Posts by mapleleaf14

    Sorry if this is a dumb question or if it's easy but I'm missing it...I'm fairly new to the whole genre of digital amps, etc. as until I got the Helix I was a tube amp user with a couple pedals in front!



    I have used a Helix for about 10 months and got my Kemper & Kemper Remote a couple weeks ago. I am using them both to record with - no playing live or anything like that currently. Now, for guitar I'm using the KPA 90% of the time it seems, but I do want to keep the Helix for a few reasons...the Helix has phantom power for mics, there are a few features that I prefer over the KPA, I own a James Tyler Variax guitar (also - anybody using a Variax & Kemper and have advice for the best way to use the two together?)



    I'm wondering if there is an easy (or great) way to incorporate both of them together? Currently, if I want to use the Helix, I have to switch the XLR outputs, guitar input cable, USB input (only because I prefer controlling the Helix via the editor, but leave the KPA plugged into the USB normally), expression pedal, etc. It's not horrible, but if there was a way to connect the two together so I could leave all the cabling in place and just utilize either the KPA or Helix as I desire it'd be great.



    At this moment in time, I only see myself using one or the other at any given time...there's probably a way to route one through the other (i.e. use Helix effects with KPA amps or someething like that) but to be honest, I'm proabbly not smart enough to get that scenario to work properly! :D



    To give an idea of my set up...it's fairly simple - I go from the guitar into either device, then L & R XLR outputs into the inputs on my Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface.



    I thought about getting some sort of stereo XLR A/B box, but haven't had much luck finding one the will A/B left & right XLR's (see a lot of mono boxes but I'd need a stereo XLR box I guess in order to keep using L & R XLR's). Something like this would probably work (found on ebay from China...around $70 but would take a month to get probably):
    [Blocked Image: http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/njcAAOSwa~BYRS8-/s-l1600.jpg]




    I could also simply get a different interface that has more than just the two XLR inputs that my 2i2 interface has, and that might be the easiest option but 1) I'm happy with the 2i2, and 2) don't really want to spend money on a new interface.



    So other than an A/B box or new interface...anyone have any ideas on using the two together?

    Yeah, I'm using the VDI connection...not sure why I feel like I need to keep the Helix, other than it has served me very well since I got it! I could plug my vocal mics directly into my interface and just use plug-in reverbs, compressors, etc. and I am sure I could just run the Variax into the Kemper and use the lithium-ion battery that came with the JTV guitar. Both being Line 6, the JTV and the Helix play very nice together though.



    I'm definitely learning my way around the KPA after a week of having it, but the Helix is just a much simpler device to use and I really miss having the editor on my Mac...I used it as my main interaction with the Helix...I kept the Helix on the floor under my desk so rarely had to actually access it with my hands and the editor was just the best way to work with it and still use my feet for the expression pedals. I also think it was easier to dial in the effects on the Helix than it is on the KPA, but that will probably become easier the more I work with the KPA. I loved being able to blend two different amps together on the Helix, but I understand that the Helix & the KPA are two different kinds of beasts...which is probably another reason I kind of want to hang on to the Helix...neither is a direct replacement for the other.



    The Helix has the ability to make the footswitches either latching or momentary...does the KPA have that sort of feature? (I found that using a harmony setting with a momentary footswitch was handy for recording leads...I could be playing and simply press & hold for a quick harmony run and then release to go back to single guitar.)



    I could see in the future just moving the Helix to the living room with some kind of powered FR speaker and using it as a "couch amp".



    I had a great weekend with the KPA though...I finished two tracks to wrap up my next "EP" release on bandcamp.com and recorded the first track for the next EP! New toys always spark the creativity! The new delays in the latest update are great...could better reverbs be coming? (some of the reverbs are quite good though the Helix has a lot of really nice reverbs.) Do I understand correctly that Kemper is pretty good about continually issuing updates?



    The Helix has a nice group of guys in the forum and this forum seems great as well - doesn't seem to be any bad apples like you see in just about every internet forum these days...that's refreshing!

    Well, thanks to all you guys, my KPA is starting to get dialed in! updated to the 5.1 beta...got the harmony stuff working...got the Kemper Remote setup...got the Mission pedal set up...got my 3 Sigma Audio Martin D-45 acoustic responses working...got 19 killer "rigs" set up already.



    The humbucker guitars (Suhr Modern, Majesty, Steve Morse, Game Changer, Albert Lee, Charvel So Cal, GJ2 Glendora, etc.) all sound killer. Later tonight or probably tomorrow I will tweak some tones for the single coil / P90 guitars ('69 Strat, '65 Tele, Duesenberg Dragster, RS Guitarworks Rockabilly, etc.)



    This thing seems pretty cool...the Helix will probably mainly see duty for vocals and the James Tyler Variax guitar from now on, if dealing with the KPA continues this way!

    Thanks everybody.


    My Kemper is on 5.0.3 or something like that...I didn't go to 5.1 yet since it was a Beta still...is it considered stable enough to go ahead and move to? (I haven't switched to the most recent Helix update as people were finding bugs in it so I was a bit hesitant to go straight to 5.1 on the KPA.)


    I fully intend on keeping the Helix as well as the KPA, as the Helix has phantom power for mics and I use that for vocal processing a lot...can't do that with the KPA, but I hope to sway over to the KPA for guitar. The Helix has some pretty great sounding reverbs as well and I haven't found the reverbs in the KPA all that great.


    I was using several Impulse Responses from 3 Sigma Audio with the Helix that were great, and when I got those files there were also Kemper files included...I guess I can somehow get those into my Kemper and they'll show up as cabinets available to me?


    The 3 Sigma Audio "Martin D45" acoustic impulse is fantastic on the Helix with my Music Man Majesty's piezo bridge...if I was able to use that with the Kemper as well I'd be very happy! I need a "Kemper For Dummies" book...the included manual isn't the most helpful IMO. That's one thing that is great about the Helix...you don't even need a manual - it's literally that easy to figure out what you're doing. Bare with me...I've been a KPA owner for just a few hours, I'm sure I'll get it eventually - I'm usually pretty tech savvy! Hahaha

    thanks guys!


    another ? that I have...I'm confused on the way I would create a harmonizer effect. On the Helix, it was extremely easy to add a pitch effect to a patch that would allow a single harmony part added to the original note(s) by either a button click or blending in with an expression pedal. For example, you would just set +4 for a third up from the note(s) being played.


    I didn't see an option in the pitch section that allowed just one note.


    I'm sure I'm just missing it...what's the best way to utilize the pitch shifter / harmonizer in the KPA?

    Just got a KPA and Remote along with one of the Mission expression pedals (think I got a deal - $1950 total).


    Anyway, hooked it all up this evening and played around for a couple hours...plan on spending the weekend to get to know it and start tweaking.


    I've been using a Line 6 Helix for about 6 months now, and after learning it and using Impulse Responses, I got some really great sounds and loved how easy the Helix is to use.


    Obviously, I have a lot of reading/research/learning to do with the KPA. Anybody else out there come to the KPA from a Helix?


    As far as cabinets go - I only see a handful in the KPA...do I have to load cabinets from somewhere else?


    This is probably a stupid question, but is there a way on the KPA to start from scratch?!? Like in the Helix, I can create a new patch from a totally blank slate...I pick the amp, cab, effects, etc. just by choosing an empty preset...is there a way to select an "empty" preset in the KPA and build from there? So far I've only done it by picking an existing preset and tweaking everything and then saving it.


    Anyway, looking forward to getting into the KPA world! I'm planning on keeping the Helix too - I use it for vocals because it has phantom power for condenser mics. At this point, I haven't really seen/heard anything that the Helix can't do, but I'm hoping that'll change as a I become more of a "power user" of the KPA! LOL


    Thanks in advance for any tips/advice guys!


    - Eric