NDSP Quad Cortex
- Thread starter Jarick
- Start date
No, there´s no need to be told by anyone (famous or not) about what gear to use.
My point is that the QC is great for live, up to the most proffesional grade. I´ve got several examples around me, apart from those We all can see because of being big names.
The same goes for Kemper, Fractal or Helix.
At the end, this is just showing how are We splitting hairs with gear at that level. Plenty of options, and all are fine if they tick your boxes.
But yeah, Mayer or Wong use a QC, Knopfler or The Warning a Kemper, ect, etc... I´m not the one who dares to tell anyone that "X" unit is much better than "Y" unit.
My point is that the QC is great for live, up to the most proffesional grade. I´ve got several examples around me, apart from those We all can see because of being big names.
The same goes for Kemper, Fractal or Helix.
At the end, this is just showing how are We splitting hairs with gear at that level. Plenty of options, and all are fine if they tick your boxes.
But yeah, Mayer or Wong use a QC, Knopfler or The Warning a Kemper, ect, etc... I´m not the one who dares to tell anyone that "X" unit is much better than "Y" unit.
Mikael Dez
Roadie
- Messages
- 476
I’m burnt out with their plugins (I say before they drop Archetype Devin Townsend and I immediately buy)
Los-D
Shredder
- Messages
- 1,753
Oh yeah. So am I. Just wondering if there is a financial relationship in place (maybe not)
Jarick
Rock Star
- Messages
- 3,937
Meh does it matter what any given artist use's ?? they are not you
I'm certainly not going to sell my F9 cause John Mayer is using a QC
There was a discussion a few pages back if the QC was a "professional" unit or not, despite the QC being all over some major touring band rigs.
- Messages
- 7,618
That is a misrepresentation of what I said.
I have said multiple times that for me the Quad Cortex is not a professional device, because it does not play nicely in a more complicated amp-centric rig.
The Helix and Axe FX III are professional, because they do.
Nobody has even attempted to counter this with something objective. Everything everyone here has said in response has been fallacious nonsense on some level - strawman, appeal to authority, and ad hominem.
Last edited:
AFKAEjay(retired)
Roadie
- Messages
- 510
If I spot a digital unit on a stage of significance…the majority of times its a Kemper or a QC… not exactly the most praised brands in this corner of the internet
Maybe the takeaway is that they are at least fit for purpose in the major leagues. Before I get lynched, plenty of other brands are also, just my personal count of “digital unit spots”.
laxu
Rock Star
- Messages
- 6,558
They are quite easy to buy in various stores, while Line6 doesn't really have anything as compact as the QC or that does the same thing as the Kemper (of which the powered toaster is probably the most popular).If I spot a digital unit on a stage of significance…the majority of times its a Kemper or a QC… not exactly the most praised brands in this corner of the internet
Before I get lynched, plenty of other brands are also, just my personal count of “digital unit spots”.
Jarick
Rock Star
- Messages
- 3,937
If I spot a digital unit on a stage of significance…the majority of times its a Kemper or a QC… not exactly the most praised brands in this corner of the internet
Before I get lynched, plenty of other brands are also, just my personal count of “digital unit spots”.
I keep half an eye out...last year I saw a show with different people using Axe FX 3, Quad Cortex, HX Effects, and then tube amp and pedalboards. Kind of all over the map!
It was funny seeing bands like Smashing Pumpkins or Blink-182 and you can see the modelers or controllers from WAAAAAYYYYYYY across the arena.
ejecta
Shredder
- Messages
- 1,101
If what you say is true…. that may make it “non professional” for you. In what rig situation hasn’t it worked in a way that you believe a professional would demand?
Mikael Dez
Roadie
- Messages
- 476
- Messages
- 7,618
Simple - 4-cable-method.
It is super super super non-performant in any scenario where you're connecting it up to other gear. It is just far too noisy:
Here's a few noise-floor recordings. I boosted them all by 10dB just to make the waveform higher, but the relative differences are still maintained.
In the room, the last one (the 4cm one) was way more noticeable than the others. The ones where it is just the amp have the lowest noise floor, as you'd expect. As soon as you put the QC into the signal path once, you get a higher noise floor because the DAC conversion noise of the unit is amplified by the gain of the amplifier. It is a lot worse in 4-cable-method.
In the room, the last one (the 4cm one) was way more noticeable than the others. The ones where it is just the amp have the lowest noise floor, as you'd expect. As soon as you put the QC into the signal path once, you get a higher noise floor because the DAC conversion noise of the unit is amplified by the gain of the amplifier. It is a lot worse in 4-cable-method.
Baseline noise floors between Axe3, Helix, and QC - all in 4-cable-method with an amp:
The last one is the QC. The noise floor is twice as loud as the other two.
Same amp. Same cables. Same amp levels. Same everything. Just switching the units.
The last one is the QC. The noise floor is twice as loud as the other two.
Same amp. Same cables. Same amp levels. Same everything. Just switching the units.
The base level of noise from the QC is twice as high as other modellers.
People are very handy at choosing one way of using the QC, and using that to represent it as a professional device. But nearly all of the exampled offered, are people using it straight into the PA and IEM's simultaneously, without any (or at least very few) bits of gear in tandem with it.
Even in the Rabea valve amp rig that I posted before, you can hear the same issue.
If you don't give a shit. That is fine. But I do give a shit. It isn't a professional device. TO ME. Which is all I've ever said.
Now I've offered objective measurements and a reasoned position. What have you got that isn't one of the three categories of fallaciousness that I listed?
Mikael Dez
Roadie
- Messages
- 476
I will!
ejecta
Shredder
- Messages
- 1,101
Yeah extra noise sucks. I’ve ran into too much of a noise floor on other units as well. A few of the Fractal units did. Seems they have worked that out now. The Helix has a ground issue as well as the HX Effects when using those to switch channels on an amp in 4CM. I wouldn’t call them non professional. Heck even had amps that had a higher noise floor than other amps. They were very professional amps. Maybe you would call those unprofessional. To each his own though. That’s totally subjective anyway.Simple - 4-cable-method.
It is super super super non-performant in any scenario where you're connecting it up to other gear. It is just far too noisy:
Here's a few noise-floor recordings. I boosted them all by 10dB just to make the waveform higher, but the relative differences are still maintained.
In the room, the last one (the 4cm one) was way more noticeable than the others. The ones where it is just the amp have the lowest noise floor, as you'd expect. As soon as you put the QC into the signal path once, you get a higher noise floor because the DAC conversion noise of the unit is amplified by the gain of the amplifier. It is a lot worse in 4-cable-method.
The last one is the QC. The noise floor is twice as loud as the other two.
Same amp. Same cables. Same amp levels. Same everything. Just switching the units.
The base level of noise from the QC is twice as high as other modellers.
People are very handy at choosing one way of using the QC, and using that to represent it as a professional device. But nearly all of the exampled offered, are people using it straight into the PA and IEM's simultaneously, without any (or at least very few) bits of gear in tandem with it.
Even in the Rabea valve amp rig that I posted before, you can hear the same issue.
If you don't give a shit. That is fine. But I do give a shit. It isn't a professional device. TO ME. Which is all I've ever said.
Now I've offered objective measurements and a reasoned position. What have you got that isn't one of the three categories of fallaciousness that I listed?
- Messages
- 7,618
Noise floor isn't subjective. It is objective.
What is subjective is one's ability to accept or not accept a certain threshold.
But yes, ground issues are super annoying. Bit of a different thing though, because those are easy to fix. You can't go into a QC and change the DAC parameters or replace it for a higher quality one.
I've had ground loops with Helix and Axe III. 100% I have. Humbuster cables have pretty much never gotten rid of it for me, when it comes to the Fractal stuff.
I use these:
Which has cured a ground loop issue 100% of the time whenever I've used one. I have two of them for the times where I do a stereo rig too.
One of these would completely eliminate ground hum with a HX Effects.
ejecta
Shredder
- Messages
- 1,101
I didn’t say noise floor is subjective. I said what someone considers “professional” is.
Similar threads
