QUAD CORTEX PROS AND CONS
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- Опубліковано 29 жов 2023
- #quadcortex #neuraldsp
In this video, I discuss my feelings on the Quad Cortex, and go over the pros and conns of the unit!
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Love your videos! The pitch shifter is an under-appreciated control that I love about this. The lag is almost unnoticeable, I can drop my 7 string standard tuned guitar down to F# and it's pretty seamless.
Regarding the routing, the way I have mine setup is I use two rows that contain all the blocks I use in a preset. First row is setup with pitch shifter, compressor, chorus, noise gate and two amps, one for clean one for high gain (something I have been longing for with all others is a way to switch the amp block using the scene, which the Headrush does, but eh, what can you do), which then the out of the first row is sent to the third row where all my time-based effects are setup. After the effects, I send the out of the third row to Send 1 to go out to a power amp. Right before it goes to Send 1, I split that to the 4th row where I have a cab-sim or IR block setup to route to Out 1, where that can go to an inear mixer we have. This way I'm able to utilize much of the processing power but still have options to go wherever they need.
While I can see the point of modelers these day needing to be rackmountable, I also can see why something like the QC is first and foremost a pedalboard piece of equipment. It's essentially designed to be a virtual pedalboard that you can pretty much make adjustments as you would with real pedals without needing to navigate through the screen using those extra cursor knobs, enter buttons, and whatnot.
Great to see this is still getting a lot of love and I can agree with a lot of criticisms. Also, Neural released the desktop editor for this, and while I didn't get it to hook up to a computer to make my edits, I'm glad they're finally getting it together with delivering on *some* of their promises so far.
Ordered a QC a few days ago, thanks so much for the info on this! It was extremely helpful.
GO BIRDS!!! Sick video bro. I'm eyeing this thing up and can't wait to test it out.
Will you also test line 6 helix lt or new fender and do a comparision ? Btw great review 🙂
For me the QC is pretty much perfect. I love how simple the UI is and the minimal aesthetics of the unit. And best of all the sound is killer, just hope one day we actually get the plug in support.
Plini X will be the first one to hit the QC!
Neural DSP announced it and those plug-ins will be slowly imported into the QC
As I believe there're lots of thing to deal with when it goes into QCortex's OS
Yeah if I was going to use it live it would for sure be in the sliding drawer, seems way to delicate to step on. I’ve been curious if it would hang with axefx 3 in terms of CPU power (I use it for both guitars and bass)
It's supposed to be able to pull off 4 separate instruments. If you have a midi controller, hook it up for the other guitar, bass player can be neglected as usual. Be an interesting video for a shoot out.
@@tobins6800 I feel like I tried it and didn’t get very far, but also didn’t understand at the time that the CPU was split between the different paths
@@TaylorDanley I haven't seen anyone do it yet. My circle of friends isn't big enough to try it hehehe
Hey, Your music and channel is awesome! How do you think this compares to Fractal, sound and feel wise?
I have the QC and kemper, both are great units and tone wise pretty much the same but i prefer the kemper still, built in power amp really does make it just a bit better for me personally. I have a powered head and rack versions and like the reliability. My QC does get pretty hot when on for more than an hour which concerns me but it is great having the multiple in/outs. Again the tones/profiles are on par with each other. Great time to be playing guitar with so many different options available for every price range. 🤘🏻
I would love to see a video about how you aproach video editing , im willing to learn and it would be a great topic , considering guitar recorded sounds and how you build the video from scratch
Nice review
I wouldn’t call it a review but I appreciate you bud!
I love the QC. These days effects, modeling and captures are so good on all the major brands processors that it really comes down to signal chain capabilities, routing options, capture/preset sharing and UI. For me the QC wins in all of those categories. I used to spend so much time dialing in tones on my axe fx and now I spend that time playing because the QC is just so easy to use. Sometimes I build presets without a guitar plugged in just to see how it will sound when I’m done. And in under five minutes I have made some really killer presets doing this with minimal tweaking after I plug in. The foot switch layout is a little tight but I’m a rack guy so my QC sits on top of the rack and I use an airstep and a widi master to control it wirelessly. I highly recommend this setup for any midi controllable gear. Definitely would be nice if they had a rackable version but I think it would make the touchscreen awkward to use so keeping it on a sliding rack shelf is probably the best compromise.
The Helix has MIDI control too.I’m using it in live show and it works perfectly,both with Stomp and Rack !
While thinking of the pitch shifter Ray…in your opinion what’s the lowest tuning you can get on a 7 string guitar without using pitch shift? With a long enough scale length and thick strings could you play on meshuggah F standard for example?
I agree w/ the top row of footswitches, the kemper remote is in that same boat w/ the top row,. the powered kemper is great, but i also feel the qc is so much more adjustable on the fly as opposed to the kemper where the screen is smaller and monochromed. i power my qc w/ a powerstage and use it if i need to or foh if the pa is decently sized at the venue. now if i could only find a way to afford iem.
Hey,
Great video for guys like me, considering to buy a QC.
Are the neural dsp plugins usable now in the QC?
And are there chances to download/purchase captures from amps, I don't own by myself and are not modelled yet in the QC? (For example victory etc.)
really enjoyed the tour content ans ya sometimes there are some pros and cons to certian gear especially when touring I have and Boss ME-70 that i have fo ryears but same issue buttons are to close together so I never ended up using it playing live but still a great studio pedal,
I keep considering a QC and I agree with all those cons. They make me go why not just use a laptop, audio interface and a power amp for everything. Very simple rig and incredibly upgradable.
Dual lock is gods gift to the modern guitar player
I totally get what you mean about the foot switch row for the top four switches. Although it sucks spending more money, I do use a midi switch board instead of the switches on the face of the unit. That way I can lay out how I want my switchboard to act and omit the likelihood of hitting another switch by accident
GUI very important for many.
What are you using for power when running this unit into a 4x12?
Bedroom guitarist here.
Just get it. Its a great unit. I had a Kemper in the past. I tried many of the plugins and Line 6s for years.
I LOVE the unit. I honestly dont even have use to most on the unit. I found a great amp I liked and honestly just jam out on it.
The preset "This amp does it all " nails all my needs. Everything is a bonus. Being able to hook multiple players to one unit is a plus for
jamming with friends.
So you’d pick QC over the Helix?
does the cortex still have dropouts when switching between presets?
How it was configured for live use ?
You should try some Barefoot buttons for the top row. That may elevate them enough to where you’re not worried about using them!
Yes, if it had an external poweramp and the Powersupply cable would be an other one, that would be really cool🥲🥲. Also a nice thing "visuals" would be, that if you go in to a effect or an amp, you would get this graphic like the fender one, where you can see all the knobs etc.
Everybody who complains about the power supply cable has no clue how badass it actually is.
NDSP definitely had their minds set on the dimensions and that limited them to using an external power supply. Also means nowhere near enough space for a power amp or cooling for one. WIsh it was a little larger for IEC power. And that would make for better spacing of the footswitches for people with 13EE feet :P
Seems someone lit a fire to get more devs working on it. Already 2 bug fixes for the QC and an update for the control software in 3 weeks. Hope they can start cranking out more effects and amp models.
I think aesthetic aspect is often overlooked subject. Ofc sounds quality is the key factor what comes to musical gear and different people have different priorities, i have ADHD myself so visuals, vibrant colors and GUI overall plays bigger role than for many others. After all, it has a big impact on how comfortable the product is to use
I love my QC. It’s perfect to me
I use the Line 6 Helix LT. I’d like to have the QC for the capture feature and the DSP mostly. I think that all of the modelers out right now do the thing and anyone can get amazing tones out of them. If they make the QC into a rackmount with a seperate controller, it’ll be THE unit to get.
Just joined a professional band and am looking to get a modeler, either the Helix LT or save a bit more for the QC.
The Helix seems like it can do the trick and guys like John Cordy kinda convinced me on it being on par with other top-o-the-line modelers for both home and gigging usage.
What DSP are you missing (and when), in the Helix LT. Thoughts on the Helix vs the qc for both live and home jamming/recording uses?
Also I heard mixed comments on the LT's pedal, is it good enough for heavy use?
Have you used the LT for gigging and whats your experience with FOH engineers using your modeler (kinda afraid of engineers blowing up my (in-)ears lol).
OK, just got my cortex and I love it BUT, I noticed it didn't come with rubber "feet". If I put it on the ground (where most pedals usually go), it's flat on the ground, blocking the bottom vent and sliding around. Should it have come with feet/casters? Or is it meant to be mounted on a pedal board? I got this to downsize and NOT use a pedal board, so that would defeat that purpose.
Sweetwater is selling Quad Cortex with a free Plug In "Soldano SLO-100 Amp and FX Suite Software".
They are different products: the plug in you use on your computer, etc. But I was wondering: is there a difference between the two Soldanos - the plug in and the one that comes standard on the Quad Cortex?
I ask because, the Soldano plugin and it's effects already comes with Quad Cortex. So other plugins would be more interesting gifts - Petrucci's, for example.
Such legit cons, I wonder when they will look at launching rack-mountable, I too struggle with the button spacing for foot usage. Not super practical, especially for me as I have large feet. I've had to basically go preset gig mode and space out the presets I want while skipping certain buttons. Also, the pros are spot on. the Pitch shift is super wicked on this thing too, really helps keep things simple up on stage, especially for cover gigs.
Kemper powered is king . The rack is what I use
Are you gonna try the new tonemaster pro?
not unless i can borrow one. to make it doesnt offer anything i personally need that i dont already have.
I have mine since preorder and giged with it a lot.
Once my bandmate stepped on the cable and disconnected the power, so I was put for 30-40s.
That’s not great, but I was playing it just on the floor, without a pedal board.
Odd question, do you take any precautions against people throwing drinks on stage lol? I just joined a semi-pro band and will likely be gigging frequently soon. A friend of mine is in a professional gigging band and he has had fans/drunks ruin his guitar/kemper/pedals a few times too many already.
Kinda worried about having my 1600 dollar main 'amp' QC in front of me on stage.
I thought about building a simple wood box type of shelter for it lol when I get one..
@@wavewithus4081 Sounds like your in a very similar position to me.
I do think about it, but so far nothing happened for the last 2 years of regular gigging, even tho there are always drinks on stage.
I'll probably eventually buy a small pedal board for it, so it's at least elevated. That also feels a lot more professional, than just having it on the floor. I think then it would be pretty safe and you'd have to spill something directly onto it and into the grills for something to happen.
That will also solve the fragile power supply.
Maybe I'll upgrade to wireless next year and will also put that on my pedal board then.
Another option would be to have the QC sidestage and control it with a cheaper midi footswitcher. Some people do that, but it's not for me.
There's also the matching Thon case, which you can gig out of, but I haven't looked too deep into that.
very helpful! GO BIRDS
I agree with the foot switches being way to close I also don’t trust them in the long run. The second you start building up dirt in the switches you’ll see what I mean. I also don’t like the power supply but to be fair I don’t like it on almost all the units out there now these days at least the compact ones. The sounds are great tho and really that’s all that matter. Kemper has it right tho the power amp is an awesome feature hope to see it on more units down the line .
Good solution for the dirt buildup: wipe the dirt off.
Are any floor modelers rack-mountable? Aren't they supposed to be mounted to a pedalboard? 🤔
I hear what you’re saying, but for me a modeler considered to be an industry standard should be rack mountable and not be vulnerable on the floor
@@xanderraymondcharlesI agree, like how the helix has a separate rack mountable version and the floor version for whatever you need
@@xanderraymondcharles Doubt NDSP had (or has) the money to go with 2 different tooling sets for both the floor and possible rack (plus foot controller?). Maybe down the road?
I just want enough guitars for every tuning I tried to use the digitech drop on a bass and play hatebreed and it wasn’t good for that
I’m kind of stuck in the helix camp, and I adore it, but the QC is probably what I’d pick if I had to get a modeler today. The only thing keeping me from switching sides is I’m not a fan of the touch screen, and I’m holding out hope for a Helix 2.0, and you KNOW it’s gonna get released the day after I get a QC haha.
What was that bass tone
What's your reason for getting it? Live or video creation..
It can be used for both those things. If you just want effects without the huge amps and pedalboards you can get that from a much cheaper package though. So unless you are recording or gigging having a top of the line tool to create just about any sound you want and do it well is the reason you’d own one.
How does it stack against the Helix though?
The helix has 1 450MHz SHARC processor. The QC as the name implies has quad 2ghz sharc processors. What the helix can do for one person, the QC can do for an entire band. That’s really the main difference though. Anything the Helix can do the QC can also do and vice versa, might take some tweaking and I think the QC is slightly easier to use but any difference in sound is so minuscule it doesn’t matter.
I guess in my last post I might have sounded like a " get off my lawn old man, 🤣" but I value your opinion. Let's start by saying that my response was not aimed at you specifically, but rather disingenuous reviews by tubers on any equipment that they are being paid to endorse/not endorse.
I realize that you are just giving your truth on the Quad Cortex, and because of your pros and cons truth, it's the reason that I'm getting the unit.
I also love your Tier reviews on Plugins and Amp Modeler. They were very interesting.
Anyway dude, keep bringing us the goods. That opening riff was sick, I love it. Peace.
Also. Use a Cioks power supply. No ones touring these things with the original power supply
anything close to this for like half the price i feel a grand and half is just abit much concidering lots are using touch screen and have xlr now like the ampero
headrush core
I quite like the Boss GT-1000 Core. ~$500 and packed with a lot of good features. People complain about the sound sometimes but I think it's very good and you can change the speaker/mic/placement and load irs. The default boss speaker cab kinda sucks.
The new kemper unit that just came out 😊
Hey… you should upload all those presets so we can have them :))
No thank you
@@xanderraymondcharles fair enough! Love the video as always man
They are making great powered 2×12 and 4×12 cabs for modelers now so no need for the power amps mentioned on kemper models
Not having a IEC AC power supply at this price, is a problem with me.
i just get my Me 90 today lol
Besides the rack mountability i absolutely agree with your points. The powersupply reminds me of 90s knock off electronics😅
The 12v 3A power supply port is literally the best feature.
@@TheJonOsborne i have no problem with the port. Im annoyed by how cheap the voltage converter and the cable both are.
@@RiloRox get the usb c to 12v 3A adapter, a reverse polarity converter and a BaseUS 30000 MAH power bank for 6 hours of use. 😁
Hey, no offense, just a hint.. check your mix control situation.. you probably do not hear what is going on with your sub frequencies.. but they are a way to loud..
con the headphone jack is 1/4 in
Dudes tour these things in a rack all the time
The helix rack mount has a power amp too
no it does not
@@xanderraymondcharles damn, my bad, I thought it did, but you right 👍
you mean zip tipes? lol? nah i know what ya mean, just dont know the name. we got em at our store too
The cons for me are the lack of variety of cabs. A majority of the cabs are V30 loaded cabs and I’d prefer a variety without having to capture them. Also if you aren’t going midi the tuner sucks to turn on. It takes too long and can easily activate tap tempo. I also agree with the power. I wish it was like an amp power chord like the Helix. Other than that it is awesome. I will always prefer my tube amp rig, but it’s great for fly ins and fests.
Beep beep
is it me or dem strings floppy
"Tone" is in the Quad Cortex .....????!!!!!!!
Helix 24/7 all day!
If it had a power amp built it it would almost certainly be a solid state power amp, which has nowhere near the same warmth and punch as a big tube power amp. Obviously it would make zero sense to include an integrated tube power amp so why attach a substandard power amp in the first place. Run a powered Kemper into a cab next to a Kemper run through a tube power amp into a cab and you'll hear a MASSIVE difference. For me Kemper adding a power amp was always a weird move in the first place.
My biggest con is the price tag on the Quad Cortex. I would slap my momma to own one, but the unfortunate reality is the cash flow isn't flowing my way whatsoever. I'll never probably even play one for that simple reason.
They have $36 a month special financing right now. I can buy one outright but probably gonna look into that just because screw dropping nearly 2k on anything lol
It's kinda strange to me some people gripe about the power supply of the Quad Cortex. It's the same FRIGGIN form factor as the Boss power connectors, and yet, no of us have ever knock out the power of our Boss pedals or other effects on our pedalboards. Next, the so called close proximity of the foot switches. Fractal , Line 6 and the like are basically the same distance apart, minus a few millimeters here or there.
The only how you will so called step on a switch is if you are a clumsy fellow 🤣. I can bet money that no one has miss and stepped on the wrong switch.
I actually own a Fractal FM9 and the switches are basically the same distance apart and never accidentally step on the wrong switch. If you don't like something, just say you don't like it and move on. This constant misinformation by some about the switches, the power supply and the lack of amps is laughable at best. I have tons of amp models in my FM9 but I still only use 3 consistently.
GET REAL PEOPLE!!!!!
Do you feel better?
@@xanderraymondcharleswe found a fanboy lmao
Dude, I'd like to own one of these but seriously & maybe this is just my initial thought but 2 grand? tha fuck.. since everyone is shifting too vst shit it really sort of just feels like they "instrument companies," found themselves lucky and still had a way to straight fuck us out of every cent we've got, in some sence even more than they did with actual hardware. idk im not gunna bitch and complain forever it just seems like some ol' bullshit to me.
Tone master pros graphics and uis are cheesy. To each their own
Sounds absolutely dead and lifeless.
What do you think of the new feature where you can control the QC through your computer? Honestly I think the new feature is quite brilliant. I hate reaching over to adjust the EQ or make a preset on the QC. I enjoy my QC. Very easy to use and sounds great
I still don't believe it took them this long to get control out. Specially when 'hackers' already had a project for remote control up on github like a year ago (before NDSP did a takedown on it).
Control has me experimenting so much more. No more getting on the floor to tweak or build anything.
Kempers sound like it has a blanket over it
Quad Cortex is overrated, I sold mine and bought a Headrush Core and it's soooo much better, better sounding and way more users friendly.