Cortex Control, plugins and Wi-Fi
Two of the biggest reasons to own this unit rather than a Nano Cortex are software, not hardware — a real desktop editor, and plugins that run on the box.
A free desktop editor, which the Nano Cortex has no equivalent of
The Nano is driven from a phone. If preset management there felt like hard work, this is the difference — and it is free for macOS and Windows.
- Bulk preset operations
Copy, like, upload, download and delete many presets at once, rather than one at a time on the glass.
Cortex Control (Quad Cortex only)- Local backups
Create and manage backups on your own computer, with rename, update, delete and recall. This is the only sane disaster plan for 3,072 presets.
Cortex Control (Quad Cortex only)- Drag-and-drop IR import
Drop WAVs in and they become available on the unit or in your Cortex Cloud account. They are still converted to 48 kHz and 1,024 samples on the way in.
Cortex Control (Quad Cortex only) · Quad Cortex Wiki: FAQ- Capture creation, end to end
The full Neural Capture process can be completed from the desktop rather than crouching over the unit.
Cortex Control (Quad Cortex only)- Device editing, auditioning and a live tuner
Parameter editing on a real screen with a real mouse.
Cortex Control (Quad Cortex only)
Windows
- Intel Core i3 or AMD quad-core
- 8 GB RAM
- Windows 10 or newer
- Latest CorOS
- Neural's USB Audio Driver — Windows only, and the usual reason a Windows machine will not see the unit
macOS
- Intel Core i3, or Apple Silicon M1 or newer
- 8 GB RAM
- macOS 11 Big Sur or newer
- Latest CorOS
Cortex Control connects over USB. That is a USB Type B cable — the square printer connector. Not the USB-C cable your Nano Cortex uses.
That is a USB Type B cable — the square printer connector. Not the USB-C cable your Nano Cortex uses.
Cortex Control (Quad Cortex only) · Gridleak: read off the unit“Will my plugin run on it” has three answers
The Quad Cortex runs Neural DSP plugins on the hardware. The Nano Cortex does not. The licensing rules are specific enough that owning the plugin is not, on its own, enough.
- Perpetual licences only
Subscription and trial licences do not transfer to the hardware. If you rent the plugin, you cannot run it on the unit.
Quad Cortex product page · Quad Cortex Wiki: FAQ- Up to three Quad Cortex units per licence
Enough for a main unit, a backup and a rehearsal-room spare.
Quad Cortex product page- Internet once, then offline forever
The unit needs a connection to verify the licence. After that it runs offline indefinitely — you are not tied to venue Wi-Fi.
Quad Cortex product page- Live since 31 July 2024
Plini X and Gojira X came first; the rest arrive on Neural's published PCOM schedule.
Quad Cortex Wiki: FAQ
Cortex Cloud is only as good as the signal
These are specific settings rather than “try turning it off and on again”. The signal threshold is the one that matters most — below it you get failures, not slowness.
- Signal must reach −60 dBm or better. Below that, expect failures rather than slowness.
- Run 2.4 GHz, or a mixed 2.4/5 GHz network.
- Avoid special characters in the network name.
- Give the unit a static IP address.
- Prioritise the unit's traffic in your router's QoS settings.
- On a mixed-band router, split the bands into separate SSIDs.
- Tethering to a phone? Turn on “Maximize Compatibility”.