Not to sound like a QC fan-boy (though I am) but I want to throw in my 2-cents about posting on the forum: I’ve noticed some recent posts that come off as a little self-righteous and/or indignant.
I’d like to put things in perspective (at least my perspective) …in this era of instant gratification, when was the last time you bought something that you were completely satisfied with? I’ve been using guitar multi-effects processors, modelers and modeling amps for decades. Although many have been great, each one has had flaws and features (or lack of) that I wished were different. Some were just limitations of the unit and some were features that didn’t necessarily work for me.
We all bought the Quad Cortex knowing that it was Neural’s first hardware device and that it would be a work-in-progress while they fine tune the firmware. I too, have found myself posting in a frustrated tone about little glitches and limitations, and have had to remind myself that the QC is still in its infancy. This lil’ monster has the processing power and hardware to do even more incredible things. I am not a software programmer but I’d imagine that it’s often like a virtual game of Whack-A-Mole. I sometimes have to remind myself that working out bugs and adding user feature requests takes time to code and test.
For the sake of fairness and good will, please try to create posts that are constructive, respectful and kind. It’s that old “flys with honey” thang. More importantly, don’t let a few small frustrations keep you from enjoying an otherwise well-built, cleverly designed and great sounding piece of equipment.
As if I haven’t said enough…I’ve had my QC for less than a month and, of course, run into a few head-scratchers. I want to send a group thank you to some kind and generous co-pickers here on the forum (you know who you are). Thank you for sharing your time and knowledge. It’s really helped get me up and running quickly and make the most of this cool device! I take comfort knowing that this is a place I can turn to for help and to glean general knowledge. Thanks folks!!
if you took the time and read all the posts, it seems like you missed the main issue.
most of the posts are talking about fundamental features that was promised by neural 2 years ago, but, on 2.0 update post, most of us understood the main issue is communication. (i wont elaborate because i said it to many time before).
how can people be constructive , when they ask legitimate questions and get ignored? (this forum exist for a reason)
this is two way street. some accepting this situation with more understanding, and some less. this is not your or my place to judge anyone.
this is exactly the problem, won’t you agree? we as consumers shouldn’t need to accept it.
same as you, i am using multi effects for the past 20 years, and yes, there was problems on each and every one of them, but, i have never encounter such poor communication from any company, and the reason i am writing it , is because i would like to see it improved by neural. there is no joy in that.
somehow it seems wrong when people who paid A LOT of money for this unit demanding information about promised features from the company. it doesn’t mean we don’t love the QC, everyone have the right to ask as many questions for any subject as he like, until he satisfied with the answers he gets.
we want to see this unit developed and successful no less than you. but, when someone posts “less constructive” and “more emotional” comment, he got all the right to do so. (as long there is no personal attacks and cursing)
When you say it’s not my place to judge, you don’t mean with statements like “if you took the time to read…”, do you?
My post was not about judging other forum users or whether we have the right to ask questions (of course we do), it’s about how someone asks and whether or not their method is constructive. I apologize if you feel that my post was somehow judging you. I don’t know you and it was never meant to.
I agree that Neural’s input on this forum could be better but their communication is still better than some manufacturers I’ve bought from. Regardless, after waiting for two years for whatever you believe you were promised, if you feel that your posts are getting you the results you’re after, please proceed with my under-read yet non-judgemental support!
The thing I don’t quite get, though, is that I would be happy to have paid £1500 for the quad cortex as it was when it arrived. It’s an astonishing piece of equipment. For me, whilst companies have the capacity to continually update, the expectation placed upon this, and the sense that that is what you are paying for is baffling. You paid the money you paid for a unit that can provide almost any sound you could desire.
The updates are of course part of the longevity of the product. But you paid the money you paid for a unit with four high power processors, an intuitive display and the capacity to model any amplifier and many many pedals. This idea that a company owes you more and more content, continual improvement whilst there is no additional income, and that without this the product is somehow not worth it or disappointing, is baffling.
So I agree. This company incorporates so much of many of the feature requests and so much of the feedback is listened to and acted upon. It’s also managed to continue on the project whilst dealing with component shortages due to and alongside a global pandemic.
The entitlement is an issue and regardless of frustration should be tempered.
I agree! Fixing a true defect or a serious bug is one thing but becoming angry because a feature you want has not been added is a date with disappointment.
i think i was very clear with my comment. i do love my QC!
i have never spoke on the sound quality or the unit build , or anything like it.
and i think no one with a right mind would spent 2000$ if it wasn’t sound as good as this unit sounds.
i am not asking them for anything more than what was promised to come shortly after lunch . i didn’t came out with the idea of an editor, or plugins support, or any other feature neural published on lunch.
Being that I was just a casual observer in the early days, I guess I missed some of NDSPs early statements. Out of curiosity, when and where did they state that they were creating an editor and plug-in capability? It does mention the plug-in capability in the v2.0 manual so I assume it’s in the works.
I was initially a little disappointed that there was no editor software but after learning to use the onboard touchscreen and swobs (switch/knobs), I think it’s faster and more intuitive than any editor software I’ve used. Everybody works differently, though.
There are a lot functions that should have been available in the initial release, though, especially the plugin integration. I don’t think it’s too off-base to be a little peeved about that. If it wants to compete with other modelers, it should at least have the baseline of what those other modelers have to offer. For me, the hardware is a hit, but it does, at times, feel like the software side was a little undercooked at the beginning and is kind of lagging to fully live up to the hardware. Sometimes I get the feeling that the features requested by it’s users takes a backseat to what the devs want.
Unfortunately, a lot of people seem to have wildly unrealistic views on how quick and easy software development is.
Porting a whole set of plugins that have been created over a period of many years, to all work on one hardware device is not a small task. I don’t know the details but I’m sure I’ve seen that some of these plugins might not even work on all OS’s either, which is also a project in itself.
The amount of entitled complaining is quite ridiculous, and at points almost makes me regret buying into the system. Especially when people think they need to reiterate their complaints to makes sure they are not ‘forgotten by the dev team’.
Potential users will likely come to the forum before buying (I did and lurked/read posts for a bit beforehand). If all they see is people complaining about some feature that is not yet here, but that we have all been told very clearly is still on the way, they might be put off. In which case they might not buy a QC, which then affects Neural’s sales, which could potentially affect their devlopment budget for the device, and would therefore affect the timeline for those features being completed.
If you want to arrive sooner, shout about the device being great (shouldn’t be hard, it is), spread the word and encourage others to buy one. The device is seen more widely by other players, more people then look into them and potentially buy too. That all translates to Neural seeing more sales, having more revenue from the device and having a higher budget to hire more developers and complete development faster.
TLDR:
Complain more → development might slow down
Promote the QC more → development might speed up
All good points. I have no problem with folks expressing their wants and dissatisfactions but delivering them with outrage and demonizing NDSP publicly doesn’t help anyone and, as Tomfs said, might even hinder development.
Sorry you saw my post as a lecture, I didn’t intend it to be. As I said, it’s just “my perspective” on how to express our grievances in the most productive manner. Your mileage may vary.
I couldn’t agree more. I’ve been using modellers for 20 + yrs and they all have their positives and negatives. I always purchase any piece of gear, be it an amp, guitar, or modelling device etc, for what it can do at the time of puchase. Not what it may do in the future.
This is the inherent risk you take when entering into any retailer - customer agreement. Any added functionality I view as a bonus. I understand the promises and raised expectations at the launch of the QC, but I also believe that they are continuing to make advancements which all users will benefit from.
It’s my biggest frustration right now. There just has got to be a desktop editor. I just don’t get why there is not one and in my opinion should of been something that went hand and hand when creating a hardware device in the first place. I bought this with the notion that one had been in the works for awhile. I know they want to do things right but I would much rather have an editor than another plugin ( I use both the QC and their plugins ) which I see is on the way. The QC is great and the plugins are equally awesome, I just want them to be louder (have better communication) with the things they were and have been working on and time frames of when those things might happen, including Marketplace.
Same here. To be honest, it’s is reaching the point where it looks like more and more people are selling it and the value will surely drop soon, especially now that Tonex has come out which has basically made it’s point of differentiation null and void. I just think they’ve taken too long to develop the device and add new features and when the next all-in one device comes out at a cheaper cost, everyone will jump.
I think you are right.
I just put mine on Reverb. Instead I’ll be using a FM3 together with ToneX pedal. Great effects, great captures. Only the form factor is a step back, but I’ll cope.
I might come back, but not before the desktop editor and plugin integration.
