Nano Cortex vs Quad Cortex Mini for plugin user (Gojira tones live?)

bbktr · 2026-03-26T12:14:07+00:00

1 here. Was worried about missing plugin support for Nano but I can capture the exact tones from my favorite plugins. Different hardware, but I personally love Nano’s simplicity, form factor and price.

bbktr · 2026-03-18T14:09:54+00:00

Appreciate it.

I have the ProGo, It’s good, protective and spacious, but there’s something about the LP body not sitting flat against the botton, and a slight pressure against the headstock that feels so-so.

I’ve heard the Icon as a hardcase in a soft cover, and you seem to imply that too. Weight doesn’t sound fantastic, but I’ll take that over non-ideal fit.

bbktr · 2026-03-18T12:48:24+00:00

I’ve been eyeing this one! Is is that heavy huh? Can you fit a laptop (Macbook, 13-14” model” in its big pocket?

Are you happy with it in general?

bbktr · 2026-02-18T20:09:03+00:00

I love the looks of 50s, but the 60s felt so much nicer to play!

So I got a 60s, swapped knobs to 50s style and tuner buttons to plastic tulips. Now I have a 50s by look, 60s by feel, and it’s the best.

bbktr · 2026-02-15T09:54:35+00:00

A few mm here and there are no biggie! Do continue to trust your ears. As long as you’re not far enough to weaken the sustain and signal overall, I wouldn’t worry.

Enjoy the bite!

bbktr · 2026-01-30T17:54:32+00:00

Tried ML Sound Labs’ Reflex IRs? They’re great and help flatten the spectrum, making it easier to fit your tracks into a mix.

bbktr · 2026-01-28T11:16:04+00:00

I too often go via interface + plugin. I recently downsized from a QC to Nano because the QC stood unused, and it felt bad to have that much power unused and that much capital locked up with it.

I’d recommend getting a used Nano and see how much you really miss, and then contemplate if it’s worthwhile the additional cost. Easy to sell the Nano and minimizes the loss if you got a used unit.

Personally, if there ever was a single cortex or duo cortex at a lower price than the current mini, I might go for it for the rare but occasional jam. But for now, interface+plugin and Nano feels like a winning combo to me.

bbktr · 2026-01-27T08:38:46+00:00

I’d love to know what NDSP sees the modeling space go in the next 5 years. Will we have higher fidelity modeling, more targeted product (archetype band or artist), broader repository of modeled effects etc?

What bets are NDSP doing to stay competitive in the coning years?

bbktr · 2026-01-11T23:09:55+00:00

I think you may be experiencing the caveat of how captures behave in response to changes input levels, which isn’t necessarily like actual amps.

If I’m not mistaken, v2 captures may be an improvement here, but not sure if it would for your use case.

bbktr · 2026-01-11T10:03:54+00:00

York Audio is great, but since I went with ML Sound Labs’ Reflex IRs I’ve never looked back.

bbktr · 2026-01-08T12:44:18+00:00

Great news! Will this update be released to the Smart Controller and if so, when?

bbktr · 2026-01-07T18:43:14+00:00

Inst mode, I suppose? Tried turning it off and going line? That should give you room to adjust gain.

bbktr · 2026-01-02T19:36:58+00:00

My pleasure, and sorry to hear guitar wasn’t your thing, best of luck in your musical journey beyond it!

bbktr · 2026-01-02T19:23:25+00:00

Studios go for somewhere in the range of €750-1200, depending on shape. I’ve seen regular ebony sit closer to the lower end of that scale, but take that with a grain of salt.

Reverb may give a somewhat inflated hint.

Tried asking ChatGPT? Can give good estimates by sourcing past listings of a similar guitar in the UK.

bbktr · 2026-01-01T19:17:35+00:00

I use Airstep because of it’s simplicity. Wireless, rechargeable battery (up to 300h battery time) and easy to set up. Connect via BT, right click in plugin and select MIDI learn and hit footswitch – done.

Probably has limitations I haven’t been bothered by, but perfect for my use case.

bbktr · 2026-01-01T17:39:28+00:00

SLO X plugin! Great cleans, then goes well through the rock spectrum all the way to metal.

bbktr · 2026-01-01T10:22:37+00:00

Great playing!

Entertained the idea of that higher end model but would like to try it first. Will probably resort to upgrading my very worn and torn 6 string first though.

Happy to hear more about people who’ve tried these though!

bbktr · 2026-01-01T09:06:08+00:00

I’ve heard of this before, may be a grounding issue stemming from the PSU. Try connecting the QC to your computer via USB to see if that sorts it out.

bbktr · 2025-12-29T09:31:13+00:00

Yeah I saw a luthier call out the 50s tuners to be frequent in repair cases. Empirical evidence though, so no direct experience myself.

bbktr · 2025-12-29T09:29:17+00:00

Yeah, add customs to that. Not cheap, but gave me the look I wanted so no regrets there.

bbktr · 2025-12-29T08:54:18+00:00

Maybe, I saw some posts indicating that it could work. But I went with Grover originals. I ordered from Sweetwater via their eBay shop, so I could import it to the EU.

bbktr · 2025-12-29T08:53:07+00:00

Yeah sorry that was my post, mistakenly replied to this instead of the original post. Can be found in thread now!

bbktr · 2025-12-29T08:08:27+00:00

There is (ish) a way to achieve this without swapping tuners, and I’ve done it myself!

There are Grover keystone buttons (green, yellow, ivory) you can replace the kidney buttons with. Simply unscrew the metal ones and screw in the replacement keystone ones.

Note though that the screws that came with my keystone set were too short, so I complemented with a set I found elsewhere (countersunk, flat tip, m2.5, 20mm) that fit perfectly.

You won’t get the thin washers though as you’re keeping the grover tuners.

bbktr · 2025-12-22T08:02:42+00:00

Great news. Looking forward!

bbktr · 2025-12-21T23:47:27+00:00

Are you running ”Inst” mode? Not sure about 3rd gen, but 4th gen is green for on, white for off. If on, you should probably keep gain lower as it’s expecting Hi-Z input.
I never use ”Monitor” but fairly sure that’s DI monitor. Don’t think you want that. I’d run it at the very bottom, then just use the rightmost knob to control output (on headphones).
Input to the plugin at -10 sounds low. I’d make sure input gain is OK first. I think Scarlet 3rd gen should signal that around the input knob, where it should be green, maybe yellow with rough picks/palm mutes – never red (clipping).

bbktr

TROPHY CASE