How to use Distortion Sense

    I understand the point of distortion sense; basically to compensate for a guitar with lower output and bring it's gain up. But I can't get it to work.

    In one rig, my distortion sense is set to -3.0, and in another, it's set to 0.0. I've got all my rigs set for one specific guitar. I just got a new one with lower output and I want to boost the gain of all my rigs by about 3.0. So I press the Input button, go to Distortion Sense, turn the distortion sense from -3.0 up to 0.0. I also then click on the "lock" button while the Distortion Sense screen is still shown. I then exit this rig and go to the other, and it's still set to 0.0 as opposed to boosting that one by 3. I'm doing the steps EXACTLY the way they are instructed in the Kemper Input Section video tutorial on YouTube and it's not changing globally.

    I also thought, maybe I'm supposed to hit the "lock" button BEFORE I make any changes. So I tried locking first and then turning up the distortion sense. Again, I go to the rig that was originally set to 0.0, and it's still at 0.0.


    What am I doing wrong? I want to boost ALL rigs by 3.0. I thought this would be a simple global feature. But it's anything but that so far.

    Edited once, last by OhG (February 24, 2024 at 8:46 PM).

    I think I figured it out, and if this is how it works, it's pretty stupid.

    If I lock the input section and turn the distortion sense from -3.0 to 0.0, it doesn't increase all other rigs' gain by 3, it simply brings all other rigs to 0.0, or whatever number I turn the knob to. So if I already have rigs that have various input sense levels, distortion sense is completely useless. The Kemper video made it sound like it'd boost all rigs by the same amount. But that's not the case. It sets all rigs to the same level.

    Wow. The more I learn about Distortion Sense, the more useless it appears. So the answer to my question above about increasing distortion sense by 3 and then turning the gain down by 3, is a no. They aren't the same. So that makes the process even more of a PITA.

    What also makes this feature 100% useless is if I do lock the input section and change my distortion sense to zero for example, it also then locks the clean sense across the board for all my clean tones as well. So for anyone like me who has different rigs with different clean or distortion sense values, if you get a 2nd guitar with lower output pickups, you're basically screwed and have to adjust EVERY rig individually.

    1000% completely useless feature.

    Quote from Finally

    I use different Input presets for my different guitars, with different distortion sense and it works for me. Plug my Tele in, select the Tele input. I don't get the complexity or uselessness that are plaguing you.

    This. You need to set your all your rigs with the same input settings (=same guitar) and then make a different input setting for a different guitar. It work like a charm here with 8 different guitars. Input settings are not the right place to compensate for different rigs: tone stack and amp settings are there for.

    If something is too complicated, then you need to learn it better

    OhG It works as advertised. Clean sense and Distortion Sense are meant to be set per guitar. So, for example, I set Clean Sense for my Tele so that I get light orange flashes on the loudest strokes. If desired I, set Distortion Sense to a positive value to make up for the Teles lower Output compared to my BC Rich with a Seymour Duncan JB humbucker, to achieve a similar level of distortion on the same Rig.

    In fact I do NOT compensate in order to have a Rig react like the profiled amp would do: I use the BC Rich and have a more saturated tone, I use the Tele with its lower output and get a lower gain. IF you‘d like to have your lower output guitars to achieve the same gain as your higher output guitars, increase DS and compare until you are in the same range.

    Open a support ticket here: SUPPORT

    Quote from Kellerblues

    This. You need to set your all your rigs with the same input settings (=same guitar) and then make a different input setting for a different guitar. It work like a charm here with 8 different guitars. Input settings are not the right place to compensate for different rigs: tone stack and amp settings are there for.

    Okay, so now I'm just confused. Right now, my Kemper is set up for 1 guitar using about 20 different rigs in my performances. Some of those rigs have different distortion sense and clean sense settings. How do I get it set up so that if I grab my 2nd guitar that has lower output pickups, I can plug that one in and have the gains in all my performances increase by the same amounts (about 3-4) so that the rigs have roughly the same gain regardless of what guitar I'm using?

    Will creating an input preset fix this? Or do I need to go through all 20 of my rigs first and set all of those distortion and clean sense settings to zero? If I have to do this, then that means I've also go to adjust the volumes for those rigs as well.

    Quote from OhG

    Okay, so now I'm just confused. Right now, my Kemper is set up for 1 guitar using about 20 different rigs in my performances. Some of those rigs have different distortion sense and clean sense settings. How do I get it set up so that if I grab my 2nd guitar that has lower output pickups, I can plug that one in and have the gains in all my performances increase by the same amounts (about 3-4) so that the rigs have roughly the same gain regardless of what guitar I'm using?

    Will creating an input preset fix this? Or do I need to go through all 20 of my rigs first and set all of those distortion and clean sense settings to zero? If I have to do this, then that means I've also go to adjust the volumes for those rigs as well.

    You should set up you 20 rigs with 1 guitar and have all of them with the same clean sense and distortion sense value (use amp gain and volume to compensate), then save the input preset for that guitar. Now you pick up your 2nd guitar on a reference rig and adjust clean and distortion sense 'till it feels and sounds right (keep in mind that different guitars are supposed to sound different, also what the gain goes). Save the new input setting under a different name for your 2nd guitar. Done

    If something is too complicated, then you need to learn it better

    Quote from Kellerblues

    You should set up you 20 rigs with 1 guitar and have all of them with the same clean sense and distortion sense value (use amp gain and volume to compensate), then save the input preset for that guitar. Now you pick up your 2nd guitar on a reference rig and adjust clean and distortion sense 'till it feels and sounds right (keep in mind that different guitars are supposed to sound different, also what the gain goes). Save the new input setting under a different name for your 2nd guitar. Done

    Ok. So that's basically what I found from my earlier post. I'd have to go in and readjust all of my existing rigs. Pain. It would have been much more convenient if this feature would just increase all distortion sense levels in proportion across the board rather than just turning them all to the same number. But thanks for the help guys. At least now I understand how the feature works.

    Quote from Ruefus

    I'm not sure I understand your complaint.

    When you change distortion sense in the input menu - it does change the value for all rigs.

    Correct. What I'm saying is, it just sets them all TO the same value, rather than increasing them equally by the same amount.

    For example, let's say I have distortion sense on one rig set to -5.0 and another rig set to -1.0. If I turn the distortion sense from -5.0 up by an amount of 2, now that rig is set to -3.0. What I'd want is for the other rig that is currently at -1.0, to then be turned up by the same amount (2), resulting in it going from -1.0 to +1.0. But instead of turning each rig up by the same amount, all distortion sense does is turn them TO the same amount. So in this case, the rig that was at -1.0 isn't turned up by 2. It'd actually be turned DOWN by 1 so that it's at the same -3.0 level as the other rig.

    The Distortion sense can be thought of an offset to the gain value of all rigs in the Kemper (only the ones that are actually distorting, not the clean ones - if I recall correctly). So you won't see a change in the gain value of individual rigs. Simple and easy.

    If you're checking the gain levels of the rigs, you're looking in the wrong place.

    Quote from OhG

    Correct. What I'm saying is, it just sets them all TO the same value, rather than increasing them equally by the same amount.

    For example, let's say I have distortion sense on one rig set to -5.0 and another rig set to -1.0. If I turn the distortion sense from -5.0 up by an amount of 2, now that rig is set to -3.0. What I'd want is for the other rig that is currently at -1.0, to then be turned up by the same amount (2), resulting in it going from -1.0 to +1.0. But instead of turning each rig up by the same amount, all distortion sense does is turn them TO the same amount. So in this case, the rig that was at -1.0 isn't turned up by 2. It'd actually be turned DOWN by 1 so that it's at the same -3.0 level as the other rig.

    Think of the Dist sense not in terms of individual rigs, but as a "preset for certain guitar".

    Don't change it for the individual rigs. Instead, lock the input section, and save the input section with its dist sense as e.g. "Stratocater". Forget the individual rigs.

    Quote from Michael_dk

    Think of the Dist sense not in terms of individual rigs, but as a "preset for certain guitar".

    Don't change it for the individual rigs. Instead, lock the input section, and save the input section with its dist sense as e.g. "Stratocater". Forget the individual rigs.

    Right. I understand the concept. I was just hoping it'd function differently due to the fact that I've got a bunch of rigs with different DS values. This is how I inherited them back when I got my first Kemper and I've just left them that way the whole time. So now when I'm adding in a new guitar, I have to go back through all of them, level them to zero, but then if I'm turning up the distortion sense, I'm assuming that means I'll need to turn down the actual gain on the rig a little bit, correct?

    Then for the clean sense, if I turn those up, I'll need to turn the rig volume down to bring those back to the "loudness" level that they're at now, correct?

    Then after I do those two things, I can use DS the way it was intended. Grab my new guitar with lower output pickups, go to the input menu, lock it, boost the DS value as needed and save as a separate input.

    If someone messed with DS AND the gain on each rig.....then yeah, you've got some work to do. But only once. Whether or not you need to mess with the gain on each rig will depend on what happens when you set DS for the new guitar. If that's no good (and differing DS values per-rig, it sounds like it won't be)....you know what's next.

    Ain't no way they change how DS functions. That's been the same from the very beginning. Besides - even though it wasn't you, the problem sounds like operator error.

    Perhaps you are focusing on the CS and DS too much? I pretty much set it and forget it. I want the different behavior of each guitar to come through on its own. I also am not interested in tweaking these params during a gig. Focusing on this is diminshing returns for me and it has zero issues that I care about.

    Quote from Ruefus

    If someone messed with DS AND the gain on each rig.....then yeah, you've got some work to do. But only once. Whether or not you need to mess with the gain on each rig will depend on what happens when you set DS for the new guitar. If that's no good (and differing DS values per-rig, it sounds like it won't be)....you know what's next.

    Ain't no way they change how DS functions. That's been the same from the very beginning. Besides - even though it wasn't you, the problem sounds like operator error.

    Right. That's why I'm saying, I get how it works. My question now is, for the DS values, if I increase them to bring them back to zero, I'm assuming I'll then need to go into my gain for that rig and turn it down a bit to get the overall sound/gain back to where it was before I turned up the DS levels, correct? Similarly, with the clean sense changes, if I turn those up or down, then I'll need to adjust the rig volume in the other direction to get everything back to the same overall volume as before, correct?

    Quote from lbieber

    Perhaps you are focusing on the CS and DS too much? I pretty much set it and forget it. I want the different behavior of each guitar to come through on its own. I also am not interested in tweaking these params during a gig. Focusing on this is diminshing returns for me and it has zero issues that I care about.

    That might work for you. I wish I was in that boat. But the feature is there for a reason. I need my guitars to have close to the same output/input going into the Kemper. I still get the different sound from the guitars. But if I'm playing my main guitar and I break a string, if I go to my backup and it has a lower output, the song isn't going to sound the way it's supposed to and the guitar isn't going to respond the way I'd want it to for that song.