Suddenly no Wah sounds after years of using Moog Ep-3 with Remote

1st Official Post

    I have been using a Moog EP-3 Expression pedal for Wah with the remote for years and never had issues until recently where it no longer works at all. My rack unit has been kept at my practice space for many months without any changes to any of the patches that I can remember. One day the Wah just suddenly stopped working. I thought maybe it was just the pedal or cable but I have brought the Kemper/pedal home and tried a few different things:


    - Have tried the Wah pedal and a second pedal of the same make/model in the remote (Pedal slot 5) and neither produce any Wah effect.

    - Switched cables, settings on the Wah pedal themselves and downloaded a new Wah patch from Rig Exchange in case something happened to my original patch that had the Wah enabled. Still no Wah sounds.

    - Both EP-3 pedals work in another unit (Fractal AX8) so there is nothing wrong with the pedals or cables.


    I must have changed some System setting or something?


    In System page 10 - Pedal 5 (Remote) has the following settings:

    - Mode: Pedal Type 1 (also tried Type 2 with no luck)

    - Function: Wah Pedal

    Input>Distortion>Wah>Noise Gate>Amp>Cab>Reverb


    Limiting it to just Input>Wah>Amp>Cab does not solve the issue


    Output:

    Main Output = Master Mono

    Volume = -12db

    Pad -12 = off

    Output Linked = To Master Volume

    Main Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence = 0.0

    Low and High cut are Off


    Input:

    Noise Gate = 5.0

    Clean and Dist Sens = 0.0


    Physical connection I have been using the 1/4" Left Out on the back of the Profiler rack. Have also tried plugging headphones directly into the Kemper rather than through my mixer. Still no Wah.


    When I have Rig Manager open should the Morph bar change when I move the Wah pedal? It currently does not respond at all to movements.


    Further in System page 5 - Pedal Links

    Wah Pedal has a value of 114

    None of the checkboxes at the top are checked (WahPedal>Volume etc.)

    Nothing happens when I move the Wah while holding down the Calibration button while in System Settings>Pedal 5 (Wah). The calibration bar does not register anything. I also tried switching to Pedal 3 input on the remote, after switching the system page to Pedal 3, and Calibration does not register anything there either.


    I have been having issues with the Ethernet Jack on the back of the profiler. Sometimes it doesn't light up the remote all the way. Could this be causing an issue with the Expression Pedal inputs on the Remote? While going through calibration the Remote was fully connected and I always made sure it was completely lit up/connected when making any/all setting changes otherwise.

    Edited once, last by Grumpter ().

    Yes, per my last reply (after editing the reply) I did that.


    I'm not finding that connection useful as 1) it ties me to being near my Profiler and 2) the Wah does not seem to react the same. It is still on even if I am not moving the expression pedal and have set Bypass @ Stop on the Pedal Mode setting (Rig Manager). Even when I have the toe all the way up on the Wah (Fully open) the calibration mark is still at about 20% (right around the first 'a' in calibrate) and disabling the Wah in Rig Manager alters the sound very noticeably to how I expect it to sound without the Wah on. Re-enable the Wah and it colors the sound even though the Pedal Mode is set to Bypass @ Stop and I haven't touched the Expression pedal.

    I was not suggesting that as a workaround but merely to find out if the issue persists even with the pedal inputs on the Profiler.

    If you cannot successfully calibrate the pedal at any pedal input you should try a different cable and pedal to see which component is causing the issue.

    If the issue persists with any cable and pedal, you have to send your Profiler and Remote to a service center for a checkup and repair. In that case please open a ticket in the support section of the Kemper website using the contact form to initiate the process.

    Yes, I tried the range knob set to maximum, medium and minimum. I tried both pedals, both cables and both Switch 1 and Switch 2 inputs on the back of the profiler.


    At this point I am going to start with getting the Ethernet port replaced. If that doesn't also solve the Wah issue then I will have to try a different Expression pedal. If that doesn't help then I will open a support ticket.

    As HELL-G pointed out. If the pedals aren’t doing anything connected directly to the Witch inputs on the back of the Kemper itself then it can’t have anything to do with the ethernet connection. Your best option is to open a support ticket and let them help,you rather than waste time and potentially money trying to replace components yourself.

    • Official Post

    If your expression pedal/cable combination doesn't work with any of the PEDAL sockets at the Remote as well as at the back of the PROFILER itself - meaning the bar at the Calibrate button doesn't even move when you perform pedal sweeps, after pressing the Calibrate button first and while the socket is set up for a pedal - the issue must be with the cables or pedals.


    If set to Pedal Type 1 or 2 doesn't matter, the bar has to move anyhow.

    The Rig settings don't matter. Pedal control cannot work, if the bar doesn't even move.

    Ethernet cable and socket are irrelevant, since you tested with sockets at the PROFILER itself. And a broken Ethernet cable will not just break one single function, while the rest works reliably.


    Are other cables connected to the PEDAL sockets? Perhaps open cables? Perhaps there is a second socket configured as Wah Pedal - or as Morph Pedal with Morph Pedal to Wah activated. So that you have two pedals in logical conflict?


    Another test: Check one of the PEDAL sockets at the PROFILER, that don't work with your expression pedals. Plug in a guitar cable and leave the jack at the other side open. Set Mode to "Mono Switch" at corresponding configuration page. Assign any effect module e.g. the module including the wah effect to Switch Tip e.g. Stomp C. Press Calibrate once. Now use a pice of metal e.g. a paper clip or scissors to short cut the contacts at the open jack between tip and sleeve. The assigned effect module should toggle on/off each time you close contacts. If that works, repeat the same with a TRS (stereo) cable as used for your expression pedal. Select Mode "Dual Switch". Assign another effect module which includes an effect to Switch Ring. Test closing the contacts between sleeve and ring. This should toggle the other effect module on/off. If this works, the root cause of the issue is outside of PROFILER and Remote.

    No one seems to have confirmed that Grumpter is using trs cables

    New talent management advice to Laura Cox -


    “Laura want to break the internet? let’s shoot another video of you covering the Nightrain solo in the blue singlet, but this time we’ll crank up the air conditioning”.

    Yes, I have been using TRS to TRS cables for the expression pedal. I tried 2 different cables.


    Today I disconnected everything from the profiler besides the instrument cable to the front panel and headphones to the front Jack on the profiler. I then went into the system settings Pedal Links (page 5 of 18) and made sure all boxes up top (Wah Pedal> Vol, etc.) were unchecked. Then went to each Pedal page (1 through 6) and turned all of them to Mode = Off.


    I tested the 2 profiler connections on the back of the profiler individually making sure all other pedals were off before testing each. They worked as expected when using an instrument cable and/or a TRS to TRS cable. While Pedal 2 was still the only active Pedal where Mode was not set to Off I changed the Mode = Pedal Type 1, Function = Wah and used the TRS cable that was already connected to Switch 2. Suddenly the Wah is working.


    Then I reconnected the Footswitch for morphing to Switch 1 with an instrument cable and turned the Mode to Profiler Switch in the system setting and now both the Wah and the Morph pedals are working as expected. The last thing to do was turn Pedal 2 to Mode = Off and reconnect the Remote with the Ethernet cable. Switched the TRS cable connected to the Expression pedal from the back of the profiler Switch 2 to Pedal 5 input on the Remote and turned the Profiler Pedal 5 Mode in system setting to Mode = Pedal Type 1, Function = Wah.


    I could immediately see that the calibration status bar accepted the full range of the expression pedal from all the way off, to all the way on and then back again. After testing a patch, the same patch I had been using all along, the Wah and Morph pedals both work fine now. I'm not sure what the problem was or what was interfering.


    As far as replacing the Ethernet port it needs to be done no matter what. It has become unreliable and I fear it will conk out on me during a gigging situation which, knock on wood, it hasn't done yet. It has happened maybe 5 times at practice sessions and a few times while using it at home. If I wiggle the cable it disconnects and sometimes takes more than a few wiggles or re-seatings of the cable in the back of the Profiler until it connects again.

    • Official Post

    I'm glad you got those pedals fixed! It's always useful to simplify the environment as much as possible in order to narrow in and rule out any interferences. Perhaps a cable with a loose contact sometimes working, sometimes not....


    Regarding the Ethernet socket. The socket might be mechhanically broken, which gived the plug too much game. That needs repair.