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Reference
Reference

Installing captures, step by step

This is the part of owning a Nano Cortex that people find genuinely obtuse. It isn't your fault — the work is split across three places and no single source tells you the order. Here it is, end to end.

Watch out

Downloading a capture does not give you a sound. It gives you one ingredient, sitting at whatever level the person who uploaded it happened to use, with no decision made yet about whether the pedal should also be supplying a speaker. Until you load it into a preset, set its volume against your other sounds, choose the cab simulation state and save it, you have not finished. Almost everyone who finds this workflow frustrating stopped after the download.

Using the Cortex Cloud app with Nano Cortex · Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · Forum: volume levels not saving between presets · Forum: amp + cab captures
The shape of it

Three places, and only one of them makes a sound

The website holds your account and is the only place to upload your own IRs. The phone app is the only thing that can move a capture onto the pedal. And the pedal is the only place a capture becomes something you can play.

Where capture installation happensWebsitecloud.neuraldsp.comAccount + device registrationBrowse and collectUpload your own IRsOnly place for custom IRsPhone appCortex CloudBrowse and auditionChoose the destination slotTransfer over BluetoothOnly thing that can move a captureThe pedalNano CortexCab sim on or offLevel-match the captureSet GAIN, then toneSave a presetWhere it becomes a soundBluetooth · needs internet onceStop before this lane and you have no sound
If you already know the pedal

The short path

Eight steps. The full version below explains why each one matters and what to do when it doesn't work.

  1. 01Pair the app, update firmware, take a backup.
  2. 02Audition in the app before spending a slot.
  3. 03Download to the User Library if you're just trying it.
  4. 04Turn Footswitch II to settle cab sim on or off — do this first.
  5. 05Hold CAPTURE 2 s and level-match against a factory capture, by ear.
  6. 06Set GAIN, then tone.
  7. 07Press SAVE, pick a slot, hold SAVE 3 s.
  8. 08Rename it in the app.
Phase 1Do once

Set up once

Five minutes that make every later download boring instead of fraught. Skip any of it and you'll hit the failure halfway through a transfer.

  1. 01Website

    Create the account and register the pedal

    • Make a free Neural DSP account.
    • Register your Nano Cortex to it.
    Why, and how you know

    Cortex Cloud shows your device on your account. Without a registered device there is nothing to download to.

    Nano Cortex FAQ · Using the Cortex Cloud app with Nano Cortex
  2. 02App

    Install the app, then update it before anything else

    • Install Cortex Cloud from the App Store or Google Play.
    • Let it update fully before you touch the pedal's firmware.
    Watch out

    Update the app before the firmware, not after. Owners who did it the other way round couldn't see the new features at all.

    Updating your Nano Cortex · Using the Cortex Cloud app with Nano Cortex
  3. 03Pedal

    Pair over Bluetooth

    • In the app, go to Devices, then Add New.
    • On the pedal, hold EXIT and CAPTURE together for one second.
    • Pick the pedal in the app when it appears.
    Why, and how you know

    The GAIN ring sweeps clockwise and the Footswitch I LED blinks slowly — that's pairing mode.

    On Android, grant the app Location permission. Bluetooth Low Energy scanning requires it, and without it the pedal never appears at all.

    Nano Cortex Quick Start Guide · Bluetooth pairing guide · Forum: pairing problems
  4. 04App

    Get firmware to 2.2.1 or later

    • Open Devices and take the update banner at the top.
    • Leave the phone unlocked, awake and next to the pedal until it finishes.
    Why, and how you know

    You need 2.2.0 or later for one-tap capture auditioning and cloud backups, and 2.2.1 specifically fixes a boot failure when an expression or MIDI pedal is connected.

    Updating your Nano Cortex · NanOS 2.2.0 release notes · NanOS 2.2.1 release notes
  5. 05App

    Take a cloud backup now, while the pedal is still factory

    • Save a cloud backup before you add anything.
    Why, and how you know

    You get five backup slots. This one is your way back if a library of downloads turns into a mess.

    Watch out

    Restoring a backup overwrites everything on the device. It is a restore, not a merge.

    NanOS 2.2.0 release notes · Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0
Phase 2Every capture

Find one worth installing

There are tens of thousands of captures and the quality genuinely varies — inconsistent naming, minimal descriptions, no quality tagging. Filtering hard is the difference between a usable library and a jungle.

  1. 06App

    Exhaust the 25 factory captures first

    • Press BANK to move through the five capture banks.
    • Turn Footswitch I to scroll captures within a bank.
    Why, and how you know

    The factory set is curated, consistent in level, and shipped with parameters at noon. It teaches you what a good capture sounds like on this pedal, which is what you need before judging a stranger's.

    Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · MusicRadar review · Forum: volume levels not saving between presets
  2. 07App

    Start with Neural DSP's own profile, not the open cloud

    • Open the Search screen and browse Neural DSP's own Cortex Cloud profile.
    • Sort by popularity, then filter by instrument and gain range.
    Why, and how you know

    Over 1,393 Quad Cortex factory captures were opened up to Nano owners in November 2025, plus 669 Capture V2 captures across 41 device types. That's a large, consistent, first-party library before you touch community uploads.

    Nano Cortex firmware updates · NanOS 2.2.0 release notes · Cortex Cloud search and performance update
  3. 08App

    Read the description for one thing: does it include a cab?

    • Look for whether the capture was taken from a mic'd cabinet or from an amp through a load box.
    Why, and how you know

    This single fact decides whether you run the IR Loader on or off later. Get it wrong and the capture sounds boxed-in or fizzy, and you'll blame the capture.

    Uploaders are inconsistent about saying. If it isn't stated, you'll settle it by ear at step 11 — that's normal, not a failure.

    Forum: amp + cab captures · MusicRadar review
  4. 09App

    Audition before you spend a slot

    • Use one-tap capture auditioning in the app.
    Why, and how you know

    Added in NanOS 2.2.0, and the single biggest quality-of-life change to this workflow. Auditioning first is why you don't end up with a bank of unusable downloads.

    NanOS 2.2.0 release notes
Phase 3Every capture

Get it onto the pedal

The transfer itself is the flakiest part of the ecosystem, and where you put the capture matters more than people expect — because captures are scrolled by foot, and only four presets are foot-reachable.

  1. 10App

    Choose the destination on purpose

    • Tap the download button next to the capture. The app then offers to assign it directly to a bank and slot.
    • Pick a slot in one of the five banks of five, or send it to the User Library.
    Why, and how you know

    Assigning to an occupied slot replaces whatever is already there, so pick deliberately. The User Library is the position where all five capture indicators light at once — use it for anything you're trying out, and keep bank slots for captures you actually reach for, since those are the ones you'll scroll to with Footswitch I mid-session.

    Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · Creating Neural Captures on Nano Cortex
  2. 11App

    Download, and leave the phone alone

    • Make sure the Nano Cortex is the selected device on the app's Devices screen.
    • Use the Search screen to find the capture, then tap its download button.
    • Don't lock the phone, background the app, or disable Bluetooth until it completes.
    Why, and how you know

    You need internet at download time but never again — once a capture is on the pedal it plays with no phone and no signal.

    Watch out

    Bluetooth disconnects mid-transfer are a recurring complaint and usually need a power cycle. If it fails, power-cycle the pedal and start the transfer again rather than retrying into a half-open connection.

    Using the Cortex Cloud app with Nano Cortex · Forum: Bluetooth disconnection during recording · Updating your Nano Cortex
Phase 4Every capture

Make it actually usable

This is the part nobody tells you about, and it's where the frustration comes from. A freshly downloaded capture is at a stranger's level with no cab decision made. Three minutes here is the difference between “this sounds bad” and “this sounds great”.

  1. 12Pedal

    Load it, then settle the cab question first

    • Turn Footswitch I until the new capture is selected.
    • Turn Footswitch II to cycle the IR slots — and past the last one, where no indicators are lit, to bypass the cab simulation entirely.
    Why, and how you know

    Use the community's own test: if the IR is off and it sounds bad, the capture probably has no cab in it, so turn the IR on. If the IR is on and it sounds bad, the capture probably already includes one, so leave it off. Do this before judging anything else.

    Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · Forum: amp + cab captures · Forum: turn off cab sim
  2. 13Pedal

    Level-match it against a capture you already trust

    • Hold CAPTURE for two seconds to open the volume view.
    • Set per-capture level with the LEVEL knob — the range is −24 dB to +12 dB.
    • A/B against a factory capture and match by ear, at playing volume.
    Why, and how you know

    The LEVEL knob on top is a global master, not a per-capture control. This view is the only place per-capture level lives, and skipping it is the single most common complaint about this device.

    Match by ear, not by meter. Perceived loudness tracks spectral density, so a clean and a high-gain capture can measure identically and sound nothing alike.

    Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · Forum: volume levels not saving between presets
  3. 14Pedal

    Set GAIN, then the tone controls last

    • Set GAIN for how hard you're driving the capture — down cleans most captures up.
    • Adjust BASS, MID and TREBLE only after the cab and level are right.
    Why, and how you know

    GAIN is not the captured amp's gain knob, and the tone controls are a generic layer bolted on after the capture. They're a finishing move, not a starting point.

    Forum: clarification on the capture tone/EQ block · Forum: lush clean presets · MusicRadar review
Phase 5Every capture

Keep it

A capture is not a preset. If you stop before saving, everything you just set is gone the moment you scroll away — which is exactly what makes the workflow feel like it doesn't stick.

  1. 15Pedal

    Save a preset around it

    • Press SAVE — the destination indicators start blinking.
    • Choose the slot you want.
    • Hold SAVE until the indicators stop blinking. Neural DSP's manual says two seconds for a preset and their presets guide says three, so watch the indicators rather than counting.
    Why, and how you know

    The SAVE ring blinks slowly whenever you have unsaved changes. If it's blinking, you haven't finished. Remember only four presets are foot-reachable: IA, IB, IIA and IIB.

    Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · Creating and managing presets
  2. 16App

    Name it, so you can find it later

    • Tap the button to the right of any preset to open its contextual menu.
    • Choose Rename Preset. The same menu is where you delete a preset or assign it to a footswitch.
    Why, and how you know

    The pedal has no screen, so names exist purely for you in the app. Note that Program Change numbers belong to the slot, not the preset — slot 1 is PC 0, slot 64 is PC 63, and reordering doesn't move them.

    Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · NanOS 2.2.0 release notes
  3. 17App

    Back up when you've got a set you like

    • Save a cloud backup once your four foot-presets are settled.
    Why, and how you know

    Five slots. Take one before every gig and before every firmware update.

    NanOS 2.2.0 release notes
When it goes wrong

Every way this trips people up

Find the symptom, apply the fix. Most of these are the workflow being unclear rather than anything being broken.

SymptomCauseFix
The download stalls or the app loses the pedalBluetooth dropped mid-transfer. It's the least reliable part of the chain.Power-cycle the pedal, reopen the app, and start the transfer again from the beginning rather than resuming into a half-open connection.Forum: Bluetooth disconnection during recording · Forum: pairing problems
The pedal never appears in the appIt isn't in pairing mode, or on Android the app lacks Location permission.Hold EXIT + CAPTURE for one second and look for the GAIN ring sweeping. On Android, grant Location — BLE scanning needs it.Bluetooth pairing guide · Forum: pairing problems
The new capture sounds boxed-in and muffledIt already contains a mic'd cabinet and the IR Loader is stacking a second speaker on top.Turn Footswitch II past the last IR slot until no indicators are lit.Forum: amp + cab captures · Forum: turn off cab sim
The new capture sounds thin, raspy and fizzyIt's an amp-only capture with no speaker, and the IR Loader is bypassed.Turn Footswitch II to select a cab. Then high-cut around 8–10 kHz and low-cut around 80 Hz.Forum: amp + cab captures · Forum: lush clean presets
It's much louder or quieter than everything elseCloud captures are gain-staged by whoever uploaded them. There's no normalisation.Hold CAPTURE for two seconds and set per-capture level, −24 to +12 dB, by ear against a factory capture.Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · Forum: volume levels not saving between presets
Everything I set disappeared when I scrolled awayYou never saved a preset. A capture is an ingredient, not a saved sound.Press SAVE, pick a slot, hold SAVE for three seconds. If the SAVE ring is blinking slowly, you have unsaved changes.Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · Creating and managing presets
I can't find the capture I downloadedIt went to a bank slot or the User Library and you're scrolling the wrong one.Press BANK to change bank, then turn Footswitch I. The User Library is the position where all five capture indicators light at once.Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · Creating Neural Captures on Nano Cortex
A capture I want won't load at allCortex Cloud “cab captures” are not IRs and don't go in the IR slot — they occupy the capture slot. Quad Cortex presets never load on this pedal.Check what you're actually downloading. Captures transfer between Quad Cortex and Nano Cortex freely; presets do not.Nano Cortex FAQ · Forum: amp + cab captures
How to read the labels
Official
From Neural DSP's manual, FAQ, guides or release notes.
Community
Reported by owners. Corroboration, not a primary spec.
Our reading
Our interpretation, not something Neural DSP states.
Unverified
We could not confirm this, or sources disagree.
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