Understanding Clean Sense & Distortion Sense Settings.

  • I have been looking for a while on the forum for some precise indications about the best way to use the Clean and Distortion Sense, and I have yet to find a definitive technical explanation about them. However, I can share the way I use them, and a way to understand what they do. Here is a three minutes experimentation that you can do.


    1/ Choose a Rig which has a default Gain of about 8 (7 or 8 leds on the 15 total). Get accustomed to its sound.


    2/ Push/Hold [INPUT]. Now you have access to the Clean Sense / Distortion Sense settings.


    3/ Set the {GAIN} to 0. You get now the clean sound of the amplifier. It is clean, and the output volume may become very low.


    4/ While hitting strings on the guitar, move the {Clean Sense} slowly from 0.0 to 10.0 and back, a few times. Note how effectively this changes the volume. This helps you select the volume setting that you like in "clean" mode, as this becomes the volume that you get when Gain is to its minimum.


    5/ You can tweak the {Distortion Sense}, and notice it has no effect on the sound, or the volume of the sound.


    6/ Set back the {GAIN} to its defaut ( 8 ) value.


    7/ Move the {Clean Sense} slowly, still hitting guitar strings. Note that this has no, or almost no action on the sound or its volume.


    8/ Move the {Distortion Sense} from -5.0 to 5.0, still hitting the strings. Note how effectively the distorded sound changes between these values. Low values make it cleaner, high values make it more distorded.


    9/ You can select here the most appropriate value for your guitar : typically under 0.0 for very hot pick-ups, much over 0 for low output PU.


    10/ Note also that Clean and Distortion sense have almost no effect when Gain is pushed to its maximum.


    11/ The experimentation is over : push [EXIT].


    I found that this has helped me much understanding the usage of these knobs.


    Please react if i'm wrong, if I missed something, or if the explanations are not clean enough.


    Best Regards.


    Jean-Jacques.

  • I have been looking for a while on the forum for some precise indications about the best way to use the Clean and Distortion Sense, and I have yet to find a definitive technical explanation about them.

    +1 !!!


    You forgot two things:

    • the impact of Clean Sens to the level of the input (those LEDs and the A/D converter).


    • the impact of Distortion Sense on the level of Direct Out when in Profile Mode.


    I only use one single rig with a crunch sound and I take it from clean to crunch with a volume pedal booster. So for me it is maybe less important to set this balance right. But I think the more different sounds you want to use, the more this is important in the long run.

    www.audiosemantics.de
    I have been away for quite a while. A few years ago I sold my KPA and since then played my own small tube amp with a Bad Cat Unleash. Now I am back because the DI-profile that I made from my amp sounds very much convincing to me.

  • fretboardminer,


    you are absolutly right. The Clean Sense level does definitely have an impact on the input, and setting it too high can generate clipping (input or master leds turning to orange or red), and it is indeed a very important thing to be aware of.


    Now, I have yet to test seriously the profiling mode. Can you tell me more about the impact of the Distortion Sense on the level of Direct Out, and how it can be put in evidence ? What are the consequences of setting it high or low when profiling ?


    Thanks for your contribution.


    Best Regards.


    J.-Jacques.

  • Can you tell me more about the impact of the Distortion Sense on the level of Direct Out

    On profiling the Distortion Sense influences the level of the Direct Out and so it should be set to <0.0>. This is unity gain so that the input of the amp you want to profile sees exactly the same level that your guitar is putting out. So if Distortion Sense is too high you get too much, unwanted distortion of the input stage of your reference amp.

    www.audiosemantics.de
    I have been away for quite a while. A few years ago I sold my KPA and since then played my own small tube amp with a Bad Cat Unleash. Now I am back because the DI-profile that I made from my amp sounds very much convincing to me.

  • I would love to have someone put together a video of how to correctly use the Clense Sens and Distortion Sense in regards to getting optimal performance from the Kemper. Whether it's for profiling or live performance, recording, etc.


    Seems like its a very integral part of the unit - yet there is nothing that clearly explains how to use it to the maximum potential.


    Perhaps someone can do this? I think it would get a lot of use!


    JEL

  • +1


    I've had a nagging feeling I'm not getting the most out of this either. I've basically viewed both as some sort of 'input gain' - something to set in order to avoid internally clipping the input LED, useful for when using different guitars with 'hotter' pickups. Seems there is some further 'mojo' to be had from it though...

    Suhr Classic Pro, Fender deluxe Strat & Baja Tele, Gibson ES335, Ibanez S Prestige 2170FW, Eastman AR371CE, Variax JTV > KPA > Patch bay inc. Strymons (Mobius, Timeline, Blue Sky), H9 Max, TC Triple Delay, & POD HD500 > Adam A7Xs

  • Yes, a video or just any kind of clarification would help. Until then I follow CK's ShutUpAndPlayYourGuitar-advice:

    The simple one would be: "Set the Clean Sense so that clean sounds are as loud as distorted sounds. Be happy and don't ask for the technical background"

    www.audiosemantics.de
    I have been away for quite a while. A few years ago I sold my KPA and since then played my own small tube amp with a Bad Cat Unleash. Now I am back because the DI-profile that I made from my amp sounds very much convincing to me.


  • I could make a quick n dirty iPhone video of that :)


    That would be great! As this is something specific to KPA it may be a bit confusing although the manual does explain it. Video would be a good additional explanation. (Don't make it too dirty so I can watch it with my kid :P )

  • I have just found >> this >> interesting post here about another approach on Clean Sense and Distortion Sense.

    www.audiosemantics.de
    I have been away for quite a while. A few years ago I sold my KPA and since then played my own small tube amp with a Bad Cat Unleash. Now I am back because the DI-profile that I made from my amp sounds very much convincing to me.

  • I have just found >> this >> interesting post here about another approach on Clean Sense and Distortion Sense.


    I have to say what has been posted there is a myth.
    Both controls domnot colour the sound.
    Clean Sense has no impact on distorted sounds.
    Distortion Sense is the same as readjusting the Gain knob.
    Please tell that to everybody :)

  • I have to say what has been posted there is a myth.
    Both controls domnot colour the sound.
    Clean Sense has no impact on distorted sounds.
    Distortion Sense is the same as readjusting the Gain knob.
    Please tell that to everybody :)


    This is almost as unhelpful as the link you are saying isn't true.....we need real demonstration on the ways to use these settings.


    How about you make the video you mentioned a week and a half ago on the iphone? I could use a lesson on this.......switching guitars with the KPA is a nightmare for me because of the sense settings

  • I could make a quick n dirty iPhone video of that :)


    I read this as a joke... E.g make a vid of "be happy and don't ask..." :whistling:


    Still... Clearly some people think there is more to these settings so perhaps some further clarification would be useful. I'm using the clean sense as a sort of volume leveller between clean and dirty patches. The dist sense I'm not as clear on... A sort of master gain for dirty patches? That's my caveman rationale...


    Man hunt, make fire... Grow out facial hair...Not clip input settings...

    Suhr Classic Pro, Fender deluxe Strat & Baja Tele, Gibson ES335, Ibanez S Prestige 2170FW, Eastman AR371CE, Variax JTV > KPA > Patch bay inc. Strymons (Mobius, Timeline, Blue Sky), H9 Max, TC Triple Delay, & POD HD500 > Adam A7Xs

  • I have to say what has been posted there is a myth.
    Both controls domnot colour the sound.
    Clean Sense has no impact on distorted sounds.
    Distortion Sense is the same as readjusting the Gain knob.
    Please tell that to everybody :)


    Really? ?( I hope I'm not hearing things because I find they have a massive effect on sound. I'll fire up my Kemper tomorrow and make a sound sample video tweaking the input parameters.

  • I read this as a joke... E.g make a vid of "be happy and don't ask..." :whistling:


    Still... Clearly some people think there is more to these settings so perhaps some further clarification would be useful. I'm using the clean sense as a sort of volume leveller between clean and dirty patches. The dist sense I'm not as clear on... A sort of master gain for dirty patches?.


    This is exactly it!


    Clean Sense controls the volume of clean sounds, while leaving distorted sounds unchanged.
    Use it for balancing clean and distorted sounds, if required. Turn it down, when the input led gets red.


    Distortion Sense controls the gain of distorted sounds, while leaving clean sounds unchanged.


    Both controls will not further colour the sound. Thats the whole story.
    The video thing was a joke. The is hardly something interesting to show.
    But get back, if you have further questions.


  • For me personally i get a different sound on distorted tones by turning the distorted sense knob rather the gain knob, both adds more gain obviously,
    but turning up the gain knob makes the sound also a bit fatter and adds a little more body to it, whilst turning up just the dist sense knob adds more gain to it
    without this little ''colorization'' that i belive happends when using only the gain knob, but this is a very good thing for me because i rarely use overdrive/dist pedals in the kpa!
    I could be wrong, but rarely does, and thats makes me very insecure :D


  • switching guitars with the KPA is a nightmare for me because of the sense settings


    For me is exactly the opposite. With KPA I can finally use very different guitars (and have different sounds) with the same patches just choosing an input preset and locking it! A real dream... :)

  • For me personally i get a different sound on distorted tones by turning the distorted sense knob rather the gain knob, both adds more gain obviously,
    but turning up the gain knob makes the sound also a bit fatter and adds a little more body to it, whilst turning up just the dist sense knob adds more gain to it
    without this little ''colorization'' that i belive happends when using only the gain knob, but this is a very good thing for me because i rarely use overdrive/dist pedals in the kpa!
    I could be wrong, but rarely does, and thats makes me very insecure :D

    I think what Christophe's saying is he didn't intentionally create some kind of mystical magic with the Clean and Distortion Sense adjustments, his intention was for them to balance clean and distorted sounds...in other words, there's nothing to 'understand'. :D


    However, you know what guitarists are like, give them two knobs and they'll imagine 20 different ways to use them. :D


    Seriously, over the last 10 months I've seen CK explain the Clean and Distortion sense knobs/settings over and over again, but no one seems to believe him. :D