NDSP Quad Cortex

[Jynx]

Hmm, the punch in option for the loop is quite cool. The duplicate functionality is pretty sick too.

Does anyone know if you can re-arrange the assignments of the various looper functions to the footswitches? IE: Could you put the punch in along the front row? Can you trigger the looper from midi CC's ??

You can't rearrange footswitches but you can trigger from MIDI CC.

 

[Orvillain]

You can't rearrange footswitches but you can trigger from MIDI CC.

Nice one, cheers!

 

[mbenigni]

That sucks. How long has it been like that??

For as long as the QC has had a looper, I guess. I bitched about it on a couple of their forums, and I think I emailed tech support once? Anyway, the best advice you'll get is to program your external footcontroller to send dedicated looper control messages. This works, but it's of no use if you're using the QC's own switches. I'm personally using a MIDI Captain controller, but I like the fact that I can easily set it up to always do what the onboard switches are doing. Context-sensitive and very intuitive... apart from this one bug.

 

[Orvillain]

For as long as the QC has had a looper, I guess. I bitched about it on a couple of their forums, and I think I emailed tech support once? Anyway, the best advice you'll get is to program your external footcontroller to send dedicated looper control messages. This works, but it's of no use if you're using the QC's own switches. I'm personally using a MIDI Captain controller, but I like the fact that I can easily set it up to always do what the onboard switches are doing. Context-sensitive and very intuitive... apart from this one bug.

See that is a problem to me. The development turnaround times. I just got done with a meeting this morning where we're aiming to sign off on a firmware update for next week. We're already talking about doing a follow up for next month.

They should be able to address these things in smaller incremental chunks, and be releasing a firmware update once every 2 months or so. It isn't impossible. Not even talking about features. Just pure bug fixes.

Lost count the number of times someone reported a bug on the Fractal forum, and a point release was released within weeks of the report that fixed the issue.

 

[Orvillain]

Leon giving me GAS!

 

[GTR37]

Leon giving me GAS!

I actually like the delays
I could live with the 2290
Circular and dual and be happy

 

[Orvillain]

Leon also tempering my GAS!!

 

[mbenigni]

See that is a problem to me. The development turnaround times. I just got done with a meeting this morning where we're aiming to sign off on a firmware update for next week. We're already talking about doing a follow up for next month.

They should be able to address these things in smaller incremental chunks, and be releasing a firmware update once every 2 months or so. It isn't impossible. Not even talking about features. Just pure bug fixes.

Lost count the number of times someone reported a bug on the Fractal forum, and a point release was released within weeks of the report that fixed the issue.

I agree 1000%. They are crazy-non-agile. The fact that this extends to the release of new amp models, after all they said about how fast their capturing process would make everything, is especially glaring. Not that I actually find myself wanting for much.

As for that Looper bug, part of the problem is that it hasn't been recognized as a bug per se. IMO it's a bug - or at the very least, an ambiguous scenario where my preferred behavior would be more intuitive and more effective. But some people who replied in comments were of the mind that the current implementation made sense and "works as specified". (And I never know whether I'm talking to NDSP staff or Joe Schmoe, or whether I'm on a sufficiently "official" web site.) Ultimately, it's like you said in the Nano thread: these companies won't typically drop everything to fix a "problem" that only one person seems to care about. (I had the same issue with Kemper over a couple of matters waaaay back when.)

 

[deadpool_25]

Hm

 

[Orvillain]

Chairman Laow the Corny.

 

[Orvillain]

Ruh roh.

 

[Orvillain]

So from what I can tell, midi CC and PC assignments you make to the footswitches in scene mode, still apply in stomp mode. They never fixed that??? IE: Stomp and Scene modes don't have their own separate midi commands????

 

[Jarick]

I

So from what I can tell, midi CC and PC assignments you make to the footswitches in scene mode, still apply in stomp mode. They never fixed that??? IE: Stomp and Scene modes don't have their own separate midi commands????

I don’t think they do. The midi assignments are pretty whack.

 

[mbenigni]

So from what I can tell, midi CC and PC assignments you make to the footswitches in scene mode, still apply in stomp mode. They never fixed that??? IE: Stomp and Scene modes don't have their own separate midi commands????

I don't think they have. Definitely a legitimate complaint. I don't use the onboard footswitches much, but I do have a footcontroller mapped one-to-one to those switches. I'm generally OK with assigning PCs, corresponding with presets on external gear, to Scenes. In cases where I want them controlled independently, I'll assign PC/CC to a Stomp switch with no onboard assignments. But that costs you an entire footswitch, in every mode, which is less than ideal.

The midi assignments are pretty whack.

Apart from this one lingering issue, I'd disagree with the notion that the MIDI assignments are "pretty whack". The MIDI implementation is robust for most (if not all) practical purposes, and extremely straightforward. As I get older (all I seem to do these days...) I put more and more stock in "straightforward".

 

[Jarick]

Well for my very limited uses I don’t love the midi implementation

I like the flexibility to assign things out by switch, scene, or preset. Being tied to a foot switch regardless of mode is weird.

 

[mbenigni]

I like the flexibility to assign things out by switch, scene, or preset. Being tied to a foot switch regardless of mode is weird.

I don't want to get buried in semantics (as is my wont LOL) but I wouldn't call this "MIDI implementation" per se. I agree the onboard footswitches should allow for more customization, but the incoming/ outgoing MIDI messages are sufficient IMO, and a breeze to set up.

As for onboard switching... they have a perfect UI built out for fully flexible assignments. Just use the MIDI Settings interface, and add Preset, Scene, Stomp, etc. options in the first dropdown along with PC, CC, etc. The completely separate drag-and-drop Scene/ Stomp/ Hybrid UI is very slick, but it's also unnecessarily limiting.

 

[Orvillain]

Right, my unit turned up. Got 14 days to decide if I like it enough to keep it. Spent some time playing with it today. Dem load times huh??

Initial impressions:
- My WiFi experience was a lot different this time around. The unit connected to my network immediately, with no problems. Wasn't the case back in 2021.
- I couldn't remember my username and password, and NDSP locked off their website for the Nano Cortex launch so I couldn't do a password reset!! Fucking sods law isn't it!!! I managed to get my details from Firefox's passwords list. Phew!
- From opening the box, to upgrading from 3.0.0 to 3.0.1, to being able to play my first chord, the entire process was almost certainly longer than 20 to 30 minutes. I didn't time it exactly, but the update procedure is a LOT slower than Fractal. You're proper shagged if you need to update the firmware or rollback the firmware before something that is mission critical.
- So their tuner... shiiiiittttssss all over the Helix one.... Sorry/Not sorry!!! <ducks>
- I still mostly hate the built in cab models. I had the exact same experience as in 2021 which was roughly along the lines of... Load unit up. Select amp and cab. This doesn't sound great. Import my own impulse responses. Fuccckkkk this sounds sick!
- Next is to load some of @MirrorProfiles IR's on there - go and buy some: https://mirrorprofiles.myshopify.com/collections/cabinet-ir-packs
- Cortex Control .... erm... it's a bit good. Need to dig in more, but I'm quite impressed with it on first impressions. Very well thought out.
- 2021 things I didn't have: reverse delay. It is great. Does what it says on the tin in many ways, but this was one of my red lines in many ways.
- 2021 things I didn't have: mind hall reverb and modulated reverb. These are great. They're smooth and flexible and can sound very very moist indeed. I'm a big fan.
- 2021 things I didn't have: Plate reverbs. These are killer too.
- 2021 things I didn't have: The touchscreen does feel more responsive than I remember, for sure.
- 2021 things I did have and still have: The audio output is definitely quieter than the Axe FX III and the Helix. 100% it is. This is odd. Workable. But odd.
- The EVH models are really good.
- The Deluxe Reverb and Hiwatt DR103 are also really good.


More thoughts to come over the next week or so.

 

[GTR37]

Right, my unit turned up. Got 14 days to decide if I like it enough to keep it. Spent some time playing with it today. Dem load times huh??

Initial impressions:
- My WiFi experience was a lot different this time around. The unit connected to my network immediately, with no problems. Wasn't the case back in 2021.
- I couldn't remember my username and password, and NDSP locked off their website for the Nano Cortex launch so I couldn't do a password reset!! Fucking sods law isn't it!!! I managed to get my details from Firefox's passwords list. Phew!
- From opening the box, to upgrading from 3.0.0 to 3.0.1, to being able to play my first chord, the entire process was almost certainly longer than 20 to 30 minutes. I didn't time it exactly, but the update procedure is a LOT slower than Fractal. You're proper shagged if you need to update the firmware or rollback the firmware before something that is mission critical.
- So their tuner... shiiiiittttssss all over the Helix one.... Sorry/Not sorry!!! <ducks>
- I still mostly hate the built in cab models. I had the exact same experience as in 2021 which was roughly along the lines of... Load unit up. Select amp and cab. This doesn't sound great. Import my own impulse responses. Fuccckkkk this sounds sick!
- Next is to load some of @MirrorProfiles IR's on there - go and buy some: https://mirrorprofiles.myshopify.com/collections/cabinet-ir-packs
- Cortex Control .... erm... it's a bit good. Need to dig in more, but I'm quite impressed with it on first impressions. Very well thought out.
- 2021 things I didn't have: reverse delay. It is great. Does what it says on the tin in many ways, but this was one of my red lines in many ways.
- 2021 things I didn't have: mind hall reverb and modulated reverb. These are great. They're smooth and flexible and can sound very very moist indeed. I'm a big fan.
- 2021 things I didn't have: Plate reverbs. These are killer too.
- 2021 things I didn't have: The touchscreen does feel more responsive than I remember, for sure.
- 2021 things I did have and still have: The audio output is definitely quieter than the Axe FX III and the Helix. 100% it is. This is odd. Workable. But odd.
- The EVH models are really good.
- The Deluxe Reverb and Hiwatt DR103 are also really good.


More thoughts to come over the next week or so.

Your probably going to make me buy another one

Will be curious to hear your thoughts on the transpose
And new dual and circular delays