NDSP Quad Cortex

[2dor]

Axe FXIII and former Kemper user here.

I’m quite curious about the Quad Cortex. I didn’t jump on the pre-order bandwagon, and from what I’ve seen online, it seems like the company has a long way to go to keep its promises.

That said, I’ve been noticing a lot of pros musicians using the device of late, the shortcomings be damned.

My interest has also been piqued by the coming (soon haha!) plugin capabilities. I’ve never tried the Neural plugins, but what I’ve heard online and the good reviews online tell me that whenever they finally port the plugins, the tones on the unit will be vastly improved.

Just might take the plunge. I could use a tiny unit that I can easily carry around, perhaps just for jams if it isn’t as good as I hope it will be.

Would also make a nifty backup for the Axe FX.

I used to be all in on Fractal (and still think their modelling is better than any other unit out there atm) but if you gig with the thing (FM3 for instance) it's harder to make changes on the fly to the unit unless you have a PC editor at the ready.

The QC is more friendly for gigging and while the built-in amp models are alright (nothing to write home about), the Neural Capture feature is where the goods are at if you have your own gear you want immortalized; it's not as spot-on as NAM but very serviceable if you establish a consistent method of shooting captures & have a noise-free setup (least number of things hooked up to the QC when profiling).

The form-factor is also great for the QC, small/low-profile and easy to carry around and the touch screen makes it very easy to carry out changes, quickly, on the fly if needed.

Oh, and you can run 4 parallel signal paths (2 guitars, 1 bass and 1 vocal lane for instance) each with their own effects, inputs & outputs. This is really nifty & wasn't so much of a notable benefit until I actually started playing with a band again & our other guys weren't so much into gear as I was. Turns out I can run them through the QC for rehearsal, straight into the mixing desk and get some very good tones.

Now, about their plugins, if the NDSP amp modelling in the QC is meh, their plugins are really, really good. I mean, that Fortin Nameless is just as good as any NAM profile I've probably shot of my Cameron Atomica clone (Ceriatone Molecular) which is what the Meshuggah amp is based on. The plugins have very convincing sound profiles and transient response / "feel". I look forward to those making their way into the QC.

 

[AFKAEjay(retired)]

the tones on the unit will be vastly improved.

What makes you think that?
In my mind those plugins are mostly variations of stuff that’s already in the hardware, the capturing already is on par with anything.
Almost the equivalent of paid “artist presets”…with the added value that you can also run them in your daw.

I switched from Kemper a couple months back, and still happy I did. Amp sounds are definitely there, size and IO set is great, preset architecture / scenes are great, easy update and capture/preset downloads. Ready for rockandroll imho. But..no unit is perfect…I liked Kempers time efx better, seems to me they could/should get more out of what a footswitch can do, rating and meta data of captures isn’t perfect. But..all in all..happy with my purchase.

 

[laxu]

Axe FXIII and former Kemper user here.

I’m quite curious about the Quad Cortex. I didn’t jump on the pre-order bandwagon, and from what I’ve seen online, it seems like the company has a long way to go to keep its promises.

That said, I’ve been noticing a lot of pros musicians using the device of late, the shortcomings be damned.

My interest has also been piqued by the coming (soon haha!) plugin capabilities. I’ve never tried the Neural plugins, but what I’ve heard online and the good reviews online tell me that whenever they finally port the plugins, the tones on the unit will be vastly improved.

Just might take the plunge. I could use a tiny unit that I can easily carry around, perhaps just for jams if it isn’t as good as I hope it will be.

Would also make a nifty backup for the Axe FX.

Pro musicians using it is most likely due to these factors:

• They can use captures to make a digital facsimile of their favorite tube amp rig.
• It's relatively compact so perfect for small gigs, clinics, as a fly rig etc.
• It's easy to use.
• NeuralDSP has been sending them to various people.

The plugin support will not make it sound better in any way. It's just more models, fx and whatnot in the unit.

Your Axe-Fx 3 is already better sounding especially for effects. As much as I like the usability and form factor of the QC, it's just missing the mark in other areas.

 

[Thrifty]

What makes you think that?
In my mind those plugins are mostly variations of stuff that’s already in the hardware, the capturing already is on par with anything.
Almost the equivalent of paid “artist presets”…with the added value that you can also run them in your daw.

I switched from Kemper a couple months back, and still happy I did. Amp sounds are definitely there, size and IO set is great, preset architecture / scenes are great, easy update and capture/preset downloads. Ready for rockandroll imho. But..no unit is perfect…I liked Kempers time efx better, seems to me they could/should get more out of what a footswitch can do, rating and meta data of captures isn’t perfect. But..all in all..happy with my purchase.

Was reading reviews, I've never tried the unit. From what I read, the common complaint was that the in-built models are underwhelming. In contrast, I've read far better things about Neural's plugins.

So totally conjecture, but if they do it right, it should be a step up from the existing tones.

Pro musicians using it is most likely due to these factors:

• They can use captures to make a digital facsimile of their favorite tube amp rig.
• It's relatively compact so perfect for small gigs, clinics, as a fly rig etc.
• It's easy to use.
• NeuralDSP has been sending them to various people.

The plugin support will not make it sound better in any way. It's just more models, fx and whatnot in the unit.

Your Axe-Fx 3 is already better sounding especially for effects. As much as I like the usability and form factor of the QC, it's just missing the mark in other areas.

I think there are also places where you can purchase good captures, for example the Omega Ampworks folks have released their own captures of their amps. Sounds like a good starting point. I also have no idea, but I'm hoping some of the free captures that have been shared are also a good starting point.

I also have a few amps of my own, so I might try capturing some of those as well.

I won't be selling the bike shop, the Axe FX is a very useful unit to me. I even sold my Kemper after spending some time with it, I vastly preferred the ability to create my own tones, rather than having to be locked into what someone else perceived as a good tone. Great unit, but I struggled with it. I was one of the earlier adopters too, got mine in 2013 and had it for some 8-9 years before I switched.

Portability is one of the main factors that is motivating me to get one of these units. I've busted my back hauling around tonnes of gear and guitars from one jam to another (you could count the number of gigs I've played at on one hand), and I think it would be great to just have a small unit that I could cart around without struggling too much.

 

[laxu]

Was reading reviews, I've never tried the unit. From what I read, the common complaint was that the in-built models are underwhelming. In contrast, I've read far better things about Neural's plugins.

So totally conjecture, but if they do it right, it should be a step up from the existing tones.

The built in models are a bit hit and miss, but overall sound similar to the plugins. In the same way the captures don't necessarily sound any better. The plugin support will not suddenly make it much better sounding.

I think there are also places where you can purchase good captures, for example the Omega Ampworks folks have released their own captures of their amps. Sounds like a good starting point. I also have no idea, but I'm hoping some of the free captures that have been shared are also a good starting point.

There's a freakin' ton of them on the QC Cloud so IMO you never really need to buy any captures.

I also have a few amps of my own, so I might try capturing some of those as well.

You could even capture your favorite models from your Axe-Fx 3!

Portability is one of the main factors that is motivating me to get one of these units. I've busted my back hauling around tonnes of gear and guitars from one jam to another (you could count the number of gigs I've played at on one hand), and I think it would be great to just have a small unit that I could cart around without struggling too much.

The form factor is excellent. The tight footswitch spacing is divisive, but I didn't find it too much of a problem as long as I was a bit more careful about where I was stomping. You can always replace that with a MIDI controller.

 

[AFKAEjay(retired)]

Was reading reviews, I've never tried the unit. From what I read, the common complaint was that the in-built models are underwhelming.

I can’t control what others write or think
To me the amps are perfectly fine….and tbh..amongst the top modelers…decent amps are a commodity they all deliver.

 

[Jynx]

Was reading reviews, I've never tried the unit. From what I read, the common complaint was that the in-built models are underwhelming. In contrast, I've read far better things about Neural's plugins.

I'm not sure how early these reviews are but with the base amps they were a bit hit and miss. Maybe because they had to get them out the door in time, speculating.

But every amp released since has been top notch. And they even re-did a couple of the less impressive early amps.

 

[Los-D]

Personally, I think built in amps are hit (5150) or miss (SLO). But captures is where I have found tones closer to my liking. And yes, you can capture other modelers or plugins. I am using captures of the Fortin Cali plugin for example since the hot-rodded Marshall options are limited (on built-in amps) compared to Fractal

 

[Thrifty]

I really can't complain about models or anything, the way I dial in stuff usually makes everything sound the same/horrible haha. And as mentioned, I've never tried it.

I think most of the places I heard about the models being bad was the Kemper Forums, or the Axe Forums, or some other forums where everyone who had a Kemper, or an Axe FX, or a Helix were happy with what they had.

It's just GAS, as usual. I figure I'll just have a new toy to play with and keep me interested in guitar. Motivation to do anything of consequence has simply dried up, I'll probably turn it on a few times diligently and riff a bit, then go back to "doing projects".

A real sad story, don't deserve it, blah blah. Good thing is that has never stopped me from buying gear heh.

 

[GTR37]

The best thing IMO for someone considering QC is the free 14 day trial on the plug ins , that will give you a really good idea of the sound and feel of the NDSP stuff , while the QC may have slightly different models you can approximate MOST of them with models in the QC
For instance if you downloaded and love Gojira
That the equivalent of the 5153 EL34 Red in QC

As others have said models at
Launch were kind of hit and miss
But IMO some are really good
Like the 2203, AC30 Freidman lead , 6505
Mesa lonestar
Some that were not all that great SLO/Recto VH4 got and overhaul and I don’t see many complaints anymore although I have not personally tried them

 

[Jarick]

Axe FXIII and former Kemper user here.

I’m quite curious about the Quad Cortex. I didn’t jump on the pre-order bandwagon, and from what I’ve seen online, it seems like the company has a long way to go to keep its promises.

That said, I’ve been noticing a lot of pros musicians using the device of late, the shortcomings be damned.

My interest has also been piqued by the coming (soon haha!) plugin capabilities. I’ve never tried the Neural plugins, but what I’ve heard online and the good reviews online tell me that whenever they finally port the plugins, the tones on the unit will be vastly improved.

Just might take the plunge. I could use a tiny unit that I can easily carry around, perhaps just for jams if it isn’t as good as I hope it will be.

Would also make a nifty backup for the Axe FX.

I don't find the plugins to be a tonal improvement over the amp models. Maybe I've got bad ears, but they sound good to me.

I've got an Axe 3 as well, and had Kemper previously. I prefer the QC to Kemper overall because it's way easier to use and it's a lot more flexible with having multiple captures instead of one profile. I will say that some of the Kemper effects like their newer delays and reverbs have a lot more flexibility and may have a more "organic" sound.

Axe 3 definitely has more amp models but it's hard to say if they are superior or not. Sometimes I prefer Axe others the QC. I do prefer the cabs in the QC to the Axe though. For effects, Axe has a lot more options, and there's definitely some things missing in the QC. But I do think a lot of core effects are there, so if you're the type of person who would have a more basic pedalboard it should be plenty. If you're more into specific rack gear and more obscure stuff, you might miss that.

Captures are very cool if you have specific gear you like. You can run multiple captures too which is really cool, and it actually uses less DSP than full models.

Overall the QC is really powerful, easy to use, and sounds very good. I'd say there are two limitations:

One is the power supply which is super cheap and flimsy. Also the QC needs a ton of current so a lot of pedalboard power supplies won't be able to power it. This is more of a struggle if you are integrating with a pedalboard. If you are just using it my itself, I'd just get an extra power supply for your bag and find a way to secure the cable so it doesn't accidentally unplug.

The other is slow development. There's been a couple bigger updates, but they haven't been able to catch up to Fractal or Helix in terms of amp/effect models nearly as quickly. Obviously the plugin compatibility is way behind, but there's not many new models. Not as big a deal for amps and drive pedals as you can get captures, but for things like reverbs, delays, etc those need to be modeled. Maybe that's a revenue thing, if they can get plugin compatibility people buy more plugins where more models are free.

Anyways I like it quite a bit and if you can try it, you may like it too. I think it makes sense for what you describe, a grab and go solution. Especially compared to something like Axe 3 + FC.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

can anyone demonstrate the built in amp models being a miss? Like a 5150 or SLO or Rectifier or Uber or whatever? I always read it but I want to hear what they actually sound like compared to something that gets it right

 

[mbenigni]

Like I said…it’s typical usb noise…not something thats typical for the QC.
After some further testing…when I keep reamping in the digital domain….it doesn’t make the recording…so it seems to only affect the analog outputs….but it’s annoying cause that’s what I monitor

I really don’t want to use EQs to get rid of noise as a default…bad starting point.

Search your vendor of choice (e.g. Amazon) for "usb noise isolator". Look for reviews that indicate purchasers have solved similar problems to your own. (I've never bought one myself.)

 

[Jarick]

can anyone demonstrate the built in amp models being a miss? Like a 5150 or SLO or Rectifier or Uber or whatever? I always read it but I want to hear what they actually sound like compared to something that gets it right

Honestly when I heard the shootout of amp models by Leon Todd, that was a big driver for me to get the QC. I thought it compared really well. I haven't felt them lacking at all, although I may prefer other modelers for specific amps (like the Deluxe Reverb).

 

[MirrorProfiles]

Honestly when I heard the shootout of amp models by Leon Todd, that was a big driver for me to get the QC. I thought it compared really well. I haven't felt them lacking at all, although I may prefer other modelers for specific amps (like the Deluxe Reverb).

I've only used my friends one for like 20 minutes at a time max, but whenever we compared to my amps they were all about as close as the plugins seemed to be (which I'm way more familiar with). I struggled a little with the Herbert (from memory) but most of the time matching them to my amps was either a settings or load box thing. I always read about the amp models lacking a bit and I'm curious what that sound actually is so I can pay attention to it in future

 

[laxu]

When I had it 3 years ago, I found I had to use very weird settings to get some of the models to sound close to the Fractal ones. Like the JTM45 for example.

 

[Los-D]

can anyone demonstrate the built in amp models being a miss? Like a 5150 or SLO or Rectifier or Uber or whatever? I always read it but I want to hear what they actually sound like compared to something that gets it right

Check out the model (4:35) vs capture (9:25). I find that same discrepancy with other models. And that JTM45 sounds horrible to me @laxu

 

[MirrorProfiles]

Check out the model vs capture. I find that same discrepancy with other models. And that JTM45 sounds horrible to me @laxu

Hmm, I'd say some experimentation with different loads on the amp, and adjusting the settings more could get things closer. The capture doesn't sound quite like the amp either (I actually prefer the capture, it has less of the bloated mids that Soldanos sometimes have).

 

[Los-D]

Hmm, I'd say some experimentation with different loads on the amp, and adjusting the settings more could get things closer. The capture doesn't sound quite like the amp either (I actually prefer the capture, it has less of the bloated mids that Soldanos sometimes have).

model (4:35) vs capture (9:25)

Added timestamps. The capture sounds great to me

 

[Mongillo19]

Check out the model (4:35) vs capture (9:25). I find that same discrepancy with other models. And that JTM45 sounds horrible to me @laxu

I wonder if the JTM is just hard to model? People complain/complained about it on the fractal units as well for a long time