Rig setup wizard

Most “this sounds terrible” reports come down to one setting being wrong for the destination. Pick where the signal ends up and this tells you exactly what to do.

Watch out

Cab sim ON for anything full-range — headphones, monitors, FRFR, front of house, your DAW. Cab sim OFF for anything that ends in a real guitar speaker. The IR Loader is a speaker simulation, so using it into a real cab stacks two speakers, and skipping it into a full-range system leaves you listening to a raw, fizzy amp with no speaker at all.

Community

Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · Forum: turn off cab sim · Forum: amp + cab captures

What are you plugging into?

Cab sim

Leave it on

You're feeding a full-range system, so the Nano has to supply the speaker.

Works well with no setup

The simplest way to use it, and the one most people start with on day one.

Hook it up

GuitarINPUT
Instrument cable
HP OUTPUTHeadphones
3.5 mm — bring an adapter

Set it up

IR Loader: On; Pick a cab you like; this is most of your tone.
Headphone volume: HP OUT knob on the rear; Independent of the LEVEL knob.
Effects: Prefer the (ST) stereo delay and reverb variants; Noticeably better in headphones.

Before you plug in

The headphone jack is 3.5 mm, not quarter-inch. This catches people out on the first evening.

Andertons spec sheet · Sound On Sound review

Once it works

If it sounds thin, you're hearing a close-mic'd cab with no room in front of it. Add even a little Room reverb, choose an IR position further from the cone, and low-cut around 80 Hz rather than boosting bass.
Creating Neural Captures on Nano Cortex · Forum: lush clean presets
Powering over USB while nothing else is patched in rarely hums. The noise usually appears only once you connect to other gear.
Nano Cortex power sources · Forum: background noise

All of it at once

The rig matrix

Worth a screenshot before a gig.

Destination	Cab sim	Route	Verdict
Headphones at home	ON	HP OUTPUT → Headphones	Works well with no setup
Studio monitors or FRFR	ON	OUTPUT 1L + 2R → Monitors / FRFR	The reference setup
Into the front of a real amp	OFF	OUTPUT 1L → Amp instrument input	Worst-sounding option — use the FX return instead
Into an amp's FX return or power amp	OFF	OUTPUT 1L → Amp FX RETURN or power amp input	The recommended real-amp approach
Direct to front of house at a gig	ON	OUTPUT 1L + 2R → Stage box, or a DI box then XLR	—
As a USB audio interface	ON	USB-C → Computer, direct to a motherboard port	—
Silent practice with a laptop or phone	ON	USB-C → Laptop, tablet or phone; HP OUTPUT → Headphones	—

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.

Where to go next