Separate profiles from FX patches?

  • Would it be possible to separate selection of the amp profile from selection of FX presets?


    I think it would be really powerful to have the ability to change the profile independently from the FX presets. This is similar to the way a traditional amp works, where you have an amp channel switcher that works separate from the FX patches.


    As it is, when you change rigs it changes all of the FX, and you can't change the selected group of FX and settings without changing to a new rig.

  • I don't think I explained my request very well, and I don't think LOCK accomplishes what I'm asking for.


    Imagine two things:


    1) Changing the amp/cab profile without changing the FX.

    2) Changing all of the FX to a different preset without changing the amp/cab profile.


    Now, imagine a list of amp/cab profiles mapped to one set of buttons on the Remote, and a list of FX patches mapped to another group of buttons on the remote. If you have 5 profile buttons and 5 FX patch buttons, you have instant access to 25 combinations with no more than 2 button presses - but you only had to build 5 amp rigs and 5 FX patches to have all 25 options.


    This is how my "old school" rig works - an amp pedal with six channel/gain selections, and a MIDI controller that gives me ten FX patches. That gives me 60 possible combinations, but I only had to program 10 FX combination patches.


    Does this make more sense?


    I can't figure out ho to get a Kemper to do this without tossing out the KPA FX completely and just using the Kemper for the amp and using a separate FX unit for the FX patches....which defeats the purpose of carrying a single rack unit, and requires me to use two separate floor controllers.

  • The only way to change amp/cab profiles, using the Remote, is to change to a different rig in browse mode or a different slot in performance mode. Or change to a different performance.

    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. I also ran into timing problems when moving between performance pages to get to the different FX stack-ups.


    I want to swap over to digital for all the reasons we all understand, but it seems that the complexity of having to build a complete new "rig" just to change between relatively standard gain settings or to change a delay time setting is a bit excessive.

  • If you are using the Toaster or Rack you can already browse and save and load presets of the Stomps and Effects sections.


    Long-press the Stomps or Effects buttons and use the browse knob to see existing presets, or the Store button to save a new one.

  • If you are using the Toaster or Rack you can already browse and save and load presets of the Stomps and Effects sections.


    Long-press the Stomps or Effects buttons and use the browse knob to see existing presets, or the Store button to save a new one.

    Sure. Now how do I set up the Remote FX buttons to call up an entire effect preset and not just one specific module?

  • Hold down the button you want on the Remote and then press the buttons for the effects you want assigned to that button.

    You can also do this without the Remote connected by going into the Rigs menu, page 6/6.

    Be Thankful.

  • Hold down the button you want on the Remote and then press the buttons for the effects you want assigned to that button.

    You can also do this without the Remote connected by going into the Rigs menu, page 6/6.

    OK, that will active or deactivate a given effect within the existing rig. How can I call up a different FX preset without changing rigs?

  • So to cut to the end, the Kemper Remote is not going to be able to be used 1:1 like your previous rig. So if that is a deal breaker, I can save you a lot of time. ;)


    If you do want to get as close as possible:


    OK, that will active or deactivate a given effect within the existing rig. How can I call up a different FX preset without changing rigs?

    You will have to assign each group of effects to a different button on the Remote. Just to be clear, you can assign multiple effects to each Remote button and you can toggle them all on/off or you can toggle some off and some on.


    For example,

    1) The tuner can be controlled with the tuner button on the remote, you can set it to mute in the menu.

    2) Slapback delay w/ a touch of reverb – assign the slapback delay to X and touch of reverb to MOD. Save them to be off initially. Assign them to Remote button I.

    3) 3 dB boost – Not sure yet if you want this pre or post, but for a volume boost only, assign the Pure Booster to REV, save it to be off, and assign it to Remote button II. For a gain boost, assign it to ABCorD.

    4) Etc. Etc.

    And any of these can be controlled by Morph. For instance, you can set the Pure Boost to be on with a volume of 0 and then Morph to your desired volume.


    In your above scenario, you would have to have the following effects saved in ABCD and/or X, MOD, DLY, REV:

    Slapback Delay

    Touch of Reverb

    3dB Boost

    Mid-boosted EQ

    Reverb

    Prominent Delay

    Reverb

    Compressor

    Upper Mid Boosted EQ

    Compressor

    Phaser

    Subtle Chorus

    Not-so-subtle chorus

    Light Delay

    Light Reverb

    2dB Boost

    Heavy Mid Boost

    Delay


    As you can see, there are 8 places to assign effects in each rig. Assuming you need each of those reverbs, delays, EQs to be different, then you would need 18 places to store them. That would be a minimum of 3 rigs to accommodate your effects. There are 5 rigs per performance.


    So again, if that is a deal breaker, we can stop now.


    Respectfully, I can tell that you don't want to read the manual and spend time figuring all of this out, and that is perfectly cool: you just want to get to work! It might be much more expedient to let me know very specifically where you want the effects (pre or post stack) and what buttons you want them assigned to on the Remote, and I can set up and send you a Performance that is a close as possible to what you want.

    Be Thankful.

  • I actually DID read the manual and spent a LOT of time trying to get to where it would work for me, and hit the wall.


    The use case that gives me the biggest challenge is theater work (pit gigs). These books often call for very rapid changes with wide variations in style and instruments. It is not uncommon for me to end up using 3 or 4 gain settings, two instruments (i.e. electric and 12-string acoustic), and 3 or 4 different FX patches in a single song, independent of gain changes.....and the next song will be different patches and different sounds.


    Understand that what I'm trying to do is meet the needs of the gigs that I play. To be completely honest, every other theater player I know uses something other than Kemper, but I really like the sounds that the KPA provides....it just seems very hard to work with to get to the rapid number of options that we need for this type of work.


    From what you describe, it sounds like I could maybe get there by programming a unique performance for each and every song, but that's adding a TON of work for every gig, when my goal is to simplify my system. If Kemper could re-think their MIDI approach to allow direct access of FX presets independent of the profile, it would be an fantastically powerful tool, but 5 rigs in a performance is just too limiting, based on my experience using it in this environment.


    I'm not averse to using a different floor device to control it, but please understand that I have done my research, I am asking for something very specific for a very specific reason, and I am trying to find out f there is a work-around that is not documented so that I can effectively use the Kemper product in my application.

  • Got it. I admire your perseverance. And I agree that making a performance per song is not a good solution.

    I don't use MIDI, so maybe someone else on here will advise you on that.

    Be Thankful.

  • Yes, and that's WAY too limiting for the way I use my rig. That approach is what convinced me to drop the Kemper and go back to my old amp about a year ago.


    The amp-based rig I currently use gives me one-button access to 6 amp/gain settings ( 3 channels plus individual boost), and 10 FX presets via a MIDI pedal. That's 60 individual sounds that I can get to with zero latency and two button presses or less. I can move one bank up or down with FX and get another 120.


    One thing that's important to note is that I only had to build 10 FX patches and set up 6 amp channel setting to get to 60 sounds.


    Now, if I could directly access 4 or 5 profiles and another 5 FX presets INDEPENDENTLY, that would get me into the ballpark.


    Think of the feature request as being able to mix and match amp profiles and FX presets in real time with the Remote.

  • OK, here's another way of thinking about it:


    Could I use a MIDI controller to change performance pages directly (CC 47) and use the "Keep Slot" parameter to force it to stay on the same rig # within the performance? Then, my 5 rigs slots become the gain selection, and the performance pages become the FX presets.....? Id' still have to build each individual combination, but I could copy the Performance pages, then copy the FX presets over them.


    Any idea whether or not this would work?