Profiling questions: One profile or 100 ???

  • If you profile an amp - then there is the question - which amp setting should be profiled?


    Is there something like the 'best setting' or a 'sweet spot' of an amp?


    How many profiles do I need per amp?


    What do you think?

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  • I take profiles of different settings of an amp, using different mics and combinations of mics. So i may come up with 30-40 profiles of one amp. Later on i try to sort out those unusable for me (not to many, as i would not have taken a profile of a setting that does not satisfy me).


    For commercial packs i would expect various settings of each available channel as the sounds dialed in for profiling may be done with a very different guitar as the one i use.

  • It depends on the amp.
    With my Vox AC 30 I have 3 sweet spot settings I would profile.
    With my Marshall 6100 30th anniversary which is a very versatile amp (3 ch + several preset settings per channel) I would need about 10-15.


    It depends on the amp.
    With my Vox AC 30 I have 3 sweet spot settings I would profile.
    With my Marshall 6100 30th anniversary which is a very versatile amp (3 ch + several preset settings per channel) I would need about 10-15.


    I not only agree, but I agree strongly enough to consider it as boilerplate to profile the sweetspots. If you have a pedal that really shine through the amp, add that as a profile as well. Profiling every amp setting isn't worthwhile to wade through, IMO. I an amp is not good at all at clean tones, there's little reason to offer a useless profile. I don't see any real reason to offer a profile which is actually more of a rig, such as turning the KPA gain knoe further right than the profiled amp actually reproduces... I think such should be offered as a RIG but not profile. People can certainly turn the gain knob up themselves.... I have nothing against trying rigs, or purchasing them if so described in a txt file......
    What do I hope for?? Profiles of great amps doing great things is what I am after. Rigs are fine to offer, even fine to sell. Let's not eliminate the best tones an amp can provide in the package.

  • I always have to reduce treble and presence (a lot), virtually on all Rigs. I only play trough monitor out (cab off) into the power amp of a Laney combo guitar amp 2x10. The other guitarist in the band has the same experience. I have tried my Rigs on FRFR and low budget PA and I don't have to reduce high freq. there. So my suggestion is to profile Rig specific for what type of equipment used. Would love to buy Rigs taylor made for my favorite set up. /Hans J Umeå Sweden (Go for gold Tre kronor!!)

  • +1 to above. I would like to add that there's not much point in profiling all kinds of different EQ settings for an amp if it doesn't have much impact on the amp/distortion tone vs. just the frequency response, unless the amp has some special EQ that is difficult to replicate using the KPA EQ.

  • I'm weird I guess. I see profiling as capturing the tone of the amp - for better or for worse. So if the amp has a clean channel that isn't perfect, I still profile it - so I can have the essence of the amp. Most amps with at least a bass mid treble control on the channels will sound good with the bass and treble higher than the mids, and I also like a high gain and low gain with the mids up higher than the bass and treble usually for leads or crunch tones - the mids are really where the amp tone lives, in my opinion.


    I also like having a variety of microphones because then when you're recording or playing - find the amp setting you like, then zero in with the microphone instead of adding or subtracting EQ, or having to add/subtract as much. When I record I do the same thing, I would rather change a microphone or placement than have to EQ much because the more EQ you add the further you're getting away from the core tone and you're adding stuff you may not have to. Simple is usually better.


    If you came over to my house and played through one of the amps I profiled, you should be able to identify it. That's what I'm striving for, not trying to get the ultimate marshall tone or whatever - just the best that my specific amp can do without altering it. If you like one of my profiles, you'll like the amp I profiled.

  • I would like it if profiles purchased had more mic position options , so i could change to the next profile and there would be a slight difference in tone , sort of like im moving the mic myself searching for the tone i want same as if i miked up an amp and move the mic around looking for the tone


    ,


    for example sm57 on axis 1 inch center
    then the the next one 2 inch center



    maybe some 1inch edge that way its the same amp same settings just moving the mic I would pay more for a pck that has that because i think the mic position has more impact on tone than most things


    gives more options to adjust the tone for the song without messing with eq and the core profile .

  • IMHO, 3 is enough (if amp have only one channel , if there are 4 channels, make it 3X4 =12)
    When profiling , you plug your guitar (which best suits the named amp) and tweak it to best clean, crunch and lead sound you can make it of it .


    Then, when guys download those 3 profiles from exchange or buy it, they have only to find out how those profiles match with their guitar(s) .
    There is only 2 honest answers : Yes or No.
    So delete it, or save in favourites, end of story .
    If particular user's guitar doesn't match any of those 3 profiles, believe me , it will not match another 97 profiles you may create ., to make it sum of 100 profiles out of one poor amp/cab .
    Now, if answer was YES, with tweaking and playing mostly with gain as a main parameter , making crunch out of clean and clean out of high gain- user can make another 33 rigs if want so.
    You can go even further , and make only one profile-remember Morgan AC 20???
    I have 20 Morgan AC 20 rigs now... :thumbup:
    Just my 2c, 8)

    1988 Branko Radulovic Hand Made Strat in Macedonia (SFRJ)

    2006 Steve Vai vwh moded with SS frets and Sustainac 2006 (Japan)

    2008 Fender YJM , moded (USA)

    2010 Tom Andersons Drop Top 2010 (made in California)

    2017 Charvel GG sig Caramelised Ash (USA)

    2022 Gibson ES 335 2011 Custom Shop Cherry of course ( Memphis)

    Edited 2 times, last by Rescator ().

  • Yes, if I create profiles of my amp - and know what guitar I'll use then 3 profiles are fine.


    Another why would be to create these 3 profiles for some common guitars (Strat, Tele, LesPauls) ..


    When I profile an amp I try to capture all possible settings (channels, gain, swtiches) so I can adjust my profiles for EACH guitar.



    Yes, I agree it's not possible to profile ALL possible tone settings - and not necessary in most cases because the KPA has many EQ settings.

    (All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with soundside.de)


    Great Profiles --> soundside.de


  • true the eq does alot but I dont think Eq can simulate moving the mic very easily , because its more like surgical eq cuts dips and peaks when you move a mic . So mic positioning still is number one imo
    and less is better with eq ,most producers and engineers go for moving the mic first when they want more highs / lows etc from what ive read , and after that any eq changes are minor


    but either way thanks for all your hard work capturing the tones

  • Very good thread, indeeed.
    Like a humble guitar/amp lover,& player, not sound eng. or something alike, I am asking you to imagine there is no Kemper for a moment.
    Just talk about real guitars and real amps .
    You can move your mic up and down , left and right, close and far, but if THAT guitar doesn't match THAT amp, you will ask guitar artist to match his guitar to another amp or vice versa.
    The core of Kemper philosophy, if I understand it very well ,is not to model, but to deliver to your guitar the real recorded sound of that amp ,i.e. the recorded amp soul (frequency, response, whatever that terms in sound eng, point of view might be...) .The real amp sound , as you hear when you play it next to you still stays with the real amp . We are talking about guitar>amp>mic>PA sound when we talk about real set up.
    If there is no match between guitar and real amp- it will be no match between guitar and Kemper profile of that particular amp , even you use all 8 stomp positions for 8 EQ's.
    So when we put KPA in equation we have guitar>KPA (copy of guitar >real amp>mic>cabinet) >PA or cab or PC speaker or headphones .
    In both cases you have that connection: GUITAR>AMP as a main generator of sound. . If that connection doesn't match in real life, it will not match with the KPA as well.


    This is the BIGGEST STRENGTH of Kemper , not weakness !!!
    That;s why lots of people each day switch from axe to KPA, simple as is.


    But OK, just my humble opinion after 2 years of use KPA as a poor guitarist, with limited knowledge about sound engineering , but with more than 40 years of messing around with different amps and guitars, some of them with historical value. 8o :thumbup:
    In other words , I do not know to make a wine, but I can tell you if its worth $2.000 per bottle or not :thumbup:
    KPA is worth that price,

    Cheers,
    Zoran

    1988 Branko Radulovic Hand Made Strat in Macedonia (SFRJ)

    2006 Steve Vai vwh moded with SS frets and Sustainac 2006 (Japan)

    2008 Fender YJM , moded (USA)

    2010 Tom Andersons Drop Top 2010 (made in California)

    2017 Charvel GG sig Caramelised Ash (USA)

    2022 Gibson ES 335 2011 Custom Shop Cherry of course ( Memphis)

    Edited 7 times, last by Rescator ().

  • What i would like to have ,for example ,for some 2 channel amp (clean ch +gain ch) is:
    - clean ch: dialed to be as clean as possible , dialed (cranked,pushed..) to to produce some crunch from preamp tubes with power tubes compression
    -gain ch: 3 gain (low,mid,high) sweet spots,with "appropriate" power amp tube sweet spots.


    Of course, i know not all amps have the same construction (more channels,mods...etc.), but that would be my "go to" profiling "template".


    I would definitely like to have profiles with different mike positions (and different cabs), maybe 2 positions(on cloth,2-3 inch) for cap,cap edge,off-axis,cone,cone edge and 1 position 2-3m away from cab.
    It would be MUCH easier for me predict what sound would I get if I chose certain mice+cab combination, and therefore,much quicker to dial in the sound I'm after.

    I would probably left amp EQ in "neutral" 12 o'clock position, since we already have lots of various types of EQs available in the Kemper amp.


    Just thinking out loud, cheers.

    Kemper non powered amp
    FCB1010+UNO 4 Kemper chip
    Fender AM Standard Strat
    Gibson Les Paul Studio