W/D/D/W For Ultimate Wet/Dry Stereo Immersion!

  • [This builds on a thread by Eric86 from Nov 11, 2020: Wet/Dry/Wet using cab and monitors? ]


    Hi. In my practice room/studio, I've been running my Kemper Rack through a guitar cab for AITR sound. I use a separate tube stereo power amp which has allowed me to run L/R stereo.

    However, I've always preferred the sound of W/D/W, and last year added 2 "broadband"-range1 speakers in a cab and a tiny pedal-sized micro amp to power one side of the wet feed. This has allowed very clean separation of the reverb and delays from the "STACK" feed, BUT does not permit stereo rendering of any of the mod effects, since they are not included in he kill-dry wet channels. The workaround to hearing any Chorus/Flange/Phase, etc is to select "MOD L" for the guitar cab, BUT that is MONO only.

    [Power amp is a Mesa 20/20. Top cab is generic cab w/ pair of Celestion 12H-200TC. Bottom cab is a custom Jenkins 2x12 with Webers]



    Next, I invested in a second micro amp and have set up a W/D/D/W configuration, employing both cabs in stereo. This results in MOD L and MOD R to each speaker of the guitar cab, plus WET L and WET R are still routed separately to the "broadband" cab. Here are the pair of electro-harmonix 44 Magnum power amps:




    The output settings in the Kemper look like this:



    What a difference this made! The sounds are huge and crisp. Now, I am able to enjoy the natural phase-widening of true stereo chorus and all mod effects, AND the REV and DEL are completely separate in the sonic space. This improves the sound of both clean rigs and overdriven rigs alike. Kemper also has a useful STEREO WIDENER, which further enhances the phase separation of the modulation stomps. This feature works even better when it is not blended with reverb, as in this application.

    The resulting set-up must be experienced to appreciate, but if you are considering W/D separation and want to go a bit further for an ultimate stereo immersion, try it!



    Lastly, running any WET-only(kill dry) output apparently prevents the Looper from being able to run in OUTPUT position (which is the only good way to use a looper, IMO), so there may be a trade-off if you are a looper power user. The looper only works in INPUT position, OR, you need to blend dry to your broadband cabs.

  • Hi, MikeSFO.


    Whew, you've got a lot going on there. Thank you for documenting what you're doing. The pictures are great.


    Do you think you're getting any strange effects from setting up in a corner?


    How are you using the Carvin Quad-X amp? I still have one kicking around here someplace. I never imagined using it in conjunction with the Kemper Profiler.


    ST

  • Hi ST - thanks!

    I've been running just the bottom 2x12 in that room for about 7 years now and kind of fell into that position as being fairly favorable for the room acoustics. That corner also provides a long dimension of 18 ft to a 1/2 wall, and a full 26 ft to the back wall. I presently do not have an issue with standing waves, however, I no longer play loud, and I sit within arms reach of the Kemper knobs, so my listening distance is overwhelmed by direct signal from the front of the stack. I did also decide to open the back of the guitar cab to further fill up that corner - at my volumes, I have not detected any issues with bass reflections, nor 1/4 wave cancellations, etc. On top of that, we are in earthquake country, so I need to figure out a solution to anchor all this to a wall, so i will be exploring that a bit soon.


    The Quad-X was my favorite gigging pre- and I've owned 4 through the years (since early 90's). This is the last and I still love Ch1 and Ch4 and all the effects loops. At the moment I have it connected by XLR to the Kemper and I can use it as a pre- taking advantage of all the Kemper stomps.

  • Hi, mikeSFO,


    Thanks for telling us more about your room and what you're doing in there. Life is simpler when you "no longer play loud." Maybe we'll all have a chance to do that again soon.


    I still have a couple of Quad-X units around here someplace. Back in the day, I kept one in the gigging rack and one in the studio. They were great.


    I don't think I've fired them up since I got the Kemper Profiler. I suppose I could set up one of them with a power amp and cab to make some profiles. Hmmm - there's a project for someday in the distant future. That's not a priority. I'm happy with the sounds I'm getting now.


    Good reminiscing with you.


    Cheers,

    ST