KOT Question

[ondadl]

"Either side can be set to any of the three modes, with the DIP switches. I recommend setting the right side for most distorted sounds and the left for cleaner, then when used together you get more of a volume boost. But if you want more distortion and compression, you can try it the other way around too."

So I have Guitar > KOT > DX9 > Timmy setup going on.

I've reversed from the factory DIP switch settings, to have O/D left side and clean on the right. Visually, I'd have the clean on the right and then the three O/D pedals to the left of it.

My question is, and from what I take from what's provided above, even though I've put the clean onto the right side of the KOT, is the left side the one wired to be first in the chain?

I'd like to have my boost in front of my O/D section. Am I wrong here, Donny?



Thanks in advance.

 

[GaryOz]

"Either side can be set to any of the three modes, with the DIP switches. I recommend setting the right side for most distorted sounds and the left for cleaner, then when used together you get more of a volume boost. But if you want more distortion and compression, you can try it the other way around too."

So I have Guitar > KOT > DX9 > Timmy setup going on.

I've reversed from the factory DIP switch settings, to have O/D left side and clean on the right. Visually, I'd have the clean on the right and then the three O/D pedals to the left of it.

My question is, and from what I take from what's provided above, even though I've put the clean onto the right side of the KOT, is the left side the one wired to be first in the chain?

I'd like to have my boost in front of my O/D section. Am I wrong here, Donny?



Thanks in advance.

I've had a V4 KOT for a few years. Used it as it came for a while, Red Od, Yellow Boost. Then changed the Red to Dist, not a huge increase in gain. Then filpped the roles Red boost, yellow OD or Dist. Shortly went back to stock settings. I A/B'd the same dip switch settings on both sides extensively, and on MY pedal, the Yellow side behaves better as a boost, flatter generally.
The Red side has more low mids. Yep tweaked the trim pot for the top end on each. Everything sounded fine but I much prefer the yellow side for my Boost. Don't stack much so doesn't really matter for how I use it.

As a suggestion, the Timmy can be a good clean boost, try Guitar>Timmy>KOT>Dist>etc>Amp. Timmy could kick the Red side for more drive.

Gary

 

[Hulakatt]

Changing the dip switches does not change the order of the two circuits in any way, it just changes what each of the 2 does, selecting between boost, OD or distortion. The 2 sides of the KoT are each an individual pedal that are (nearly) identical. Your guitar signal will always go into the right side first and then on to the left side.

 

[ondadl]

Changing the dip switches does not change the order of the two circuits in any way, it just changes what each of the 2 does, selecting between boost, OD or distortion. The 2 sides of the KoT are each an individual pedal that are (nearly) identical. Your guitar signal will always go into the right side first and then on to the left side.

Yes, that was my initial impression, but why then does it state that having the clean side on the right will result in more compression then if it were on the left, when both sides are on?

 

[deadletteroffice]

I believe the pedal is designed purposely so the boost is after the overdrive. I only ever really use the yellow side so I haven't ran into any conundrums. I do stack a Klone with it though and they do compress each other, sometimes to much and I have to make adjustments. Generally speaking, if your boost is being used for lead volume bump then having the clean boost last is mostly likely the best result anyways.

 

[ondadl]

I believe the pedal is designed purposely so the boost is after the overdrive. I only ever really use the yellow side so I haven't ran into any conundrums. I do stack a Klone with it though and they do compress each other, sometimes to much and I have to make adjustments. Generally speaking, if your boost is being used for lead volume bump then having the clean boost last is mostly likely the best result anyways.

Thanks! By last, do you mean closest to the guitar or amp?

Would you suggest having the KOT closest to the amp, with the left side being clean, and then having O/D on the right, beside the TS9DX, with the Timmy being closest to the guitar?

 

[ShawnH]

If you run the boost into the OD you are just going to get more saturation, compression, clipping etc. and the overall volume will be set by the OD side.

If you run the boost after the OD - it will increase the volume of your OD sound.

Does that make sense?

 

[vanguard]

Yes, that was my initial impression, but why then does it state that having the clean side on the right will result in more compression then if it were on the left, when both sides are on?

Because hitting an OD pedal with a clean boost before it will only raise level until the OD pedal runs out of headroom. Beyond that, you will only increase distortion and compression as you hit the OD harder with the boost.

 

[Hulakatt]

Yes, that was my initial impression, but why then does it state that having the clean side on the right will result in more compression then if it were on the left, when both sides are on?

It does that with any boost and OD combination. Running a boost into any OD will push the OD harder into more clipping and more compression as the the Boost over saturates the input (kinda like hitting the front end of an already cooking amp harder with a boost). Running the OD into a Boost, the boost generally still has headroom to spare and things just get louder.

 

[jocfan1]

The 2 sides of the KoT are each an individual pedal that are (nearly) identical.

No nearly about it. According to Mike himself they're absolutely identical, unless you order one side higher gain.

 

[GaryOz]

No nearly about it. According to Mike himself they're absolutely identical, unless you order one side higher gain.

With respect, that is not my experience, see earlier post. While the two sides on my standard V4 (a few years old) can be set the same and do the same role, when both sides are set for example to exactly the same settings, and even tweaked to allow for small variations in component values, MY KOT sounds different on each side. Yellow side on my unit is flatter response. Red side has more low mids. Either sound is great, just my preference to use the Yellow side for my boost.
I have the utmost respect for Mike and his work, fantastic tools made by someone with a musical ear. I'm not splitting hairs, just mentioning my personal experience with my KOT. I love mine, with all my amps I can dial in my sounds. My comments are directed to existing owners who can try for themselves. If you don't own a KOT, you won't know, and certainly would not be able to hear the difference unless you A/B'd as I have done. This may just be a peculiarity of my pedal, component differences or drift, doesn't matter to me, I'm just using it to get my sounds.

I'm a professional musician with a lot of recording and live experience, played and owned most everything around in selecting the gear I use, and the KOT has always been a keeper for me.
Thanks, Mike.

Gary

 

[slap_back05]

I'm pretty sure they are the same thing, but who knows, maybe there's some voodoo in there that changes one side a little. Maybe its the different current draw for different color LED's, or some variance in components. Mine (just got it a couple weeks ago) sounds the same when set the same though.

 

[jocfan1]

Re: if the circuits are identical, here's a thread asking that very question:

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/990366

In case you who don't feel like clicking the link, here's Mike's answer:

Yes!!

It also helps in debugging if you think you have a problem.

The easiest way to test if the pedal is ok (you would need two pedals to do this with almost any other OD pedal) is to set both sides to clean, all DIP switches down. Set all knobs to 1:00. Then you can compare the sides to each other.

Plug a guitar directly into it, into a clean amp. With single coils, the ON sound should be about the same as the OFF sound. Not much volume change.

Obviously like GaryOz said, there may be small variances in components that can make a slight difference (the kind of thing only somebody with good, experienced ears might hear in a quiet room A/Bing them), but the intention is that it's two of the same pedal in one enclosure. The DIP switches just give you the flexibility to have any order/combination of boost, OD, and distortion that you want.

 

[ghostrider]

"Either side can be set to any of the three modes, with the DIP switches. I recommend setting the right side for most distorted sounds and the left for cleaner, then when used together you get more of a volume boost. But if you want more distortion and compression, you can try it the other way around too."

So I have Guitar > KOT > DX9 > Timmy setup going on.

I've reversed from the factory DIP switch settings, to have O/D left side and clean on the right. Visually, I'd have the clean on the right and then the three O/D pedals to the left of it.

My question is, and from what I take from what's provided above, even though I've put the clean onto the right side of the KOT, is the left side the one wired to be first in the chain?

I'd like to have my boost in front of my O/D section. Am I wrong here, Donny?



Thanks in advance.

You're out of your element here, Donny.

The right side is always first in the chain (unless you have the 4 jack option going into a TB looper and you reversed them). If you reversed the dip switch settings, you still have the right side going into the left side, you simply changed the mode in which each side operates.

 

[Empros]

When I had the KOT, I had both sides set up for OD and didn't notice any difference between the two. It was exactly the same. Maybe if you're in a dead quiet room and really listening you'll hear some differences, but for the most part, I heard no difference.