SoOOoN (Neural DSP Nano Cortex)

[Orvillain]

I'd pick up the NC over the Kemper Player every day of the week

I'm still not getting one but the NC fixed some gimping the KPP has as well as the lack of capturing on ToneX/Dimehead. I'd just rather get a QC/Helix/Fractal over this format of pedal based capture players anyway... but if I had to get one for some reason my current pick would be the NC when all things are considered.

Well given the Kemper sounds like a monkey's ass covered in mouldy baked beans, yes I would pick the Nano Cortex over the Kemper Player too.

 

[BenIfin]

Ahem. The word is fewer.

Correct. Post duly edited :)

 

[dronerstone]

But it’s true though! Wasn’t they first out with capturing in small format?

EQ matching, so rather the "Kemper Method" (but the user picks the model) rather than that futuristic living machine organism that Neural seems to market.

 

[Lysander]

Any chance of changing the title of your OP now that it's released???

Sure.

 

[Orvillain]

Honestly this thing seems petty dumb. QC benefits are power, easy UI, being able to run multiple captures. This doesn’t achieve any of them. Feels like they tried to build to a price point instead of a feature set.

Even though I'm not necessarily part of the target market for this, I actually don't think it is all that dumb. I can think of several scenarios where this would be a good option:

- People who have a stack of effects pedals they love already
- People who have pedal looper/switcher units that send midi to their pedalboard amplifier
- People who are tied into another multi-effect eco-system but who also want to use amp captures
- People who need to travel light
- People who need to practice in the green room before a show
- People who want a small option for home recording or practicing

Honestly, you could throw this onto a Pedaltrain Nano along with a few other pedals, and gig with it:

The only thing I can think of that seems like it might suck, is no ability to send a the full tone to FOH, while sending a no-IR version to an on stage poweramp + guitar cab for moving air on stage.

 

[laxu]

Sure.

I made a new thread already without all the pages of speculation: https://thegearforum.com/threads/neural-dsp-nano-cortex.6452/

Maybe renam this to "Nano Cortex pre-release speculation?"

 

[Orvillain]

I made a new thread already without all the pages of speculation: https://thegearforum.com/threads/neural-dsp-nano-cortex.6452/

Maybe renam this to "Nano Cortex pre-release speculation?"

 

[Lysander]

It's not intuitive? Have you used anything made by Fractal?

I have, and rightfully complained about Fractal's UX - they really need to remove at least 5 buttons. But you never left guessing what you're doing.

Check that video, particularly the sections about preset management, effects and captures. There're a lot of steps to go through without any real feedback, and a lot of "this random led over here will turn red when X happens".

 

[nightlight]

Interesting device, but unless they allow for more FX and an ability to reorder them, I don't really see these making much sense.

 

[Sascha Franck]

The only thing I can think of that seems like it might suck,

In the setup you're showing, at least for me it'd also be the lack of any pre-amp boosts and drives (you'd have to do a separate capture including them, which IMO is not ideal to put it very carefully). Add to this their awkward way of balancing patch volumes. Plus, to keep track of which patch you're actually running, you'd either have to have the app opened all the time or use a MIDI controller providing that very information.
For me, that's quite a lot of things to tinker around with.

 

[Orvillain]

In the setup you're showing, at least for me it'd also be the lack of any pre-amp boosts and drives (you'd have to do a separate capture including them, which IMO is not ideal to put it very carefully). Add to this their awkward way of balancing patch volumes. Plus, to keep track of which patch you're actually running, you'd either have to have the app opened all the time or use a MIDI controller providing that very information.
For me, that's quite a lot of things to tinker around with.

You pick the size of the board and the pedals you want to include, this was just an example. The other stuff... simply put; you're not the target market for a device like this. It isn't trying to be a one-stop-shop. It is trying to be a pedal that can work within existing systems.

 

[Foxmeister]

Ahem. The word is fewer.

Lesserer is more bettterer!

 

[Sascha Franck]

It is trying to be a pedal that can work within existing systems.

I'm perfectly aware of that. And well, I could even use such a pedal (because I have an existing system with several "insert points"), just that the concept of this one doesn't make much sense to me either way.

 

[ian_dissonance]

Even though I'm not necessarily part of the target market for this, I actually don't think it is all that dumb. I can think of several scenarios where this would be a good option:

- People who have a stack of effects pedals they love already
- People who have pedal looper/switcher units that send midi to their pedalboard amplifier
- People who are tied into another multi-effect eco-system but who also want to use amp captures
- People who need to travel light
- People who need to practice in the green room before a show
- People who want a small option for home recording or practicing

Honestly, you could throw this onto a Pedaltrain Nano along with a few other pedals, and gig with it:
View attachment 28793


The only thing I can think of that seems like it might suck, is no ability to send a the full tone to FOH, while sending a no-IR version to an on stage poweramp + guitar cab for moving air on stage.

All of those use cases have other products that do the same thing with more features for the same or less money (or a little more in the case of the Stomp, which shits all over this thing for functionality). Unless you realllly want a specific capture or reeeealllly want to buy NDSP, it’s not the most feature rich tool for any of those jobs.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Unless you realllly want a specific capture or reeeealllly want to buy NDSP, it’s not the most feature rich tool for any of those jobs.

Exactly. And in case it is in fact richer in features than whatever else it might be, it's still more expensive (which would possibly be the outcome of a Tonex vs. NC shootout).

As said before, in case you don't need/want captures (plus the ability to capture things yourself), IMO it'd be completely stupid to buy this thing.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

Unless you realllly want a specific capture or reeeealllly want to buy NDSP, it’s not the most feature rich tool for any of those jobs.

This is basically exactly it. If you want to make a model of your own rig your options are:

- ToneX(+all the associated HW, computer, GPU, figuring out how to do it and get the model sounding the same on the HW).
- NAM (even less user friendly and more expensive to get to a similar point)
- Full fat kemper, or find a friend with one and then buy a smaller one. And get a less accurate tone
- NC. Out of the options above, it strikes the best balance between making a capture of your own rig with minimal other gear or knowledge or time or effort, and cost.

None of the other products quite offer that yet. Functionality and being feature rich is basically the opposite of what this is trying to do. Other products already exist for that, and that’s why this one seems like a bad fit if you’re looking at it from that angle.

 

[Whizzinby]

Functionality and being feature rich is basically the opposite of what this is trying to do.

They are literally selling this as a complete rig solution.

 

[Sascha Franck]

None of the other products quite offer that yet. Functionality and being feature rich is basically the opposite of what this is trying to do.

That's all fine and dandy. But why don't they just focus on that functionality?
As is, it's a bit like the Amplifirebox. Sure, you can use it to play entire gigs with the channel switch and the boost engaging various things - but nobody with a sane mind would ever do that unless in a case of emergency, simply because the functionality of both channel switching and boosting (or rather "manipulating") things is severely crippled.

As said before, if the NC was a box allowing me to run dual captures and an IR, I'd be pretty interested. But I just don't need the onboard FX and for anything emergency I'm sorted just fine already.

 

[GTR37]

Honestly this thing seems petty dumb. QC benefits are power, easy UI, being able to run multiple captures. This doesn’t achieve any of them. Feels like they tried to build to a price point instead of a feature set.

100% they went price point
And wanted it more like a pedal
That said in most clips it sounds great to me
The only problem w captures for me is that’s kind of the IR rabbit hole all over again
You have to spend the time going through and wading through the crappy ones

That why I like the models instead just grab Freidman HBE and go , if this had 10 or 15 of the QC models
5153 Gold , Princeton
Ac30 , Silver Jube , HBE
Kraken , Deluxe etc etc
I would have 100% purchased it the way it is and been pretty happy

 

[Sedaxel]

None of the other products quite offer that yet. Functionality and being feature rich is basically the opposite of what this is trying to do. Other products already exist for that, and that’s why this one seems like a bad fit if you’re looking at it from that angle.

100% that, And then I would add that it also has the possibility of loading any capture available without the hassle of guessing if it´s OK regarding gain. So you can:

- Capture with the device itself (easily and reliably).
- Use other one´s captures and be sure they are correct ones.

For me, those are the main selling points (and what has me interested in it).

Besides, the size, the look, the low current draw, the USB-C power option, the USB MIDI (along with the jack for MIDI or EXP), hardware quality... all that is great for integrating it with a pedalboard or multieffects. Plus, you got the transpose and a few effects.