NEURAL DSP QUAD CORTEX

Every now and then a watershed product comes along that changes the way people look at a certain strand of tone-creating technology. A few years ago, Kemper did just that with its still-impressive profiling amps. But with the advent of DSP’s Quad Cortex, the bar of tonal authenticity just got raised again. Like the Kemper amps before it, the Quad Cortex can emulate the tone and performance of your favourite analogue valve amps by running a test signal through them and generating a digital profile you can play through. But its preset amps are enough to get lost in by themselves. No, it isn’t a nightand-day leap in quality over other high-end profiling and modelling gear here – but there is a tangible uptick in natural responsiveness and ear-beguiling tone that is so involving. If you’ve ever been left cold by modelling or profiling tech, it’s worth having another try with the Quad Cortex as the combination of its easy touchscreen operation and stellar sounds might just tip the balance. It could use some more effects, but these are likely to come in future updates and in the meantime the reverbs, to use just one example, are among the best we’ve heard in a digital floorboard. Superb.