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Reference
Reference

Inputs and outputs

Two jacks matter more than the rest. OUTPUT 2R doubles as the capture send, so you lose stereo while capturing — by design. And the CAPTURE INPUT is the one place on this pedal where a mistake destroys an amplifier.

Rear panelDiagram of the Nano Cortex rear panelINPUTOUTPUT 1LOUTPUT 2RCAPTURE OUTGND⊐LIFT⊏ONEXP/MIDI9–12V DC600 mA
Side panelDiagram of the Nano Cortex side panelBOOST⊐OFF⊏ONCAPTUREINPUT

Only one side carries anything. The opposite side of the chassis is blank.

All connectors

CAPTURE INPUT

side panel

Combi XLR-F + 1/4" TRS-F

The return leg when capturing — a microphone, a line signal, a DI, or a reactive load box output.

Impedance
1 MΩ (TS) / 45 kΩ (XLR)
Max level
+10 dBu
Phantom power
None. Dynamic mics only, or bring an external preamp.
Can damage gear

Never connect a tube amp's speaker output here. Neural DSP states this can cause serious damage to both devices. Capturing an amp head needs a reactive load box, or the amp's own DI output with a cabinet still connected.

Andertons spec sheet · Creating Neural Captures on Nano Cortex · Nano Cortex FAQ
Rear panel

OUTPUT 1L

1/4" TRS-F, balanced

Left / mono main output. This is the one to use if you're only running a single cable.

Impedance
560 Ω
Max level
+10 dBu unbalanced / +16 dBu balanced
Watch out

Use TRS cables. 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.

Andertons spec sheet · Forum: audio quality (balanced vs unbalanced)

OUTPUT 2R

1/4" TRS-F, balanced

Right main output — and the capture send. In Capture Mode this jack feeds the amp or pedal you're capturing, which is why you lose stereo while capturing.

Impedance
560 Ω
Max level
+10 dBu unbalanced / +16 dBu balanced
Andertons spec sheet · Creating Neural Captures on Nano Cortex

HP OUTPUT

3.5 mm TRS-F, stereo

Headphones, with its own dedicated HP OUT level knob independent of LEVEL.

Max power
55 mW into 20 Ω

It's a 3.5 mm mini-jack, not quarter-inch. Bring an adapter — this catches people out on the first evening.

Andertons spec sheet · Sound On Sound review

EXP/MIDI

1/4" (6.3 mm) TRS-F

Either an expression pedal or a MIDI TRS Type A input. Which one is set in the Cortex Cloud app — it won't switch on its own.

MIDI direction
Input only. MIDI out is USB only.
TRS Type A wiring
Tip = data, ring = voltage reference, sleeve = shield
Watch out

A NanOS 2.2.0 bug could prevent the unit booting with an expression or MIDI pedal connected. NanOS 2.2.1 exists specifically to fix it.

Andertons spec sheet · Using MIDI on Nano Cortex · Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · NanOS 2.2.1 release notes

USB-C

USB-C, USB Audio Class 2.0

Audio interface, MIDI in and out, and power. Everything except firmware updates, which go over Bluetooth.

Channels
7 total — 4 in, 3 out
Format
24-bit / 48 kHz, fixed
Power
5 V, 1.5 A minimum, from a USB-C-compliant source
Drivers
macOS class-compliant; Windows needs the Nano Cortex ASIO driver
Watch out

USB-A will not power this device. Data works, but it cannot supply enough current to run it. Connect direct to a motherboard port — hubs are a documented cause of dropouts.

Using Nano Cortex as an audio interface · Nano Cortex power sources

HP level

Knurled rotary knob

Headphone volume, on the rear panel between the headphone jack and the USB port. Entirely separate from the LEVEL knob on top, which only affects the 1L and 2R outputs.

Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · Andertons spec sheet

9–12V DC

2.1/5.5 mm barrel, centre-negative

Power inlet. The polarity symbol beside it on the chassis is centre-negative — the same as most pedals, and the same as the Quad Cortex supply.

Voltage
9–12 V DC
Current
600 mA minimum
Polarity
Centre-negative
Watch out

600 mA is a floor, not a suggestion. Supplies rated at 500 mA are below spec and cause intermittent glitches that read like a hardware fault.

Nano Cortex power sources · Forum: power supply for the Nano Cortex
Side panel

CAPTURE INPUT

Combi XLR-F + 1/4" TRS-F

The return leg when capturing — a microphone, a line signal, a DI, or a reactive load box output.

Impedance
1 MΩ (TS) / 45 kΩ (XLR)
Max level
+10 dBu
Phantom power
None. Dynamic mics only, or bring an external preamp.
Can damage gear

Never connect a tube amp's speaker output here. Neural DSP states this can cause serious damage to both devices. Capturing an amp head needs a reactive load box, or the amp's own DI output with a cabinet still connected.

Andertons spec sheet · Creating Neural Captures on Nano Cortex · Nano Cortex FAQ
Power

Get this right and half the problems never happen

DC input
9–12 V DC, 600 mA minimum, centre-negative, 2.1/5.5 mm barrel
Nano Cortex power sources
USB-C
5 V, 1.5 A minimum, from a genuinely USB-C-compliant source
Nano Cortex power sources
USB-A
Not supported for power. Data works; current does not.
Nano Cortex power sources
Quad Cortex supply
Compatible
Nano Cortex power sources
Battery
None internally, but it runs off a standard USB power bank — an advertised feature, and owners report ten to fifteen hours.
Nano Cortex power sources · MusicRadar review
In the box
A USB-C cable. The DC power supply is sold separately.
Nano Cortex power sources · Andertons spec sheet · Thomann spec sheet · Sweetwater product page
Watch out

Powering over USB-C while running unbalanced cables to other gear is the documented number-one cause of hum on this device. Use the DC jack with a regulated supply, or switch to balanced TRS runs — ideally both. Undersized supplies are the other big one: 500 mA is below spec and causes intermittent failures that read like a hardware fault.

Nano Cortex power sources · Forum: power supply for the Nano Cortex · Forum: background noise
Expression pedals

What works, and the one that doesn't

  • Any pedal with a single TRS expression output works. Wah and volume pedal outputs are explicitly not supported.

    Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0

  • Both linear and logarithmic tapers work once calibrated, and latching or momentary toe-switches are supported.

    Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0

  • Calibration is required on first use — Settings, recalibrate, rock heel to toe, save. It persists until you run it again.

    Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0

  • Expression can be assigned to GAIN, BASS, MID, TREBLE, AMOUNT and LEVEL, and to bypassing the capture, the IR or any effect slot. Because it isn't a preset change, it's gapless — which makes it the best answer to solo boosts on this device.

    Using MIDI on Nano Cortex · Forum: solo boost strategies

  • One owner reports the response taper is too fast, jumping heel-to-toe with little usable middle. No fix has been offered.

    Forum: which expression pedal to use
Not present

What this pedal doesn't have

Several of these are things people reasonably assume a modern modeller has, and discovering the absence mid-gig is expensive.

XLR outputs

Reviewers flag this as the main gigging limitation. The outputs are balanced TRS and Neural DSP confirms TRS-to-XLR cables work with no quality loss.

MusicRadar review · Nano Cortex FAQ

Effects loop

None. Pedalboard integration happens through the instrument input and the two outputs, so true four-cable method isn't possible.

Nano Cortex FAQ · Forum: simulating an FX loop

Stereo input

Officially a mono-to-stereo device. Stereo begins at the IR Loader.

Nano Cortex FAQ

Phantom power

No 48 V. Condenser mics need an external preamp.

Nano Cortex FAQ · Creating Neural Captures on Nano Cortex

Bluetooth audio

Bluetooth is for pairing with the Cortex Cloud app only. It will not stream backing tracks or drive wireless headphones.

Nano Cortex FAQ · Forum: backing tracks, how to

A screen

No display of any kind. LED rings and four rows of five indicators are the entire interface.

Sound On Sound review

A desktop editor

Cortex Control is Quad Cortex only. Neural DSP's own FAQ answers “desktop controller” with “none available”.

Nano Cortex FAQ · Cortex Control (Quad Cortex only)

5-pin DIN MIDI

TRS Type A only, and input only. MIDI out is available over USB.

Using MIDI on Nano Cortex

Global EQ

There is no global EQ and no output-mode switch, so every level and tone decision is per-preset.

Nano Cortex FAQ · Forum: input level for different guitars
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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