Is The Quad Cortex Really Worth The Hype? An Honest Review
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- The Quad Cortex from Neural DSP is a big step forward in the guitar modeling amp world, but is it really worth the hype? And how does it stack up against its rivals like the Helix, Kemper and AxeFX? Heres my honest unfiltered opinion.
Quad Cortex on Sweetwater (sweetwater affiliate link)
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Check out the Neural Capture shootout wav files here
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Overview and User Interface:
3:19
Neural Capture:
12:00
Quad Cortex vs. Kemper vs. Amp
16:08
Effects:
19:15
Final Thoughts:
23:22
This video goes in depth on the Quad Cortex, so heres the different sections if you're looking for something specific.
Overview and User Interface:
3:19
Neural Capture:
12:00
Quad Cortex vs. Kemper vs. Amp
16:08
Effects:
19:15
Final Thoughts:
23:22
Why don’t you put these in the description so that the chapters are divided automatically?
Would you do a video on if you would go for a pedalboard, or all in one effects unit.
The best on the market
Rhett, you uploaded the same file twice. The Orange and the Kemper file are the same. Please upload the correct files so we can check it out. Loved your review. And the inclusion of downloadable sounds is perfect. Nice work.
@@RichiAtlanticWind fixing now, thanks!
Thanks so much for the great video and honest review, Rhett! We’re just at the beginning of the journey here. You can count on us to bring frequent free updates with new models and features, all seamlessly delivered via Wi-Fi. The desktop controller will happen after we’ve launched, as will making the plugins available on QC.
Tier 1 here, when is launch? ;)
How many years do you expect to support the N DSP?
Neural DSP, I think y'all should give the unit to Rhett and pay the man cause this is one of the most streamlined/comprehensive vids I've seen so far. No fluff, beautifully displayed vid.
How will the plugins work? part of the deal, or you have to own them on PC to use them on Quad Cortex? Thanks
@@wildmilne yes, if you own them, then you'll be able to also load them onto the QC
Great estimation for Rhett, but, in the future, to do fair comparison there are some important key points to stick to:
1) guitar signal must be THE SAME, not similar, exactly the same, using a looper or whatever
2) volume RMS or LUFS of the WAV to compare must be THE SAME, 3db more bring ears to say "it's better"
3) at least distortion level must be THE SAME, otherwise the processed signal are too different
Very cool unit, glad you will be tracking it's progress. Just bought the Bias FX suite and a new computer and the is enough for now. Glad more options like this are coming to market.
That Orange rig sounds absolutely beautiful.
Excellent review. Thank you. Any plans for another Twitch stream soon?
I think this is absolutely killer in what it can do. That being said, I'm still primarily in the Amps & Pedals world. I think I'm going to save for a REVV Generator 120 MKiii or be "budget" and get a G20. Both have two notes for recording. Not ready (and not skilled enough) for this beast of a modeler. GREAT VIDEO!
Thanks for yet another great review, giving us in depth what a real player is looking for in (new) gear! I personally will never spend that much money for a digital machine, simply as they develop so fast, so after a little while, I have to shell out more $$$ for upgrades & updates. So no AXE FX, Camper nor Quad Cortex for me. But great to see what's out there. FYI, after decades of looking for the best direct recording solution, I'm safe to say I settled with my Milkman Amp (white) and analogue pedals. Of course, amp + mic remains as a default! For the more budget friendly option, I would highly recommend the Russian AMT. I know it's now not so popular re:politics, but if you want a direct-recording device that will give you some really nice natural tones, grab an AMT pedal from the Legend Amps Preamp or SS series. Cheers!
Yes, and digital box some years later is worth nothing. It is the worst money spent. Buying pre-owned older machines at 70% discount makes sense, if simulations are desired. It is still only simulation, never real thing, good for fun, time saver, well, yes.
hey rhett... mark karan here. thanks for all you do. this is a geat video & i'm considering the QC... any input on the "feel" of the "models" vs the real thing? that's been my biggest disappointment with the fractal & kemper stuff... also, have you got any more recent info re: more current version & updates to the effects, etc that you were less impressed with? one last thing... i really liked the immediacy of the kemper's external amp-like knobs on the lunchbox. how is the QC for making changes "on the fly" whilst performing? thanks for any help/info & play on!
Great review. The effects sound great in the demoes and reviews I've heard whereas I have a really hard time to find a good reverb on the HX...
Kemper did sound muffled. However, quad cortex seemed bright and ice pick-ish. Neither sounded like the amp. I prefer the layout of a Kemper stage.
All I know is it's good for us guitar payers to have so many companies breaking engineering barriers to come up with these insanely accurate modelers and that technology is making competition for the big ones. I was very impressed with Neural DSP's software modelers. They do not hold up against my Axe FX 2 but they are as close as I have heard form a plugin. This hardware is more affordable than Fractals flagship and I don't think it is meant to be a competitor but it is a good cheaper alternative perhaps.
can you share your captures with others? This is going to change everything if it's like kemper where you can share your captures.
Not the same capability-wise- but you should check out the Blug Amp1. Killer tones with real tube- (mini soviet tubes- developed in the soviet space program for rocket launching) tone- classic clean amp to vintage JTM45- to Plexi to Mesa tones- all savable to the footswitches and can be thrown in a gig bag to go. Sits nicely on a cabinet top or a pedalboard- Thomas Blug knows his tones!
Thank you Rhett !
Well.... still cheaper than a KLON I guess.
You can Profile/Capture a clon too
🤣🤣👏🏼
😂
Nice review. NOBODY does gear reviews as well as you do Rhett!
Thanks Keith!
Mmm. One guy competes. But he doesn’t do much gear reviews. Mostly short history. I think he name is like. Kevin from 6 amp city
Yes but my buddy Keith has a better idea. If you do not need it do not buy it. :-) Hence no review is good review.
Wait till you find out who Pete Thorn is
@@jadonsvd I’ve known Pete Thorn for years, obviously.
Great job Rhett!
Bick Reato!
I notice influencers are very big on networking with other influencers. It’s a strange new world we live in.
what would be your opinion if you would compare these two units?
@@icecreamforcrowhurst how is it strange?
The low mid thing on the Kemper is happening on my end too. Very impressed with the Quadcortex so far.
I'll stick to my starter pack amp with a damaged dirty channel and a broken input jack.
just crank the shit out of it!!!
@@J00PIE Yes, I do that at gigs. At home on the other hand... let's just say my family tells me that I am being too loud when I play electric guitar... without the amp hahahaha
Hey man I used one of those well into my first bands and didn't really get the ability to afford something more until I started working 60 hour weeks, I also spent years playing my electrics unplugged, just do what works for you and play your best.
@@samirwknox thanks for the advice, you are very right. I've come to realize that having a good amp or guitar is not going to make me play any less shitty hahaha
Me too, Stick to my $150 off brand guitars , $80 used Peavey Bandit 112 and my pedals that I've had since the eighties
When the Quad cortex was launched more than 2 years ago ( October 2020) Neural DSP said that the plugin would be available on the cortex soon. its 2 years now and the website as on 7 jan 2023 said it is not an easy task to port all the plugins that were created on windows/mac to the cortex and they have to re code stuff to make it work on the quad cortex. There is no timeline whether this will be done in the next 2 years or 5 years. Considering they advertised this will be available soon and 2 years later still have no timeline for this speaks volumes about how marketing is done. The good part is that due to this aggressive hype they have sold 5000 quad cortex (as per the website). I wish Neural DSP would be more honest about their products especially since they knew that the plugins were not going to be available on the quad cortex for more than 2 or 3 years.
Dude
So true but
Why are u saying it’s the good part that they sold so many?
😂😂??
Why r we like this that we think it’s good capitalistic fcking company’s make money?
It shouldn’t be about money nor should it be about those company’s
These company’s every company is horrible and we’re just slaves to it
We should care to care abt each other, not the damn profitability of company’s lmao
Helix, Headrush, AxeFX, Quadcortex, Oh My....! Man we are freakin spoiled with all of the gear options on the table in 2021. I have the Helix, but I'll be honest with you - I like the great amp sounds and simple interface - only knobs on the pedal - on my Strymon Iridium. I'm frankly tired of the land-of-a-thousand-presets, but I get that for some people this allows them to tweak for specific songs and a set list for performing live. I'd rather have something with *great* execution on the few things I need vs endlessly clicking through presets, which kills productivity and wastes time that I could be spending making music and writing songs.
100% agreed. I sold Iridium and got AXE AX8 because AXE is still a modeller king and sounds better , now finishing tweaking my 10 presets for everyday use and no more editing. By the way i have time to tweak it once in two days, all time working on music on old desktop amp YAMAHA THR10 or unplugged.
you must be my brother from another mother
Agreed. I just play into my computer and then use Neural's Cory Wong plugin, as it has the nicest clean sound I've ever heard. I have too much gear and have been getting rid of it because I don't want to have to think about settings all the bloody time. I've been looking at the Strymon type stuff. I should have worked this out years ago, given that my favourite combo is my Tech 21 60 watt, which is permanently set to a Fenderish clean... Having said that for some musicians who have to cover a lot of territory for live or sessions these things are a godsend.
Bingo. Clapton took his Strat, plugged into a low wattage Fender amp or a Pignose(!) and recorded the Layla album. Today it's a classic because the songs/ playing/singing were so good.
@this is our house Who said anything about worship?? If you're gonna make a comment at least get a musical education.
The effects will get better for sure. The reverb in their Plini plugin is some of the best i've ever heard
Rhett: Just built his pedalboard
*I can already see him pulling the thing apart to put this in xD
That HX Effects was a placeholder for this on his new pedal board.
There's a pretty important thing people who make Profiles know, and that is the fact that you're not supposed to have any compressor or gate active in the signal chain while making a Profile, because it affects the authenticity of the signal and messes with the Profiling process. I'm sure if Rhett had done a Profile the right way then it would have sounded the exact same as the amp. Running a compressor while Profiling is a surefire way to ruin a Profile and it leaves the comparison pretty uneven in terms of each unit being able to work at its best. It definitely gave the QC a HUGE advantage by basicaslly CRIPPLING the Profiling process. Anyone who doesn't believe me, look in the Kemper's Manual which you can find online. The instructions are pretty clear about how Compressors and Gates will literally ruin the Profiling process and prevent you from getting an accurate Profile.
Just something else to think about lol
How well does the Quad core reproduce the feel/feedback you get between the strings and real amps; in other words, the reaction you get between partuclar guitars, amps, and speakers turned up to a sweet spot? The Boss GT-1000 produces a pretty decent realistic feel with their AIRD technology.
The feel is what’s missing with the helix and Kemper. The only modeler that feels good to me and sounds good is the Yamaha 100hd double modeler. Yamaha bought out line6 btw. It’s simple. Plug it in snd play. Two amps at once.
The Kemper sounded like it was gargling... Did you finalize (forget the term) the Kemper profile?
The term is "refine" and it's a very good and a crucial question👍🏻
T
@@shigaugi Thanks for the tip.
It's that you Saruman?
The capture of your Orange rig was dead on!
It does sounds really good. The thing this has over the Kemper is the user interface. The touch screen is super intuitive. Scrolling through menus on the Kemper feels like you're in 2005. There are so many great 3rd party profiles for the Kemper (including Rhetts). If Neural can get units into all the top profiling companies hands and get a solid 3rd party market going they're going to be on to a winner.
Still researching, but I’m a bit old school….and for me, touch screen would b great in studio, but onstage if ya gotta adjust something…(usually do) would drive me nuckinfutz…lol
The foresight 😳
Whenever RUclipsrs do a/b comparisons I wish they'd use a looper to take their playing out of the equation. Literally give the same signal to the amp and both of the profilers.
supurb idea!
I agree! I am preparing a video at the moment exactly like that.
I agree that should be a part, but... The way they feel is important to me, so I hope the reviewer plays each enough back to back to make that call on the feel. Without playing it ourselves, they are our surrogate
I do this, but it oftentimes isn't necessary
I’ve been editing Network TV shows and documentaries in Hollywood for almost 20 years and you are amazing on camera. Smart, articulate and engaging from the first second of every video. The fact that you do many of these videos with minimal edits is really amazing. Most people don’t understand how difficult it is to address a camera with such fluidity and confidence. Top notch, dude! This is my favorite channel on the tube and I look forward to watching your continued success. Peavey for life, man!
absolutely agree!
Thanks so much for the kind words!
+1 for Rhett! I do guitar videos and am nowhere near as composed and articulate. Bravo!
An in-depth comparison between this and the FM3 from Fractal would be great!
Agreed. Those are the two that'll be going head to head more so than like a kemper etc
I'd love to see people set up some pretty "flat" IRs then compare Helix, FM3, Neural and Kemper through the same IR. I always hear a super grating grainy sound in Neural's stuff that I don't get from my Helix or Fractal stuff.
@@Crowbar11115 that's funny cuz i always hear helix fizzy in all the l6 stuff, The fm3 is awesome though but only 3 switches. mine kinda bothers me cuz of the 3 switches.
@@r.llynch4124 add the fc6 to the fm3 and still be cheaper than this ;)
@@touringband 50 bucks and an extra piece of gear. I have a fm3 but no capture. I have some rare amps to capture so...
I'm seriously tempted to pick one of these up. This would be a killer fly rig to just throw in a suitcase and not worry about it taking up much space. Having the same functionality as some of the other popular digital modelers in such a small form factor is a big bonus
My current rig is a Kemper (unpowered rack, with external 3rd party power amp) and I don't think the QC would ever replace it. However, if there were was ever a rack version of the QC in the future, that may change.
"Training a neural network to emulate the sound of your favorite device" isn't actually marketing jargon! Neural networks are a form of machine learning that's behind a lot of cool new software including Deep Fakes and Google's WayMo driverless cars, and they really do need to be "trained" with data gathered from running known test data through what you want the software to replicate.
Ok off topic, it took me a while but Rhett is the spitting image of Zod from those Superman movies
That’s very interesting information to know about this software which is new to me and as someone who is considering buying either a kemper, quad cortex, Fractal AX effects, or positive grid bias. Would you have a recommendation of these units?
It really is in this case. The question is; Does the capture have a feedback loop with biases so it can learn to become a “better” capture over time? In this case, no it doesn’t. However, they could very well be using a neural network to continuously improve the “capture” component itself and send that down in software updates.
@@edhardiman835 thanks, now I can't unsee that! Ha
@@Jmdeclueit's an interesting idea, and yeah I would be very surprised if sending capture data back to Neural to help them improve their learning algorithm isn't built into it somewhere, though hopefully with an opt out in there too! I can't say I'd be too keen on letting each unit build its own bias data as it learns though. How could the company provide support for a device where two units might produce noticeably different results from capturing the exact same amp setup just because they'd previously captured different rigs? It's a brave new world of guitar gear and machine learning in general though, so it may well yet be something we'll see happen!
*Presses neural capture*
*Accidentally starts dial-up internet*
🤣🤣🤣
Does that still exist? Dial up is Flintstone Times. Young people ask: grandpa, what is dial? What is that Dial Up doing in a brand new digital thing?! Did you really SEE++ that?
14.4k!!!!!! ssssssskkkkkkkkkk "You've got mail!"
Neural addressed the footswitches. They built a robot to hit the buttons hundreds of thousands of times over a couple weeks.
A robot always hits it in the same way, in real life scenario there will be a lot more 'side' pressure on the switches when stretching trying to reach when on stage for instance. Not saying they are bad, just saying that the robot test is not everything. We'll just have to see it will fare in real life cases.
The rotary encoder switches look promising, but players WILL break them. I just hope that replacements will become available for repair.
@@florisbackx1744 True, but consider this. You’d have to hit one of the 8 switches in particular 100 times a day for 3 years to get to 100,000. Their robot did a lot more than that.
How many robot presses are equivalent to one sloppy, real-world press? All in all, I’d imagine these switches are pretty damn resilient.
I heard this after making the video, that definitely gives me more confidence. The real world is different than a robot though, but Im sure they'll be prepared to support this long term.
Kemper has editing software.... We only had to wait for nearly a decade for that...
lol truth....the longest wait on earth for software in software history
I enjoyed my Kemper. Great unit. I sold it to a buddy and stayed with my Helix. Both are great.
If you play smaller gigs (like I do) this might be too precious for me to put on the floor, mere meters from the audience spilling beer on stage.
😂 yeah 😰 I would just stick with analog pedals and tube amps for bar gigs, and most gigs for that matter !
These digital pedals are for the studio wannabes with RUclips credentials 😉
Yep, that’s why I have a Kemper toaster with a two way footswitch (about £40 for the switch). If the footswitch gets covered in beer it’s not the end of the world 😂
Sadly, this is another amazing unit that I, as a blind guitar player, cannot use, because they don't care about disabled users enough to make their apps accessible. No Kemper, No Ax, No quad...its so incredibly disheartening to be told you're not worth the effort.
Bro that sucks hopefully they will have something for blind people soon with all these units...keep jamming bro!
That is a bummer. Could they do something with a software interface?
Not sure he can read your responses guys 😟
@@karolkozak64 he actually can, there are screen readers apps specifically for that
@@andresj89 that's cool! best of luck to everyone then! stay safe guys
Im watching all these quad cortex videos like I'll ever be able to afford one
I think many are in that boat too!
Hang in there guys. There was a time in my life when I looked at gear like this & thought “I’ll never be able to afford that.” Hard work, being wise with spending & a few years repairing my ruined credit & now things like this are within my grasp. You can do it.
@@donewithmodernlife Just remember there was a time when we even thought we wouldn't be able to afford a guitar.
I think after this unit launch, we can see a lot of kemper on used market
no mine
I think Helixes too as this is sort of a combined Helix and Kemper as it looks it has the flexibility and user friendliness of the Helix and the sound capture capability as the Kemper has.
I don't know if it's the architecture or DSP power itself but at least a whole new world of opportunities combining amps and effects compared to the Helix.
I’ll buy one eventually, but I’m not getting rid of my Kemper...too many good profiles!
@@magnusfiskvik509 you can't assign block parameters to a foot switch like you can in Helix in stomp mode. You have to use their scenes mode.
The 9V power connection would be a little sus in a live scenario, would rather have an IEC cable!
Yeah, they need to put a cable stay on there at least.
I have a one spot in my bag for emergencies since my wireless also has a Wall wart. Normally the connections inside of units hold up to anything. It’s the cables that take a beating. I was thinking about getting a power brick to power both devices.
Cortex vs Amp/Mics
15:28 Vs. 15:35
15:43 Vs. 15:49
Cortex vs Amp vs Kemper
16:42 16:52 17:03
16:47 16:59 17:11
17:16 17:38 17:27
Sir Rhett- I really enjoy your gear and guitar reviews/demos! You've got a great approach, practical advice, and I think you're incredibly talented at dialing in the best tones the guitar, pedal, amp, etc is capable of producing. I've also been enjoying the extra content on the Dripping With Tone podcast, your studio channel, live shows, and everything else you work on. Keep up the hard work and making a positive difference within the music community!
Peace & love from Missouri -Todd
Rhett - are you sure that you uploaded the right Kemper and Orange filled to the google drive? The WAVs seem identical... (thanks for doing this :))
i guess if he did, Rhett fixed it. I can clearly hear the most inferior of the three, the Kemper, and the best of the three, the actual AD30
@@fredmanteghian5913 yup - looks like the Orange sound clip has been updated to the correct one. Tells a very different story by my ears! I'm a Kemper owner, but by comparison the Kemper sounded muddy and a hint more plastic-y than both the recorded amp and the Quad Cortex. I suspect with more tuning of the Kemper profile (something that is traditionally needed to get the best out of a profile) that it could sound better / closer....but if the QC got to that level of profile quality that quickly, I think that's a strong check mark. Uhg. Now I think I'll need to buy one.
I want to hear someone make a dead on profile for Greg Brown from Cake's tone from Fashion Nugget. Nobody has that tone anymore and it's my favorite hollowbody sound of all time.
Okay now, you’re making me go look it up!
He’s definitely got TONE!
This.
@BXL Gotham I saw them too, in an election year. Not a good combo.
One of my favorite albums of all time.
They bring it out in a too early stage. I'll stick with my Fractal and real amps.
It won't be long before I can sing a song, run it through a box and out the other end comes Robert Plant! I'll give it two years!
I think this the best value for money choice. Like all modellers expect it to become redundant at any time. On that day this like others value will tank!!!! If you can get all you need from a tube amp and a few good pedals go that route. A good tube amp can even make you money if you wish to sell it. My Plexi is still not redundant nor will I loose money selling it. If what you do requires a modeler buy a one that Rhett puts up for sale :-)
That’s what I was thinking throughout this video. Quality video as usual, interest level for the product, zero
This device will be obsolete by next year. I keep hearing about how modeling is so CLOSE! At this price I might as well buy the real thing lol.
@@outdatedgear5036 hear what you’re saying, but I could never afford 1 of every great amp out there, let alone take them all on a gig.
I am a Helix user and Blug Amp1. The form factor for any studio work or even live to a pro player would make it worth it.
Why not have both and keep your vintage amp in mint condition? after all as you say it can only go up in value.
andy fenton I know, I own a few tube amps and kept it that way for a long time. I don’t even own a 4x12 cabinet because it’s not practical and I don’t have the space. I own a few modelers and they sound fantastic. I definitely use them for stuff I don’t own or just can’t buy. It’s just the mentality of “because it’s new it’s better & everything before it is obsolete” is what bugs me.
While agree in part there are more and more venues that don’t want amps or have room for them. The old days of ears bleeding in the bar are pretty much over. There are very few venues these days. Here in the US one of the biggest markets is for the church bands. Most churches do not want amps or even monitors on stage so it’s profilers and in ears unless you have a dedicated amp room somewhere (always want thought this was crazy but when I saw Rush on the Clockwork Angels tour there was not an amp in site. I was told Geddy goes direct and Alex had a miked up amp back stage and an AXFX. Brit Floyd tours almost exclusively with AXFX. If you have a classic amp I agree that prices will always be there for resale. But I don’t think it’s the case with newer amps. Except maybe a limited run thing. Look at the Dumbles. They went out of business and couldn’t sell them. Now they are like a holy grail.
These devices make me spend too much time noodling with all its features ( always searching for that elusive tone no soul has discovered yet) and LIMITS my TIME with actually playing my instruments.
Do you have like... 10 minutes a day to play?
QC killed it with neural capture 👌
*looks across the room and grins at his helix floor*
I hope you do a revisit and share what you think about it now.
The only multieffects unit I've actually kept for more than a few months is the Headrush Gigboard because it's small, powerful, and easy to control. This thing is smaller and lighter, more powerful, and even easier to control. It's a matter of when, not if, I buy it. In no hurry because pandemic, but I'd love to take this thing everywhere.
Love my Gigboard. For the price it's tough to beat, and there's no limit to very usable sounds.
@@funkster007 Yeah, the only thing I don't like is that it feels a little underpowered when using as an interface, with dropped samples and such. And sometimes it goes into a glitched state and needs to be restarted. The HX Stomp is a lot more stable, but with less power and generally much worse effects (IMO), though I actually like HX amp models better.
@@AshleyPaul Same, although I havent recorded with it much yet. Hopefully they can fix some of those bugs with another update. I got my GB for pretty cheap so I can't be too picky. I'm happy with the overall sounds and tones. I have about 4 or 5 different amps if I want the real thing. lol
@@funkster007 Yeah, it's fine during performances. It's just when I'm editing or recording, it requires a restart now and then. It was pretty amazing for the time and compares favorably (IMO) to almost everything twice its price.
That process sounded like it could've been a Pink Floyd track
I wanted to try and compare the capture from the QC and the profiling from Kemper, flipping the phase and aligning audio from the amp using the files in your GDrive folder, but when i put the files in the DAW, the Orange Amp wav phase ereases itfelf PERFECLY with the Kemper wav file. So.. or the Kemper is VERY GOOD at profiling, or there is something strange in there :)
Yes. It looks like he loaded twice the same wav file. I was also going to comment the same. Would love to listen to the real files so maybe let's upvote your comment so Rhett notices it.
Ye, he posted in TGP that he uploaded the same file twice lol
@@gersongomez1876 well, that's missleading.... I was about to do the same tests.
@@sonidojamon in his pinned comments, he replied that he fixed this.
@@gersongomez1876 yeah, nut I downloaded the samples and each one is a different take. This would only work when reamping the same take 3 times, otherwise, the phase cancellation test can't be done.
Well I can see here a number of supertech ears saying all and questioning on all and plus.....honestly the subtle sound nuances that a lot of guitar players are searching for their tone quest are purely fake ....just like the search in the middle age for the holy gral. I started playing guitar when no pedals were around but only amps and guitars ...my twins were a Marshall 1969 Full stack driven at 11 and a Gibson SG with trem and P90 pickups as humbuckers were still to come around. That was the sound stuck in my ears for decades and over the years I've tried to replicate that sound by spending a fortune in pedals, modelers, profilers etc., without getting there. I tried them all and in my arsenal today I have a Kemper (with 900 rigs ??!!) and a Fractal FM3 (I had previously an AX8, the Headrush pedalboard, the Helix, Zoom, PODs, GT100, etc.,) but I got to the conclusion that it's a dead end road as ...you'll never get there. Let's make it clear ...nobody needs a thousands rigs in his pedalboard or hundreds of amps and pedals ...perhaps 3/4 heads and maybe 5/6 cabs of different size plus a compressor, a wah, a pitch shifter/octaver, a distortion, an overdrive, a chorus, a couple of delays and the full range of reverbs it's all what is needed but yet ...we are all hopeless and want to try a lot more. My suggestion is to try the other way around ...try to listen to the various digital rigs that are offered on the market and when you stumble upon the one that inspires you convincingly then buy the device that it was made for and stick with it. You'll save a fortune. :-)
I wonder how much would Josh Scott from JHS charge for a capture of his 1st Klon Centaur.. lol
$250,000!
@@jotto0420 a virtual box maybe lol
Here's what I don't get about capture: If you already *have* the rig, why do you want to capture it? Is it just to reduce the amount of gear you have to take out on gigs, or does it have advantages during recording as well?
You can go to your buddy's place and capture all his amps, borrow and capture pedals, I think this feature is worth the price of admission!
sigh of relief- no need to run out and sell my Helix yet : )
What FR/FR cab would you pair this with?
Thank you for doing such an honest review! What I noticed when you were comparing real amp chain vs. QC vs. Kemper was how far away the Kemper is from the QC. But also the QC is not close yet to the sound of the "real" chain. Somehow, it's lacking something. And I have noticed that with all the modelling solutions I have tried so far. It's lacking those sweet overtones, that you get when your pick hits the strings. It sounds kinda flat, not as "three-dimensional".I know, I'm terrible at describing it. And I also know that if you're on stage, the audience won't notice or care. But to me, that flat sound steals some of my articulation. And tbh, that kills part of the inspiration and the fun to play. That're my two cents. Oh, and I have a question, Rhett... if you compare the complete chain vs. QC vs. amp with OX, where would you see the OX?
I am curious to try the QC but to get one I would have to sell my only amp and my Ox (I play at home in a tiny space, so the QC would tick a lot of boxes), would love to see a comparison on the difference between the QC and a real amp using the Ox cab sims. Oh I have some serious decisions to make
There is totally a Plan B, as a matter of fact, I've gotten down to Plan T before. Shit gets real sometimes.
"The stock preset are not really all that usable..." How many times have we been here? Why can't manufacturers do this? It's not as though they need to impress the kids - they can't afford this. It's a pro piece of gear, make it work for a pro out of the box. That aside this is one of the most listenable modelers/profilers I've heard. It still lacks that last degree of detail that makes the real thing worth the effort, but it doesn't have the 'spitchy' top end and dryness of the Kemper or the hard glossy-ness of the Fractal. It does have a sort of 'gluey' lower midrange in every demo I've heard.
I think it has to do with the fact that tone is so subjective. Not everybody is going to like the stock sounds, and I have a feeling if they came with presets that the dudes at neural were into, not everybody would like those ones either and would need to tweak them.
Valid point. Although with the amount of pickup brands, guitar woods and playing styles it would be quite an undertaking to get any piece of gear to get it 'right' out of the box. I myself tweak many knobs, but after owning many of the Neural plug-ins, I rarely tweak any of their presets. I hope the Quad is the same.
My point there is that this is primarily an amp sim. When you plug into an amp you usually don't have to do very much at all to get a usable tone - whatever guitar you are using. Just add a touch of delay/reverb and you are good to go. Why can't that be the case with these things?
The problem with MOST unit's loaded presets (and Line 6 I really look at you), is that they try to be Displays, or Demos of what all the unit can do. Most people have no use for a lot of that. PLUS, there are a PLETHORA of ways that users are going to hear these units. I.E. every guitar cab in the book, powered PA, studio Monitors, Headphones, DI to DAW, etc. etc. NO amp can be set up to sound good through ALL of those.
@@dwftube BThe problem with MOST unit's loaded presets (and Line 6 I really look at you), is that they try to be Displays, or Demos of what all the unit can do. Most people have no use for a lot of that. PLUS, there are a PLETHORA of ways that users are going to hear these units. I.E. every guitar cab in the book, powered PA, studio Monitors, Headphones, DI to DAW, etc. etc. NO amp can be set up to sound good through ALL of those..
Hey.
I have no experience with digital amps. A thing you dont show that detailed is how the Unit reproduces, for an example, a tweed deluxe and how it would react dynamicly (in terms of sustain / comp / dist). Is it the same?
I get the fact that the Sound Quality is great… but it would be a dealbreaker for me, if the Unit only reproduces a “snapshot” of my physical amps performance, and not the “interactive / dynamic” part of it… EXACTLY like my small tweed would react, cranked and with me digging in hard?
The videos i find about it only really shows a/b.. and not so much the “behaviour” of the actual response. Does it make sense?
Well done Rhett, to answer your question I'm not buying this yet. I have a Helix, and it works great for my normal gig on the worship team at my church. I use a JTM45 amp model on the edge of break up with the virtual OCD pedal fronting it with a Ownhammer IR (4x12 marshal cab) and a light compressor at the end of the chain. It sounds really good, so close to the real thing miced up its crazy. This new Quad Cortex is smaller and better in some ways, but not enough to switch.
The comparison to the Kemper here is confusing. I've heard many Kemper videos where they profile an amp and then compare to the reference amp and it sounds nearly identical, which obviously wasn't the case here. Those early Kemper tests are what convinced me to buy one and sell my beloved Morgan AC20. Something seems to be off...
All the videos I've seen for this show the capturing is pretty amazing. Here too, sounds much better than the Kemper, which sound very compressed and flat.
That glitching sound between preset switching was terrible! Hopefully that gets sorted out
I think it depends on the presets and what effects you use etc. I still switch presets on my Helix once in awhile and let out a loud “SOB”.
the helix has a similar problem, although it's a small pause that sets in when changing presets on the helix... :(
I thought he said he added a click when switching between. Not sure.
Capture feature: Original sounds meaty, QC has the digital top end added to it. Of course, as all modern units, in a live context nobody would ever notice.
If only you guitar players care to learn a bit of physics and acoustics, you would have known that “digital top end” or whatever you would like to call it, is a side effect of oversampling. I don’t know if QC let’s you change the oversampling rate or not, but a simple, steep low pass filter would fix that.
And before you say anything, even an entirely analog rig will be recorded into digital formats, so yeah, no matter what you use, your guitar, your pickup, your pedals, your amps, your cabs, your microphones, will always end up with “that digital top end”
Geez, it’s 2021 for crying out loud, please, educate, yourself.
@@XiyuYang that was actually quite insightful, thank you!
@@XiyuYang ok mr. hoity toity sonic master, guitarists have other priorities. Are you trying to put audio engineers out of work?
Axe FM9 going to kill the QC? I'm on the FM9 waiting list. FM9- $1599
Holy hell, the capture is accurate. Kemper sales start now :)
No one in there right mind would sell their Kemper, helix, or fractal for this unit yet. It’s too early and it sounds fine, but not even close to good yet.
@@phillipsouthard8285 Yup, I’m hanging on to my Fractal. I’ll make a decision after I’ve had the QC for a while.
A year later. Whats the verdict so far? I love my AX8...but, maybe its time to move on...
This is the most honest review on a newly released guitar related product I have seen in a while. Great job and please stay that way!
Hey Rhett, any chance of a follow-up as there have been some significant updates.
I’m hearing smoother upper order harmonics from the quad vs the kemper.. can’t afford it but I like it
Finally, someone doing an honest video about this thing. Thank you! But... I would say, from what I heard with my 500,- Headphones: Kudos to Kemper - the difference is not that big considering the Kemper tech is 8 YEARS OLD (!). But as you said, it will improve and the user interface is NOT comparable at all (I send the Kemper back because of it).
I also agree that the AxeFx wins for now. And you should really check out the FM3 :)
Kemper’s release was in 2011.
I have been through every modeler and processor that’s out there, but nothing beats a tube amp and a couple of mic’s panned hard L & R.
I have the H9 and it really doesn’t sound even close to as good as any of my pedals.
My tinnitus beats my stereo tube rig sweet spot every time :(
I imagine playing live, your audience will tell the difference between the modeller and a tube amp.......... oh wait they won’t unless they are tube amp snobs.
That seems like a great piece, for the one you captured it sure sounded better than the Kemper. Thanks for a good review!
I’m not gonna lie, the Cory Wong neural dap amps are my fav way to practice now. I run my pedal board into my SSL 2+ interface and it works seamlessly and sounds just as good as my Handwired amp but at a reasonable volume. Totally worth the money!
That's cool to hear, quick question how do you like the SSL interface? I love their consoles and have been wanting one but haven't heard many user thoughts on the interface
So far, it sounds good, and the list of functions are good and useful, and the GUI is intuitive.
How does it FEEL?
Does it feel like a real amp under the fingers?
Saggy and squishy if you're playing a roaring tweed model? Or stiff and immediate if you're playing a high gain euro-amp model?
Does the QuadC give back interactively ike a real tube amp does? Does it model the interactive, alive feel under the fingers of say, tube rectification?
Or does it feel like a dead-fish, detached, guitar-hero video game like the Kemper and the others?
15:40 it is totally adding high end that isnt in the original A ton.
Sounds promising, especially the captures... but one thing I still love about my helix is that I have my helix floor unit and the helix native plugin, and they are exact copies of each other. So whatever I do on the floor I can replicate exactly in logic with helix native (and vice versa). I record my songs and tweak the sounds until perfect in native and then just transfer the presets over to the floor unit and Voila, ready to go. I know neural has their plugins, but they aren't exact copies with exact workflows. And when it comes down to it, I love the sound of my helix. Of course I will still be watching every video about the quad cortex. ;)
Helix is also tailored more towards someone like me who doesnt own any expensive amps they want to profile, they just want a "all in one" solution.
@@J.D.... I own the Helix also but it will be taking a back seat to the QC. The cool part is that now you can "own" all those amps! ...and many more. People in the community will all share their captures.
@@rickthestick8 I am hoping I will be happy enough I can put my Helix up for sale within a week or two. I want to unload it while it still gets a good price. I think with poly it’s at the end of what it’s processing can handle.
@@BigRalphN agreed, the QC is far more powerful. I don't know if I can part with my Helix though...
@@rickthestick8 ya. I don’t know either but I could order a KIESEL if I sell it. Lol. Or pay bills. Whichever us more important. I will see once I get it and play a bit.
Outstanding review, and thanks a bunch for the WAVs! My personal bottom line: I have owned aKemper for 6 years now and spent a pretty penny on top for profiling my amps (and buddies‘ amps) in a pro studio w/ multi-mic setups, great mic preamps and an engineer who knew what he was doing 😀. Judging by the WAVs, I don‘t see a huge difference, much less a quality increase in the raw capture. Hence I don‘t think this is really woth plunking down 1700€... yet. Perhaps 10% more „fidelity“ isn‘t really worth paying the same money I spent on my Toaster.
...Well... if my Toaster did the Fritz... Different scenario...
Real amp sounds best to me. I guess these profilers are like virtual analog synths... to me the real analog deal always sounds better.
What would you recommend for a power amp to run this through a cab on stage?
I’m having a hard time figuring out if I want this or the AXE FX III.
Oh dude...that’s not even a decision. If you’re looking for a rack unit, there’s a reason why a zillion professional musicians/producers use the AxeFX III. I’ve got one and a FM3, but I’m getting a QC for comparison. But to pick one? AxeFXIII all day long.
@@sona3486 not to say you are right/wrong here or whatever, but the Quad has barely been released, Axe FX are here for years.. how many years it took em to be adopted into the professionnal music industry? So I think time will tell but definitely quad seems better future-proof in terms of technology and machine-learning algos, Axefx are just stacking sharc processors since a decade to make it sound better... both are sounding amazing, but I think in a few years Kemper/axeFxs... will be cheap on Reverb...
@@MaitreduMal agree 100%
@@sona3486 don’t know about that, but everyday I see pro’s and artists moving to Helix and Neural DSP plugins from others. Before Helix I would agree with you, but things have changed. Quad Cortex, just because of the capture feature, would be my choice.
@@MaitreduMal "o I think time will tell but definitely quad seems better future-proof in terms of technology and machine-learning algos, Axefx are just stacking sharc processors since a decade to make it sound better.." That is utter nonsense.
I specifically want to avoid having to use an editor on a computer, so that's no drawback for me to not have one yet. That's what I liked about the Headrush.
Nice video! And now back to playing my Boss GT-10.
Lol.. that's a good one
Where you got me beat I'm playing a boss GT8
I always fear that touchscreens on these devices shorten their lifespan or make them at least more vulnerable. So I do not buy them. I think the kemper has a longer lifespan. Thank you for the review though.
Wow, the first rig profile you made with the Quadcortex is shockingly accurate, much much more than the Kemper’s - at least considering we hear this through RUclips’s auto combustion compression!
Did you "refine" the Kemper profile after shooting it? Adding some actual guitar information afterwards makes a BIG difference to the quality of the profile.
Yes, it would be great to find out more about the process.
FYI, "Neural Network" is a common form of machine learning (also sounds good for marketing). It's also being used in self-driving (eg. Tesla), image recognition (eg. Pinterest), and natural language processing (eg. Alexa). The "training" aspect does typically take some time, and requires a good amount of data.
@Lars Norberg neural network training requires A LOT of data to start from scratch. So often times, you start with a "pre-trained" model as a foundation, then build on that. It's possible that this device isn't actually doing any complex neural network machine learning, but rather analyzing the audio signal and then doing some light machine learning on top of the foundational machine learning model already baked into the device. In other words, when you get a Tesla, it already knows how to self-drive, and then it improves with more data (your driving). I am guessing this is similar.
Yep, pre ordred. I agree, its only going to get better...such early days and wiith the cloud share and profiling, there wont be an amp out there not captured. Thanks Rhett
#
I liked the real amp best. It had better sounding transients and high end. Neural capture sounded 2nd best, it sounded most like the amp. The Kemper lacked the high end clarity of the amp and Neural capture. The Kemper sounded more compressed in a bad way and had a muffled low end.
You nailed it.
Obviously the real amp is going to sound the best… lol
Agree, the Kemper sounds "wooly" in comparison hey?
I have a feeling that your compressor in the chain after the amps is something that neither profiler is particularly awesome at doing. I’d be interested in hearing an AB test of the captures without including the compressor, but with the compressor applied on the output of the modeler.
How great is Rhett? Even when playing the shortest little snippet of music he has on his full, inspired guitar face! Awesome!!
There's nothing like a real amp
Great review. Something worth considering is that the FM3 basically gives you a trimmed down version of the Axe III. So, the quality of the models - and most of the effects- is the same - just less horsepower. At around $1,100 shipped, it could be a better value. I had the same question about the longevity of those switches. I could see doing a buy-n-try on one of these down the line - but for now, I will happily use my FM3 and wait for more feedback to come in on the Quad Cortex. Thanks for an honest review.
Agree, wouldn't justify anything over 1000$ for digital that devalues quickly.
Looks promising. I'm not ready to give up my Kemper though. Let me profile an amp and be able to adjust gain mid treble and have that change be the same as if I'd turned the gain dial on the amp and I'll upgrade