Hello everyone,
I’m completely new to the Quad Cortex. I’m connecting my analog pedals to it — specifically: tuner, compressor, overdrive, distortion, and an ABY switch.
What’s the best way to integrate them into the signal chain? Should I place them at the very beginning and then connect the last pedal directly to Input 1 of the QC — just like with a regular guitar-to-QC setup?
From an analog perspective, none of these pedals should go into the FX loop — is that also true here? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help!
The plan is to use the ABY switch to route the signal either to the Quad Cortex or to a tube amp. That’s why I want to keep all the pedals before the ABY — so everything is available in both signal paths. I could remove the ABY and use a split within the QC instead — but that would mean introducing a digital component into the otherwise fully analog signal going to the tube amp, which is probably not what I want.
Thank You in advance and tips!
Put the pedals in a loop and put the ABY at the end, with one output going into the loop input, and the other output going to your amp (i guess, but then where does the output of your QC go?).
Gotta be honest; not really sure what you’re trying to achieve or, more importantly, what you THINK you’re trying to achieve. You can do it all in the box; you don’t need a tuner (QC’s tuner is great), the QC has plenty of ODs, compressors, and distortions, and you can route things as you need by using FX loops, so extra pedals are a bit superfluous, but the ability is there.
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I understand the desire for having your analog pedals available to go to the front of a tube amp, BUT I don’t think “analog good, digital bad” holds weight anymore.
As an exercise, try plugging your guitar directly into the QC. Explore the compressor and overdrive/distortion blocks on tap in there, then send the signal out to the input of your amp. You might be surprised to find that you no longer need your analog pedals in the first place.
Ultimately, do what sounds good to your ears.
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Yes! Totally agree. I had a big fancy pedalboard with a switcher. The QC does a great job and no cables to go down.
I have two clean amps with effects loops and run them in 7CM with the QC. Amazing stereo effects. Some of the best tones I’ve ever had. Not as flashy as a tightly packed pedalboard but way easier and I think sounds better and no soldering!
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So, does the loop in the QC work differently than in analog tube amps? In analog tube amps, you typically place only effects like chorus, reverb, or delay in the loop, while any overdrive pedals should go directly after the guitar. Am I right?
I’ve checked that placing all the effects I described together generally works. What would be the disadvantage of doing so? Why is it better to place them in the QC loop?
What do I think I’m trying to achieve? Good question 
When I’m home alone, I want to use my tube amp with analog pedals - it’s loud and fun. But when my whole family is at home, I play through the QC on headphones or silently through FRFR. I also record by connecting my familiar old interface to the QC. By setting up my “hybrid” rig this way, I believe I won’t have to make significant adjustments to the effects to get more or less the same sound on both routes. Initially, I had a separate QC chain and effects for the tube amp, but I wasn’t happy with that — it meant dealing with two completely different setups. Does it make sense? Am I going in the right direction?
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Sure, I completely agree. When I play anywhere outside the house, I only take the QC with me. But maybe I’m a little old-school, and I just like the vibe of tube amps and some effects
It all depends on where you place the FX Loop in the QC; with the pedals you’ve described, you’d want them before the Amp block. Then, you’d probably want another loop coming from your amp’s preamp to come back into the QC for time-based effects (and then back out again into your amp’s power amp section).
I’d make two patches; one where you use your real amp and one where you stay inside the QC.
It’s definitely possible, but it’ll be a cabling/power nightmare lol.
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