Creating an all in one Performance / and a long story...

  • "Forgive me father for I have sinned" ;) ....I got fed up with a fault volume knob on my Kemper (had it on my last one too - now fixed) and Rig Manager losing one of my performances when I was editing using it....and then it sounding like a cocked wah was on....having to do multiple factory resets and then having the issue recur. So I used an AX8 for a few months....editor great, physical interface not so much.


    I joined a covers band - Green Day to Megadeth....AX8 into the Behringer X32 PA...and I was struggling to hear myself. Now to be fair, I've always needed to have my volume high in the mix. But also part of the issue is that me and the other guitarist were both on AX8s, and like similar sounds....and being honest....he's an astonishing guitarist who sounds great through everything (it's in the fingers)....so there's probably a psychological factor too.


    I tried different IEMs but couldn't get a sound I liked....I was on the verge of just giving up on the band as I couldn't enjoy myself if I couldn't hear what I was doing.


    Anyhow, I went in today with an A/B pedal.....both my AX8 and Kemper set up.....and my DXR10 as my personal monitor....I had got the Top Jimi Steve Stevens and EVH packs.....based on Ben Eller recommending the EVH ones and had set up a new preset on the AX8.


    Long and short, the Steve Stevens profiles sounded great and even with the DXR10, I could hear myself better and preferred the sound of the Kemper from my DXR10 over the AX8. I only used the AX8 by choice on one song...Kickstart my Heart by Motley Crue....because my Droptune was hooked up to it...and I struggled to hear myself well. The other guitarist still sounded fantastic on his AX8.


    Anyhow, as per the subject line, I now plan on building a single performance for all of the songs. I mainly used 3 of the Steve Stevens profiles tonight....I also wanted a more "direct" sound at times (Steve Stevens profiles have a lovely "squash" to them) so am thinking of getting the ACDC pack.....as I think of Angus's sound as being Marshall but without the scooped, and slightly nasal sound a lot of high gain Marshall profiles seem to have.


    So Question 1. Have any of you tried various Top Jimi packs and what are your favourites and why?


    Question 2. is around how I can play with the profiles to make them more flexible. For example I'm thinking EQs or perhaps gain pedals (I wish the Kemper had the variety of gain pedals that the AX8 does) so that if I want to take a higher gain profile (like the Steve Stevens) and make it more brutal, I can just turn on a stomp. Similarly I might just want more cut in the mix.....or I might want a "rounder/fuller" sound for melody lines using a particular profile. The last two feels like EQ stomps. Do you guys have any go to stomps you have set up in that way?


    I still have my legacy delay at 450ms that I like and I use a morph pedal to increase the delay mix, up the mids, up the volume a bit, and drop a bit of treble and presence for solos.... I also have a separate pedal for volume....although for some reason today it wasn't boosting as much as it has in the past....I'll have to look into that.


    Question 3. Have any of you managed to get an IEM solution that works for you, particularly on high gain sounds without being too ice picky or just sounding nasty in your ear? I have a couple of IEMs and different IEM amps I can use. Back with the AX8 I tried mixing a direct feed of my guitar with a mix of the band from the PA....but I couldn't get anything I liked.


    This band is likely to play beer festivals....and there is every chance there won't be any more than a line check....meaning if I get a bad monitor mix, I'm a bit stuffed.


    Sorry for all the words...but hopefully you guys have some ideas I haven't considered.


    Thanks,

    Andy


    PS - I have a terrible back and even the weight of the Toaster, two expression pedals and the remote in a semi-hard case is a bit much for me.....is it worth considering chopping for a Stage?

  • 1. I've got the Top Jimi EVH pack and it's amazing.


    2. Watch the Tone Junkie videos on YouTube. He'll show you all sorts of tricks and tips to get the tone you need. Just set up a Performance and you then have 5 * 2 (with Morphs) patches which you can stagger from cleans to filth with any number of EQs and FX linked to the four stomp switches.

    You have a massive number of Performances to play with.


    I got the Stage for its small footprint - otherwise you're going to have to carry a toaster/case plus remote, plus other pedals. So far it's been superb, and has everything I've ever needed. I mounted it in a custom roadcase with a Mission expression pedal. If only I'd had this setup back in the days of lugging Marshall quad boxes AND heads AND pedalboards AND gig bag with cables etc. Maybe my back would be in better nick. Heartily recommend getting the Stage. Just make sure you set it up beforehand so you don't have to bend down and tweak things mid-gig.

  • Thanks - yeah, I love the morph feature....trying to get the AX8 to imitate that was painful.


    I do tend to tweak on the fly at rehearsals and really like the Toaster interface for that....might be a reason to stick with that over the Stage for now.


    I'm going to to try rig manager on my Mac to see if that plays better than my PC when assiging rigs to performances etc.


    Btw, the old days....I remember lugging my Marshall combo....a good 25+Kg up three flights of steps to a nightclub venue.....and my feet sticking to the floor. I had my guitar and a bag with my pedalboard on my back. I had the same Marshall when I played Glastonbury and was trudging through mud, you couldn't make it up :D:D:D

  • Btw, the old days....I remember lugging my Marshall combo....a good 25+Kg up three flights of steps to a nightclub venue.....and my feet sticking to the floor.

    Ah yes! The old stairs and sticky carpets - sheesh. But remember, the alternative to tweaking on the Kemper itself, is to have a laptop connected to the Stage and tweak it via Rig Manager, which is possibly more intuitive than fiddling with knobs and led displays? Just an idea.

  • Ah yes! The old stairs and sticky carpets - sheesh. But remember, the alternative to tweaking on the Kemper itself, is to have a laptop connected to the Stage and tweak it via Rig Manager, which is possibly more intuitive than fiddling with knobs and led displays? Just an idea.

    Hmm, my experience of the Kemper (Toaster) connected to RM has been poor - remote disconnecting, things hanging etc.... And gigging, there are things I love about the Toaster format....like the Noise Gate knob on the front - has saved me more than once with a noisy stage.

  • Question 1. Have any of you tried various Top Jimi packs and what are your favourites and why? - Yes I have 4 of them including the EVH ones....what is interesting is they are very accurate...but I've realised I don;t like EVH's sound!!! I have the ENGL pack and I love that. I also suggest you also try the latest Bert M pack that is free. The Freidman and SLO profiles are really good I think.


    Question 2. is around how I can play with the profiles to make them more flexible. For example I'm thinking EQs or perhaps gain pedals (I wish the Kemper had the variety of gain pedals that the AX8 does) so that if I want to take a higher gain profile (like the Steve Stevens) and make it more brutal, I can just turn on a stomp. Similarly I might just want more cut in the mix.....or I might want a "rounder/fuller" sound for melody lines using a particular profile. The last two feels like EQ stomps. Do you guys have any go to stomps you have set up in that way? Given I play in a covers band ( and also do Kickstart), I limit the sounds. So I have a solid clean Rhythm, solid Heavy Rhythm, solo and clean etc. I have morph on each - on Rhythm a boost of volume and a touch more gain and presence for Riffs, which you need in a 2 guitar band. The key to make sure you cut is minimal effects. I use virtually not reverb or delay for Rhythm and as clean as I dare. This reduces mush...


    I still have my legacy delay at 450ms that I like and I use a morph pedal to increase the delay mix, up the mids, up the volume a bit, and drop a bit of treble and presence for solos.... I also have a separate pedal for volume....although for some reason today it wasn't boosting as much as it has in the past....I'll have to look into that. Personally I don;t use the volume pedal except for swells. Defo do not use it to boost becuase its a pain to get the balance, you nearly always want an instant hit hence I use a dedicated rig or morph via a switch.


    Question 3. Have any of you managed to get an IEM solution that works for you, particularly on high gain sounds without being too ice picky or just sounding nasty in your ear? I have a couple of IEMs and different IEM amps I can use. Back with the AX8 I tried mixing a direct feed of my guitar with a mix of the band from the PA....but I couldn't get anything I liked. Nope. I've accepted that my sound through IEM's is bearable. I have a reasonable system and expensive ear buds, but still not the same...I never got a good sound with a valve amp either...


    Stage vs toaster - I have a powered rack and that's mainly because I can use the cabs at festivals for monitoring ( I still take the mic lead and plug direct from the KPA. So if you ahve the powered, I'd stay with the toaster...if not I'd consider the stage!

  • Thanks for this post andyg_prs! I love your article! The content is very valuable. It shows that you spent time researching this and you have managed to turn it into an incredible piece of valuable content ???

  • Hi, That's a brilliantly useful response...and I do love a good Engl, so I'll include that pack too...I think it's the Powerball right?


    On another matter......as I use the same effects and even morph settings across all my rigs (performances).....do you know any easy way to maintain those and just change the rigs (amp and cab settings)?


    I'm pretty sure on the Kemper itself I can copy and paste the entire stomps and effects sections...but there might be a quicker way to do that from RM?


    Also with the morphing, I don't know anyway to copy that between performances?


    Thanks,

    Andy

  • Question 3. Have any of you managed to get an IEM solution that works for you, particularly on high gain sounds without being too ice picky or just sounding nasty in your ear? I have a couple of IEMs and different IEM amps I can use. Back with the AX8 I tried mixing a direct feed of my guitar with a mix of the band from the PA....but I couldn't get anything I liked.

    When it comes to IEMs, it's really about the quality of your IEMs almost more so than the quality of the profile (almost). If you're using single or dual driver IEMs, I don't care if God himself came down and created a profile; it's going to sound like crap and very thin. At a bare minimum, you need to be using triple drivers. I'm using 5-driver Westone UMPro50 and they are awesome! They sound better than my AudioTechnica headphones.


    You've also got to set realistic expectations for what IEMs can do. You won't get that amp in the room feel from them because there is no amp pushing air at you. But if you get some really nice IEMs, after a few gigs, you likely won't have a desire to go back to amps. You can crank them to the point where they play a trick on your head and it sounds like you've got a cranked amp in the room (without the air). But, keep in mind, part of the point of IEMs is to protect your hearing.


    I made a gradual change over time, reducing my setup from a 1/2 stack, to two 2/12 cabs, then to 2 1/12 cabs and finally to the in-ears. So my adjustment to them wasn't as drastic as someone who is going from a 1/2 stack right to the in-ears. But the one thing I love about them is that at every gig (we use the Behringer X32 as well), my monitor mix is EXACTLY the same, at every club, at every spot on the stage. The entire stage is a sweetspot for me now.


    I'd highly recommend the 4 or 5-driver in-ears from Westone. Sweetwater carries them.