Neural DSP Quad Cortex

As soon as you open the box and take it out you feel the quality straight away. The Quad Cortex is simply lovely to hold and looks sleek and modern. The touch screen makes it look on par with an iPhone or Android device. The fact the stomps double as knobs make this super easy to use.

This ease of use is my favourite thing about the QC. My previous modeller was always hassle for dialling in tones, particularly heavy tones, and always sounded a bit plastic. When I enquired about it on the related forum people were recommending third-party IRs. The QC, on the other hand, works great out the box with no IRs needed as the ones supplied do the job.

If there's any downsides it still needs some features like a looper and desktop app, and some more models, but like all of these types of devices its an ever evolving platform and they're sure to come.

I think overall, though, this device has been a great purchase. I've spent far less time dialling in which means more time playing and simply having fun. If you are already familiar with the plugins and love that sound then this device is highly recommended for if/when you decide to start stepping out of the bedroom.

As someone who is not a professional musician but has been into music for quite a long time, I viewed this device as a "Turn on — Play — Turn off" solution. Many in the guitar community recommend "Computer and plugins" as the best option for home playing. But no, that’s not for me. For me, connecting to a computer, opening a DAW, creating a track, adding a plugin, and so on has always been a burdensome task.

In general, for my needs, the Quad Cortex looked perfect—and that’s exactly how it turned out. It’s an excellent device where you can simply plug in, quickly dial in the sound you need, and play. On top of that, I really like what Neural DSP has done with their community, where everyone can share presets and neural captures. This adds a certain element of exploration and discovering something new, which is also very engaging.

I don’t know how this device feels in the hands of a professional, but for home use, I can’t imagine a more perfect option—a big screen, great sound, a beautiful device for the shelf (yes, that’s important too), and it’s just pleasant and enjoyable to use. The new updates are also pleasing, though I’d like to see them be a bit more extensive.

If you, like me, are looking for a simple and convenient tool that quickly gives you a great sound "out of the box," this is the choice for you!

I am an owner of many multi fx products, and have extensively used amp modelers from Line 6, Fractal audio, and Positive Grid. I have had my eye on the Quad Cortex for some time now, especially since I have noticed a few artists using them at live concerts with amazing tones coming through the PA.

So I just received my new QC unit, and right out of the box I was already very impressed by the amp tones, as well as the variety of effects in the factory presets. But once I began editing my own patches the real quality became very apparent quickly. Building patches is so easy, and I have figured out how to save scenes and tweak virtually every setting with expression pedals and stomp modes. The routing and blending possibilities are just endless, and the layout is very intuitive. I especially love the ability to turn the foot switches like amp knobs, as well as numerically enter exact parameter settings with a touch of one finger on the screen.

In all honesty, having access to hundreds of real tube amps through my job at a major backline company, I have grown very used to the real life organic sound of all of the included amp and cab models. These captures are so good, responsive to playing attack and volume changes just like the real deal. It is unbelievably realistic, yet so much better with all the effects and routing options. I can hardly wait to create some captures of my own!

Another aspect that I am really enjoying is playing my acoustic guitars through the QC. With just a little compressor, a subtle eq, some chorus and reverb, the acoustics are sounding absolutely stunning. I normally use a Fishman Aura to add some simulated mic tones, so I will attempt to capture the Aura pedal and blend it into these patch signals for added realism, although puting the Aura in the fx loop is also a viable option. Ahh... so many options with the QC! I am very happy and excited to create more music with this incredible tool!

I've had it for almost a year now and it has two big pluses: sound quality and ease of use.
It is so easy to move around the blocks and build complex rigs really fast. I'm usually runnig two guitar lines with a detuned line for a bass emulation all in a single preset and it can handle it with no issue.
As for the sound quality, it is what you can expect at this top price range. I've had other simmilar devices (Kemper) and it is simply undistinguishable regarding the captures/profiles.

As for the downsides, the preset exchange on the app is a bit messy, you cannot download and share single presets "offline" as you can with other similar devices. So far they have been quite consistent with the updates.

I'm still curious about the build quality. So far so good but have not had any gigs yet.
Would definietly recommend.

First of all, I am not any kind of a pro musician at all. I play at home to escape real life’s hustle and bustle from time to time, and achieving great tones is just pure joy for my soul. I don’t have too much space to store many amplifiers but I do want to play many. And here’s the solution - Quad Cortex. It has so much power inside of this box, and when you really think about it, the price is much less than it could actually be for everything you can get from it. Want a classic Marshall sound? You got it. Want that EVH5150 signature sound or maybe try out some Metallica presets? You name it. It can do so much and the best part of it - it does it great. It’s probably the best solution you can get as a home musician, whether you’re playing silently with headphones and recording, or even just playing through a real cabinet with a PA setup. It’s just great and that’s it. I am also loving the Neural DSP plugins which in my opinion are some of the best ones existing, and can you imagine that they soon will become available in Quad Cortex too? That’s a no-brainer really.

I've been waiting for this wonderful piece of equipment to arrive, after quite a lot of consideration. After the update to 1.3.3 it has all the features I need for my guitars and basses. I play extended range guitars, mist of them purchased at Thomann, and with a little work on editing it to my heart- and ear's disire I finally have the sounds and patches I was waiting for.

It is easy to use due to the 7" touch screen and easy to navigate. There are quite a bit good IR shipped in the QC, but also a lot of them downloadable via the Neural DSP Cloud, so the packages is complete and it sounds awesome. I really would like to recommend this product wholeheartedly.

This machine is amazing.
All reviews are true. sound is form another galaxy. only going through all the presets you can find sounds for everything you want to play. diving in means you need to be a "pro" due to the deep simulation.
noticed some flaws. volume button sometimes seems to be moving up and down one value. once i fired it up it had great noise in the output (xlr and ts) but after a restart everything was fine. one more time the screen seemed to be touched even though i didnt touch. cleaned it and again was fine. could be software issues but imo are minor and never noticed one again.
Superb purchase and i am super happy.

Tbh I was introduced by a proper guitarist who tours with his QC and says Kempers are converting over. I didn’t know what that meant (I do now). I’m still getting my head around the programming or navigation and captures but I love the presets and the captures my pal loaded up for me.

It’s real real close to the real mic, amp deal. In fact I sometimes struggle to get my mic, amp and pedal setup on point especially under time constraints. It sounds analogue and punchy and funky and rock driven and burning and broken without the usual digital tell tale signs. Really the best thing out there for pros on guitars.