I wonder what you live performers are all using as a backup solution when you’re using the QC direct to FOH on a live show (IEM only, no FRFR or stage amps) ?
Do you take other (modellling / capturing / multifx pedal) devices as backup with you ? A second QC ? Small tube amp ?
Did you ever need to execute your backup plan ?
I’d love to hear your thoughts, as I want to be prepared if ever the QC breaks down during a live show …
Rgds.
A Tonex pedal, delay and dirt pedal.
For backup, I keep a cheap and simple modeler with me - currently a Valeton GP-200. It can’t compete with the QC in terms of sound quality or breadth and flexibility of effects, but it will allow me to limp through a gig should my QC (or Kemper) fail. Just the basic sounds, one bank of rock and one bank of more pop/ballad-oriented sounds, that’s it.
And lately, I’ve added an extremely small battery-powered Mooer Prime S1 that even fits in my guitar bag to the backup arsenal. Again - not a full replacement but a crutch for a crisis.
If I was earning my living from live music, I’d probably have a second, identical device on hot standby - maybe even pre-connected via switching, so that it just takes one or two pushes of a button to jump from A to B.
The magic of the digital age makes this feasible for every serious live musician - just imagine carrying a second full-stack and pedalboard in a traditional setup…
No backup for me and I’ve performed 150+ solo gigs with it. It is the most reliable piece of gear I’ve ever bought.
As a (metal) bassist I take a Darkglass B7K Ultra V2 with me since it is small, has super nice clean and distortion / overdrive channels, a DI out and a cab sim integrated. I will loose a lot of the tones I actively use with my band (I tend to use an all in one preset utilizing all eight scenes), and the songs won’t completely sound as they are intended to, but at least I can get through a gig ok’ish having a clean and a distorted tone.
I’ve setup a Tonex with an HX stomp. I run the Tonex in the loop , and use the effects in the stomp. It’s actually a decent setup. More than enough to get the job done.
I still prefer the QC, and I’m still toying with the idea of getting a second one! 
I have my first show with the QC coming up in a couple of weeks and not having a backup option is making me a little nervous. I chose the QC specifically so I didn’t have to carry around a whole mass of other stuff. And in the six months I’ve had it, no glitches or freezes etc (touch wood). So there is no reason for me to think it will fail. But if it does… 
(I create a lot of ambience, pad-type tones etc. so it’s not quite as simple as a pre-amp pedal and away we go.)
You have to think about it in this way: Everything can fail. A humongous tube amp setup can fail without a warning, the power supply of an fully analog pedalboard can die a second before your biggest gig ever, etc. You shouldn’t be worried (or not be worried more) than if you would carry around a ‘real’ rig. I would even say you should worry less because now you only have one single thing that can fail and not multiple devices / pedals / amps of which every single one could fail. 
Edit: Maybe a small modeller like the hx stomp would be perfect for you as a backup. It fits into every backpack, gigbag or maybe even into your guitar case and can handle ambience tones quite nicely (as long as they fit into 8 blocks).
I have a Quilter Phantom Block in my “oh shit” bag that I hope I never have to use in case my QC goes down. It sounds…fine, but it has a built-in cab sim and can run off phantom power in case I don’t have a power supply.
I use a Boss GT-1000 I picked up used and inexpensively for a backup. No matter how dependable, there is always the chance that a piece of equipment can fail. I would never want to leave my bandmates in the lurch because I had no alternative at a show.
I try to make presets in my backup for any tunes we do that just won’t go off well without a customized preset - that and a couple of “kitchen sink” presets.
It’s not a bad idea to make your backup rig as simple as possible, but that is not an option for everyone. I find that periodically I need a refresher on my backup, and I will use it at rehearsal and at home occasionally when practicing. That way I can get my tone dialed in with the band for live usage and remind myself how it operates. Amazing how the switching and operation details can slip when you haven’t used something for a while unless it’s dirt simple. I’d rather not be fumbling too much or find out that the tones I dialed in on my backup are awful if I, horrors, have to switch over to it during a performance.
super-valuable advice! Any fallback solution that isn’t tested regularly in “real-life” circumstances isn’t really one I’d trust in the heat of the battle…
Great topic.
My main tone relies on a QC capture… if I was to get a backup for the QC, should I get something like a Tonex pedal or similar?
How easy it would be to capture my QC and use it on Tonex?
2 QCs for Guitar.
A DI Box / Darkglass Microtubes X Ultra for Bass.
If you really use the QC to its full extent (e.g. I’ve MIDI switched presets from a rack in the backline which is synchronized to the setlist of the show) then you cannot simply switch to a different device like POD Go or similar. It’s a lot of effort and time to maintain two different devices and even train your performance according to them.
If you’re just using the QC for fun (that’s pretty ok - no judgement!) I’d skip a backup device as long as you can borrow something from the backline of another band.
YMMV.
You could ditch the midi switching for your backup device. Step dancing is a lot better than not playing at all. 
I’m using a Peavey TripleXXX as a power amp with the Quad Cortex.
If the QC fails, I can still use the amp as such.
Yes, I know it’s a somewhat half-assed solution because I still have to carry heavy stuff around but then, when travelling light and using the QC directly in the FOH, I don’t feel the need for an actual backup.
I picked up a used Headrush MX5 for a backup. It’s tiny and sounds decent with some tweaking. It’ll work in a pinch and it’s super compact so not much of a hassle to pack.
Comming from Helix to the QC i found a cheap second hand Hx stomp for backup. Running a mono preset with scenes for rythm, chorus and lead…
it does the trick for live use, and its a really small thing, so it doesnt take up much space in case of emergency 
If i didnt rely upon lead playing and chorus/delay/FX id probably just buy a ToneX or Kemper player and just use the same captures as the QC, or better, just capture the QC
I’ve played 200+ gigs on it over two years and have never had an issue. I have an Adrenalinn III in my car should a disaster occur; I hope to never use it again. If Neural ever makes a slightly wider version i”ll probably buy it and make this one my backup.
I have a 2nd QC, but so far, have not had the first one fail. Had some other cheaper back up options for a while, but i have a fairly complicated midi setup and maintaining a resonable non QC substitute was too much work. So, in theory, if the first one should have an issue I should be back in action with exactly the same capability.