devices · Quad Cortex · learn · 04 of 10 · 8 min
the Grid
the one thing
Row 2 splits off row 1, and row 4 splits off row 3. The processing limits apply to those pairs.
rows, and the pairs they form
Neural's own wording is “four rows, each containing eight device block slots”. The rows work in pairs, not as four independent lanes.
Neural call rows 1 and 3 “Path A” and rows 2 and 4 “Path B”. Path A means MAIN row and Path B means SPLIT row. Row 2 splits off row 1 and merges back into it, and row 4 does the same for row 3. Rows 1 and 3 are not joined to each other.
So the pairs are 1-with-2 and 3-with-4. The processing limits apply to each pair, so the reverb rule is “one on the 1/2 pair and one on the 3/4 pair”, not one per preset. The DSP lesson builds on this.
the first build to learn
A parallel wet path is the usual first reason to use the Grid. It gives big ambience without the reverb eating your note definition.
- Build your amp and cab on row 1.
- Add a splitter after the cab, so signal continues along row 1 and also drops to row 2.
- Put the reverb and delay on row 2 only.
- Mix the rows back together, and set the wet row's level well below the dry row's.
Solo each row before you commit. A parallel path that is 3 dB hot sounds fine in a bedroom and like mud through a PA.
Quad Cortex User Manual 4.0.0the grid
How to get hereThe Grid is the Quad Cortex's home screen: what you see when a preset is loaded.
1. row 1 is your main path
Signal enters at the left and runs right. Amp and cab go here. Without a splitter, this row is your whole rig and the Quad Cortex works like an ordinary pedalboard.
2. the splitter sends a copy down
It takes what has reached this point on row 1 and drops a duplicate onto row 2. Both then run in parallel. The S icon sits at the far left of row 2. It cannot be deleted, only dragged.
3. row 2 is the parallel path
Reverb and delay here sit alongside your dry signal instead of on top of it, so ambience gets big without smearing note definition. It is the usual first reason to use the Grid.
4. the mixer merges it back
Row 2 rejoins row 1 here. Set the wet row well below the dry one. A parallel path 3 dB hot sounds fine in a bedroom and like mud through a PA.
5. rows 3 and 4 are a second, unused pair
A second main-plus-split pair, empty in this preset. When a second reverb will not load while the CPU meter reads a third, put it here. The limit is one per pair, not one per preset.
splitters and mixers will not go away
Rows 2 and 4 carry a splitter and a mixer that cannot be fully deleted.
To clear a split, drag the S icon fully left and the M icon fully right. Then exit to Grid view and delete the empty split rows. The screen gives no prompt for this.
You can also place up to two side-chain devices per pair of rows within the same preset.
Quad Cortex User Manual 4.0.0