Rookie: seeking advice, and recommendations on making the KPA the center of my sonic universe!

    Quote from Wheresthedug

    I don’t really use OD pedals much as I tend to prefer the gain from the amp itself. However, i did do a quick A/B comparison between my Boss DS1 and the DS1 simulation in the KPA. I placed the real DS1 in the distortion loop in stomp slot D and toggled back and forward between them. I couldn’t make them sound exactly the same but they were definitely close enough that I could hapily have used the KPA version insted of faffing around with the real one.


    I’m also not a hige user of delay or mudulation effects but when I do use them they come from Strymon Timeline and Mobius pedals. However, I haven’t turned on either of those snce I got the KPA. Maybe there are some slight sonic improvements from the Strymons but for my needs they aren’t significant enough to merit the hassle of carrying extra pedals and power. The convenience of having everything inside one unit trumps any slight tonal differences for me.

    I will not surprised if I end up selling mine; I've heard very good opinions about the built-in fx and I know they have been greatly improved. The consensus (from YT reviewers) seems to indicate that the KPA reverbs are not as good as the delays, and others, but I am not a reverb guy to begin with - I prefer a subtle mix of delay in place of a reverb. I bought my Strymons for some ambient stuff experimentation, and that they do extremely well. Having said that, they have been off most of the time now, so I totally understand your position.

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    Cheers!


    When it comes to the tone, go for the jugular!

    Quote from mmmaslowski

    Something that has just come to my mind - when you refer to the particular slots (X, Mod, as well as the A - D ones), I understand that the KPA allows you to select its internal fx and assign them one per each slot as part of your own rig. Is the same true for the external fx? What I am asking is this: would I be able to assign an external fx signal coming from the fx loop to a stomp slot on the KPA (mentioned above) and save it as a separate/distinct rig for future use?



    Only in as much as you can treat the loop (in your case the stereo loop - having scrubbed the mono idea) as an effect to be placed in either the X or Mod slots and yes, you can save this on a per rig basis. Mine is permanently in the X slot and I decide what state the slot is in (on or off) before I save the rig. That way when you change rigs the fx will be on or off as required in it's initial state. You can then alter said state via your controller.

    Quote from mmmaslowski

    I will be connecting that to a pair of Line 6 Powercab 112 Plus units that offer speaker simulation and IR programming

    IMO, don't get stuck on the Line 6 speaker simulation and IRs. A lot of the KPA profiles are of the entire rig - amp, cab, and speakers. Admittedly, I'm a bit biased. I thought other products sounded better than the Line 6 version of amp modeling.

    Quote from audiomitch

    IMO, don't get stuck on the Line 6 speaker simulation and IRs. A lot of the KPA profiles are of the entire rig - amp, cab, and speakers. Admittedly, I'm a bit biased. I thought other products sounded better than the Line 6 version of amp modeling.

    Thanks! The Powercabs have also an FRFR mode, so I should be able to discern the nuances. I’ll report when I actually have all of the units ready for testing.


    Initially, I was thinking about getting a Helix and run the whole rig digitally (through their L6 Link interface), but the craving for tone fidelity has won me over. Instead, I’ll be proceeding with the KPA.

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    Cheers!


    When it comes to the tone, go for the jugular!

    Quote from mmmaslowski

    Thanks! The Powercabs have also an FRFR mode, so I should be able to discern the nuances. I’ll report when I actually have all of the units ready for testing.
    Initially, I was thinking about getting a Helix and run the whole rig digitally (through their L6 Link interface), but the craving for tone fidelity has won me over. Instead, I’ll be proceeding with the KPA.

    I'll be extremely curious to hear what you think of the Powercabs! Hope they sound awesome!

    Sorry to repeat other posts but I would really try to use what you have. Outboard gear for me is just more hassle, unless for something specific e.g. freqout.


    OD pedals to me are to make up for short falls in an amp ( sweeping generalization I know), to either add a bit more boost, eq or grit.


    With the options and switching on the KPA it seems pointless to me...obviously that's just my opinion as many people do this.


    I don't use the OD pedals in the KPA either, I use boosts to treble,mid, gain and presence via morph to boost for riffs.


    For solo's I have a totally different rig ( ENGL for Rhythm, Mesa for solo's)..


    This is the advantage of any digital equipment, you have this flex to have entirely different sounds for different applications.


    Let us know how it goes!!!

    The analogy I use is:


    If you want a fast car, don't start with a slow one and try to modify the hell out of it, start with a fast car and the amount of changes you need a re far less...


    It makes sense in my head :)

    Hey, thanks for your input and very useful tips.


    While I agree with the overall take on OD, I don't feel being bound to any rules - I want to experiment, and that means doing the - seemingly - wrong things. Myself, I am not an OD guy, really, but after watching the Precision Drive tone tutorials with Misha Mansoor, I had to give it a try. In addition to that, I've also talked to other musicians (some of them recording), and the conclusion has been the same - the PD feels better than anything available on the market these days. Also looking at the overview, it appears that the PD has been designed with KPA and modellers in mind. While I don't necessarily buy in to the marketing speak, I need to give credence to some of the folks who have had extremely positive experience with it.


    As I am sure you all know the KPA is a sizeable expense. If I find the built-in fx being on par with anything I've heard from my pedals, I'll be happy to sell all of them, no exceptions! That actually would be a fantastic outcome of transitioning to the KPA.

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    Cheers!


    When it comes to the tone, go for the jugular!

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