Rocktron All Access switches assignment tutorial for Kemper use

Hello to everybody. I just finished a tutorial which will guide through the assignment of the All Access switches to do their job for the Kemper.

hope you find it usefull.

michael

p.s.: as far as I know the same tutorial applies for Rocktron Midi Raider, evolution of the All Access. but I need to make sure about this. now I cannot verify since I cannot find the Midi Raider manual on Rocktytron website.
Maybe some Midi Raider user can verify for me.

Here we go....................

Hello to everybody. As an owner of the Rocktron All Access and the Kemper, I will try to write a comprehensible guide for configuring this pedalboard to be the perfect companion of the Kemper Profiling Amplifier.
Of course, ‘perfect companion’ has a personal meaning for everyone, different to each user.
What I consider an indispensable tool for the Kemper means that the pedalboard should be able not only to perform the standard program change which every pedalboard does, but it should also be able to control/command single functions on the Kemper.
For example, I configure my All Access so that I’m able to change profile and to switch on and off the various effects WITHOUT changing the profile I’m actually playing with.
So, here we go: I hope I’ll be simple enough in writing the following direction.
Please note that every reference to the manual, manual pages and sections are done by using the pdf version of the manual available for free at Rocktron support page.
Every All Access (from now on AA) user knows that this pedalboard has 15 switches to do what he wants. And these 15 switches can be split in different ways in order to obtain sort of two portion of the pedalboard, each one of the two able to do different things.
In addition to the 15 switches there are 2 additional ‘things’ that can be assigned to do something. These ‘things’ are the expression pedal when they are hooked up to the AA via the two pedal jack located in the back panel of the AA.

For example, I have split my AA to have: switch 1 to 10 assigned as program/profile change while switch 11 to 15 are assigned as on/off switch for Kemper’s effects (stomps or effect). And as mentioned just above, in addition to the 5 on/off switches (11 to 15) I will have the 2 additional expression pedals available to do what I want them to do. Keep this fact (the 2 additional pedals) in mind for later use.
The AA can be split in 4 way:
1) All the 15 switches are profile change switches (so NO on/off switches)
2) 10 switches for profile change and 5 switches for on/off functions (my case)
3) 5 switches for program change and 10 for on/off functions
4) 15 switches are on/off only and the bank up and down of the AA will simply change profile in steps of 1
How to set the AA for the desired choice can be obtain looking at the manual, page 12 of the SET UP section. This page covers “page 2 of 10” of setup section. This refers to ‘BANK SIZE’.

Here is an extract from that page:
“The second page of the SETUP program allows for the selection of the Bank
Size, or the number of presets that the All Access. will bank up or down by when
the UP or DOWN switches are pressed.
When set to "5", switches 1-5 become preset switches and the unit will bank
up or down by 5 presets at a time. When set to "10", switches 1-10 become preset
switches and the unit will bank up or down by 10 presets at a time. When set to "15",
switches 1-15 become preset switches and the unit banks up or down by 15 presets
at a time. When set to "1", the unit banks up or down by one preset at a time and
all of the switches become instant access switches.

Since I’m doing the lecture, here, I will take into consideration my case: 10 profile change switches and 5 on/off switches.
First, I made the Bank size choice by choosing ‘10’.
At this point I have decided the function of the first 10 switches: profile change.
Now it’s time to configure the remaining 5 switches, 11 to 15.

VERY IMPORTANT: since the AA will need to communicate with the Kemper, and they will do their ‘talking’ via the MIDI highway, it is mandatory that the channel will be a common one.
Most of the devices can set their MIDI channels in 17 ways: 16 channels plus the Omni channel which allows the device set in Midi Omni mode to receive in each one of the 16 channels.
The AA cannot be set in Midi Omni mode for outgoing Midi signal. The Kemper, on the other hand, can. So, I have set my AA at Midi 1 while the Kemper in Midi Omni mode.

The manual section to be checked starts at page 30 and it is the MIDI section of the manual.
What you are looking for is, precisely, at page 32 which covers what is titled as
“MIDI, Page 2 of 7 - Control Number Assignment”

This page is the core of the whole tutorial because it determines the destiny of those on/off switches, i.e. what they will be doing while you play your Kemper (they will be doing the same assigned thing even if you don’t play the Kemper, of course).

When you access to the screen of the AA related to the mentioned page 2 (control number assignment) you will see 3 information:
1) Switch number
2) Midi Channel
3) Control number

These 3 information are shown having switch number to the left side, midi channel to the center and control number to the right. The screen will look like this:

SW1 CH1 CN1

Of course SW1 is the abbreviation for Switch 1, CH1 is the abbreviation for Channel 1, and CN1 is the abbreviation for Control Number1.
In my case I have destined switch 11 to 15 as assignable switches. The AA will see the switch corresponding to number 11 as Switch 1 (SW1), the number 12 as Switch 2 (SW2) and so on until the 15 which will be considered by the AA as switch 5 (SW5).
Please note that the AA allows you to rename these switches (even the midi channels can be renamed, and the pedals too). In fact I did it and renamed them according to their task. For instance, the 11 switch, which the AA names it by default as SW1, was renamed by me as DLY which stands for ‘delay’ since I assigned it to turn on/off the delay of the Kemper (if you want to rename your switches, please refer to page 18 of the AA pdf manual, in the section “Naming Midi Channels”).
So, let’s assign it in order to be able to turn on/off the same thing, the delay.

I am at the first screen as mentioned just above:

SW1 CH1 CN1

The screen suggest us that we are now handling Switch 1, that this switch will use MIDI channel 1 and that this switch is assigned, by default, to control number 1.
All I have to do, at this point is change the value shown as CN1, control number.
What is the value that I need to dial in?
Simple: all it takes is looking at the list of CC numbers provided by Kemper’s manual:

#1 Pedal 1 (Wah Pedals)*
#7 Pedal 2 (Volume Pedals)*
#16 Stomp Invert**
#17 Stomp A
#18 Stomp B
#19 Stomp C
#20 Stomp D
#23 Stomp X
#24 Stomp MOD
#26 Delay (mute trails)
#27 Delay Mix (keep trails)
#28 Reverb (mute trails)
#29 Reverb Mix (keep trails)
#30 TAP
#31 Tuner select
#33 Rotary Speaker (slow/fast)

What we need is the delay CC, which are number 26 and 27. What are the differences between the two? In a way, they do the same thing, which is turning on and off the Kemper delay. What differs is the behavior of the delay when it is turned off. Number 26 turn on/off the delay with no trail at the turning off of the delay. So, when I play and want to finish my phrasing completely dry I don’t want any delay trail. In this case number 26 is to be chosen. On the other hand, I might want to play, get rid of the delay while playing to have a dry guitar, but would like the delay trails to be kept for a natural delay fade. In this case number 27 is the choice.

Let’s choose the no trail choice, for now: on/off with no trail. All I have to do is to dial in, using the INC or DEC (Increase or Decrease) switch right under the CN1 characters, the corresponding CC number.

The default setting is 1. So I will push the INC switch until the number 26 is shown.
That’s it! Job done.

Exit from the SETUP mode by pushing the switch which has 2ND below and use the AA as wanted. Now if you press the number 11 switch of the pedalboard, the Kemper delay (not the stomp one but the one on the right side of the Kemper) will be turned on/off at each press of the switch.
Same thing applies with the other switches, from 12 to 15. Same procedure.

One last word have to said for the other 2 thing assignable in the AA. If you have the AA equipped as mine, you have plugged two expression pedals into the jacks of the AA.
So when you are in the control number assignment screen (the one that shows the 3 info – SW1, CH1, CN1), and scroll the available switches, beside switch 1 to 5 you will see also P1 and P2. This means that you have available the expression pedals which can be assignable to do something.

Of course, since they are pedal, the most obvious assignment would be volume and wah action (while we wait for the whammy/pitch shifting actions). The assignment procedure is absolutely the same as for the switches. If I want a volume action to Pedal 1 (P1) all I have to do is dial in the corresponding CC number from the Kemper manual CC list (number 7). Same applies for the Wah.

This should cover the switch assignment procedure. Hope everything was clear enough for the reader.

Hi Baretta, of course I don't know but a few words in spanish so I will try to help you in english. ok?

first off, did you follow the tutorial I wrote?

if you did it should have been pretty easy to assign the pedal you have which by the way it is the same I have. I have two HEXs pedal. having one hooked to the access it should be visible to see it as P1 (if you have plugged your HEX into jack #1. do you see it in the AA screen of MIDI, Page 2 of 7 - Control Number Assignment?

do this step first, then we'll proceed to further steps.

all the best

mic

Hi Frank................uhm.....it is a good question which I cannot asnwer with certainty but can throw some consideration useful for a further discussion and hopefully suitable solution.

1) all the controls you can assign with the pedalboard (all kind of) depend on the software of the unit to be guided, Kemper in this case. and according to Kemper 1.5 manuals the only switchable effects of the post section are delay and reverb. Please, to the forum experts: correct me if I'm wrong on this!

2) from what I read from you all the effect mentioned are in the post section not in the stomp one

3) the point in number two being the case, I'll start by saying that you cannot assign modulation and/or boost to be switchable from the pedalboard.

4) as far as I know, the effect button which excludes all the effect in the post section (as far as the stomp button which is the on/off button for the stomp section) cannot be programmed to be switchable from an external device.

if my assumption are correct, you cannot get what you want to do with a pedalboard general switch which would be able to cut out everything from a sound and make it dry.

so the solution would be two:
1) you create a totally identical profile but totally dry and switch between the two (after all the profile change happens in the kemper with virtually no audible time lag)
2) you wait for future firmware release in which the two above mentioned general stomp and effect buttons will become switchable from an external device (given the Kemper people have this feature in their schedule and plan..............might not be and it will remain a it is now).

anyways...........I ask again the experts to jump in in order to correct my thoughts about it.

hope this helps

michael

Hi Mike, and very happy that the tutorial worked out fine for you................

the first thing: the kemper doesn't show the rig name, but as you know, you can rename the preset on the all access. I know takes an extra time, but at least it is something.
The all access doesn't show exactly the stomp colour but it can show the led on/off of what's assigned at. for example, I assigned the delay to the switch number 11.

I know the delay is on or off just by looking at the all access led.

Doesn't it do the job?

the second thing.........please check if more than one switch has the same cc number. I never had the same thing that happened to you but once I had issues because I had the same thing assigned to multiple switches............check it out please and let me know...........

michael

of course the kemper pedalboard would be the best companion. non questions about it!

as for CC assigned to a switch in the AA (all access), they can be set as global so that, for example, if you set that particulary switch to turn the delay on/off it will do the same thing regardless of the predalboard present.

on the other hand, the combinations of the switches destined to turn on/off the effects on the kemper must be saved in each preset unless you want to use them as stomp switches simulator.

for example: I like to have in every distorted sound a bit of echo to widen the sound a bit. so I hads to save each preset on the AA to have that switch on. but that is an easy step to do............

hope this helps

mic

I'm happy I could be of help greenblob. since you will get the rocktron midiraider, you can help us all by telling us if the tutorial I made works ok for the midi raider as well. in theory it should work. you will be our confirmation!

bests

michael

great to hear you got your PB greeblob. yes, that thing of the IA switch is a thing that can or cannot bother us. on my side I can live with it, at least for now.

overall I think that apart the kemper pedalboard that will come in the next month (which of course is the perfect solution because it is built on the kemper) I think the all access/midi raider is the perfect solution for the kemper because it allows many of the funtions of the KPA. it is sturdy that can stand every tour, and looks nice as well.

if you put the ex pedal you will have it even at its best........

[Blocked Image: http://www.mellner.com/utili/l.jpg]

[Blocked Image: http://www.mellner.com/utili/IMG_20121020_182618.jpg]

note that the morley was used prior to discover the incredible kemper wah. after I gave it a try, I never got back to the morley or else again.

as a matter of fact in the next days I'm going to cut a piece out of my pedalboard, exactly the one that houses the morley

for the expression pedal: I'm with you in not be willing to use a volume pedal. I'm of the old school which taught me to use the guitar volume instead. but the wah you should give a try because besides being so good it has features that a normal wah pedal, even the best, has not.

for the lag: I never had it except in the first seconds after the boot. but will follow your advice and have all the devices communicating with the same channel number

for the naming: I know what you mean...........but at least it does some sort of job, uh?

thanks greenblob for the pic: very nice work..................

as I mentioned in a another thread, so far I don't see any better solution than the rocktron family, while we wait for the kemper pedalboard.

besides being very reliable as for switching (virtually no lag, and things) it is very sturdy, a real beast.

I do hope the kemper pedalboard will be as sturdy.

in the meantime me and you enjoy the help of our rocktron!!

hi webdiver...............greenblob can jump in anytime, but I put my cents here.

you can configure the switches in every way you need. go to the programming tutorial I made. but even in the manual everything is described. you can configure the PB so to have all 15 switches for present change, or 5 instant access switches and 10 present change or 5 present change and 10 instant access switches, as greenblob looks to have done.

I personally go for global mode because I find pointless to map the delay on/off on a preset, let's say at switch 11, and then I change preset and the delay on/off is no longer there..........but that's my call.

for the IA issue: what specifically is this issue? I never had one...............