Overview
Most modern hardware-based modellers will allow you to load third-party impulse response (IRs) directly into the unit allowing you to access custom sounds. Here we will discuss how to load our Quantum DSP Hybrid IR™ libraries into the Neural Quad Cortex interface. This process can be applied to other hardware modellers
Loading IR's via Cortex Control
We’ll kick things off by firing up Cortex Control, which is the desktop editor for the Quad Cortex. Manufacturers like Line 6 and Kemper have similar interfaces so, there will be some variations on how each of these functions and they’ll work with impulse response libraries. It’s always a good idea to consult the product’s documentation if you have any questions about how to correctly use your hardware’s features.
In most cases, you’ll need to load the IRs into the hardware’s onboard IR library before you can use them in your amplifier blocks or signal chains. Although it’s not necessary, you can log into your account if it applies to your hardware unit. In some cases, there is cloud functionality and storage for IR’s but in our example, the hardware unit’s onboard storage is more than enough.
I’ve personally found that pre-loading IRs into the hardware itself makes for a foolproof solution if you’re playing live and don’t have Wi-Fi to access your cloud-based IRs. Previous versions of the Quad Cortex firmware did not allow for local storage of IRs and captures, leading to unusable pre-sets, so it’s a good idea to avoid this stress by not having to rely on your cloud library in a critical live situation. Imagine switching from one pre-set to another mid-song, only to find out the Wi-Fi went down. Ouch!
Once you’ve decided to log in, it’s time to open a pre-set and look at the amplifier block. You’ll notice that we have a head and a cabinet already loaded into our signal chain and a blank space which will be home to our IR loader. But we’ll return to that in a moment...
At the top of the amp block screen, you’ll see two menus - one called Grid and the other called Directory. Let’s click on directory. You’ll notice several greyed-out menu options on the left, with one called “Impulse Responses” at the bottom. Let’s click on that.
Once you’ve click on that icon, we’ll arrive at the Impulse Response Library. This is where you can load your hardware up with your Quantum DSP IRs or any other third-party IRs you happen to have. The IR Library (IR loader) has a standard menu navigation button where you can click the icon to access your computer’s file folders and manually import IRs from the correct folder or you can drag and drop your IRs on the icon (as shown in the video). There you go, our “Quantum Test IR” has been loaded into the impulse response library!
Loading IR's into the Quad Cortex using an IR loader
Returning to the amp block, there are two methods you can use to import IRs. The first and preferred method is to use an IR loader on the amplifier block. This will generally give you the best results. The second will be to load IRs into a pre-existing cabinet block. You’ll notice that we have an empty space in our signal chain and a list of options on the left side of the screen. Let’s scroll down to the bottom of that menu, where we can select the impulse response loader.
Now once you’ve done that, you’ll have another list of options to choose from.
This may not be the same with all the product offerings out there, but the Quad Cortex allows us to choose from a dual impulse response loader or a single impulse response loader, which represent, dual speaker cabinets and a single speaker cabinet respectively.
Both options are presented in “mono, stereo and lite” formats – and you can choose whichever format works for your application. The lite formats preserve CPU when you have a complicated signal chain.
For this example, we’ll be using the stereo formats in both dual and single IR loader settings. Let’s start with the single IR loader, which is the more beginner-friendly option. With the single IR loader placed into our amp block, we’re ready to import IRs. From the single IR loader screen, we click on the drop-down menu and search for the Quantum Test IR and select “Done”. Quantum Test IR is now the active IR (i.e. cabinet) in your amp block signal chain.
Now you’re ready to make some music!
Let’s remove the single IR loader and fire up the dual impulse response loader. You’ll see two drop-down menus where you can select custom IRs. This screen is like that in the previous example, except that there are two loader options listed side by side. The second option on the right is greyed out, however the one on the left is lit. Let’s import an IR onto the left-side option by clicking on the drop-down box. We’ll select the IR we want to import under custom IRs and once that’s completed, you’ll notice that the right-side option is now lit up (i.e. active). You can now import a second impulse response by following the same procedure you completed for the left-side loader.
The dual IR loader is a more advanced setup, as you can run into phase issues when two IRs that are not complimentary. If you’re new to recording and impulse responses in general we’d recommend starting with a single impulse response loader until you’ve got the swing of things.
Loading IR's into the Quad Cortex using the cabinet block
The second method for loading IRs is via the cabinet block. This can give you some creative results when using Quantum DSP Hybrid IR™ libraries or other multi-mic IRs, however, it’s important to note that you’ll no longer have an accurate representation of the named speaker cabinet. This is important to note if you’re looking for a true to speaker emulation.
If not, have fun crafting new, outrageous sounds, because that’s what the creative journey is all about!
That is all there is to it! Go ahead and experiment with the methods and expand your creative horizons!
