devices · Nano Cortex · reference · specifications
specifications
every number anyone publishes, with the source attached. Where Neural DSP's own documents disagree with each other, both readings are noted, not averaged.
Product
- released
- 18 September 2024Nano Cortex launch announcement
- launch price
- $549 USD / €569 EURNano Cortex launch announcement
- latest firmware
- NanOS 2.2.1, released 10 December 2025NanOS 2.2.1 release notes · Nano Cortex firmware updates
Physical
- controls
- 2 stainless steel stomp + rotary footswitches · 7 knobs · 2 analog switches · 5 digital switchesNano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0
- dimensions
- 14.4 × 10.3 × 6.2 cm (5.6 × 4.0 × 2.4 in)Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · Nano Cortex launch announcement
- weight
- 620 g (1.36 lb)Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0
- display
- None. LED rings plus four rows of five indicators.Sound On Sound review
- controls
- 6 knobs, 5 buttons, 2 footswitches that are also rotary encodersNano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · Sound On Sound review
Capacity
- presets
- 64Nano Cortex FAQ · Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0
- footswitch-reachable presets
- 4 (IA, IB, IIA, IIB) by default, or 2 plus a global bypass
4-Preset Mode is the factory default—“In the default 4-Preset Mode, Nano Cortex offers quick access to four Presets.”
Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · Creating and managing presets - MIDI Program Change range
- PC 0–63, mapped automaticallyNano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · Using MIDI on Nano Cortex
- factory captures
- 25 · 20 guitar, 4 bass amps, 1 bass overdrive
The FAQ's “20 guitar plus 5 bass” and the device list's “4 bass amps” are the same five: counting the Anima Fuzz bass overdrive reconciles them exactly.
Nano Cortex FAQ · Nano Cortex device list - user capture slots
- 256Nano Cortex FAQ
- capture banks
- 5 banks of 5, plus a User LibraryNano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · Creating Neural Captures on Nano Cortex
- IR slots on the device
- 5, plus a bypass positionNano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0
- factory cabinets
- 10 · 8 guitar, 2 bassNano Cortex device list · Nano Cortex FAQ
- factory IRs
- 300 · 10 cabinets × 5 microphones × 6 positionsNano Cortex FAQ · Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0
- user IR slots
- 256, uploaded through the Cortex Cloud website, not the appNano Cortex FAQ · Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0
- effect slots
- 5 loadable (2 pre, 3 post) plus one fixed Input GateNano Cortex device list · NanOS 2.0.0 release notes
- effects library
- 50+ devicesNano Cortex device list · NanOS 2.0.0 release notes
- cloud backups
- Up to 5NanOS 2.2.0 release notes
Audio and signal
- capture input boost
- +26 dB of extra gain for quiet sourcesNano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0
- headphones
- 3.5 mm · 55 mW into 20 Ω. Loud enough for most headphones, not for high-impedance studio pairsNano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0
- signal flow
- Mono in, stereo out. Stereo begins at the IR Loader.Nano Cortex FAQ
- instrument input
- 1 MΩ, +10 dBu maximumAndertons spec sheet
- main outputs
- 560 Ω, +10 dBu unbalanced / +16 dBu balanced maximumAndertons spec sheet
- capture input
- 1 MΩ (TS) / 45 kΩ (XLR), +10 dBu maximum, +26 dB boost availableAndertons spec sheet
- headphone output
- 55 mW into 20 ΩAndertons spec sheet
- capture time
- About 5 minutes, on the device, no computer or internet neededNano Cortex FAQ · Creating Neural Captures on Nano Cortex
- preset switch gap
- About 60 ms. Delay and reverb trails do continue across the change.Nano Cortex FAQ
- tuner reference
- 400–480 Hz, default 440 HzNano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0
Computer interface
- USB channels
- 7 · 4 in, 3 out. Input 1 is your dry D.I., inputs 3/4 are the processed stereo pairNano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0
- audio clock
- 48 kHz, fixedNano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0
- protocol
- USB Audio Class 2.0 over USB-CUsing Nano Cortex as an audio interface · Andertons spec sheet
- channels
- 7 · 4 in, 3 out. Input 1 is your dry D.I., inputs 3/4 are the processed stereo pairUsing Nano Cortex as an audio interface
- format
- 24-bit / 48 kHz, fixed. No other sample rate is available.Using Nano Cortex as an audio interface
- round-trip latency
- 9.1 ms at 48 kHz with a 64-sample buffer
Neural DSP publishes no latency figure. This is a single owner's measurement, not a specification.
Forum: Nano Cortex as an audio interface - drivers
- macOS and iOS class-compliant. Windows requires the Nano Cortex ASIO driver.Using Nano Cortex as an audio interface · Sound On Sound review
Power
- USB-C power
- 5 V, 1.5 A or higher. It runs from USBNano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0
- DC
- 9–12 V DC, 600 mA minimum, center-negative, 2.1/5.5 mmNano Cortex power sources
- USB-C
- 5 V, 1.5 A minimum. USB-A cannot power the device.Nano Cortex power sources
- battery
- NoneNano Cortex power sources
Never published
Numbers that don't exist
Neural DSP has never published these. A blank in a spec table invites an invented figure, and a few invented ones circulate as fact.
- DSP chip, core count and clock speed
- Signal-to-noise ratio
- Total harmonic distortion
- Dynamic range
- Frequency response
- Bluetooth version and profile
- What USB input channel 2 carries. The manual documents 4 in / 3 out and names input 1 as the dry D.I. and inputs 3/4 as the processed stereo pair, but never says what 2 is
- Country of manufacture
- The NanOS 1.1.0 changelog
- Maximum length and sample rate for user IR files
- Center frequencies and unity positions of the BASS, MID and TREBLE controls
- Whether a saved capture can be re-trained or re-calibrated
watch outForum: clarification on the capture tone/EQ block · MusicRadar review
Neural DSP has never published any of these. The tone-control frequencies matter most: owners have asked for them, because without them you learn a three-band EQ by ear.
How to read the labels
- measured
- Read off the hardware by us, not taken from a document.
- official
- From the manufacturer's manual, FAQ, guides or release notes.
- retail spec
- From an authorized dealer's published specification.
- review
- Observed and published by a professional reviewer.
- community
- Reported by owners and used to corroborate, not as a primary spec.
- our reading
- Our interpretation, not something the manufacturer states.
- unverified
- We could not confirm this, or sources disagree.