CSL's three free samples aren't casually pulled out.
All three fix the amp setting the same — the GVA CUSTOM's Treble and Bass centered, flat. What's changed is only the mic: an SM57, the tube-condenser GT-67, and a 60-to-40 blend of the two. The position is all Center.
So these three are a small experiment set for hearing by ear "what happens when you fix the amp and change only the mic." Which means there's a right way to listen.
First, ring it without touching the EQ
The first thing to do: don't touch the Kemper's EQ.
The three are made to isolate only the mic difference. Turn the treble or bass here and that difference gets buried. First, raw, play single notes, chords, palm mutes. Roll the guitar's volume up and down too. Precisely because the amp foundation is the same, the mic difference next shows up clearly.
Play the three in a row, comparing
Play the same phrase across the three, in a row. This is the clearest.
- The SM57 is tight and forward. The outline is clear and you see the grain of the distortion.
- The GT-67 is thick and round. The top is smooth, with an airy tail remaining.
- The blend is in between. On the 57's core rides the 67's thickness.
None is "correct." Which rings pleasantly with your guitar and song? Once your ear gets used to these three, you won't hesitate when choosing mics and settings in the paid pack.
Check its place within the song
Even sounding good on its own, the impression changes once it's in a mix.
So last, ring it over a song you always make or a simple backing. When it overlaps other instruments, does the SM57's core cut through, or does the GT-67's thickness blend in? Check this far and, for the first time, you know which mic suits you.
These three are CSL's way of choosing itself
CSL takes the approach of not making the sound by EQ correction, but recording separate conditions and letting you choose.
The three free samples are the entrance to that. Fix the amp, change only the mic. Once this sense of "change the condition and choose" enters your body, you understand how to use CSL's profiles. The paid pack adds amp-setting differences and position differences here, so the conditions you can choose from increase further.
First, play the three free ones in comparison, without touching the EQ.
In short
CSL's three free samples are an experiment set that fixes the amp and changes only the mic.
So don't touch the EQ; play the three raw, in comparison. The SM57's core, the GT-67's thickness, the blend's middle. Check even its place within a song and the mic that suits you comes into view.
This sense of "change the condition and choose" is how to use CSL's profiles itself. Start with the three free ones.