Care to share your signal chain, @Rome ?
There are actually two signal chains in my setup:
Guitar -> SY Input -> SY Thru -> KPA input
KPA send -> SY return -> SY main out R -> KPA return
This way the KPA works as usual when the SY is not in use. When I want to play the sounds from the SY-300 then I just add a 'loop distortion' to a rig in the X slot of the KPA. Now the synth and guitar sounds are mixed inside the SY.
I've been looking at this unit myself...sounds very cool. Can you run it without a send/return loop - you know, as a regular stomp, and just turn it on and off as desired with the button on the left? (trying to keep cabling to a minimum!)
I've been looking at this unit myself...sounds very cool. Can you run it without a send/return loop - you know, as a regular stomp, and just turn it on and off as desired with the button on the left? (trying to keep cabling to a minimum!)
You can, but:
You would want to use a clean uncolored rig - not a regular guitar amp sound. Using a loop lets you mix any kind of guitar sound with the synth sounds.
You can, but:
You would want to use a clean uncolored rig - not a regular guitar amp sound. Using a loop lets you mix any kind of guitar sound with the synth sounds.
You could also try to split your guitar signal, send one into the SY-300 and on to the FOH and send the other into your Kemper and the usual signal path.
hmm... thanks for the suggestions guys, I will have to think on how best to implement them.
Bear with me please - if you use an effects loop as @Rome does above, why would you need a loop distortion FX in your rig to turn the SY on? Couldn't you just hit the "On" button on the SY to get the same result? (I'm obviously clueless on this, have never used one, and have not needed an effects loop with the KPA, so sorry if this sounds like a stupid question).
Splitting the signal @nightlight would be great for the audience, not so much for the player as it wouldn't be a true mix except through the FOH. My sound guy would also hate that - I can't remember if we have any available inputs left LOL. (I read your 'rant' btw...interesting)
Maybe I should explain the signal chain a bit more.
The part before the KPA input is only needed by the SY-300 to analyse the signal and calculate the notes to play. It needs a pure guitar signal for this. The signal itself is passed absolutely unaltered to the input of the KPA. You can even turn the SY-300 off and it will make no difference for the KPA.
The main out of the SY-300 is fed to the return of the KPA. This way the synth is always available whenever you insert an effect loop block in the KPA. The SY-300 is still playing in the background even if the loop is not used but this doesn't matter at all for the KPA. I used the 'loop distortion' because it always has 100% mix and no parameters. You can also use the other loop types but this one is the most simple one to use.
The KPA send is fed to the return of the SY-300 because the SY-300 can internally mix the signal at the return jack with it's synth signal. Technically this path is not needed at all if you want to do the mixing inside the KPA (eg with a mono loop). But I like to mix inside the SY-300 because it has several effect blocks with nice effects (ME-70 quality). These can be used for the guitar signal as well and if you turn off the synth voices then you can use the SY-300 like every other external effects unit.
Thank you for that explanation, very nice of you!
You say "technically this path is not needed" - the mono loop uses fewer connections (2 instead of 4) which has appeal to me on stage. Do you put that loop distortion in a particular FX slot, say, X?
Thanks for your help and advice.
hmm... thanks for the suggestions guys, I will have to think on how best to implement them.
Bear with me please - if you use an effects loop as @Rome does above, why would you need a loop distortion FX in your rig to turn the SY on? Couldn't you just hit the "On" button on the SY to get the same result? (I'm obviously clueless on this, have never used one, and have not needed an effects loop with the KPA, so sorry if this sounds like a stupid question).
Splitting the signal @nightlight would be great for the audience, not so much for the player as it wouldn't be a true mix except through the FOH. My sound guy would also hate that - I can't remember if we have any available inputs left LOL. (I read your 'rant' btw...interesting)
It's because of the "through" input. This way you pass a clean signal to both the Kemper and SY-300. Turning on the SY-300 will not change the sound passing through the through input. But because you have fixed it in the loop of the Kemper, you can then turn it on and off.
Not sure if the SY-300 is true bypass. If it isn't, it would obviously not make sense to always have it in the signal chain. But if it is, the only reason I can think of not to have it at your feet is that it would mean a lot of cables - from guitar to KPA, from KPA direct out to SY-300, from SY-300 back to Kemper. Since you can control the SY300 using midi, would make a lot of sense to just keep it next to your Kemper to keep the cable runs short.
The disadvantage of having a split signal from your guitar to the SY-300 and the Kemper is as you mentioned, that it will be difficult to monitor. But the advantage will be more headroom for mixing both the Kemper and SY-300 signals at the FOH, which as you mentioned will be better for the audience.
Of course, like Rome, if you use the SY300 in mono, it'll free up some space in the mix.
I'm happy you found that rant interesting reading, @prsgaryy. When I got home I realised that after writing it, I no longer have any outlet for destressing after thinking about the depressing state of the world, having kicked the butt and put down the bottle.
But maybe that isn't entirely true. I plugged in my KPA and was wailing away till 3am! Best vice there is! 
I'm not sure if I can incorporate this with my band
same here for sure ! also although i know it tracks well i still havent really heard any very exciting sounds, seems like pretty traditional/ basic analog sounds which can only be made good by a shitload of reverb/delay. hopefully now they got the tracking tech all working well they can upgrade the synth engine for the next version.
I plugged in my KPA and was wailing away till 3am! Best vice there is!
Absolutely 
Ingolf wrote:
I'm not sure if I can incorporate this with my band
same here for sure ! also although i know it tracks well i still havent really heard any very exciting sounds, seems like pretty traditional/ basic analog sounds which can only be made good by a shitload of reverb/delay. hopefully now they got the tracking tech all working well they can upgrade the synth engine for the next version.
hmm... but if both Ingolf AND Mitch Gallagher think it's loads of fun... gotta kind of give it some serious consideration, even if I can't use it in my band either.
same here for sure ! also although i know it tracks well i still havent really heard any very exciting sounds, seems like pretty traditional/ basic analog sounds which can only be made good by a shitload of reverb/delay. hopefully now they got the tracking tech all working well they can upgrade the synth engine for the next version.
You may have half a point. 
But don't just think that the sounds you heard represent what it's capable of.
from the Kemper's send/direct output (put to guitar analog, which is the unaltered guitar signal).
This certainly sounds simpler, though I don't know what you mean by "put to guitar analog." Is this simply the far left "input" of the SY-300?
"Guitar Analog" is one of the Output settings for the KPA Send/Direct Out.
i was happy to see Alex in the video with the Anderton lot, he's a great guitarist that should be more widely known:)
You may have half a point.
But don't just think that the sounds you heard represent what it's capable of.
only a half ! gotta be worth more than that ! to be honest i was very tempted to buy but just havent heard anything too exciting so far, probably the Gundy Keller demos are the best, and there is one metal demo on youtube which seems to work quite well. i think the creative possibilities are very interesting and the tech is excellent but will probably wait for a possible next version to appear, but glad you are enjoying it, and to be fair fun is always a good thing !
"Guitar Analog" is one of the Output settings for the KPA Send/Direct Out.
Thanks, I figured it must be something like that but never needed it, never looked. Love the new action picture btw!!
Love the new action picture btw!!
Thank you - it is from a recent gig. Kudos to Missie Tong, photographer.
