I have the QC and have not used it as much as I planned. It does so much more than I would ever need. You have helped inspired me to really get into my unit. Your playing is phenomenal and your presentation skills and demeanor are very warm and genuine. God bless you and all you love Leon.
I'd guess that they were probably thinking that the touch screen aspect of the QC meant that a control app just wasn't all that important. I think your demo shows just why it is. Anyway, hats off to them for doing a good job with it.
Nice video!!! I would love more videos about QC, maybe about your favorite amps/blocks! I also have FM3, but QC is much easier to use and therefore allows me to have more fun playing!! Thanks!
This is why I went with QC. FM3 has more effects and flexibility, but the interface on the QC looked way more enjoyable to use. I mostly use Cortex Control now, but adjusting on the fly with the touchscreen is super easy.
It would be great to see you create presets with stereo effects/amps. How and when do you use stereo effects and best way to setup on QC. Thanks! Love your vids.
Is your QC noisy? Had the QC ones and it was noiser when the fm9. When noisegate or guitar volume turned down, the noise was louder than everything else. To clarify: it was preamp noise. In the Fractal I can archieve this with turning noise gate of and pump every output to +12 in every block.
@@LeonTodd Yes youre right. With noisegate and guitar volume on 10 it was no problem. But as soon you took the volume down to clean up, the noise was louder than the guitar signal. I had multiple audio/video proofs of this and neural just declined this. Thats the reason I ask other user if they had the same problem. My FM9 is always as quiet as possible.
My QC isn't noisy, but there's a known problem where you get noise when only connecting headphones. One of the other outputs needs to be connected to some piece of gear for grounding. I leave it connected to my audio interface.
More QC content would be great. As far as things for the future, I've got a few. First, the ability to assign whatever the heck we want to ANY of the switches. Along with that, dual functionality with the switches (tap and hold). Wider midi control would be great. Right now you can only send midi commands when you change presets, which doesn't work for me. I would like to be able to assign midi commands either from switches in the stomp mode or scenes (either would work). As far as amps and effects, really anything new is kinda icing on the cake. I will say I'm not a fan of the rotary or the spring reverb, updating those would be cool. All in all, I very much like the unit. I use it with a few different set ups; sometimes I use it as an all in one and other times I use it for effects and routing with my real amps. It's a handy unit.
I wish they could shorten the audio dropout when switching presets. It's bad. You can have gapless switching with scenes, but if you're doing a lot of effects/amp changes, you end up building a crazy complex preset with all kinds of routing.
you've hit the ground running in 2024 mate! a video a day, great stuff. wow the trem-o-verb for the win eh? haven't heard that since 1999 I reckon. Great feature to hold onto fave defaults, great video as always. The unit sounds pretty huge.
I'd love to see some comparisons with the QC, TMP, and fractal from a pro like yourself that really understands this stuff. Amps, reverbs, delays, touch response, etc. Where do each excel and where could they improve. Seems like it a year or 2 they'll all finally meet in the middle 🙂.
Wow! So the QC is just as powerful as your fractal? The layout on your screen sort of looks similar. Very cool....oh hey Leon, I picked up the boss ir-2 today, after seeing your review on it, and I'm loving it more than my pod go😂 🙏👍
They cover a lot of similar ground but there some key differences between how each unit operates (channels for effects blocks, footswitch allocation, capturing). What's your favourite amp on the IR-2 so far?
@@LeonTodd I'm loving the soldano 😍 the recto and the diamond when I boost it with my Paul Gilbert overdrive, and just the simplicity of use. But honestly all the amps and cab are really impressive.
finally is definitely the right word, i tried out a QC earlier last year, swiping to do everything on the unit, was not really for me , and loading an IR by uploading it to the cloud first and then downloading it on the unit, was even more jarring 😄 i'll try it out again at some point and do a comparison, i just found myself wishing for more parameters or certain blocks that are there on the fractal to tweak (unless they have a Multiband compressor now without having to do split frequency style chains) for a unit with so much horsepower and potential, it's a shame it's taken so long to get to where we are now, but as you say progress is progress
The unit seems more complete at last. I don't like the icons though that indicate what is what. If this was a thing from day one along with the neural plugin implementation I would consider it over the fm9 fractal. of course its nice to see products and companies grow, its good for consumers!
matched cabinets would be nice , im not a menu diver, like the machine, for home recording and quiet playing its fantastic , , thats a bit of a 1st world problem , oh and a few more bass amps from ampeg or trace elliot or possibly from gk
Welp, the rotary foot switches gang built an editor! Congratulations to those that have waiting extra patiently for promises to be delivered on. 🤙🏼 Todorovich, were these all captures? Is there a modeling engine separate from the same? Cheers legends.
Personally, I look at this like a school assignment that was turned in late. The best possible score is an 80% at this point. So, even if it works well, and even if it sounds great, I just don’t know that I can give it Full fat points given the fact that it’s four years late.
Leon!! I have a question for you. I am a very LOVING fractal guy having both the FX III and FM3 for traveling. I am running into processing limitations with the FM3 (after using your Para eq setting and multi comp THAT I CANT LIVE WITHOUT NOW IN ALL MY PRESETS!! Thanks for sucking my processing power up Leon! lol) I was thinking of the FM9 but then for the same price I could get the Quad cortex. Considering the capture features of the Quad Cortex do you think I would be better suited to just get the QC then capture my drive pedals and amps to get my actual rig set up while traveling? Sorry that was long. You are so experienced in all these and an avid fractal user so I think you are the best to answer this.
Thanks for answering my question regarding the Silver Jubilee on the FM9. As I am going to be in the market for a high end amp modeler I would like to see your opinion of the QC in regards to the FM9, which do you prefer? Which do you think has the better quality amps and effects etc. Cheers
They cover lots of similar ground and can both sound awesome. Big difference in overall size of the units, the QC has captures and the slick touchscreen UI but the fractal amp/effect selection is much larger, has a great modifier/controller section and footswitching is more versatile.
Thanks Leon. I think the fact that the FM has the larger library is key for me. Especially as you said that Neural may start charging for features they promised!@@LeonTodd
Hi Leon, thx for the amasing video. I habe downloaded your IR "LT TV Mix7", i have a Problem on my QC, when i use the IR my output is very very low between the other Presets. What can i do here ? can you help short ? thx from Germany
I’m sure they’ll address it eventually, but it is super odd and distracting that the entire amp model list blinks in and out of existence whenever you select one of them. Thanks so much for the rundown! I only have an FM3, but I’m eagerly watching the Quad Cortex’s development because I like their forward-thinking approach to modeler UX a lot, even though they’re nowhere near feature or sound quality parity with Fractal’s stuff (yet).
Which IR file is valid for the QC? in the WAV folder I imported both IR files into QC but LT TV Mix 7.wav is significantly lower volume / output than LT TV MIX 7 500N.wav
If they want to compete and keep up with fractal and line6, the folks at neural better add new amp models for free. I'm in the market for buying a modeler and it would be a deal breaker if I had to pay for updates/new amps/effects/IR's.
Absolutely. Plugin compatability seems like a great feature for people who happen to already own the plugins, but dropping extra $ just to get specific amp models isn't a business model that needs to be revived.
For future updates with amps, fx and stuff i do agree! But for Plugin stuff on the QC it's only fair to charge that. Imagine you bought a QC and own several of their plugins and other people who only bought the QC get them for free. That wouldn't be fair. The way they will make this work (buy the plugins and then you can use them or the units included in the plugin for free on the QC, if you didn't buy the plugin you can't use that stuff) is pretty fair i think. Like all companies they need to make m9ney to keep things going...
@LeonTodd this is my big gripe with the new kemper player pedal besides it having no screen and only 3 switches they are looking at charging a ton of coin to allow it to have full processing power kind of like a eventide h90 I think that should be illegal ocking built in features under a pay wall is never good
Hey Leon. Really enjoyed the video. Curious to know where you sit on the QC Global input level setting? Do you just leave it at 0.0dB or do you increase until hitting around -10-12dB on the Green bar when playing?
Helix gives a bunch of amps and new effect types (e.g. the new 'feedback/freqout' thing) for free…and tonex has a free community. UAD is plug and play and takes your pedalboard well, the ir-2 and katana are super cheap and cover most of the amp bases. Then there’s Kemper and axe and head rush. As an outside observer, I think QC is becoming less compelling as the years go by. What does it do that others don’t do/do better? I don’t know. They've taken years to get to where they said they'd be, instead of having done that AND added more.
Just did a quick count and QC have added 25 models since release. It took Fractal and Kemper many years to release editor software. Kemper was 6 years after release. QC has its own community and free capture swapping since day 1. QC is unique in that it combines both captures and models. No other modeller does that.
Ive downloaded your IR and tried the stock JCM800 Model with it and I must say that the sound was significantly different to begin with. Guitar Im using is a Gibson LP Std with Seymour Duncans, so not too different to begin with. Do you have some global EQ things going on there or something? Im having way too much flobbyness in the lowend...
did you check out your input levels and impedance? i think that IR is pretty mid-treble based so it's rare that you're getting flobbyness in the low end
For profiling ToneX 400 bucks VS 1700 bucks for QC? The ToneX wins that one for me! I either use external effects with a GigRig switcher on a pedalboard or my FM9 anyway. I had a QC but found the effects pretty boring overall and the lack of amps I liked turned me off. Maybe in a year or two It might be worth the money but not right now. This is only my opinion. Thanks Leon for the video, great playing as usual.
Amazing playing as always Leon. Some of the sounds you got out of the QC were really great. I'm glad I chose Fractal tbh, It has what it says on the box so to speak. I have played a QC once when desiding which to buy and even though the QC is brilliant I wasn't impressed with that "whats in the box". Perhaps when they've caught up on some of the stuff then I'll take another look. Once again amazing playing!!
The problem with the QC is that it’s taken so long to deliver on these features, that they’ve undercut the excitement when it’s added. It’s more a sense of “finally” than “awesome”. And this sentiment exists over the top of the other glaring issue which is why the hell do they go so long between adding content to the thing? (Rhetorical, we know why lol) Content wise it's still fundamentally the same launch device since they average only a few amps, a couple OD's, and 1-2 reverbs/delays per year. It only took me a few days to play through the new stuff since launch, and i was back to using the same stuff i always was the first go through. It needs a way more aggressive push of native content imo.
that's why I ended up selling mine and getting the axe fx 3 like 1year and a half ago, I was tired of waiting for this feature(cortex control) that should've been ready in the beginning, plugin compatibility is still not a thing, also I don't like how the modulation stuff sounds yet. I'd love to buy it again though but in 2025 and see how the thing is at that moment, hoping that all the promises and the hype around it are finally true
I'm waiting for the day they add their first good sounding reverb on the unit... That said I gig with QC but just because everything works well enough and sounds good enough for gigging and the form factor and interface work best for me. And the feel / response is actually great. The day Fractal comes up with a touchscreen device it's bye bye Neural. Also Todd nailed in this video in the last comments about Neural promising an amp into Quad Cortex, then not ever actually delivering it and delivering an expensive plugin instead. I am disgusted with Neural's approach.
3 years ago I began my search for a modeler and the QC was my #1 target acquisition.. but I found myself constantly comparing it to the Axe-Fx III.. but I really wanted the QC.. here's the rub: on every head-to-head comparison the AF3 won.. I finally said F*** it.. I'll get the AF3 and and the FC-12 and to hell with worrying about the extra cost.. I have not looked back and am VERY happy with how it's worked out.. but with that being said I can see myself one day getting a QC.. it is slowly but surely catching up to it's initial hype and I'm in no rush.. thanks LT!
The Petrucci plugin doesn't really have a JP2C+ model with the same layout/switches/functions though, it's a bunch of "original amps" . I quite like the Petrucci plugin layout as it's really fast to get tones going.
How did it take this many years for Neural to come out with this? They lost alot of original buyers confidence including myself by not including promised functions like this much earlier. Glad I did before Fractal makes a better product.
I feel this I was on the original waitlist over a year thru sweetwater and I ended up canceling my order after seeing guys that got them in the first shipment still had huge issues almost a year afer receiving it. The fact it has almost been 4 years now and they are just now starting to get close to having the original promised features makes me very relieved that I bailed when I did.
@LeonTodd yeah I was in on the early pre order sweetwater kept extending the ship date over a year after I had already pre paid in full so I ended up canceling that preorder and used my in store credit and got a Behringer x32 rack and a Midas dp48 mixer with a Midas hub 4 interface for my iem's instead. Comparative all 3 of those devices have delivered on their promises and even more
@@LeonToddcorrect - it took them 4 years to come out with software they had been promoted was coming soon along with their neural ported plugins that still are not part of the unit. Fool me once shame on you. And just think, how many plugins has this company released in those 4 years and they’re just finally releasing a desktop (thats still in beta!)…And as a result, I just don’t think very much of this company and their ethics.
Recently tried the QC again, and coming from a Boss modeller, the input / processing lag was immediately noticeable. Also, there's a certain fizz or shrill which I don't like. But kudos to NDSP for finally releasing the control app.
@@LeonTodd According to Leo, BOSS has the lowest latency at 1ms. QC has 3 to 3.4ms (since the August 2023 update.) This is the equivalent of standing another 3 feet away from your amp. I can't notice it at all, but if there's latency elsewhere in the chain or monitoring, it could add up.
I also noticed a fizz/shrill at first. But in videos comparing QC with real amps, they sounded the same. I chalked it up to being more realistic and now I don't notice it any more 😁
I went for it at launch moving on from the AX8 and I happy with the user interface but it felt “unfinished” no editor, no plugins, so I sold it and grabbed the FM9 and never looked back. 3 years later, very few updates, finally an editor and still no plugins. Happy I stayed with Fractal. With that said, it sounds great but I know my Fractal gets the updates users need and more in a timely manner and that is worth the price of admission alone.
Honestly, If my budget was capped off at $1800 and I wanted to get a modeler that checks as many of the boxes as possible; things like easy UI (both on the hardware & software), quality amp & effects models, & the ability to swap presets between the hardware unit & a plug-in format, Line 6 Helix would be my choice. In the time it took Neural DSP to produce this one promised feature, Line 6 released just about everything else capability-wise that was hyped up at the QC launch.
The amps sound GREAT. I'm not at fan of NDSP at all, especially due to the fact that they keep releasing plugins whilst promised features remain to be added. The editor looks great though, and their amp modelling is excellent. It's a shame that they have failed to deliver so many of the things they promised at launch, otherwise I think the QC would have sold exceptionally well. Their captures sound great as well, and the ability to combine them with other captures and modelled amps is fantastic. If they had delivered on their promises and not stayed quiet about them whilst releasing plugins, I would likely have bought a QC. Still, I have an Axe III and I don't feel I'm missing anything from the QC.
They stay quiet? 😳. They release update on whats going on every month. Plugin compatibillity will be available in Q2 this year and with all the updates we already got the QC has become an awesome all-in-one unit. I won't defend the way they released the QC though, because that seemed very naive. Building the QC on a code that was incompatible with their plugins and forced them to rework every plugin with that new code was a big miss step, but at least they communicated that when they finally realized it...
Double-crossed on that IIC+ for sure. Sold my QC - not sorry about it. Still think Fractal's the better option for modelling and NAM beats the pants off of anything for profiling. LE: I do enjoy NDSP's plugins a lot and play through them on a daily basis. I find they do a more convincing job at amp modelling than the models in the QC
I never bought Quad Cortex because they were miles below Fractal. Them wanting to do paid updates makes me glad I never bought one. No one does free and frequent updates like Fractal. Line 6 does free updates a couple times a year. Fractal is relentless with free updates and improvements. Only Fractal and Boss Does custom scales. People need to really do their research when buying modelers. The only thing you can't do on Fractal is Profile, but I don't think that it needs it.
What would you like to see added to the QC in future updates?
I'll start - DUAL DETUNE please and thankyou.
Full 2290 emulation with the phase inverter option and everything! 😆
Yesss stereo detune! And the Tri-Chorus!
Eventide H3000 👌
Oh and Rabeas plugin in.when the compatability kicks in 🤔
That Bea synth would be mad fun! @@van5150rl
I have the QC and have not used it as much as I planned. It does so much more than I would ever need. You have helped inspired me to really get into my unit. Your playing is phenomenal and your presentation skills and demeanor are very warm and genuine. God bless you and all you love Leon.
You are so welcome!
I bought mine just recently, on a black Friday deal - think I picked a good time to grab one! Really great tones in this video, thanks!
I'd guess that they were probably thinking that the touch screen aspect of the QC meant that a control app just wasn't all that important. I think your demo shows just why it is. Anyway, hats off to them for doing a good job with it.
Yeah exactly. Being able to do local backups is something that should have been there at launch IMO but progress is progress!
Nice video!!! I would love more videos about QC, maybe about your favorite amps/blocks! I also have FM3, but QC is much easier to use and therefore allows me to have more fun playing!! Thanks!
This is why I went with QC. FM3 has more effects and flexibility, but the interface on the QC looked way more enjoyable to use. I mostly use Cortex Control now, but adjusting on the fly with the touchscreen is super easy.
More QC tutorials. All for it!
It would be great to see you create presets with stereo effects/amps. How and when do you use stereo effects and best way to setup on QC. Thanks! Love your vids.
Cool idea!
Finally got a QC... waited for price to fall to $1500 US new. You help us all accelerate, and we appreciate you!
QC sounding pretty damn phenomenal in this video ! Enjoyed this one leon !
Much appreciated!
I found out (via Lee Anderton on one of his videos, of all places) that you can also do the double tap on the QC itself to enable/disable blocks!
Great video! Loved the No More Tears quote! For the first time since it came out, I think this might be a pedal for me. Thanks for all you do.
Happy New Year Leon!
Happy new year! Hope it's going well mate.
@@LeonTodd you too bro 🤘🙂
Is your QC noisy? Had the QC ones and it was noiser when the fm9. When noisegate or guitar volume turned down, the noise was louder than everything else. To clarify: it was preamp noise. In the Fractal I can archieve this with turning noise gate of and pump every output to +12 in every block.
IMO the noisegate should default to "on" for this reason
@@LeonTodd Yes youre right. With noisegate and guitar volume on 10 it was no problem. But as soon you took the volume down to clean up, the noise was louder than the guitar signal. I had multiple audio/video proofs of this and neural just declined this. Thats the reason I ask other user if they had the same problem. My FM9 is always as quiet as possible.
My QC isn't noisy, but there's a known problem where you get noise when only connecting headphones. One of the other outputs needs to be connected to some piece of gear for grounding. I leave it connected to my audio interface.
More QC content would be great. As far as things for the future, I've got a few. First, the ability to assign whatever the heck we want to ANY of the switches. Along with that, dual functionality with the switches (tap and hold). Wider midi control would be great. Right now you can only send midi commands when you change presets, which doesn't work for me. I would like to be able to assign midi commands either from switches in the stomp mode or scenes (either would work).
As far as amps and effects, really anything new is kinda icing on the cake. I will say I'm not a fan of the rotary or the spring reverb, updating those would be cool.
All in all, I very much like the unit. I use it with a few different set ups; sometimes I use it as an all in one and other times I use it for effects and routing with my real amps. It's a handy unit.
I'm right there with you. The footswitching seems a bit weird, especially considering how smooth they made everything else to use
I wish they could shorten the audio dropout when switching presets. It's bad. You can have gapless switching with scenes, but if you're doing a lot of effects/amp changes, you end up building a crazy complex preset with all kinds of routing.
Would love a comparison/capture of your JCM2000. Love that amp so much! Or your JMP! :D that thing sounds fantastic aswell.
you've hit the ground running in 2024 mate! a video a day, great stuff. wow the trem-o-verb for the win eh? haven't heard that since 1999 I reckon. Great feature to hold onto fave defaults, great video as always. The unit sounds pretty huge.
Makes me want to find a real Tremoverb and get my Linkin Park and Incubus on now :p
PRS + Mesa Recto = Nu
Metal heaven just put in some P.O.D to round it out😂, awesome video.
What is unit for playing at home: Fm3, QC, FM9? Few days, few nights of thoughts... I don't know...
I'd love to see some comparisons with the QC, TMP, and fractal from a pro like yourself that really understands this stuff. Amps, reverbs, delays, touch response, etc. Where do each excel and where could they improve. Seems like it a year or 2 they'll all finally meet in the middle 🙂.
Something I hope to cover in the next few months
Great video, killer tones, Thank You! Wondering if you could share how you have your input and impedance levels set?
Would be great to see a Chorus Engine tutorial.
Agreed!
Wow! So the QC is just as powerful as your fractal? The layout on your screen sort of looks similar. Very cool....oh hey Leon, I picked up the boss ir-2 today, after seeing your review on it, and I'm loving it more than my pod go😂 🙏👍
They cover a lot of similar ground but there some key differences between how each unit operates (channels for effects blocks, footswitch allocation, capturing).
What's your favourite amp on the IR-2 so far?
@@LeonTodd I'm loving the soldano 😍 the recto and the diamond when I boost it with my Paul Gilbert overdrive, and just the simplicity of use. But honestly all the amps and cab are really impressive.
Where did you find this available?
@@giosundance5643 Mooloolaba music, QLD Australia 🦘👍
finally is definitely the right word, i tried out a QC earlier last year, swiping to do everything on the unit, was not really for me , and loading an IR by uploading it to the cloud first and then downloading it on the unit, was even more jarring 😄
i'll try it out again at some point and do a comparison, i just found myself wishing for more parameters or certain blocks that are there on the fractal to tweak (unless they have a Multiband compressor now without having to do split frequency style chains)
for a unit with so much horsepower and potential, it's a shame it's taken so long to get to where we are now, but as you say progress is progress
So glad you can use the editor to load IR's now. The cloud thing drove me mad
@@LeonTodd definitely, it made my feel angry, like dial up internet 😄 felt backwards
trying to decide between this and an fm3 i have an hx stomp at the moment
The unit seems more complete at last. I don't like the icons though that indicate what is what.
If this was a thing from day one along with the neural plugin implementation I would consider it over the fm9 fractal.
of course its nice to see products and companies grow, its good for consumers!
Unrelated but the next FM9 update should be a banger, based on all the new stuff the III got!
@@LeonTodd thanks so much for the confirmation!!!
Archetype LEON
👀 SOON 👀
"So hairy it has hair on it's hair"
@@LeonTodd More hairy than Beafro?
matched cabinets would be nice , im not a menu diver, like the machine, for home recording and quiet playing its fantastic , , thats a bit of a 1st world problem , oh and a few more bass amps from ampeg or trace elliot or possibly from gk
The bass amp selection on the QC is actually pretty good compared to most other companies
12:00 AIC tone for days
Welp, the rotary foot switches gang built an editor! Congratulations to those that have waiting extra patiently for promises to be delivered on. 🤙🏼
Todorovich, were these all captures? Is there a modeling engine separate from the same?
Cheers legends.
All amp models!
Personally, I look at this like a school assignment that was turned in late. The best possible score is an 80% at this point. So, even if it works well, and even if it sounds great, I just don’t know that I can give it Full fat points given the fact that it’s four years late.
Hahaha I was axtually just describing it to a mate as a university assignment that got handed in late.
@@LeonTodd great minds! I mean, the bit you mentioned about the 2C+ too…glad I got out while the gettin was good.
Leon!! I have a question for you. I am a very LOVING fractal guy having both the FX III and FM3 for traveling. I am running into processing limitations with the FM3 (after using your Para eq setting and multi comp THAT I CANT LIVE WITHOUT NOW IN ALL MY PRESETS!! Thanks for sucking my processing power up Leon! lol) I was thinking of the FM9 but then for the same price I could get the Quad cortex. Considering the capture features of the Quad Cortex do you think I would be better suited to just get the QC then capture my drive pedals and amps to get my actual rig set up while traveling? Sorry that was long. You are so experienced in all these and an avid fractal user so I think you are the best to answer this.
Have ever covered the valeton gp 200.
I haven't. They look great for the price.
Thanks for answering my question regarding the Silver Jubilee on the FM9. As I am going to be in the market for a high end amp modeler I would like to see your opinion of the QC in regards to the FM9, which do you prefer? Which do you think has the better quality amps and effects etc. Cheers
They cover lots of similar ground and can both sound awesome. Big difference in overall size of the units, the QC has captures and the slick touchscreen UI but the fractal amp/effect selection is much larger, has a great modifier/controller section and footswitching is more versatile.
Thanks Leon. I think the fact that the FM has the larger library is key for me. Especially as you said that Neural may start charging for features they promised!@@LeonTodd
It took them this long to make a helix editor?
Insert the "Line 6 designed every new modeller" meme here
@@LeonToddlol except UA
Hey there is the option for global volume (expression mission pedal) also solved or do we still have to program each preset ? Thanks
Hi Leon,
thx for the amasing video.
I habe downloaded your IR "LT TV Mix7", i have a Problem on my QC, when i use the IR my output is very very low between the other Presets.
What can i do here ? can you help short ?
thx from Germany
It needs to be normalised. Drag it into your DAW and use the normalise function
I’m sure they’ll address it eventually, but it is super odd and distracting that the entire amp model list blinks in and out of existence whenever you select one of them.
Thanks so much for the rundown! I only have an FM3, but I’m eagerly watching the Quad Cortex’s development because I like their forward-thinking approach to modeler UX a lot, even though they’re nowhere near feature or sound quality parity with Fractal’s stuff (yet).
Stuff like this is good for everyone as it will push the other manufacturers to update their UI. Winning!
Well if you ever do a demo on the valeton gp 200 I'd be grateful. I just went digital.
Which IR file is valid for the QC? in the WAV folder I imported both IR files into QC but LT TV Mix 7.wav is significantly lower volume / output than LT TV MIX 7 500N.wav
Use 500N
If they want to compete and keep up with fractal and line6, the folks at neural better add new amp models for free. I'm in the market for buying a modeler and it would be a deal breaker if I had to pay for updates/new amps/effects/IR's.
Absolutely. Plugin compatability seems like a great feature for people who happen to already own the plugins, but dropping extra $ just to get specific amp models isn't a business model that needs to be revived.
For future updates with amps, fx and stuff i do agree! But for Plugin stuff on the QC it's only fair to charge that. Imagine you bought a QC and own several of their plugins and other people who only bought the QC get them for free. That wouldn't be fair. The way they will make this work (buy the plugins and then you can use them or the units included in the plugin for free on the QC, if you didn't buy the plugin you can't use that stuff) is pretty fair i think. Like all companies they need to make m9ney to keep things going...
@LeonTodd this is my big gripe with the new kemper player pedal besides it having no screen and only 3 switches they are looking at charging a ton of coin to allow it to have full processing power kind of like a eventide h90 I think that should be illegal ocking built in features under a pay wall is never good
Hey Leon. Really enjoyed the video. Curious to know where you sit on the QC Global input level setting? Do you just leave it at 0.0dB or do you increase until hitting around -10-12dB on the Green bar when playing?
I actually haven't touched it. I probably should investigate!
Helix gives a bunch of amps and new effect types (e.g. the new 'feedback/freqout' thing) for free…and tonex has a free community. UAD is plug and play and takes your pedalboard well, the ir-2 and katana are super cheap and cover most of the amp bases. Then there’s Kemper and axe and head rush. As an outside observer, I think QC is becoming less compelling as the years go by. What does it do that others don’t do/do better? I don’t know. They've taken years to get to where they said they'd be, instead of having done that AND added more.
Just did a quick count and QC have added 25 models since release. It took Fractal and Kemper many years to release editor software. Kemper was 6 years after release. QC has its own community and free capture swapping since day 1. QC is unique in that it combines both captures and models. No other modeller does that.
The amp models and captures sound really good and the form factor is awesome so I suspect they're still going to be very popular.
They should thanks line 6 for the “inspiration”
"hand in your homework for launch and don't copy the kid sitting next to you".
3 and a bit years later...
Ive downloaded your IR and tried the stock JCM800 Model with it and I must say that the sound was significantly different to begin with. Guitar Im using is a Gibson LP Std with Seymour Duncans, so not too different to begin with. Do you have some global EQ things going on there or something? Im having way too much flobbyness in the lowend...
did you check out your input levels and impedance? i think that IR is pretty mid-treble based so it's rare that you're getting flobbyness in the low end
@@gstvermilion yeah inputgain is fine and the impedance is at 1MOhm
It's the guitar, the setup and the way I play. I've swapped DI's with people on various platforms before and the differences always come down to that.
For profiling ToneX 400 bucks VS 1700 bucks for QC? The ToneX wins that one for me! I either use external effects with a GigRig switcher on a pedalboard or my FM9 anyway. I had a QC but found the effects pretty boring overall and the lack of amps I liked turned me off. Maybe in a year or two It might be worth the money but not right now. This is only my opinion. Thanks Leon for the video, great playing as usual.
Laslow plays guitar
Amazing playing as always Leon. Some of the sounds you got out of the QC were really great. I'm glad I chose Fractal tbh, It has what it says on the box so to speak. I have played a QC once when desiding which to buy and even though the QC is brilliant I wasn't impressed with that "whats in the box". Perhaps when they've caught up on some of the stuff then I'll take another look.
Once again amazing playing!!
Thanks for the kind words mate!
The problem with the QC is that it’s taken so long to deliver on these features, that they’ve undercut the excitement when it’s added. It’s more a sense of “finally” than “awesome”. And this sentiment exists over the top of the other glaring issue which is why the hell do they go so long between adding content to the thing? (Rhetorical, we know why lol) Content wise it's still fundamentally the same launch device since they average only a few amps, a couple OD's, and 1-2 reverbs/delays per year. It only took me a few days to play through the new stuff since launch, and i was back to using the same stuff i always was the first go through. It needs a way more aggressive push of native content imo.
that's why I ended up selling mine and getting the axe fx 3 like 1year and a half ago, I was tired of waiting for this feature(cortex control) that should've been ready in the beginning, plugin compatibility is still not a thing, also I don't like how the modulation stuff sounds yet. I'd love to buy it again though but in 2025 and see how the thing is at that moment, hoping that all the promises and the hype around it are finally true
I'm waiting for the day they add their first good sounding reverb on the unit... That said I gig with QC but just because everything works well enough and sounds good enough for gigging and the form factor and interface work best for me. And the feel / response is actually great. The day Fractal comes up with a touchscreen device it's bye bye Neural. Also Todd nailed in this video in the last comments about Neural promising an amp into Quad Cortex, then not ever actually delivering it and delivering an expensive plugin instead. I am disgusted with Neural's approach.
you really messed up if someone as nice as Leon gets a bit spicy at the end of a review video
I think they kinda have to add the IIC+ for free? Dick move otherwise.
Leon, show us some parallel processing stuff please.
3 years ago I began my search for a modeler and the QC was my #1 target acquisition.. but I found myself constantly comparing it to the Axe-Fx III.. but I really wanted the QC.. here's the rub: on every head-to-head comparison the AF3 won.. I finally said F*** it.. I'll get the AF3 and and the FC-12 and to hell with worrying about the extra cost.. I have not looked back and am VERY happy with how it's worked out.. but with that being said I can see myself one day getting a QC.. it is slowly but surely catching up to it's initial hype and I'm in no rush.. thanks LT!
In regards to the 2c+ model, they release a Patrucci plugin for sale, and the amp is in the QC, so it's not unprecedented I suppose.
The Petrucci plugin doesn't really have a JP2C+ model with the same layout/switches/functions though, it's a bunch of "original amps" . I quite like the Petrucci plugin layout as it's really fast to get tones going.
Looks like the Helix interface.
How did it take this many years for Neural to come out with this? They lost alot of original buyers confidence including myself by not including promised functions like this much earlier. Glad I did before Fractal makes a better product.
I feel this I was on the original waitlist over a year thru sweetwater and I ended up canceling my order after seeing guys that got them in the first shipment still had huge issues almost a year afer receiving it. The fact it has almost been 4 years now and they are just now starting to get close to having the original promised features makes me very relieved that I bailed when I did.
The unit was announced around this time 4 years ago?
@LeonTodd yeah I was in on the early pre order sweetwater kept extending the ship date over a year after I had already pre paid in full so I ended up canceling that preorder and used my in store credit and got a Behringer x32 rack and a Midas dp48 mixer with a Midas hub 4 interface for my iem's instead. Comparative all 3 of those devices have delivered on their promises and even more
@@LeonToddcorrect - it took them 4 years to come out with software they had been promoted was coming soon along with their neural ported plugins that still are not part of the unit. Fool me once shame on you. And just think, how many plugins has this company released in those 4 years and they’re just finally releasing a desktop (thats still in beta!)…And as a result, I just don’t think very much of this company and their ethics.
Recently tried the QC again, and coming from a Boss modeller, the input / processing lag was immediately noticeable. Also, there's a certain fizz or shrill which I don't like. But kudos to NDSP for finally releasing the control app.
It feels pretty good here running on just the top row. I need to re-watch the Leo Gibson latency measurement video for all these.
Latency was the word I was looking for, he he. Yes, no biggie, but the difference was very noticeable after 6+ months on Da Bo$$.@@LeonTodd
@@LeonTodd According to Leo, BOSS has the lowest latency at 1ms. QC has 3 to 3.4ms (since the August 2023 update.) This is the equivalent of standing another 3 feet away from your amp. I can't notice it at all, but if there's latency elsewhere in the chain or monitoring, it could add up.
I also noticed a fizz/shrill at first. But in videos comparing QC with real amps, they sounded the same. I chalked it up to being more realistic and now I don't notice it any more 😁
I went for it at launch moving on from the AX8 and I happy with the user interface but it felt “unfinished” no editor, no plugins, so I sold it and grabbed the FM9 and never looked back.
3 years later, very few updates, finally an editor and still no plugins. Happy I stayed with Fractal.
With that said, it sounds great but I know my Fractal gets the updates users need and more in a timely manner and that is worth the price of admission alone.
Gapless stuff being worked on for the FM9 will be awesome when it's out
@@LeonToddCan’t wait
Honestly, If my budget was capped off at $1800 and I wanted to get a modeler that checks as many of the boxes as possible; things like easy UI (both on the hardware & software), quality amp & effects models, & the ability to swap presets between the hardware unit & a plug-in format, Line 6 Helix would be my choice. In the time it took Neural DSP to produce this one promised feature, Line 6 released just about everything else capability-wise that was hyped up at the QC launch.
Favourite copied from Line 6 Helix 😀
The amps sound GREAT. I'm not at fan of NDSP at all, especially due to the fact that they keep releasing plugins whilst promised features remain to be added. The editor looks great though, and their amp modelling is excellent. It's a shame that they have failed to deliver so many of the things they promised at launch, otherwise I think the QC would have sold exceptionally well. Their captures sound great as well, and the ability to combine them with other captures and modelled amps is fantastic. If they had delivered on their promises and not stayed quiet about them whilst releasing plugins, I would likely have bought a QC. Still, I have an Axe III and I don't feel I'm missing anything from the QC.
They stay quiet? 😳. They release update on whats going on every month. Plugin compatibillity will be available in Q2 this year and with all the updates we already got the QC has become an awesome all-in-one unit.
I won't defend the way they released the QC though, because that seemed very naive. Building the QC on a code that was incompatible with their plugins and forced them to rework every plugin with that new code was a big miss step, but at least they communicated that when they finally realized it...
Damn! They copied so much from the HELIX software
Double-crossed on that IIC+ for sure. Sold my QC - not sorry about it. Still think Fractal's the better option for modelling and NAM beats the pants off of anything for profiling.
LE: I do enjoy NDSP's plugins a lot and play through them on a daily basis. I find they do a more convincing job at amp modelling than the models in the QC
I wonder if we'll see a NAM hardware box this year?
@@LeonTodd I sure hope so
A crucial update after years of selling the product...people will just buy anything these days..
I guess we know what "soon" means now though
@@LeonTodd idk man the qc crowd is still waiting to put their plug-in presets in the unit…
for god sake stop cutting so much low end from your final tone.
I never bought Quad Cortex because they were miles below Fractal. Them wanting to do paid updates makes me glad I never bought one. No one does free and frequent updates like Fractal. Line 6 does free updates a couple times a year. Fractal is relentless with free updates and improvements. Only Fractal and Boss Does custom scales. People need to really do their research when buying modelers. The only thing you can't do on Fractal is Profile, but I don't think that it needs it.
Custom scales are a god tier feature hey!
The tremoverb sounds horrible.