NDSP Quad Cortex

[laxu]

100% this. I have a lot of respect @GTR37 so I'm not going to ream him out. But I don't think P&W is a particular barometer. I'd put post-rock out there as an example of effects-orientated music that requires better than what the QC gives.

Even if you play "AC/DC simple", you can still get use of a good room reverb for example, or a good delay for leads. Even if it's not "ooh there's the delay" it still enhances the sound and how that enhancement works out is where the quality of the delay or reverb will come in.

A bit off topic, but I've currently got a whole smörgåsbord of delays and reverbs in pedal form here:

• Strymon Flint V2
• Strymon Deco V2
• Strymon Nightsky
• Strymon Volante
• Source Audio Collider
• Source Audio Nemesis

I've been doing a lot of A/B comparisons between these to figure out which I want to keep because it's too much. The Deco stays because it does so much more than simple tape delays. Otherwise the current winners look like this:

• Source Audio Collider for reverbs. They all sound great, with the right amount of adjustment. The delay side is good but less impressive.
• Strymon Volante for delays. The Volante is a bit big physically, but totally worth the board space just because it makes so easy to play with multi-tap tape/drum delays. Love it.

I had high hopes for the Nemesis Binson Echorec models hidden inside it, but those just don't compare to the Volante and can't do more than two tap delay either. They sound really good, but we are playing at the upper echelon of good here.

I wish I could get the Binson models on the Collider because then I'd probably be ok with the compromise. The Collider Tape model is too clean and pristine for my tastes, the modulation seems to be the modulation section of the Nemesis rather than the wow&flutter section so the modulation sounds more "tacked on top" than the Volante's tape warble.

I used the Nightsky for years because it does sound great, but for my reverb needs it's generally just too much. There's a lot more ways to make it sound bad than the others. This is also why Meris's latest big boxes don't interest me at all, I can't be arsed with that user interface and all the options available.

Flint V2 is one of the greatest pedals ever made. It's just so hard to make it sound bad. I'll probably keep it and put it on some secondary board because I got it for a great price used in Japan.

This is what it looks like when you go into rabbit holes because all of these are great pedals with their unique strengths, and all of them a bit different that you can't necessarily dial any one of them to sound exactly like the other.

If Fractal ever made a pure delay or reverb pedal (better yet, both together ala Collider!), I'd buy that instantly because their effects truly play in the same category as all these great boxes. Fractal doesn't get enough kudos for how good job they've done with those effects when every modeling discussion is way too heavily centered on amp modeling.

 

[GTR37]

100% this. I have a lot of respect @GTR37 so I'm not going to ream him out. But I don't think P&W is a particular barometer. I'd put post-rock out there as an example of effects-orientated music that requires better than what the QC gives.

Ah it all good man flame away I don’t take anything personally it just gear
I am probably also at fault because I should not make assumptions about what is important to other players regardless of genre

actually owned the QC when it first came out so I really didn’t know how good or bad the delays are now , I kid not I think there were 3 or 4 types when I got it , ping pong
Digital and I think that was about it lol

don’t use the plug in so I can’t comment there
I know there was a lot of noise when I got my original unit about the delays not having any character and I thought they had worked on it a while , Doug himself did say BBD analog delays were difficult and they needed to get someone for that purpose
I guess I just assumed the new types would have been a big improvement especially considering what line6 is doing with a 300 dollar HX 1
So I can totally see the concern when a 1600 unit is not matching a $300 one and I agree that is a hole they need to look at repairing
If they want to sell an all in one solution

 

[2112]

...every modeling discussion is way too heavily centered on amp modeling.

This is such a good point. People split hairs searching for that magical upper-lower-mid-top thing while overlooking the often vast disparities in the effects selection.

 

[DrewJD82]

I think if 95% of guitarist went and saw my cover band, they’d assume I was mainly an AC/DC meat and potatoes kinda guy, it’d take that 5% of Orvillian-types to notice when I AM using delays/reverbs, they aren’t just basic ones you could dial in with a basic delay or reverb pedal. I get more picky with that stuff than I do amp tones, even though I’m playing straight into the amp 95% of the set.

 

[fiftyshadesofslay]

Okay so I recently acquired another QC for myself. It's not my favourite unit (that honour goes to Kemper) but I have tons of function gigs and I'm trying to slim down the rig so the QC form factor and power is pretty much the best game in town right now for those needs.

It's been a while since I last owned one and I think the delays and reverbs are better than before.

I also disagree that it falls massively behind the others. Now It's not the best of the best but it's no slouch either. Just for fun here's a quick comparison between the QC's lush plate and an Eventide Blackhole, stock settings. I'll keep it blind for now, which one do you think sounds best and can you make out the QC? I have a favourite but it's close.

Reverb Test

Guitarist, Producer

on.soundcloud.com

 

[Achilles]

I also disagree that it falls massively behind the others.

 

[laxu]

I also disagree that it falls massively behind the others. Now It's not the best of the best but it's no slouch either. Just for fun here's a quick comparison between the QC's lush plate and an Eventide Blackhole, stock settings. I'll keep it blind for now, which one do you think sounds best and can you make out the QC? I have a favourite but it's close.

Reverb Test

Guitarist, Producer

on.soundcloud.com

Having never tried the Blackhole, out of these clips I like the second one more, but it seems like it's a bit brighter and marginally louder? Pretty similar sounds nevertheless.

 

[Orvillain]

Okay so I recently acquired another QC for myself. It's not my favourite unit (that honour goes to Kemper) but I have tons of function gigs and I'm trying to slim down the rig so the QC form factor and power is pretty much the best game in town right now for those needs.

It's been a while since I last owned one and I think the delays and reverbs are better than before.

I also disagree that it falls massively behind the others. Now It's not the best of the best but it's no slouch either. Just for fun here's a quick comparison between the QC's lush plate and an Eventide Blackhole, stock settings. I'll keep it blind for now, which one do you think sounds best and can you make out the QC? I have a favourite but it's close.

Reverb Test

Guitarist, Producer

on.soundcloud.com

I can't make out which is which. Both sound good.

 

[Los-D]

View attachment 21031

To be fair, it also applies here…

 

[Achilles]

To be fair, it also applies here…
View attachment 21036

Every brand plays that game though.
Plus, I believe that statement to be as true as this one.

 

[namathan_zirwir]

I have actually owned a QC. In fact, I was one of the first people in the UK to get one. First 10 or 20 people I'm sure.

I owned it for about 9 months.

Your reasoning is flawed. The QC was designed to do amp modelling, amp captures, and effects. It fails in several key areas in terms of algorithm quality and breadth, and doesn't compare very well when you put it up against other products that aim to cover the same ground, even in the price-range.

The fact that a DD-8 can beat the delay sounds of a QC, and the fact that an RV-5 can be the reverb sounds of the QC.... is not a particular testament to those pedals, although they are good. It is more an indictment on the quality of effects in the QC, given the length of time it has been on the market. The longer time goes on, the happier I am that I sold it.

But also, yes. I do like t troll the QC threads across different forums and groups. So... lol.

Thanks for the detailed response. I appreciate the context

 

[namathan_zirwir]

I can't make out which is which. Both sound good.

What are your overall thoughts on the Reverbs and Delays in the HX Effects?

 

[timbuck3]

Wow

 

[Los-D]

Every brand plays that game though.
Plus, I believe that statement to be as true as this one.

View attachment 21037

That’s the thing, in this case it is objectively true (until a more powerful processor comes along) based on specs, capabilities, et al. My beef with the QC statement was the fact that it’s competing against mature floorboards like FM9, Helix, and now even the much maligned TBP.

But yeah, I get your point for sure on the marketing side. Definitely some embellishments across all companies

 

[Los-D]

Okay so I recently acquired another QC for myself. It's not my favourite unit (that honour goes to Kemper) but I have tons of function gigs and I'm trying to slim down the rig so the QC form factor and power is pretty much the best game in town right now for those needs.

It's been a while since I last owned one and I think the delays and reverbs are better than before.

I also disagree that it falls massively behind the others. Now It's not the best of the best but it's no slouch either. Just for fun here's a quick comparison between the QC's lush plate and an Eventide Blackhole, stock settings. I'll keep it blind for now, which one do you think sounds best and can you make out the QC? I have a favourite but it's close.

Reverb Test

Guitarist, Producer

on.soundcloud.com

They both sound really good. I prefer the first tone a bit more than the second one (don’t care which is which) but that’s based on my personal preference.

 

[laxu]

But yeah, I get your point for sure on the marketing side. Definitely some embellishments across all companies

If there's something that NeuralDSP does know how to do, it's marketing.

When Fractal's product page talks about having a color display, or how much faster it is versus previous generations of Fractal products...it's just not good marketing.

 

[Orvillain]

What are your overall thoughts on the Reverbs and Delays in the HX Effects?

For the breadth of effects you get, the HX stuff is very difficult to beat. But there are some quirks. For example, the straight up Simple Delay... I dunno, doesn't quite feel right to me in terms of how many echoes you get from it at various settings. Harder to dial in than the DD-8 I mentioned previously.

But then things like their Transistor Delay, Elephant Delay, Adriatic Delay, Glitch Delay.... those are top shelf material.

The reverbs are a bit more metallic than I'd like. Covered that in a thread before where I compared a bunch of reverbs.

 

[GTR37]

Okay so I recently acquired another QC for myself. It's not my favourite unit (that honour goes to Kemper) but I have tons of function gigs and I'm trying to slim down the rig so the QC form factor and power is pretty much the best game in town right now for those needs.

It's been a while since I last owned one and I think the delays and reverbs are better than before.

I also disagree that it falls massively behind the others. Now It's not the best of the best but it's no slouch either. Just for fun here's a quick comparison between the QC's lush plate and an Eventide Blackhole, stock settings. I'll keep it blind for now, which one do you think sounds best and can you make out the QC? I have a favourite but it's close.

Reverb Test

Guitarist, Producer

on.soundcloud.com

yeah I am not going to easily answer that they are close enough , 1 seemed a bit brighter maybe , both were very useable

 

[northern_fox]

Okay so I recently acquired another QC for myself. It's not my favourite unit (that honour goes to Kemper) but I have tons of function gigs and I'm trying to slim down the rig so the QC form factor and power is pretty much the best game in town right now for those needs.

It's been a while since I last owned one and I think the delays and reverbs are better than before.

I also disagree that it falls massively behind the others. Now It's not the best of the best but it's no slouch either. Just for fun here's a quick comparison between the QC's lush plate and an Eventide Blackhole, stock settings. I'll keep it blind for now, which one do you think sounds best and can you make out the QC? I have a favourite but it's close.

Reverb Test

Guitarist, Producer

on.soundcloud.com

I'm not an fx person and don't really know what "good" is supposed to sound like in that department, but I prefer the second one here because the decay seems more lively or smoother or something

 

[Aleksi]

Okay so I recently acquired another QC for myself. It's not my favourite unit (that honour goes to Kemper) but I have tons of function gigs and I'm trying to slim down the rig so the QC form factor and power is pretty much the best game in town right now for those needs.

It's been a while since I last owned one and I think the delays and reverbs are better than before.

I also disagree that it falls massively behind the others. Now It's not the best of the best but it's no slouch either. Just for fun here's a quick comparison between the QC's lush plate and an Eventide Blackhole, stock settings. I'll keep it blind for now, which one do you think sounds best and can you make out the QC? I have a favourite but it's close.

Reverb Test

Guitarist, Producer

on.soundcloud.com

Both sound good. The second one sounds slightly brighter to me, which would have me guess that it's the Blackhole. So the lush plate is at stock settings, what about the Blackhole? Which preset do you consider stock on it? I would expect a much more pronounced high end ringing with the "Blackhole" preset (at least on the H90).