Neural DSP
Quad Cortex (shared by both guitarists)
Top 5Has said they use
Neural DSP
Quad Cortex (shared by both guitarists)“It's allowed us to eliminate one entire rack from our travel setup so that's great, and the unit sounds fantastic”
t
Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by The Ocean. Every item links to its public source.
15 items · Last checked What gear does The Ocean use?
Robin Staps has said The Ocean ran a MacBook with Logic Pro that controls a Neural DSP Quad Cortex shared by both guitarists, plus lights, backing tracks and click. Before that they were seen with Kemper profilers, and Staps with a Diezel VH4, Mesa TriAxis and Mesa 290 power amp.
Top 5
Where to start with The Ocean's gear.
What gear The Ocean uses: a sourced gear guide
Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.
Guitar rig (Robin Staps and David Ramis Åhfeldt)
Neural DSP
Quad Cortex (shared by both guitarists)
Has said they use
Neural DSP
Quad Cortex (shared by both guitarists)“It's allowed us to eliminate one entire rack from our travel setup so that's great, and the unit sounds fantastic”
Apple
Logic Pro (show control, backing tracks, click)
Has said they use
“This machine controls the Quad Cortex which is our amps and effects via a MIDI program and control changes”
Said in The Ocean reveal how they use Logic to control their Quad Cortex guitar tones, and even their lighting, in a new rig tour, September 2024
No store page for this one.
Apple
MacBook running the show session
Seen using
Seen in The Ocean reveal how they use Logic to control their Quad Cortex guitar tones, and even their lighting, in a new rig tour, September 2024
No store page for this one.
Former rig
Kemper
Profiler (before the Quad Cortex)
Seen using
Seen in The Ocean reveal how they use Logic to control their Quad Cortex guitar tones, and even their lighting, in a new rig tour, September 2024
No store page for this one.
Diezel
VH4 head
Seen using
Diezel
VH4 headSeen in The Ocean reveal how they use Logic to control their Quad Cortex guitar tones, and even their lighting, in a new rig tour, September 2024
No store page for this one.
Mesa/Boogie
TriAxis preamp
Seen using
Mesa/Boogie
TriAxis preampSeen in The Ocean reveal how they use Logic to control their Quad Cortex guitar tones, and even their lighting, in a new rig tour, September 2024
No store page for this one.
Mesa/Boogie
290 power amp
Seen using
Mesa/Boogie
290 power ampSeen in The Ocean reveal how they use Logic to control their Quad Cortex guitar tones, and even their lighting, in a new rig tour, September 2024
No store page for this one.
Robin Staps: records that shaped him
Dolton Records
The Ventures: The Ventures In Space (1964)
Has said they love
Dolton Records
The Ventures: The Ventures In Space (1964)“I particularly like this record because it has a lot of weird sounds and ethereal effects on it that are all made with guitars, not with synths”
Said in My top 10 concept albums, by The Ocean's Robin Staps, August 2020
No store page for this one.
“I think Frank Zappa was the true punk of that time before anyone came up with the idea of punk”
Said in My top 10 concept albums, by The Ocean's Robin Staps, August 2020
No store page for this one.
Interscope Records
Nine Inch Nails: The Downward Spiral (1994)
Has said they love
Interscope Records
Nine Inch Nails: The Downward Spiral (1994)“I was intrigued by the darkness and ambiguity of it”
Said in My top 10 concept albums, by The Ocean's Robin Staps, August 2020
No store page for this one.
Burning Heart Records
Refused: The Shape of Punk to Come (1998)
Has said they love
Burning Heart Records
Refused: The Shape of Punk to Come (1998)“That band was pure conceptualism.”
Said in My top 10 concept albums, by The Ocean's Robin Staps, August 2020
No store page for this one.
Relapse Records
Neurosis: Times Of Grace (1999)
Has said they love
Relapse Records
Neurosis: Times Of Grace (1999)“They really shaped my path”
Said in My top 10 concept albums, by The Ocean's Robin Staps, August 2020
No store page for this one.
Interscope Records
Dredg: El Cielo (2002)
Has said they love
Interscope Records
Dredg: El Cielo (2002)Said in My top 10 concept albums, by The Ocean's Robin Staps, August 2020
No store page for this one.
Vagrant Records
Thrice: The Alchemy Index Vols I to IV (2007, 2008)
Has said they love
Vagrant Records
Thrice: The Alchemy Index Vols I to IV (2007, 2008)“I go back and listen to those albums a lot because the songs are so brilliant.”
Said in My top 10 concept albums, by The Ocean's Robin Staps, August 2020
No store page for this one.
Nuclear Blast
Meshuggah: Catch 33 (2005)
Has said they love
Nuclear Blast
Meshuggah: Catch 33 (2005)Said in My top 10 concept albums, by The Ocean's Robin Staps, August 2020
No store page for this one.
Questions
About The Ocean's gear.
What amp does The Ocean use?
Robin Staps and David Ramis Åhfeldt shared one Neural DSP Quad Cortex, which Staps has said let them drop a whole rack from their travel setup. Earlier they ran Kemper profilers, and before that Staps played a Diezel VH4 and Mesa/Boogie TriAxis with a 290 power amp.
What DAW does The Ocean use live?
Logic Pro on a MacBook. Staps has said it sent MIDI program and control changes to the Quad Cortex, ran synced lighting and backing tracks such as the brass on Holocene, and fed the click to the band's ears.
What albums influenced Robin Staps?
He has named concept records including The Ventures In Space, Zappa's We're Only In It For The Money, Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral, Refused's The Shape of Punk to Come, Neurosis' Times Of Grace, Dredg's El Cielo, Thrice's The Alchemy Index and Meshuggah's Catch 33.
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TO
The Ocean
About this guide · Last checked
The Ocean are the Berlin post-metal collective led by guitarist Robin Staps. This guide covers their fly-in touring rig, a Neural DSP Quad Cortex driven from Logic Pro, the amps it replaced, and the concept albums Staps has said shaped him.
truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. The Ocean didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.
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