So i’m considering buying quad cortex, however I keep reading suggestions about buying some frfr speakers or some pa systems. However there’s really not much to choose from, plus the look of those speakers isn’t really appealing to me in any way. Therefore i was wondering how much of a deal would it be if I purchased some standard guitar cabinet such as Mesa Boogie Rectifier along the cortex. From my experience, I own few Archetype plugins and tried to run them through Boss Katana MKII (which according to some website should almost work as a frfr speaker) to get some very terrifyingly bad sounds.
I play mostly at my pc so running cortex at home without cab should be alright, however we also have gigs with band and then I kinda need speakers of some sort to get mic’d. Any opinions on that please?
There are multiple FRFR systems available for just about every price point etc. Going the route of using a regular guitar cab is fine as well, then you need to provide the amplifier to hear the tones and again, lots of power amps to chose from for just about every price point. Lots of methods for multiple ways of achieving the tones you are after. Most like the FRFR as it contains everything you need being a powered monitor system.
I run mine stereo thru a Seymour Powerstage 700 into two 2x12 cabs, love my setup. Most of the pre-sets have cab emulation of some kind, so you have to turn those blocks off or it’ll sound weird. In my experience it takes a bit of tweaking but you can get some really great tones going that route.
I started using my QC with my mic’d tube amp but soon realized I really didn’t need to . I used it 4cm method first, then straight to the power amp section. I may still use it in the future but for now, I use a cheap powered PA speaker ( or two ) for monitors, and a line out from the QC to FOH. I like to use them in a wedge config in front of me on stage alongside of the PA monitor
The main advantage is being able to send a signal to the main PA ( FOH ) that stays the same level, and the signal I use for stage can be turned up to taste without affecting the FOH. I figure a powered PA speaker will give me a better idea of what I actually sound like in the mains. I’ve looked at FRFR speakers, but I haven’t felt the need for anything better at this time.
The best thing about the QC is you can set it up many ways with good results IME.
This is a very personal preference with a lot of varying strong opinions. Personally, I prefer using the QC (or any other modeler) with a neutral(ish) power amp and a real can for stage volume, and then running a direct out to FOH with a can sim. For me, it’s the best of both worlds because I get the feel and sound of a real cab onstage, but the ease of a DI to FOH.
This works for me for a few key reasons: 1, I don’t care about pure accuracy between what I hear onstage and what goes into FOH. As long as it’s close, I’m happy. So I just pick a cab sim that’s similar to my real stage cab. 2. For live use, I don’t need to change speaker types. I’m totally cool with using the same cab / IR for all my sounds, just like if I was gigging with a real amp and cab. So given those things, why get an FRFR to model a cab in the room, when I can just get a cab in the room? With this approach, I can also adjust my stage volume (within reason) without affecting FOH mix.
My recommendation for you if you also feel the same way is to get a power amp like a Seymour Duncan Powerstage and just run your QC into it, and out to your 4x12. Then decide if you wanna split the signal and send a DI with a cab sim to FOH, or just have them mic your 4x12. Either option would sound great.
I recommend the Friedman 12” FRFR. It sounds incredible and it has the build and aesthetics of a quality 2x12 boutique cab. The best of both worlds.
The QC works perfectly fine with a power amp and guitar cab.
I also use a 1x12 cab and poweramp and I love the setup.
To me it feels a bit more amp-ish than a normal FRFR monitor, but this is highly subjective.
I use a signal with cab sim to front of house and a signal without cab sim to my 1x12 on stage.
Again, it’s all about personal preferences. I had this same Friedman and I did not like it at all. Granted it was with a Helix and Kemper (QC wasn’t even a thing yet). I replaced it with a Laney FR-112, and liked that a lot more.
I only play at church so my QC goes directly to the PA. We went to a silent stage now, but before that I was using my Line 6 Power Cab 112 as a monitor on stage. It worked well for me. Now I still have it and use it at home when I do not want to wear headphones to practice. I keep the sound really low but it does seem to work well.
Hey brother any chance to see a pic of your setup?. I run guitar to input 1 on the qc, 3&4 out of the qc into both inputs of my PS700. Then one out to each mesa cabs
That’s what I was doing too, but I switched it up for two Powerstage 170’s a few months ago so I’d have separate volume controls. Also decided I wanted to get into the speaker emulation/IR thing live, so I’m using the flat response speakers from Celestion. I forgot the model #, they’re the 150 watts and I love 'em. I’ll post a pic tomorrow if you wanna see the rig. : )