Hi together,
the kemper hasn´t a good doubler or even triple or quad effect. But I really like the idea to use this live AND in the studio. So I´ve ordered the mimiq one moth before it came out. That is the first fx that I´ve ever buyed even before it was reviewed by the public.
As for I am not the best reviewer, because I use very own techniques far away from standard guitar-hero and most guitarists do not like my way because it is not true, please see my review from the view of a studioguy.
Important: Delay means in this text the some miliseconds a signal is delayed. Not the echo fx!
I only write in short facts because I don´t want to loose the half:
1. Update that thing. It sounded very often strange and weird and f...phasey I used it first. I think the first update calmed that a little bit. At the beginning every 5-10 seconds the phasey sound changed. Horrible. but it is far better now after updating (i think, correct me if I´m wrong)
2. that thing is NOT easy to use.
3. I hooked it right after the AMP Section (X-Slot)
4. I Used Mono IN and Stereo OUT. In the far too small und uncomplete documentation is no word about how the stereo in is realy used (internally). I hooked it stereo in and it did´nt sound right. I do not found out how the signal chain ist changed in the mimiq when I use stereo insted of mono IN. Why all the mess? ... it sounded not really other or better or right. Maybe you need a true stereo signal like a keyboard or so. But not a guitar. Did not test the mimiq right after something like a stereo chorus yet. Did somebody?
5. the mimiq has one really awfull fault:
one voice (bypass): original voice middle
two voices: doubled voice left, original right
three voices: dubled voice 1 left, doubled voice 2 middle, original right (THAT IS IN FACT CRAP, I tell later why)
four voices: 2 doubled left, one doubled and original right
you see, the original signal is always right.
And that is the problem (specially in 3 voices mode)
The original Voice has NO digital Delay (true bypass). The doubled voices have some miliseconds digital delay (I think from the AD/DA). So the mimiq ALWAYS sounds like there is a minimal bathroom like echo on all. Ok. Not sooooo bad (for the germans: Wortwitz). BUT you always feel like the guitar(s) are not centered or wheigted equally, the whole field is always a little to the right.
(You can emulate the same sideFX if you take a mono track, double it, play it hard left right panned as stereomono and then delay one of the tracks by lets say 3 milliseconds. Most will understand. Same with the mimiq.)
This panning effect can be softened by putting down the dry signal a little bit (the manual says: don´t ever do that...).
The quad guitars sound ok. You´ve got to play around with the tightness knob around to find a nice spot.
Workarounds:
use 3 voices and pull down the dry to zero. Now you have 2 voices, but equally delayed (correct). The delay on the effectvoices is very minimal but causes a strange sound when mixed with the dry (undelayed) sound as I told. Or use 2 voices. I wasn´t able to find out yet which of these bioth options is more usabel.
the four voices is... I can´t use it at that point really good. Just because it sounds so panned. I´ve got to gittest further.
6. Hint: it seems to be good for me: the more distorsion the more the the tightnes knob to the left (tighter). The cleaner the more to the right. 12 o´clock is nice for fast cleans. Slow played cleans sound very nice at "very loose".
7. tightness fully to the left (very tight) sound unnatural. BUT it sounds in mode two voices like a very good stereo widener without chorus artifacts etc (HELLLLO, that´s what I´ve looked for).
I think I´ll ask tc electronic if the can put in 3 voices mode the original voice in the middel. Think the delayroomypanned right problems should be ignorable then. There is one switch unused left inside, maybe they could use that. Or even a complete editor like for the hall of fame which just was great (via USB).
OR I´ll ask them if it is possible to delay the original voice (f... true bypass :)) the same amount the FX-Voices are delayd (via DIPswitch or software).
conclusion:
as doubler: ok
as tripler: to far to the side
as quad: depending, but it sound not sooooo true PLUS it is a little bit right panned by the delay
as stereowidener (tightness to full virginity): yep, VERY nice. Like. I´ll put it in the back of my kemper UNTIL Kemper puts something similiar in the FX-section. (PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE)
compared with the stereo-widener fx already in the kemper: completly different field. The kemper FX is more a frequency divider. Some freq to the left and some to the right. Stereo voila. But it is the same voice. Part left, part right.
the mimiq changes with different yet unknown (I think, chorus, changing pitch and timing) combinations the fx-voice and adds it. So it IS a different voice.
If you got any suggestions or hints or experiences with this realy interesting effect, please share. I think there is much more usable stuff in it.
add1:
I only did test it in studiosituiation yet. I´ll test it on PA the next days (not really live, but I´ve got a PA in the cellar for testing mixes loud :))
add2:
at this moment I test the crystal delay and mimiq quad. I´m dying. That´s incredible in combination!