is a great workaround , especially with a multibutton MIDI controller like the Morningstar MC6 Pro . that bypasses the capture in case you want to use your own amp . The same functionality applies to selecting one of five onboard IRs by turning the right footswitch . Like the captures , a bank of lights tells you which slot you ’ re on , and you can bypass the IR functionality via the ‘ unlit sixth position ’. This is a GREAT workflow that makes it easy to dial in your own tones . In combination with the knobs , it makes for very amp-like experience !
EFFECTS The ‘ effects ’ blocks ( Adaptive Gate , Transpose , Chorus , Analog Delay , and Reverb ) are fixed in type , model , and order ( amp captures sit between the Transpose and Chorus blocks ). While this might change with future firmware updates , having a set order aids in seamless transitions between presets , most notably when it comes to delay and reverb tails . Chances are the unit is operating in more of a snapshot versus preset mode , which is why this is a really smart move . I ’ d much rather be able to seamlessly switch between sounds with spillover than have more options that cause my delay and reverb tails to cut off . And yes , if you switch from a preset that has delay to one that doesn ’ t you still get your tails .
The Amount knob edits intelligent ‘ global ’ effects functions like delay and reverb mix levels . Deeper editing happens easily via the Cortex Cloud . To choose which effect you want the Amount knob to control , push the small push button just to the right of the Amount control . One of seven sequential blue lights will flash providing visual feedback for the block you ’ re adjusting the level for . Holding down the push button engages on / off functionality for each block .
While I ’ d much rather have one of Neural ’ s groovy compressors instead of ‘ Transpose ’, given Nano ’ s size and intended use , I can simply grab a compressor pedal when I need one . As noted , when I heard preset # 2 in John ’ s demo , I immediately loved the sound of the Analog Delay and ‘ Mind Hall ’ Reverb . Both sound amazing and could easily get me through any gig . By nature , analog delay is not full bandwidth and has an ambient quality that is perfect for worship . It ’ s also not as ‘ pokey ’ as other delay types and like the more ambient delays I ’ m using these days for worship , it does require tapping the tempo in to sound great in the mix . The ‘ Mind Hall ’ Reverb is a model of the Lexicon 224 Reverb which is my favorite reverb for studio and stage . It sounds and feels great in the mix and under your fingers .
Arguably the lack of tap tempo functionality is the most glaring feature that is missing from this firmware iteration . If designated tempos are a big deal to you , you can use one of the BPM to milliseconds conversion charts on the web so you can write the desired millisecond setting on a preset by preset basis via the Cortex Cloud app . Holding down the right footswitch activates the onboard tuner and toggling the left footswitch engages and disengages silent tuning . I could easily see this functionality being adopted in some way to engage tap tempo in a future firmware update .
CORTEX CLOUD Pushing the Exit and Capture buttons on the face of the unit starts the synch process for the Cortex Cloud app for iOS and Android . This workflow makes it super simple to create song by song presets that you in turn push to the Nano . If the lack of tap tempo is a problem , this
As far as a workflow goes , the amp-like knobs and various push button selectors on the face of the unit make it super easy to dial in great tones . If deeper editing is needed ( I wanted a shorter decay on the reverb ), synch up the Nano to the app and let your fingers do the walking . And if you want to grab some free captures from folks like at Worship Tutorials and Tone Junkie , have at it !
CAPTURE Like the QC , the NanoCortex integrates Neural DSP ’ s state-of-the-art capture functionality for taming your favorite amps in the wild . While this isn ’ t something that most worship musicians will actively do , it is something that we will benefit from since the price of entry required to enter the Neural DSP world just dropped significantly . More and more people will be able to bring their favorite amps into the ecosystem for you to try out . Since everything on the Cortex Cloud is currently free of charge , this is great to way build your arsenal .
POWER AND RIGGING Although the NanoCortex does not ship with a power supply , the 9-12v DC , 600mA requirement means that you can easily power it via pedal board power or via a Truetone 1 SPOT . The ability to toggle captures , IRs and effects on and off from the face of the unit means you can easily use this with a massive array of setups , with and without amps or cabs .
THE WRAP This is one of the best designed products I ’ ve ever used and it ’ s a ton of fun to play and operate . Like the QuadCortex , the metal casing speaks of build quality as do the encoding footswitches . I ’ m lovin ’ it !
$ 549.00 MAP NeuralDSP . com
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