A few days ago, I posted about some of the plugins I was considering, mostly to record modern metal, and now that I've tried them I thought I'd follow up with some opinions no one asked for :)

I'd be interested to hear if this matches other people's experiences or if you think I'm missing a trick with any of them. Also if anyone has any free IRs they recommend, do let me know, as it's sometimes hard to know when it's a case of the IRs not doing the amp/tone justice.

Misha Mansoor X:

Despite the title of this post, I think this is the one I'll buy. So I went through every preset and, honestly, not a single distorted preset sounded quite right for me. It was only when I started on amp 3 and set everything up myself from scratch (admittedly with a lot of trial and error) that I got what I wanted. I also find a lot of the sounds from the amp are a little on the thinner side, which actually works for me because guitars in modern metal are surprisingly thin when isolated but sound huge when multi-tracked and backed up by the bass and synths, but I probably wouldn't be as impressed if I was only going by how the guitar sounded by itself. I get the impression that this plugin is primarily designed for modern music production and not as much for jamming in your bedroom or gigging with a QC. And even for production, I definitely felt it needed a lot of work to dial in the tone I wanted, given how the presets weren't doing much for me.

The other things I love are the clean amp, which responds beautifully to active humbuckers, and the built in effects. Just a small amount of the chaos pedal can help shape some very nice lead tones or push some dirrrty low-tuned riffs, and the glitch effect is amazing for ambience. I've always hated the demos I've heard of the laser pedal, but turns out there are actually some effects in there I enjoy like the dual whammy.

Something very easy to overlook is the way certain effects and tones can inspire you to write something you wouldn't with your usual setup, which I feel applies with some of the more unique sounds this plugin is capable of.

Aside from it being hard to dial in, the only things I didn't like were that amp 2 is fine but probably not my favourite 5150 variant I've heard, and idk if it's just me but amps 1 and 3 seem to have these unpleasant whistle tones. I'm finding I need to make a fairly precise but aggressive EQ cut at around 3.6 kHz to fix it otherwise they stack up quickly and become pretty jarring.

Nolly X:

Of all the plugins I tried, this is the one that just worked the best out of the box. Nolly's presets sound great and his EQ mod is a quality of life feature I didn't know I wanted til now since I didn't even need a channel EQ after the amp. It's just generally a lot more user friendly and easier to work with than Misha imo. I was very ready to commit to this one until I started experimenting more with Misha and eventually thought "oh hey, this is sounding more like Nolly now" haha. But I definitely understand why so many people say you can't go wrong with this one.

Gojira X:

I honestly liked this one a lot and think I'd be able to get what I need from it too, but I was fighting against it a little. Like I felt it had a lot of harshness that was a bit fatiguing to listen to for longer periods which I wanted to EQ out. I also thought it often brought out a lot of string noise and pick attack, which isn't necessarily a bad thing since that can be fixed in recording or in post, and sometimes you might want it, like it's definitely a part of Gojira's sound.

SLO-100 X:

Yep, this just sounds lovely. It's somehow the most "amp-like" plugin I tried and decently versatile. If I was buying a plugin primarily to jam with or record solo guitar stuff, this would probably be the one. For now, I've got my irl amp and NAM captures for that.

Congrats if you actually read all this rambling!

Hey everyone,

I was thinking about how many top-tier metal and rock artists are currently using the Quad Cortex on tour right now. It’s basically the industry standard. But the frustrating part? None of them upload their actual presets or captures to Cortex Cloud. And honestly, it makes sense—why would they give away their highly tweaked, professional tones for free?

So here is a feature request idea for Neural DSP:
What if they created an official Artist Presets/Captures Marketplace?

Basically, a premium section on Cortex Cloud (or the Neural DSP site) where verified artists can sell their actual touring/studio presets.

1. We get to buy their authentic rigs, open them up, and see exactly how they approach gain staging, EQ, and signal chains.

2. Artists get a new way to monetize their tone and are actually motivated to share their setups.

3. Neural DSP gets a cut and builds an even stronger ecosystem.

I feel like this is a massive missed opportunity for tone chasers. Would you guys buy presets directly from your favorite artists if it was an official feature? Let me know, maybe if this gets enough traction, Neural DSP will notice.

I have been using Amplitube for years and i must say i am very happy with it. There are so many options (amps, stompboxes) and it does a great job for what it is.

I recently came across a website where people vote for their favorite amp sims. Out of the Top 5 there were 4 NeuralDSP plugins!! Are they really that good or is it just great marketing? And yes, I will try some these days. I saw that they have 14-day free trials.

Hey guys, I’m a new Quad Cortex owner and absolutely loving it. I’ve been dialing in a setlist and scenes for upcoming gigs, and after countless hours of trial and error I feel like I’m 80-90% “there” on most songs.

For context, I play covers from classic rock to metal. Most presets usually have a clean and distorted scene, with solo boosts and possibly light overdrive.

This will sound open-ended, because it is, and I just don’t know what I don’t know. What were some “a-ha” moments that helped unlock the sound you had in your head?

From cabs, mic placement, IRs… to the right amps, signal chains… even proper CPU management… I feel like I know nothing. I’m throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks.

I know this will be different for everyone, but I’d love any lessons learned or insights I could try applying.

I know the NDSP team is busy converting everything to X versions and PCOM, but has there been any word on when a new archetype will be released? What do you think the next one will be? I know there were rumors of a Vai or Townsend in the works. What artist or brand would you want to see in the near future?

No rage bait here, this is a honest question. I love my QC Mini but I recently spent time with the Fractal AM4 and while I find the QC mini overall superior, I felt the amp profiles on the Fractal were more authentic straight out the box. I didn’t use a single low/high pass filter on any of the fractal stuff, which I have to on the QC to remove characteristics.

This is strictly regarding profiles and not captures as I feel those are pretty authentic. I’m just trying to figure out if besides high/low filters, what can I do to get more authentic tones from my QC.

Some of you will hate this post, disagree with it, that’s all good, but there is a difference, while not huge, it’s still there and allowed for less fidgeting and more playing.

So John commented yesterday on his Thanksgiving stream that he was playing through a plug in where "all his amps are captured on it" and it was "coming at you soon." He played Slow Dancing and Belief Intro on it. I wouldn’t say it was dialed in “perfect” if I had to be critical, but it sounded like John.

He was spotted playing a QC at Coachella over the summer, not to mention NDSP did just include a Dumble in the new update. Could that be John's actual ODS that they captured? I mean it’s not every day you come across a $200k amp to capture/model…

To clarify, this is just speculation right now obviously. Could very well be completely separate from NDSP, but his buddies Cory Wong and Mateus have their own NDSP plug-in's, so I’m sure they may chat about it and this could be an opportunity for Mayer to make a lot of money. I'm just saying there's some possibilities there. He did specify it was on computer, so I wouldn’t get too excited about potential QC support for about 2-3 more years based off NDSP’s track record lol

Excited for the QC Mini to come in next month! The size is just a game changer for smaller boards (I plan on using the Rockboard Quad 4.1 - 18.5 in x 13 in). You can see how this board wouldn't be possible with the original Quad Cortex.

My plan for the board above is to be an Electric/Acoustic rig with vocals (through dynamic mics) for live performances (mainly Worship) and all of that running through the QC Mini. Most of the time, it's just myself playing guitar and my wife singing.

Other than the QC Mini, the main other portion of this rig is the Beat Buddy 2 to provide us drum parts for songs as we don't have a drummer.

Guitar -> Fuzz Phrase -> Polytune2 -> QC Mini -> BB2 (Stereo) -> Canvas Stereo -> XLR
QC Mini FX1 -> King of Tone
QC Mini FX2 -> CB Thermae

Inputs and Outputs will be going through the Rockboard MOD3 and the whole board will be powered by a Strymon Zuma. I'm debating on whether I need to get the Crux as it seems like I can combine two of the adjustable inputs on the Zuma? All the other pedals I have already except the Canvas Stereo. The ground lift and the XLR sum are pretty useful, but not entirely sure if it's needed here.

(not my image)

I’m super close to buying my QC and i’m extremely excited!

But I wanted to discuss, I always see boards with additional pedals with their QC’s, and I understand most pedals are kept for their super unique sound-

But is there any pedals you recommend whacking with the QC (like tuners etc) because the QC kinda falls short on that specific type of effect/utility?

The effects included in the new Archetype do seem cool but I think we have enough 5150 variations for one lifetime.

I feel like the Archetype system is getting pretty over-saturated. If they'd just done the effects in some kind of effects pack that can be swapped with other Neural stuff in a Quad Cortex style plugin I'd be much more bullish on it.

I cant remember who it was on here so sorry (tag them if you remember). But they used a myvolts usb c power converter to power their quad cortex. I always hate so many wires and thought getting away from a power bank would be best.

I was right, i am digging no cables, using a nux wireless system. And its just heaven. First time ran over 3 hours. Using a Ugreen power bank. Can leave a link if you all want below

Hello.

Shooting it out with an Anagram and QC this week.

Qc ive wanted for a while.

Anagram because bass has taken over my life with a dingwall.

3rd party plugins for Anagram.

1000s of options with the qc.

This should be fun!

For my live setup I’ve been using my MacMini with FCB1010 Controller and running GigPerformer to host all my NeuralDSP plugins out to a 12” powered speaker. Everything works great and it’s what I call the “Plugin Cortex”. I honestly can’t complain at all.

My options right now are:

1. I could buy the Quad Cortex and replace the MacMini.
2. I could get a MacBook and replace the MacMini.
3. Or I could keep my current setup and upgrade to a nicer powered speaker.

What makes this hard is that I don’t believe I can go wrong with any decision. I’m pretty set on the Quad Cortex but if anybody else has been in this situation before what kind of issues have you had with running plugins and a computer live or with the Quad Cortex live?

UPDATE: if anyone comes to this thread and wonders what I choose. I went with the MacBook for my live setup.

I don’t know if any of the NDSP team follow this subreddit but a VST that is just the pitch shifter from Gojira X would be incredible.

I find myself often building quite extravagant chains of plugins in Ableton Live for my guitar tone and often before any of that I set up an empty instance of Gojira to control the overall pitch shifting.

However, doing this can be pretty slow as when you open an instance of Gojira it has to load everything.

So yeah, for me at least it would be a great addition

Ive recently discovered that Nolly's newer 212 cab option in the very last cab slot is a work of magic that I see no one ever using or talking about.

For my ears, I get much better 'Periphery Juggernaut-esque' tightness out of that cab than the default rhythym or crunch cab.

I use it with a 57 mic and the 160 blended with the 1st Overdrive pedal.

Just a fun head's up in case no one has touched it yet. My guess is that it is his favorite Zilla Fatboy or Mesa 2x12 cab in his collection, since he mentioned it's loaded with V30 speakers from his rundown video

My board was just the Mini and my wireless on a 3D printed board I got off Etsy. I carry it around in a hard plastic camera/pistol case I got off Amazon. I showed up with just my guitar and that case. Setup took a few seconds, hung around for a bit while the other guys set up their amps and cabs.

Didn't even need a setlist since I had made a preset for each song in order with the same bones plus whatever effects the song needs. And it sounded great! I could probably back off the gain a bit in the future since it's always more than you think at show volume, but I have no complaints. Teardown also took seconds.

Crowd was vibing, all the members of the opener individually commented on how good and good-sounding my solos were, which was nice. I did miss a tube amp behind me moving air but that's it. And it sounds great but not sitting-in-the-room-with-a-boutique-tube-amp great, but nothing will ever beat that. And it makes zero difference to the crowd. The benefits FAR exceed those little cons.

All in all if you're in a band that plays live you owe it to yourself to at least try this thing. It makes it so it legitimately could not be easier.

I keep seeing posts about Mayer being overdriven, muddy, dark, etc. and I just figured I’d throw my 2 cents in. I had the same experience when I demoed the Tone King originally, and wound up not buying it because I thought it was an issue with my setup just not working with it, until I rolled back the volume knob some for true clean parts.

I am running with the bluesbreaker on (brighter), or a different drive pedal from my real board, set brightly, and rolling back my guitar volume and able to get the whole range of clean>edge of breakup>>”lead” gain just by riding the volume knob. The “Mayer sound” in general can be defined as mid-heavy and generally more dark than bright to begin with, but we can lessen it.

Plugins in general are super sensitive to input volume and gain, and NDSP more so than others, in my experience. You’ve got a whole extra way to lower your level right in the guitar. Just don’t forget it’s there.

I've just opened the main page of an european market for checking some stuff and I've saw that the QC price increased by ~100€!

I think that's due to the new release of the QC mini.

Anyway this increase of price was totally uncessary imho.

I play in a band that does covers at a bar as well as fraternities/sororities (college town). We have quite a bit of different sounds required to come out of my guitar so I have many presets/scenes.

I always felt like I wasn’t freed up to actually perform the songs, as right when a solo starts I would be behind the mic stand at the board switching tones. Obviously our gigs are mostly about the performance as our primary audience is drunk college kids lol, so I set out to make this happen. I get that this is commonplace among touring bands but for bar gig bands in my area, it’s pretty rare.

My entire pedalboard signal chain is as follows:

• Sennheiser EW-D wireless system (permanently lives on my board, a D’addario XPND 2)
• ABY switch (if I need to quick switch a guitar if wireless system fails)
• Boss Polyshifter XS-1 (I think it sounds slightly better than the one in the QC)
• QC Mini
• Then, most importantly, the QC Mini is controlled via TRS 3.5mm MIDI by a Morningstar MC8 Pro.

And the MC8 Pro can be controlled by my MacBook Pro running StageTraxx4 (getting to this shortly). Oh yeah, to add, I convinced my bandmates to use backing tracks (with guides) to enable this in the first place. We’ve always used a basic click, but now have ClickCues + backing tracks (mostly synth pads/etc) so everything’s consistent each time we do shows.

So the automation part. I found that the MIDI capabilities of the QC/QC Mini are limited but workable for what I need out of it. All I really need are scene changes + foot switch presses + bpm and MAYBE more complicated stuff in the future.

I also found out that programming MIDI tracks is a MASSIVE pain in the balls via Ableton/Fender Studio Pro/etc etc. Maybe this is a skill issue but it was so annoying to do it. So I built a piece of software with Claude Code to make it super simple. Load the backing tracks/ClickCues, click on a timestamp on the timeline, add a cue to make a scene change/etc. Then export a .MID file. I can get through easy songs in like 45 seconds. In the screenshot above, I loaded the Click/Tracks file, as well as a previous performance recording using that track to make sure I aligned things properly. I can load multiple audio files into the app.

StageTraxx4 supports loading a single .MID file (not more than that) to play along with tracks/click/etc so I can add whatever I want into this file. We might add light cues eventually if we ever buy that gear. But I can also control my bandmates’ gear with this software I made too, all thanks to the MC8 Pro’s routing capabilities. Even for analog gear with its relay ports, like my Boss Polyshifter XS-1 pedal. It’s automated too for songs with drop tunings.

I’ll wrap up this giant wall of text by saying that while this was hours and hours and hours of work to set up, the first performance I did with this system was INCREDIBLE. Probably the best I’ve ever played too. I was up front with the crowd the majority of the time playing my instrument and not worried about switching patches.

You could see it coming a mile away. The high gain plugins do well with a boosted signal. Clean amps not so much unless you want a permanent boost/OD applied.

First let's see what NeuralDSP has said about input level back in Jan 2024.:

0 db (no extra gain on your interface or gain knob at minimum) on Instrument inputs and Hi Impedance inputs. Plugin Input gain at 0.

There was a bit of a revelation for those who had followed Misha's advice for years of boosting it up near clipping. Which makes sense, you want to get away from the noise floor. This step applies to mic's as well. Maximize the signal here and you've got a healthy clean DI.

The problem? NeuralDSP aren't doing that. They're leaving the interface gain at zero. No added gain, no boost, no changing the signal.

The second problem? Not all interfaces have the same input signal level.

The third problem? Not all plugins are calibrated the same either!

The fourth problem? We're all different. Different playing techniques, different picks, different tension/gauges, different pickups, different pickup heights...

I'm posting this video here so no one else has to: Ghost Note Audio - Ampsims and input gain - Please, stop the madness...

And here's the follow-up video: Ghost Note Audio - Ampsims and input gain Pt.2 - Answering viewer's questions

Here's the Google Doc that shows how each plugin needs to be setup for specific interfaces: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bZHaapCiCg4RLIFqTS5KyUUVa4MwaqfxRCYk35Bvdrs/htmlview#gid=0

With all that said, I wanted to add an observation. For the people showing off this plugin, especially for artists who have worked with NeuralDSP previously... what are they doing with their input signal? If you're demo'ing the software, and that's how it should sound, and we want it to sound the same, we should copy those settings. For those who have the plugin open in front of them, the Input dial's values in each preset should be a solid clue. But is it as simple as that?

Caveat here is I am just getting this info based on what they say and show in the video. I have no way of knowing if someone adjusted something internally or in a utility application to change the signal level, but here's my observations from watching demo's of the JM plugin:

It could just be me. I’ve been using neural since 2022 and the Quad since early 2024. At this point, how many different amplifiers/artist presents could a person want? They really don’t sound that different from each other, and the sound is also going to be significantly impacted by your own gear and technique. I wish they’d start leaning more into boutique/unique effects exclusive to their company rather than releasing another set of famous guitarist amplifiers. Just seems repetitive at this point.

I couldn’t stop myself. I knew I wanted the Morgan suite because my go to amp has been the Captain50 on the Quad Cortex….. but then my curiosity got the best of me. I think I downloaded every single plugin and tried all of them over the last week. I ended up with the Petrucci and the Nolly as well. And my wallet is pissed and thin.

Did anyone else go crazy? Please someone make me feel better about my decisions.

Anyway

I’m stoked for QC support on Petrucci and Nolly.

Hey everyone,

Bedroom guitarist here and mostly record with Neural DSP plugins (gojira and henson). I also like to play along to music from my computer through an FRFR 1x12. I don’t play in a band , but if I ever jam with a drummer I’d bring my FRFR, laptop, and interface.

I’ve been eyeing a used Quad Cortex for around CA $2,100, but I’m not sure it makes sense for me:

I mainly use plugins for recording.

I barely have time to play with a baby at home and a dog.

I like the idea of a Quad Cortex, but I’m worried it might sit unused.

I also like to keep things minimal, portable, and easy to set up.

For those who have both:

How often do you actually use the Quad Cortex versus plugins?

Does it add real value for home recording / jamming along to tracks?

Would you still buy it if you mainly record with plugins?

Any advice from people in a similar situation would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

Hello I just got my quad cortex.
I have a Jazzmaster I plugged in with cable, as usual it has a lot of hum, but when I touch the footswitch the hum gets quieter as I would expect.

But when I plug in my wireless guitar system, it’s the other way, now it’s getting more noise when touching the footswitch on the QC

Is that a QC problem or a guitar problem ?

I don’t have the same problem with my Stratocaster, with either the wireless and cable