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

Hi Gang,

Let me start off by saying, that I (profusely) apologize for asking some of the questions listed in this post, as they may have already been answered in the myriads of other threads similar to this one. Here it goes!

In the essence, I've come to the decision of using the toaster as the absolute center of my rig; I am currently at planning stage, fyi. I will want to utilize the Strymon fx that I already own, as well as my Tokyo (Precision) drive, and will definitely be utilizing the Profiler Remote, and the Mission Engineering's Expression Pedal. I will be connecting that to a pair of Line 6 Powercab 112 Plus units that offer speaker simulation and IR programming. Because of that I will be using the regular toaster, not the power-head version.

I am requesting recommendations from you guys & gals, as to what the optimal rooting options would be for the setup in question. For example, as far as the OD goes, I am assuming the optimal way would be to run in front of the toaster, pretty much the same way as with a conventional amp, right? Or maybe not, or "it depends"?

Similarly, since the Strymons are stereo and I've run them stereo most of the time, utilizing the fx loop @the KPA would be the optimal way of dealing with that, yes/no? Or maybe they could be connected to the Profiler Remote, rather than the toaster itself (just for convenience, if anyone asks) - is this even possible?

This is the kind of stuff that now runs through my mind, and I would welcome your suggestions & recommendations on making the whole rig happen. THANK YOU so much in advance for sharing your experiences with me. Love ya all!

Lol! Re: rooting.

Apparently Windows knows that when you are asking for routing options you actually mean rooting! Too funny.

BTW, as I’m typing this post my iPhone suggested “arousing options”, so I guess the Win autocorrect wasn’t that bad at all, eh? Lol!

Thanks for all your replies, Gang!

Quote from Andy_T-V

TBH ... I don't use a drive in front (I have experimented with them), only a Freqout (which IMHO, works better there). My response above was for @mmmaslowski 's benefit as he has a 'favourite' drive already. My favourite built in stomp drive is the Mouse, particularly a nicely tweaked version al la klon, which I found here on the forum.

Thanks for the clarification, I appreciate it. I've never been able to get pleasing results setting up the OD in an fx loop, but I will concede that I have not experimented much with it.

If I were to put the OD in the fx loop of the KPA, would you recommend - based on your experience - putting them in front of the modulation fx sequence, or after? I understand that this is not exactly a KPA-specific question, but the more info I have at hand, the better, so thank you in advance!

BTW, I am not that big on OD, but I simply like having a quick stomp for some chugging. Above all, I'd like to find some good use for the finer specimens. Naturally, if the KPA fx prove to be of finer quality, I'll probably get rid of them.

Quote from Eltzejupp

Od in front, strymon in fx loop behind the amp section.

What strymon fx is it? I think a reverb no?

I also run a freqout in front of the kpa and also the paul gilbert airplane flanger for a crazy fx.
I also tried different od stomps in front, but in the end i thought that the internal stomp od's are so good, that i didnt use a real od stomp in front. I think you will check this out.

High end delays are more than enough
in the kpa so i think you talk about the big sky. I also thought to buy a big sky or an eventide because the reverbs are not so optimal imho.

But i hear a little voice in my ear that says save the money...........

Display More

Thanks! We’re talking the Big Sky, the TimeLine, and the Mobius. Oh, and there’s that wonderful one called the Deco. They are all left with me after selling my main amp - a decision aiding me in transitioning to the KPA.

Glad to hear some encouraging comments about the internal OD stomps (not that I was expecting any opposite comments, BTW).

These all are fantastic replies allowing me to have more than one perspective on the matter - the goal for this post to begin with. Thank you all so very much!

Quote from Andy_T-V

Ok , my advice above still stands but... IF and only IF (!) you want to run an external chain of all your pedals, then I would put the OD in front of your mod/del/rev etc. However ... There is, as you know, only one loop available. So, you can put it in front of the stack (the 'amp') in stomps A-D, but everything would be in mono (not ideal for your stereo fx) or you could place it after the stack in the X or mod slot but the your od would be after the 'amp', also not ideal. This is why the general feeling is to have the od in front of the KPA and the time-based stuff in the X (or mod) slot after the stack. That said, there is nothing to stop you trying any position/order of external fx. The only limitation being that you only have one loop to play with.FWIW, I use an eventide H9 in the X slot (in mono, cos I'm lazy - cables!) which works well as the signal is s stereo'ed (if that is a word) by either/or the KPA's mod, delay or reverb. Also, I don't have the H9 hooked up to MIDI, so it's patches are independently selected via an up/down foot switch and it is brought in and out of play by the X slot as required.
I tend to use different 'amps' (in a performance) for general clean/edge/crunch/lead. For my 'chugging' (quick or otherwise) I use an Orange amp 'pushed', if required with a clean boost)
I think what I'm trying to say, is try everything! You might hit on something unconventional that you like, regardless of the approval of others. If it works, don't fix it. If it doesn't, start again, AT-V

The mono output would be a no-no in my book. Putting the OD after the modulation fx does not sound like a good idea to begin with, but I've seen that done - all comes down to individual preferences. Obviously, I'd like to try all of the options, but it appears that my initial idea was sound - basically treat the KPA as a regular amp.

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?