The Truth About The Nano Cortex..

[@TaylorDanley]

Get one here! sweetwater.sjv.io/zNZNXr

[@russellzauner]

Should put link for powerstage too, been seeing those turn up in a lot of people's vids lately, probably because they're transparent with a good amount of overhead for a compact power amp. Perfect for demos.

[@moonelfcosmo]

Useful, honest review. Helped me realize this pedal is more neutered than I thought.

[@SteveStrummerUK]

Very fair review Taylor, thanks. I love my Quad Cortex - so much so I rarely use my Kemper these days, mainly because the routing options of the QC are so much more flexible. Having said that, I think Neural missed a trick with the Nano - if they'd given us the same 'single' signal chain as the Kemper (i.e. 4 slots before and 4 slots after the amp block with the ability to choose which effect goes into which slot) they'd have created an absolute game changer. It may be coming down the line - hopefully - and it would in my opinion be a Kemper-killer at its current price.

[@TaylorDanley]

I think they're banking on the fact you can use this to capture being its primary feature. I wouldn't be surprised if there were no major updates.

[@monkehm]

The way NeuralDSP acted with QC running their plugins, I will never ever buy a NDSP product on "might be coming later". That's just taking money and setting it on fire.

[@SteveStrummerUK]

@@monkehm - fair point. I bought in early to QC on the promise of the desktop app. The wait was unexcusable really and I continued to use my Kemper until they released Cortex Control.

[@nobodyimportant76467]

I think that where they went wrong was giving it a name that implies that it’s a smaller version of the QC. If they had given it a name that reflected what it was and not what it wasn’t they might have avoided a larger portion of the negative reactions

[@TaylorDanley]

I agree, but I think anytime they release something it's gonna be like this just due to their marketing campaigns. They should have called it the nano capture though!

[@brownsparlour9813]

I think theyre getting way more slack at the minute cos they have so badly under delivered on the main qc so trying to market a smaller version with way less capabilities is not the best move really but then again i dont own an amp modelling company or do marketing! ​@@TaylorDanley

[@nobodyimportant76467]

@@TaylorDanley Totally agree they should have called it the Nano Capture. They also seem to have trouble relating to their customers

[@Zareh_Abrahamian]

@@nobodyimportant76467 Or the Nano Tonex!

[@deskducker]

@@nobodyimportant76467it’s a Finnish company. Different mindset to American based ideology.

[@2550marshall]

I truly expected that Neural was going to release the new unit with just an input and output and tell the suckers that they will add the rest at a future date.

[@Corey_42]

Just my opinion but the reason I have not bought any modern modelers / pedals that use computers or apps to fully use is I won't spend a certain amount on something that will be dated at some point in the future. Making it unusable at some point or to some degree. For me, if it's independent its future proof to some extent, it doesn't rely on other equipment to fully use. Some exceptions I guess are the units that are perhaps more affordable in that the purchase is not a big expense (subjective) like a pod express or whatever . In the end I support everyone's own opinion and what their needs/wants are. I'm a simple hobbyist so I my needs and wants are much less desirable to most. Awesome videos I really like your devil pedal. thanks corey

[@jimsimmons2674]

Try the Hotone Ampero Mini it sounds great for a modeler around $200,i use mine in the effects return of my bugera 333 with cab modeling set to off and it sounds as good or better then pluging into the front input using the high gain lead channal!I do use a boost pedal when i play through front input with lead channel when i do not use my Ampero Mini in the effects return.

[@TaylorDanley]

Thanks dude! Yeah that IS the elephant in the room when it comes to digital gear.

[@grungebox]

The Tonex pedal is under $200. Has best in class amp sims- onkyu reverb effects

[@---Alex]

I agree very much on it 🤝

[@guitarpunkcovers]

They claim that this is made for the gigging guitarist. The fact you can’t run one output without an IR and another one with an IR clearly suggest it is NOT made for the gigging guitarist. And you have to use your phone to use it to it’s max potential. Big L Neural, big L

[@TaylorDanley]

The phone part doesn’t bother me, but yeah the marketing always rubs me the wrong way.

[@robyates136]

Your point about lack of a boost/OD section is well made. I like my current crop of boosts/ODs and I've been using them happily in front of the UA Lion and haven't touched the Lion's own boost. Plus my OD pedals are set & forget so I could easily create two capture, one without the OD and one with the OD. That way I've got the option within the Nano.

[@matthewhoward4284]

The issue is not that there isn't a drive block. The issue is that transpose/Pitch fx do not play nicely with any kind of dirt in front of them. Ruins the tracking.

[@Alejo_RSX]

This 👍 Makes useless half of the "extras" (2 of 4 FXs) they are charging for in comparison with, lets say the Tonex. Just by adding an OD block they would be exponentially improving this product. Let's see if they decide to give the client what they ask for or prefer to be negligent af.

[@tragically1969]

Nano Cortex is just the wrong name for it, as others have said it should be Cortex Capture Player or something. I just bought an HX Stomp and i have to admit my heart sank when i saw the release rumours and hype around this, as great as it sounds i think the HX stomp was still the right decision and if i want to add stock captures (i don't have an amp worth capturing) i will add a Tonex One down the line

[@CTG-TV]

Still a better name than KEMPER PROFILER PLAYER xD

[@MadaraSy666]

What about nano vs Tonex comparison 🤩

[@modernroyaljams]

Cool video. Yes. No overdrive pedal block is problematic for a lot of players. You can put one in front like you did but I mean it would be more simple if it was in there.

[@davidepagin6392]

Great video as usually!! As you said, I preferred it would be similar to an hx stomp, sort of a Quad cortex with no display, less footswitches, less inputs/outputs. Even less dsp is acceptable. But only a cheap and small product to have neural dsp quality. For example if you want to run only plugins such as Plini or Rabea…

[@whatmusiciwant]

I think this is what most everyone wanted and why it's so polarizing.

[@TaylorDanley]

Yeah, someone else mentioned it, but it really should have been called the nano capture, because that's the prime function of the unit. Again, the marketing is kind of disingenuous in this regard.

[@stevenpetorne1073]

@davidepagin6392 yeah..in my opinion you would still need something else for special effects for a live rig. And with just 2 stomp switches, it would be difficult to gig with......at that point you might as well use the full version!

[@CTG-TV]

@@TaylorDanley You really don't know what nano means, right?

[@masterofreality230]

I blame Neural for people thinking this was a little Cortex, I mean they call it the Nano Cortex. They should have named it something else.

[@josuastangl7140]

Good take, I agree

[@darthshaggy9970]

@@masterofreality230 they just need a little unit that were capable of using neural plugins live, or at least the amp/cab section, thats all people are asking for haha, but captures? People are not rich, not everyone have good valve head amps

[@masterofreality230]

@@darthshaggy9970 Neural does not have free profile sharing? I use Tonex for profiles and there are tons of good captures you can just load up. I dont know if they could make it run an amp and cab and it still be around $500. I have seen people capturing Neural Plugins with the QC and Nano Cortex, thats one work around. I do have a good tube amp, but going digital is so easy. Like, you dont need 30 cables to run whatever you want.

[@reverendtos4271]

Yep agreed

[@Zareh_Abrahamian]

Quad Tonex or something 😜

[@Deathcorp666]

I tried one at the guitar store. Although I would never use any of the amp sounds because I think my ENGL sounds better then any of the cortex sounds.. however I would use it for the DSP, delay chours reverb ect… and use my amp head for distortion. It’s all I really want is a delay unit that has chours and reverb on it. Lol my tc electronics NOVA delay pedal is like 29 yrs old now! Lmao. By the way, those Jackson six string baritone warriors are in stock. Finally, you did a video on those. I’ve got to play one. They are sweet as hell.

[@markmcgibbon2101]

That was actually a really useful video. I think my head was already turned by the nano but now I’m definitely getting one. I think it’ll suit my needs.

[@ranmanguitar]

I'm a long time hx stomp user. The nano cortex I think sounds a tiny bit better but the hx stomp is far more versatile with no locked signal path. You also can't blend impulse responses or split signal paths. I can see the value in this to some people but not for me.

[@onuryuksekol]

Because I have seen everyone I have been following are dropping video's I did not watch. Until now because I wanted to have a non-biased or at least somewhat hyped review. That's my first time watching you and I dig your content. Just a footnote. I don't know if this cab has v30s in it but I kinda felt that your tone might be better with greenback, British vintage or sth like that. But that's my humble opinion though. Keep on rocking 🤘

[@coreyrramsay8858]

This is probably the best video I have seen on this unit. I wasnt interested when it first came out and as I have no access to amps to capture, the Tonex one is better for me if i want to get into playing captures. But I can see more value in what it does, and in the right context, it's actually a great product.

[@allstopblue5717]

No OD/Boost is wild. Especially when the Neural stuff in general is mostly used by people who play heavy music. Not being able to simultaneously run a DI signal is also lame

[@marianstephan4676]

@@allstopblue5717 what would you need a di signal in that context? i never need one unless i'm recording and the nano spits one out through usb

[@estebanpontoriero4299]

Great video, Taylor! Thanks a lot! I would like to know how if it's possible to capture a small plugins chain I use normally in Logic (a slot for some Neural Plugin EQ block + another slot for some Neural plugin preset ). Thanks!

[@TaylorDanley]

@@estebanpontoriero4299 you can capture whatever chain you want, but it doesn’t work with time based effects, and it gets weird with complex saturation textures

[@tyberard5736]

Harley Benton DNAFX is 88 bucks and has a full chain. Gate, OD/Distortion, amp, cab, reverb, delay, modulation, eq. Also can upload IRs and midi. The routing you can do one line to a power amp and turn the cab Sim off while having a IR loaded for FOH... I don't know if it has an effects loop to put your own pedals in but it's less the 100 bucks. It also sounds decent and can get most any tone are close too that you want. Or shit the tonex for that matter. I think Neural is trying to market this to an audience that has way too many better choices to release something like this.

[@ancientalien815]

No boost block!?!? I guess the boost can be built into the capture but still...wtf!

[@thefuneralparade]

Use a pedal duh

[@Patrick_theshuttercanvas]

Plug your boost in front of the NC. TAHDAAAAHHH 🎉

[@BlackRose-vi2yg]

​@@thefuneralparadeThat is not the point.. Duh

[@TaylorDanley]

Weird choice, but just gives me the opportunity to use The Devil OD more 🥳

[@ExDementia666]

@@thefuneralparade A modeler that can't do a boost.... wtf is that? I'll stick with my HX Stomp for my fly rig

[@rutger4131]

Could you do a comparison video between solid state and tube power amps? Both for recorded sounds and 'in the room' feel.

[@Robin-ky1kp]

Forgive me, am I right in understanding that this will ONLY play amp captures and won’t/can’t play the Archetype plugins from Neural like the Quad?

[@rossbalch]

Taylor once again bringing the balanced and well thought out review. I feel like this product sits well compared to the things it's an answer to, ie the ToneX and Kemper player.

[@philguitfiddle]

Great video Taylor. I like your analysis.

[@TaylorDanley]

@@philguitfiddle thanks dude!

[@chrisnashfl]

Thanks for this video man, helped a lot. Subbed 👍

[@Thrive-Off-Grid]

Adding pedals I think is the point of it. I think the amp and IR tech is spot on now its the FX side of it that is lacking and makes modellers to synthy digital sounding. Take that out and just use the amp / ir sims and couple organic pedals and all that goes away.

[@mattpearce79]

What does the boost button on the side of the unit do? Does that not solve the issue of not having a boost in the chain?

[@rafaelmadrid5406]

Yup. Even though it can be really useful, but I think the majority of us were expecting a HALF cortex. Half price, half buttons and halt physical ins and outs in general. Keeping the touch screen, the quality and the libraries, with support to plugin.

[@Tylerxfm]

Glad I found this channel!

[@27retrodaze]

Finnish women unite!! Also buy the Devil with your Nanocortex because there is no OD/Boost in front the amps in the unit... (Nice work, TD)

[@TaylorDanley]

Just sayin... 😂

[@Nick-72]

I was waiting for Pope Francesco showing the NanoCortex...was the only one that we was missing 😂😂😂😂

[@yousocrazy1199]

i have one, im simple, just went for the high gain channel download a capture Evh gojira etc etc sound great. i play bed room level. my 1st modeler or anything not real amp. i have few tube amps. but still sound great for me. im happy no complain.😅

[@thisguy2973]

My problem with the Nano is exactly the type of product it is: a capture device (mostly). This is very unfortunate for me because I have 0 amps to capture; I need amp sims in a unit to work for my setup.

[@bt43ar]

Today Fractal fm3 it's your product.

[@thisguy2973]

@@bt43ar thanks for the insight. I’ve been wavering on whether to go FM3 since I don’t need the full blown axe FX.

[@JakeHYM]

Don’t forget you can also capture amp sims or download captures. I don’t have any amps either but if planning on just capturing nolly x for a live tone

[@thisguy2973]

@@JakeHYM didn’t know that

[@JakeHYM]

@@thisguy2973 yeah so if your main tone has a boost pedal on a plugin capture it using the pedal. Or if you compress your cleans capture the signal with the compressor on then add the delay in reverb in the pedal. OR if you don’t own a specific plugin you can download the captures for it on the cloud. I think the pedal is pretty goated

[@MrScrofulous]

I like the look of it. I have a couple of nice amps, but I'm feeling the need tp try some different things. I had a IIC+ that I sold, and sometimes I miss it. This is a pretty cheap way to get into the "trying different amps" game. I will also be able to capture my good amps for travel, if I can be arsed learning how to do that. I like that it's a good interface, cos I only have a Scarlett, and the latency bugs me. I could do a lot with this. I'm thinking that I could even feed it into Skype for my lessons.

[@mikec8815]

I just use my own pedal board with it. I dont know why everyone is complaining. Neural makes a product that does exactly what the complainers want. It's called the quad cortex.

[@masterofreality230]

Well. I think some people thought it was a little QC. Probably because they named it the Nano Cortex.

[@travisspaulding2222]

@@masterofreality230 Then people are stupid. This is basically their answer to the Tonex. Remember all the reviews? The QC killer, lol. This just does what a Tonex pedal does, which is an amp replacement. If you are looking to replace your whole rig to go digital, this is not your product. If you love your amp, but you're tired of lugging it from gig to gig, then get this, capture your amp, and use all of the same effects you've always used. Imagine having your favorite amp with a built in gate, reverb, transpose, chorus, reverb and delay? That's what this is. It isn't an effects processor, it's not a modeler. It is an amp profiler with a handful of onboard effects and access to a network of 3rd part captures.

[@deskducker]

@@travisspaulding2222well said. People are just cheap. Want the qc for nano money.

[@masterofreality230]

@@travisspaulding2222 I dont know why you wrote all of that out, I know what it is, and what its not. It is not a little QC, as it was named by Neural. I dont think people called Tonex a QC killer, I remember them calling it a Kemper killer. Not really a huge Neural DSP fan, if you cant tell. They promise 20 things, then deliver like 2 of them YEARS later lol I have a couple of their plugins, and they are good. You should always buy what a product is, and not what the maker claims it will be. But at the same time, when they dont deliver, its a mark against that company in my book.

[@Jackfromthedead]

​@@travisspaulding2222People aren't stupid for falling for such elaborate marketing which led the majority to believe this was going to be a smaller much more affordable version of the QC. Not saying this isn't a great piece of kit - it is - but only if you already have thousands in amps to capture.

[@Olithebrewer]

Great video as always Taylor! Forget the terrible marketing or what the unit does or doesn’t have or do.. I just done think the market needs it 🤷‍♂️

[@HuskyMakesNoize]

Can you also do a capture of your amp which includes drive/boost pedals that you use in your signal chain? I'm a bass player and I've been using a darkglass x and a BBJ in front of my amp which still means I've had to carry a descent pedal board. Would be handy to just carry a single pedal that has the chain of BBJ - DGX - AMP

[@AlanArteche]

Every miss or lack of features is part of Neural DSP's marketing strategy to have the whole community talking about and pushing the product not only during release but during the future updates roadmap.

[@TaylorDanley]

Their marketing team outpaces their development team by a lot.

[@mrcoatsworth429]

The biggest limitation, for me, is that you can't turn off the IR for only one of the outputs. The Tonex, as far as I know, can't do this either. The ability to do captures is secondary, in my opinion. I'd say 99% of people buying this won't be doing captures, and those that do and do it well, might already have the big version.

[@theharvesterproject6779]

Did you do the amp capture with a mic infront of the cab OR a di out of the amp?

[@sacasticus]

They should have named this the Capture Box. I don’t have or know anyone who has an amp I would bother capturing.

[@assassin1872]

If I didn't have a QC and was planning on building a board, I'd grab this over the Tonex or Kemper personally, there's so many great capture out there and you can through whatever pedals you want around it, but if you have a QC, there's almost no need for this imho

[@idiotburns]

Latency is a killer for all these units

[@dasczwo]

i expected it to be more expensive. i didnt expect it to be able to capture. and OUCH: needing the app to capture...BAD. that fixed fx block approach seems familiar.... yeah that old digitech rp1 lurking under my sofa. it has more delays and a 99sec ambient verb... and, why did you put the devil on your pedal?

[@thepipeorgan]

can you make a video when youre showing all of youe guitars?

[@TheDynamite333]

Yeah, well, I often go to my friend's house to capture his amp. Wait... I don't have any friends who owns a tube amp. Oh wait wait... I don't have any friends... I dont think that usage scenerio will work, at least for me...😅 To be honest, that capture function for such device at that price point won't cut the deal unless you are a professional and really reaallly reeeeaaaalllllyy need to capture your own amp and carry it around in a small form factor along with a pedal board or another processor... I believe there will be another product released soon between Nano and Quad.

[@jburdsinfuse]

Legit question: I don’t understand the “capture” technology. If I capture my Marshall, and I want to put drive pedals in front of it, will it drive it like the actual amp? Or…do I need to capture all the different gain stages I use? I use single coils and humbuckers, sometimes crunch, sometimes high gain…and I do it live. I’m not tweaking an app onstage.

[@seanedwards94]

How do you feel about it compared to a tonex? As far as the captures and the playability

[@shaneperry4430]

So if you are just looking for really good preamps plus noise gate with an EQ section do I need this or can I still just go with the tonex one?

[@sh4dda1musick11]

It’s definitely a quality unit especially with future update possibilities. The marketing job was super weird but maybe effective because look how many KZbinrs and friends are talking about this shit. I have a Headrush Core and I will be sticking with that. I feel like every unit is on sale or getting a price cut which leads me to believe 2025 will be full of new options. If you aren’t happy, then I would recommend waiting to buy something new. One of these companies is paying attention to what we want and will eventually nail it. I still think the Helix stuff is the overall king of the market.

[@Metaldad87]

Also saw my comment in the community post, very cool 🤘🏻

[@schpeidermann]

that XLR socket on the right side is cursed... Edit: due to efficient placement, it should be on the left side of the unit. If you place that on a pedalboard, you usually have it at the end of your chain. The right XLR limits your space heavily. It's impractical.

[@Patrick_theshuttercanvas]

It’s the capture input. Balanced TRS outs. If you need XLR outs, use a DI or buy the QC 🤷‍♂️

[@schpeidermann]

@@Patrick_theshuttercanvas I know. And usually this should be at the end of your chain. Which is left on a pedalboard. So my point is the XLR should be on the left side. Not the right. There is not enough space.

[@Patrick_theshuttercanvas]

@@schpeidermann So you’re wanting to capture amps with the nano fixed on a pedalboard with other pedals? Just take the nano off the board to do your captures then put it back before you take your board to a gig! You probably burned more calories replying to me than it would take to remove a pedal off a board.

[@schpeidermann]

@@Patrick_theshuttercanvas Sure. Would work. Although I don't like the idea of having to inconveniently remove something from my board in order just to use it. Defeats somewhat the purpose of having the board. Bad design is bad design. I'd rather safe the money for something else.

[@havenlewis5913]

Did you capture the pedals in front of the Fortin nameless?

[@jeffh_77]

Hey dude! Is your cortex cloud name under something different? I was trying to check out your capture and it’s saying you don’t have any public presets up

[@TaylorDanley]

@@jeffh_77 neuraldsp.com/cloud/p/0b3eecb7-a43b-4f16-bcb2-d67eb3becca8

[@steveclark9934]

Is there any reason I would need this If I already have a HeadRush Core?

[@richardwilliams1310]

No, I don't think so, unless you need something smaller that may fit into a guitar gig bag pocket

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

@@richardwilliams1310 And if you need that, there's the Ampero II Stomp, which is 100 cheaper and it's about the same size.

[@Aravide]

Where can I get that beast of a guitar . Holy

[@karlroszko]

Metal Dad here trying to jump from 1984 (JCM800) to 2024. One thing that I didn’t see in any of the reviews was how and if your captures or saved amps sims on the unit can be used in a DAW. It’s mentioned that the nano can be used as an interface but that it’s not possible to use the captures on the unit into Logic for example. I’m really bad with this stuff and would much appreciate some tips

[@russell4625]

What’s the story with your guitar? Did this company go out of business? Even the link in your video about it is a dead link

[@Return2TheLiving]

The Headrush core is also an interface. You can probably find a Headrush core used for a similar price to the Nano. I think there is no realm where you buy a Nano over a core. I also have uploaded clones to the cloud of many of the neural plugins so you aren’t even missing out on much of what the flagship model can do.

[@peterjessop1878]

@@Return2TheLiving I wouldn’t buy a core as the effects are average and routing options limited compared to Helix or Axe fx. The nano cortex is great for someone who just needs the capture facility because they already have other gear that can do the rest. It’s a Tonex alternative not a multi FX unit.

[@israelconlledo8692]

Hey man! greetings from Guatemala City. My question is. Can I connect my nano cortex to a strymon zumma power supply? The Zumma is 9V - 12V 500A, the Nano Cortex is 9V - 12V 600A. would there be any problem?

[@TaylorDanley]

I can’t say for sure, but I powered it with a cioks SOL at 12v which is allegedly 500ma and it worked 🤷‍♂️🤔

[@kjpowers97]

In regards to your routing comment at 12:44 (not being able to put an IR on one side, and no cab on the other), is this something that the Tonex is limited by as well? I have been trying to get that answered before buying one and it seems there is no way to route that way on the Tonex either

[@TaylorDanley]

That's a good question, I don't believe it's possible... but I can't remember if there is a work around or not.

[@scottg8660]

​@TaylorDanley I have a cabm+ and a roach splitter from fortin. I could run no ir then split into the cab m+ , might be the only type of option for power amp/cab and foh.

[@georgedomse]

The biggest question for me as a guitar player (and one of the great conundrums the NeuralDSP product manager(s) should have) is: what will make me as a prospect buyer reach for this instead of the Helix stomp / Kemper player etc.?

[@CTG-TV]

And what question did UA managers ask themselves when they created a series of $400 pedals that have one amp simulation and 6 IRs built-in?

[@CharLessMajor7Music]

If you use it on a gig with a good stage amp, can you bypass the amp and cab on this easily ? Anyway I see this pedal will just be replaced on your board in the future bcoz of its limitations and really not a pedalboard friendly. Yea it’s small but not efficient routing wise. Id choose Hx stomp + tonex one on fx loop combo over this and even quadcortex.

[@carwynvan]

Other thing as well, if you always always use a boost into your dirty amp, then run your capture with the amp and boost together!

[@TaylorDanley]

The problem with that is you don't have control over the boost gain/volume with different pickups. You can make multiple captures or use the gain feature, but not quite the same.

[@alrangelal]

When you compared it to the UA, I realized that's realistically the market segment Neural DSP is trying to target rather than the small modelers. I still believe having no screen and just two footswitches cripples the unit, but I see how it could replace a "traditional" pedalboard and how the fixed signal mirrors what they do with their plugins, with a fixed signal chain as well (which is why I find it mind boggling that it will not be plugin compatible). Nice unit, but I'll stick with my Ampero 2 Stomp (which also replaced my old pedalboard).

[@mtus647]

Hey Taylor, very fair review. Really makes me consider getting one. My main concern is, how would the transpose feature behave when paired with an overdrive in front? As I would probably use it like a preamp (like it's mostly intended to, lol) I'd really appreciate it if you could test that for me (and probably many others with the same concern) Awesome vid mate!

[@exltd001]

Get an M-vave Blackbox it’s like $60 and does more than the nano cortex. The blackbox does neural profiles like the others and sounds awesome. You can copy any NAM profile or make your own from any VST or real amp or pedal. Again it’s $60. Why is no one talking about this.,the blackbox does neural box is amazing

[@TaylorDanley]

@@exltd001 I may have bought one for science

[@The_Tarmaster]

Seems that many people commenting don’t understand what this is for. It’s an IR loader. Not a stomp box lol

[@Zareh_Abrahamian]

An expensive one for that!

[@Zareh_Abrahamian]

You covered everything Taylor, however, I'd also want to add a few points: the *problem* with the Nano Cortex is that it is *not* the poor man's Quad Cortex, something Neural DSP could release instead of this. It is just, as you mentioned, a capture player with a minimum number of effects. True, it also does capture profiles, something that would serve musicians with tons of great gear. I think of Boss GT 1000CORE, Helix LT, even Fractal FM9 (although has limitations vs. Axe-Fx3). I believe lesser fortunate musicians would gladly pay $800 to $900 to get the full DSP and software engine of the Quad Cortex minus the touch screen and footswitches, etc. Alas, the Nano Cortex would not serve them in no shape, way or form.

[@deskducker]

900 or 1500? Stop buying Starbucks for a month. Acting like this is big money we are talking about. It’s not a new car or a house. You want what it does, open the wallet. Someone did a tear dawn of the qc. Just raw parts alone it was approaching 1k.

[@Zareh_Abrahamian]

@@deskducker ​ It was not about myself. I have all I need and if I wanted it I would get one. The naming is deceptive and this has been mentioned over and over in this comment section. P.S. I don't buy Starbucks because it does not exist where I live 😉

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

If you want a product which was better thought out than this whilst doing the same thing: Friedman IR-X,IR-D. Tube preamps, two channels, fx loop, MIDI, USB...And it's 100 bucks cheaper than the Nano Cortex.

[@IntheDAW]

I mean to be honest it sounds great. For me its waaay to limited and has no computer control but for the price its a good sounding unit.

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

Since this only plays amp captures, it has no sound of it's own. The quality of the sound of the unit will depend on the quality of the captures you're using with it.

[@matrix12x]

great video as always

[@MarcoMastra]

Great review Taylor! 🤘🏻

[@deskducker]

I’m curious to hear if the captures done on this unit are better or worse than on the quad.

[@guitarhansen]

What's the difference between the Tonex pedal and the nano Cortex?

[@CharLessMajor7Music]

It has delay and a chorus plus an app to edit stuff. Tonex only has reverb but I doubt this is better.

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

The Tonex pedal is cheaper.

[@estebanpontoriero4299]

Great review!! Please, show us how to capture a Neural Plugin preset 😀

[@DavidAllenMD]

u shoud demo the pod express i wanna see how it sounds with a real cab

[@marijandesin8226]

Unrelated does the Seymour Duncan Powerstage have a built in fan that creates hum? I'm using a Quilter and I have no such issues. It's dead silent

[@katschrowski]

No compressor effect in there?

[@thelolguy007]

Yep, no boost included was a missed opportunity. If it’s marketed as a one stop shop as a ‘rig’ or several rigs etc you would expect a boost 🤦‍♂️

[@jesseparrish9198]

Do you use the speaker out on the amp to connect to the nano for capturing ?

[@TaylorDanley]

NO! there’s a warning to not do that. I had it running into a load box and then into the nano

[@jesseparrish9198]

@@TaylorDanley ah ok. Thanks for clarifying that.

[@jasonnaranjo4622]

Neural dsp made the mistake of calling it Nano Cortex, it should be a "cortex player", that's how I see it, I would have preferred a Duo Cortex, for that price there are better options, they want to sell us the capture of amplifiers like gold and it's not that much So, a good capture needs time and good equipment, not to mention the amp to clone, as always I like your work, greetings!

[@johnpierson8398]

I love your channel. And I HAVE to get one of your Devil boost pedals!! But I am sorry to say that the Nano Cortex, to my ears, does not sound good. And that is the most important thing. For me, DSP is getting better, but tube amps rule!

[@TaylorDanley]

Thanks dude! I think it sounds on par with anything else. Everything these days sounds good, that's kind of the bar for releasing a product. It's really hard to compete if your thing sounds like poo poo lol.

[@georgeangelakopoulos8884]

The latency is there... this is my gripe with fractal pitch too.

[@TaylorDanley]

There's always going to be SOME latency. But saying there is no perceivable latency to me is wild. It's like they just needed another talking point.

[@georgeangelakopoulos8884]

@@TaylorDanley when you switch on and off you can instantly see/listen to it… Nice vid. Keep up!

[@Ghostman1846]

That's been the best review of this new pedal by far. Nicely done.

[@Lucas-KnifeHands]

I'd be interested to know if most guitarist's are even interested in a capture unit tbh.

[@charvlim5159]

Do you guys know Sophie? I swear man, she is the human Quads cortex. I swear that girl has never missed a leg day in her entire life man..😊

[@jasonvai4951]

if you want that gamechanging product you thought it was get a kemper profiler player.

[@TaylorDanley]

Yeah, but you can only create profiles if you have a full size kemper. Big oof IMO. You have to spend 700 for the player, and another 1000 for a used Kemper.

[@CTG-TV]

Kemper Profiler without profiling options. Yeah, gamechanger xD

[@vaiserious]

@@CTG-TV so what are 90% of players gonna profile? Their 2003 Line6 spider? Haha. Don’t cope so hard. Pod x3 has more to offer than the nano.

[@vaiserious]

@@TaylorDanleywhy on earth would I want to create profiles? There are gazillions of them available. Im missing your point.

[@garyphillips725]

Got a question I cannot find an answer for anywhere in any PDF or online. Apparently incoming MIDI CC can be used to change presets but can you also change effect parameters such as delay, time and feedback? And then save those changes? Thus, doing some things that the app would do but with a compact MIDI controller that sends CC data. Nice video!

[@TaylorDanley]

Thanks! I have no idea. Using MIDI makes me want to cut my own head off

[@garyphillips725]

@@TaylorDanley using a phone app does that to me! 🤓

[@raylenin9322]

I, among many others, was hoping to see something like dual cortex. Smaller device, less power than quad, modelling and plugins and of course; cheaper. Not going to get rid of my trusty gigging device hx stomp SOON..

[@russellzauner]

There exists a DIY equivalent of a DSP stompbox, with about the same number of knobs and switches for 89 USD (not an affiliate, I just think it's hilarious). I don't tease - it's open source, daisy seed based, Hothouse DIY DSP kit. 🙂 Now, back to baby axefx

[@christophmuller7306]

It also plays a role what is in the box and not just what you see on the outside regarding buttons and switches. You can't even come close to comparing them. The Daisy Seed platform has a much less powerful processor. This means that it won't be possible to process a sound that is anywhere near as high quality as with the SHARC processors used by NDSP. But I am also not satisfied with the price and positioning of the new nano cortex

[@sabifuge]

awesome video, too bad, that the pedal was often covering the picture on the wall. :(

[@zakklee2556]

Sticking with the Boss Katana Head Gen 3. For $350 , 100 watts , built in 5" speaker, 5 movable blocks.

[@TaylorDanley]

Honestly Best Buy IMO. Such a great value for what it does.

[@jacobbockover1628]

Id want an overdrive

[@meatscarf9118]

Veep is a HARD 4/10 Would rather watch the new adventures of old Christine

[@CallousCoder]

No boost? No preamp over drives??? fuck that shit!

[@NeZversSounds]

Initially mobile app made sense, but then I remembered that software controls tends to lose support.

[@jamesmoses4066]

Sweetwater tipped you off about it... but I literally just bought a QC a couple of days before the leaks, and when I asked my sweetwater representative about the nano when the leaks were circulating, he denied any knowledge about it. Like geez thanks for that, maybe I would have preferred the Nano and this AH just let me buy the QC without a heads up 🙄

[@TaylorDanley]

I have an NDA with them. Im sure they can't legally tell the public.