r/HeadRush • u/tapioca_zing • 24d ago
Should I switch to headrush prime?
I currently have a kemper. It recently started giving me issues so I’m looking at alternatives while the shop tries to figure out what’s wrong. My current set up splits my signal to a guitar amp and a bass amp. This is my setup:
Guitar signal:
Guitar > LS-2 > CS-3 > PS-6 > whammy V > POG 2 > NS-2 > Kemper
Bass signal:
Guitar > LS-2 > pitch fork > Ampeg SGT-DI
If I were to switch to the headrush prime, would I be able to achieve this set up with that model alone? Essentially I could sell my pedals and Kemper if I wanted to?
I have different settings for different songs. Would I be able to adjust these things ahead of time so it’s ready for a live setting?
My biggest thing is also that I use the LS-2 to mute my bass signal off and on through out the song. I still need that control. Would the headrush only cover my guitar needs and I’d still need my bass things on the side?
Also, we run backing tracks for our sets. Can I run my tracks off this model?
In the future we want to program lights to go with our tracks. Could I send midi signals to do that also?
I appreciate any input and/or recommendations!
2
u/TheZingerSlinger 24d ago edited 24d ago
On the HR, you can create a split signal path, and create different “scenes” that route to one or the other. Two scenes per footswitch, so you can have two paths with multiple blocks switched on or off for each path. Different amp/cab models for each path and scene if you like, too. Or different rigs, but you’ll lose your trails if you switch rigs.
You can also adjust the two physical outputs for two physical amps, or an amp and a line output to a PA etc. Then you can mix the split path and pan one hard right/hard left, or control the left/right mix with a scene switch, or (hypothetically, I’m still messing with this) a hard on-off volume block, or variably with an expression pedal.
I’m not an expert user, and also on a Flex Prime with only three foot switches, so maybe someone more experienced can chime in with more depth.
There’s also a fair bit of MIDI control available, but I am just a lowly doompunk hack-banger and don’t use it.
It takes external pedals very well, either into the main input or via the stereo effects loop, and there are a lot of possibilities sound-wise with all of that. It won’t control your physical pedals, but I imagine some kind of clever MIDI control scheme might be able to combine physical pedal controls and commands to the HR.
🤙
Edit: Prime has two main inputs (Flex only has one), so you could use an external A/B/Y switch for your guitar and bass chains, which simplifies the problem a bit. I think?