Is The Quad Cortex Worth It In 2024?

Рет қаралды 7,638

Күн бұрын

Quad Cortex Presets: justinmuncy.etsy.com
Is the Quad Cortex Worth it in 2024? Is a question I keep seeing across my KZfaq feed. And I'm thinking the main reason ya'll are asking this question is because Neural DSP has unleashed a wave updates since its initial release. They've enhanced the built-in sounds, they've given us even more flexibility, they finally released a desktop software application, and now, the promised plug-in compatibility from update 3.0.0 is imminent. With all of these improvements, is the Quad Cortex finally worth it?
To attempt to answer this question I'm sharing my story of my first year using the Quad Cortex. Everything from my day 1 sounds to now, my year 1 sounds, how I learned the operating system, how to maximize the internal sounds and routing, and of course, how I was able to re-create my pedalboard in the Quad Cortex. You read that right- how I was able to re-create my go-to pedals: Deep Six, Bender Fuzz, Belle Starr, Moonshine, Mobius, Timeline, BigSky, and ACS1 all inside of the Quad Cortex.
The Quad Cortex while in many ways a labor of love has proven to be an amazing guitar rig for me. It's made my workflow more efficient, my load-in and load-out easier, and most importantly, provided me with a way to bring the sounds of my massive "worship pedalboard" as ya'll like to call it on the go. But with so many fantastic options available like the Line 6 Helix, Kemper, Axe FX, and headrush, is the Quad Cortex the modeler for you? Let me know what you think in the comments, and always, like, comment, and subscribe.
**GEAR I USE**
As A Sweetwater Affiliate I earn a small commission from the links in this post. I only advertise products I use and/or believe in! If you're looking for gear, this is a cool way to support the channel-
Guitar Modeling
Neural DSP Quad Cortex - sweetwater.sjv.io/4PY0yZ
SKB Quad Cortex Case - sweetwater.sjv.io/PyZEmY
Walrus Audio ACS1 - sweetwater.sjv.io/nLzxAX
Amp Load Box / DI
Two Notes Torpedo Captor - sweetwater.sjv.io/757qDQ
Amps
Orange Micro Terror Head - sweetwater.sjv.io/jrg050
Orange Terror Stamp - sweetwater.sjv.io/KjLEgz
Orange Micro Dark - sweetwater.sjv.io/m531NZ
Vox AC30 - sweetwater.sjv.io/xk3oOO
Vox AC15 - sweetwater.sjv.io/rQ3WRB
Guitar Pedals
Walrus Audio Deep Six - sweetwater.sjv.io/Mm1zgK
Jackson Audio Belle Starr - sweetwater.sjv.io/5g3EKL
JHS Bender Fuzz - sweetwater.sjv.io/DKrGBn
JHS Moonshine - sweetwater.sjv.io/QygL03
JHS Notaklön - jhspedals.info/collections/al...
Strymon Mobius - sweetwater.sjv.io/eKGXaz
Strymon Timeline - sweetwater.sjv.io/JzaXBE
Strymon BigSky - sweetwater.sjv.io/B0QaBq
Guitars
Fender Stratocaster - sweetwater.sjv.io/R5jE2y
Gibson Les Paul Standard - sweetwater.sjv.io/eKGXJO
Gretsch White Falcon CBDC - sweetwater.sjv.io/6eKLDq
Martin Custom X Series - sweetwater.sjv.io/LXqERO
Martin 000CJr-10E - sweetwater.sjv.io/rQ3WJB
Accessories
D'Addario EXL110 Strings - sweetwater.sjv.io/GmB1RB
D'Addario Pro Capo - sweetwater.sjv.io/jr3aVb
Dunlop Green Tortex Picks - sweetwater.sjv.io/Jz0ZRN
Dunlop Glass Slide - sweetwater.sjv.io/WqaE2n
G7th Capo - sweetwater.sjv.io/Jz0ZBe
Mogami Instrument Cables - sweetwater.sjv.io/WqaE9O
Mogami XLR Cables - sweetwater.sjv.io/bazQqm
Mogami Patch Cables - sweetwater.sjv.io/vN3m0W
Chapters
0:00 Is The Quad Cortex Better Now?
0:49 The Beginning
3:13 Did this fix my delays and reverbs?
4:19 I re-created my Pedalboard in the Quad Cortex
5:41 This sounds as good as my Pedalboard and Amp
8:13 My 1 year Review
9:10 What about Helix, Kemper, Axe-FX?
#quadcortex #neuraldsp #pedalboard #virtualamp #guitartone #guitarpedals #kemper #line6 #line6helix #neuralquadcortex #pedalcapture #worshipguitar

Пікірлер: 48

@JustinMuncy 27 күн бұрын

Thanks everyone for tuning in! It’s been a fun year with the QC. If you liked the sounds you heard in the video, I have presets available through the link in the description! And of course, let me know whether you think the Quad Cortex is worth it in 2024?

@georgebrooks1218 26 күн бұрын

Great video, thank you. I just ordered one after years of saying ‘I will never leave pedals…’ I will definitely be taking some shortcuts 😅

@JustinMuncy 25 күн бұрын

@@georgebrooks1218 I don’t blame you haha!! I hope it’s awesome for you!

@Austin_Westtt 26 күн бұрын

I will give my 2 cents, for me I’ve toured with a ton of boards and this one has been the only one that has the “feel” This means the nuances are articulate and my ideas come more freely to me! I find myself spending less time chasing tones and more time playing which is my #1 goal when purchasing gear! Great video man!

@JustinMuncy 25 күн бұрын

Thanks Austin!! I could see that. The dynamics are solid on the QC so I could see that. And I definitely agree on the QC allowing you to focus more on actually playing guitar. Once I got my sounds right, programming takes way less time than it did with my pedalboard.

@LYLOCrafts 24 күн бұрын

Love the tone of the white falcon in parallel. That’s so cool that you built it from scratch! Your tone is Amazing! ❤❤❤

@JustinMuncy 20 күн бұрын

Thank you so much!!

@owenerz1 26 күн бұрын

Great video. Thanks.

@JustinMuncy 25 күн бұрын

Thank you!!

@ryansnydercg 23 күн бұрын

Ahhhh the ever ending quest for tone. And solid tip about buying what you see now instead of what will come later on

@JustinMuncy 20 күн бұрын

Hahaha it never ends!! Thank you!

@ryansnydercg 20 күн бұрын

@@JustinMuncy yea buddy

@picklesnips3378 10 күн бұрын

Having owned and used many brands and devices including several iterations of pods, helix, boss gt, fractal, and just about every pedal you can think of outside some of the meris and chase bliss stuff, the quad cortex is by far the easiest UI to use. Now that being said, any UI that you put multiple hundreds of hours into will become very easy for you once you learn it but the learning curve on the quad cortex is amazingly simple especially if you already understand signal path and where to place your effects. Yes I would say that some of the delays and modulation have a long way to go before they are as good as stand alone units but the amps and drives and capture features are the best on the market to my ear. That is all personal preference so trust your ears and find your sound but I think you will be very pleased with the quad

@marziograva 24 күн бұрын

Great video, Justin. I used to love my expensive analog gear, but decided to give it a shot and bought the QC in December 2023. Two weeks later, with most of my gear captured into the QC and my presets and scenes all up and running, I ended up selling almost all my analog pedals and amps. The QC paired with the Fender ToneMaster FR10 give me much more tone and feel than I need. Love it.

@JustinMuncy 20 күн бұрын

Thanks so much dude! That's wild- I knew going in that I wouldn't be selling my pedals, even if it was simply for sentimental reasons hahaha. But that's awesome you've gone full commit on the unit AND that it's giving you all of the tone you need! Really cool-

@marziograva 20 күн бұрын

@@JustinMuncy cheers, mate! Thanks for your response here - much appreciated!

@trunks828 23 күн бұрын

7 months in for me and I gotta say the unit is exactly what I wanted in a rig it’s easy to work it sounds good and I don’t even think about pedals anymore. My next plan is to make a small board to just fit mine on it so I can use my power supply instead of the one neural gave.

@JustinMuncy 20 күн бұрын

Nice!! I love that!! Throwing it in as a part of a pedalboard can be pretty sweet!

@burtsgurt 25 күн бұрын

I really want the QC for the capture ability, but I have had a Helix LT and an HX Stomp forever and am so used to the user interface. Being able to copy and paste my tones from Helix Native is great… I feel like I should just hold out for the Helix V2 by now! haha

@JustinMuncy 25 күн бұрын

Yeah I could see that for sure!! The Helix is approaching the 10 year old mark now right? So it seems like an update is due… but then again, you look at Kemper and that’s pretty much stayed the same outside of software updates for I think about 13 years now haha! I feel like if Line 6 were to offer a capturing feature, that would be pretty game changing! I know their models are fantastic, but there’s something really cool about getting to put the other gear you have into your unit-

@ogmakefirefiregood 25 күн бұрын

I have the Boss GX100 and an Eventide H90. I definitely understand how much time and effort it takes to dial in great tone.

@JustinMuncy 25 күн бұрын

For sure!!

@alvaradoalberto7 14 күн бұрын

I’ve gotten a couple of units and always ended up selling them and going analog again… not with the QC, it has something that just makes it sound and feel as closest to real while still being easy to use. It’s been a game changer for me at least. I don’t see myself selling this one 😂

@JustinMuncy 13 күн бұрын

I hear you!! The QC was the modeler I finally pulled the trigger on for similar reasons. I really enjoy it!

@heartpath1 5 күн бұрын

😅😂😅😂😅

@stoneyroberts9118 6 күн бұрын

Played through a friends and loved the tones but wouldn’t own one until they get rid of the power adapter style plug. I have zero confidence in those tiny cords and wall wart adapters.

@TR-xb4ih 26 күн бұрын

you’re asking if QC is still worth it in 2024, but i’m still using a kemper toaster 🤣 love the kemper. gonna try out tonex one sometime this year!

@JustinMuncy 26 күн бұрын

The toaster… what an era LOL!

@Sssshhh-l9r 24 күн бұрын

QC or Fm9? i still believe that fm9 is better overall, except the user friendly interface. idk thooo lool

@JustinMuncy 24 күн бұрын

I haven’t personally used an FM9 so I can’t give an accurate opinion. But based on what I’ve heard online, I personally don’t think it sounds better. Plus the QC has an edge with the capturing ability IMO.

@MuckingAboutWithMyHeadrush 17 күн бұрын

I just sold a FM9T and replaced it with a QC, I much prefer the QC, the FM9T has a few limitations that became a nuisance, mainly its the pitch block, you can only have one instance, I was amazed at how many times I wanted 2 pitch blocks.. also a max of 2 delays, 2 drives at one time, the QC lets me run a vocal path with pitch and delays plus guitar paths with multiple pitch and delay blocks, and it never seems to run out of dsp the FM9 did.. the FM9 forces you into using their "layouts" for button assignment you can over-ride per preset but its a royal pita. the QC handles button assignment within scenes way easier, also my FM9 needed 3 factory resets inside a month because it started distorting randomly, Tech Support "fixed" it by suggesting I do a reset, which worked. but after the reset you've lost all your custom layouts which if it happened at a gig means you need a PC to do a restore or you have to do it by hand, probably only 2 minutes work if you can remember which menu the assignments are on (Think 1985 PC bios menu diving) .. but still.. I don't want to do that at a gig. No regrets switching to the QC, yes it has less amps and effects to choose from, but who needs 2000 IRs? My overall opinion is the QC is much more fun. And fun is good.

@user-gv3vq7jg5h 26 күн бұрын

I have had mine since it came out in 2021. It has aged sweeter just like wine. The new update is one I’ve been looking forward to since it came out. I’m excited more about expanded midi capabilities since I’ve rebuilt my board and now I’ve been able to use the QC as my controller. Captured my Matchless Spitfire few years ago and it’s still my daily.

@JustinMuncy 26 күн бұрын

For sure! It’s cool that platform keeps getting better!! Niceeeeee!!

@JamesFlorio-ti8gc 7 күн бұрын

Great video of the QC capabilities its a great unit ....but please Neural please make a larger unit with better spread apart foot switches for the love of God lol 😆...to me its the only giant weakness. Helix is perfect with that . Maybe next QC will address that issue. Id be happy with less switches and better spacing even. Otherwise all you Elf feet peeps lol will love a QC 😎🤘🏻

@charlescrider07 26 күн бұрын

what was the reason you didn’t go with a kemper ?

@JustinMuncy 25 күн бұрын

Main reasons for me: the Kemper is a much older unit and I find the interface to be clunky. Drive captures was a big plus to me, and I personally think the Quad Cortex sounds better.

@happyniss24 26 күн бұрын

Tatum!!!!!!

@JustinMuncy 26 күн бұрын

🐶 ❤️

@musicafteroldage 27 күн бұрын

I remember I had the QC in the cart. I was about to click the "buy" button (literally speaking) when I remembered I had the Line 6 Variax guitar, so I got the Helix LT instead. I am definitely happy I did. Besides the fact that I'd have no software connectivity with the guitar, I didn't know they #1 still had no pc interface (that's a big no for me since I simply use a laptop to tweak live sound so I don't have to kneel down - too old and blind man!) #2 I sincerely thought the plugins were compatible. That meant a huge investment, since each plug in is around $99! (plus the $2k of the QC!) So, I am happy with the Helix. But like you said, it is what's good for each. No, I didn't mention sound 'cuz those high end units all sound really good. Keep it up man!

@JustinMuncy 26 күн бұрын

Yeah, I'm that one outlier who never cared about having a software companion. The QC is so small, I just leave it on my desk when I'm trying to make a bunch of changes or program a set. But, kudos to NDSP for cranking out a desktop editor. It may not have come as fast as people would like, but at least they did follow through on it! And, I also have no NDSP plug-ins so that's sort of a non issue for me. But my friends with NDSP plug-ins seems very excited to be able to use those on the QC. That update is just around the corner. What I personally would love is if they were to provide 3rd party plug-in support. That would be pretty game changing cause then you could add stuff like Valhalla Delay and the Strymon BigSky on here.

@StupidGuitar 24 күн бұрын

Huh? The QC is an interface and also has control software.

@tueseptlikha7274 26 күн бұрын

Spending over 1500 on an unit just to get unsatisfactory results 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️.If you could turn back time would u still purchase it or other options.(Line 6, Kemper,bossgt100) There's a new player in market hotone ampero stage ii people are comparing it to quad Cortex. Would love to get ur opinion on that

@JustinMuncy 25 күн бұрын

Haha I think you didn’t watch all of the video because all of those questions are answered. I had an unsatisfactory result for me in the beginning, but 7 months in, I got it to sound nearly identical to my pedals and amp. The QC is my favorite by far-