Neural replace my AUDIO INTERFACE?

Quad Cortex
1

I’m using my QC as audio interface because the latency is better than my Clarett 2Pre, but I’m wanna know if there are an option to disable Neural activity or something similar when I’m not playing guitar. For example when I’m listening or mixing my tracks and theses tasks maybe take hours without play guitar.

What do you recommend?

  • Only use QC for guitar recording?
  • Use QC for recording and mixing?
  • Use my Claret as Audio Interface an QC as input for the Clarett?
2

You could use an empty patch.

3

My take is:

  • If you enjoy recording pure DI, use whichever device you prefer in terms of latency and DI “quality”. You can then use the QC to reamp via USB from your daw.
  • If you enjoy recording wet (or wet + DI), I’d definitely go QC. The wet will be identical (up to latency compensation) to DI → reamp, so you can play with you core tones and the nicer feel of wet vs DI, but then reamp the DI as needed once you have a good take.
  • In terms of mixing, it doesn’t really matter unless you can hear a difference between the QC and Clarett. Do whatever is more convenient in terms of workflow (e.g. you don’t like having the bulky QC on your desk, or you want to record multiple instruments/mics simultaneously).

Specifically, I don’t think it makes sense to connect your QC as an input to another interface:

  • Latency will be worse
  • You experience an extra unnecessary round of DA - AD conversion.

However, if YOU feel sound quality is better that way - go for it.
If you find it annoying to disconnect and reconnect going back and forth between the interface and QC, stick with the interface.

What I do is the following. When my QC spends more time on the floor, I use an interface by default. When the QC spends more time on the desk (exploring the device, building presets, reamping etc), I drop the interface.

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4

Worse yet, not using the QC as your interface restricts you from all the available USB routing available etc.

5

Thanks for the explanation, but do I have to use QC as audio interface if I want to get both dry signal and processed signal? Is there a way I can do it using my scarlett 2i2?

6

There are ways, but they’re all somewhat awkward.
For example, if you have a free lane in your preset, you can just run e.g. In 1 to Out 3 and feed the interface with that, while another out with the wet sound will go to another input on the interface. But that assumes your preset has room for an empty lane.
Using the QC, you can just send the DI via USB regardless of the preset.

You could also split the signal and send one path to the interface and the other to the QC, then to the interface. But now you may have latency issues, plus you need another device for the split so extra complications, and also the input signal is weaker, possibly leading to lower SNR etc.

1 Like