Posts by HankLinderman

I'm prepping for a new gig, in the past I would use a Princeton Reverb with a high quality analog pedalboard. It was set up to allow multiple levels of volume and distortion, and I would *play* the pedalboard during the set. No presets in other words, except for a favorite switch on the El Capistan. I had multiple dirt boxes, each set up to do a little bit of dirt that could be combined with the other pedals, meaning I could go from 3 flavors of crunch to multiple versions of distortion. I wanted to be able to quickly react on stage to whatever happened musically, and the system works well, still does. One of the best parts is being able to grab a delay parameter on the El Capistan and make creative changes on the fly.

So, rather than a patch inside a performance for each song, I'm working on a master patch that allows the same idea, that I can play a gig with one patch more or less. (There will be exceptions based on specialized fx like a ring mod where I'll need a modified patch.) So, I have a compressor that gives a healthy boost, a Kemper Fuzz, into an AC20 profile that morphs from low to higher gain. The compressor makes a healthy difference between both gain settings, and can be combined with the fuzz for more variety. My guitar is a Collings 290, and I have learned to run the pickups at about 50% for my basic clean tone, adjusting them up or down depending. Low settings work especially well with the fuzz.

I have the rotary speaker as a primary mod, makes a big difference to set the mix at about 45%. Speed is controlled by an extra sustain pedal I have. There's also a trem set up in the X location that I manually turn on and off for the one song I need it. I use two delays, both controlled by a foot switch, so I can alternate between them or set them both to be switched on or off. Delay 1 has a lower mix and is set to 1/8th notes, and since the rig is set to maximum tempo (256) it gives a slap before morphing. After morphing, it switches to 1/4 notes and a higher mix. Delay 2 starts with 1/4 notes, morphs to dotted 1/4 notes. Delay 2 also starts with higher mix levels. I have an Ampero double switch that is set to infinity and freeze. This gives a lot of delay possibilities, similar to getting your hands on the delay. I realize I can just grab parameters on my powered head, so I'm considering where to put it onstage.

I have a Mission exp pedal set to provide a boost level of 5 post stack. I think I need at least one more exp pedal to handle wah and other duties.

Anyway, I'm getting very close to the point where I can simply *play* the rig as if it were a tube amp and pedal board and it is liberating. I'm sure some of the rest of you have come across this approach, please share your experiences!

Best...H

Thanks Alan. Does anyone have any suggestions for such a thing? Is there a particular MIDI controller that would be best suited? I don't want to spend hundred$$, I already have delay pedals I could include.

Is EuCon another possibility? The Avid Control ap works on almost any Mac program, will try it with the editor.

Best...H

One of the things I wish I could do with the KPA is to be able to manipulate multiple delay parameters in real time. I realize I can use morphing, separate patches, multiple instances of delays within a patch, a delay pedal in a loop, possibly even remap an expression via the foot controller, but none of these are ideal. A separate delay pedal is the closest and may be the best solution.

I suppose I could mount the toaster close to my mic stand but I'd need a dedicated stand and mount.

Yes, I can use the iPad editor, but for live performing the controls are too small. So, my question is - how about an inexpensive MIDI controller programmed to address mix, time, feedback, modulation, grit, etc? Is this even possible?

Thanks for your thoughts.

Best...H

I have a powered head and remote, recently got a Stage and it is amazing. So, esp for recording, I would go with the Stage and possibly an expression pedal. I would also skip the Kab for the moment - you may find you don't need it.

A head without the remote - I dunno. There are too many functions the remote gives you - so again I say the Stage. I seldom use a cab with the powered head, I'm completely satisfied with monitors. I even use a Fishman LoudBox as a monitor occasionally, works great.

Best...H

I don't think maxing the main out going into a line input is a bad thing at all, that's where my Stage currently lives. I aim to print about -14 to possibly -10.

If it sounds fine it probably is.

Also, not sure if there's much difference from a level standpoint if you turn rig or master volume up to get louder to your DAW. I look at the master as the first one I grab for, use the rig volumes to balance rigs against each other.

Best...H

There is the possibility of slightly lower latency via spdif since you'll be skipping 2 conversions. I heard no difference between analog and spdif on my rigs, but I swear the digital was faster...

Best...H

I found the learning curve to be tough on my own, videos and the forum helped. The FIRST THING I suggest is to get onto Performance mode asap - the Browser mode is not easy to manage, so I just think of it as a big basket of profiles to choose from and put into a Performance.

Also, you only need a few great sounds to be up and running. My first gig with my KPA I used only one profile with some basic delay, reverb, compressor, dirtbox fx, it was wonderful. Even now, that profile gets used more than any other.

My third suggestion is to learn the Morph function - even if all you're using it for is to be able to get louder without changing anything else.

Best...H

Quote from dave5150

You could achieve the fade out over time using morphing

Right, but having an always available fade-out on the tuner is a pretty cool idea. Might need to trigger fade by holding the tuner button down; waiting for the fade could become tiresome if you just need to tune.

Best...H

Quote from Awesome_Elvis

I've wondered if finding resolution is as simple as locating a 2nd kemper in your town and then build a rig with the eq and tone shaping boots and cuts you want and then profiling that with another kemper. ..

Well there's an idea: but instead of having to find another Kemper to profile yours, let the Kemper construct it's own profile with whatever appropriate fx slots you want enabled... so, a dirt box, eq, and amp, then "Re-Profile" them into a new profile.

Quote from Robrecht

I don't know how technically feasible it would be, but at least in theory this is a very good idea. Sure, you can take out your laptop on stage and copy some performances over, or wait ten minutes while you flash an entire backup from USB, but those are not fun things to do during a fifteen minute changeover between bands. And then there's the uncertainty of what version of KAOS the local Kemper will be running...

If the boot image could include everything – profiles, performances, system settings and even the operating system – setting up would be as simple as just plugging one more thing in besides your guitar before turning the Kemper on.

That's the idea - an easy way to be sure the backline KPA is "mine" in only a few minutes - like multiple user accounts on a computer. Log out of one user account, login to another.

Burkhard's concern about 2 users with 75 performances is possible, but not likely unless U2 and Bruno Mars were to share the same stage and gear. Then again, "Boot from USB" or "Switch User Account" could accommodate even this scenario.

Or, let us read system and performance data from USB, like the old DX7 and the external memory cartridges. Let's face it, the flexibility of the KPA can be a difficulty when you're in a hurry on a dark stage with someone else's KPA. Did you remember to turn "Constant Latency" on? Are the monitor and main volumes linked? Etc...

Best...H

Another option might be to limit the functionality of the pedalboard - so that a guitarist who has never used a Kemper could be kept from changing performances, possibly even limit which of the 5 rigs they could select.

Best...H

Quote from floyd99

I agree with the above.

The solution isn’t what the original poster says.. it’s simply to be able to manage copying performances back and forth off USB. The fact you can’t do this drives me nuts.

Yes, the ability to move a selected group of performances from USB would accomplish most of this. But what about system settings? There's also the issue of having mismatched Rig Manager and OS versions if you want your computer connected. (Less important...)

Best...H

I was at a gig last night with 2 bands, the guitarist from the first band used the same amp as the one from the second. I realized - if there were a way to read and load up your presets from USB without wiping the existing ones, and that your presets would disappear when you pulled your USB stick. I think it might require "Boot from USB" so that system wide settings like constant latency would be as you want them. (Btw, constant latency should be set per patch.) It might even mean that different operating systems could be accommodated (which might mean your ancient laptop you use on the road would work with Rig Manager).

Yes, there is a way to do this but it requires backing up the existing patches. Another guitarist using my KPA might end up wiping my setup, patches and performances without meaning to.

What I'm asking for is to power up the KPA with a USB stick and/or a laptop connected, see a dialog asking "Boot from USB / Computer?" Saying "yes" leaves the internal memory alone, but the internal setup wouldn't be available. The KPA would look just like mine, which I had left at home.

This would make the KPA even more appealing as a universal backline amp.

Thoughts?

I'm a recording engineer, here's some of what I have observed.

For most sources and with good converters, I can't hear a difference between sample rates on an individual track; an exception would be a solo instrument in a very nice room. I get stems recorded at various sample rates to put in a master session and the original sample rate doesn't seem to make a difference, especially once it's all mixed.

As far as sessions go, I hear a difference. There are many factors - the converters, the DAW's summing, the plug ins, etc. For whatever reason, 44.1k sounds a bit harsh to me, 48k has a sweetness I like, so if I'm doing demos I can happily work at 48k.

I don't use 88.2, probably because of an outboard reverb I used to have that DID NOT LIKE 88.2k. Habits.

I use 96k for most serious sessions, disk space is cheap so I don't worry about it. I asked another engineer friend why he uses 96k, if he could really hear a difference. His answer was that he wasn't sure he could hear a difference but that "he was in a better mood at the end of the day working at 96k." That isn't a joke, I know what he means.

Theoretically, 44.1k should be all we need, but the execution of perfection is elusive!

Best...H

My idea of fun is to put a *record* on Apple Music and play along, whether I've heard the music before or not. Sometimes they are not at concert pitch, and while I could retune them or my guitar I'd rather grab a parameter and move my guitar a little. I'm a recording engineer, have worked on several multi-platinum recordings, and I'm very familiar with multiple ways of manipulating pitch, tempo, timbre, etc. I just don't want to screw around with opening a piece of software, finding a file, manipulating it and so on. That's my day gig!

I am not at all concerned about transposing - I just want to turn on a recording and play along without having to retune when the track is off by 15 cents. Also - to change the pitch of a recording is to change the artist's intention, this can really make a difference.

So, all I need is a fine-tune parameter on the transpose. I realize it only needs to be +/- 50 cents instead of 100.

Nice Hellecasters cover btw. John Jorgensen sat in on one of my gigs at McCabe's, learned 6 songs at soundcheck and killed it.

Title of thread says it all: fine tune parameter in Transpose, +/- 100cents. (+/- 50 cents would work as well.)

Why? So we can play along with sources that aren't at concert pitch, like Beatles recordings.

Best...H

Thread title says it all - when I want to play along with a recording that's not exactly at concert, I want to be able to slightly detune my guitar. This should be an easy thing to implement...

So, please add a +/- 100 cents fine tune to Transpose!

(Or - maybe I just can't figure out how to make it happen??)

And, rig manager still needs an onscreen tuner please.

Best...H

I read the thread about a stolen KPA being recovered when the thief tried to *register* the stolen KPA. I think a future os release should have the KPA check in with Kemper and give its web location. This would make it pointless for a thief to try to upgrade the os or even to connect to the web.

Also, we still need constant latency to be part of a patch - I want the least latency at all times, but when using some direct signal in a patch constant latency is required. Every millisecond of latency puts the player another foot away from the amp, so theat delay compensation should only be on when you need it.

I think latency is the final frontier for digital amps - my sense is that tube amps still have an advantage in this area.

Best...H

I had one of my tube amps (a Roy Blankenship Princeton Reverb clone) modified to accept the monitor out signal from my KPA toaster, and the results are wonderful: amp-in-room tone with real 6v6's and a Gold Celestion 10.

One thing I would like would be to have an option to *mix* the cab into the output. Currently it's cab on or cab off. At the moment I prefer cab on, but I'd like to be able to dial the cab back a bit. It makes sense to me that this could be a simple *mix* control if nothing else. The ideal solution might be more of a *strength* of the cab sim control. This would all be in the output section of the Monitor output.

Quote from Andy_T-V

hold shift down for finer mouse adjustments.

On my system finer adjustments by mouse or trackball are all I get, and only a few 1/10ths. Modifier keys make no difference. I am able to use the scroll wheel by setting up separate Kensington prefs for Rig Manager.