NDSP Quad Cortex

synthpenguin said:
Despite it maybe being overkill for me haha, I'm still interested in the QC, but... what exactly is the deal with QC reliability these days?

Some people talk like problems are extremely common, and other people talk about them like they're rare or basically don't happen at all outside of a few defective units (?). Obviously without actual data from NeuralDSP it's all very subjective, but can anyone give me perspective on how common the freeze-ups, crashes, and other failures seem to be in their experience, as well as if anyone here has experienced the issues with touchscreen responsiveness that some people describe?

Also, re: the power supply, it's just a ground loop issue in certain contexts, and which can be fixed with a replacement power supply, right? I know it's partially a design decision, but did Neural ever source and start providing a different power supply like I saw people discussing before?

And sorry, I know both of these topics have been beaten into the ground, but most discussions I'm seeing about them in a quick search are 1 or 2 years old, so I'm curious about the state of things now, especially since many of the problems seem(ed) to be software issues.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I've only had my one QC, which is an earlier model. The only issue I had is that occasionally the input impedance will adjust itself down so it sounds really muffled. This has happened maybe three times in eight months. Easy fix, but it's weird.

I haven't had issues with the power supply even though it's flimsy as hell. Also I haven't had any ground loop noise issues at all with this unit even when hooked up to USB. I haven't had any issues with it freezing or crashing that I recall. The touch screen is a good resolution and while it's not iPhone level, it's quite responsive.

There are YouTube tests of aftermarket power supplies and they didn't observe any benefits from other power supplies. I haven't experienced the issue so I don't know what the solution would be. I will say I've had a Helix and an HX Effects that had a lot of noise when hooked up to an amp and the QC is dead quiet (although my HX Stomp is also dead quiet).

No idea on the Rat or BD-2 as I don't own the real pedals. I've been buying and capturing drive pedals and comparing to stock models. The drive models in general sound pretty good to me. I haven't done an A/B of the latest batch of pedals I got (Wampler Tumnus, MXR Duke of Tone, Nobels ODR Mini) but the Fat Sugar (Klon), Golden Boy (Bluesbreaker), and others seemed good.

I'd say if there's a drawback now, it's lack of variety in things like reverbs (especially modern Strymon style ones), vintage delays (Space Echo and others), and micropitch detune (like Eventide). Right now there's a good amount of modulation effects, drive pedals, and amps. Plus you can find tons of other models on the cloud.
 
synthpenguin said:
Despite it maybe being overkill for me haha, I'm still interested in the QC, but... what exactly is the deal with QC reliability these days?

Some people talk like problems are extremely common, and other people talk about them like they're rare or basically don't happen at all outside of a few defective units (?). Obviously without actual data from NeuralDSP it's all very subjective, but can anyone give me perspective on how common the freeze-ups, crashes, and other failures seem to be in their experience, as well as if anyone here has experienced the issues with touchscreen responsiveness that some people describe?

Also, re: the power supply, it's just a ground loop issue in certain contexts, and which can be fixed with a replacement power supply, right? I know it's partially a design decision, but did Neural ever source and start providing a different power supply like I saw people discussing before?

And sorry, I know both of these topics have been beaten into the ground, but most discussions I'm seeing about them in a quick search are 1 or 2 years old, so I'm curious about the state of things now, especially since many of the problems seem(ed) to be software issues.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I guess it varies from one user to another; build quality seems good though
 
Jarick said:
I've only had my one QC, which is an earlier model. The only issue I had is that occasionally the input impedance will adjust itself down so it sounds really muffled. This has happened maybe three times in eight months. Easy fix, but it's weird.

I haven't had issues with the power supply even though it's flimsy as hell. Also I haven't had any ground loop noise issues at all with this unit even when hooked up to USB. I haven't had any issues with it freezing or crashing that I recall. The touch screen is a good resolution and while it's not iPhone level, it's quite responsive.

There are YouTube tests of aftermarket power supplies and they didn't observe any benefits from other power supplies. I haven't experienced the issue so I don't know what the solution would be. I will say I've had a Helix and an HX Effects that had a lot of noise when hooked up to an amp and the QC is dead quiet (although my HX Stomp is also dead quiet).

No idea on the Rat or BD-2 as I don't own the real pedals. I've been buying and capturing drive pedals and comparing to stock models. The drive models in general sound pretty good to me. I haven't done an A/B of the latest batch of pedals I got (Wampler Tumnus, MXR Duke of Tone, Nobels ODR Mini) but the Fat Sugar (Klon), Golden Boy (Bluesbreaker), and others seemed good.

I'd say if there's a drawback now, it's lack of variety in things like reverbs (especially modern Strymon style ones), vintage delays (Space Echo and others), and micropitch detune (like Eventide). Right now there's a good amount of modulation effects, drive pedals, and amps. Plus you can find tons of other models on the cloud.
Click to expand...

Thanks, this is really helpful! And good to hear!

Re: missing FX, my needs on most of those are pretty simple, so that should be okay. A lot to think about.

Thanks again!
 
Stone said:
Are plugins really just presets that your paying ~ $150.00 for ?
you get the amps OD delay etc etc but those can be found in most modelers no ?
so what is the incentive or appeal to buy X plugin and pay for it ??

:idk
Click to expand...

I don't think there is an incentive to buy them myself, but I did have 5 of their plugins before the QC was even announced and I won a 6th one after and it would be nice to have them on the QC because there are official versions of amps (as in endorsed and made in conjunction with the companies involved) there not on the QC like the Omega Granophyre, Fortin Cali, and Tone King which would be nice to have on the device.
 
MirrorProfiles said:


Stump using NDSP plugins in the studio leading to him using a QC live. As far as hooking in pro musicians and people from a recording background, having solid plugins is the way. I agree with how he explains how he feels about digital vs analog.
Click to expand...


Yeah they are just so damn convenient it’s hard to ignore them, especially considering how good they are now. Digital companies really can’t afford to have that as a blind spot anymore. (Fractal Native would be an end-game offering)
 
MirrorProfiles said:


Stump using NDSP plugins in the studio leading to him using a QC live. As far as hooking in pro musicians and people from a recording background, having solid plugins is the way. I agree with how he explains how he feels about digital vs analog.
Click to expand...

Pretty cool interview. Loved their input on silent stage & in-ear monitoring - really been looking into this kinda stuff for the past 2 months or so.
 
Playing with the "Plate Lush" reverb, it's really nice. Especially with a delay out front.

Also spent a good chunk of time messing with the Legendary 87 compressor which is based on an 1176, which is super popular nowadays. I got a really good setting dialed in with a low ratio, high attack, back off the release, and bring the mix down to 75%. Really lets the attack of the guitar come through and then brings a big full tone in to sustain.
 
Jarick said:
Playing with the "Plate Lush" reverb, it's really nice. Especially with a delay out front.

Also spent a good chunk of time messing with the Legendary 87 compressor which is based on an 1176, which is super popular nowadays. I got a really good setting dialed in with a low ratio, high attack, back off the release, and bring the mix down to 75%. Really lets the attack of the guitar come through and then brings a big full tone in to sustain.
Click to expand...
the plate lush , and the other plates sounds pretty good to my ears in the clips as does the dual delay or Slapback if you want to do the country thing .

The tones Bea is getting in the Cortex vid sound great to my ears as well and easily matching the other modeller and he is just using a stock Kraken model with CH 1 34 on one side 6l6 on the other ,
 
timbuck3 said:
They have a lot of demos.. do they mean returned?
Click to expand...
I'm sure it's not that many compared to how much they sell. Demo can mean that it was used on their showroom or possibly returned. I feel like they have a different term for returned tho 🤔

What is Demo Gear?
At Sweetwater, we're so picky that what we call a "demo" is actually better than what most music retailers sell as "new" gear! Our gear hasn't endured hundreds of people a week plunking away at all the keyboards, fumbling through Stairway to Heaven on every guitar or playing with every fader and knob on a mixer or control surface.

What demo means to us is that we've had it out of the box, or maybe it was in a customer's hands for a few days and isn't "factory fresh" as a result. Every demo item we sell has Sweetwater's 2-year Total Confidence Coverage™ warranty, and has been tested and verified up to "new" specs by our factory-authorized technicians to make sure it's in perfect working order before we ship it to you.

When you buy a Demo item at Sweetwater, you get:

2-year Total Confidence Coverage™ Warranty!
Products inspected and tested by our factory-authorized techs, guaranteed to function like new (or better)!
FREE shipping on most items
Equipment that will MEET or EXCEED your expectations!

What Is Used Gear?
Nearly all the used gear at Sweetwater has been previously purchased as new from Sweetwater. You can count on the fact that we only offer used items that are determined to be fully operational. Our award-winning, factory-authorized service department meticulously inspects all used gear before releasing it for sale. Of course, we stand behind every used item we sell with our exclusive 90-day Used Gear Guarantee. If any used item malfunctions or doesn't perform as expected, simply call your Sweetwater Sales Engineer, and we'll do what we can to make it right.

When you buy a used item at Sweetwater, you get:

Used items that have been inspected and tested for full functionality by our factory-authorized techs
Quality used equipment that is built to last
FREE shipping on most items
The gear you want, worry-free with our exclusive 90-day Used Gear Guarantee
 
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