Posts by Mats_Nermark

  • Is it possible to access the presets from inside the Editor?

    When I'm editing an effect in a rig, I may want to use a preset for a certain effect. Let's say I want a preset for the reverb. So I select the reverb slot but I can't find a way to get to the presets when I'm in the effects editor. The only way I can get the preset is to find it in the Rig Manager which is not at all fast and easy.


    I'd like to have a drop down menu in the fx pane of the editor so I can easily browse presets per fx as I can in the KPA itself.


    Cheers,


    Mats N

  • Blade VSC - Cool tone shaping device

    Hi,


    I've been using the Kemper for a number of years now and I love it. There are many reasons I love it but one is that it allows the character of the individual guitars I use to shine thru.


    So much that I now consider if I can't get the sound I want out of the guitar/KPA combination then I should probably use another guitar.


    I've found out thru experience that the signal going into the KPA is what I have to work with.
    Thus I have started working with different pedals to enhance the signal going into the input of the Kemper in order to get the tone I want and also the dynamic/playing feel. I call these pedals "tone and feel shapers".


    Until now I've been using the Xotic Super Clean to push the KPA just a little bit with some profiles. Usually with clean sounds to make them more amp like when using headphones and studio monitors. I also use the Origin Effects Cali76 Stacked Edition to get the dynamic feel the way I want it to be. Also usually with clean sounds but sometimes with light to medium OD.


    Yesterday I got this Blade VSC (Virtual Spectrum Control) pedal and for me this is absolutely wonderful.
    It's a two channel boost. One channel is mid boost and the other is a treble/bass boost and you can set the amount of boost with the three knobs.



    [Blocked Image: https://www.nermark.com/pictures/Blade-VSC.jpg]




    [Blocked Image: https://www.nermark.com/pictures/Blade-VSC-box.jpg]



    This is a box for the discerning tone hound. The pedal has a level of sophistication as the boost levels are moderate compared to some boost pedals but therein lies its charm. Just turning the knobs a little brings out so many different characteristics in different guitars. As a tone shaping device, it is really phenomenal.


    I was thinking that the mid boost would only be for overdriven sounds but I was very wrong. It really beefs up a Strat bridge single coil to the heft of a Tele or P90. I've been searching for years for that elusive strong Telecaster sound that's powerful and does not have that "ice pick in your ears" thing. Like that of Vince Gill. My Tele with the VSC mid boost gives me that in spades. Some Country Twang with that Tele? No problems! Just use the same amp settings but go with the Bass/Treble side of the VSC pedal and you're there. That's also the side you want to use with a Strat for some serious 80s throw-back clean shimmer


    I also thought I would use the mid boost only with single coils. Wrong again. When I play high gain Marshall style sounds the mid boost adds a certain focus to the humbucker in my James Tyler SE that makes the sound carry a lot better in the mix.

    One thing to keep in mind is that the VSC really works WITH the guitar so as different guitars have different personalities, the VSC will pick up on these individual characteristics and works with them. I tried the VSC with 4 different strat style guitars and while it worked excellently with them all, it also enhanced their individual traits.


    I also think it stacks wonderfully with other pedals. I tried it in front of a T-Rex Mudhoney with great result and I also goosed the input of an Olsson Fuzztner (fuzz/octavio) pedal with it and I think that also worked well.


    So I do think the VSC will become a fixture among my tone shapers and I'm very happy I have it.


    Cheers,


    Mats N

  • A slow funk with lots of guitar

    Quote from deadman42

    In the beginning it is pretty articulate and spot on. After hearing it again (and again) I'm getting this impression probably by the length of the tune and the slightly increased amount of phrases in the second half of the tune. Another longer break or another part would help to break this up a bit. But certainly that's discussion on a high level. In general I like patient musicians and tunes which take some time :)

    Hi Deadman,


    Thanks for taking the time to write this. Every little bit of understanding helps.


    Cheers,


    Mats N

  • A slow funk with lots of guitar

    Quote from deadman42

    Nice one Mats, thanks for sharing. I love the backing track you created. That slow funk is very nice and reminds me actually a bit of the stuff on Miles Davis' Tutu album - one of my alltime favorites.

    Thank you for these very kind words. To be compared to a Miles Davis/Marcus Miller tune/production is really a compliment I cherish.


    Cheers,


    Mats N

  • A slow funk with lots of guitar

    Quote from Crookster

    Sounds great.

    Thank you!

    Quote from waraba

    Nice one Mats, great tones and the middle bridge is welcome. playing slow and expressive is a challenge in itself :)

    Thanks! I really enjoy trying to come up with those bridges that puts a bit of contrast in my tunes. Sometimes it works better than others.

    Quote from Southdakota

    Excellent tones all around. This is one of those groove songs that I find myself getting so much into the killer bass and drum groove that I don't pay as much attention to what is going on with some of the guitars. Very cool!

    Thanks! I must admit this tune was written mainly for the groove thing.

    Quote from sambrox

    Good on yer, Mats! Timing is everything, and being humble and honest enough to see and admit one’s shortcomings are the key to improvement. Well done on both accounts, as this grooves nicely!

    Thanks Sam! I would like to think I'm old and mature enough not to waste my time with self delusion. :D


    Cheers to all and please stay safe!


    Mats N

  • A slow funk with lots of guitar

    Quote from deadman42

    Personally I would like it to be a bit more reduced... just less notes played. You achieved the "not rushing" for sure but the constant flow of notes is too much for me....

    That's another area I know I need to improve. May I ask if you felt this way in the melody parts or the solo parts or both?


    Cheers,


    Mats N

  • A slow funk with lots of guitar

    Hi,


    I just got the Atomic Amps Bass Box and I wanted to lay down some slow funk where I could practice NOT rushing my playing which I always seem to do. So I wrote this tune.


    This was a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy it.

    Guitar: Ruokangas Mojo King into Kemper for all non percussive sounds

    Bass: Sire V7 into Atomic Amps Bass Box

    Drums: Superior Drummer 3 and Spectrasonics Stylus RMX



    Cheers,


    Mats N

  • Overdrive Discussion

    I'm a huge Dumble sound user/fan and I use either the Green Scream or the Mouse to get them gainier. The Mouse changes the character of the profile a bit but thats ok with me. Sometimes I use an EQ in front of the OD to shape the signal going into the drive to get me where I want.


    Cheers,


    Mats N

  • My first tune with Fuzz/Octavio effects - I'm having fun!

    Quote from hafi19

    Well done Mats! Like this Fuzz/Octavio sound!

    Hi Hans,


    Just in case you and any other KPA user would be interested in getting into these kinds of sounds, here are my settings and some reasons why I do it this way.


    Slot C: Fuzz DS
    Drive: 0.8 (with a max morph value of 7.5)
    Mix: 100%
    Volume: -1.7
    I usually don't feel any need for more Fuzz gain than 0.8 but for the occasion where I want to go a little bit crazy with it, it's good to have the extra gain on tap.

    Slot B: Recti Shaper
    Drive: 6.8
    Ducking: 0
    Volume: +2.2
    This is the Octavio component of the rig. If you don't want octave fuzz, don't activate this slot.
    The higher the dirve, the more prominent the effect.
    For me, this works with all pu pusitions on a Strat or Tele. Works fine with P90 and while I seldom use fuzz with HB guitars, it happens and works OK. Don't forget to experiment with the guitar volume controls for many shades of this effect.

    Slot A: Pure Boost
    Volume: +2.2
    I use this here for three different purposes.
    1. To goose the clean amp profile for a more dynamic feel
    2. To give the fuzz some extra input gain. I imagine it gives a slightly different sound and feel compared to increasing the drive parameter in the Fuzz DS.
    3. To increase the input into the Recti Shaper for a more pronounced octave fuzz.

    Slot D: Analog Octaver
    Voice Balance: -50
    Mix: +3.1
    Low Cut: 1.7
    Ducking: 0
    Volume:0
    This gives a sort of "vintage" octave down effect that I very much enjoy playing with and is used in this tune.
    I set Low Cut differently depending on what guitar I use. It's usually between 0 and 1.7.

    This set up works well in front of a very clean amp profile. The settings above is what I use with a D*mbl* SSS-style clean amp profile set very clean giving me a lot of headroom and also makes it a good profile when I want to play clean sounds with the Univibe and Tremolo effects I usually have in slots X and Mod when I want to go old school fuzzy fun. This is also the profile used for this tune.

    If I want to use a modified version of above setup with a Marshall style amp to get into Eric Johnson territory I ditch the Analog Octaver and put a Muffin in Slot D for more variety and use a Suhr ML-100 light break up profile or the same amp profiled with a Butler Tube drive in front of it for a slightly creamier tone. Works very well too if your into those kinds of tones, which I also am since lately.

    Hope this helps in some way to provide you with some musical fun!

    Cheers,
    Mats N

  • My first tune with Fuzz/Octavio effects - I'm having fun!

    Quote from waraba

    Nicely done, and some good tones in this , thanks for sharing , I'm into Hendrix stuff ATM and these tones are not that easy to obtain on the KPA.

    Hey Waraba,


    Thanks, I've been working some time to get to where I want to regarding these types of sounds. I did a lot of listening to Youtube clips to see what I liked and at one time I was ready to give up and just buy one or two external pedals and use in front of the KPA, but I was to short on funds to do that at the time so I figured I'd take the challenge and really learn how to work these effects. Just like I decided to do with the Green Scream and Mouse so I didn't have to get any external OD pedals. I'm glad I did. Both because I can really get almost any OD/dist/fuzz sound I like and I'm also saving money. Win-win!


    Cheers,


    Mats N