devices · Quad Cortex · learn · 10 of 10 · 7 min

playing live

Gig View, per-preset expression assignments, Wi-Fi that works in a venue, and a checklist for the door.

the one thing

Set up Gig View and check every preset's Global EQ before you leave the house. Neither shows a warning on stage.

gig View, for reading the screen standing up

A seven-inch screen full of Grid detail is fine on a desk and hard to read three feet below your face in a dark room. Gig View shows only preset and scene names, large enough to read standing up.

Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to reach it, or hold BANK DOWN and TEMPO together. The footswitch route arrived in CorOS 4.0.0 and has to be enabled in Device Settings first. Do that at home.

gig view

Gridleak diagram, not a screenshot
Gig View

How to get hereSwipe up from the bottom of the screen, or hold BANK DOWN + TEMPO once it's enabled in Device Settings.

Setlist · Main Set120 BPMVERSE CLEANPreset 3 · Bank 1ABCDEFGHScene A selectedswipe down to leave

  1. 1. preset name, big enough to read standing up

    A 7-inch screen full of Grid detail is fine on a desk and hard to read three feet below your face in a dark room. This is the same information at stage distance.

  2. 2. current scene, and what's next

    Which of the eight scenes you're on, so you know what the next footswitch does before you commit your foot to it.

  3. 3. two ways in: set the second one up at home

    Swipe up from the bottom of the screen, or hold BANK DOWN + TEMPO. The footswitch route arrived in CorOS 4.0.0 and has to be enabled in Device Settings first. Do that before the gig, not at it.

Quad Cortex User Manual 4.0.0 · Quad Cortex firmware updates

expression assignments are per-preset

There is no global expression assignment. A wah you want on every preset has to be assigned on every preset.

Build it into a template preset before you start making copies. Adding it across a finished setlist takes an evening.

One physical pedal can drive two functions: run two TRS cables into EXP 1 and EXP 2, assign EXP 1 to two blocks, then assign EXP 2 to both blocks' bypass in Switch mode with the range inverted on one. Recalibrate afterwards in I/O Settings.

Quad Cortex Wiki: FAQ

venue Wi-Fi, if you need it at all

You do not need Wi-Fi to play. Plugins verify once and then run offline indefinitely, and nothing in a preset requires a connection. For Cortex Cloud at a venue:

  • Signal must reach −60 dBm or better. Below that you get failures, not slowness.
  • Use 2.4 GHz, or a mixed 2.4/5 GHz network with the bands split into separate SSIDs.
  • Avoid special characters in the network name.
  • Give the modeler a static IP and prioritize its traffic in the router's QoS settings.
  • Tethering to a phone? Turn on “Maximize Compatibility”.

the checklist

Ten minutes at home, before the gig.

  1. Input level set for the hottest guitar you are bringing, verified on the meter.
  2. Every preset's output level matched: 12 dB of headroom on cleans, 6 dB on distorted.
  3. Global EQ checked on your biggest presets. If it is off, that preset is over the DSP budget.
  4. Gig View enabled in Device Settings and reachable from the footswitches.
  5. Expression pedal assigned on every preset that needs it.
  6. Mode set, and the BANK DOWN + TEMPO combo practiced at gig speed. It is printed on the chassis.
  7. A backup on your computer via Cortex Control.
  8. The A + H recovery combo written on a card in your case.
  9. The right power supply. 12 V at 3 A, mains only.
  10. A spare TRS cable, because the TS one costs you 6 dB.

real amps, each read from its schematic, ready for your Quad Cortex.

presets for your Quad Cortex →