Neural DSP Quad Cortex

John_P · March 2022

My QC arrived yesterday and finally had chance to try it today.

I’ve had had plenty of fractals and line6 gear in the past and it’s by far the easiest to use on the unit. I’ve got mine set on the desk while editing and haven’t missed an editor but I get how people that leave them on the floor would prefer one.

It feels really solid and well built but I’m clumsy so I’ll look into option to give the screen extra protection and might add a simple midi switcher for some gigs to keep it off the floor. Tbf that’s the same worry with any piece of gear that provides all the sound and I love how compact the QC is.

As stock is has all the amps and effects I would ever need and I can see loads of people are sharing captures of amps, cabs and pedals so there should be no problem if I need more.

There was a bad hum when I first plugged but clicking the ground lift cured that so I suspect people with issues need to do that.

The sounds, feel and ease of use are outstanding and possibly better than anything I’ve had before.

menamestom · March 2022

The size, layout and UI look perfect to be fair. Was looking at them earlier.

-Ed- · March 2022

John_P said:

My QC arrived yesterday and finally had chance to try it today.
I’ve had had plenty of fractals and line6 gear in the past and it’s by far the easiest to use on the unit. I’ve got mine set on the desk while editing and haven’t missed an editor but I get how people that leave them on the floor would prefer one.
It feels really solid and well built but I’m clumsy so I’ll look into option to give the screen extra protection and might add a simple midi switcher for some gigs to keep it off the floor. Tbf that’s the same worry with any piece of gear that provides all the sound and I love how compact the QC is.

As stock is has all the amps and effects I would ever need and I can see loads of people are sharing captures of amps, cabs and pedals so there should be no problem if I need more.
There was a bad hum when I first plugged but clicking the ground lift cured that so I suspect people with issues need to do that.
The sounds, feel and ease of use are outstanding and possibly better than anything I’ve had before.

Have a look at Rabea's Frogleap gig. He's got his inside a Schmidt Array pedal board setup. I think if that were me I'd use my ES8 as the midi controller and do something similar

I don't recall seeing a ground loop button. I'm 99% sure I don't have a ground loop - just hiss as I would on a real amp.

Fiftyshadesofjay · March 2022

I’m currently on my second QC. I had one from the beginning but moved it on pretty fast as it was sorely missing a lot of features and I was going back to gigging.

Fast forward nearly a year and it’s a much better package now. It’s still not perfect but it’s a great unit now.

I’ve done a few gigs with it and it’s been absolutely faultless. What’s really amazing is the whole band have commented on how much better it sounds, which hardly ever happens! I was using a Kemper previously and a Helix in the interim while waiting for stock. It just sounds absolutely massive live. There’s something about it that’s just bigger and thicker sounding than the others. Really happy so far.

onyir · March 2022

I have had my QC for nearly a year now and I'm still very happy with it. I don't use a ton of effects, as I'm more of a classic rock kind of guy, but the amps and overdrives, whereas models or captures, sound and feel great. And the interface and easy of editing is the cherry on top!

kjdowd · March 2022

Really happy with mine as well. Not a huge user of all the bells and whistles on these units, and I use mine mainly for recording, but I do use a lot of sounds and effects and for sound and feel it just does it for me more than the competition (have had helix, axe iii and variants thereof)

rayttk · March 2022

keir said:

rayttk said:

Mega happy with the QC.
only using it for home practice, interface and recording atm but everything seems better quality than the Stomp and Iridium, which is as expected at this price point.
I will be trying to capture my valve amps at the weekend.

How are you finding the QC still?

My current home setup is with a captor x and my board which takes up a lot of space and requires regular setup and breakdown which is a pain.

When running it as an interface do you connect your monitors directly to the QC?

I’m wondering if it’s worth selling my captor x and interface and putting it towards a QC…

Sorry for the late reply, I’m recovering from bicep tendon surgery so not bothering with much guitar related stuff.
Yeah QC is fantastic imo, after the last update it really doesn’t need much more for me.
The interface quality is top notch so I think it would definitely be okay for your situation.
I did some captures of my soldano amp and it honestly hits the mark, it’s my go to preset now.
Also did a capture of the Thorpy Peace keeper I recently bought and although not exactly the same it’s easy to tweak it to get there so I have my live gig rig at home in the bedroom.
I did try 4 cable method with the amp briefly but didn’t like it as much as my pedal board, I think I could get there with more time but for now headphones and monitors plugged into QC and a smile on my face every time!

Wazmeister · August 2022

Bump

wingo84 · August 2022

https://imgur.com/a/QPiUI10

I’ve created a live rig for mine. First time going direct to FOH for gigs and holy smokes, what a contraption.

The amps and captures sound immense and have used it for 3 different bands and it works flawlessly. I have to rethink where I place the board tho as weddings can get a bit lairy and people dancing with drinks almost gives me a heart attack.

smudge_lad · August 2022

wingo84 said:

https://imgur.com/a/QPiUI10

I’ve created a live rig for mine. First time going direct to FOH for gigs and holy smokes, what a contraption.

The amps and captures sound immense and have used it for 3 different bands and it works flawlessly. I have to rethink where I place the board tho as weddings can get a bit lairy and people dancing with drinks almost gives me a heart attack.

This looks class, and something I’m recently tempted to try and set up after a few awful experiences carrying loads of gear around at festivals.

The unit is perfect for me, as I wah with my left foot and all other modellers have the expression pedal on the right.

I think the only thing holding me back at the moment is, whether I’ll be able to recreate all of my HX Stomp patches accurately enough - I use quite a few shimmery reverbs/delays etc.

But, this rig is seriously tempting me to take the plunge…

FarleyUK · August 2022

I finally gave in and purchased a QC as a back-up unit for my Axe FX 3 Turbo. I'm pretty impressed with it so far, although haven't had a chance to try it in anger yet...!

Managed to recreate my main stereo dual panned amp and cab setup as well, which was a nice surprise.

Wazmeister · August 2022

I must day, I do fancy one of these....

Jonathanthomas83 · August 2022

I can't believe that they still haven't implemented the promised Neural plugins/QC crossover yet. The ability to play the plugins or transfer the sounds from the plugins into the QC, basically. As soon as they do that, I'm in.

John_P · August 2022

Jonathanthomas83 said:

I can't believe that they still haven't implemented the promised Neural plugins/QC crossover yet. The ability to play the plugins or transfer the sounds from the plugins into the QC, basically. As soon as they do that, I'm in.

What extra does that give over just using the same amp models/captures in QC? I've been gigging one for a while now and happy with the sounds and how quick and easy it is to use but I haven't tried the plugins.

Jonathanthomas83 · August 2022

John_P said:

Jonathanthomas83 said:

I can't believe that they still haven't implemented the promised Neural plugins/QC crossover yet. The ability to play the plugins or transfer the sounds from the plugins into the QC, basically. As soon as they do that, I'm in.

What extra does that give over just using the same amp models/captures in QC? I've been gigging one for a while now and happy with the sounds and how quick and easy it is to use but I haven't tried the plugins.

My assumption is that not all the gear available in the plugins is available in the QC.

John_P · August 2022

Jonathanthomas83 said:

John_P said:

Jonathanthomas83 said:

I can't believe that they still haven't implemented the promised Neural plugins/QC crossover yet. The ability to play the plugins or transfer the sounds from the plugins into the QC, basically. As soon as they do that, I'm in.

What extra does that give over just using the same amp models/captures in QC? I've been gigging one for a while now and happy with the sounds and how quick and easy it is to use but I haven't tried the plugins.

My assumption is that not all the gear available in the plugins is available in the QC.

I’d be interested to hear from anyone experienced with both but a glance through the plugins on the Neural site and it looks like a different editor instead of direct on the box and maybe a few specific effects, otherwise you could create the same sounds in the QC.

One of the main things I like about using the QC compared to previous modellers and plugs is the ease and speed of editing with the touch screen and footswitch knobs so I suspect I’m not the target buyer for the plugins anyway.

smudge_lad · August 2022

Is it true that you still can’t have a mixture of scenes and “stompbox” switches in the same preset yet?

wingo84 · August 2022

smudge_lad said:

wingo84 said:

https://imgur.com/a/QPiUI10

I’ve created a live rig for mine. First time going direct to FOH for gigs and holy smokes, what a contraption.

The amps and captures sound immense and have used it for 3 different bands and it works flawlessly. I have to rethink where I place the board tho as weddings can get a bit lairy and people dancing with drinks almost gives me a heart attack.

This looks class, and something I’m recently tempted to try and set up after a few awful experiences carrying loads of gear around at festivals.

The unit is perfect for me, as I wah with my left foot and all other modellers have the expression pedal on the right.

I think the only thing holding me back at the moment is, whether I’ll be able to recreate all of my HX Stomp patches accurately enough - I use quite a few shimmery reverbs/delays etc.

But, this rig is seriously tempting me to take the plunge…

The Quad out-shimmers the HX all day long. One of the best shimmers I’ve played with. Delays are far more controllable too.

And thanks! It’s going well and well worth the effort recreating the sounds.

allen · August 2022

smudge_lad said:

Is it true that you still can’t have a mixture of scenes and “stompbox” switches in the same preset yet?

Yes, but they did add the ability to bypass more than one effect with one footswitch in stomp mode with the last update.

I'm using a midi switcher with mine so that fixes the issue.

Bungle1 · August 2022

Is anyone here using their QC with something like the Seymour Duncan Powerstage to run directly into a cab? I'm interested in how this has worked out for people.

Fiftyshadesofjay · August 2022

Still loving my QC. Have done a ton of gigs with it now and it never missed a beat and sounds great. It’s also tiny and fits on a small board. My wireless is almost as big!

<a href="https://ibb.co/pJTVmQQ"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/LnyjGrr/FC728231-9949-49-AA-A5-EA-BFC2-FE74-A4-A8.jpg" alt="FC728231-9949-49-AA-A5-EA-BFC2-FE74-A4-A8" border="0"></a>

Going to experiment more with it in four cable method with my Rockerverb when I get a chance.

Roundwound · August 2022

Fiftyshadesofjay said:

Still loving my QC. Have done a ton of gigs with it now and it never missed a beat and sounds great. It’s also tiny and fits on a small board. My wireless is almost as big!

<a href="https://ibb.co/pJTVmQQ"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/LnyjGrr/FC728231-9949-49-AA-A5-EA-BFC2-FE74-A4-A8.jpg" alt="FC728231-9949-49-AA-A5-EA-BFC2-FE74-A4-A8" border="0"></a>

Going to experiment more with it in four cable method with my Rockerverb when I get a chance.

What are you playing it through?

Fiftyshadesofjay · August 2022

Roundwound said:

Fiftyshadesofjay said:

Still loving my QC. Have done a ton of gigs with it now and it never missed a beat and sounds great. It’s also tiny and fits on a small board. My wireless is almost as big!

<a href="https://ibb.co/pJTVmQQ"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/LnyjGrr/FC728231-9949-49-AA-A5-EA-BFC2-FE74-A4-A8.jpg" alt="FC728231-9949-49-AA-A5-EA-BFC2-FE74-A4-A8" border="0"></a>

Going to experiment more with it in four cable method with my Rockerverb when I get a chance.

What are you playing it through?

For function gigs it’s straight into the PA and IEM’s

smudge_lad · August 2022

How are folks powering the QC? Just with the supplied PSU? It’s a hungry unit, and disappointed I wouldn’t be able to use my DC-7

PC_Dave · August 2022

smudge_lad said:

How are folks powering the QC? Just with the supplied PSU? It’s a hungry unit, and disappointed I wouldn’t be able to use my DC-7

I believe you can;

https://fb.watch/eX1bLDRmFf/

keir · August 2022

I noticed Cioks have released another power supply recently - Cioks Sol - a DC7 style with the IEC input, but with 5 outputs - £143 on Thomann

https://www.thomann.de/gb/cioks_sol.htm?glp=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwgO2XBhCaARIsANrW2X2nJU2nR-g4eeyLmIuWICAtDa9p12ZBuZUXrlD7hXuqU-4bBo52SXMaAkB9EALw_wcB

Jonathanthomas83 · August 2022

Think Mission Engineering built this to do a job and I've seen it on QC boards. There's something cool and tiny about it that would make me buy one...https://missionengineering.com/shop/529-m/

John_P · August 2022

smudge_lad said:

How are folks powering the QC? Just with the supplied PSU? It’s a hungry unit, and disappointed I wouldn’t be able to use my DC-7

I use the dc7. It also powers the Shure glxd wireless and the usb out is handy for charging the transmitter pack.

You’ll need to merge a few outputs and be careful to set the voltage to 12V, It powers up on 9V but has issues like a super quiet output. On 12V everything is fine.

smudge_lad · August 2022

Another question….do the scenes work like Helix Snapshots where I can have one scene with an amp set clean, another scene where it’s crunchy then another where it’s full-on drive?

Or, do I need to have 3 separate amp blocks to achieve this?

John_P · August 2022

smudge_lad said:

Another question….do the scenes work like Helix Snapshots where I can have one scene with an amp set clean, another scene where it’s crunchy then another where it’s full-on drive?

Or, do I need to have 3 separate amp blocks to achieve this?

You can link any setting to a scene - just long press to switch that on and then you are only adjusting that value in that scene. I often have the same amp set with different amounts of gain, eq and volume across several scenes.

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