Glossary

A machine-learned snapshot of a real amp or pedal at one specific set of knob positions.

The central idea of this device. It is not an amp model: you can't re-voice the preamp, because the capture only knows the settings it was taken at. This is why a capture taken clean will never break up the way the real amp would.

A higher-resolution capture format.

The Nano Cortex can play V2 captures but cannot create them — V2 creation is Quad Cortex only. Anything you capture yourself on a Nano is V1.

A measurement of a speaker cabinet and microphone, used as a filter.

On this device the IR Loader is your cab simulator. Ten factory cabinets, five microphones, six positions. Turn it on for anything full-range; turn it off when a real guitar speaker is doing that job.

Short for cabinet simulation — the IR Loader on this device.

The single most consequential on/off decision you make. Two speakers in series sounds boxed-in; no speaker at all sounds fizzy.

Full-range, flat-response — a speaker that doesn't colour the signal.

A guitar cab is deliberately not flat, which is why you need a cab sim when playing through anything that is. Run the IR Loader on into FRFR.

A device that safely absorbs an amp's speaker output so you can capture it without a cabinet.

Mandatory for capturing an amp head. Connecting a tube amp's speaker output directly to the Nano Cortex can destroy both. Named examples: Two Notes Torpedo Captor, Suhr Reactive Load IR, Fryette Power Station, Universal Audio OX, Radial Headload.

Direct injection — a clean, unprocessed instrument signal.

Two meanings here. A DI box converts an instrument signal for balanced runs. And USB input 1 on this device is a dry DI, so you can record an unprocessed take alongside the wet one.

Sending a previously recorded dry track back through the pedal.

Record the DI on input 1 while tracking, then route that track's output to output 3 later and re-record the processed result. Lets you change the amp after the performance.

Tip-sleeve is an unbalanced cable; tip-ring-sleeve carries a balanced signal.

The main outputs here are balanced TRS. Using a plain TS instrument cable costs you around 6 dB and some clarity — an entire forum thread about this device's audio quality resolved to exactly that.

Hum caused by two pieces of gear having different ideas about ground.

On this device it's overwhelmingly caused by powering over USB-C while running unbalanced cables to other gear. Fix with the DC jack, the GND ground-lift switch, or balanced cables.

Setting levels at each point so nothing clips and nothing is buried.

Awkward here, because there's no global input level or pad. The GAIN ring blinks three times when the input clips, and the LEVEL ring does the same for the outputs.

The per-preset output level, from −24 dB to +12 dB.

Hold CAPTURE for two seconds to reach it. This — not the LEVEL knob, which is a global master — is how you level-match presets.

Disables the knobs and footswitches so nothing changes by accident.

Hold EXIT for three seconds. It's also the answer to “why do my knobs do nothing”, which is common enough that Neural DSP put it in the FAQ.

A group of five captures, cycled with the BANK button.

Five banks of five, plus a User Library where all five capture indicators light at once. Banks hold captures, not presets — the BANK button won't give you more sounds under your feet.

Storage for captures outside the five footswitch-adjacent banks.

Save here when you don't want to occupy a bank slot you're using.

The Nano Cortex's firmware.

Worth knowing the version, because NanOS 2.0.0 in April 2025 changed the device fundamentally — before it, the effect slots were hard-wired with no device choice at all. Any tutorial older than that describes different hardware.

Neural DSP's account system, mobile app and website for captures, presets and IRs.

The mobile app is the Nano Cortex's only editor — there is no desktop version. Custom IR uploads happen on the website rather than in the app.

MIDI Program Change selects a preset; Control Change adjusts a parameter.

The 64 presets map to PC 0–63 automatically. CC can bypass slots, set expression position, tap tempo and open the tuner.

A Quad Cortex feature that does not exist on the Nano Cortex.

There are no scenes, snapshots or per-preset variations here. Any guide that mentions them is describing a different device — which is a useful way to spot unreliable content about this one.