Hey friends.
I am interested in selling my FM9 for a Quad Cortex. I am not really in the QC community, or super familiar with NDSP as a company; but what is the general sentiment around the current QC hardware… do we expect anything new to come out? Is this not the ‘best time’ to buy?
I would love any thoughts or opinions on this. Thanks!
That’s a broad question and will garner a broad range of responses.
May I ask, why are you interested in selling your FM9? What types of features do you need in a modeler? What makes you interested in the QC in the first place?
Tired of the fm9. Just want something new. I prefer the UI of the QC from what I’ve seen.
I suggest trying one for a week. There seems to be many content with it like me, and many complaining about it or buying it and expecting or wanting something else. No one can answer the question for you, and boredom with another device doesnt mean you will like this one.
I’ve used an FM9 a little the past couple years. The Fractal UI has to be one of the worst ever made. I think their stuff sounds great, but whoever is programming their UI has to be from another planet.
The UI for Neural is very intuitive, aside from some kinks here or there. I’d suggest trying one first to see if it makes sense with your workflow.
A big gripe I have with Neural is their super limited midi and foot switching options. But it’s worth it for the size, and ease of use compared to some other modelers.
Thanks! This is a tough one for me as someone is supposedly buying my FM9 from me today (with my plan to buy the QC later). Part of me thinks it’s a bad idea. Like the Fractal UI is bad, yes, but you don’t have to deep dive on all the possible menus and parameters available - you can just load up a amp/cab and be done with it.
The other thing I am concerned with is the sheer lack of amps in the QC compared to Fractal. It’s not even close! So part of me thinks I will give giving up something really special in a way…
All that being said, I do want to see what is on the other side of the fence!
Really depends on your needs as a player. Do you need more than 8 footswitches or gapless preset switching? Then I wouldn’t suggest the QC.
If you need a modeler with a smaller footprint that’s easy to navigate without needing a laptop to adjust presets, or a specific Neural plugin modeler? Then I would suggest the QC.
Having used both, I think the models and effects are overall better from Fractal but I already have QC and don’t think the extra money I’d pay to get Fractal would make sense.
Is there a specific need for the QC or just that you’re bored with the options on the Fractal?
Thanks for the reply. I think I’m just looking for something new. The desire to switch isn’t really a “need”; I’m not in a band or project. Honestly, most of my interest lies in the UI/UX, ease of use, and the overall software experience. I’ve had the FM9 for three years, and despite having over 300 amps and countless reverbs and other fx, I haven’t really put any of them to good use. I’ve probably only explored about 5-10% of its capabilities. So, the idea of going to a smaller list of amps and effects doesn’t seem like a big deal, but I do worry about what if I ever wanted to use a really obscure reverb or effect… I can’t…
I am using my Axe-FX III with an FC-12 Foot Controller for more than 5 years now. There are so many things that you can do with it that are not possible with my Quad Cortex (e. g. giving the foot switches the possibility to engage another action when pressing it long). The UI maybe looks a bit outdated on the Axe-FX, but routing is much more flexible than on the QC.
When I first bought my QC I returned it after 2 weeks. The build-in sounds did not convince me (and it had a hardware problem with input 1), it was not easy for my to adapt my workflow on the Axe-FX to the QC. One year later I gave the QC another try – the game changer was the implementation of the Plini plugin. I found the sounds I wanted, some things I am still missing; and I am not amused how slow NDSP implements the new effects and plugins I own (Rabea, Misha Mansoor, Petrucci). Regarding that Fractal is doing a much better job. But for my day to day practicing I really like the QC.
Thanks for the honest take. I think that level of flexibility that is possible with the Fractal is something I take for granted at the moment!
I’ve had both fm9 and QC. I just like using the QC better. Fractal has more of everything but it’s just not nice to use or program. I’m weird. I like editing in the unit itself. Touching the knobs. Gives me that tactile feedback. Clicking on a trackpad (for fM9 editor) just isn’t as satisfying.
I’m team QC all the way.
The limitations of the QC aren’t deal breakers for me.
I think I am in your camp. Oddly enough, it’s the Cortex Control software that has me more excited about QC than Fractal… that being said, how often do you program on the device itself vs. the computer software?
I’m about half and half. The cool thing about the cortex control is it really mirrors editing on the unit fairly closely. If I just have a few minutes to play it’s nice not to pull the laptop out.
I understand your suggestions … Editing on the Axe-FX III isn’t exactly a breeze. That’s why I usually use FX Edit—and it works great on my Mac.