Neural DSP Quad Cortex Floor Modeller

First let's start with what QC gives you - amazing capture technology! The amp capture technology is definitely where the future of modelers is headed and once you hear the captures (if you have a favorite amp) then the choice of QC and the reward for capturing it is so worth it. The desktop editor + cloud sharing of captures + tones from some of the modern guitar player big names are available for you to download - right away. All for "free" - once you pay for QC of course. You will not regret getting it just on these factors alone. Now, let's deep dive: Native amps on QC: The amps on the QC are not hard to dial - however I do doubt their controls being closely related to real amps. For ex. the Mesa JPC++ the controls on the real amp for Bass, Mid and Treble - are ... MoreFirst let's start with what QC gives you - amazing capture technology! The amp capture technology is definitely where the future of modelers is headed and once you hear the captures (if you have a favorite amp) then the choice of QC and the reward for capturing it is so worth it. The desktop editor + cloud sharing of captures + tones from some of the modern guitar player big names are available for you to download - right away. All for "free" - once you pay for QC of course. You will not regret getting it just on these factors alone. Now, let's deep dive: Native amps on QC: The amps on the QC are not hard to dial - however I do doubt their controls being closely related to real amps. For ex. the Mesa JPC++ the controls on the real amp for Bass, Mid and Treble - are preamp - they really don't do much. On the amp you have to be drastic with these controls. Any one who has owned a Mesa knows it - you gotta move them all the way one way or another for the tone. You have to use the 5 Band Eq to shape your tone - which are more subtle changes in eq with big tone differences. Unfortunately QC doesn't capture that. You have to play a lot with EQs to get less "muddy" "boomy" sounds. It's time consuming but can be done easily. There's also a whole lot - and I mean a whole lot of captures by QC - like 1000s of amps they have uploaded that you can download. The problem is they are not categorized and don't have any description. For ex. Mesa Mark V will be like CA MKV Channel 7 - like it doesn't have 7 channels, what do you mean? QC needs to work on cataloguing these better and that by itself will make they reproduce worth every penny. Native Effects on QC: Let's be honest here - there aren't much - definitely not the versatility of Helix where you can even select a version of the Pillar Fuzz Drive or whatever you want. The reverbs are alright. Delays have the variety - they are okay. The gates do their job really well. Capture technology on QC: So far the review doesn't sound too glorious right? But here's where it changes - you name an amp, someone has uploaded a capture of it up there, put it in a preset and presented to you as a beautiful package - as part of an amazing sharing community. And once you hear a captured amp - with just the right eq and cab. You will not go back to your Helix (eh maybe I will - who knows). QC sounds so organic and if you have a 5 position pickup - you can tell that each position sounds different. Which is unique either to mostly tube amps or QC - I love that! The growl playing metal - the chimes playing funk (and so many presets available by users to try and mod) - it's like Christmas! Compared to Headrush: Now if you're short on money and can't afford a QC, the capture of Headrush is just as good! You can barely tell a difference. Dare I say - it's a little easier to dial as well with delivered EQ presets. But there are some BIG problems with Headrush and these may only be to me - No updates - after 6 months they update 2 new pedals, like what!? No desktop editor on Headrush. There is a cloud but nothing sounds good to me - due to lack of user base. The one thing I did with my Headrush was capture my Mesa Boogie - and boy did that pedalboard deliver! Get it if you have amp to captures - it is the same in Capture Quality as QC. But capture has a problem - you gotta have the amps - with QC cloud you get a library of them at your fingertips. With Headrush you have a cloud but the volume is just not as good. Maybe they start updating Headrush more often and bring more amp models in - the user base will grow because the product is so good! Anyways - happily go for Headrush if you don't want to spend a lot of cash - Headrush Core will do- if you have amps to capture and want to use it for that - more than enough for most of us. Compared to helix: Now this is a tough one - Helix has its goods and bads and the beautiful thing is we all know them. We KNOW Helix - we can dial it within minutes what we want in helix and know it's gonna rock! Will it be the same as a "real" amp - umm no. Will it be fantastic to jam to - you know it will be. So much control over everything! So many models - right there. Amazing updates - non stop! It's the king of pedals in my opinion - for consistently updating things for YEARS. Bottomline: Yes QC might just be worth it - the sounds are amazing! Don't spend a day on it and have buyer's remorse. You need to KNOW it like you know your Helix. I am positive QC and Helix will keep bringing updates and delivering on their product - which is something I can't say for Headrush. How to hear it: If you are coming from an amp - like me - the speakers don't do it and I hate them to their core. I played my modelers through a Katana MKII - Power Amp IN for years - sounded magical with a real amp feel. You can leave your IRs and Cabs in - it literally works the same as a power stage or whatever. Not kidding it will take your modeler like a champ. Get 2 Katanas and go STEREO if you want - no appreciable loss in quality. Yes it's less chimney or whatever but playing on high volume you can barely tell the frequency "nuances". I also have a Laney power cab - hands down beats Line 6 Power cab or Fender cabs. Good luck Imma go play the hell outta my QC! peace brothers

Is this a good unit? Yes. Undoubtedly. It’s extremely powerful, sounds great and they’ve clearly thought through the UI and the user experience in general when designing the product.It’s enabled me to reduce the amount of gear I carry to gigs and rehearsals to a minimum, and there’s been no discernible impact on the quality of my tones at all. That alone is worth the entrance fee in many ways.People bang on about the touch sensitivity, the visceral sensation of playing a valve amp wound up vs using digital stuff, and I’m as guilty of that brand of snobbery in the past as anyone. I have to tell you, through an FRFR (both through flat and cabinet emulation modes) this is so close to a real valve amp that it’s largely indistinguishable. An audience certainly ... MoreIs this a good unit? Yes. Undoubtedly. It’s extremely powerful, sounds great and they’ve clearly thought through the UI and the user experience in general when designing the product.It’s enabled me to reduce the amount of gear I carry to gigs and rehearsals to a minimum, and there’s been no discernible impact on the quality of my tones at all. That alone is worth the entrance fee in many ways.People bang on about the touch sensitivity, the visceral sensation of playing a valve amp wound up vs using digital stuff, and I’m as guilty of that brand of snobbery in the past as anyone. I have to tell you, through an FRFR (both through flat and cabinet emulation modes) this is so close to a real valve amp that it’s largely indistinguishable. An audience certainly wouldn’t be able to tell in a band mix, and all the dynamics and responsiveness are still there, it reacts to varying pick attack, feathering volume - it’s remarkable.It’s refreshing to see a company manage to absolutely nail UI and accessibility in the way Neural have here. It’s extremely intuitive; yes, I realise the grid view of the signal chain has been done before by Line 6, but the double use of the foot switches, the big touch screen, the menus - it all just works. That’s impressive.Does it sound as good as other modellers for the price? It’s at least as good as a Kemper, and to me it’s about 10x more intuitive. I can’t compare it to a Fractal unit, but I’d be willing to wager it’s there to there abouts, though obviously the Fractal ecosystem is more mature. I’ve had Line 6 units before and the Helix didn’t seem as good as this for ‘feel’, though I haven’t tried the new firmware for Helix from the end of last year.So, why 4 stars? It comes down to the final touches. The case, though free in the January sale, is an expensive extra. The unit is a fingerprint and scratch magnet, so I’d have expected one to be included. Finally, the power supply is cheap. It feels cheap. It looks cheap. It probably cost them pennies to produce. I haven’t suffered from any noise problems with the PSU, but I have no doubt that this won’t last long and I’ll need to sort a replacement out.If you’re willing to overlook those slight blemishes and take the plunge on what is still a very young company, it’s still a fantastic option, and I’d recommend it.

This thing is really great - I have a Line six Helix stomp, but as I was not looking for a lot of effects, just great sounding clean amps it was a bit of a compromise - so much to get into to edit sounds - Then the Mac software would not let me keep my Mac up to date with OS - so that was a real problem. Plus the modes seemed a bit like black magic, how to tell what you were in, how to save etc. I wanted to play - not fiddle about.However the simplicity of use for the QC is otherworldly! I now program the scenes, use the modes, stomp box as well, but prefer the scenes as they really allow a set up for easy use through different gain levels etc.It also sounds 'real' much more easily - no messing around with hundreds of settings. I even 'captured' my own amps ... MoreThis thing is really great - I have a Line six Helix stomp, but as I was not looking for a lot of effects, just great sounding clean amps it was a bit of a compromise - so much to get into to edit sounds - Then the Mac software would not let me keep my Mac up to date with OS - so that was a real problem. Plus the modes seemed a bit like black magic, how to tell what you were in, how to save etc. I wanted to play - not fiddle about.However the simplicity of use for the QC is otherworldly! I now program the scenes, use the modes, stomp box as well, but prefer the scenes as they really allow a set up for easy use through different gain levels etc.It also sounds 'real' much more easily - no messing around with hundreds of settings. I even 'captured' my own amps easily! Getting the sounds I was after in easy steps. Plus if I want I can integrate the Helix as an effects uint!But sampling my own pedals has allowed me to make my tiny rig, that I've always wanted.Plus to try out other peoples amps and pedals? - Wow that's a great feature and maybe the ideal GAS cure! (Sorry Andertons!)