Likewise, I will switch. I was warned by a staff member in the UK’s largest guitar store when I bought my QC that he’d sold his due to the slow pace of updates - or in other words a general lack of support.
That was in the early days, and since then things have improved - somewhat. But I think of what he said to me several years ago as words of wisdom now.
The one thing the L6 have over every other competitor, from what I can see, is unsurpassable support for the product - to have a piece of hardware last 10 years, and still keep going is incredible, so I’d say this is a warning shot to Neural and all the others - look after your customers first and foremost, and they will show loyalty to you. And I don’t mean you have to kick out updates every other week, but you do need to LISTEN to what they want (yes, some features requested here find their way on to the QC, but many of the more basic issues are never even acknowledged, let alone addressed) and then COMMUNICATE, and nobody here can argue that communication has been a strength for Neural.
The good news for Neural however is that all of the things that need addressing are within their gift; whether it’s coming up with a QC version of Showcase, or even having a direct official presence on this forum, would go a LONG way to get people who have spent a lot of money buying in to the Neural universe, onside…
I think those were only feature updates. The overall number has to be almost at 40 updates (including bugfixes).
I mean in general i don’t care about the update frequency if the device is fine. (which the QC is)
Also i’m not giving a thing on whats to come, it has more to do with promising stuff which gets you hyped.
I’m happy with the QC as it is and as i said multiple times in this forum: i don’t buy a piece of gear if it can’t do what i want from it (i don’t care what the future brings) - and the QC delivered that!
But mentioning more Plugins, FX and QoL Fixes to come and not delivering these (or at least clearly communicating them) is the bad part i think. (or at least not communicating realistic roadmaps)
Company size isn’t the issue here, i think it’s organization or prioritizing some things over others.
I’m 1 of 3 IT Admins of an international event company, while we’re always working really hard, we’re creating Roadmaps after evaluating every scenario for upcoming changes. That way our collegues can clearly see whats in progress and won’t become inpatient or cocky.
Lets see what the Stadium brings, how it will sound and how it will feel. I’ll definitely try to get my hands on a Testunit just for Testing it A/B with the QC when they’ll release it. But it sounds promising.
And don’t get me wrong - I love my QC. But some OFTEN mentioned Feature Requests / QoL improvements are taking freaking looong.
Yep, the quad cortex form factors is a huge selling point, The reason why I’m choosing not to jump ship and buy a Helix Stadium or a tone master pro, due to its huge size and no capture/ profiling capabilities. I feel like you get better value for your money with a quad cortex in a small footprint.
I’ve built my board around the quad cortex, small, light and practical and I surely don’t want anything bigger. My board consists of a QC, Shure PSM 900 IEM Transmitter, and a Peterson Strobo stomp HD with my own customized offsets. Its grab and go.
Also stadium has only 2 effect loops so not an upgrade there. And only one input for the smaller version. So you have to get the giant stadium if you want 2 hardware inputs.
I certainly hope that Neural-Cortex product support doesn’t become the Headrush variety. They killed me with their Looper Board. Yamaha / Line 6 is ahead of the curve, but the price is extreme!
The price really isn’t extreme for the Stadium. The unit that’s similar to the QC is almost the same price, with way more capabilities (at least according to the specs). Fractal gear will run you the same, if not more tbh. A Kemper (non powered) head with a footswitch will be about the same as well. Realistically there’s no need for the Helix Stadium with an expression pedal, since you can get one for less than the price difference of the two models.
Would rather save space on a board if they have a view similar to the QC on the screen. I’m viewing the cheaper one as the direct competitor to the QC since it also doesn’t have scribble strips, an expression pedal built in, and is about the same price.
Hey there …agreed.
I was a Helix fan for ever and then turned to QC for the sound but then came face to face with all the complaints. Thought people were complaining for no reason but then I had the same issues. No updates , all they do is advertise their Apps ….and no one listening to the customers…. Then they ban me from this forum for having an opinion…after having spent thousands of dollars with them…
So Helix has just given me the reason to make the change . QC. Is a great product but the guys who make the decisions are not responsive enough to their customers nor do they honour their commitments. The Helix team on the other hand, listen and keeps to their word with consistent updates… & upgrades.
They are definitely raising the game ….
Exactly!
I cannot get it around my head that Neural is ignoring since years the very loud wishes for improvements of the footswiches (assign them to whatever and how much you want) for more macro control, MIDI expansion, and better snapshot/stomp hybrid workflows and of course the possibility to store several loops and use playback…
All of which should be technically possible and would make it the best device again…
Agreed except we don’t know that NDSP is ‘ignoring’ the request(s), they just haven’t implemented those specific QOL requests yet, otherwise it’s just speculating. IMO, the QC is future-proof, the architecture has the right I/O and hopefully within time, NDSP will deliver on all the QOL requests and hopefully PCOM (whether owners want it or not). I might get the new Helix just because I like gear to try etc. I like the QC’s footprint size, I like that the QC can capture locally (roughly 4 mins) and does not require being tied to the internet and or a PC/Mac to complete that process. All gear has some limitations but if your gear isn’t working for your workflow, it’s probably time to investigate a replacement. The realization is that NDSP will not provide an update that is inclusive of everyone’s wants and desires in the next one or two updates. Only NDSP is aware of what & when is coming next. I suspect some owners will move to the Helix and hopefully all goes well. There will always be another product that meets your expectations just around the corner. Currently, I prefer the NDSP eco-system. With the QC and Nano, I have what I need.
Well, that is not exactly it. I am switching back to my Helix Rack and most likely will get a Stadium of it is as well built as its ancestors for diverse reasons.
Some of them then QC can’t compete with. I have read that the QC is well equipped for the future. Yes and no…it has powerful processors, indeed, but from the problems and research I made jointly with the NDSP support team, USB is poorly handled, same with sensitivity to noise on the power line.
And this is hardware design, they can’t change it.
Sorry you are having issues and hope you have great luck in whatever direction you take gear wise!
Obviously not everyone has the same issues but that doesn’t matter if it messes with your overall production and work-flows. Life is short, enjoy it while you can and with the gear that works best for you.
Not to stray too far from the point, but has anyone played Line 6’s first foray into the digital amp realm - the AxSys 2x12 combo? Obviously we’re in a different era of gear, but one thing I will give credit to them for is forward-thinking ideas. That was in the mid 90s, and here we are 30 years later… the thing had different cab models, and the Line 6 ‘Floor Board’ that definitely inspired their later forays into floor modellers, Helix included. Curious what people would’ve said about that back then if forums existed
This. Why are we not allowed to hear a sample of the new algorithm ?
Quad Cortex sounds miles above a Helix. Its all going to come down to if this new algorithm is going to match the Quad. Helix is the worst sounding platform outside of maybe a headrush. I undertand why people gravitate to it for utility reasons . But the sound isnt close.
The Quad even makes the Kemper sound digital.
