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Neural multi-effects floor unit

54K views 686 replies 52 participants last post by  22 
#1 ·


Neural DSP's all-new Quad Cortex is the Helsinki-based company's first step into the hardware scene, and uses machine learning techniques to power the tech company's unique modelling methods.

https://guitar.com/news/neural-dsp-quad-cortex-modeller-multi-effects-namm-2020/

I was waiting for the super late Fractal thing but its taking them so damn long that this become super interesting as well.
 
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#109 ·
My girlfriend swears by hers. And it's certainly not BAD... I just prefer to either slow-roast or use a slow cooker. mostly because I like the process.

Saw this recipe recently and I want to give it a try:

https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/07/crispy-oven-pulled-pork/

Smitten Kitchen is a pretty consistently great source of recipes, so I'm sure it's excellent, it's just a matter of finding time. That said, what I really want to try is some sort of chili verde pork - my local mexican spot does a chili verde taco on their taco tuesday menu (and as a burrito filling option) and it's pretty fucking great.
 
#124 ·
Yeah, I was pow-wowing with a buddy of mine who's a djenter and even owns some Neural stuff, and he was TRASHING this thing last night. The Darkglass stuff is legit. The Neural VSTs are legit. These demos sound like fucking garbage. They're pushing the fact these are early/beta tests but seriously, if they sound THIS BAD, nothing is better than something. Absolute whiff.
 
#129 ·


Here's one by Choptones, who are generally pretty reliable at getting good tones. Idk, to me it sounds fine, but that's it, it's fine. I don't really see what it's doing that hasn't been covered by the Kemper, Axe-FX, or Helix. Do I really want to spend $1800 on something that sounds just like everything else and doesn't have much feature-wise that makes it stand out (besides having so much going on in the case that's just begging to break and stop working).
 
#131 · (Edited)
I guess I'm the only one kinda juiced about this. :smoking:

  • The processing power is huge (the Axe/FX AX8 or Kemper floor unit can't touch it) for running multiple live signal paths + gapless switching, delay/reverb tails, etc.
  • It's damn compact, seriously it can go on a pedal board and not hog like the other full-fledged modelers
  • It's got DAW type processing right in there, parametric EQs, multiband compressors, stuff that's tough to get right on a pedalboard
  • Touch screen is a pretty dope way of editing, the 10 encoder option is great if you don't dig that
  • A couple of built-in loops (I'd prefer a few more, but still nice again given it's size, AX8 wins here)
  • Kinda a minor thing, but a built in headphone jack is great for practice
  • $1600 is some scratch, but really not out of line for what you're getting
  • The hardware side is being built by Darkglass, which if you own any of their pedals, are excellently built
 
#135 ·
I've owned the AX8 for about 7-8 months and programmed a ton of awesome-sounding presets on it, some of them with as many as 10 effects (though most only have 2 or 3), but I've never thought "I need more power" and the AX8 is essentially the Axe-FX 2 in a smaller housing with less processing power so it can be a floor unit. But I used to own the Axe-FX Ultra and I never needed more processing power with that either. I have plugged the AX8 into AX8 Edit and seen the heaviest of the presets I've made gets to 85% CPU when I'm laying into it (even tube amps work harder when you're playing heavy full chords), but that just makes me more confident that I'd never need more than that.
 
#137 ·
I mean I'm sure this thing will sound decent, because even the shittiest most Line 6 stuff out there still sounds pretty damn good these days. I have a 5150 sim in my iPhone that sounds decent enough to record with for pete's sake. :lol:

I just don't get how anyone can take this fuckin' thing seriously when every scrap of marketing is from Engage's monthly issue of Djent Playbook 101: What To Ask Your Parents For at Christmas.
 
#138 ·
Also, the "Neural won a Music Radar award for best of NAMM, so you know it's legit, Music Radar is a legit site, right" thing is hilarious. Especially considering that the amount of great opinions from NAMM haven't exactly been free flowing.

I saw a couple people counter that with, "Music radar is owned by the massive Future PLC conglomerate and you can buy advertising in an editorial format. You can essentially pay for them to give you awards and it looks semi legit."

I read that and thought, "No, I'm a Neural doubter, but there is no way something so brazen could be true."

Turns out it is. :lol:



They certainly aren't the only company doing it. :lol: So be careful with those "Best of NAMM" lists. Because a lot of companies do sell advertising space in a editorial/faux journalistic format.
 
#139 ·
Also, the "Neural won a Music Radar award for best of NAMM, so you know it's legit, Music Radar is a legit site, right" thing is hilarious. Especially considering that the amount of great opinions from NAMM haven't exactly been free flowing.

I saw a couple people counter that with, "Music radar is owned by the massive Future PLC conglomerate and you can buy advertising in an editorial format. You can essentially pay for them to give you awards and it looks semi legit."

I read that and thought, "No, I'm a Neural doubter, but there is no way something so brazen could be true."

Turns out it is.




They certainly aren't the only company doing it.
So be careful with those "Best of NAMM" lists. Because a lot of companies do sell advertising space in a editorial/faux journalistic format.
Damn my jigg is up, I paid to become best YouTube personality for the past 2 years!
 
#143 ·
I missed this first but you can plug 4 (!!) instruments into this thing.

THAT is amazing.

3 would have been enough to run a full 2 guitars + 1 bass band through it!

I love this feature and even tho Axe FX III can do it as well, it's way out of my leauge moneywise.

This is something the next KEMPER 2.0 must be thinking about!!!
Isn't this thing only a few hundred less than the Fractal? Axe-3 is $1999 now.
 
#152 ·
Are you kidding me? How else would the audience know what firmware they were running, or which flavor of the month preset pack was gracing their ears from the stage?! The biggest limitation of the 5150 is the fact that it doesn't even have an LCD screen that I can program to list out my signal chain for all to admire from afar.
 
#168 ·
Low bar considering that lane are all about selling people hype, but yes, there are people 'invested'.

FWIW, I expect a pedal to be released. Might even sound good. But considering the gear hype-train that THESE specific people have been pulling along for years (ie: BRJ, Protone, the Invective, etc.), super hyping a product and releasing incremental teasers, then one big release years out and missing that date is NOT a good look. If anything, an early adopter beta that would be in the hands of anyone besides Influencers would be a lot better than pushing back a full pre-order release and still changing the hardware AND software leading up to it.
 
#170 ·
Not to defend the guys but you all know the Entire World is facing a HUGE Pandemic Crisis (or we are lead to believe it) that totally changed everything and the worst economically wise is yet still to come, right? Everything is delayed. I have items on my Thomann basket for 3+ months that keep saying: Expected delivery in 10-12 weeks since the day I added them.
 
#171 ·
Like I said, I haven't been following this closely but they just announced moving back tier 1 two days ago when it's supposed to ship in just a couple weeks. I'm sure they knew sooner than that they'd miss the deadline, and also, making the announcement alongside hardware/software changes is asking for speculation. It just stinks, it's gonna be close to year (assuming they DO release end of November) since the NAMM appearance and the only people who've touch it are the Olas, Rabeas, Tosins, Gear Gods, etc. I'm sure they've got 100 working units laying somewhere to go to the first 100 preorders to at least confirm these exist.
 
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