I would like a way to know which specific Kemper Drive or Kemper Fuzz preset I have loaded.
Problem: You have a Kemper Drive preset loaded into a slot but no way to know which one out the the two dozen or so it is unless you read the manual and compare parameters. Takes way too much time.
Fix: Maybe add the preset to the label on the info bar like in pic (below)?
Hilarious!
I had exactly the same thought last night, so you beat me to it!
The issue with that is, that the preset name - for example "808 Min" - represents exactly the following entire list of settings:
On/Off State = on
Effect Type = Kemper Drive
Drive = 2.5
Tone = 5.0
Volume = 0.0
Defintion = 5.0
Slim Down = 0.0
Mix = 100
As soon as you touch any of these e.g. switching off the effect module or increasing Drive to 2.7, the state is not in line with the preset anymore. "808 Min" is not an effect type, Kemper Drive is.
You see the loaded preset name temporaily if you use the front panel to select, but it's gone as soon as you change any settings within the effect.
Display MoreThe issue with that is, that the preset name - for example "808 Min" - represents exactly the following entire list of settings:
On/Off State = on
Effect Type = Kemper Drive
Drive = 2.5
Tone = 5.0
Volume = 0.0
Defintion = 5.0
Slim Down = 0.0
Mix = 100
As soon as you touch any of these e.g. switching off the effect module or increasing Drive to 2.7, the state is not in line with the preset anymore. "808 Min" is not an effect type, Kemper Drive is.
You see the loaded preset name temporaily if you use the front panel to select, but it's gone as soon as you change any settings within the effect.
I understand that but the preset name should remain regardless because it lets you know where you originally started from.
And, isn't it the same as loading a Drive like the Metal DS where once you change the parameters from one of it's presets then it is no longer behaving as a Metal DS stomp? Yet, the name remains.
I’d suggest something like an indicator that says “Edited (preset name)” or “Source: (preset name)”
Something to indicate where the current sound started. Perhaps a different colored dot on the dial in RM similar to how a morph is presented.
Usually you see 'Preset Name' and then 'Preset Name*' when the patch is altered... That would work..
You need to distinguish between an effect type and a preset. The effect type Kemper Drive is the algorithm. This algorithm is so variable, that it can emulate a whole bunch of original overdrive pedals and can even go beyond and in between these. The story is: These original pedals are techncially so similar, that four parameters (plus Volume and Mix) in our algorithm are sufficient to cover all the sweet spots of all these pedals plus more on the left, more on the right, and everything in between those pedals.
Example:
Kemper Drive with Drive = 5.0, Tone = 5.0, Definition 5.0, Slim Down 0.0 emulates 808 in mid position
Kemper Drive with Drive = 3.3, Tone = 5.0, Definition 5.2, Slim Down 0.0 emulates an Horizon Precision Drive in a particular position.
Kemper Drive with Drive = 5.0, Tone = 5.0, Definition 6.3, Slim Down 0.0 emulates a Timmy Overdrive in a particular position.
You could select the effect type Kemper Drive and dial in these settings manually to get there without the use of any presets.
Presets are just a vehicle to rationalize the dialing and memorize specific settings.
Now let's say I load the effect preset "808 Mid". It loads Kemper Drive in on-state with the settings of the upper line above. Then I tweak Drive to 5.5, Tone to 4.0, Definition to 7.1, and Slim Down to 1.2. What is now the value of the information "based on 808Mid"? It's completely meaningless, because the current state deviates from what is the whole nature of a effect preset: the settings. The result of my dialing is not "based on that preset", but it has wiped out the settings of that preset.
I see some temporary value in that information, but only until the user starts to modify any parameters. The request for this information is to a large extent based on a misinterpretation of what effect presets are. Presets are no algorithms. The algorithm is Kemper Drive and you can see that at any time.
Display MoreYou need to distinguish between an effect type and a preset. The effect type Kemper Drive is the algorithm. This algorithm is so variable, that it can emulate a whole bunch of original overdrive pedals and can even go beyond and in between these. The story is: These original pedals are techncially so similar, that four parameters (plus Volume and Mix) in our algorithm are sufficient to cover all the sweet spots of all these pedals plus more on the left, more on the right, and everything in between those pedals.
Example:
Kemper Drive with Drive = 5.0, Tone = 5.0, Definition 5.0, Slim Down 0.0 emulates 808 in mid position
Kemper Drive with Drive = 3.3, Tone = 5.0, Definition 5.2, Slim Down 0.0 emulates an Horizon Precision Drive in a particular position.
Kemper Drive with Drive = 5.0, Tone = 5.0, Definition 6.3, Slim Down 0.0 emulates a Timmy Overdrive in a particular position.
You could select the effect type Kemper Drive and dial in these settings manually to get there without the use of any presets.
Presets are just a vehicle to rationalize the dialing and memorize specific settings.
Now let's say I load the effect preset "808 Mid". It loads Kemper Drive in on-state with the settings of the upper line above. Then I tweak Drive to 5.5, Tone to 4.0, Definition to 7.1, and Slim Down to 1.2. What is now the value of the information "based on 808Mid"? It's completely meaningless, because the current state deviates from what is the whole nature of a effect preset: the settings. The result of my dialing is not "based on that preset", but it has wiped out the settings of that preset.
I see some temporary value in that information, but only until the user starts to modify any parameters. The request for this information is to a large extent based on a misinterpretation of what effect presets are. Presets are no algorithms. The algorithm is Kemper Drive and you can see that at any time.
I understand your point. The Drive and Fuzz algorithms require a shift in perspective. The concept fundamentally differs from anything the approach Line 6 or Fractal employs. Instead of calling up a Green Scream and tweaking inside the limits that make a Tube Screamer a Tube Screamer - you can go from an 808 to a Klon within the same algorithm. You can morph an 808 into a Klon, KOT.....or what an 808 stacked with a KOT might be...... It's kind of crazy.
Like it/believe it or not - that requires a shift in the expectation and perspective of the person using it. Powerful - but unexpected. Which also makes it easy to become confused about how best to utilize it. Pedals are easy and dead simple by comparison. At least for me, the Kemper Drive and Fuzz are good. But are they easy to use? "Ehh....no, not when compared to what they emulate."
The request for a history of the sound may seem pointless to you - but it sure isn't to some of us. Are there enough of 'us' to warrant an update?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
From this User's perspective, it can be frustrating not knowing where you started, even if the final sound has nothing to do with where you started.
At least for me, I'll come back to a Rig with a custom Drive or Fuzz and ask: "Where did I start with this?" or "What was my thinking when I made this?"
Tweaking settings move you away from the base preset. That doesn't mean knowing where you originally came from is pointless.
sorry, starting names make since to me
The KEMPER delays and reverbs follow a similar concept. You won't find discrete reverse, ducking nor tape delays, but versatile delay types which allow to combine these features and go beyond traditional limits.
This idea of memorizing the preset name as starting point of the effect search journey opens other questions and randomness. What if you loaded a Phaser preset first followed by a Flanger preset? Or what if you started with a Phaser preset followed by just loading the effect type Flanger, which maintains all other common settings?
I'm afraid most users with this request look at this label as if they had loaded an 808 type and whatever they dial it's within the limits of the 808. And it's not. The truth is they could have left the range of the 808 already and be within the range of a Horizon or another legacy overdrive or have virtually created their own unique overdrive pedal. Don't trust the label, trust your ears!
then allow the software to morph the name to reflect the out of range parameters
The KEMPER delays and reverbs follow a similar concept. You won't find discrete reverse, ducking nor tape delays, but versatile delay types which allow to combine these features and go beyond traditional limits.
This idea of memorizing the preset name as starting point of the effect search journey opens other questions and randomness. What if you loaded a Phaser preset first followed by a Flanger preset? Or what if you started with a Phaser preset followed by just loading the effect type Flanger, which maintains all other common settings?
I'm afraid most users with this request look at this label as if they had loaded an 808 type and whatever they dial it's within the limits of the 808. And it's not. The truth is they could have left the range of the 808 already and be within the range of a Horizon or another legacy overdrive or have virtually created their own unique overdrive pedal. Don't trust the label, trust your ears!
You've got your thinking behind it - and that's that. It's clear nothing will change here.
Reverbs and delays aren't anywhere close to as distinctive and central to a guitar tone as a dirt pedal. Echoplex and Phase 90s aside, I believe you're missing the point of users wanting to know the origin point.
What I dislike the most about the Drive and Fuzz is being able to reference a custom setting to....anything. Any popular drive circuit you care to name has 'baseline' settings people suggest starting out with. These are easy to recall because a Tube Screamer, a Klon, a Rat, a Muff, FuzzFace, KOT, BluesBreaker all have extremely limited controls. None have more than three.
As ingenious as the Kemper Drive and Fuzz are - six parameters exist. With no visible reference points. That's double the number of many (most?) of the original drive circuits while leaving the user without any sort of reference to something they know.
I may take another look, but I got so frustrated trying to dial in the sound I wanted with the Kemper Drive....I grabbed a KOT and a Tumnus, stuck them on a board and put them in the effects loop.
