NDSP Quad Cortex

[mbenigni]

If you're happy with the sound and features of the QC as it is, its smaller size and existing ecosystem can be pros for a lot of people.

If I had to choose, part of me would want to go Helix Stadium for the eventual better captures (unless NDSP does some sort of update here), for Line 6's excellent support track record (!), for the better UI and screen (by all accounts), and for the presumed better build quality / quality control (and warranty service), but on the other hand the smaller size, multiple instrument inputs (when compared to the non-XL Stadium), and better reverb would all be big real world pluses for me. Helix's reverb is still lacking imo, and some of their modulation is too, and it doesn't seem like that will change soon, and the Stadium's size would involve me really changing around how I set things up, and at the gain of a lot of features I probably would not end up using.

One thing's for sure, though: NDSP won't get away with their absentee landlord routine for much longer. Not if the Helix team is as engaged as they were through the early years of the OG Helix. (Or right up to present, really.) I think Showcase is going to pull in a lot of customers once they start seeing the (many) practical applications, and if Line 6 continues to support with new features at their usual pace... it will be hard for anyone to ignore.

 

[laxu]

View attachment 53821

The Hotone Ampero 2 range is the "Dual Cortex" we never got. It genuinely keeps impressing me more often than not, considering its like 1/4 the QC price.

I feel NDSP is going to get squeezed on both ends. The cheaper stuff will keep getting better, and the HX Stadium is close enough to the QC pricing and size that it's going to appeal a lot of folks - especially those unhappy with NDSP's progress.

 

[JiveTurkey]

The Hotone Ampero 2 range is the "Dual Cortex" we never got. It genuinely keeps impressing me more often than not, considering its like 1/4 the QC price.

I feel NDSP is going to get squeezed on both ends. The cheaper stuff will keep getting better, and the HX Stadium is close enough to the QC pricing and size that it's going to appeal a lot of folks - especially those unhappy with NDSP's progress.

I was joking

 

[Mongillo19]

I will say in general I've preferred the QC tones over the Helix.

I know we say they are all equal anymore but I disagree with that.

I'm hoping the new modeling engine takes it up a notch!

 

[mbenigni]

The Hotone Ampero 2 range is the "Dual Cortex" we never got. It genuinely keeps impressing me more often than not, considering its like 1/4 the QC price.

I feel NDSP is going to get squeezed on both ends. The cheaper stuff will keep getting better, and the HX Stadium is close enough to the QC pricing and size that it's going to appeal a lot of folks - especially those unhappy with NDSP's progress.

So the million dollar question is, how much of a margin has NDSP been enjoying per unit sale of QC? Because they're going to need a little haircut, I would think. If it's already close to cost, that would spell trouble. I doubt they can attribute enough of their plugin sales to QC owners to justify QC as a loss-leader product.

 

[laxu]

So the million dollar question is, how much of a margin has NDSP been enjoying per unit sale of QC? Because they're going to need a little haircut, I would think. If it's already close to cost, that would spell trouble. I doubt they can attribute enough of their plugin sales to QC owners to justify QC as a loss-leader product.

It isn't out of line with other modeler products on the market, so I assume similar margins to their competition. You need to remember that things like developer salaries are also funded by the sales of the plugins and hardware. Plus their offices are not in a very cheap part of Helsinki.

 

[synthpenguin]

One thing's for sure, though: NDSP won't get away with their absentee landlord routine for much longer. Not if the Helix team is as engaged as they were through the early years of the OG Helix. (Or right up to present, really.) I think Showcase is going to pull in a lot of customers once they start seeing the (many) practical applications, and if Line 6 continues to support with new features at their usual pace... it will be hard for anyone to ignore.

Absolutely. I think that whatever initial resistance there will be to Helix Stadium from some people ("it doesn't sound better than old Helix" "it doesn't feel as good" "Line 6 products don't sound good because I didn't like my Spider amp" etc) will be softened when people see the high rate of updates and quality of support we can pretty safely expect from Line 6—in contrast to the stagnation and delays we can also, I think, pretty safely expect from NDSP (or at least their QC team; lots of credit for the Nano Cortex team for their big updates).

It'll be hard for a QC user to not feel pulled if NDSP keeps to their current... standards, especially once captures drop. QC will still have the size advantage and, in some areas (not all!), the FX advantage, but I don't think either will hold forever either (and a competitively-priced Stadium Stomp that can play captures will do a number on the NC too)

 

[synthpenguin]

Also, worth adding that if Stadium eventually has a Helix Native equivalent (I can't remember if this was confirmed for the future?), then that'll provide far better plugin integration than NDSP is even promising, which imo ends up being a huge plus for a lot of the younger, computer-centric guitarists that NDSP stuff is very popular with. If the implication of QC for a lot of people was that it could give them a portable version of the NDSP tones they already had on their computer, then a Stadium + Stadium Native combo would achieve the same in a much more complete way (just as Helix + Helix Native does now).

Granted, a lot of those plugins got popular because of how they were packaged and sold as (mostly) signature collections, which you can't ignore, but still.

ETA: at the same time, and to not get too off topic, I actually do want the QC to succeed though. While I know there is some bad blood with certain design things and behavior (understandably!), I think there is a good product in there almost despite (part of?) NDSP, and there are a lot of things about its approach that I really appreciate. I've almost gotten one a few times, and was extremely close to getting a NC, because there is just a sleekness to these products that makes them feel fun and inviting to use. I hope they can stay competitive somehow, get past the PCOM thing, and turn their issues around.

 

[Jynx]

My new, and totally awesome, Reverend Charger 290, made me discover an issue with my QC I never knew it had.

I was messing with the bass contour knob - which is basically a knob which rolls off some bass like a cut - and it seemed to just act like a second volume knob, just without going completely silent.

I felt like this couldn't be right so I checked a video and the behaviour they were getting wasn't not what I was getting.

At first I thought the guy I got it from ripped me off. But then I remembered there was an impedance knob on the QC so I tried that first and I turned it down one notch and the guitar, which had the bass contour down, sprang to life.

Funnily, though, when I put the knob back to default, the guitar was still functioning as intended.

I turned the impedance knob all the way down and I ended up with that same, initial effect, with the impedance knob draining volume.

So it seems that when I start my QC, though not all the time as I found out through tests, it starts with the impedance at the wrong setting, and you have to move it and back again to get it right.

I have no idea how long it's been like this. Maybe always.

 

[Los-D]

My new, and totally awesome, Reverend Charger 290, made me discover an issue with my QC I never knew it had.

I was messing with the bass contour knob - which is basically a knob which rolls off some bass like a cut - and it seemed to just act like a second volume knob, just without going completely silent.

I felt like this couldn't be right so I checked a video and the behaviour they were getting wasn't not what I was getting.

At first I thought the guy I got it from ripped me off. But then I remembered there was an impedance knob on the QC so I tried that first and I turned it down one notch and the guitar, which had the bass contour down, sprang to life.

Funnily, though, when I put the knob back to default, the guitar was still functioning as intended.

I turned the impedance knob all the way down and I ended up with that same, initial effect, with the impedance knob draining volume.

So it seems that when I start my QC, though not all the time as I found out through tests, it starts with the impedance at the wrong setting, and you have to move it and back again to get it right.

I have no idea how long it's been like this. Maybe always.

I think @mbenigni has talked about this in the past.

 

[Seanhanlonguitar]

Yeah, I forgot to mention they have a chokehold on the young-ish modern prog/metal/neo-soul audience. Lots of endorsers/Archetypes to sell it to them along with relentless advertising/brand deal.

I recently opened for a couple country groups at in Nashville which are both pretty successful. Both of their guitar players had a quad cortex on the board which kind of surprised me. I’m primarily a fractal user, but for form factor convenience and adjusting on the fly, I also use a quad cortex live (although I use captures of my fractal on the quad cortex… Kind of funny). While I’m very frustrated that the quad cortex still does not have the dumble amps that were promised at launch, the form factor inconvenience is still really good. When I was listening to the other Nashville acts, there was no way you could tell me that it wasn’t an amp mic’d up.

 

[mbenigni]

I think @mbenigni has talked about this in the past.

Not me, but it has been discussed here:

Post in thread 'NDSP Quad Cortex'

Jan 22, 2025

I had decided to sell or trade my Quad Cortex for an FM9...it's a cool unit but I'm trying to downsize my modelers and I think I prefer the Fractal.

Mine has an intermittent issue with the impedance occasionally dropping to the lowest value when restarting, even though it displays 1M. It works fine once you reset it, but if you don't it sounds super dark and low gain.

Kudos to NDSP support, my unit was purchased used and out of warranty, but they're going to work with me on a repair. I know they don't have the best reputation but assuming all goes well (and I'll update later with the...

• Jarick

• 

According to @Jarick, this is something NDSP can resolve with a hardware repair. Assuming you're already at the latest firmware revision, I'd send them an email.

P.S. The contour knob with the P90's on that Reverend is.

 

[mbenigni]

I recently opened for a couple country groups at in Nashville or pretty successful. Both of the guitar players had a quad cortex on the board which kind of surprised me. I’m primarily a fractal user, but for form factor inconvenience and adjusting on the fly, I also use a quad cortex live (although I use captures of my fractal on the quad cortex… Kind of funny). While I’m very frustrated that the quad cortex still does not have the dumble amps that were promised at launch, the form factor inconvenience is still really good. When I was listening to the other Nashville acts, there was no way you could tell me that it wasn’t an amp up.

OK, this has to be voice-to-text LOL.

 

[Jynx]

Not me, but it has been discussed here:

Post in thread 'NDSP Quad Cortex'

Jan 22, 2025

I had decided to sell or trade my Quad Cortex for an FM9...it's a cool unit but I'm trying to downsize my modelers and I think I prefer the Fractal.

Mine has an intermittent issue with the impedance occasionally dropping to the lowest value when restarting, even though it displays 1M. It works fine once you reset it, but if you don't it sounds super dark and low gain.

Kudos to NDSP support, my unit was purchased used and out of warranty, but they're going to work with me on a repair. I know they don't have the best reputation but assuming all goes well (and I'll update later with the...

• Jarick

• 

According to @Jarick, this is something NDSP can resolve with a hardware repair. Assuming you're already at the latest firmware revision, I'd send them an email.

P.S. The contour knob with the P90's on that Reverend is.

Got it on Monday. Already a favourite.

 

[mikah912]

Love me some distinct offset guitars, @Jynx. Nice!

 

[Jynx]

Love me some distinct offset guitars, @Jynx. Nice!

I prefer guitars that are a little bit outside the norm. If someone offered me an LP, SG, Strat, or CE 24 for free I'd say 'Nah.'

 

[Seanhanlonguitar]

OK, this has to be voice-to-text LOL.

100% was should have read over it first

 

[mbenigni]

100% was should have read over it first

Can't get enough of that form factor inconvenience!

 

[Jynx]

How do you get that shrill, blues sound? Like Smokestack Lightning, for instance.

 

[Chocol8]

Can't get enough of that form factor inconvenience!

"Formfactor inconvenience" may be entering my vocabulary!