devices · Nano Cortex · reference · questions and answers
questions and answers
why does my Nano Cortex sound muffled or boxed in?
You almost certainly have two speaker simulations stacked. Many captures already include a mic'd cabinet, so leaving the IR block on plays a speaker through a speaker. Turn Footswitch II until no IR lights are on.
how do I turn off the cab sim on the Nano Cortex?
Turn Footswitch II past the last IR, to the position where none of the IR lights are lit. That position is cab bypass. No label on the pedal marks it.
does the Nano Cortex have amp models?
No. It only has captures, which are snapshots of a real amp at one setting. So the tone knobs do not behave like the knobs on the amp it was captured from. They are a generic EQ added after the capture.
can I use the Nano Cortex without the phone app?
You can play a gig without it, but not much else. Choosing effects, picking an IR, renaming presets and changing most settings all need the app. Treat it as part of the pedal and keep a spare phone in the bag.
does the Nano Cortex really only have four presets?
Four are reachable with your feet at once. There are 64 on the device, and a MIDI controller reaches all of them. Neural's own staff argue four is enough if you build them well.
how long do I hold SAVE on the Nano Cortex?
Two seconds for a preset, three for a capture. Easier still: hold it until the blinking indicators stop, because that is the pedal confirming the save.
how do I pair the Nano Cortex with the app?
Hold EXIT and CAPTURE together on the pedal for one second, then pick it in the app. Keep the phone within two meters. The pedal will not appear until you do the button hold.
how do I factory reset a Nano Cortex?
Hold EXIT, CAPTURE and Footswitch II together for two seconds until the lights come on and GAIN turns blue, then hold SAVE until it reboots. This erases every preset, capture and IR you have added.
can I power the Nano Cortex from USB?
Yes. It takes 5 V at 1.5 A or more over USB-C, or 9–12 V DC at 600 mA from a normal pedal supply. It is one of the few modelers that runs off a power bank.
why is my downloaded capture louder or quieter than the others?
Because whoever uploaded it set the level to suit themselves. Every capture arrives unmatched. Hold CAPTURE for two seconds and use the LEVEL knob to match it against a factory capture by ear.
why doesn't the LEVEL knob do anything when I turn it?
It is in latching mode. The physical knob position has to match the value the LED ring is showing before it takes over. Sweep it through that point and it starts working.
can the Nano Cortex make its own captures?
Yes. That is the point of the CAPTURE input and boost on the side. The process takes about five minutes and the pedal measures your amp's latency first.
does the Nano Cortex work as an audio interface?
Yes, over USB-C. It gives you four inputs and three outputs at a fixed 48 kHz. Record input 1 for the dry D.I. and inputs 3/4 for the processed stereo signal at the same time.
why does my MIDI controller do nothing?
There are two likely reasons. The EXP/MIDI jack defaults to expression, so switch it to MIDI in the app. It also needs a Type A TRS cable: a Type B one does nothing at all, with no error.