Share your tips on high gain sounds.

    Hi,


    With so many options in the KPA to alter the perception of gain I was hoping some forum members might share their tips & tricks on getting good (musically usable) high gain tones for hard rock and metal. There's the gain knob, internal & external stomp options (boosts, OD's, compressors) and even the input sensitivity. Further, by tweaking some of the amp and cab settings you can slightly alter the perceived "gain character" of the tones. And probably other things I haven't even discovered yet...


    So, what methods have you found that worked well to achieve quality high gain tones?


    Sonic

    Definition, then Power Sagging to 5.0, 1.2 or 2.1 compressor, Clarity only if you are really drop tuning or playing with extended range. I find the clarity will cause a honk if you are not careful. Then studio eq in the x slot. I use a typical mid cut eq setting with no boosting. Record the KPA in your DAW and then pull a studio eq plugin to dial your sound. Then convert that eq to the KPA studio eq. Been doing it that way for years and it works great.


    Some also like adjusting the tube shape up to somewhere between 6 and 7. Works some times but lately I have been pulling it back.


    Let me know if you want to see some of my settings I have them all stored on a spreadsheet.

    “When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.”

    Like 2

    Thanks for the replies so far.


    A few things I've noticed are that as the Clarity setting is raised it seems to start reducing the perceived gain, so if you raise up the Clarity too much you often need to raise the Gain setting a bit to compensate. Also, as the Tube Shape is raised it starts doing something to the top end hair....kind of smooths it further so the gain has less of a "grainy" overtone.


    I also agree on the Sag setting, adding some sag helps with both the feel and tone in an interesting way, but it doesn't require much.


    Haven't experimented with the amp compression setting yet....


    Sonic

    Oh, man, you've gotta try cranking the Amp Compression to at least 3 or more in conjunction with lowering Definition and adding a little sag, Sonic.


    IMHO, that's instant vintage mojo right there. If you like "grainy", be sure to lower the Definition a lot.

    I think amp compression is not that important for hard rock and metal type high gain sounds - may not even really have an effect. According to the manual, I believe this goes for power sagging as well. Of course, this is dependent on the definition of "high gain", I guess.


    And I agree on the "clarity" parameter. I can always tell when I hit a rig where it's 2 or higher.

    I made an assumption and probably should have been more specific.....


    Where I was really coming from was the perspective that guys who are looking for high gain rock/metal tones are usually wanting "just a bit more gain". It's always been this way going back to the 70's. There was always some "latest method" that gave more gain. Be it turning the amp to 11 or then a master volume being added or then putting a tube screamer in front or later adding more preamp tubes.. So with the KPA, if you want a bit more gain out of rig, what methods are typically good for getting that little extra gain without mucking up the underlying quality/musicality of the tone?


    Sonic

    Green Scream stomp (Tube Screamer) or any other flavour you desire, cranked to taste and placed before the amp block.


    Kinda obvious, but it works.


    Also, some employ a stomp solely as a level-cranker. Tube-drive-style stomps, EQ's set flat but output levels lifted... anything that allows you to add a little gain sans its effect can be used.

    1) Find a profile you like
    2) dont touch gain and EQ
    3) quadtracked guitars (profile dont need a tons of gain - more tracks - less gain)
    4) Some eq on guitar in DAW.
    5) Done!


    Ahhh before step 1, Killer song > killer arranged > killer played and recorded. At the end mixed :thumbup:


    Stay Metal!

    For studio recording, I would suggest to record 4 tracks 2 left 2 right, the same riff. Just to hear how it sits in the mix. And from there tweak it a bit with the eq, but nothing drastic. Medium gain of course! Works for me even with real amps.

    "When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth" :D

    I'm a high gain player and found that despite other profiles sounding more full on their own, the Lasse Lammert "Hard Hitter" (Krank) freebie that comes on the Kemper fits in the mix with my band very well. It has great articulation for a gainy profile and requires a strong picking hand, but just upping the gain from 6 to 7 brought more chunk to palm muting while preserving chord articulation.


    Every time I try another profile on my own that I think sounds better on its own, it just doesn't sit in as well with the band. To get the chunk I wanted all I had to do was use the gain knob. Bear in mind, we all have different needs based on our style of play and preferences. While some profiles have enough gain to peel the paint off the walls, I'm just never going to find that to be practical.

    Stuff to try:

    • Definition knob usually fairly high (on 10 most of the time)
    • Bias usually up quite high
    • Tube Shape generally 3 or less...but it doesn't make to much of a difference on high gain sounds to me
    • Clarity I usually leave at 0
    • One of the distortion stomps BEFORE the stack
    • Studio EQ BEFORE the stack (add some mids around 700-1000Hz; reduce lows/highs to gain clarity and/or lose scratchiness, depending on what your pickups need). Try and get that sort of 'wet' pick sound without it sounding like a wah is engaged
    • Use a VST plugin with EQ matching feature to match your cab tone to someone you like, then AFTER that tweak it a bit (but not too much) to make it your own. Profile that entire signal chain.
    • Read this thread
    Quote from SanctumSolaris

    Definition, then Power Sagging to 5.0, 1.2 or 2.1 compressor, Clarity only if you are really drop tuning or playing with extended range. I find the clarity will cause a honk if you are not careful. Then studio eq in the x slot. I use a typical mid cut eq setting with no boosting. Record the KPA in your DAW and then pull a studio eq plugin to dial your sound. Then convert that eq to the KPA studio eq. Been doing it that way for years and it works great.


    Some also like adjusting the tube shape up to somewhere between 6 and 7. Works some times but lately I have been pulling it back.


    Let me know if you want to see some of my settings I have them all stored on a spreadsheet.

    I’d like to see your settings. I can’t get a smooth overdrive sound to save my life

    Try these settings:


    Pre Stack


    Graphic Equalizer (A)

    80Hz/160Hz 320Hz 640Hz/2.5KHz 1250Hz
    0.00/-0.40 -1.20 0.00 -6.30
    Low Cut High Cut 5KHz/10KHz 0.00
    52.0Hz 12004.8Hz Volume 0.00
    Mix 100% Ducking 0.00



    Definition 5.80 Clarity 0.00
    Power Sag 2.10 Tube Shape 7.00
    Pick -0.50 Tube Bias 0.00
    Compressor 0.00 Direct Mix 0.00



    Post Stack


    Studio Equalizer (B)

    Low Shelf High Shelf Low Mid High Mid
    0.0 at 200.8Hz 1.8 at 4007.9Hz 1.8 at 90.0Hz -1.8 at 430.3Hz
    Low Cut High Cut Q at 5.000 Q at 5.000
    60.0Hz 13015.9Hz Volume 0.00
    Mix 100% Ducking 0.00

    “When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.”

    Like 1

    I usually raise about 1db on 1.5khz to get more of the strings attack. A trick I learned a long time ago from an interview with Fredrik Nordstrom.

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

    Henry David Thoreau

    Thanks for sharing these settings. I'm just so lost when it comes to EQ things. I like those 2-4 knob tube amps, For me all the options here seem a mystery. Is there any video or referance you could share that would help me better understand how to understand EQ better?