Long-Term KEMPER user switches to QUAD CORTEX | MY 6-MONTH REVIEW
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 25. 01. 2023
- I have used a Kemper since 2017 and was extremely happy with the tonal variety, quality of product, and overall ease-of-use. When Neural DSP released the Quad Cortex, I was intrigued and it ultimately led me to purchasing a unit of my own. Was the switch worth it? Do I have regrets?
Check out the video for my take on it!
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Fellow switcher here... helix to kemper to quad cortex. All have their merits. Pleased with QC, especially how easy it was to capture my rigs. Never got great profiles with my Kenper (my fault, I'm sure), but have had no issues getting pleasing captures with the QC. And the interface, to me, really is the icing on the cake.
We definitely live in a great time for guitar gear!
Iâm using the kemper stage with a yorkville ps12p and matching subwoofer sounds crushing!
If you have a small MIDI controller you can set it up to toggle Gig View without having to swipe the screen and get instant access to the tuner as well. I have an MC3 set to do those two things and also quick toggle between Stomp and Preset modes.
Iâm researching because I want to buy a modeler and of course Iâm considering the QC. Your videos have been great in actually seeing how the unit works and having up-to-date info from an active user. Thank you!
Not a problem. I am currently also using the Headrush MX5 (video to come on that one soon) and without spoiling the details, I would strongly suggest considering that one as well if looking for a lower-priced option.
@@DCFGuitar awesome Iâll keep my eyes open for when that video drops thanks!
Have the QC, Kemper Stage and ToneX. All very good. For me the QC still not having the desktop editor is an issue. Sound wise I feel the QC has the edge but not by much. I think the Liquid Profiling for the Kemper upcoming will make things more along the lines of the QC. ToneX is great but itâs just the amp side and not an all in one. If someone already has a pedalboard they love grab a ToneX to go with it. If you want an all in one canât go wrong with the QC or the Kemper. If you want to edit on your PC grab the Kemper.
Dave Mustaine and Kiko Loureiro ,The Guitarist for Megadeath have both been touring with the cortex, Their on in ears and everything is on a clock so all effect changes are synced up and it`s quiet immpressive, For the sound and ease of use after set up with the size and convenience It`s a great product,Thanks for sharing,
Thereâs even more bands and guitarists using the quad. Iâve seen them asking questions etc in their forum.
I used Kemper, Helix, and FM3 before Quad Cortex... I gig twice a week and did at least 60+ gigs, changing between captures/amp models/IR's/stock cabs/artist presets/custom presets/etc... I never was happy with the amp tone though. I recently sold the Quad Cortex back for a Kemper Stage, and I am SO satisfied with my tone again. Kemper feels better under the fingers (I'm a bit more sensitive too "feel" because I play with picks and with fingerstyle). In my opinion, profiles retain more dynamic range than captures do resulting in a more amp like response in sound & feel. Though I feel like the UI and effects flexibility is a downgrade, the tone is definitely an upgrade.
Glad youâre enjoying the Kemper stage!
I have a polytune on my board coupled with my QC purely for the fact that I have a Floyd Rose and the polyphonic tuner make it WAY easier. I hope that a feature update could add a polyphonic tuner. As far as making the expression pedal bring up the tuner when heel down, I don't think you'd want that. It'd be ok if it was purely a volume pedal, however it's a parameter controller that can be mapped to literally any number of block parameters. At most you'd just want that to be an option that could be enabled.
You could, in theory, double your scenes with toe down/heel down settings as well.
For my personal use, I just typically use the expression pedal as a volume pedal so it would be nice to have that option (Kemper allows this and I'm sure Fractal does as well). Agreed on the tuner!
I too switched from Kemper to QC. One thing I surely miss is the morph function. I really hope QC adds something similar on a future update.
Yes, morphing was great!
@@DCFGuitar looks like plenty of requests for a similar function on the QC forum. đ€
Throw a little Morningstar MC3 on your board. Use one switch for GigView, one for the Tuner maybe one for Crunch. I have the MC6, works great. Mine is mounted on a Pedaltrain Jr Max. Temple didn't make a board in the format I wanted.
I am definitely going to take a look at the MC3 if they ever have stock of them again!
I am selling my Kemper. I bought the QC and it is so much easier to use, good tones without the hassle.
Nice vid, did you capture your Kemper profiles? My buddy did it with his Kemper and the captures came out great.
Alas I did not.. but I have not been disappointed by the captures Iâve found on the Cortex Cloud for the most part. Thanks for watching!
@@DCFGuitar if you still have your Kemper give it a go!
For the kemper pedal problem you need a buffer for the cable.
Thanks for the video Dustyn, I've been a Kemper user for many years, I am thinking about changing to QC. In my case I am only interested in knowing wheter it sounds better, more realistic, more like the real deal or not. What dou you think abou it? Thanks before hand!
Sound alone, I wouldnât necessarily do the switch. Form factor, ease of use, and âfuture proofâ is definitely what convinced me over the Kemper.
@@DCFGuitar Great, thanks!
Excellent video! Thanks. Which amp do you connect the Quad Cortex to?
I usually just run IEMs onstage but I am looking into the Friedman ASC-10. I have also had good luck just running it into the fx return on a variety of amps
@@DCFGuitar thanks for the reply. Iâve had the Quad Cortex for a few days with the 2.0 update. Moved from Helix LT to the QC, and love it so far.
Nice video.I had a QC for 3/4 year and sold it becaus in my ears it sounds not ok for me. I had issues with grounding and noise. And the firmware updates what i had in the time are not that what they prommised before when they announced it.
But please explain why do you think, Fractal reeleses every 6 month till a year a new product?
I have heard of some of those issues you described. Sorry to hear that the QC didnât work out for you!
Not meaning to knock Fractal products, as they are great. I just found that they release new products much more frequently than competing companies which makes their legacy hardware go down in resale value quicker than it maybe should.
@@DCFGuitar The Axe 3 came 2018-19 i think.And followed by fm3 and fm9 and MK2 and Turbo...all because of the avalability of some hardwarecomponents the are not on the market.
I think it?s ok that when this happens they can change some things and make things better đ
The Axe 2 is in europe already around 1000-1700âŹ. i Think thats ok for "an old" Product.
The qc has a stange hiss for me in its tone waht i could not handle for my ears.I tryed every tip and it wont work for me.
For myself I have not seen any benefit of going to QC. I have a wall of real Marshall's, Bogner and EVH but when I record at home, the Kemper is the go to for me. I haven't used it live though I easily could. I haven't tried the QC myself, but the demos I've heard are no better than the Kemper imo. Other then the physical size why switch.
Been following the QC, as an upgrade from my Helix Floor, but the common theme seems to be 1) overall quality control of unit, especially with power supplies 2) No marketplace, and 3) No PC editor. I told myself I was going to wait another 6 months to see how things develop, nd also see what Line 6 has to offer as their next generation Helix, which many feel is coming later this year.
I love the quad and I love the fact Iâm not tied down to a computer. It feels and sounds better than other modelers imo. Amps and pedals will always come first but love this thing. Plus, itâs cool as hell to fool with. The UI is great. Helix and kemper for others. Iâll be selling mine. There were so many typos sorry about that. I type too quick and donât double check. Just came back. Forgot I had posted on here. Kemper sold. Quad stays. Helix for sale next.
1) What quality control? Research better, because there are no quality control problems. Also companies these days don't send power supplies with smartphones, so the fact it has a power supply is a plus. 2) There is a cloud for user presets, and it is good. 3) The PC editor argument is BS. There is nothing you can't do on the QC, and the PC editor is not needed when the unit has touchscreen, wi-fi and audio interface capabilities.
I was going around the internet and reading BS things about the unit, bought it and sold 2 of my amps, and a helix because the qc sounds better.
P.S.Better than the amps too (hard to mic and record properly).
Interesting video! However after seeing it i think iâll stick with my Kemper stage⊠the phone app negates the small screen gripe⊠after more than 5 years professional work with either the toaster or Stage the Kemper & no issues⊠i ainât convinced on the need for changeâŠ
The Kemper is amazing no doubt! Glad youâre enjoying it!
Had KPA switched to QC. No ragrets!
Great video! Do you have any presets you could share?
Check out this video! Links in the description for presets
QUAD CORTEX | MY TOP 3 TONES!
czcams.com/video/324EdoThZ_c/video.html
What are your thoughts about incorporating the GT1000 into the mix of the Quad Cortex? The modeling amps available on the GT1000 are helpful and amazing! How can I switch back and forth between these two units!
Easiest option would likely be an A/B switch to your amp or front of house mix, but you're likely going to have EQ differences between the two units unless you do a lot of tweaking.
@@DCFGuitar THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR RESPONSE TO MY QUESTION!! As time goes on, I imagine many players will want to incorporate the GT1000 into their playing alongside the Quad Cortex!
FYI: Years ago I worked for "Frank Fink" in Reseda California (miss him tremendously)
@@GOD_BLESS_THE_BEATLES The boss stuff is great! Lowest latency in the segment!
Thanks again for all your helpful insights!! Yes, I thought the GT100 was GREAT then I purchased the GT1000 and it was off the charts!!! So, I want to incorporate it into my sessions!! A friend in Pacoima Ca was Trudy Fink!! Oh, In the picture are my son and I at Abby Road!!
A couple of years is a LONG time to wait for some PC software.
Anyway, I'm poor so I'll buy the Valeton GP 200 and save a few thousand dollars.
Have you tried Fractal or ToneX ⊠?
I seem to prefer profilers rather than modelers (better tone for country, blues, I think) ⊠and the ToneX seems to be the next step in profilers (I agree with you that the Kemper and QC tones are very comparable).
Fractal still seems to be the standard for modelers, which I might prefer if I were a metal player (the Fender seems to be the biggest competition to the Fractal (in modeling), now ⊠but mainly modeling of Fender amps and nicer UI, whereas the Fractal seems to remain ahead otherwise, at least until Fender starts making updates âŠ).
Cheers!
I havenât tried either yet, although I realize the (deserved) hype around both units. I would like to try the Fractal stuff at some point for sure. It certainly is a great time to be a guitar player with so much great gear available
ToneX is the best for captures⊠waiting for the pedal form
Yea, I saw that little leak, I dont own anything but a tube amp and pedals, well, besides my pc, and I was going to get a HX stomp, but I think I might hold off and see what happens with the Tone X
Everyone is going to freak out when the Kemper 2 is released.
Dude idk, there was a data breach with the QC that wasnât taken care of until the public started bitching about it. Iâm not having my amp steal my data. They havenât come through on their promises either. Iâm looking into buying my first digital amp and was excited about the QC but Iâve decided Iâm going kemper.
I hear there is a Kemper 2 in the works as wellâŠit will be cool to see what they come up with when the new version finally comes into production
@@DCFGuitar oh nice! Iâll wait and see what they come up with
Used market is very strange looking a Reverb at least, there is one at $50 under retail, the rest are at or over lol
Agreed!
Are you using a cab with the QC?
I am currently exploring my cab options for the QC... I am leaning towards picking up a Friedman ASC-10.
Fractal releases a new unit every 6m to a year and the resale value is nil? What are you talking about, Axe-Fx III was released 5 years ago and still sells for just a few hundred below new.
Itâs silly to me though that they still havenât released a editor for it the QC yet. Its 2023 for crying out loud. The whole cloud system with it is dumb in itself. Everything you said though is vaild. I had a QC and wasnât impressed.