Neural DSP / QC - is the Soldano amp device the same sound as the plugin?

Jonathanthomas83

Under the devices link for the QC - it says the following under "Plugin devices":

Guitar amps

Soldano® SLO-100®

3.1.0

Soldano SLO-100 X

Can anyone who has the plugin and a QC confirm that there is a 1:1 relationship there and that the plugin device sounds on the QC sounds identical to the amp in the plugin? 

I've heard that the regular SLO models in the QC do NOT have the same sound as the amp in the Soldano plugin. But this device looks like it's specifically connected to the plugin and if you own the plugin, then you get this device for use within the QC.

Also, I'm not a QC user and haven't used one, does this mean that the plugin device listed above can be used like any amp model in the QC and you have full control over its parameters within the QC? ie, you don't have to save plugin presets in order to use it. Sorry, I'm so confused how the plugin integration works on the QC.

fretmeister

The aim is identical sounds but ONLY when plugged into identical equipment.

Just like if you took your laptop and plugin to a venue and plugged it into a PA rather than whatever you use at home, it will sound different - possibly very different depending on the PA and the room itself.

Lewy

I can answer some of your questions but not all

The plugin model, either in the plugin or running on QC, sound different to the "Solo 100" models that come standard in the QC. I suspect you could get them sounding pretty much the same, but at default settings they do not (the plugin also has different controls).

If you are running the plugin on the QC, you can indeed use any of the plugin devices - amp, cab and fx - as blocks in any preset you want, mixed in with other devices within the QC. So you could use one of the plugin's overdrives, with one of the QC's standard amp models, with the cab from an entirely different plugin if you so wished.

As for whether the plugin sounds different running on a QC compared to running on a computer, no idea - I monitor my QC differently to how I monitor my mac so not easy to compare.

Jonathanthomas83

fretmeister said:

The aim is identical sounds but ONLY when plugged into identical equipment.

Just like if you took your laptop and plugin to a venue and plugged it into a PA rather than whatever you use at home, it will sound different - possibly very different depending on the PA and the room itself.

Yeah, of course. Let's say, for argument's sake, I was A/B'ing in the closest way I could...QC into my RME interface, through which, I also send a DI to the plugin and monitor both A and B through the RME headphone out. I'm not talking identical, but a need to get the same sounds and feel. Which, as Lewy points out above, is not the case with the standard SLO models on the QC.

Lewy said:

I can answer some of your questions but not all

The plugin model, either in the plugin or running on QC, sound different to the "Solo 100" models that come standard in the QC. I suspect you could get them sounding pretty much the same, but at default settings they do not (the plugin also has different controls).

If you are running the plugin on the QC, you can indeed use any of the plugin devices - amp, cab and fx - as blocks in any preset you want, mixed in with other devices within the QC. So you could use one of the plugin's overdrives, with one of the QC's standard amp models, with the cab from an entirely different plugin if you so wished.

As for whether the plugin sounds different running on a QC compared to running on a computer, no idea - I monitor my QC differently to how I monitor my mac so not easy to compare.

Thank you for that @Lewy. Sounds very promising. So when you use one of these "plugin devices" in the QC, are you presented with all the parameters, like you are (I assume) with any other "regular" device block? ie, treble, mid, bass, presence, gain etc for an amp block - the "Soldano® SLO-100®" official guitar amp plugin device, for example?

Sorry, that sounds like such a basic question with an obvious answer, but in the early days of plugin compatibility, all I got from videos about the technology was the ability to reuse presets from the plugins, not devices in isolation and in full compliment.

Lewy

Jonathanthomas83 said:

You're presented with whatever parameters are available in the plugin So for the SLO, if you put the plugin amp as your amp block you'll get Normal/OD switch, Clean/Crunch, Bright On/Off, Presence, Depth, Separate Gain and Master controls for Normal and OD channels, Bass, Middle, Treble and an overall Output. The UI is like a normal QC amp, it's not the plugin UI. But there's no compromise to the plugin features. Similarly, where a standard Cab block in QC doesn't have room mics, the plugin Cab block does, and you can use that cab with any other QC amp.

Jonathanthomas83

Lewy said:

Jonathanthomas83 said:

You're presented with whatever parameters are available in the plugin So for the SLO, if you put the plugin amp as your amp block you'll get Normal/OD switch, Clean/Crunch, Bright On/Off, Presence, Depth, Separate Gain and Master controls for Normal and OD channels, Bass, Middle, Treble and an overall Output. The UI is like a normal QC amp, it's not the plugin UI. But there's no compromise to the plugin features. Similarly, where a standard Cab block in QC doesn't have room mics, the plugin Cab block does, and you can use that cab with any other QC amp.

That's class! Thank you. I'm pretty excited now I know that the plugin device (amp) is similar/same as the plugin amp. Now I want a QC! I've waited a while for this news, should probably have checked this a lot sooner! Thank you for all your help @Lewy !

Lewy

Worth noting that Neural DSP are teasing something ahead of NAMM in their usual cryptic way but they are showing a blurred glimpse of what looks like a screen....so maybe hold off a couple of days and see what's coming!!

Jonathanthomas83

Oh wow, thank you! That's very cool! I'm pretty excited about all this. Really appreciate your time and help, mate.

onyir

I think NDSP confirmed that they are models of 2 different amps, and old one (the model on QC) and a new version (the plugin)