Quad Cortex Neural DSP

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jon BCN
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RaceU4her said:
Can’t these companies just make a simple one space preamp where I can load a few amp sims and have basic gain, P/B/M/T controls I can run into a loop? I don’t want some floor unit with a bunch of shit
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yeah, 1 space rack unit of this thing would be great
 
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The quad cortex has some "grainy" and "tinny" high end issues, according to many who aren't being paid to shill.

This is common in some modelers, like the first couple firmware updates for the Kemper.
 
I’m glad to see new entrants into this space, I’d love to check one out but I truly love my AxeFxIII, I’ve got about 4 patches I run for a complete Rig and about 4 patches I use for CabIR’s and effects for my real Amps. I hope this is successful as competition breeds great options for us.
 
Thought about getting one of these for when I’m on the road but not impressed enough with it. I’ll probably end up grabbing the baby Helix thing.
 
I was super interested at first but the more time goes by the less interest I have. I am hyped out over it in all truth.
 
If it can capture my amps even my recording chain 100% perfectly in all it's high gain goodness, then fk yeah I'd grab one. I have a Kemper I keep for shits n giggles but it freaks out trying to capture with what it says is too much gain which irritates the fck out of me.
 
Idk all the demos I've been watching of this thing fuck pretty damn hard. Rhett Shill had the crappiest sounding video of it I've seen so far but even in his vid the QC capture sounded WAY better than the Kemper profile he did IMO

I'm not Kemper hater either; I was super impressed by the KPA the first time I got to try one out. Profiled a 2203x with just a single sm57 and it sounded titties
 
The QC takes 5 minutes to make a capture vs the Kemper's 40s (or thereabouts), and yet all it offers in order to tweak the resulting "Profile" is gain and 3-band EQ.

The Kemper provides Gain, Stack EQ (4-band), Definition (vintage-tube sound through to transistor / modern via a single parameter), Clarity (individual-note exposure level in chords), Pick Attack level, Tube Bias, Amp Compression and Sag off the top of my head. Plenty there to enable refinement to one's tastes, help fit a Profile into a mix and affect playability.
 
I thought the video Pete Thorn did using the QSP sounded really good. He was actually pretty excited about it and even had very things to say about the onboard EFX (contradicting RS). I'm been on the SW list since early December but, if it keeps getting delayed, I may change my mind.

 
I've heard so much good from people that I respect and trust ( that know several people with the company ) that im beyond stoked for it. So far I love everything that ive hear and seen.

For my uses, what it does , how it sounds and how its built are perfect for me...
 
blacknoizemachine said:
If anything I think it'll probably be a competitive incentive for Fractal to produce a larger and more powerful floor unit. If I had to wager I bet that's already in process.

Seems like the QC is more along the lines of the Kemper in terms of the modelling paradigm. I've got the Axe-FX III and FM3, and through a traditional guitar cab they're every bit as good as my tube amps, and I'm the guy whose main rig was only ever going to be a tube head. I think component-level modelling is probably the future in terms of the authenticity of tone and feel. All of the major players have units that can be made to sound great though. In a lot of cases, the price points, UI, and depth of tweaking are bigger differentiators than the tones.
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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.
 
Racerxrated said:
Through a PA it sounds great, and recording too of course..but in front of me it seems very fake.
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I have to agree after extremely extensive testing of all possible combinations of signal chain.
I wouldn't say fake, just not the same as the real thing when you're standing in front of them
all by themselves. I haven't touched a digital amp in over a year now.

I would have definitely kept my Kemper if I was still recording but these days it's just jamming
for my own enjoyment - and I don't think digital will ever be able to 100% replicate everything
that goes on with a tube circuit.

ymmv
 
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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I agree here. My buddy has a III, and I went over and played it for a couple hours. I did enjoy the princeton sounds with chorus/verb for that queensryche cleans. But the amp sims, Splawn, EVH, Friedman, didn't do anything for me on the high gain. In fact, I went back and forth between his Mesa studio preamp/2:50 which sounded damn good. But anyways, I got home and plugged into my 5150III and said to myself, yup, i'm fine with my setup.
 
crwnedblasphemy said:
I agree here. My buddy has a III, and I went over and played it for a couple hours. I did enjoy the princeton sounds with chorus/verb for that queensryche cleans. But the amp sims, Splawn, EVH, Friedman, didn't do anything for me on the high gain. In fact, I went back and forth between his Mesa studio preamp/2:50 which sounded damn good. But anyways, I got home and plugged into my 5150III and said to myself, yup, i'm fine with my setup.
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I would be all over a rig that did it all, with some sag/feel of real tubes but until it gets partly there I'm just not sold on them. The AX8 when I had it was great for practicing at super low volumes, great effects and super practical for a gigging player. But it wasn't going to replace any of my tube amps.
 
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Racerxrated said:
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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Kemper Kabinet and Kemper Kone (DIY installation into cabinet of your choice) appear to go a long way towards exactly this, mate, from what I've heard.

You can run it / them as FRFR (DSP on the Kemper impersonates FRFR) or "regular" cabs and cones, choosing from a bunch of classic and vintage driver emulations (again, DSP on the Kemper tailored to the Celestion-built Kones).

Many peeps are blown away, claiming that they've finally got that pant-flapping, amp-in-the-room experience from a "modeller".
 
Monkey Man said:
Many peeps are blown away, claiming that they've finally got that pant-flapping, amp-in-the-room experience from a "modeller".
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From my experience using the FX return on a tube amp/cab with the Kemper was as close as it got.
I had all three 20 watt Friedman heads at one point and AB'd using all of them like this, and even
though they are all EL84 based and I was by-passing the pre-amps there was notable differences
between the heads. Of them the Pink Taco sounded the best with Kemper.

Thing is I'd start jamming with the digital>analog rig and very quickly get distracted and just unplug
the Kemper and use the Taco 100%. Sure, a one trick pony by comparison but it's the kind of tone that
you can get so much variety just using your guitar knobs and picking dynamics.
 
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I love new toys, so I'll try it - but my prediction is that in two years we'll look back and go 'wow all that hype, now it's superseded'.

In 10 years we'll still be saying 'that '83 Marshall I have sounds killer and I'll never sell it'. But for two years this thing will sound 'amazing' I'm sure.
 
errrrrl said:
If it can capture my amps even my recording chain 100% perfectly in all it's high gain goodness, then fk yeah I'd grab one. I have a Kemper I keep for shits n giggles but it freaks out trying to capture with what it says is too much gain which irritates the fck out of me.
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It won’t. It may get closer than Kemper though.
 
ZEN Amps said:
I love new toys, so I'll try it - but my prediction is that in two years we'll look back and go 'wow all that hype, now it's superseded'.

In 10 years we'll still be saying 'that '83 Marshall I have sounds killer and I'll never sell it'. But for two years this thing will sound 'amazing' I'm sure.
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This made me think of something I read a few years ago. Details are vague but it was a test with a bunch of painting experts
to see if they could tell the difference between super hi-tech digital re-creations and the original paintings. They were
unanimously blown away at the digital copies, but all could tell the differences. Most regular folks couldn't tell.

I think it's the same with those who have spent enough quality time with some great tube amps.
The digital stuff is mind-blowingly good but it's simply not the same - for better or worse depending on the user.
 
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