THE TEAM ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

Augmented analog is a new approach to electronic clipping circuits we developed. We have patented this new technology and called it Analog Morphing Core (AMC). Its goal is to control the nonlinear elements of the clipping stage (traditionally diodes) by changing in real time their threshold. It makes them behave like a new kind of diode. In practice, it allows you to have access to a virtually infinite number of clipping options (symmetric, asymmetric, high headroom, very compressed, etc), in a single analog circuit (it is not a modeling approach at all, the clipping stage remains 100% pure analog).

No. The electronic architecture within the RIDGE is quite different from what you can find in products from other brands. The main difference is that we control the physical behavior of the diodes to generate the different clipping options and sound characteristics we offer. Other brands either operate several circuits with different diodes and simply switch between them when the user selects a different mode, or use digital modeling to emulate different circuits. In any case, it’s always a choice between several “modes”, and never continuous control. This means far less possibilities, as you have the choice between a few clipping options, instead of a virtually infinite number with the RIDGE.

We wanted to make it possible to get all the traditional overdrive sounds we all know and love AND new sounds that were previously unachievable. For example, on some MOOD settings you can get very soft high headroom clipping in the positive and very hard compressed clipping in the negative, and this is simply not achievable with a traditional design. But you also have access to the more common type of clipping options (the various green overdrives and other crowd favourites), with a lot of control over the EQ and overall response. Explore!

The MOOD knob controls the internal Analog Morphing Core (AMC) patented engine. It defines how the analog circuit clips the signal: symmetric, asymmetric, high headroom or compressed, and everything in between. We recommend exploring the entire range of the MOOD knob. We believe every player can find and love multiple settings. In case you get lost, set the Pre/Post tone and Mid knobs at noon, to get an entirely flat EQ section, it will allow you to only hear the character of the clipping circuit in the most transparent settings possible, and then go from there.

No, not at all. The MOOD and drive knobs are entirely independent. Drive goes from low to high drive, it is a fairly standard control found on most pedals. The MOOD knob on the other hand should not be thought of as “reasonable on the left, extreme on the right”, but more as "what kind of voice do I want for my pedal?", before setting the other knobs. For example, if you want a low drive sound, you might at first be tempted to set the MOOD knob in the first left zone and to dial in the drive knob to taste. This will of course provide good results, but we also encourage you to try setting the MOOD knob to the right and back up the drive. You will also get a low drive sound, but with a very different character.

Thanks to Kernom’s exclusive AMC technology, the EQ and drive sections within the RIDGE are entirely independent. This means that with the knobs at noon, the PRE/POST TONE and MID knobs are entirely flat and the RIDGE becomes the most transparent overdrive on the market, with an infinity of clipping options available. If you wish to color your sound, correct something, emphasize a specific aspect or transform the way the pedal reacts with your guitar, you can then explore the three EQ knobs. - The MID knob is fairly standard: you can either push (to the right) or scoop (to the left) the midrange. - The PRE TONE controls the way the pedal reacts to your guitar: to the left, it thickens the sound a bit, to the right it adds some sparkle. - The POST TONE is more traditional, it adds body (left) or clarity (right) to the signal by acting after the clipping circuit. We find that in most overdrive designs, the Tone knob often sounds good in only one spot, so you tend to set it and then not touch it again. The EQ section of the RIDGE is a lot more flexible, and we encourage everyone to explore the different possibilities it offers.

The RIDGE can go up to 30V maximum output voltage from standard 9V, which gives it impressive headroom. Furthermore, because of the way its electronic architecture was designed, the clipping circuit focuses entirely on clipping the signal, without interfering with EQ etc. This means it does its job more efficiently, making it “feel” more dynamic.

30V is the maximum output voltage available in the RIDGE when the volume knob is set at its maximum. Some people like really pushing their amps to get overdrive from them. We wanted to give people that option. But you do not have to: simply roll back the volume knob a bit and you will get a more traditional overdrive with “standard” output voltage.

Yes, of course. The clipping circuit within the RIDGE is entirely analog and therefore the pedal can be used just like you would use any overdrive pedal.

Because the EQ section is so flexible and can be bypassed entirely by leaving the knobs at noon, the RIDGE works extremely well with any kind of guitar, respecting the different characteristics that make them unique.

We tested the pedal extensively in lots of different settings. You can either use it in tandem with a clean or edge of breakup amp to manage the different dirt sounds, or in front of an overdriving amp like you would do with a classic green box, but with tons more options and flexibility.

The RIDGE is an overdrive, not a heavy distortion pedal. Having said that, there is a LOT of gain on tap. When making demos we have to demonstrate a large variety of sounds, and some people like adding only a little bit of grit to their sound, you might have only heard this, but we promise you: it is a LOUD pedal, and has more gain on tap than is reasonable in most playing situations.

Overdrive is the most important effect. Even very “clean” guitar sounds are quite saturated most of the time. Because our technology allows a lot of flexibility and cool sound explorations we thought it only made sense to start from there.

White is iconic and will pop out on stage. It is also the sum of all colors, just like the RIDGE allows you to explore all the clipping options you might need. It will get dirty if you use dirty boots while playing it, but will also be less sensitive to dust. A lot of famous brands have been using white in pedals for decades and they are fine, we think of famous tuners for examples.

The RIDGE is an overdrive, not a heavy distortion pedal. Having said that, if you are into djent, you are probably not using a very clean American style amp, but a higher gain beast. If that is the case you can totally use the RIDGE to make it djent! The RIDGE will push your American style amp harder than most overdrive pedals though, if that is what you are looking for.

This is perfectly fine! We are musicians ourselves and before releasing the RIDGE we had other pedals on our personal boards, and we still love them too.

We wanted to release the most flexible pedal possible. We thought about using the second footswitch as a simple boost. But the current implementation is way more flexible: if you want a boost, simply use the internal preset to save your favorite sound with a little more volume than you usually need. This allows you to get two versions of the same sound, with one louder than the other. The advantage of this layout is that if you do not care about boosts you also have the possibility of dialing in two completely different sounds (clean/dirty for example).

We love tube amps, which is why we are making a pedal that works with them, but we think pedals are fun and a good way to get more things out of amps. In any case, if you hate pedals, you should not probably be reading this ;)

The RIDGE is on the bigger side, but because it is so flexible and gives you the ability to cover a lot of sonic ground, we thought it was worth it to give it a proper size and easy access to the different knobs and footswitches.

You have audio in/out, MIDI in/out (via mini jack) and an expression input.

Of course not! Some people have complex MIDI boards and like tinkering with presets etc, so we thought it was important to have this option available. But you can definitely use the RIDGE as you would any standard overdrive, and still use the internal preset by itself without the need of an external device.

The MIDI connexion on the RIDGE is via TRS mini jack. If your switcher/other MIDI pedals use the traditional 5 pin DIN connector, you will need to get an adaptor, which can be easily found online and will be quite reasonably priced.

Both! Most common is the program change, which is probably what you’ll be using if you use a traditional pedal switcher. But you can also use an external device to control in real time the parameters inside the pedal with CC messages.

You can use any traditional guitar or keyboard expression pedals. It will not work for synths CVs though.

No, it cannot.

Like most other manufacturers, the RIDGE does not come with a power adapter. You can you use your regular power rack or any single power unit that matches the specifications 9V DC - Negative center tip - 250mA min.

The RIDGE runs on a standard guitar pedal power supply - 9V DC (center negative), 250mA (or higher). Inappropriate power supplies may damage the pedal. The RIDGE is protected against power supply inversion.

The RIDGE has a powerful input stage. You can plug any kind of sound device to explore the possibilities of this little monster. You will simply have to change from instrument to line input levels following instructions in the user manual if this is what your instrument uses, but it is 100% possible.

The RIDGE is made in a state-of-the-art French factory with experience in the medical industry to the highest electronic quality standards.

Half of the team is French, the other half is Swiss! We work in Paris, France.

We met working at Devialet on the development and launch of the iconic Phantom speaker. We have a lot of experience designing, building and selling high end audio products. Antoine also has 20 years of experience working as an audio engineer with artists both live and in the studio. We also have built pedals in the past, but mostly for our own personal use.

Yes. The AMC technology and the other innovations inside the RIDGE offer many possibilities and we want to explore them all.

You can contact us to organize a private demo in our Paris studio. Simply shoot us an email at contact@kernom.com. We are doing our best to make the RIDGE available in every guitar store. We already have some dealers and you can check if one is near your location.

Yes, we ship worldwide.

Thank you for your interest! You can contact us at artists@kernom.com. Just send us a bit of information about who you are and what you do and we’ll go from there

Great! Thanks for the content, we are gear nerds and probably already watch it! Just shoot us a mail at contact@kernom.com and we’ll go from there.

We are looking to expand our reselling network. Just shoot us a mail at contact@kernom.com and we’ll go from there.