Neural Quad Cortex

Quote from Ibot39

I solved my pc noise issues after I realized it was usb that was the culprit (for my setup). Breaking the usb earth loop, isolating the usb power (from pc usb port) and for powered usb devices, using external low noise linear 5V power supplies did the job for me.

There are some tools out there.

Thanks for this post. I've done some reading and some asking, but mostly get pretty broad or vague suggestions (try shielded cable, etc). This sounds much more like what I'm dealing with. I'm going to be building a new PC soon, is it ok to hit you up then and pick your brain just a little on the topic?

Is it me or are they right now only trying to get more funds for R&D;

I guess we will find out soon..but "available in September"..does not sound like they know yet how to finish this journey..the concept appears very interesting though..

Anyway.

Ofcourse it is only a matter of time untill the next big thing appears on the gear-horizon..I just have my doubts that this is it..

Quote from Nikos

Is it me or are they right now only trying to get more funds for R&D;

I guess we will find out soon..but "available in September"..does not sound like they know yet how to finish this journey..the concept appears very interesting though..

Anyway.

Ofcourse it is only a matter of time untill the next big thing appears on the gear-horizon..I just have my doubts that this is it..

I doubt that very seriously. They are obviously using pre-orders as a source of manufacturing capital, but I see no reason to suspect they are using it for "R&D".

Interesting unit, but no spdif ??? How strange for such a modern device

I really dig the pots / stomp button hybrid.

I like the fact it's super compact and light I wish we had such a nice and tiny Kemper unit like the TI snow.

First 1,000 pre-orders is out....

Now another set of pre-orders being accepted and to sent out in November 2020.

Good business model. Honestly, I would personally like to see some more comprehensive videos before order, but now it looks like it may be 2021 before I'll get my hands on one.

I'm particularly interested in what they are saying about their method of "capturing" a sound being better. Time will tell I guess, but honestly, as a Kemper user, what do they mean when they say "better captures"?

After all, the Kemper is pretty much spot on, afaik. So better than what?

Quote from JeffTD

Again, I want to hear the unit for myself before fully judging, but if the claims they are making are half true it's going to destroy the Kemper, period. Kemper left a huge hole in the market and Neural are trying to fill it with VERY big shoes.

What on earth are you talking about? If the claims are half true it'll destroy the Kemper? You want to hear before judging? Kemper left a huge hole in the market for... flashy displays, rotary knobs that double as footswitches, gorilla glass?

Come on, dude, I am totally with you, this sounds great, but enough already! I'll believe it when I see/hear it.

After all, Neural DSP plugins are good, but honestly compare them to the Kemper and they are not as good imho.

Quote from waraba

Interesting unit, but no spdif ??? How strange for such a modern device

True but on the other hand it can be used as an audio interface via USB.

Quote from Not Too Far Future

... now even more realistic and powerful, the Octa Cortex

Quote from lightbox

This being said, I already dislike what they do / how they do. Will be very hard for them to change my mind. Just because of their attitude in early marketing.

Without actually knowing fully what it is or hearing it, this just comes across as reflexive defensiveness because it threatens the Kemper. Just because there are some claims in marketing copy doesn't mean they are wrong, we need to decide that or not. And besides, let's not pretend that Kemper didn't market profiling with really big claims that made some skeptical.

Quote from nightlight

After all, the Kemper is pretty much spot on, afaik. So better than what?

Spot on in terms of? While there are some cases where results are very impressive, there are also times where it is off significantly. If the Neural's claims are true, it could "capture" multiple gain stages and signal paths. That's something the Kemper can't do, and when you try, even Kemper says results won't be accurate. There's also been many cases and examples of when profiles are close but certainly not perfect, leaving room for some improvement, as has been discussed ad nauseum on the forum. So while profiling can do a lot, it most certainly can't do it all. We will see if Neural's offering lives up to the hype.

Quote from MementoMori

this just comes across as reflexive defensiveness because it threatens the Kemper

I can fully understand that it can come across like this. But rest assured that I don't mind technological improvements at all, I actually welcome them. I'm in no way trying to defend the Kemper Profiler and I'm not feeling threatened either.

I just generally don't like companies that blow a huge marketing bubble with nothing (yet) to prove what they claim.

We'll see, once the product hits the market. Until then I have nothing to add and let you guys freely express your opinions.

Cheers

Martin

Quote from Ingolf

Nope. It has been clearly stated by ckemper that it's the same.

fascinating. I will revisit this then, thank you Ingolf!

This could all very interesting

Quote from JeffTD

Well, the Kemper is *not* "spot on" - if you've ever tried to profile a bass amp, any kind of parallel signal chain, or honestly just some high-gain amps, you can't get it 1:1. Close enough even for me to be honest, but that means there is room for improvement.

It's not just flashy displays and rotary knobs - it's software companion that we know is going to be killer because of how good Neural's stuff already is. If they are advertising the ability to load plugin-tones onto the floorboard, it stands to reason that they could make a plugin that would load tones I'd capture in real life. Imagine being able to run your Kemper profiles in a DAW... that would be HUGE!

Not to mention the ability to profile parallel rigs (bass clean low/distorted high thing), and then mix/match up to 4 of them later. That allows you to do something like profile a guitar pedal and then run it infront of a profile of an amp later. That's something a newbie asks every 2 months for on this forum!

I am using real amps/cabs over both Neural/Kemper 99% of the time, but if I'm honest my Kemper has been used as a fancy tuner for the last ~2 years.

I'm not doubting that this is all very cool to hear. Just the fact that there is not a single clip or shred of evidence to back up any of this. You also can't load any plugin, just the ones made by Neural if I'm right.

Hype is great and sometimes pans out. But more often it doesn't. Definitely worth watching this product and maybe even jumping ship. But not before I have some audio clips, then I'll be happy to listen to anyone's views on "versus Kemper".

Quote from MementoMori

Spot on in terms of? While there are some cases where results are very impressive, there are also times where it is off significantly. If the Neural's claims are true, it could "capture" multiple gain stages and signal paths. That's something the Kemper can't do, and when you try, even Kemper says results won't be accurate. There's also been many cases and examples of when profiles are close but certainly not perfect, leaving room for some improvement, as has been discussed ad nauseum on the forum. So while profiling can do a lot, it most certainly can't do it all. We will see if Neural's offering lives up to the hype.

It's not a bullseye all the time, sure, but it is pretty much very close most of the time, Some amps can't be profiled, and pre and power amp distortion can't both be captured, so that is also a point worth noting.

As far as comparing the Neural stuff to Kemper, got to ask though: why have they not made these tones in their software as well? Does their software sound like they nailed pre and power amp distortion correctly?

Not bashing, I like the clips and I think Darkglass is an awesome company (own a Microtubes amp) and am confident the hardware will be good.

Just that we've heard these capture claims being made by other companies of late. It's just a testament to the fact that the Kemper profiling technology is literally a gamechanger.

Till I see some actual evidence, I'm not going to buy into hype based on a teaser video.

Quote from nightlight

Just that we've heard these capture claims being made by other companies of late. It's just a testament to the fact that the Kemper profiling technology is literally a gamechanger.

Till I see some actual evidence, I'm not going to buy into hype based on a teaser video.

One would think there's going to be more in-depth videos before release, including tests of this "capture" vs amps. Some YouTube Q n A out soon unless I misunderstood. But ultimately, eventually I'd like to have both units side by side to compare. I want to see how the mids react, whether the tone has similar enough "depth" to the source tone, put to the test the claims about multiple stages (if I understand them correct) as well. Experienced enough with Kemper to know what to expect there, and how the 2 units compare will be interesting to me.

The Quad Cortex is not a plugin loader. But it will be able to load the various existing NeuralDSP plugin amps after they've been converted to Quad Cortex format. Owners of the signature plugins will be given access to the same amps in their QC if they purchase the QC, but the signature plugins will NOT be included in the base amp models in the QC.

Well.....I did place a pre-order because it's intriguing. I'll decide at a later time if I want my $200 back.

There is a live Q&A tomorrow on YouTube with the CEO at 1pm Central time.

Ask your questions there. I'm very curious to hear him talk more about the Neural Capture.

And to be honest, for me it doesn't have to be better than the Kemper (which I think they are "claiming" it will be), because if it's simply "as good" as the Kemper, but in that form factor......I'm in!

Cheers...

Todd in Chicago

Quote from Sixstringedmatt

There’s something about hitting a profile with the Pure Booster that’s much nicer than simply increasing profile gain.

Quote from Ingolf

Nope. It has been clearly stated by ckemper that it's the same.

Quote from JeffTD

Please do not derail this thread with this kind of drivel, especially when there's a history of Kemper co. telling us our ears are wrong. Back to the Neural release...

Seriously, Jeff?

Firstly, it's not drivel; Ingolf cited Christoph himself.

Secondly, Ingolf used just 12 words to clarify something for Matt, something he appreciated, as evidenced here:

Quote from Sixstringedmatt

fascinating. I will revisit this then, thank you Ingolf!

Pre-ordered. Very, very intriqued.... I'm slightly cautious due to all the obvious marketing hype, but it's not just about how it sounds - it's going to be about the dynamics and feel as well.

Can't wait until November to try it!