Mission EP1

  • I just purchased a Kemper last week and still learning the basics. I am finding that the Mission EP1-KP doesn't do so well for swells. The sound does not gradually increase but seems to go from 0 - 50. If that makes sense. Is there something I can do to make the sound taper off and on?

  • I had the same problem with mine. I was literally ready to chuck it in the bin until I found out about pedal type in the system menu.


    Although the manual says pedal type 1 is the right choice for most expression pedals (and as the EP1-KP is marketed as being designed for the KPA you would expect it to conform to this standard) the taper on mine was completely unusable when set to type 1. I changed to type 2 and it now works as intended. It is still not a great pedal for swells due to the limited travel but at least the travel is now fairly linear.


    Using the EP1-KP as the only expression pedal is a trade off. The limited travel is what makes it such a fantastic Wah controller but is also what makes it sub optimal for everything else. If you can live with that all well and good. If like me you need a more controllable expression pedal then use the EP1 fo Wah only and use almost an other expression pedal for everything else.

  • I had the same problem with mine. I was literally ready to chuck it in the bin until I found out about pedal type in the system menu.


    Although the manual says pedal type 1 is the right choice for most expression pedals (and as the EP1-KP is marketed as being designed for the KPA you would expect it to conform to this standard) the taper on mine was completely unusable when set to type 1. I changed to type 2 and it now works as intended. It is still not a great pedal for swells due to the limited travel but at least the travel is now fairly linear.


    Using the EP1-KP as the only expression pedal is a trade off. The limited travel is what makes it such a fantastic Wah controller but is also what makes it sub optimal for everything else. If you can live with that all well and good. If like me you need a more controllable expression pedal then use the EP1 fo Wah only and use almost an other expression pedal for everything else.



    Thank you!! I might do just that, get a second volume pedal. Do you recommend one that is good for swells? Have you heard of the Tapestry Audio Bloomery Volume Pedal?

    Thanks

  • Also, do I need an active or passive pedal? Do i need to run my guitar through the volume pedal into the Kemper? Or just into the back of the Kemper like the Mission? Thanks

  • I have no knowledge of the Tapestry pedal but just googled it. It says it is a Volume pedal which is not what you want. However the PASSIVE version has the option to convert to an expression pedal using internal DIP switches. The active can’t do it.


    Most pedals of this nature (Dunlop DVP, Boss FV500 etc) have two separate potentiometers. They use a logarithmic pot for volume and a linear pot for expression. This is important for proper use as an expression pedal. I would contact Tapestry and ask them to confirm that the expression pedal option is a truly linear pot. If it is and you get one please let us all know how it works for you as it looks like a great little pedal if it does the business.

  • No the VP jnr is a Volume Pedal too. Of you want to control features such as Wah, Pitch and Morph then you need an Expression Pedal. Expression pedals normally have only one input on them which is wired for a TRS (stereo cable). It is possible to make a special dual TS to TRS cable as a workaround to use most volume pedals as an expression pedal but this is never a great solution and I definitely wouldn’t waste any money on a high quality volume pedal if I was going to use this fudge.


    The next difference is that volume pedals have Logarithmic (audio) taper pots. These have most of the effect concentrated in the first portion of the travel. As the pedal moves towards the toe the pedal becomes progressively less sensitive. This is what we need for volume as our ears don’t hear in a linear fashion. However, it makes them virtually useless for controlling things like Wah, Pitch and Morphing controls like delay mix etc. Although the Kemper has a volume pedal function it is a software emulation. The Kemper needs to receive a linear input from an Expression Pedal which it uses to compute a logarithmic taper. The Kemper volume pedal is all software - no audio signal goes through the pedal at all. This is why expensive pedals don’t usually provide any noticeable difference in sound. However, in some cases the build quality and physical feel may be worth paying for if you gig with them a lot.


    There are a few pedals which can be used as either a volume or expression pedal. They typically have two separate pots inside with both attached to the pedal. You then choose which output to connect to depending on which function you need. Boss FV500 is one and Dunlop DVP series is another (they do a mini pedal if that is important). It maybe that Tapestry are doing the same thing and simply using the DIP switching for routing instead of multiple outputs (this would certainly save space and allow the pedal to made as small as possible. However, the literature only seems to mention a single pot so I would want confirmation that the taper is truly linear with a resistance around 10k -25k rather than the typical 250k range for volume pedals.


    You really don’t need to spend much money to get a good expression pedal as they are literally nothing more than a single pot (c £5 retail but pennies in bulk to a manufacturer) and a 1/4” jack socket (less the £5 retail but again pennies in bulk) inside a casing. You are paying for the casing.


    Hope that helps.