NDSP Quad Cortex

[Orvillain]

Your position seemed to be that “less than perfect” was unacceptable.

I clearly said:

"good enough" is simply not good enough.

That does not mean "less than perfect is unacceptable".

I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean.

It means you've created a strawman. No one here said anything about Fractal being better, or that their control mechanisms were perfect. If you could stop inventing things that you imagine people have said....

 

[Orvillain]

it is a significant improvement over the competition in many ways.

Also on this, I keep saying it, but no one is listening. When I owned the unit, I did not have this experience. It was actually a lot more frustrating to use than it really should have been. That's my experience. Does that count for nothing or something???

And it’s ironic to hear people complain about less than perfect UI after many in the same camp implied it was lazy, spoiled, etc. to suggest improvements in competitors’ UIs.

And on this, it might seem pedantic, but we are not talking about UI. We are talking about UX. User interface versus user experience. They are related, but also very different things.

Please find me a quote where I've called someone lazy or spoilt in response to them suggesting improvements for something. You won't find it. Because I never have.

 

[Achilles]

 

[deadpool_25]

I haven't had any issues with the touchscreen myself. Neither has my friend who uses his QC a lot more than I use mine. Anecdotal but maybe they have fixed that issue for the most part?

Regardless, if you tried it in the past and had some significant issues integrating it into your setup, yeah I'd think those issues would persist as I haven't heard of any fixes specifically addressing them. I also don't follow it that closely so they could have addressed them I guess.

Complex rigs like that one you posted about above can introduce complex issues of course. I'm guessing you did the troubleshooting stuff of building the rig one piece at a time to isolate issues. I've had some complex pedalboard setups over the years so I definitely understand the frustration.

 

[Achilles]

I haven't had any issues with the touchscreen myself. Neither has my friend who uses his QC a lot more than I use mine. Anecdotal but maybe they have fixed that issue for the most part?

The one I used every day for over a year was part of the initial 1,000 units and I had no issues at all with the screen.
Worked like a breeze.

* I don't consider having to occasionally repeat a tap or swipe as an issue with the unit.

 

[namathan_zirwir]

The touchscreen works fine. Very well, actually. Use it all the time. Maybe the folks having issues, have a bad unit.

 

[Orvillain]

A cursory google for "quad cortex touchscreen issues" will show that I'm not the only one who had a poor experience.

 

[Orvillain]

When I read stuff like this, and it only being 9 months ago, that really really REALLY puts me off buying another one.

Sod it... I'm just gonna stick with my amps and Axe3. Probably build out the single stomps collection again.

 

[Achilles]

A cursory google for "quad cortex touchscreen issues" will show that I'm not the only one who had a poor experience.

Same goes for the dreaded power supply issues.............

MOUNTAINS OUT OF MOLE HILLS.

Also, it's too fucking easy to pull shit from the interwebs to make gear look crappy.

 

[Orvillain]

Same goes for the dreaded power supply issues.............

MOUNTAINS OUT OF MOLE HILLS.

Do you downplay that issue because you've never played a show and just use the unit at home? Genuine question, not taking the piss. It seems to be the one issue you always laugh about.

We did a show back in 2021 when I had one, and our old 2nd guitarist had one. I wasn't using mine for the show though, I was using an amp and my Helix for effects. He was using a Duncan powerstage thing, and his QC. Horrible buzzing sound from the QC the entire set because of the power supply that shipped with the unit. I gave him a line isolator but it made no difference.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Do you downplay that issue because you've never played a show and just use the unit at home? Genuine question, not taking the piss. It seems to be the one issue you always laugh about.

We did a show back in 2021 when I had one, and our old 2nd guitarist had one. I wasn't using mine for the show though, I was using an amp and my Helix for effects. He was using a Duncan powerstage thing, and his QC. Horrible buzzing sound from the QC the entire set because of the power supply that shipped with the unit. I gave him a line isolator but it made no difference.

It's because Fractal.

 

[JiveTurkey]

See edited screenshot above

 

[Achilles]

Do you downplay that issue because you've never played a show and just use the unit at home?

No. I downplay the issue because I was in the electronics manufacturing industry for over 30 years and understand how this shit works.

Why is Neural still including the original PS with units 4 years later? Because no matter how loudly some want to shout about it, it's
simply not a problem worthy of attention based on the overall numbers.

The VAST majority of users don't have an issue with it so it has never been replaced. Which is the 100% correct way to deal with it.

 

[Achilles]

It's because Fractal.

100% correct. It's mostly just a portion of the FAS user base that feels threatened by NDSP so they have to run around with their hair on fire
screaming about awful power supplies and terrible touch screens.

It was annoying the first year or so. Now it's just ridiculously hilarious.

Keeps going and it'll enter the pathetic stage pretty soon.

 

[Orvillain]

No. I downplay the issue because I was in the electronics manufacturing industry for over 30 years and understand how this shit works.

Why is Neural still including the original PS with units 4 years later? Because no matter how loudly some want to shout about it, it's
simply not a problem worthy of attention based on the overall numbers.

The VAST majority of users don't have an issue with it so it has never been replaced. Which is the 100% correct way to deal with it.

This you?

 

[Orvillain]

It's mostly just a portion of the FAS user base that feels threatened by NDSP

I mean, that has nothing to do with me so why are you even bringing it up? This all got started when I was contemplating buying a unit, and then remembered all of the annoying shit I had to deal with the first time round. This simultaneously while I was contemplating selling my Axe FX III at the same time. So.... how does that factor into your equation?

Or maybe you're talking out of your severely damaged ring piece?

 

[Achilles]

I mean, that has nothing to do with me so why are you even bringing it up?

That was not directed at you.

Also, this is mostly just all fun and games and I could give a flying fuck about any of it.
Sometimes things just need to be said though.

You want to read the absolute worst reviews about every single aspect of NDSP?
Find a message board heavily populated with Fractal users.

That's a FACT. Everyone outside of the Fractal bubble knows it.

 

[laxu]

View attachment 28497

When I read stuff like this, and it only being 9 months ago, that really really REALLY puts me off buying another one.

Sod it... I'm just gonna stick with my amps and Axe3. Probably build out the single stomps collection again.

Statistically, current gen Fractal has honestly been the least reliable for me out of all modelers I've owned.

I had situations where my FM3 would boot and have no audio or garbled, low volume audio. Sometimes I had a footswitch fail where it would no longer display or do anything. Had these problems around 2021 when I bought the unit. But Fractal fixed all this stuff with firmware updates, so nowadays I'd trust it just fine. Still, major issues a couple of years after release.

I managed to make my Axe-Fx 3 crash the first week when I bought one in 2022. That was the only time though, I think it was related to scrolling presets or amp models too fast in the onboard UI and again was fixed in a fw update.

Helix Floor, managed to crash it once or twice.

I'm not saying this to defend the QC. I'm saying other brands aren't foolproof either.

We are talking about a few incidents over several years of use so ultimately it doesn't matter. I'd be worrying if these units were failing left and right and there certainly seem to be more QCs going back for repairs out there. But this can also be a case of a lot of QCs being sold.

It sucks if a modeler fails out of the blue and it isn't something you can solve by just rebooting the unit. I see this as the same thing as tube amp reliability. Something blows up out of the blue, and you use whatever backup you have prepared.

I'd still be interested to try that rumored Nano Cortex, unless it's something like the Tonex One.

 

[JiveTurkey]

100% correct. It's mostly just a portion of the FAS user base that feels threatened by NDSP so they have to run around with their hair on fire
screaming about awful power supplies and terrible touch screens.

It was annoying the first year or so. Now it's just ridiculously hilarious.

Keeps going and it'll enter the pathetic stage pretty soon.

Admitting it is the first step

 

[metropolis_4]

100% correct. It's mostly just a portion of the FAS user base that feels threatened by NDSP so they have to run around with their hair on fire
screaming about awful power supplies and terrible touch screens.

It was annoying the first year or so. Now it's just ridiculously hilarious.

Keeps going and it'll enter the pathetic stage pretty soon.

You don’t honestly think the complaints about the power supply were all FAS users who felt threatened do you?

The company told us they were researching better power supply options and started suggesting people use a Cioks in the mean time.

Why would the company make statements like that if it was just some FAS users feeling threatened?

When I tried a QC I tried it next to an AxeFX, an HX Stomp, and a Kemper Stage. All plugged into the exact same outlet, sitting in the exact same location, using the same guitar and cables, using the same speaker, and the noise floor on the QC was significantly higher than all the others.