I'm using a boost pedal in front of Kemper...

  • Im using a boost pedal in front of my powered Kemper and going into a 1 x 12 cab with a Celestion Blue. This seems to give the cab a more up front experience that I assume I might get with the Kemper Kab. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

  • My thoughts are why in the world would anyone need a boost in front of a Kemper. It has boosts built in! I have heard many big name acts using Kempers that have a KILLER tone and amount of gain that go straight in and straight to the board. If my sound rivals that in any way, I know I'm good. I like to play some really high gain stuff occasionally and never even use the boost pedals in the Kemper, I just turn the channel gain up with a morph and I'm there for any style or tone. I've messed around with them before but to my ears things get worse with boosts,often "pushed" and not as clear.

  • My thoughts are why in the world would anyone need a boost in front of a Kemper. It has boosts built in! I have heard many big name acts using Kempers that have a KILLER tone and amount of gain that go straight in and straight to the board. If my sound rivals that in any way, I know I'm good. I like to play some really high gain stuff occasionally and never even use the boost pedals in the Kemper, I just turn the channel gain up with a morph and I'm there for any style or tone. I've messed around with them before but to my ears things get worse with boosts,often "pushed" and not as clear.

    I agree 100 with this. Why boost when you can switch profiles? I’ve never got the tone I’m looking for with boost, but lately, with the Kemper, everything sounds great, everything sounds right. Having a great time.

  • I usually can get what I want with profiles and the gain knob but I tried some of the new stomps and was really surprised. I really liked the "mouse" turned down on the gain to about 8:00. And subdue the tone knob a bit. Gave it a real nice cut and kick that was a bit different than just running up the gain. For this user anyway, if I need a boost, I will be more than happy with the included ones. The Kemper has been the only unit I have tried that has boost pedals that actually act like boost pedals! Normally I spurn them in digital units but I may find a use for them here and there!

  • Hi y'all !!

    I use my marvelous Effectrode Blackbird preamp pedal, like you, in front of the Kemper; Just like I would with any other amp!

    The result is exactly the same; The Blackbird brings that sweet, coloured fender-flavour to my sound, and stays as transparant as it would with an 'ordinary' tube amp (still have those, too).


    The result is...astounding!!

  • I always heard from seasoned players "there are no rules". So, put a vacuum cleaner motor in front if it sounds good to you.

    I agree there is no right or wrong. On forums people talk about things and opinions. One difference is "ordinary" tube amps have the signal from your pedal going right into the first preamp tube. Digital amps although they respond similar to one, can get the same results from within the device and benefit from a lower noise floor using internal boosts..

  • I am different than most as I prefer modulations pre distortion (like EVH's setup) They are smoother and more part of the sound that way. If I want them "in your face" and obvious I would go post. If I wanted a dramatic big jet engine sweep sound out of a Flanger, I'd go post. If I wanted to sweeten up a lead with modulation/phaser/flanger like "Hotel California" I'd go pre. I'm probably more likely to use chorus pre or post but phaser and flanger almost always pre. Most all the vintage sounds I loved were done with pedals pre (as they didn't have FX loops then) unless they used them at the board which was done also.

  • Ahhhhh yes! I think the Kemper mods are perfect...exactly the way I want them. I do want more In Your Face chorus tho. I am reseaching online and it looks like the Dimension sound is doable with the pitch mod thing. I think I just need to keep exploring the Kemp before I put anything in front of it.

  • I was reading a thread on here and some were offering settings for replicating the Dimension and the Rockman chorus.(both used post) I tried the Rockman chorus one. (essentially using a delay with low times) and it was nice but to my ears, the plain old CE-1 tweeked a bit sounded closer to "More than a feeling". For sure good enough to make most say "that sounds just like the song". I first learned how to "make my own" chorus using the dual delay on an SPX-90 set left and right +/- 20ms. Very cool like the detuned sound Van halen used during the Sammy years. Chorus,Flange,Phase is all done with delays done differently and making your own from a delay can produce some really cool results that can avoid the "swoosh" some don't want there. I'm not that picky about chorus sounds, so I'll usually grab one I like OK and go. I even don't mind the plastic danelectro $20.00 chorus. It's kinda like a CE-2 where it seems to not have a lot of voices, and noticeable modulation like a CE-1. Where you put them in the chain makes a bigger difference to me than what kind or how many voices it has although the multi voice chorus like a TC Electronics 1210 is pretty cool. I don't see why you couldn't emulate one with the hyper chorus.

  • The Kemper gain knob is a magical knob. Other than volume, the only knob I ever wanna turn again.

    For me - that's a 'down only' knob, if I touch it at all. Some amps sound awful to my ears if you turn the gain up, even just a smidge.

    Horses for courses......

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

  • For me - that's a 'down only' knob, if I touch it at all. Some amps sound awful to my ears if you turn the gain up, even just a smidge.

    Horses for courses......

    I think it mentioned bit on this forum that you could turn it down but not up as it would loose the character of the original amp. To me it may not sound like the original as in the original doesn't have that much gain on tap, but I never have heard it wreck anything. But If I had to go up more than a bit I'd just select another profile. I've actually had some rigs that are low gain that I turned up the gain on that sound better than their "natural" high gain offering. The free MB Fuchs is a prime example of that. The lower gain one with the gain up sounds awesome & a lot better than the high gain one. Clearer & brighter. No rules for sure. That one rig can go from real nice and clean to high gain and sounds great & natural at both settings. If I could only have a few profiles, that would likely be one of them that can cover a lot of ground.

  • I was reading a thread on here and some were offering settings for replicating the Dimension and the Rockman chorus.(both used post) I tried the Rockman chorus one. (essentially using a delay with low times) and it was nice but to my ears, the plain old CE-1 tweeked a bit sounded closer to "More than a feeling". For sure good enough to make most say "that sounds just like the song". I first learned how to "make my own" chorus using the dual delay on an SPX-90 set left and right +/- 20ms. Very cool like the detuned sound Van halen used during the Sammy years. Chorus,Flange,Phase is all done with delays done differently and making your own from a delay can produce some really cool results that can avoid the "swoosh" some don't want there. I'm not that picky about chorus sounds, so I'll usually grab one I like OK and go. I even don't mind the plastic danelectro $20.00 chorus. It's kinda like a CE-2 where it seems to not have a lot of voices, and noticeable modulation like a CE-1. Where you put them in the chain makes a bigger difference to me than what kind or how many voices it has although the multi voice chorus like a TC Electronics 1210 is pretty cool. I don't see why you couldn't emulate one with the hyper chorus.

  • I am different than most as I prefer modulations pre distortion (like EVH's setup) They are smoother and more part of the sound that way. If I want them "in your face" and obvious I would go post. If I wanted a dramatic big jet engine sweep sound out of a Flanger, I'd go post. If I wanted to sweeten up a lead with modulation/phaser/flanger like "Hotel California" I'd go pre. I'm probably more likely to use chorus pre or post but phaser and flanger almost always pre. Most all the vintage sounds I loved were done with pedals pre (as they didn't have FX loops then) unless they used them at the board which was done also.

    I have a hard time with Chorus. I like them in the loop and also in front. So, I had to buy two of them. I hate being so picky about tone because it costs more. ;)


    and then I went and bought a Kemper...

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.