Installing captures, step by step
This is the part of owning a Nano Cortex that people find genuinely obtuse. It isn't your fault — the work is split across three places and no single source tells you the order. Here it is, end to end.
Downloading a capture does not give you a sound. It gives you one ingredient, sitting at whatever level the person who uploaded it happened to use, with no decision made yet about whether the pedal should also be supplying a speaker. Until you load it into a preset, set its volume against your other sounds, choose the cab simulation state and save it, you have not finished. Almost everyone who finds this workflow frustrating stopped after the download.
Three places, and only one of them makes a sound
The website holds your account and is the only place to upload your own IRs. The phone app is the only thing that can move a capture onto the pedal. And the pedal is the only place a capture becomes something you can play.
The short path
Eight steps. The full version below explains why each one matters and what to do when it doesn't work.
- 01Pair the app, update firmware, take a backup.
- 02Audition in the app before spending a slot.
- 03Download to the User Library if you're just trying it.
- 04Turn Footswitch II to settle cab sim on or off — do this first.
- 05Hold CAPTURE 2 s and level-match against a factory capture, by ear.
- 06Set GAIN, then tone.
- 07Press SAVE, pick a slot, hold SAVE 3 s.
- 08Rename it in the app.
Set up once
Five minutes that make every later download boring instead of fraught. Skip any of it and you'll hit the failure halfway through a transfer.
How to get hereOpen Cortex Cloud and go to the device tab — the pedal-and-Bluetooth icon, third along the bottom bar.
Take the update before anything else
The banner sits at the top of Devices. Get to NanOS 2.2.1 or later first — several things in this guide don't exist on older firmware. Leave the phone unlocked, awake and next to the pedal until it finishes.
Add New starts pairing
Tap it, then on the pedal hold EXIT and CAPTURE together for one second. The Nano appears in the list — pick it. That combo is the whole pairing secret and it's printed nowhere on the pedal.
Check which device is selected
Downloads go to whichever device is selected here. If you tap download and nothing ever lands on the pedal, this is almost always why — the app was pointed somewhere else.
Back up now, while it's still factory
Save a cloud backup before you add a single capture. It costs one tap and it's the only way back if you later fill all 25 slots with things you don't want.
How to get hereDevice tab → add a device. This screen appears while it searches.
Hold EXIT + CAPTURE together for one second
On the pedal, not in the app. The two buttons are next to each other on the top panel. Nothing printed on the pedal tells you this combination exists — the app is the only place it appears, and only on this screen.
It's searching, not waiting for you to pick
The app scans until it finds a pedal already in pairing mode. If it spins forever, the pedal isn't in pairing mode — go back and do the button hold again rather than tapping anything here.
Check the serial it names
It shows the specific unit it's looking for. Useful in a room with more than one Nano Cortex, and a quick confirmation you're pairing your own.
Stay within two metres
The app says so explicitly. Bluetooth pairing at range is the other reason this screen spins without finding anything — put the phone next to the pedal.
- 01Website
Create the account and register the pedal
- Make a free Neural DSP account.
- Register your Nano Cortex to it.
Why, and how you knowNano Cortex FAQ · Using the Cortex Cloud app with Nano CortexCortex Cloud shows your device on your account. Without a registered device there is nothing to download to.
- 02App
Install the app, then update it before anything else
- Install Cortex Cloud from the App Store or Google Play.
- Let it update fully before you touch the pedal's firmware.
Watch outUpdating your Nano Cortex · Using the Cortex Cloud app with Nano CortexUpdate the app before the firmware, not after. Owners who did it the other way round couldn't see the new features at all.
- 03Pedal
Pair over Bluetooth
- In the app, go to Devices, then Add New.
- On the pedal, hold EXIT and CAPTURE together for one second.
- Keep the phone within 2 metres — the app says so explicitly, and distance is a common reason the search spins forever.
- Pick the pedal in the app when it appears.
Why, and how you knowThe GAIN ring sweeps clockwise and the Footswitch I LED blinks slowly — that's pairing mode.
Nano Cortex Quick Start Guide · Bluetooth pairing guide · Forum: pairing problemsOn Android, grant the app Location permission. Bluetooth Low Energy scanning requires it, and without it the pedal never appears at all.
- 04App
Get firmware to 2.2.1 or later
- Open Devices and take the update banner at the top.
- Leave the phone unlocked, awake and next to the pedal until it finishes.
Why, and how you knowUpdating your Nano Cortex · NanOS 2.2.0 release notes · NanOS 2.2.1 release notesYou need 2.2.0 or later for one-tap capture auditioning and cloud backups, and 2.2.1 specifically fixes a boot failure when an expression or MIDI pedal is connected.
- 05App
Take a cloud backup now, while the pedal is still factory
- Save a cloud backup before you add anything.
Why, and how you knowYou get five backup slots. This one is your way back if a library of downloads turns into a mess.
Watch outNanOS 2.2.0 release notes · Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0Restoring a backup overwrites everything on the device. It is a restore, not a merge.
Find one worth installing
There are tens of thousands of captures and the quality genuinely varies — inconsistent naming, minimal descriptions, no quality tagging. Filtering hard is the difference between a usable library and a jungle.
How to get hereThe search tab — the magnifying glass in the bottom bar. Make sure your Nano Cortex is the selected device first.
Start with Neural DSP's own profile
Not the open cloud. Search their profile first — the quality floor is far higher, and as a new owner you have no way yet to tell a good capture from a badly-made one.
Sort by popularity, then filter
Filter by instrument and gain range. Popularity is a crude signal but it's the only one you have before your ears are calibrated to this pedal.
Read the description for ONE thing
Does it include a cab? A capture taken from a mic'd cabinet already contains a speaker; one taken through a load box does not. Getting this wrong is the single biggest cause of “it sounds boxed-in” and “it sounds fizzy”.
Audition before you spend a slot
One tap plays it through the pedal without downloading. You only have 25 footswitch-reachable slots — spend them on purpose.
Download is where the destination prompt comes from
Tapping this is what opens the bank-and-slot picker on the next screen. Don't lock the phone, background the app or turn off Bluetooth until it completes.
- 06App
Exhaust the 25 factory captures first
- Press BANK to move through the five capture banks.
- Turn Footswitch I to scroll captures within a bank.
Why, and how you knowNano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · MusicRadar review · Forum: volume levels not saving between presetsThe factory set is curated, consistent in level, and shipped with parameters at noon. It teaches you what a good capture sounds like on this pedal, which is what you need before judging a stranger's.
- 07App
Start with Neural DSP's own profile, not the open cloud
- Open the Search screen and browse Neural DSP's own Cortex Cloud profile.
- Sort by popularity, then filter by instrument and gain range.
Why, and how you knowNano Cortex firmware updates · NanOS 2.2.0 release notes · Cortex Cloud search and performance updateOver 1,393 Quad Cortex factory captures were opened up to Nano owners in November 2025, plus 669 Capture V2 captures across 41 device types. That's a large, consistent, first-party library before you touch community uploads.
- 08App
Read the description for one thing: does it include a cab?
- Look for whether the capture was taken from a mic'd cabinet or from an amp through a load box.
Why, and how you knowThis single fact decides whether you run the IR Loader on or off later. Get it wrong and the capture sounds boxed-in or fizzy, and you'll blame the capture.
Forum: amp + cab captures · MusicRadar reviewUploaders are inconsistent about saying. If it isn't stated, you'll settle it by ear at step 11 — that's normal, not a failure.
- 09App
Audition before you spend a slot
- Use one-tap capture auditioning in the app.
Why, and how you knowNanOS 2.2.0 release notesAdded in NanOS 2.2.0, and the single biggest quality-of-life change to this workflow. Auditioning first is why you don't end up with a bank of unusable downloads.
Get it onto the pedal
The transfer itself is the flakiest part of the ecosystem, and where you put the capture matters more than people expect — because captures are scrolled by foot, and only four presets are foot-reachable.
How to get hereTap the download button on any capture. This picker opens before the download starts.
Five banks of five — 25 slots
These are the only capture slots your feet can reach. Press BANK on the pedal to move between banks, turn Footswitch I to scroll captures within one. Choosing a slot on purpose here is the difference between a usable rig and a junk drawer.
A filled slot gets overwritten
Slots already holding a capture are shown filled. Dropping a new one on top replaces it — there is no undo, which is why the cloud backup on the Devices screen matters before you start.
User Library is unlimited but footless
Send it here and it's stored without spending one of your 25 — but you cannot select it with a footswitch. Use the library for auditioning and the banks for the sounds you actually play.
- 10App
Choose the destination on purpose
- Tap the download button next to the capture. The app then offers to assign it directly to a bank and slot.
- Pick a slot in one of the five banks of five, or send it to the User Library.
Why, and how you knowNano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · Creating Neural Captures on Nano CortexAssigning to an occupied slot replaces whatever is already there, so pick deliberately. The User Library is the position where all five capture indicators light at once — use it for anything you're trying out, and keep bank slots for captures you actually reach for, since those are the ones you'll scroll to with Footswitch I mid-session.
- 11App
Download, and leave the phone alone
- Make sure the Nano Cortex is the selected device on the app's Devices screen.
- Use the Search screen to find the capture, then tap its download button.
- Don't lock the phone, background the app, or disable Bluetooth until it completes.
Why, and how you knowYou need internet at download time but never again — once a capture is on the pedal it plays with no phone and no signal.
Watch outUsing the Cortex Cloud app with Nano Cortex · Forum: Bluetooth disconnection during recording · Updating your Nano CortexBluetooth disconnects mid-transfer are a recurring complaint and usually need a power cycle. If it fails, power-cycle the pedal and start the transfer again rather than retrying into a half-open connection.
Make it actually usable
This is the part nobody tells you about, and it's where the frustration comes from. A freshly downloaded capture is at a stranger's level with no cab decision made. Three minutes here is the difference between “this sounds bad” and “this sounds great”.
Turn Footswitch I — captures
The footswitches are rotary encoders. Turning the left one scrolls captures within the current bank. Nothing on the pedal indicates they turn at all, which is why most owners never discover it.
Press BANK — five banks of five
BANK moves between the five capture banks. It does NOT change presets, which is the mistake people make reaching for it mid-song.
Turn Footswitch II — IR slots
The right encoder cycles the cabinet IR slots. Each position lights one dot in the IR row.
Keep turning past the last one
Past the final IR there is a position where NO dots are lit. That is cab simulation bypassed — the single most important gesture on this pedal, and the pedal tells you about it only by going dark. Use it whenever you're going into a real guitar amp and cab.
Press SAVE once — don't hold yet
A short press arms the save. The destination indicators start blinking, which is the pedal asking you where to put it. Holding at this point saves over whatever slot was already selected.
Now choose the slot
While the indicators blink, pick your destination. This is the only moment the choice is offered — there is no confirmation screen, because there is no screen.
Hold SAVE until the blinking stops
The blinking stopping is the confirmation. Don't count seconds and let go — watch the dots. That is the only signal the pedal gives you, and it's reliable in a way the published durations are not.
Two seconds or three? Sources disagree
Neural's manual says press-and-hold for 2 seconds; their own presets guide says 3. We've never resolved it, which is exactly why the instruction above is “hold until the blinking stops” rather than a number.
- 12Pedal
Load it, then settle the cab question first
- Turn Footswitch I until the new capture is selected.
- Turn Footswitch II to cycle the IR slots — and past the last one, where no indicators are lit, to bypass the cab simulation entirely.
Why, and how you knowNano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · Forum: amp + cab captures · Forum: turn off cab simUse the community's own test: if the IR is off and it sounds bad, the capture probably has no cab in it, so turn the IR on. If the IR is on and it sounds bad, the capture probably already includes one, so leave it off. Do this before judging anything else.
- 13Pedal
Level-match it against a capture you already trust
- Hold CAPTURE for two seconds to open the volume view.
- Set per-capture level with the LEVEL knob — the range is −24 dB to +12 dB.
- A/B against a factory capture and match by ear, at playing volume.
Why, and how you knowThe LEVEL knob on top is a global master, not a per-capture control. This view is the only place per-capture level lives, and skipping it is the single most common complaint about this device.
Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · Forum: volume levels not saving between presetsMatch by ear, not by meter. Perceived loudness tracks spectral density, so a clean and a high-gain capture can measure identically and sound nothing alike.
- 14Pedal
Set GAIN, then the tone controls last
- Set GAIN for how hard you're driving the capture — down cleans most captures up.
- Adjust BASS, MID and TREBLE only after the cab and level are right.
Why, and how you knowForum: clarification on the capture tone/EQ block · Forum: lush clean presets · MusicRadar reviewGAIN is not the captured amp's gain knob, and the tone controls are a generic layer bolted on after the capture. They're a finishing move, not a starting point.
Keep it
A capture is not a preset. If you stop before saving, everything you just set is gone the moment you scroll away — which is exactly what makes the workflow feel like it doesn't stick.
How to get hereOpen your preset list, then tap the button to the right of any preset.
The button to the right of any preset
This opens the contextual menu, and it is the only route to everything below. Nothing on the pedal itself will rename or reassign a preset.
Rename Preset — do this immediately
Four foot-presets called “Preset 2” are worthless on a dark stage. Name them for the song or the sound, while you still remember what you built.
Assign to Footswitch
This is how a preset gets under your foot. Only four are reachable that way at once, so the assignment is a real decision rather than an afterthought.
Delete Preset
Same menu. Worth knowing where it is before you need it, and worth having that cloud backup before you use it.
- 15Pedal
Save a preset around it
- Press SAVE — the destination indicators start blinking.
- Choose the slot you want.
- Hold SAVE until the indicators stop blinking. Neural DSP's manual says two seconds for a preset and their presets guide says three, so watch the indicators rather than counting.
Why, and how you knowNano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · Creating and managing presetsThe SAVE ring blinks slowly whenever you have unsaved changes. If it's blinking, you haven't finished. Remember only four presets are foot-reachable: IA, IB, IIA and IIB.
- 16App
Name it, so you can find it later
- Tap the button to the right of any preset to open its contextual menu.
- Choose Rename Preset. The same menu is where you delete a preset or assign it to a footswitch.
Why, and how you knowNano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · NanOS 2.2.0 release notesThe pedal has no screen, so names exist purely for you in the app. Note that Program Change numbers belong to the slot, not the preset — slot 1 is PC 0, slot 64 is PC 63, and reordering doesn't move them.
- 17App
Back up when you've got a set you like
- Save a cloud backup once your four foot-presets are settled.
Why, and how you knowNanOS 2.2.0 release notesFive slots. Take one before every gig and before every firmware update.
Every way this trips people up
Find the symptom, apply the fix. Most of these are the workflow being unclear rather than anything being broken.
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The download stalls or the app loses the pedal | Bluetooth dropped mid-transfer. It's the least reliable part of the chain. | Power-cycle the pedal, reopen the app, and start the transfer again from the beginning rather than resuming into a half-open connection.Forum: Bluetooth disconnection during recording · Forum: pairing problems |
| The pedal never appears in the app | It isn't in pairing mode, or on Android the app lacks Location permission. | Hold EXIT + CAPTURE for one second and look for the GAIN ring sweeping. On Android, grant Location — BLE scanning needs it.Bluetooth pairing guide · Forum: pairing problems |
| The new capture sounds boxed-in and muffled | It already contains a mic'd cabinet and the IR Loader is stacking a second speaker on top. | Turn Footswitch II past the last IR slot until no indicators are lit.Forum: amp + cab captures · Forum: turn off cab sim |
| The new capture sounds thin, raspy and fizzy | It's an amp-only capture with no speaker, and the IR Loader is bypassed. | Turn Footswitch II to select a cab. Then high-cut around 8–10 kHz and low-cut around 80 Hz.Forum: amp + cab captures · Forum: lush clean presets |
| It's much louder or quieter than everything else | Cloud captures are gain-staged by whoever uploaded them. There's no normalisation. | Hold CAPTURE for two seconds and set per-capture level, −24 to +12 dB, by ear against a factory capture.Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · Forum: volume levels not saving between presets |
| Everything I set disappeared when I scrolled away | You never saved a preset. A capture is an ingredient, not a saved sound. | Press SAVE, pick a slot, hold SAVE for three seconds. If the SAVE ring is blinking slowly, you have unsaved changes.Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · Creating and managing presets |
| I can't find the capture I downloaded | It went to a bank slot or the User Library and you're scrolling the wrong one. | Press BANK to change bank, then turn Footswitch I. The User Library is the position where all five capture indicators light at once.Nano Cortex User Manual 2.2.0 · Creating Neural Captures on Nano Cortex |
| A capture I want won't load at all | Cortex Cloud “cab captures” are not IRs and don't go in the IR slot — they occupy the capture slot. Quad Cortex presets never load on this pedal. | Check what you're actually downloading. Captures transfer between Quad Cortex and Nano Cortex freely; presets do not.Nano Cortex FAQ · Forum: amp + cab captures |
- Measured
- Read off the hardware by us, not taken from a document.
- Official
- From the manufacturer's manual, FAQ, guides or release notes.
- Community
- Reported by owners. Corroboration, not a primary spec.
- Our reading
- Our interpretation, not something Neural DSP states.
- Unverified
- We could not confirm this, or sources disagree.