Neural Quad Cortex

Quote from jfischer518

I used the Helix for several years before coming over to the Kemper in August and the "snapshots" do resolve the issues with the audible gap when switching. I have setup patches with up to 8 snapshot in a preset and had as many as 4 amps in the preset too. While you will not be able to select any 5 amps like in the Kemper without running out of DSP, you can do quite a bit. I enjoyed the flexibility a great deal when I had the Helix and came to the Kemper just for the improved tones and unlimited ability to get any amp and not wait for Line 6 to make it. Of the short comings of the Helix, switching amps/effects and such is no longer on of them.

It was a deal breaker for me, which is why I got rid of mine, and why my interest in the Quad Cortex is minimal. Snapshots drove me mad.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 … KO

NEXT!

Quote from sambrox

It was a deal breaker for me, which is why I got rid of mine, and why my interest in the Quad Cortex is minimal. Snapshots drove me mad.

Not every unit is for everyone. I liked the Helix a lot and if it was not for the stage I would still have the Helix. Now that I have been on the Kemper for 6 months, I dont see myself ever going back. As for the Quad Cortex, I have yet to see anything that would make me even consider it.

Just saw something in the NAMM vid that was an instant turn off.

3:56

"Our algorithms are a little bit heavy"

"We are trying to optimize everything as much as possible so you can run 4 amps"

Unfortunately they dont say if that is 4 amps at once or 4 amps in a patch. I would hope for their sake that they mean 4 amps at once.

The UI with the touch display and those turning knobs is hands down the best that planet earth has seen so far. And combining modelling and "profiling" with 4 signal paths is the most innovative thing for me. But other than that... With every new bit of new information it somehow loses fascination, I don't know why. Maybe because they just don't give good sound examples or because I am still so in love with the stage and its sound? With this latest video I thought that the footswitches of the neural are just too close together for my taste and the display should be more far away from the upper knobs. Man, I feel like I could hit 4 of the knobs at once. More so on dark stages and beer in my brain.

Yes, I definitely hate these narrow knobs. This unit will better deliver as good tone as the Kemper or it will be dead right from the start. Let's wait for that capturing feature, I am so damn curious...

Ok, I think these tones were pretty good. Anyone else feel the same?

Quote from nightlight

Ok, I think these tones were pretty good. Anyone else feel the same?

For a modeller, yes. Not Kemper but also not bad and usable, I think.

Quote from Alienator

For a modeller, yes. Not Kemper but also not bad and usable, I think.

I hear you and just want to underline how competition is good for us.

When I was young, and I needed something like this for all my bandmates, this would have been perfect, Two guitars, bass and vocals through one device. All at $1599. The band could share the cost even.

Those tones could definitely be used live. A good time for musicians (though maybe not so for music bwahaha)

Well it didn’t take long to get into the hi gain stuff, but the cleanish tones sounded good, would like to hear more and try (eventually).

I think Fractal should be shakin in there boots, Kemper not so much but we are still to hear their profiling/capture results.

I really get the feeling that their main focus is on the progressive/ metal player so far. Nothing wrong with that just not my cup of tea.

Good old Choptones testing the unit.

Check out the 2.38 mark. That's some really good ACDC style tone imho. He ruins it about 10 seconds later though. Listening on my phonr, so escoose me plz.

It's interesting that people here say that Fractal should be worried.

In Fractal Forum they say that Kemper should be worried.

I've owned Fractal in the past and now I'm using Kemper.

Neural DSP claim this will profile amps better than the current profilers (clearly pointing at Kemper).

So I tend to agree that Kemper has more to worry about to be honest.

Anyway I think this is good to us all.

Our Kempers won't sound worse because of this.

Quote from nightlight

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Ok, I think these tones were pretty good. Anyone else feel the same?

the 2203 sounds crazy good..like it should..

Much better than anything marshall I heard from fractal and Line6.

Rabea's clip sounds great to me, better than previous clip.. But that's not surprising. Drawing conclusions (or even strong inductions) from a single clip of someone playing through a unit, at least like the video posted earlier, is certainly premature. There's tests on youtube with kemper against axe fx where axe uses similar IR all throughout some high gain amp sims -- and people who dislike this cab/mic sound be thinking that "well this is how Fractal sounds; kemper has much more variety.. I can hear the same character in all the Axe clips!".

Yea, Sherlock. If you put the same or nearly the same IR over a few (relatively) similar sounding amp tones, what do you expect will happen? What do you think would happen to the end-sound of direct kemper profiles of the real amps?

On which end: yes, some will dial in the amp modelling of Cortex to sound better to many... then people will also use different IRs, eventually... and some will emulate different source tones using the capture function. Point being: Cortex will have a lot to prove certainly. But it makes sense to think about what a given test, illustration, demo, whatever, shows or doesn't show -- what observations can be reasonably made.

I think I've mentioned this before, but everyone is different. Duh....lol.

For me, I love my Kemper Stage and it has what I have been looking for, which is....the best tones (for me) that can be played at regular volume and at low volume as well.

So for me, the QC doesn't need to be "better" than the Kemper, if at release it offers the same quality for similar tones that appeal to me, that's all I really need.....because, I like what I see in the interface thus far (the button/knobs and touch screen) and to be honest, the GUI looks pretty straightforward. Additionally, although the Kemper Stage isn't enormous, it's not in the same category as the QC, which is VERY appealing to me.

I think everyone can look at these points, and then when the product is actually released (IMHO.....then, and only then) can we fairly make legitimate comparisons to other products. We can make those comparisons now, as many have done and will continue to do, but I really don't think comparing a beta product that is 3/4 a year away from being production to a product that's been in production for a while is a fair and valid comparison. Here are those points I thought of....what other ones?

Quality/Quantity of Modeled tones

Quality of Captured tones

Quality/Quantity of amps and effects

Durability of physical unit

User Interface

Portability

Quality of support (updates, fixing bugs, etc)

Support for community (how easy will it be to share captured tones, will the online portal/interface be good)

Ability to use previously purchased Neural DSP plug-ins, and the quality of those on the QC

Quality of the tuner

Ability to have a larger combination of amps/effects

Quality of the audio interface

Anything I miss?

Cheers...

Todd in Chicago

It already won Music Radar's "Best in Show" for NAMM, so there's that.

Quote from MementoMori

It already won Music Radar's "Best in Show" for NAMM, so there's that.

One wonders what "Best in show" means when nobody can buy it and play it.

That being said, someone thinks highly of it I guess.

I'll reserve judgment of course, as I have no real reference.

Quote from dmatthews

One wonders what "Best in show" means when nobody can buy it and play it.

It means that products shown at the show. At NAMM you can play the prototypes at their booth. What metrics Music Radar use for that I can't speak to. For some publications, you pay for these awards, but in my time working with Music Radar I don't think they do that.

I think it will be cool to see that the QC offers, and not whether it will be subjectively 'better' than a Kemper, but how it will be different from a Kemper. The new tech can certainly open doors to creative people who will try using it in imaginative ways. This, for me is the real potential of the QC. If 4 amps simultaneously are possible, that is an insane wet/dry/wet+ another wet/dry rig.

For anyone who has ever tried to do wet/dry or wet/dry/wet in analog...not the easiest to patch, match or move. The QC could be the mobile version of this.

I think a lot of people are caught up in the hype or trying to defend and justify their previous purchases, instead of seeing the different possibilities.

Is the Kemper perfect for everyone? No. Is it perfect for you? Perhaps. Will we ever find the perfect rig? We can all hope but everything comes with pros and cons.

I have faced a few limitations switching to Kemper from a pedalboard+amp setup, but my analog rig had limitations that the Kemper rectified. The Kemper opens WAY more tones and streamlines my studio workflow and live shows, but I wish I had more stomp options. In the end, I found great tone workarounds that are just as good, but different, from what I came from. To me, that is the beauty of a Kemper.

Mind you, the Kemper tones I like are not the tones my bandmates like, so subjective choices abound. If you like the Kemper, keep your Kemper. If you like the QC, get a QC. If both work for you but give you different option that you want or need, get both.

I am just stoked to see in more detail what the QC can do, and how it might inspire new sounds for Kemper users. I hardly think Kemper will suddenly become old tech and be obselete, considering we are all trying to capture a subjectively obselete technology - tube amps.

I’m more interested in the dynamics and feels of playing on it. We’re at a point where all modellers sound fairly similar (especially when playing in public in bars - nobody cares!), so for me it’s more about how they respond and feel.

Quote from FarleyUK

I’m more interested in the dynamics and feels of playing on it. We’re at a point where all modellers sound fairly similar (especially when playing in public in bars - nobody cares!), so for me it’s more about how they respond and feel.

yep couldn’t agree more, the feel was what hooked me on the Kemper.