Neural DSP Quad Cortex - Worth It In 2024?

In todays video, Paul Drew from The Studio Rats is revisiting the Neural DSP Quad Cortex.
Back in 2019 I bought one of the first batch that came into the UK, and to be honest I was a little unimpressed.
Its now 2024, In this video I explore if the Neural DSP Quad Cortex is worth buying in 2024.
The Quad Cortex Amplified Nation Overdrive Reverb pack is available here.
www.thestudior...
The Studio Rats are core band members Paul Drew on guitar/production/mixing, drummer James Ivey and Dan Hawkins on bass. They collaborate with singers and musicians to produce radio-ready songs.

[@truthfactreality6814]

I sold my first quad cortex. I’ve since rebought it. It’s an incredible unit

[@XChristianNoirX]

I sold mine before it arrived. Couldn't afford not to.. People were paying almost 1k premium. :/ That's not why I bought it.. But the rumors that it wasn't ready for prime time made my decision for me. Kids to feed ya know..

[@00Dusty]

What made you sell it? What made you buy it back? I’m debating what unit to buy

[@truthfactreality6814]

@@00DustyI needed the money. As soon as I got money again I bought it back. It’s the best unit there is and I use it for multiple jobs

[@johnwaller9399]

Glad you gave the QC a second shot, I waited till this year to get one and I am glad I did because it is a much better product than it was when it launched. Now to grab your captures!

[@IamMusicNerd]

I used to prefer Fractal, because I just like the tones better. But the UI on the Fractal units is so outdated and complicated, and their pedal units are not as Pedal Board friendly as the QC. The UI on the quad cortex has always been far more user-friendly, but they just didn’t have the tones before. But over the last year or two, the QC has come a long way. It is miles better than it used to be. The effects now are some of the best I’ve heard in these types of devices, and the amps have gotten very realistic, especially the huge library of captures that you can download. It is now my favorite of the multi effect units, due to the combination of small form factor, easy UI, and great tones.

[@JamesFlorio-ti8gc]

Thanks for the demo . I'm with you guys early on I wasn't impressed but now the QC is on my radar massive improvements 💯

[@jamesryder9158]

The power supply and ground hum issues scared me away from the quad cortex, I'm going with the FM 9bturbo

[@MalcolmTuckerDirectorofCommuni]

⁠@@jamesryder9158there is no ground hum unless it’s not plugged into anything else at all. The QC gets its ground from the other powered devices it’s plugged into. They designed it this way on the basis that players will always have it plugged into something else (that’s powered) and this actually reduces the probability of ground loop issues because there’s one less ground source to be worried about. There’s even a ground lift on pretty much every single input/output for the rare circumstance that you actually do create a ground loop

[@dreamscuba]

Great video. I got a pre-order QC when they first came out. My prior experience with modelers was the ElevenRack, which I loved, but died after 11 years. I may have been disappointed in the early years with the QC, but I didn’t have funds to mess around trying different kit. So, I stuck with it. I love the UI and there are some great amp tones. I have found some fabulous paid captures that have opened this up so much. These have meant that I really dig this as my recording amp. I had been hoping that the archetype amps would get ported to the QC, but, I can live without that. NeuralDSP support has been stellar for me as well. It doesn’t have any good mic preamps. But I have downloaded some captures of some to try. I also found that I prefer editing on the unit rather than the desktop app. That’s just me. The UI is so good and I spend 12 hours a day on a computer for work. I love the QC. Just my journey. Paul - your QC looks a different colour, or is that just the lighting?

[@TheStudioRats]

Hi Scuba, yes it’s a special edition.

[@dreamscuba]

Nice!!@@TheStudioRats

[@VäzPre]

Hello, please explain this: "It doesn’t have any good mic preamps". Thank you.

[@Takis_Playloud]

That Strat is sick

[@Brixiomendoza]

amazing sound!!! love that strat!! :D

[@TheGuitarNerdShow]

That Strat though! What an amazing sounding guitar! I just received a Quad Cortex, haven't yet had the chance to check it out but your video made me even more impatient to plug into it LOL!

[@borntoworship777]

Love your captures. By far the best I have used and heard. I use the TSR Amp Nation ODR all the time. Thank you for making it.

[@daveroberts2914]

I'm blown away by that simple intro. Just goes to show how beautiful 3 chords (that's what I counted) and variations thereof, can sound.

[@MrHitthespot]

I’ve been a tube amp guy since I started playing rock 50 years ago. Tried Fractal, Helix and Headrush. Decided modeling wasn’t for me because I thought those units didn’t sound anywhere as good or real as a tube amp. Fast forward to a year and a half ago, I watched the reviews and decided to try again and get a Quad Cortex. Within a couple of days I was blown away. Sounds better than my gigging amps AND it has the feel of a real amp. I admittedly am a fan boy now and can’t imagine being without it.

[@sinfirma23]

I bought the QC and a Fractal FM9 at the same time, about 1 year ago. So I was able to do a fairly calm comparison at home and return the one I liked the least. In the end, I stayed with the FM9 for functionality and better stage design (larger LEDs, greater space between buttons, built-in power supply...) while with QC I had to buy a pedalboard and I would still continue with the same space between pushbuttons and the same external source. Also, I can only clone one amp, the only one I have and for that...honestly, I prefer to use my real amp. QC has improved a lot but so has FM9, so I prefer to continue with FM9.

[@VäzPre]

Which device do you like more in terms of sound?

[@GearStuffandThings]

Love the QC. I do wish the black and gold was an option at the time I bought mine.

[@josephprice6617]

What a lovely melodic touch you have

[@bernie_smith]

Great stuff. I commented when you got your A N amp hoping that you would share some captures of the amp on your QC. You kindly replied confirming that unfortunately you no longer had a QC. Can't wait to get hold of your new captures. Thank you and also for your great channel.

[@GearSafari]

Sounds great 👍🏻🎸

[@fantomas9240]

Happy to see the return of your (not so anymore) black Strat, love this one ! Thought you sold it :(

[@stevenlobo2828]

You’ve inspired me to give this a go, great tones and playing. Cheers

[@glennc100]

I usually don't like heavily relic'ed strats but yours is so gnarled up, it kinda works

[@guitarcissist]

Just bought the packs and they sound phenomenal! Still waiting on the Matchless Independence 😉

[@DoctorMcFarlandStudios]

Coolest guitar ever :) Nice meeting you at NAMM.

[@TheStudioRats]

Thanks! You too!

[@r.llynch4124]

With the 3.0 update it's a winner, finally!!

[@MalcolmTuckerDirectorofCommuni]

Wow what a turn around. After all the years of people giving the QC crap, it now seems to be widely hailed as the best modelling/capture solution. I see so many musicians going back to it, especially the ones that were sceptical and/or disappointed in the beginning

[@AkosKovacs.Author.Musician]

Mine's a first-generation Cortex from years ago. Reliable little thing it is.

[@MarkCoffin]

I love your channel. I'm glad you did a revisit. I've been revisiting buying a QC because, honestly, I can't stand the ToneX UI. It's so NOT user-friendly. I spend WAY too much time tweaking with that thing.

[@Kaisermb1]

I love strats that survived an apocalyptic world event and were then sent back in time after being lost under the sea for a hundred years.....

[@ablachet]

What a beautiful strat yo got there

[@jaguarsunburst1570]

Great Job Man 🎸🎶🎸

[@TheStudioRats]

Thanks a lot!

[@GRAFHC]

I love my QC, you name the modelling platform and I've owned it... sold everything once I got the QC in, its just that much better (to my ears).

[@saltstream]

Cheers Paul. Great vid! I'm shocked the QC doesn't have a Harmonic Tremelo in it's FX library. That's very strange.

[@TheStudioRats]

I know, right?

[@rbutt88]

I may be wrong, but I think if you use the "width" knob in the tremolo I definitely hear the warble of harmonic trem

[@gabrielxgtr]

@@rbutt88exactly! You can “shape” your tremolo whatever you want by using the parameters

[@aguitarhero007]

Fantastic playing as always!

[@adam872]

It sounds pretty damn good to me. Modern modelling gear really is excellent.

[@3mstudiospalmdesert]

My QC is fundamental to my recording work. I can also confidently use it live but it has some competition for live work with my $300 Katana. Or my $4200 Matchless DC30. Life is good.

[@SSN70]

Very helpful, very impressed with the tone, looking to get a QC to replace my old Axe-Fx ll 🍻👊🏽🤘🏽

[@DBroce]

Paul, you’re never going to convince me that you weren’t once a Metalhead.

[@Ivan_Ku.]

Quad cortex is good. But omg, this Fender is gorgeous and sound sooo good. Cheers!

[@baldbassclef]

Neural is great.

[@evetsiksatu]

Another high quality paint job from Fender....

[@highpraise-highcritic]

@moreadventuresplz what a high quality opinion comment trashing someone's taste ... just go away is the feeling people have towards folks like you.

[@lolatu8255]

I've got a squier strat that I bought new in 1984 and it still has every bit of paint on it. It's scratched and dented but still shiny. Maybe his is relic'd ?

[@yoshatabi]

Bro who cares. At least it's different compared to all the other basic solid colored paint jobs

[@metricdeep8856]

I would have guessed Ford…

[@nikolosbojakli6795]

You can tell it's a custom shop that's been relic'd

[@anthonybags2626]

That Strat is 🔥

[@JamTagg]

Happy QC owner here so nice job on the video. Awesome sounds and captures! What I really want to know though is all the details about that brilliant sounding Strat! Have you done a video on this guitar? Pickups? (Lollar perhaps?!?!) Wiring style?

[@Utube-g3g]

Ancho Pablano strat.

[@ralphieralph9176]

listened 5 seconds..AND YES IT`S WORTH IT

[@alexhall6375]

I was an early QC adopter but I wasn’t wowed from a player’s perspective, and it didn’t represent value for money at that time. I ended up with a Boss GT1000, and latterly an Iridium plus pedals which I felt were more responsive for clean and edge of breakup tones. I still get tempted because I know QC has made improvements but I’d be hesitant to give it another go … as for Mr Rat’s second coming perhaps that’s more to do with marketing opportunities for QC captures.

[@debrincatj]

It is now! Plugins in QC FTW!

[@jonathankrieger9121]

Hi Paul! Do you still have the capture of your 20W Marshall that you did 2 years ago?

[@GxBxN]

I nearly purchased a Quad Cortex, but preferred the wet FX on my Line 6 HF FX. I went for ToneX instead, and for me if was the perfect amp replacement solution. I felt the ToneX captures also seem more accurate and dynamic. Great tones nonetheless, and no doubt the QC gets incredible tones too.

[@TheStudioRats]

Thanks for sharing!

[@ricksguitartv973]

I'm a bit of an amateur when it comes to these things and this might be a silly question but I can't seem to find much information about it.. In a live setting, what do you actually plug these things into to get the best sound? Into the speakers so the vocals and guitar both coming out the same place or with a guitar cabinet? Cheers in advance 😊

[@matskihlberg4762]

I just bought one. The best thing with good modellers is in my opinion good, consistent sound with total control of the volume. Tube amps might feel and sound a little better at their sweet spot, but they offer very poor volume control. All alternatives for volume control both sounds worse and gives less control. I have tried master volume, attenuators, power scaling (and other voltage related techniques), load boxes and speaker simulation and tons of distorsion and overdrive pedals. Power scaling is by far the best of them, but they all sound worse than good modellers.

[@Guitarmann-el6iz]

Qc is incredible ota a big learning curve since in such powerful unit dialing in tones and input and out put levels theres actualy a global out put and preset output

[@Utube-g3g]

Kemper is way worse. Once you get this it’s way easier. Fast workflow.

[@staalearne]

Good, subscribing again 🤘

[@Utube-g3g]

I was hoping you would do this. And you did.

[@sgflyingv]

Can anyone suggest a video on how to use the things? I don't have a computer and have never used a DAW or plugins. I Need a super simple introduction to this stuff video. It's presumabled we all know. I have always just used a guitar, pedals and an amp

[@JayTheLane]

Funny I'm on the low end of Amp Modellers. I have a Boss GX100 which is simple and just sounds awesome and is so easy to use.

[@TheStudioRats]

Very nice!

[@brianpark492]

Line 6...Kemper etc. Whatever you are using if you find your tone that's all that matters.🍻

[@ericbresnick688]

Not sure if you want to edit this, but at 13:30 "Captures" is spelled wrong and it's kind of a key word :) Beautiful clean tones on the video though. . .

[@marinepilot5723]

To hell with the QC! Talk to me about that Strat!!! What kind of pickups?

[@miket2728]

I’ve bought neural plugins over the years with hope they could be on the QC. Now I seldomly use the plugins and have switched to using amps and load boxes.

[@radosawpendziaek7503]

Recent update made possible using plugins on QC.

[@gaaoliv94]

Hi Paul ! I have a question. I have tried recording my QC with USB as an audio interface, but it seems to me that it loses sound quality. How are you recording you QC? I hope you can read my comment. greetings!

[@huddleshuddles7360]

I love that strats neck pickup what is it? The tone is full and throaty. Nice vid man!

[@TheStudioRats]

Cheers they are Ancho Poblano fender pickups

[@huddleshuddles7360]

Thank you!@@TheStudioRats

[@Turej87]

Thanks for the video! Lot of people have started to compare the Quad Cortex to the new Ampero II Stage, do You think they are at the same level of sound/feel ?

[@TheStudioRats]

I’d have to compare them side by side. When we tested the AMPERO, I wasn’t a fan.

[@thomaswhudson]

I know its a modeller and I own a Tonex but I am looking for something thats all in one with effects. Will this cover all the bases?

[@metricdeep8856]

So you still need a good amp? Or will any amp work?

[@TheStudioRats]

It’s designed to go direct, not into an amp

[@Penberth1]

New to your channel having stumbled upon it looking for Amplified Nation review (love yours by the way!). Gotta ask though..... what pickups in that Strat? Fine sounding beast indeed!

[@TheStudioRats]

Cheers they are Ancho Pablano fender pickups

[@aaronthomas7790]

Are you going to capture the independence as well? That's my favorite for tonex I've found.

[@TheStudioRats]

Yes possibly. Cheers

[@Charvel4ever]

Nice playing. I’m looking at this and the fm9. I’m really not into tweaking sounds forever so want something with great presets that I can change a little if I want too. Thanks

[@alex_bux]

Great sounds...! what do we exactly hear? the sound through a daw? a miked amp? Do you have any advice on how you'd use this machine live? Hybrid? 4 cable? What amp? thanks a lot for your advices! A😄

[@sunnibird]

If I stop on that no less than 4 switches are getting pressed. I prefer the 'scribble strips' on other units over the screen setup on QC. Updates are better but still not where they should be.

[@franki68]

As someone who changed their amp at least once a year I can honestly say I bought one when they came out and haven’t looked at another amp or modeller since . Oh and toxic synth arguably the greatest preset on a modeller ?

[@aaronwalker5493]

if I don't use capture feature, is QC worth the money over Boss GX-100 ? if the sound quality and feel what matters most to me, is there a huge difference in sound quality?

[@truthfactreality6814]

I recommend the KNK shield for qc

[@timbilichi]

They haven't changed the reverbs/effects etc. as far as I know. I wonder why the unit sounds better to you now ? New monitors? New audio interface?

[@jakubrog7836]

Hey Paul, great review. What do you think about headruah prime there’s will be a test on the channel :)?

[@TheStudioRats]

I haven’t used on I’m afraid, but it’s massive.

[@davidLPST]

Paul, is the TSR Cornell amp now forgotten? Seems not to be your favourite. Perhaps it’s a price issue as the Amplified Nation amps are twice the price but the TSR isn’t getting much playtime.

[@nicolasmasset]

Lovely video! What gauge of strings do you use on your strat?

[@TheStudioRats]

Cheers, I use 10’s

[@Martinez_productions]

awesome video man, loved the toxic synth, are u able to share that ? I don't have it on mine thank you :)

[@karandubey1983]

I just love your fender .. what year is it?

[@TheStudioRats]

Hmm not sure. It’s a Ancho poblano

[@MrVyrtuoso]

Don't think so, since as far as I can see it still hasn't been updated to allow for all parameters to be assigned to MIDI controllers for remote/automated variable modulation.

[@steviesedge]

I tried the QC. I was quite disappointed. Took it back a day later. This was 2021. In 2024, I now have an Fractal FM9, which absolutely blows it out of the water.

[@jst601]

So say you

[@steviesedge]

@@jst601 so say me? Mate, I've just demonstrated that I've tried the QC and didn't like it and preferred the FM9 turbo, why get a bee in your bonnet pal?

[@fortheloveofguitar8589]

I had the same experience, only I went over to ToneX. Don’t need the FX and the captures were far superior.

[@steviesedge]

@@fortheloveofguitar8589 that's great for you dude. Whatever works for you 🤟

[@davidramos4317]

So say you

[@jayloyrecords]

Is there ANY difference in this limited edition over the original? Or is it simply the outward appearance of black and gold?

[@TheStudioRats]

It’s just a colour option

[@jayloyrecords]

@@TheStudioRats Thanks!

[@timmez1989]

Im gonna buy the captures. Can you tell me which can you use?

[@matthewalexa2211]

He has changed his mind about a garbage product now that he is selling something for it 😂. Best thing I ever did was sell my Quad and get a fractal FM9. I worked on the Quad for 2 years and still wasn’t happy. I had one Saturday to get it running for a service on Sunday and the FM9 sounded incredible.

[@Utube-g3g]

Not a garbage product.

[@matthewalexa2211]

Try plugging into that Headphone output and turn it up a little bit. Listen to that cheap audio quality and crackle. If you can’t even plug headphones directly in than it is a garbage product.

[@timothy5974]

You know? I would love it if you would profile my POD 2.0. 😝🤘I am lucky to have an original. 😝😝🤘🤘Have a great Day, Love the channel.

[@TheStudioRats]

I’ve got a pod2

[@timothy5974]

@@TheStudioRats😂🤘🤘

[@john_sandilau]

Can you demo the wonderland special too? I can't decide which one to buy. Thanks!

[@halstonhilburn]

Still a line 6 helix user but want to try out the QC. Being able to buy worship tutorial pre made packs and know every sunday will have amazing sounds made by people who create packs for a living makes life easier. Had a boss GT1000 first and there just wasnt anything like that available at the time. I feel like the helix offer so much. Software and hardware. Love the built in volume pedal for huge ambient swells. Is the QC a upgrade?

[@HueYing]

I am personally intensely biased towards the QC. I love everything about it. However, from an objective viewpoint, I think line 6 gear is just as good. QC does some stuff better, Line 6 does some stuff better, Fractal does some better too. It all depends on the individual player. No one modeler is objectively an upgrade to another, but if there's something the quad cortex does that you want get it, LoL

[@dgarrett1962]

What speakers are you playing through. Sounds great. Thanks

[@TheStudioRats]

Hi David, You are not hearing it through speakers, its plugged into an interface.

[@dgarrett1962]

Direct into the camera?

[@miguelangel_guitar]

He synchronizes the video with the audio recorded through the Interface.

[@anonymous_friend]

Are you gating your mic? You can hear the mic noise cut in and out when you stop speaking. It might sound a little better if you just gate it during the play examples.

[@adriancoppin977]

It’s the best thing since Audi introduced the RS6 Avant.

[@magnusberger6762]

But it will never be as cool as a hot rodded ‘32 Ford (a ragged tweed Deluxe with a Celestion), a Ferrari 250 (Dumle Overdrive Special) a 67 Mustang (Deluxe Reverb) or a Land Rover Defender (Marshall Plexi).

[@shaharbar]

Some blurring happening when the camera is on your face Paul, autofocus out-of-whack... QQ, do you see the AxeFX III making it back into your rotation in the future?

[@TheStudioRats]

Yeah deffo, I’m just waiting for the FX4

[@CLaw-tb5gg]

I’ve been a Kemper owner and have recently acquired a Quad Cortex. Which is better really depends on what sort of things you prioritise. The things that stuck out to me most: - The QC is way, WAAAAAY easier to use. The Kemper is not a user-friendly unit whatsoever. - The QC is much more pedalboard-friendly, and frankly looks better - The Kemper has an odd habit of not necessarily sounding accurate, but sounding better than reality. For instance, the Kemper Big Muff is less accurate but actually sounds better than the real thing, whereas the QC Muff is more accurate (and kinda sucks in the same way as real Muffs do). - The Kemper simply has a lot of stuff that the QC is missing, in terms of effects modules. Short version: Kempers are a PITA to use and are ugly but are basically better. But QC absolutely kicks the crap out of them in terms of usability.

[@Echoes-]

I personally went with the Fender ToneMaster Pro in the end, much easier and more intuitive interface, I am probably too dumb for the Quad Cortex because I thought it was way to hard to navigate, but it's for sure a great product.

[@adriancoppin977]

It’s a doddle to navigate.

[@StupidGuitar]

The tone master has so many glaring UX flaws and charges an obscene price for the product they’re offering. Typical fender though. Cash in on the brand for an inferior product

[@Echoes-]

​@@StupidGuitarI haven't personally found any UX glitches as I can think of, as for the price, they both are similary priced, I'd say the hardware are much better on the Fender, but there are better tones overall on the Quad Cortex as of now.

[@StupidGuitar]

@@Echoes- yes they are similarly priced but the TM offers far less out of the box and it’s just going to get worse once Neural adds the plugin support in a few months: I didn’t say glitches. I said flaws. The fact you have to scroll to see a reasonably sized rig is asinine and showed they went for looks over function.

[@Echoes-]

@@StupidGuitarWith the deep pockets Fender have and being located in California, I assume they will probably poach the best software talents and keep updating this, I doubt they will just give up, and I had the Quad Cortex like a year ago and I just see how much it has evolved since that, so I guess it will be the same for Fender, that's what I bet on, because as I said as of now QC have better tones, but I am not so sure it will be like that forever.

[@ちょっちょーす]

Do you Capture other amps? Would love to have Divided By13 You shared a free Capture with us earlier. I'd be happy to see a Capture of Divided By13 for sale.

[@Emanuelassies]

Is the volume control global (when using a mission or other expression pedal)? Or do we still have to program it every preset?

[@nekkon1989]

Most bedroom players would be better off with a couple of plugins. For live use, amps and pedals are better anyway

[@MalcolmTuckerDirectorofCommuni]

Then you need a pedal switcher, and a good one like the RJM PBC10 that has dual outputs with ground isolation if you want to send your signal to multiple places like the PA AND a power amp + cab on stage. Quad cortex handles all of this and more

[@stephengoh4270]

Hi Paul, just wondering, how does the Quad cortex feel under the fingers compared to the Boss GTCore? Care to shed some light, would be awesome if you could comment on the feel of the tonex too!

[@TheStudioRats]

It’s feels good, not sure it’s as responsive as how the boss feels but it’s very close. Weird that Boss have managed to perfect that.

[@ali-om4uv]

I own one and to be honest live i prefer the fm3 of the other guitarist for many readons. Its just not fit for messy live usecases. The bootup alone suxx. Tones areg4eat tho. If only I would not have had to send it back twice already. For home use I think its probably one of the best packages.

[@stephonwilliams8890]

Any chance you'll be bringing these to kemper soon?

[@TheStudioRats]

I’d have to get yet another Kemper but possibly yes

[@attilabalaton981]

I’d love to know what pickups are you using. They sound so sparkly but without harsness, they almost have kind of a “soft” high end. Are they maybe something with AlNiCo III magnets?

[@TheStudioRats]

They are ancho Pablano pickups

[@attilabalaton981]

@@TheStudioRats Thank you for your response. Just checked them out. Their demo is quite uninspiring on the webpage. But I think I know who could make a much better one for them... :)

[@Allann882]

unlike the Quadcortex I think the FM3 has been improved more in quality... About the aforementioned

[@chromebuoy]

Fantastic AMP SIMs, but this unit is stuck in an endless beta stage to be really considered Triple A. Lack of NAMM appearence is worrying too!

[@andyholmes9485]

Have you uploaded these as yet? Thanks

[@TheStudioRats]

Yes I have

[@philippe-oliviertrottier9885]

What kind of speakers are you using?

[@randomguitarnote8887]

Hello, maybe a stupid question but im a complete noob when it comes to this kind of equipment. Do you plug this into a cab for the sound to come out or any speaker would do? Thanks in advance.

[@TheStudioRats]

No problem at all, It’s designed to go either straight into a recording interface or into a PA for live. There is no powered out to go into a cab.

[@danharding9136]

You can use an orange pedal baby if you want use a cab

[@randomguitarnote8887]

@@TheStudioRats thanks for the reply, I guess I would need a computer with a recording software to go along with it then.

[@randomguitarnote8887]

@@danharding9136 🧐

[@Utube-g3g]

@@randomguitarnote8887I plug mine into the return fx of my amp and go right into a regular guitar cabinet.

[@MrTupeloFlash]

Is that the Ltd Edition Gold Sparkle Model ?

[@TheStudioRats]

It is.