Neural NanOS 2.0.0 Review

Ever Evolving Technology

When the $549 Nano Cortex was released, it was a hit. The idea of a small, pocket-sized version of a Quad Cortex that weighs only 1.36 pounds—and at a third of the cost—had many guitarists drooling. But the truth is that while they are part of the same lineage, the Nano Cortex can’t match the flexibility of the Quad Cortex. This led to some confusion, and in some cases, unmet expectations.

The new, free NanOS 2.0.0 update addresses some of those letdowns with a much-expanded collection of 47 new effects—including dirt options, which, oddly, weren’t offered in the first OS version. (There is, however, only a single fuzz—a Fuzz Face emulation—which hints at the challenges of successfully modeling fuzz’s more chaotic nature.) There’s also an IR loader and global bypass to turn off IRs on all presets when you play the Nano Cortex through a real cabinet. The more customizable signal chain is also a very big deal.

The effects slots are more flexible, too. EQs and compressors can be set up in any slot—pre-or-post capture. Overdrive and wah effects can go into any pre-capture slots, while modulation, delay, and reverbs are assigned slots in the post-capture area. (The tape delay is warm, and a highlight.) Delay is only available in post-capture slot 2, before the reverb, which can only be slotted in post-capture 3 position. As you can see, NanOS 2.0.0 has opened up more possibilities, but limitations remain, especially for players that experiment with unorthodox setups.