Neural DSP debuts Quad Cortex mini at NAMM 2026
January 1, 2026 · 3 sources
Neural DSP unveiled the Quad Cortex mini on January 21, 2026, at NAMM 2026, according to Guitar World1. The unit is a compact version of the Quad Cortex, which the company first introduced in 20201.
The mini weighs 3.3lbs and measures 8.9" x 4.6" x 2.5", Guitar World reports, making it more than 50% smaller than the standard Quad Cortex1. Its layout centers on a seven-inch touchscreen with four rotary footswitches, one at each corner1. Guitar World says the unit supports Neural Capture V1 and V2 and offers a library of over 90 amps, 100 effects, 1,000 IRs and 2,000 Captures, with Preset, Scene, Stomp and Hybrid modes, a Gig View, USB-C operation as a 16-channel audio interface, quarter-inch and XLR inputs and outputs, and a headphone output1.
MusicRadar lists the I/O as one quarter-inch input, one combo input, one quarter-inch TRS effects loop (one stereo or two mono), one expression pedal input, two XLR outputs, two quarter-inch outputs, ⅛" MIDI in and out, one capture quarter-inch out and a ⅛" headphone out, with USB-C and Wi-Fi connectivity and 12V, 1.2A center-negative power2. Guitar.com reports one fewer combo-jack input than the full-size unit, the dual effects loops condensed into a combined input/output pair requiring a TRS insert cable, and the loss of the second expression pedal output, which it says requires a MIDI connection for a second expression pedal3. It also reports no Bluetooth, so the Cortex Cloud app cannot be paired, though the unit connects to a laptop via USB-C for the Cortex Control app3.
The US list price is $1,39912. Guitar World reports the standard Quad Cortex available from $1,799 and the Nano Cortex at $5691. Guitar.com describes the mini as "100 per cent a Quad Cortex" with the same underlying hardware, UX and processing power as the larger unit3.
"Quad Cortex mini represents our belief that size shouldn't dictate what a professional rig is capable of."
Guitar.com's reviewer, who saw the unit at NAMM, rated it 9 out of 10 and called it "the new benchmark for compact high-end amp and effects workstations," while noting a steeper learning curve from the four-switch layout and a roughly one-minute reboot after a reset or power loss3. MusicRadar's review calls it "everything the Quad Cortex is, just in a smaller box" and lists its price against other compact modelers among its reasons to avoid2.