Kemper transparent/low gain overdrives

  • With the advent of the new beta overdrives, this is probably obviated, but I spent some time tweaking on the existing ODs to see if I could get something useable out of them. I have only used the Pure Booster because the other distortions/overdrives just sounded bad to me. I often need to add just a tiny bit more breakup or push and don’t want to switch profiles to do so. But I also don’t like that the rig has to get louder to get dirtier using the Pure Booster.


    So, I used a clean profile (a bassman), with a compressor in front, set to:


    5.5 intensity, 6.4 attack, +1.3 squash, 45% mix, +.05 volume (those were just the settings that came with the profile)


    This profile would just break up if I hit the strings as hard as I could, harder than I ever would when actually playing music.


    I put the OD after the compressor and before the stack. I set the drive to its max setting and adjusted the mix to where I could just hear it break up the amount that I wanted. One percentage up or down made a difference. The idea was to have the same/similar tone, but overdriven. I adjusted the tone so that it was as close as possible to the profile without the OD engaged, and set the volume to unity.


    I was surprised and happy with the results and I think there is a whole world in there to explore.


    And to backtrack a little, I got this idea from all the posts about a “Klon” sound. I thought “maybe the the Metal DS, with its eq, could give me a similar mid-hump”. I am not really interested in trying to get an exact copy of a Klon, but I do want an overdrive sound that has a similar “cut” to it. I found that the Metal DS eq was a boon. I like the sound with the mid eq set between the mid peaks of a Klon and a Tube Screamer (in the 500 – 600 range). But, of all the od’s I experimented with, the Metal DS was kind of spitty or not smooth. On this one, I tried backing the drive down, but it still had that spitty character. But the Metal DS allows for the most eq adjustment.


    Below are the settings I came up with. I am sure you will have to tweak them for your profile, your guitar, your use-case, and your ears.


    Green Scream:

    Drive 10

    Tone 8.2

    Mix 42%

    Volume +1.4


    Plus DS:

    Drive 10

    Mix 49%

    Volume +4.1


    One DS:

    Drive 10

    Tone 3.0

    Mix 48%

    Volume +0.7


    Mouse:

    Drive 10

    Tone 9.5

    Mix 40%

    Volume +2.0


    Metal DS:

    Drive 10

    Mix 33%

    Volume +2.0

    Low 4.0

    Middle 2.5

    Mid Freq 552.2

    High 10.0



    Kevin

    certified beta chicken =O

    Be Thankful.