VST Plugin for opening the correct patch

  • It is so much easier to record with BIAS Fx and other great Plugins. I love the sound of my Kemper, but songwriting is really not easy with it. You have to remember any Profile for any Song. After Months you will never remeber that patch and settings you had. A standalone VST Plugin would be unbelivable awesome!!!!


    But it would also help to have a Plugin, that opens the correct patch by clicking on the path

  • My DAW (Cubase Pro) allows to take notes for each and every track. So for all the guitar tracks I note down the guitar used, which pickup etc. and as well the exact name of the used Kemper rig incl. special settings if those apply (boost on/off, overdrive etc.). That needs some discipline but is incredibly helpful later.


    I also do this during jams in the rehearsal room which re recorded. Especially when I'm trying new rigs or experimenting. Always noting down as much of info on the Kemper config as needed to be able to closely recreate the sound lateron.


    Not as convenient as your plug-in ideas but definitely helpful...

  • I make a project-folder where I store every rig I use for the project. When project is finished, I export the folder to my backup-system. This workflow allows me to bring back every rig I used for a special project/song....

  • I also use Cubase and like deadman42 I make use of the notes for what guitar, what profile, etc.


    That said, another approach would be to utilize midi program changes, which I would imagine you can do with every DAW. With previous gear like the Line 6 stuff I would routinely have a midi track pointed to the amp, and at minimum set the patch I wanted to use.


    Of course, this technique depends on your profiles staying where you put them in the Kemper. If you move them around or delete them, it will naturally break. The program change will point to the correct Kemper position, but if you've put a different sound there, that's what will come up. This would be a weakness with a VST approach as well, because it all comes down to what's on the Kemper itself. If that changes, any reference will be incorrect.


    Another way to approach this might be to use performances, e.g. one performance per DAW song. Set up your slots the way you want them, put in the midi program changes in a DAW midi track to set the appropriate performance and then the profiles within it. I forget what the max is for performances, but it would be quite some time before you ran out of road.

    Kemper remote -> Powered toaster -> Yamaha DXR-10

  • As the previous speakers said, I think it's a matter of organisation that you document a song project in a sensible way. Then you can find all the necessary components again ;)

    Kemper Head - Kemper Remote - Palmer Box with Kemper Kone - TC Electronic BAM200 - Laney LFR 112

  • An obvious solution IMHO would be for the team to make the Kemper capable of transmitting the current Rig via sysex. It already has extensive MIDI capabilities so from my layman's point of view it should be an "easy" capability to add. Every MIDI-capable synth and FX unit (including guitar-amp sims) I've seen and used since the late '80s has allowed this, so it should be stupid-easy in-theory at least. :/


    This way, no programming of a VST, and the attendant upkeep / compatibility issues, would be required 'cause every DAW is capable of recording MIDI sysex (or at least it should be).


    It'd then simply be a matter of recording a patch's data in a MIDI track. It could reside adjacent to the relevant audio track for quick-and-easy unmuting and transmission to the Kemper's edit buffer. Given the file size of Rigs, I'd say it't take a split second. Done!

  • i active had the opposite problem recently. I thought I would open an old project and remix it. All the guitars were done with plugins but the plugins are out of date and no longer run on my Mac which was a total nightmare. I much prefer having the Kemper totally separate. Record the track to finished audio rather than rely on the plugin being able to replay it later.


    I think Nicky’s sysex system is probably the best solution available.

  • I'll settle for sysex over nothing any day of the week. +1

    Kemper PowerRack |Kemper Stage| Rivera 4x12 V30 cab | Yamaha DXR10 pair | UA Apollo Twin Duo | Adam A7X | Cubase DAW
    Fender Telecaster 62 re-issue chambered mahogany | Kramer! (1988 or so...) | Gibson Les Paul R7 | Fender Stratocaster HBS-1 Classic Relic Custom Shop | LTD EC-1000 Evertune | 1988 Desert Yellow JEM

  • An obvious solution IMHO would be for the team to make the Kemper capable of transmitting the current Rig via sysex. It already has extensive MIDI capabilities so from my layman's point of view it should be an "easy" capability to add.

    I love it when people tell programmers, "it should be easy!" :)


    I've worked with MIDI in programs I've written, and "pita" would be the word that came to mind before "easy." That said, your sysex idea would be cool. Especially since I'm not the one who has to code it.

    i active had the opposite problem recently. I thought I would open an old project and remix it. All the guitars were done with plugins but the plugins are out of date and no longer run on my Mac which was a total nightmare. I much prefer having the Kemper totally separate. Record the track to finished audio rather than rely on the plugin being able to replay it later.

    I wholeheartedly concur. I love the power of computer-based recording and the VST concept, but counting on something to still be around in the future is risky business. For example, Cubase no longer supports 32 bit plugins. If you had a critical plugin that simply won't be available in 64 bit and your song depended on it, you're screwed. Like Alan, I love the fact that the Kemper lives in a self-contained world. For simple program change stuff, the existing midi functionality already takes care of me, but of course every person has their own workflow.


    I do like Nicky's sysex idea. Also, Bascha may be talking about a plugin that's more of a patch connection / manager than something like an amp sim. Maybe some kind of combined approach, where the plugin could hold the profile data to transfer to the Kemper, kinda like the tmp buffer in Rig Manager when you're browsing profiles.


    That said, they just did a major enhancement for Rig Manager, so they may want to spend time giving their other products some love for a while. There's always something to do! :)

    Kemper remote -> Powered toaster -> Yamaha DXR-10

  • I love it when people tell programmers, "it should be easy!" :)

    Almost every MIDI-capable synth and FX unit produced in the last 30+ years has been capable of it, Chris, as I'm sure you'd know, so my assumption was based on the M.O. to implement it's being a well-worn path, and one that Kemper itself has trodden if we assume the Virus line had the capability, which as I implied, would be a safe assumption too.


    I too appreciate the naivety shown when folks say something should be easy programming-wise, but in this case I don't think it's an unreasonable assumption. Only the folks at Kemper will know for sure 'though of course...

  • Almost every MIDI-capable synth and FX unit produced in the last 30+ years has been capable of it, Chris

    You know I was just yanking your chain, right? :)

    Ouch!!

    I've taken to record the midi sequenced tracks out as audio tracks. Then I can also do another bounce with any effects to another track so I can mix it down fully processed. If the effects need to change but the sound was OK, no problem.. revert to the unprocessed audio track. Or, I can take it all the way back to the midi track and redump it with a different tone patch.


    Disk space is cheap and DAW's can hold a lot of tracks.... no reason to be stingy with them.

    I do the same thing with my midi tracks, whether vst or physical instruments. Part of it is safety to avoid the mess Alan mentioned and, honestly, part of it is just the fact that an old school approach of having POATs (Plain Old Audio Tracks) to work with when I mix is my comfort zone. Like you say, disk space is cheap.


    I follow a similar approach with the Kemper. When I track, I always record both the DI and the actual output and as mentioned by many above, keep notes on what guitar and profile I used. I usually start off with a tone that's close enough for rock and roll so I can get on with the rest of the song. Then, as the arrangement unfolds, I'll hear what the profile sounds like in context. What was neat and groovy in isolation doesn't always make the cut when all the tracks are done. And this is something I absolutely love about the Kemper. Once I'm to that point, I just mute the original guitar part, point the DI to the Kemper, bring up Rig Manager, and scroll through profiles while the entire song plays until I find the Goldilocks sound.


    And then I print it!

    Kemper remote -> Powered toaster -> Yamaha DXR-10

    Edited once, last by Chris Duncan ().

  • I have a songs directory in Rig Manager, and I copy the the profiles that I use for each song into its own subdirectory. I even break it down further with folders for Rhythm Left, Rhythm Right, Lead, Bass, etc.

  • Makes me think. Does anybody know of a vst that can store a file? Like drag and drop onto the vst interface. Or something.

    Kemper PowerRack |Kemper Stage| Rivera 4x12 V30 cab | Yamaha DXR10 pair | UA Apollo Twin Duo | Adam A7X | Cubase DAW
    Fender Telecaster 62 re-issue chambered mahogany | Kramer! (1988 or so...) | Gibson Les Paul R7 | Fender Stratocaster HBS-1 Classic Relic Custom Shop | LTD EC-1000 Evertune | 1988 Desert Yellow JEM

  • I have a songs directory in Rig Manager, and I copy the the profiles that I use for each song into its own subdirectory.

    I do this as well, but don't have it broken down further like you do. Makes sense, though. Workflow tweaks FTW! :)

    Kemper remote -> Powered toaster -> Yamaha DXR-10

  • I do this as well, but don't have it broken down further like you do. Makes sense, though. Workflow tweaks FTW! :)

    I do it like that so I can edit certain parts, or redo a whole take at a later date. In fact, you can use the same sound palettes to write new songs, or you can just design sound palettes for later use. Creative bursts come in small patches, so you have to strike while the iron is hot :thumbup:

  • I do it like that so I can edit certain parts, or redo a whole take at a later date. In fact, you can use the same sound palettes to write new songs, or you can just design sound palettes for later use. Creative bursts come in small patches, so you have to strike while the iron is hot :thumbup:

    I love templates, great thinking!


    I read an article in Pro Sound News this week that the FOH engineer for The Wrecks manages a pair of Kempers for the band's two guitarists via Logic and MIDI. He said that a given song may have as many as 30 (!) tones per song. 8|


    I've had great luck managing MIDI capable guitar gear via Cubase, so it was nice to see others get some mileage out of it. Although with that many changes per song, I'd have to say that he qualifies for frequent flier miles.

    Kemper remote -> Powered toaster -> Yamaha DXR-10