How I Record Professional Guitars With a Modeler + Tips on a Better DI 

You should raise Input 1 gain on the QC I/O page to do proper gain staging, and edit your QC presets accordingly. The DI you get from the QC In1 is the signal it uses to process sounds... So if you haven't optimized it, you're sending "crap" DI signal to your QC signal chain when you play live, when you monitor for recording, etc. And theoretically too. Anything you place between your guitar and an input adds noise cus physics (thermal noise of electrical components if the temperature is above absolute zero). So even if you have your DI Box signal chain perfectly gain staged, it's going to perform slightly worse (probably imperceptible, but still) than if you had your guitar going straight into the QC input, gain staged appropriately on the I/O page, and adjusted your patches accordingly. Your method works cus not a lotta people adjust the input gain properly on their modelers lol. All the shared patches are based on unadjusted low input gain, so it'd be a hassle to be the only guy with properly set input gain and have to adjust all the presets you come across. But it isn't the "correct" way to do things... Neural could help solve this issue. They should compensate the Input level gain staging adjustment in the I/O page of the QC so that increasing/decreasing it does not impact the signal level seen by the signal chain, but rather it only optimizes for noise. This is how it is done in Fractal devices for instance.

I’d love to see more production videos, esp. blending synths and guitars, you do it well!

Superb, incredibly clear explanation, Josh. Thanks for this!

Great content as always. Appreciate the QC video, please do more. What you shared about which effects/captures you enjoyed is helpful. I never tried the modulated reverb but now will take some time to dive deep into it.

Also, shoutout to Joseph Anidjar for the QC patch that I use to record! He gets all the credit

Super helpful! I do a similar thing with a modeler and DI signal but I’ve been putting off getting a good DI box so now I’ve got no excuse. Good call on recording dry with out delay and reverb, too. Thanks for sharing!

love to see what a recording session looks like! what you have in the chain on Logic, editing/dubbing, all of that

Thanks for the tips and a clear presentation! I just got the QC and I'm going to start doing this DI + wet tone thing as well :)

didnt finish it yet, but i really appreciate this kind of videos man, please keep them coming

thx, great video! I'd love to see you're approach to creating patches for playing live and organising them. Also thx for sharing the captures!

Thanks! DI signal is always been a struggle for me. But your DI here sounds good already like it’s passed through a preamp. I don’t think my interface would sound close to that. This is really helpful

Appreciate this man, super helpful!

the DI thing makes alot of sense. ill have to order a DI box. thanks dude

Agree! I use a premp before it hits the interface, just before clipping on the loudest parts. Sometimes i lo-cut and Eq the DI in the preamp if I want a specific sound. For mixing the guitars are always too loud, but you have to gain stage for mixing anyway, keeps the noise floor low. Thanks!

Great video!

Loved this video Joshua. I use the same vemuram capture, and I also made one myself cause I have a vemuram Jan Ray. Vemuram pedals are really the best! I also split my signals to use the input 2 with more gain and record the di sound in logic through input 2, while listening to quad cortex sound through input 1. I really appreciate the fact you use the same expedient. I also record input 1 di in logic, cause I sometimes “re-amp” it sending it back to the quad cortex. But I use the di input 2 when I create the sound with plugins. Much love

I truly love the video but is missing you in action!! I would love to see you plug the guitar... volume setup.... using the Logic with the tracks .... and doing one recording and mixing all the stuff. It will be helpful if you have shared also the present. :) Please... do one more completed :D

Bro, just found your channel but I was struggling with this problem and came to the exact same conclusion as you have here with a DI box running in parallel to my GT1000. Wish I would have seen this vid 3 months ago

Excellent!

I´d love to see technique,phrasing and preset/sound breakdowns,would be amazing

This is me leaving all the good stuff!

Good stuff

Wha a great video, finally some one who did a video like this. Also what kind of camera did you use for this video?

I'm pretty sure changing the input gain is exactly the same process order as it would be for a focusrite i.e. you're changing the input gain after the fact. The reason the DI is better is because you're cleaning it up before going into input of the QC. It would also clean up if you used the DI box before going into a focusrite. I think the noisefloor would also move up in ratio just like the QC. Also regardless of what's in the outputs, the input DI goes straight to USB i.e. it doesn't run through the grid if you know what I mean. Just my 2 cents but I'm sure that's how it works. It could be that the input of the QC is somewhat noisier than your other interface. It also sounds in the video like it could be from the electronics / static which could be a slight grounding issue - there is a ground lift in the input settings. Lastly, I actually use a Boss Tuner before going into the QC input with a very short cable afterwards as buffer pedals effectively do the same thing as a DI box - brings the signal up to level.

Hi! Thank you for this interesting video. I learned a lot of your point of view. About usind a DI before the QC, do you still recommend this? At the last CorOS updates, you can edit the input/output level for each individual lane by simplt keeping pressed the in/out block. Do you still use the DI before the QC? Best! ;)

ah nice work

Hey Joshua, I was wondering which DI box specifically do you use with your Abasi guitar with active pickups? great video!

Yeah ok, how are you posting pro content that clicks for me on every vid?! Question: I'm looking at a simple setup for computer and also laptop I want to record DI clean as possible it would be Guitar (humbuckers / coil splits) cable into focusrite solo gen 4 then into daw and Neural DSP plugins etc. Would you recomend your DI Box first and then direct monitoring through Focusrite method. I always have always just played along with N-DSP effect on channel (just one for latency and just sucked it up) keen to know your thoughts and tips on a non cortex version... also any general tips you have learnt for power, interferance from peripherals / computer to lower noise? Amazing channel man. Respect.

i love ur videosss

Using this method with the DI box, can you still reamp with the quadcortex the DI recorded through input 2? :) I would like to try eventually this method with my Fractal fm3 :) Great video as always!! ^_^

Hey everyone, thanks for watching the video. I wanted to clarify a few things. 1. The A/B test is not as obvious as I was expecting it to be. However, when using the “no DI box” method for higher gain sounds, there is a big difference. 2. I don’t think I made it clear enough that I’m using my Quad Cortex as an interface. The DI box is splitting my signal between the first and second inputs of the QC. Using a DI box with a normal interface is extremely common, but I wanted to show that you can do the same thing when using just a modeler. 3. I just noticed I keep saying Vemuran wrong lol

So my main guitar is the JP majesty 20th anniversary. It has a built-in preamp with a 20 DB boost. I haven’t used it with my inner face because it’s previously just taking the signal from something usable to way in the red, so I figured it was only for using with actual amps. But using your DI philosophy I’ve actually turned down the input signal on my interface and engage the 20 DB boost on the guitar and I’m getting a cleaner signal like you’ve talked about getting with the DI. Immediately though I went onto shop for a DI like you have after watching this video. Do you think I still need it?

The QC does DI over USB, it sounds great and super loud. You don't have to mess with your patches at all either.

Cheers Josh, good stuff as always. Just out of curiosity, did you try the audio over USB in the QC and see what "from input 1" output gives you when using it as an audio interface? I think that's the dry signal the QC receives (or something along those lines, the name may vary). Asking as I own a QC myself and haven't been very pleased with DI over USB and ended up doing the same thing: recording separate DI and then reamping with the QC or the Axe Fx.

I like the video! What camera and lens do you use?

How high are the ceilings in this room? It’s really throwing me off -P

Interesting... I have no issue with DI from Helix which is using digital output.

Sickkk haircut dude

nice boss

what's the function of a DI box? I've recorded directly into my scarlett for years and havent had any problems. Is it necessary to go first to DI then to Scarlett?

I like the video, but you could have explained the DI outputs better; 1 to the amp and 1 to the interface vs thru out and XLR out is a pretty big distinction. I wonder if you have heard of the Radial Shotgun. It is a 1x4 buffered splitter. This way, you could send signal to the QC, and 3 clean signals into different DIs or through other molders. Comparing the shotgun in front of the QC to a J48 into the Input1 of my QC, the recorded examples don't peek any higher and there is no difference in noise floor. Maybe a buffered pedal will have the same results.

How do you record the audio from QC for a video? Do you sync later video + audio track or can you record directly into the phone?

I’m only getting D.I signal and I want my processed sound to go into my daw. Is it something with my outs on my cortex? Something on my Daw? Both?

Hi! I see that your DI box is active. How do you make it work about the phantom power? Thx!

After you track the DI sound, then what? You use the Nueral DSP plugins? But the sounds in the Neural DSP plugins aren't the same as those in the Quad Cortex box, right?

It wasn’t totally clear to me by the end of the video, but it seemed like you weren’t taking into account that the QC has built in DI usb outputs for inputs 1 and 2 when using it as an interface. I personally haven’t noticed any issues with the DI gain level using that method, but I also haven’t done much re-amping.

For your DI couldn't you just adjust your signal from your QC to what you want it to be or should be in your DAW and then adjust your preset that your using for monitoring to not clip or whatever? Since you are basically just going to change the sounds anyway with plugins?

Josh, I want to get your thoughts..I do something similar in that I plug my guitar into my axe fx, and only use an amp modeler inside of the axe fx, and send that to my daw, into a neural dsp plugin, using an amp from one of those, turning off the IR Cabinet of the neural, and chaining into the Torpedo IR loader. So basically, Im using an amp modeler, fed into another amp (from neural) and using all the neural stomps/distortions. Is this a poor chain in your opinion? Is feeding an amp into another amp not optimal?

Would using a gate after the input help??

How to set up for live gigs?

I might be late to the party, but ... the manual states you can vary input impedance from 10K to 10MOhm value. If you lower the impedance you should get hotter signal, cuz Ohms law. At least I experienced that my interface with 600 kOhm input clips much easier than 1MOhm active DI box.

Why an active DI instead of passive? can you explain that please. Thx

You use a mac? I just bought an M1 MacBook Pro. Got it all set up and noticed it only has 2 USB-C inputs. My QC only came with a cable from QC to a USB 2.0 cable.

what sample rate irs do you use for the qc?

I'm not quite understanding how you're getting both, the processed tone, and the raw DI. Help pls

This guy looks like he’s about to tell me balance changes for the latest patch

Great stuff. So how are you monitoring your processed guitar separately and then switching to monitor the DAW audio? Do you have two sets of monitors?

Turning up the gain raises the noise floor though??? So you're saying you had less noise floor by raising the noise floor????

I'm not sure I really understand the signal chain. How are you boosting the gain for the second input when you split it? I'm interested in doing this because every time I plug straight into my interface (presonus audio box) it clips even when the gain is all the way down and can't seem to fix that, so if anyone has advice for that as well I'm all ears.

Why didn’t you send the DI from QC through USB 5 through 8? Why 3?

Mind to share your hair care routine? The curl look sick lol

Can u teach me, every your riffs & licks

So does Matt just keep his old kit there? 👀

you need rme for low daw monitor and high single core base clock cpu dude

Theres no way QC doesnt have a way of optimizing your input signal. IE, gain staging your DI input. Afterall, QC is basically using plugins that are onboard the hardware. So its converting your DI signal to be used with its onboard plugins. If its working with the hardware it should work just the same in a DAW. Id never needlessly put a piece of electronics between my signal and my interface’s input. Im certain QC is designed to capture the highest quality possible of DI signal to be used for re amping.

Just send the d.i. back through the quad cortex in real time. BOOM now your using the cortex just like the plugins. And it sounds WAY better....

I dont quite understand why record a DI? Whats the purpose? I just record slap a archetype on a track in my DAW and hit record? Where does DI intertwine there?

Two second video. "Quad Cortex".

yeah, dude, because the Quadcortex has zero latency...keep dreaming

If you have a slow personality, then I get it. But that's why editing exist. Your videos are way too slow, get to the point quicker. You have the skills.

Joshua is one of the most phenomenal guitarists on Instagram for anyone that doesn't know. I just bought the Quad Cortex -- wondering if you could help me get this setup in a private lesson? Lmk! - Christian

Great video!