Feature Request: Instrument Modeling

Quad Cortex
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#1

This is a longstanding and deeply desired request of mine - to be able to use my one main instrument (that I love) and convert that input signal to accurate and usable models of various iconic (and user exchangeable) instrument models. It seems like we finally have a platform that would have the power to perform this plus amp and effects modeling simultaneously. Can I use my incoming QC to “convert” my Les Paul into a 1962 Strat or a 1958 Gretsch 8120 or a 1937 Martin D28? And then, could I then run that in parallel with my unadulterated LP signal through the QC amp modeling?

If that was possible (to do it, and convincingly), I would be over the moon and you would already have a lifelong customer and fan.

Apologies if this has already been discussed - I am trying to acclimate to this forum!

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Quad Cortex Wish List
#2

Is anyone else interested in such functionality?

2 Likes
#3

I’m interested but it’s a tall order to have it work with any guitar and pickups. A mode that might be able to morph a Strat neck pickup to a Les Paul’s isn’t going to be as effective with a Tele.

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#4

I’d be interested, but I believe it’s not easy task.

BUT

you can probably add this pedal as capture?
https://keyztone.com/product/keyztone-exchanger/

and it comes with a 30 day money back, soooo you got 30 days to capture

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#5

In the AXE-FX I’ve used his Tonematch capability to match my acoustic guitar against my PRS:

Insert a Tonermatch block, select the source (an Input or USB Audio), start source capture, play any riffs direct to input or from a recorded track (perhaps a miced guitar) with your acoustic. In the next step you play the same riffs with the connected E-Guitar. Done. Now, with the Tonematch block the PRS nearly sounds like the acoustic guitar. I’m using this sound live for a few songs and it works great.

I guess, this would be possible with the QC, even better because, thanks to phantom power, condenser microphones can be connected directly. I wish this will come in a future update. Than you could match your Les Paul against your Fender or what ever.

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#6

Thanks - this is a good option for a pedalboard, but with the amount of computing power in the QC it would seem like small beans to replicate what this is doing - plus, I am interested in dual routing with 2 different guitar sounds into two separate signal chains and two separate modeled amps so I would need to leave the QC then come back into the QC which makes it complicated when the QC has the power to keep it all under one hood.

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#7

This is an interesting approach as a stop gap - it certainly should work here as with Axe Fx III, but a fully modeled virtual instrument would respond maybe a bit more convincingly. I will have to try this though to see. Thanks!

#8

can’t you capture the pedal? or I missed something.
If you can, you capture each pickup and save them individually, then you insert them in your rig

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#9

i think your feature-wish runs totally against the DNS of an average guitarist, in search for always the next guitar adding to the collection and hoarding many guitar :smiley:
haha, sorry, that was not meant so serious, but you know, its also really fun to own different instruments and deal with their personality.
even if a strat would sound the same as my les paul after a sonical transformation, the feel will not… and i do definitely play different on strat, than on a tele, than on a les paul, and than on a Gretsch as well. and the sonical character is only a small part of the whole experience of an instrument.

the question though is, what is the goal in this instrument modelling?
if you play at home, for yourself, its very easy to identify the different sonics of each instruments an have a joy of it, but its even more joy to actually play real guitars that are different.
but if you are playing live in front of an audience, no one would ever care or hear if that is now a les paul model or a tele model.

one thing though is, that i really see a benefit of, is to turn your electric guitar into an acoustic guitar, because it actually is really sonically very different and does have practical use if you just need to strumm a few chords in a verse and then switch over to the distorted electric guitar in the chorus, with just pressing a button on your controller :slight_smile:
same as beschmitt, i do have an AXE FX tonematch that is able to turn my electric guitar into an “OK” sounding Acoustic Guitar with just a switch, its OK for live and rehearsel space, but i would never use it for a studio application. a real and good acoustic guitar just sounds so much better.

Many years ago, i tried a Line6 Variax Guitar, i dont know if you are aware of these instruments, but they do simulate different models… it think it was ok, but not more… i also think Roland has some sort of things in their programm with their Virtual Guitars

cheers!

#10

The Boss GT-100 has what I think Blanket is asking for. It has Tone Modifiers to change tones to and from types of guitars and type of pickups.

Humbucker to single coil
Single coil to humbucker
Solid body to hollowbody
Probably a few more that I can’t remember.

I use the humbucker to single coil Modifier and it sounds great. I like it better than the real tapped single coil sound of most of my guitars through the Boss. It not only sounds great, but since I’m using a humbucker there is no hum to pickup from the crappy power and lights at some of the places we play.
I’m looking forward to the QC to replace my Boss for both better tones, more IR’s, and ease of programming. If I can use a QC amp model, IR, and EQ to get close to what the Boss single coil Modifier does to a humbucker sound I’ll be happy. I can always go back to using real tapped or single coil sounds too.
I haven’t used any of the other Boss Modifiers so I can’t comment on them.

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#11

The variax from line 6 is absolutely this. The Shuriken is an outstanding piece of gear for on the fly switching of types of guitars and tunings. That being said, it required the variax connection exclusive to line 6 products. An alternative method is peavey’s ACT guitar modelling inside of their revalver software. It profiles the sound of your guitar and applies a model of a strat or les paul…etc in the signal chain. ANOTHER method could be using Izotope Ozone to profile your guitar and eq match compare with other EQ profiles that you make. It would take some work to setup, but could give you some decent results.

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#12

It would be a great feature. The reason it is not really practical is because a guitar pickup is not a full range frequency capture device. So, if you send a limited frequency range to any effect processor, and then try to run it through some sort of iR capture of another kind of pickup, it isn’t going to fill that profile completely.

For example, if you think of a full range reference microphone as a 5-gallon bucket, a guitar pickup might be a soda pop can. Some guitar pickups might be a 20-oz, some might be a 16-oz, others might be 12-oz.

If your pickup is the 12-oz variety, there is no way make it sound like a 20-oz through eq’ing or boosting. You might be able to fake it if you have the 20-oz variety, and you want to mimic the sound of a 16 or 12 oz variety. Maybe.

The modeling guitars use a midi pickup to capture a more full range frequency and use it to trigger samples of the guitar you are trying to mimic. It’s a completely different process which does not use the guitar pickup’s audio and then super-eq it into something else, which is what you’d be asking the quad cortex to be able to do.

#13

I know that Blue Cat Audio has a plugin that can do exactly that, and from what I’ve heard, it seems enjoyable. I feel that it’s possible to take the coding and technology from ReGuitar, processing from Keyztone Exchanger, and maybe even some acoustic pedals, and put it into the Quad Cortex.

Perhaps in the future, maybe even split the signal into four “different guitars”? (Good stereo separation for metal guitars or unique and interesting layers for cleans for example).

#14

I completely agree that this would be an awesome feature.
I’m kind of anal about having the same tone on stage as I have in the studio, I also tend to try different basses for different songs to see what fits best with minimal processing, however, some basses are not comfortable live and I do not want to carry more than one instrument to a 45min gig…
Something like the Tone Match or Match EQ would be awesome for this purpose.