NDSP Quad Cortex

[laxu]

To be fair, the Fractal models have changed a lot in 3 years. Tweek this, and twiddle this.
I used to have a Axe Fx II and it sounded good, but when i sold it and got a QC it also sounded good. A lot may change in 3 years

Sure, but the point is that both Helix and Fractal for the same models worked more like I expected the real amps to work, whereas QC as an outlier required weird settings to sound similar. This was not even consistent between models, some behaved better than others.

 

[Thrifty]

My gut says try out the QC, but my brain says no. Lots of negative reviews on Youtube, and obviously those get more likes and are bumped up.

Saw a video from Andertons that compared the QC, the Axe FX, the Headrush Prime, and the ToneX.

Not surprisingly, they said, "All of them are great. Just buy buy buy from us." Lol.

I think what I like most about the Axe FX is that it is a mature product. But I need a stopgap solution for a couple of months. The QC cannot be had very cheaply even in the secondhand market, so I'm thinking that maybe I should buy a used Kemper just so that I can keep up with guitar.

 

[mbenigni]

I’d probably need to spend more time with it to notice it sounding worse or different in some way, most A/B’s I’ve done it was at least on par with the real amps/Helix/Fractal/their plugins

 

[TubeStack]

@MirrorProfiles When I had the QC side-by-side against the Axe FX III back in 2020, both myself and the old TNBD 2nd guitarist thought that the Axe FX III sounded more detailed and punchier and more "real" than the QC; this was when comparing like-for-like models; Recto versus Recto, 5150III versus 5150III.

The QC amp captures definitely sound killer though. Much better than the Kemper.

Part of me would like to pick up a QC again, just for shits and giggles. <ducks>

 

[2dor]

My gut says try out the QC, but my brain says no. Lots of negative reviews on Youtube, and obviously those get more likes and are bumped up.

Saw a video from Andertons that compared the QC, the Axe FX, the Headrush Prime, and the ToneX.

Not surprisingly, they said, "All of them are great. Just buy buy buy from us." Lol.

I think what I like most about the Axe FX is that it is a mature product. But I need a stopgap solution for a couple of months. The QC cannot be had very cheaply even in the secondhand market, so I'm thinking that maybe I should buy a used Kemper just so that I can keep up with guitar.

I got my 2nd QC used from Reverb and got it at a pretty damn good price. It suits my gigging needs (and my bands') great.

 

[Thrifty]

I got my 2nd QC used from Reverb and got it at a pretty damn good price. It suits my gigging needs (and my bands') great.

Stateside, it's the land of milk and honey. Over here, I have to deal with shipping and customs costs, which can become prohibitively expensive.

Recent experience: I ordered a Mesa Boogie Rectifier Recording from someone in Australia. I pay customs for the package, only to find that it has been damaged in shipping. I run from pillar to post trying to get my customs funds back. After two months, I send back the package and at least get back my purchase amount and shipping costs. I lost out on over $500 in customs on a $1200 purchase. That's why I'm so leery about ordering from overseas. Luckily for me, there are stores around here that I can buy a new QC without any wait and customs troubles.

 

[Jarick]

I also got my QC used at a great price. I feel like the used gear prices are coming down (or will be) as a lot of the huge demand from the pandemic led to a huge supply surplus in the market. My local used gear store for instance has 3-4 times as many used guitars as they did five years ago.

Personally I wouldn't bother with buying captures at least until there's a marketplace or some better way to buy and load them. Not sure it's necessary, but I haven't found a lot of captures on the cloud that blew me away. The stuff I did with a few pedals was impressive, although the factory models were pretty dang close.

 

[2dor]

Stateside, it's the land of milk and honey. Over here, I have to deal with shipping and customs costs, which can become prohibitively expensive.

Recent experience: I ordered a Mesa Boogie Rectifier Recording from someone in Australia. I pay customs for the package, only to find that it has been damaged in shipping. I run from pillar to post trying to get my customs funds back. After two months, I send back the package and at least get back my purchase amount and shipping costs. I lost out on over $500 in customs on a $1200 purchase. That's why I'm so leery about ordering from overseas. Luckily for me, there are stores around here that I can buy a new QC without any wait and customs troubles.

I'm in the EU if it matters, not the US.

 

[MindCrime]

QC demo will ship out today for me...looking forward to it.

@mbenigni it's your fault...I couldn't hold back any longer.

 

[2dor]

In my mind there’s a lot of low hanging fruit in DI captures…I mean…those are so easy to make.. not much can go wrong with those…

Actually a lot of those can turn out bad if folks use the Suhr RL for instance (vanilla one) which has a Line out balanced output and the QC's input is Mic level. The output impedance of the Suhr's too high for the QC's and it screws things up. Stuff like this really rain on your parade when you're trying to nail stuff down & most folks probably just look down on the tech partially because of issues such as this.

 

[synthpenguin]

So, as the QC stands with its current feature set (not taking into account possible or promised future things) today in July 2024: if you . . .

• aren't especially interested in high gain, primarily living in the distortion range from sparkly clean to (80s) Ratt rhythm parts,
  
  
• are mainly interested in the classic / boring amps from Fender (Princeton, Deluxe), Vox (AC30), and Marshall (JCM800, Super Lead) and similar sounds,
  
  
• want dual amp setups without worrying about quickly hitting a DSP ceiling (and it's the primary reason you want to upgrade from your HX Stomp at all),
  
  
• are open to, but not specifically looking for captures,
  
  
• often play through a power amp and into a guitar cab (so cab sim block disabled),
  
  
• typically have pretty simple patches (most are just amp, cab, reverb, stereo delay, boost),
  
  
• don't need any FX past simple stereo reverbs, stereo chorus, stereo delay, and basic mod FX like flangers (no accurate models even needed; generic FX that sound good are great), and
  
  
• don't especially care about interface complexity while you are initially setting up patches because you've spent a lot of time programming entire patches on tiny LCD screens on 80s rackmounted synths. . .

. . . do you get a QC or a Helix (LT or Floor)?

[ Yes, this is extremely specific, and "you" is me haha, but I ask because a lot of (justified!) criticism of QC's lacking areas seems to be focused on things and sounds I would never really use anyway, as my needs are pretty simple and "classic."

I basically want to upgrade from my HX Stomp at some point, as I've talked about in the Helix thread, because I've found myself using dual amps a lot, and while the Stomp can do it, it hits the DSP limits pretty quickly--even with my simple patches and especially with the newer amp models. The Helix LT is a consideration, and the price is right, but 1. it's way bigger than I'd like it to be (the QC being a little over 1/3 of the footprint is a huge selling point for me), and 2. I'm not convinced that Line 6 isn't going to release a successor to the Stomp next year that'll do what I want it to at the size I'd like.

So, right now, I'm in between waiting until 202? for a new Helix line or getting a (presumably slightly more futureproof) QC now, and if the best answer to the above is "Helix", I will probably just wait.

Also, I know where I am, so for sake of argument, let's say Fractal doesn't exist (Either way: the FM3 won't do what I want, and the FM9 is too large) ]

 

[the swede]

So, as the QC stands with its current feature set (not taking into account possible or promised future things) today in July 2024: if you . . .

• aren't especially interested in high gain, primarily living in the distortion range from sparkly clean to (80s) Ratt rhythm parts,
  
  
• are mainly interested in the classic / boring amps from Fender (Princeton, Deluxe), Vox (AC30), and Marshall (JCM800, Super Lead) and similar sounds,
  
  
• want dual amp setups without worrying about quickly hitting a DSP ceiling (and it's the primary reason you want to upgrade from your HX Stomp at all),
  
  
• are open to, but not specifically looking for captures,
  
  
• often play through a power amp and into a guitar cab (so cab sim block disabled),
  
  
• typically have pretty simple patches (most are just amp, cab, reverb, stereo delay, boost),
  
  
• don't need any FX past simple stereo reverbs, stereo chorus, stereo delay, and basic mod FX like flangers (no accurate models even needed; generic FX that sound good are great), and
  
  
• don't especially care about interface complexity while you are initially setting up patches because you've spent a lot of time programming entire patches on tiny LCD screens on 80s rackmounted synths. . .

. . . do you get a QC or a Helix (LT or Floor)?

[ Yes, this is extremely specific, and "you" is me haha, but I ask because a lot of (justified!) criticism of QC's lacking areas seems to be focused on things and sounds I would never really use anyway, as my needs are pretty simple and "classic."

I basically want to upgrade from my HX Stomp at some point, as I've talked about in the Helix thread, because I've found myself using dual amps a lot, and while the Stomp can do it, it hits the DSP limits pretty quickly--even with my simple patches and especially with the newer amp models. The Helix LT is a consideration, and the price is right, but 1. it's way bigger than I'd like it to be (the QC being a little over 1/3 of the footprint is a huge selling point for me), and 2. I'm not convinced that Line 6 isn't going to release a successor to the Stomp next year that'll do what I want it to at the size I'd like.

So, right now, I'm in between waiting until 202? for a new Helix line or getting a (presumably slightly more futureproof) QC now, and if the best answer to the above is "Helix", I will probably just wait.

Also, I know where I am, so for sake of argument, let's say Fractal doesn't exist (Either way: the FM3 won't do what I want, and the FM9 is too large) ]

I’d say get whatever fits you the best, I’d lean towards Helix because of its maturity and it has very useful expression pedal. But if size weighs more as a deciding factor, go with QC.
Also (if you gig or play in a band) consider switch spacing/placement/practicality. QC has very tightly spaced switches (imo) but helix scribble screens and wider (probably not much though) spacing of switches.

 

[mbenigni]

So, as the QC stands with its current feature set (not taking into account possible or promised future things) today in July 2024: if you . . .

• aren't especially interested in high gain, primarily living in the distortion range from sparkly clean to (80s) Ratt rhythm parts,
  
  
• are mainly interested in the classic / boring amps from Fender (Princeton, Deluxe), Vox (AC30), and Marshall (JCM800, Super Lead) and similar sounds,
  
  
• want dual amp setups without worrying about quickly hitting a DSP ceiling (and it's the primary reason you want to upgrade from your HX Stomp at all),
  
  
• are open to, but not specifically looking for captures,
  
  
• often play through a power amp and into a guitar cab (so cab sim block disabled),
  
  
• typically have pretty simple patches (most are just amp, cab, reverb, stereo delay, boost),
  
  
• don't need any FX past simple stereo reverbs, stereo chorus, stereo delay, and basic mod FX like flangers (no accurate models even needed; generic FX that sound good are great), and
  
  
• don't especially care about interface complexity while you are initially setting up patches because you've spent a lot of time programming entire patches on tiny LCD screens on 80s rackmounted synths. . .

. . . do you get a QC or a Helix (LT or Floor)?

[ Yes, this is extremely specific, and "you" is me haha, but I ask because a lot of (justified!) criticism of QC's lacking areas seems to be focused on things and sounds I would never really use anyway, as my needs are pretty simple and "classic."

I basically want to upgrade from my HX Stomp at some point, as I've talked about in the Helix thread, because I've found myself using dual amps a lot, and while the Stomp can do it, it hits the DSP limits pretty quickly--even with my simple patches and especially with the newer amp models. The Helix LT is a consideration, and the price is right, but 1. it's way bigger than I'd like it to be (the QC being a little over 1/3 of the footprint is a huge selling point for me), and 2. I'm not convinced that Line 6 isn't going to release a successor to the Stomp next year that'll do what I want it to at the size I'd like.

So, right now, I'm in between waiting until 202? for a new Helix line or getting a (presumably slightly more futureproof) QC now, and if the best answer to the above is "Helix", I will probably just wait.

Also, I know where I am, so for sake of argument, let's say Fractal doesn't exist (Either way: the FM3 won't do what I want, and the FM9 is too large) ]

It sounds like all of the above are overkill in many ways, but if you want dual amps and you value the small footprint... the question kind of answers itself.

 

[the swede]

Let’s hope Line 6 for once decide to actually follow a trend instead of always innovating (unlikely, they do their best to stay out of doing what everybody else does), and by that I mean to offer something along the size of QC/TMP with at least the power of Helix Floor (as an example). Let people add expression themselves, one less manufacturing cost also.

Personally I was always interested in QC and if I could justify the prize I’d own one. Great form factor and capability.

 

[synthpenguin]

I’d say get whatever fits you the best, I’d lean towards Helix because of its maturity and it has very useful expression pedal. But if size weighs more as a deciding factor, go with QC.
Also (if you gig or play in a band) consider switch spacing/placement/practicality. QC has very tightly spaced switches (imo) but helix scribble screens and wider (probably not much though) spacing of switches.

Yeah, the Helix Floor or LT is really not a consideration for me currently, as much as I like the LT in a lot of ways. Space and practicality are concerns for me right now, and either unit would mean I wouldn't easily have space to use my handful of external pedals. I was originally thinking I could get rid of those if I went with an LT, but decided against the idea as I just enjoy having them. So, really it's QC now vs wait, deal with current limitations, and see if an upgraded Stomp (or similarly smaller unit) that can do what I want comes out next year. Thanks!

It sounds like all of the above are overkill in many ways, but if you want dual amps and you value the small footprint... the question kind of answers itself.

Thanks for the response! Why do you say it would be overkill?

Let’s hope Line 6 for once decide to actually follow a trend instead of always innovating (unlikely, they do their best to stay out of doing what everybody else does), and by that I mean to offer something along the size of QC/TMP with at least the power of Helix Floor (as an example). Let people add expression themselves, one less manufacturing cost also.

Personally I was always interested in QC and if I could justify the prize I’d own one. Great form factor and capability.

Agreed. I sort of expect they'll launch with a Floor and Stomp again, with similar power differences, but it would be nice to have an LT without an expression pedal that is more or less the size of a QC.

 

[mbenigni]

Thanks for the response! Why do you say it would be overkill?

From your original question, it just sounded like with either of the options proposed, you’d be paying for features or content that aren’t that important to you. With Helix Floor/LT, tons of effects modeled after real world products. With QC, a great UI that facilitates programming on the fly.

That said, overkill is better than… underkill?

 

[synthpenguin]

From your original question, it just sounded like with either of the options proposed, you’d be paying for features or content that aren’t that important to you. With Helix Floor/LT, tons of effects modeled after real world products. With QC, a great UI that facilitates programming on the fly.

That said, overkill is better than… underkill?

Haha yeah, well the frustrating part--and the part that has me feeling so indecisive--is that if not for the dual amp thing, the Stomp would be perfectly fine for me (even if I AM slightly jealous of the larger screen on the LT / Floor). That's why I'm not necessarily in a hurry and decided more or less to not make the LT switch with its trade-offs.

You're right though: the QC is much more than I need in a lot of ways, as the LT would be too, but the dual amp thing... maybe it would have been better to not try that at all and live in the bliss of ignorance haha. At least I can squeeze Princeton + JC-120 + stereo reverb and delay out of the Stomp.

 

[Thrifty]

I picked up a Quad Cortex today.

Initial impressions are that it is well built, and the user interface is really well thought out and practical. No need to dive through sub menus, everything is right there on the screen. It’s really compact and lightweight as well, perfect for what I plan to use it for, which is for jams and any gigs (should I choose to play out).

I’m yet to hook it up to my computer.

On the sounds, I don’t have access to my Axe FX at the moment to compare, but what I heard was definitely usable.

A word of warning here: I wouldn’t know a good recording tone if it hit me in the head. So take my view on tone with a massive dollop of salt.

There were some good presets in there, though, I really liked one of a Friedman amp which was perfect for “Ain’t Like That” by Alice in Chains, or the dual amp profile that paired the Friedman with a 5150. The latter was pretty brutal. A 5150 lead preset was also pretty heavy.

And there’s a Toxic Synth patch that was pretty cool, I just soloed over it (badly) while pressing the buttons to manipulate the note being played. I imagine if they port over the Rabea plugin, it will work in a similar fashion.

Haven’t messed with creating my own presets yet, and I don’t have my monitors at hand, so all I have is the preset sounds through the headphones at the moment.

 

[molul]

The Helix LT is a consideration, and the price is right, but 1. it's way bigger than I'd like it to be (the QC being a little over 1/3 of the footprint is a huge selling point for me)

QC is a little over 1/3 of Helix LT? Wow, I knew it was small, but not that much :O

Edit: just saw a size comparison. Impressive.

 

[laxu]

So, as the QC stands with its current feature set (not taking into account possible or promised future things) today in July 2024: if you . . .

• aren't especially interested in high gain, primarily living in the distortion range from sparkly clean to (80s) Ratt rhythm parts,
  
  
• are mainly interested in the classic / boring amps from Fender (Princeton, Deluxe), Vox (AC30), and Marshall (JCM800, Super Lead) and similar sounds,
  
  
• want dual amp setups without worrying about quickly hitting a DSP ceiling (and it's the primary reason you want to upgrade from your HX Stomp at all),
  
  
• are open to, but not specifically looking for captures,
  
  
• often play through a power amp and into a guitar cab (so cab sim block disabled),
  
  
• typically have pretty simple patches (most are just amp, cab, reverb, stereo delay, boost),
  
  
• don't need any FX past simple stereo reverbs, stereo chorus, stereo delay, and basic mod FX like flangers (no accurate models even needed; generic FX that sound good are great), and
  
  
• don't especially care about interface complexity while you are initially setting up patches because you've spent a lot of time programming entire patches on tiny LCD screens on 80s rackmounted synths. . .

. . . do you get a QC or a Helix (LT or Floor)?

[ Yes, this is extremely specific, and "you" is me haha, but I ask because a lot of (justified!) criticism of QC's lacking areas seems to be focused on things and sounds I would never really use anyway, as my needs are pretty simple and "classic."

I basically want to upgrade from my HX Stomp at some point, as I've talked about in the Helix thread, because I've found myself using dual amps a lot, and while the Stomp can do it, it hits the DSP limits pretty quickly--even with my simple patches and especially with the newer amp models. The Helix LT is a consideration, and the price is right, but 1. it's way bigger than I'd like it to be (the QC being a little over 1/3 of the footprint is a huge selling point for me), and 2. I'm not convinced that Line 6 isn't going to release a successor to the Stomp next year that'll do what I want it to at the size I'd like.

So, right now, I'm in between waiting until 202? for a new Helix line or getting a (presumably slightly more futureproof) QC now, and if the best answer to the above is "Helix", I will probably just wait.

Also, I know where I am, so for sake of argument, let's say Fractal doesn't exist (Either way: the FM3 won't do what I want, and the FM9 is too large) ]

Familiarity with how Helix works would be a plus...but the QC UI is basically a copy with all the same processor management quirks.

To me there's not a whole lot on your list except dual amps that really needs the QC. You could probably get another HX Stomp, HX One or some other "augment the HX Stomp to alleviate DSP use" pedals for much less. You could even give the Boss GT-1000 Core a spin too if you don't mind using Boss's own models.