Quad Cortex Neural DSP

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jon BCN
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For the last few weeks, I've been using an AFXIII with a super PA power amp into guitar cabs. The sound in isolation is very good IMHO. There is an oomph from the real tube amps that doesn't seem to be there from the AFXIII, even if I use a tube power amp. Not sure why. It's a thump or whomp that maybe I can feel more than hear.

But the "sound" seems right, and it's lots of fun to play IMHO.

Some of its behaviors are weird but not hard to work around. The master volumes in particular all seem to start to overdrive real quick as they go up. That's not been my experience with real amps, and so I find myself putting the AFXIII masters pretty low on high gain amps, otherwise they turn to into a mess.
 
Racerxrated said:
I've tried the Kemper, owned the AX8 and tried the III through my HH, a friend's VHT 2100 and numerous FX returns of at least 10 tube amps. Through my 8 cabs, with the cab sims off there's just no comparison to my tube amps. Not really even close. Through a PA it sounds great, and recording too of course..but in front of me it seems very fake. I've tried FRFR and much prefer power amp/cab.
I think it's at least a decade before some new processing tech can really capture the true essence of a tube amp feel/sag and translate that for all of us to really be able to sell our tube gear. And I still probably won't lol.
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Same here. I’ve tried AX8 and FM3 through Mesa 2:90 on 4x12 versus Mesa Mark IV and V on the same 4x12. I greatly prefer the real deal, especially loud with my band, really no contest imho.

But I do like having a modeler around so I went with the PodGo. Super easy to tweak, versatile, and it costs $450. No brainer. And through a PA I’d bet anything in a Pepsi challenge it would fool most people compared to the other high dollar modelers.
 
danyeo said:
Same here. I’ve tried AX8 and FM3 through Mesa 2:90 on 4x12 versus Mesa Mark IV and V on the same 4x12. I greatly prefer the real deal, especially loud with my band, really no contest imho.

But I do like having a modeler around so I went with the PodGo. Super easy to tweak, versatile, and it costs $450. No brainer. And through a PA I’d bet anything in a Pepsi challenge it would fool most people compared to the other high dollar modelers.
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FWIW, the newer Fractal units have some parameter called Impedance Curve or something buried in a menu on the amp block. I wasn't happy with the Mark sims until I found that and switched it to the Recto 4x12 Large setting. The stock setting (4x12 Lead or something) sounded too "small" to be right.

I have no idea what that parameter is adjusting or even really to describe what it does, but it has a major impact on the amp block.
 
There is a new firmware for the Axe III that is in private beta. It is dubbed “Cygnus”, the successor to Ares amp modeling.

Cliff claims that he has unlocked the “secret” of chug. Beta teaters are posting clips and claiming that it finally solves the AITR problem.

Since the firmware is currently in limited beta, we have no way of knowing yet if Fractal has made a major breakthrough or if this is an incremental improvement cluttered with hype. I do find the timing of this breakthrough interesting given the (supposedly) imminent release of the QC.

If the claims are accurate, it will separate FAS from the pack for the foreseeable future... IMO of course.
 
I'm assuming that's all hype, and I like Fractal stuff. Really, the secret of chug but the prior, supposedly super realistic software versions didn't have it?

The updates are cool and all, and he should be excited (it's his company, hopefully his passion), but I'd really take that with a grain of salt and maybe and eye roll.
 
At one point, the Fractal stuff had ‘tone match’. Don’t know if it still does or not, but does anyone know how the QC’s tone capture is different?
 
Kapo_Polenton said:
To me, the real value/strength of this type of stuff is in the tone matching or captures. I need to see more of that side to really make an informed decision. Pete Thorn showed quite a bit of this and I thought it was impressive. Very very close and as close as a Kemper anyway. So be careful not to judge it based on the profiles people have captured because it might just be the sound they were after and sound like shit to you. Really all I want, is a 500$ box built by someone that will capture and hold like 10 amp sounds. That's it.. My sounds in a box I can play at 11 pm while the toddler and baby (and wife) sleep.
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I want the same thing. its amazing that mooer hasn't dropped a loadable version of their "kemper" pedals. The thing that made me pull the trigger on the neural is the hope that they will make their computer based amp models available on the quadcortex, the ability to capture pedals and the processing power to blend rigs.
 
GG4211 said:
There is a new firmware for the Axe III that is in private beta. It is dubbed “Cygnus”, the successor to Ares amp modeling.

Cliff claims that he has unlocked the “secret” of chug. Beta teaters are posting clips and claiming that it finally solves the AITR problem.

Since the firmware is currently in limited beta, we have no way of knowing yet if Fractal has made a major breakthrough or if this is an incremental improvement cluttered with hype. I do find the timing of this breakthrough interesting given the (supposedly) imminent release of the QC.

If the claims are accurate, it will separate FAS from the pack for the foreseeable future... IMO of course.
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Not exactly our style around here but Brett Kingmann running the new Axe III v.16 B2 software.

 
Kapo_Polenton said:
To me, the real value/strength of this type of stuff is in the tone matching or captures. I need to see more of that side to really make an informed decision. Pete Thorn showed quite a bit of this and I thought it was impressive. Very very close and as close as a Kemper anyway. So be careful not to judge it based on the profiles people have captured because it might just be the sound they were after and sound like shit to you. Really all I want, is a 500$ box built by someone that will capture and hold like 10 amp sounds. That's it.. My sounds in a box I can play at 11 pm while the toddler and baby (and wife) sleep.
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another vote for this.

just give me the real deal capture and none of the other bull.

having a separate touchscreen scenario for just effects like the Strymon trifecta, but an all in one unit. I have the Poly effects digit, but it takes a tremendous amount of tinkering. I get the feeling line 6 will come out with something soon
 
I'm surprised that Neural hasn't released phone app versions of their amp plug-ins. That seems like an untapped market that a lot of people would go for
 
TGP already has posters saying the typical things about how amazing it is (AFX update) but that it wouldn't come across in clips of course. Kind of eye-roll inducing but who knows.

It's just the beta so far and two of the models I use most (Recto1 and JP2C) have not been specifically updated yet so apparently might sound weird with the new code, so I'm not going to load the new update.
 
PBGas said:
Not exactly our style around here but Brett Kingmann running the new Axe III v.16 B2 software.

Click to expand...

I am going to let the feeding frenzy sort this firmware out and once it is a production release will install it. Interesting to see how it "feels".
 
cardinal said:
TGP already has posters saying the typical things about how amazing it is (AFX update) but that it wouldn't come across in clips of course. Kind of eye-roll inducing but who knows.
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AFX updates and Fractal fans reminds me of the George Carlin joke about blow.

"What does snorting cocaine make you feel like?"
"It makes you feel like snorting more cocaine."
:D
 
Any one have an update to when the QCs are going to be shipping in the US?
 
Last I heard it was at least another month.

The units are ready, apparently, but work is still being done on the cloud service.
 
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