Articulate, Tight, boosted high gain w/o stomps or pre/post eq

    I'm wondering if anyone has struggles with this...

    I can get all the great sounds for tight boosted high gain tones but it always comes at the expense or either a stomp and gate and/or a pre and/or post eq. This often leaves me with almost half my effects blocks used up just for boosting and tightening profiles.

    I've seen profiles where people have added a tube screamer or similar to the signal chain before profiling and I've done this myself but I find myself never feeling like its there and end up trying to eq and/or boost anyways.

    I've gotten pretty close just using the front gate and tweaking the amp and cab profile. But it just isn't the same.

    So I'm wondering if any of yall got any tricks I haven't tried yet. I've set the eq to pre, changed the definition, clarity, high and low shift, pure cab, dist sense, tube bias, pick, compressor. Name it and I've probably tried it. What do yall do?

    Cheers.

    Most high gain profiles are very compressed, more compressed than the real amp(s) . I find I need to to loosen up the definition most of the time and then use a pedal if the profiles don't have it baked in. There are tons of profiles with a baked in tube screamer or similar pedals you can use. Honestly I believe your problem is not the kemper nor the profiles. It is your playing you're not satisfied with and you try to compensate for that by tweaking and tweaking and still not satisfied. If you ever have listened to raw multitracks from commercial songs most of them sounds dull, and some even thin but in in the mix, fantastic.

    Think for yourself, or others will think for you wihout thinking of you

    Henry David Thoreau

    Quote from GearJocke

    Most high gain profiles are very compressed, more compressed than the real amp(s) . I find I need to to loosen up the definition most of the time and then use a pedal if the profiles don't have it baked in. There are tons of profiles with a baked in tube screamer or similar pedals you can use. Honestly I believe your problem is not the kemper nor the profiles. It is your playing you're not satisfied with and you try to compensate for that by tweaking and tweaking and still not satisfied. If you ever have listened to raw multitracks from commercial songs most of them sounds dull, and some even thin but in in the mix, fantastic.

    So you reduce the definition to get it tighter ? And either use an external pedal or aim for boosted profiles? Interesting, I would've never thought that lowering the definition would get a tighter boosted sound in any context. Thanks I'll give it a try.

    On your first comment above, It's hard to say unless you specify the genre or style you want to produce, or emulate an artist's particular tone.

    One of my best high-gain profiles is just a mesa boogie rectifier with the gain turned down to 3.6 and using a stomp with just 0.0 to add it's own color and character to it.

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.

    Quote from Awesome_Elvis

    So you reduce the definition to get it tighter ? And either use an external pedal or aim for boosted profiles? Interesting, I would've never thought that lowering the definition would get a tighter boosted sound in any context. Thanks I'll give it a try.

    No you missunderstod me. I turn down def becuase most high gain profiles are too tight. I could leave def on 10 and skip ts but since I like that sound I turn def down and use ts if it's not already baked in in the profile.

    Think for yourself, or others will think for you wihout thinking of you

    Henry David Thoreau

    Quote from GearJocke

    But why do you want a tighter sound than a hw amp? What guitar/pickups do you use?

    I want the sound of a tightly boosted high gain amp without having to use any stomps or extra eq's because I often feel the low end and low mids aren't clear enough and I like a little extra high mid and top sizzle. I currently use LTD/fishmans, Ibanez/emgX's, Schecter/Lundgren, and whatever pickups are in this Sterling 7 string I just got.

    Quote from BayouTexan

    A high Definition makes the tone too bright and thin. Sounds awful unless you plan to quad-track over it.

    Really, it depends entirely on the profile and your intent. Most hover around 5 for me…..but sometimes it’s jacked way up.


    Another trick I’ve used to bring a heavy profile into ‘focus’ is the Clarity parameter. That and adding some direct signal.

    Quote from Ruefus

    Really, it depends entirely on the profile and your intent. Most hover around 5 for me…..but sometimes it’s jacked way up.


    Another trick I’ve used to bring a heavy profile into ‘focus’ is the Clarity parameter. That and adding some direct signal.

    I'm using the OD stomps for almost everything over breakup so the definition is probably more sensitive for me with the stomps. I haven't used Clarity at all, only some Direct Mix. But I am not trying to copy a tone. I'm trying to create my own sound.

    For the most part, lowering the definition makes the profile too dark and muddy in the mix, and higher becomes bright and thin like I said. I usually start at Def = 5 too and have gone down to 3.5 and no higher than 7.

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.

    Quote from Ruefus

    Nor am I trying to copy anything. I get tired of using the same stuff and similar techniques.


    It’s also about saying “what happens if I do *this*….” ?

    Amen Brother! I even put a OD stomp in the effects and put a Delay in the stomps just to see what it sounded like... I kinda liked it. ^^

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.