FX button flexibility on the Remote?

  • How flexible are the Kemper FX buttons? I know that the rig buttons are effectively limited to the 5 rigs in the current performance page - BUT - what can be done with the 4 FX buttons? Will they only turn on/off one FX channel per button, or can each one control a complete set with different settings (as well as on/off)? Can this come anywhere close to the flexibility of the FC-12 switching channels and scenes?


    Here's the reason for my question:


    I'm looking at going [back] to all-digital in the next 60-90 days. I'm already running most shows direct with my head through a loadbox/IR, so digital vs. tubes isn't the issue, and I have plenty of monitoring options.


    I have used the Kemper before, but never with the dedicated controller (I used my MIDI controller). I love the way it sounds, but found it VERY limiting due to the 5-rig limit in performance mode.....but I am questioning whether I may have sold it short based on the MIDI approach.


    Given the advantages of going all-digital (weight, flexibility, weight, size, weight, etc.), I think I need to re-visit the ways in which the Kemper can operate with the dedicated controller. It still doesn't have enough inputs for all the instruments I use, but I can keep my XR-12 in the rack and continue to use it as my master mix point.


    My use (mix of theater and band gigs) often calls for wide swings in sounds in very tight time frames, i.e., country to traditional jazz to metal all within a single "song". My tube-based rig is simple - a controller for the amp that gives me 6 gain levels, and a MIDI board that gives me up to ten totally different FX patches per bank. That means I can access up to 60 different sounds with no more than two presses.


    While the KPA can easily recreate all of the sounds, the way I've tried to program it before meant building a whole lot of performance pages for each and every new show.....ugh. Workable, but way too much effort; trying to work around it by changing performance pages is way too slow, and doesn't work within a song. I thought about keeping my rack FX and using the KPA just for the amp section....but If I'm dropping this much coin it needs to result in a far more streamlined gig rig, preferably with a single floor controller.


    What say you - can the Kemper let me access a series of radically different FX groups across the 5 rigs without changing pages, or am I looking for something that it really isn't intended to do?

  • Brief answer is yes, you can assign multiple effects/stomps to any one of the controller buttons. You can also assign effects and stomps to the tuner, tap, and looper buttons.


    And there is Morphing.


    So thats a possible 12 or so different "scenes" per performance slot times 5 slots....

    Be Thankful.

  • Brief answer is yes, you can assign multiple effects/stomps to any one of the controller buttons. You can also assign effects and stomps to the tuner, tap, and looper buttons.


    And there is Morphing.


    So thats a possible 12 or so different "scenes" per performance slot times 5 slots....

    OK, so how would that work?


    Let's say that I need to have 6 FX patches available:


    1) A simple light chorus

    2) A moderate compressor with a light reverb

    3) A slapback delay

    4) A heavy compressor with phaser

    5) A heavy chorus with heavy longer delay

    6) A sharply boosted mid with moderate reverb.


    How would I build and access these with the FX buttons and keep them independent of the basic amp profiles?

  • Let’s see how close we can get to what you want:


    Will you be using more than one slot in the performance? If so, we will make use of the different slots in a performance. And that may be the only way this is possible.


    Will you need any other effects at the same time as (1-6)? If you only need reverb in 2 and 6, we will work with that.


    Which effects do you want pre-stack and which post-stack?


    Remember that you will have 4 stomps available pre-stack (A, B, C, D)

    And 4 effects available post stack (X, Mod, Dly, Rev)

    And any of the effects or stomps can go in any of the slots


    Once I know more specifically what you want, I can guide you and maybe even make a performance that you will only have to swap out the stack and effects to get what you want. (I would use a free profile for the stack, of course.) That may be more efficient that trying to type out every minute step.


    I am going to assume that you can set the parameters of the chorus, delay, reverb, compressor, phaser, and eq since there will be considerable personal preference regarding those settings.


    And also, while I am more than happy to guide you with this, (and actually looking forward to the challenge) don’t forget that you can always refer to the manual and video tutorials. The explanations in the manual may make more sense to you or at least reinforce what I am going to communicate. You can keyword search the manual.

    Be Thankful.

  • I think I'm still not making myself clear.


    When I talk about sets of FX presets, I mean completely different FX patches and groups of FX. My primary MIDI bank is set up as the following 10 presets:


    0) Tune/Mute (routes to a rack-mount tuner).
    1) Slapback delay w/ a touch of reverb
    2) 3 dB boost
    3) Mid-boosted EQ with reverb
    4) Prominent delay with reverb (think China Grove intro)
    5) Compressor with upper mid boosted - modern country
    6) Compressor/phase for 70s-style funk
    7) Subtle chorus
    8) Not-so-subtle chorus, light delay, light reverb, 2 db boost
    9) Heavy mid boost with delay (hair metal lead).


    For my amp, I have 6 gain selections.


    Thus, setting aside the tune/mute function, I have 54 unique combinations that can all be accessed with one or two pedal presses at most - 10 completely different FX programs and 6 different amp setups. This doesn't requires building each individual combination, but just building the FX portions and the amp portions, then being able to randomly combine them.


    One page up or down and I have another 10 completely different FX patches, for another total 60 sounds, but only having had to build (and maintain) the 10 FX patches.


    Does this explain it better?


    Bluntly, the reason I ask is that I tried using a Kemper for a theater gig just pre-Covid, and I found the performance mode to be prohibitively limiting. It felt like I was building WAY too many rigs just to copy over a FX setup to a profile with a different gain setting.

  • Using the Kemper, the effects and stomps are not independent of the amp/stack. A rig is a combination of the amp/stack and whatever specific effects and settings have been set up in that rig. You can turn the effects on and off in various combinations using the remote. You can Morph parameters with a button or an expression pedal.


    And you cannot change the amp/stack in a rig: you have to switch to a different rig or slot. Although you can Morph the amp parameters in a rig.


    So, we probably cannot get the Kemper to function exactly like your prior rig. But I am willing to work with you to get as close a possible.


    Somebody once said "Life is just a bunch of workarounds.". :)

    Be Thankful.

  • You have 4 stomp slots, 4 effects slots. You can save all four effects in the “stomp or “ effects” banks as a set that you can recall into any rig. This saves time from having to build it each time.
    You turn off and on the effects separately or in groups with the four effects buttons. You can also put the same effect in multiple slots if you wish (keeping in mind you have eight spots total). to allow for variation.


    You also have the morph feature, you can “morph” to different states of the effects, eq, gain etc so you then have a second variation of the rig/effects without leaving that rig.


    Finally, you have quick access to five Rigs without the need to press any more than one button. But you could build 125 rigs if you want ?. Within each of those rigs you then have all the above choices.

    You should be able to easily do what you want, without much effort.

  • You have 4 stomp slots, 4 effects slots. You can save all four effects in the “stomp or “ effects” banks as a set that you can recall into any rig. This saves time from having to build it each time.
    You turn off and on the effects separately or in groups with the four effects buttons. You can also put the same effect in multiple slots if you wish (keeping in mind you have eight spots total). to allow for variation.

    Are you suggesting that I could set the 4 buttons as:


    1) A light compressor, light plate reverb, and a chorus with 1.2Sec cycle

    2) Heavy compression, phase, mid boost

    3) 60msec delay, medium spring reverb

    4) 130 msec delay, heavy plate reverb, chorus with .8 sec cycle


    And then select these 4 presets independently from selecting the profile?


    Understand that what I'm trying to do is no different from what a 90s era FX unit like a Quadraverb would do.

  • you could do 3 of the 4 as effects button combination. If you use morph you could probably do all four. Keeping in mind your have eight slots for effects and you would need to have the same family of effect in a couple of slots To make your combinations. .


    It might be easier to make 2 - 4 performances with your Effects sets. It would depend on how you want to access them.

    I was really just pointing out that there are many options at hand. But you could always get a 90,s Quadraverb and run it in the loop

  • you could do 3 of the 4 as effects button combination. If you use morph you could probably do all four. Keeping in mind your have eight slots for effects and you would need to have the same family of effect in a couple of slots To make your combinations. .

    This doesn't give the flexibility to select the profile independently from the FX preset. When you select a new rig/profile, you will get the FX tied to that rig, not the FX preset you were already on.

    It might be easier to make 2 - 4 performances with your Effects sets.


    I tried that and ended up with some audible disasters - the time lag in changing between performance banks is not acceptable.


    It would depend on how you want to access them.

    I want to select the profile independently from the FX preset. I'm not sure why this is difficult to understand. I'm also not sure why this would be difficult from an implementation standpoint.

    But you could always get a 90,s Quadraverb and run it in the loop

    I have many rack FX units, and I could do this exact thing.....but if that's the best option available, I simply won't go back to the Kemper, hence the question I asked here.