Posts by heldal

    I don't have high hopes for anything in the near future. The existing beta appear to be heavily based on tool-kits exclusive to the windows platform. I.e. porting to OSX is practically a complete rewrite. Not to mention that maintaining multi-platform support in the long-term with very little shared code is a massive undertaking. A community development-project might be a long-term option, but I doubt that will happen unless the available interfaces are made public and properly documented.

    Do you mean save the volume separately from saving the performance? I just re-saved the performance.


    Volume is stored with every rig, and that works for me.


    What was mentioned above was that if you move between rigs within a performance using the buttons on the front-panel you can jump between rigs without saving and still keep the changes you make. I.e. you can make changes to all 5 rigs in the performance and save them all in one operation when you're done. When you use a midi controller all changes to the current rig is lost if you switch to another rig in the same performance. I'd prefer that the behaviour is consistent so I hope this will be changed in future firmware.

    Maybe I am wrong about this, but since all the previous Firmwares are available on the support page, why don't you just test what you have claimed and go back in time (firmware wise) and find out whether what you feel is true?


    I haven't used the rigs I struggled most with for a long time. Those were mostly attempts to create acoustic-ish sounds from an electric and I have since been using the proper acoustic instruments instead. However, last night I was at a rehearsal where I didn't bring an acoustic guitar and ended up playing acoustic simulation rigs for hours without a crackle. This was using firmware 2.3.3.9457B. The same rigs have been practically unusable with other firmware releases so my problem was definitely software related. My guess is that improved handling of DSP-errors, which was mentioned in the release-notes for 2.3.X, is what has fixed it. Improper or incomplete handling of errors in audio-processing is a common cause for timing issues.

    My configuration is:


    Expression pedals swapped.


    Upper / lower switches swapped, because I find myself more often adding/subtracting single effects to a rig than switching the entire rig within a song. When speed and precision counts I find it just a little easier to hit the right switch on the lower row.


    The upper row of switches are thus 1-5.
    The lower 5 are: A, C, X, Mod and Delay.


    How I organise performances (I prefer the term "banks" myself to be consistent with the most common midi terms) depend on the setting and which guitar(s) I bring to the gig. In a coverband I use a wide range of tones from rigs spread across 4-5 banks. When the focus is more narrow I stay within banks that have a selection of rigs tailored for each individual guitar and the style of music played.


    Next to the FCB1010 I have a separate switch to toggle the tuner. I also set the range for the volume pedal (rig-menu page 3:4) to -4.9 and lock the setting to apply it to all rigs. This stops the KPA from activating the tuner when I back off to zero volume.

    I've seen the KPA locking up in tuner-mode if the tuner is activated both with the mode-knob (or foot-switch) and with the volume expression pedal at 0. It doesn't require a reboot to get it going again, but a mode-change with the chickenhead-switch is required.


    To reproduce start with a rig where 0-vol activates the tuner with exp-pedal volume on full:
    1. Turn the chickenhead to tuner (or use a footswitch configured to trigger the tuner)
    2. Move exp-pedal to 0-vol. (trigger tuner activation again)
    3. Turn chickenhead back to browse (or performance). The display now seems normal ... but ..
    4. Turn up the volume with the exp-pedal and the display goes back to tuner.
    The KPA now remains in tuner-mode, but with audio on regardless of the mute-flag in the tuner config. No rig-change is possible without first changing the mode with the chickenhead-knob. The only things the KPA responds to in this state is the volume-pedal and the mode-knob.


    The behaviour is the same if I use a simple expression-pedal instead of the one on my FCB1010 so the problem is not MIDI-related. The "locked" state of the tuner can be activated both by the mode-knob and a footswitch, but resolving the problem can only be done via the front-panel switch. Switching on/off tuner-mode with an assigned foot-switch in this state changes nothing. This is quite annoying if you're using a foot-controller and not standing next to the KPA. You have to walk up to the box to turn the knob to tuner, then back to "browse" or "performance" to regain control.


    I have changed the range of the exp-pedal globally to disable tuner activation at zero volume, and use a separate foot-switch (on/off) for the tuner in addition to my FCB1010 to avoid this problem. Btw, the pedal-range with the "lock flag" in the system menu isn't fully global. It has to be set separately for Browse and for Performance mode. The unfortunate side-effect is that this also affects other settings such as the position of the volume control in the signal-chain which I very much would like to be able to vary between rigs. Therefore I'd like to have this treated as a bug. A truly global flag on the tuner screen next to the mute flag to enable/disable tuner-activation at zero-volume would also be appreciated.

    I've got the same receiver, and yes you can use the alt input, but it is awfully noisy. I've put my KPA head with the G90 in a rack and used a cable with an angled plug to connect to the front jack instead.


    [Blocked Image: http://img5.fotos-hochladen.net/uploads/kparackk67el2czq4.jpg]


    The KPA sits on top of the wireless-receiver because with a minimal backline it is a struggle to place the rack high enough from the floor to be able to operate the thing easily. Every inch counts.

    Power is on in all positions other than off, and it boots and enters whatever mode you turn the switch to from the off position.


    If I got a used KPA I would make a backup in case there were some interesting rigs there, load the latest firmware, reset to factory defaults, delete everything and then reload factory rigs from the firmware before I do anything else.


    Users, new and old, may find a few useful hints in the KPA wiki

    Budget alternatives that I've tried and found decent are:


    Behringer Truth B3031A studio monitors. These can be found from just over $250 a piece. I got them for a hobby studio-workstation @ home but have been surprised at how well they fill a bigger room when the volume is turned up a bit. They are more focused at low volume. My home "studio" has since evolved into a media workstation and the whole family now use these speakers for varying kinds of entertainment.


    If you want something with a little wider dispersion and more targeted at the task I'd suggest Behringers wedges. I got a pair of these for use with a previous generation amp-sim (Digitech RP1000) a few years ago, and have kept them as they actually provide a decent alternative to the much more expensive equipment I use now. The smallest F1220A (120W) can be found from about $250 a piece. I found it ok for home use, but opted for the bigger F1320D (300W, $300) because I needed more power at rehearsals. These are almost identical except for power. Both have a built-in EQ and have no fan so there's no background noise.

    On a budget you may also consider Behringers F1320D wedge. It's available for less than half the price of a Mackie SRM450. In the SRM450-pricebracket I would personally prefer a Yamaha DXR10.

    There's a lot of unassigned buttons around the tuner-screen that could be put to good use:

    • A global setting in the tuner display to enable/disable tuner activation at zero volume controlled by one of the available buttons next to the "mute signal" flag on the tuner screen. There is a workaround in the rig-menu that involve changing the range of the pedal and a flag to make it global. However, this makes all settings for the volume-pedal apply to all rigs. I'd like to be able to vary the location of the volume pedal (pre/post stomps/effects) between rigs as well as varying the range so it would be nice to have the behaviour of the tuner controlled separate from the rigs. I prefer to be able to work the UI with volume off and use a pedal to activate the tuner instead of having it activated by rolling off the volume. (Btw; Having the tuner activated at zero-volume and with a pedal,or mode knob, at the same time also triggers what can be described as the "double tuner activation bug" in current firmware that locks the display in tuner mode. A mode-change is required to get out of the tuner)
    • Support for compensated tuning schemes. Half of the guitars I use actively are set up with the Buzz-Feiten tuning system where open strings are tuned a little off and it would be nice to have the tuner compensate. There could be a set of factory presets for the most common tuning schemes as well as user-defined sets. Offset tuning could be activated with one of the unused buttons above the tuner display and selected from a list of tuning schemes using one of the unused rotary knobs below. Complete compensated tuning schemes for guitar include 12 offsets. One for each string open and one for the octave above (12th fret) for intonation purposes.



    Extending this with a list of ideas from the dialog below:


    • Display numeric offset (cent). Useful for compensated tunings as well as different intonation schemes.
    • Different visual representations of tuning. Strobe-style display requested specifically.

    These setting will make it global


    opps it use to be global


    If it it ever was global I've missed that. Nor does it IMHO make sense to have global parameters in the rig-dialog, unless they are clearly labelled as being global.


    Edit: I've missed the "Lock vol pedal" flag. Also worth noticing that it has to be set separately for browse and performance mode. I still think it makes more sense to configure the tuner's behaviour from the tuner-screen rather than the rig-dialog though. To me the most logical meaning of the label "Lock vol. pedal" in a rig-config would be to disable the pedal for this particular rig. The current "lock" seem to affect all parameters on the page. I.e. if you don't want the tuner activated on zero-volume you also loose the ability to set individual volume-pedal ranges for each rig. Therefore I consider this a workaround, not a solution.

    You can disable tuner at volume pedal 0


    push rig button go to page 3 set range to -4.9


    Yes I know as described in the OP, but it's a pain to keep track of the changes to every single rig used. It shouldn't be that hard to make it a global parameter. For example a flag toggled by a button next to "Mute Signal" on the tuner screen. This is a feature request. OTOH, the ability to place the system in "deadlock" if you accidentally push a couple buttons or pedals in the wrong order is IMHO a bug. The volume-pedal should work normally when you return from tuner-mode regardless of what has happened to its setting while the tuner was active.

    The KPA doesn't seem to track changes to volume while in tuner-mode when the tuner is activated using either the mode-knob or an external switch. Going back to browse-mode the tuner-display may remain active when volume is turned up. I normally avoid the problem by changing the range for the volume pedal to avoid "double-activating" (by knob+pedal) the tuner accidentally, but it's a pain when i forget and it has to be done manually for every single rig.


    To reproduce:
    Start in browse-mode with a rig with default volume-pedal-range (so that the tuner activates at 0 vol) and volume pedal turned up to max then ...
    1. Switch the mode-knob to tuner
    2. Take the volume-pedal to 0 (mute)
    3. Switch mode back to browse. The rig is shown on the display as expected ... but
    3. Press pedal to increase volume, and as soon as the volume increases the display switches back to the tuner, but audio is no longer muted despite the tuner being configured to mute. The KPA now remains locked in tuner-mode regardless of the position of the volume pedal and it requires interaction via the front-panel to restore normal operation.


    If I use an external plain pedal/switch to toggle the tuner it works the same as using the front-panel knob except that the KPA can't be restored to normal operation with 2 hits on the pedal. I have to reach for the mode-knob. Somehow a pedal configured to activate the tuner doesn't seem equivalent to switching the tuner on/off on the KPA front-panel.


    I use the KPA with a Behringer FCB1010 w/uno4kemper (1.2) and an extra toggle switch for the tuner. In addition to better tracking of anything happening to the volume-pedal while in tuner-mode I'd really appreciate a global setting to disable tuner-activation at 0-volume. I prefer to be able to browse/switch rigs with the volume off without having to edit every single rig I use. I'm currently running kaos 2.3.1b but the problem has been the same with every firmware-release I've tried in the past 8 months.

    This isn't disturbing at all. If you want to provide a platform specific look&feel, integration, communicate with network and hardware devices, off-the-shelf cross platform tools are usually useless. And "i've seen them all"™... ;) (in a similar time frame)


    I don't know where you're coming from, but I've used both QT and WX-Windows GUI-toolkits across a number of platforms with few issues, and both utilise native GUI-components wherever possible. Couple that with a couple decent class-libs for comms, IPC and threads and you're all set. Harware integration, as mentioned in my last post is the worst bit for this kind of application, but USB as required for this app does have good cross-platform libraries.


    Java (or .NET) OTOH. I wouldn't touch it with a stick ;)


    This actually looks like a young intern has played the first time with some .NET programming ... ;)


    Hope not. OTOH, it is often a sign of a bad choice of developer-tools when software that is targeted for multiple platforms isn't released for all platforms at the same time. That's my experience from 25 years of software developement. The signs are disturbing, but I hope I'm wrong about this. Given proper tools all source, except a tiny bit of USB-comms-code should be nearly identical for all major platforms.


    Now the funniest thing: because I wanted to try stereo setup I ordered Behringer Eurolive F1320D and tried it with the Atomic, as a stereo pair.....
    Little confused at the moment...Im not so sure is it wise to put nearly 1000 euros to Atomic CLR... :S


    I've got a pair of F1320D's and they're more than decent once you get the onboard EQ set to compensate for its slight boominess. Mine are set roughly at High=2oclock, Mid=1oclock and Low=11oclock. The only real problem I've had with these is that they turned out to be too weak when playing with a band that has insane levels on stage.

    To me the crackling is worst with some clean profiles. I'm also quite certain that the behaviour has changed with firmware-releases. Some if the rigs I configured for use in performance-mode last summer are now practically useless. My signal-chain normally includes a L6 G90 wireless, but the crackling is just as bad without.


    The noise does vary slightly with the impedance seen on the input. My wireless-system tries to simulate varying cable lengths and that setting makes a slight difference. Different guitars behave different, but there's always some crackle. My LPC with burstbuckers (2+3) is the worst among mine. I have recorded the signal going into the KPA to my computer through a RME audio-interface and can't find any cracling there no matter how I twist the signal.


    The worst rig that I've discovered is one called 'AcusSim GSP2 Hall. Delay and reverb enhances the crackle but effects are not the source. There's still considerable crackle with Stomp and Effects sections off. Almost, but not absolutely, all of the crackle disappears when Stack is turned off. To me it seems as if the noise originates some somewhere around the A/D-converter (because impedance is a factor), and then gets amplified in the Stack-section. Turning off the Amp-sim reduces it a bit, EQ makes no difference, and most of the noise is gone with Cabinet off.


    The problem is also audible on some higer-gain rigs, for example the Engl Blackmore Lead that I use quite a bit. Not so obvious, but irritating.

    You need 5U for the toaster. I've got mine in a shallow 6U effects-rack on top of a 1U wireless receicer. Be careful so that the screws don't hit the PCB inside if you use other screws. I removed the rubber feet and used a set of 2mm thick plastic spacers to get a little space between the shelf and the KPA. That made the original screws just about the right length. I also cut some panels from a sheet of aluminium to cover the spaces on either side of the KPA.