd buy one of these. Not crazy about the hieroglyphics for the blocks on the display but I'm sure you get used to them. I'd also like to have an editor for my desktop - but I'm sure that's in the plans. I can't argue with the sounds you got out of it though. Sounded great.
G-system did that “button thing” 15 years ago...people really have bad memory. Btw, I have one and still works flawlessly, so for the ones that are not “sure” about durability of those buttons, well, they will be pretty reliable cause it’s not “new tech” at all...
Helix UI with a headrush touch screen. Used both at a time I was thinking when “a combo of both” will come. I think that’s what is being showed here and more. Wonder if the next helix/kemper will give this beast a fight (a happy kemper owner).
If you already have a helix kemper or axefx it’s hard to get excited about it, maybe if it retailed for 999, but its the same price as the other big boys, and it sounds as good as they do
@@johnnewton1830 smaller size, bigger screen, touch screen, no computer hook up. Playing through a regular guitar cabinet. I know you weren’t asking me but just throwing in why I would buy this and maybe lose my other modeler/profiler. Still a great tube amp with just one great pedal like distortion, overdrive or fuzz and the feel and sound is still the best for me.
The mesa sounds a little bit more in the low end, but wow does that capture sound spot on. I will stick to my tube heads tho, but if i did ever consider adding a modeler, that dsp might be on order.
Great video! Thank you man! I currently own the fractal but I was curious to acquire the QC. I see that QC does very well! Mainly in high gains. But I confess that I miss the clean sounds with soft and robust bass. Like.. Deluxe reverb.. Matchless.. etc.. Do you think Neural will also pay attention to amp simulations in the next updates or will they leave them aside and focus more on captures?
Well in the mix it was hard to notice, alone tho, quads has more defined high ends, the Mesa had more mid range. At least that how it sounded to me. Thanks for sharing.
I've used it myself already. I love it I wouldn't say it's not deserving of a little over hip. Yes it's all what you sey it is but you missed one thing, ease of use! Especially for us older people that hate the digital fiddling around that goes on with the others.
Great video. I would love to see you capture a pedal and then A/B it with the original pedal in front of a real amp, rather than into the QC. It would be great if I could capture and replace my pedal board with the QC when I'm playing the real tube amp, (no amp or cab sims switched on in the QC), as well as having all the other QC features. I would then use the QC amp and cab sims (and effects) for headphone use and recording
In both Fluffs and in Glenns video I heard a little more fizzle with the Neural vs the real amp. Not saying I prefer one over the other, there is a difference though.
Not bad of a capture. Much better than the built in tones. They have the classical solid state high end dryness. The capture compared to the JP2C lacked a little punch in the low end, but much better in the mid/high frequencies. Not bad at all.
raw tracks or in the mix, the tonal difference was minimal, if there at all. and from everything i've seen, it even has the sag you'd expect from the amps it captures. pretty amazing stuff
10:00 well Helix has that feature with NATIVE. You buy Native for a few bucks and you have EVERYTHING for free on your PC and Hardware unit. That's even better than buying certain sounds or amps afterwards. It's just Neurals way to make extra money constantly with exclusive content.
Great review! Honest question: It's somewhat easy to get good sounds at headphone level. In my experience however, stage/PA loudness is a total different beast. Tube amplifiers sound often much better than digital stuff. Could you do a comparison at these kinds of levels, with these kinds of speakers?
i don't get one thing... how does combining a footswitch with a rotary knob prolongs the potentiometer's life? i assume they take more impact from the stomping?
I'm not sure why, but, I have high end gear/guitars..im playing through Focal Shape 65s and I can't tones that don't feel dull or lifeless..almost sounds like the tone knob on my guitars are turned down to 1 lol..I can't get those bright cleans and punchy gains. For other reference, i have a UA Apollo Twin X , Imac with Cubase 12 pro as a DAW....maybe the monitors?
Nice Video, but when you are in the Rig Manager from the Kemper there is a lot of more options to change and to find your Amp sound. Pick, Definition, Clarity etc. etc. Maybe there will be an update and all this is coming for the QC, but right now this thing is hyped to much! Just my opinion!
Agreed it is the future of pedals and amps. Most of the players in my market have one of these or a competitor unit. One concern though. I have a set of JVC HA RX-300 headphones which usually have great top end response. But the signal sounds pretty thin above 3k, and very thin above 6k. Is that in the EQ Pre-upload?
I'm with you, I heard that a rack version is coming. I guess that thing is rugged, I would hesitate to put any $1600 piece of gear on the floor in a gig situation; maybe I'm being too careful but still...just heard Fluff say no rack version coming, Doh!!
It sounds like you'd just rather plug in a MIDI capable floorboard to switch presets? Cuz people toss Helix Stomps in a rack all the time. In fact, that's exactly what Fluff did.
Nice work, Fluff! Thanks for putting in chapter markers!
Man that capture was so good. Noticed the amp had a tad bit more low end than the Quad Cortex. It’s as you said though no one would complain about the capture in real life. Just us audio nerd who have the privilege to hear A/B comparisons lol
Just make a slight eq tweak and it's there.
The capturing is what makes this so powerful. Being able to get a studio sound with added benefit of plugins and studio gear and capture that entire rig and bring that to a gig is pretty insane really.
The foot switch/knob combo is brilliant. Scribble Strips would make this 100% perfect. I want it still.
I agree, but its a germophobe's nightmare lol
Awesome ! Being able to load the plugins we’ve already purchased in a mobile platform besides a laptop is exactly what I was hoping they would include. That is the deciding feature for me.
That mix in the A/B comparison slaps HARD
Your waving around of the unit showed me the answer to one of my questions. How visible is the screen from various angles? The answer? No problems at all.
I bet it feels good to have this video out of the way after having the Quad Cortex for months.
Amazing A/B testing!
It was pretty much the same, though i heard something going on in the low end of the Quad.
It was Cutting a tiny bit of low end, but not something that cant be fixed.
Absolutely amazing piece of equipment!
I could only "hear"the difference when my eyes were open, I'm definitely interested.
I debated waiting for this, but I pulled the trigger on a Axe 3. Loving it, so if this ends up better, then oh well. I'm glad the tech is improving so dramatically.
Thank you Fluff for the look at this . Definitely the future. The Neural capture is Huge!
Wow. The JP-2C capture is insane
Wow thats probably the best capture I've heard of a real amp into a modeler. Sounded like a sleight drop on overall EQ but hardly noticeable.
I would recommend checking out @RhettShull and his Quad Cortex video... his capture was also insanely impressive. very different tone than Fluff.
I think from a accuracy perspective its great, but not the best I've heard. The style and everything is 100% the same, and in context of a mix the difference is not rly audible to me anymore, however without backing u can hear the difference quiet well - I had more problems hearing difference from real amp to kemper.
But in general, in most cases the stuff which happens below 350hz shows the differences, on higher frequencys its kinda the same to me, but then again I'm old.
Don't own any of the current DSP units, but have tried them in the past. Just been waiting for the technology to get better, and it sure seems to be.
Enjoyed your review. Much appreciated.
4:51 that tone is chonkier than me after a year in lockdown, oh my god
get a new towel. it helps a little.
I watched this video while in my car with buetooth audio and literally couldn’t tell the difference between the real amp and the quad cortex so it passes the car test.
The capture is great. Side by side, you can tell the slight difference, but the feel is there. If it's just the quad cortex itself, I don't think people will tell if it's an actual amp or not.
Sorry to say: Footswitches with rotary knobs are well known from TC G-System years ago
Never been this early for your vids! Amazing 😍
This unit sounds great!! Might actually pull the trigger on one of these!
Great vid! Fluff, first time into the digital gear game. I think the Quad Cortex is for me.
Great demo man, I will definitely be picking one of these up when they become more accessible.
Good lord the stereo chugs sounded fucking unbelievable through my headphones. Fuck
Really Cool! I sawed off my arm now I’m working on my leg to get one! LoL!
That kind of Footswitch/Knob has been around since the TC Electronic G-System.
Very nice video- enjoyed it and subbed.
Give it 2 years tops before a rack mount version is announced. Once touring resumes, and touring bands want this in their rig, there'll be a push for it.
Hell, you could have the whole band be setup with a single unit .
Very helpful.
Awesome job on this Ryan !!
I got major Dark New Day vibes from that first tone and riff section.
I love Dark New Day! I need more of Clint and Troy working together.
@@chaoschaoforever A severely underrated band.
@@neighbourhoodmusician Hell yeah man. I wasn't exactly a fan of B.C Kochmit's stuff when he came in during New Tradition, but when they released Hail Mary with Clint and Troy back, it was awesome!
The song is "Polaris" by his old band Rest, Repose. Before they rebranded to Dragged Under.
well played Fluff , and great review
Quad cotexing all around 🔥 i bet this brick will be the BOMB in future years ! I mean , maybe a Wah/Xpression/Volume pedal next time , a lil more ventilation , and even bigger and more powerfull CPU 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Oh, it supports expression pedals!
Do you remember when the helix came out? It really came a long way to where it is today. Having that said I’ll wait a year before I make this move.
That riff from sound clip 1 you have done alot. Its always sounded awesome, but I honestly think it sounded the best its ever has in this video. Idk if its the cortex tones or what but was really impressed with the tones
I'm just watching because I like Fluff videos.
FM3 is cheaper BUT runs out of CPU very quickly and with only 3 foot switches.. The plugins will be a game changer for sure. I think the capture feature is best in class. This unit is awesome and I can't wait for mine from Sweetwater. Thanks for the review.
In general it doesn't run out of CPU power quickly at all, I've run presets with 10 blocks in it without maxing out CPU.
@@thegodless2904 if I run reverb delay with my blocks it's hitting over 80% . It tends to start having issues when over 80.
@@r.llynch4124 I find this very surprising. Have you tried stepping down the quality in the Reverb block? I have a bunch of presets running Reverb and Delay blocks and none of them max the CPU, even one of the factory presets that runs all 12 blocks including Delay and Reverb doesn't max the CPU to the point of shutdown.
Man this Neural Cortex sounds super cool!
I’m so with you on the rack mount version. One band could throw this in their rack and be golden.
As a person who doesn't play out (I mean when that's possible) I would be all about a rack mount unit
Just ordered one yesrerday. 4 more days
That amp match was impeccable! The match sounded like it lost just a little bit of the beef in the low’s, but overall it’s extremely close and I’d take it over any amp personally.
If you added some bass on the Quad
Would it be the same ?
I would love to see this unit compared to the Kemper and the latest AXE-FX III. Also if you use a single coil guitar to capture an amp vs using a humbucker equipped guitar.
Seems like recording a modeler is almost always super close to the real amp. To me, the test is the “feel”.....as in, turning the guitar volume down and seeing how that reacts to the touch and the dynamics of the hands....plus “the gate” if there is one....(chopping off notes early, etc)
They need to put a couple letters in the background of the symbols on the display like OD for overdrive, RV for reverb ect. I cannot wait to get this thing. Most of people's issues can be solved with simple user interface updates.
Man I can't wait for the days that this kind of tech becomes more affordable, the only thing stopping me from joining the digital revolution
It’s getting there. Compared to the price of axefx or kemper, the quad cortex is pretty affordable. Helix is around the same price, but like half the capabilities.
From what I've heard out there, the Mooer stuffs is pretty good for the price, once you replace the IR it's pretty close.
You just saw an axe fx 3 plus an improved kemper in one small box for 1600, a single half decent amp costs more than that.
Compared to the cost of only 1 real amp and cab this is a steal.
Greatest SHIT!!!!!! Hell YEAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1:43 haven't heard old R,r in a very long time man. Polaris brings back some old feels.
Felt this was authentic
Great demo. I think I'll let the guinea-pigs have a go at it for a year or two - then see how the firmware updates and reliability issues pan out. People love to sh*t on Fractal - but their community and support are outstanding. If Neural follows in their footsteps, I'd buy one of these. Not crazy about the hieroglyphics for the blocks on the display but I'm sure you get used to them. I'd also like to have an editor for my desktop - but I'm sure that's in the plans. I can't argue with the sounds you got out of it though. Sounded great.
great tone I want one
G-system did that “button thing” 15 years ago...people really have bad memory. Btw, I have one and still works flawlessly, so for the ones that are not “sure” about durability of those buttons, well, they will be pretty reliable cause it’s not “new tech” at all...
Cool
I bet in a few years the next modeler/profiler is half this size. Still would like power to come with it.
Helix UI with a headrush touch screen. Used both at a time I was thinking when “a combo of both” will come. I think that’s what is being showed here and more. Wonder if the next helix/kemper will give this beast a fight (a happy kemper owner).
If you already have a helix kemper or axefx it’s hard to get excited about it, maybe if it retailed for 999, but its the same price as the other big boys, and it sounds as good as they do
What would make you switch from one of those? What are they missing that you would need to have if available?
@@johnnewton1830 smaller size, bigger screen, touch screen, no computer hook up. Playing through a regular guitar cabinet. I know you weren’t asking me but just throwing in why I would buy this and maybe lose my other modeler/profiler. Still a great tube amp with just one great pedal like distortion, overdrive or fuzz and the feel and sound is still the best for me.
Hmmm, the t.c. Electronics G-System used stompable rotary knobs, this is not a first by Neural. Still a great feature!
The mesa sounds a little bit more in the low end, but wow does that capture sound spot on. I will stick to my tube heads tho, but if i did ever consider adding a modeler, that dsp might be on order.
Great video! Thank you man! I currently own the fractal but I was curious to acquire the QC. I see that QC does very well! Mainly in high gains. But I confess that I miss the clean sounds with soft and robust bass. Like.. Deluxe reverb.. Matchless.. etc.. Do you think Neural will also pay attention to amp simulations in the next updates or will they leave them aside and focus more on captures?
Good shit mate
Well in the mix it was hard to notice, alone tho, quads has more defined high ends, the Mesa had more mid range. At least that how it sounded to me. Thanks for sharing.
I still use the eleven rack.
Dio bestia
I've used it myself already. I love it I wouldn't say it's not deserving of a little over hip. Yes it's all what you sey it is but you missed one thing, ease of use! Especially for us older people that hate the digital fiddling around that goes on with the others.
The almighty fluff chug
Great video. I would love to see you capture a pedal and then A/B it with the original pedal in front of a real amp, rather than into the QC. It would be great if I could capture and replace my pedal board with the QC when I'm playing the real tube amp, (no amp or cab sims switched on in the QC), as well as having all the other QC features. I would then use the QC amp and cab sims (and effects) for headphone use and recording
You assume wrong sir! I am a current helix user not looking to upgrade. I'm just here to show support for dear ol dad..
GG
can you use a quad cortex as a amp or do you need more ? like a power amp in between?
In both Fluffs and in Glenns video I heard a little more fizzle with the Neural vs the real amp. Not saying I prefer one over the other, there is a difference though.
I think you'd get more of a difference between 2 hand built JP-2Cs, honestly
can you tell the switch points on Glen's video?
@@harmonicseries6582 not with my eyes closed...
Would you consider replacing your helix live for this unit 🤔
Not bad of a capture. Much better than the built in tones. They have the classical solid state high end dryness. The capture compared to the JP2C lacked a little punch in the low end, but much better in the mid/high frequencies. Not bad at all.
One word comes to mind "Nerd." How the times have changed.
It literally means the same thing. Anyone not in the modern guitar space will think you're a nerdy nerd
raw tracks or in the mix, the tonal difference was minimal, if there at all. and from everything i've seen, it even has the sag you'd expect from the amps it captures. pretty amazing stuff
The Universal Apollo x8p has Six SHARC Processors!
When they allow the plug ins to be loaded on then I'll grab one when they launch
The QC is a killer product but I think I'm still leaning towards the FM3
It doesn't matter how good it is if they don't release the damn thing.
10:00 well Helix has that feature with NATIVE. You buy Native for a few bucks and you have EVERYTHING for free on your PC and Hardware unit. That's even better than buying certain sounds or amps afterwards. It's just Neurals way to make extra money constantly with exclusive content.
Test a Neural DSP... You will bleed from your ears !!
Great review! Honest question: It's somewhat easy to get good sounds at headphone level. In my experience however, stage/PA loudness is a total different beast. Tube amplifiers sound often much better than digital stuff. Could you do a comparison at these kinds of levels, with these kinds of speakers?
exactly how is it protecting and maintaining the potentiometers¿¿
Fluff you have a video where you talk about that desk/shelf set up you have behind you? become Im interested in that!
i don't get one thing... how does combining a footswitch with a rotary knob prolongs the potentiometer's life? i assume they take more impact from the stomping?
Flufffffayyyyy is baaae 😂
I.want.that.JP-2C
What are the downsides, if any? Paul Davids mentioned several aspects that need attention and/or require improvement.
I'm not sure why, but, I have high end gear/guitars..im playing through Focal Shape 65s and I can't tones that don't feel dull or lifeless..almost sounds like the tone knob on my guitars are turned down to 1 lol..I can't get those bright cleans and punchy gains.
For other reference, i have a UA Apollo Twin X , Imac with Cubase 12 pro as a DAW....maybe the monitors?
So is this a supplement to pedals or is it an all out replacement of them?
Nice Video, but when you are in the Rig Manager from the Kemper there is a lot of more options to change and to find your Amp sound. Pick, Definition, Clarity etc. etc. Maybe there will be an update and all this is coming for the QC, but right now this thing is hyped to much! Just my opinion!
Agreed it is the future of pedals and amps. Most of the players in my market have one of these or a competitor unit. One concern though. I have a set of JVC HA RX-300 headphones which usually have great top end response. But the signal sounds pretty thin above 3k, and very thin above 6k. Is that in the EQ Pre-upload?
The only thing im not thrilled about is thats its a floor model. Id much rather have it in the rack. Just a personal preference.
I'm with you, I heard that a rack version is coming. I guess that thing is rugged, I would hesitate to put any $1600 piece of gear on the floor in a gig situation; maybe I'm being too careful but still...just heard Fluff say no rack version coming, Doh!!
@@guitarnutbolinuli5788 my exact thought. Id rather just have a foot switch on the floor and keep that safe. Im not rich enough to take that risk. 😂
It sounds like you'd just rather plug in a MIDI capable floorboard to switch presets? Cuz people toss Helix Stomps in a rack all the time. In fact, that's exactly what Fluff did.
@@JimboLodisC i did not know that. Yeah, thats the idea im thinking
Duct tape it anywhere you want. You don’t have to physically put it on the floor.
How do you prefer to listen to modelers in the room? FRFR cabs, headphones, IEM's, monitor speakers etc.?
Great video! Unfortunately they must've decided that $1600 was too light on our wallets. $1849 on Sweetwater :(
What is the silver with black pickguard guitar being used?
better than the kemper?
can u do video of u building a rig with it? with a clean amp, dirt, amp effects etc?
So how does it compare to helix rack?
How did it compare to axe fx3?
What are the odds we'll see you captute your Badcat Lynx and share it on the cloud?
Can this go straight to a cab or does it need to be a DI or a need a power source ?
quad or kemper?
So would it be worth waiting for about a year for more updates and support for it and selling my pod go and getting one?