Kemper owner today

  • You're right of course. But why does it play so much easier if that sweet spot tone is within your reach? Why does it feel so good to have that same sound even if it's not perfect playing? Wasn't that what the KPA promises us; playing on the same amps like the hero's (if you ever find out what those amps were...) leaving the modelers competition behind us?

  • theplayer,
    I think it's promise is to give you these amps as they are heard miced not as from the cabinets that your heroes are playing. I am still a newb here so I have little place to give advice, other than, as someone just entering into this I am well aware that I am not going to get that "In the room" experience of an amp and a cab. If you play out a lot you get used to hearing your rig via monitors and such and this offers you a level of consistency and tone that no miced cab could ever offer as every venue has variables, as mic quality, room size, reflections...etc. Your FoH sound will be always as you want it to be and your sound engineers will adore you for it.


    When recording you have no more micing issues and an endless choice of amps to choose from. The one thing you may still always like better from a real tube amp is that "In the Room" feeling. If this is what you seek, and you do not record or play gigs then this may be what you really need. I will always keep my tube amps as well as my Kemper. I do not see one as replacing the other just that it gives me another great tool to work with.


    From all I have read and gathered from the great folks on this site is if you want to create the closest to that real Tube Amp in the room sound you have to invest in some FRFR speakers. It was never promised to be a head to a guitar cab.


    Cheers :thumbup:

    Edited once, last by Elcap420 ().

  • You're right of course. But why does it play so much easier if that sweet spot tone is within your reach? Why does it feel so good to have that same sound even if it's not perfect playing? Wasn't that what the KPA promises us; playing on the same amps like the hero's (if you ever find out what those amps were...) leaving the modelers competition behind us?


    ...And this brings us back to points 0 and 1: sounds on records are heavily produced (multitracked, harmonic-enhanced, compressed, Eq'ed for the mix...); and, you need the same kind of guitar if you want it to sound like in a certain song. This can't be Kemper's fault! You'd sound different even with the same amp otherwise.


    But there's a point 2 as well: take Van Halen's guitar from his hands (while he's playing, LOL) and play: you won't sound the same.
    Do you have any idea about how many bass players spent their yearly income to sound like Pastorious? No-one could. OTOH, give Pastorius my bass and my amp, and he will sound like himself.


    I'm confident points 0-1-2 are quite valid, and respond to your general question. You should start your sonic quest from there IMO.


    HTH :)

  • OK. I agree! The grass on the the other side is always greener...! But I probably never get there.
    I now have a LINE6 4x12 cab connected and play on a Gibson Les Paul Custom BB. I tried to get a bluesy tone like in Stormy Monday from Allman Brothers Fillmore. But all suitable rigs sound muddy, with less character. Probably due the the cab. I tried another cab: a Marshall 212 VS with Goldback speakers (OK... bad example) : same result: muddy and undefined. I browsed through all 12 Local Cabinet Presets and press every time on the LOAD knob. I hear no differences. I must be doing something wrong here...Also EQ does little! So I have to spend more money on another cab...?

  • It's sounds totally crazy:


    I connected my Boss GT 100 to the input of the KPA (with the LINE6 4x12), picked a simple clean preset on the Boss and what comes out is a clear sound.....This can't be right...though?

  • Just to be... clear, is "a clear sound" something good?


    How do you like the Profiler through headphones?


    Also, go to any audio store and ask to try the best PA they have there. You need to hear a very good linear cab to realize what's going on there.


    As for your previous post, if Cab is defeated from the UI you won't hear the cabs' sound.


    If EQ doesn't work, your output settings are most probably wrong (you're maybe sending out only a direct sound or something along this line).
    How are they set up?

  • By clear I mean, not muddy and dark, woolly, but much brighter, open.


    Good suggestion, earphones! :) I connected a pair of good Sony earphones and now it sounds much better although the rigs I have made sound like crap! (but that's my handicap)


    I can't find the settings to defeat cabinets or put them on.....It's not under CABINET, SYSTEM, RIG ....?
    And possibly output settings may be wrong. Maybe I have to reset everything (factory) and start al over again. ?(


    I tried also to get me a rig from Kempers community site. Download: no problem, Saving: no problem. Copied the file to an USB stick and put it finally into the Kemper. Can't find the file. Am I that dumb...


  • It seems the Line6 doesn't sound good to you :)


    In order to defeat the cab, just keep Cab pressed for a second.


    And read the manuals! :D

    I did that in the first place. It gives me 12 cabinets to choose from (from Browser). But in the screen to the left I can only press the button which brings me to Edit Tags! Where to defeat or choose for cabs?


    I now connected two of my QSC K8 cabinets which I use as a smaller PA. This sounds much better so I guess these are FR-speakers. I connected them stereo ( XLR) main output. But Master Volume is then shut off which only leaves Volume left over. The same when connecting jacks from these outputs to the QSC K8. I know this is for mixer purposes (but it sounds very nice in my studio: stereo)
    (I've read the manual.....)

  • Actually there is no specific purpose, feel free to do whatever works for you :)


    i'm not sure i got the volume issue, if it doesn't work it might have been un-linked in the Output section. And yes, 1/4" and XLRs are just duplicati g the Main out.


    As for the cabs, you can take the cab from every and each profile you have in your unit and use it with any other profile you like.


    Be sure to read the manuals! :)

  • Please re-read the manuals. There are much more than 12 cabs because you can choose 'from rig' which means you can combine any cab with any rig (although this will not represent the original rig anymore).
    Also read again about liking and unlinking different volumes to the volume knob.

  • Please re-read the manuals. There are much more than 12 cabs because you can choose 'from rig' which means you can combine any cab with any rig (although this will not represent the original rig anymore).
    Also read again about linking and unlinking different volumes to the volume knob.

  • Please re-read the manuals. There are much more than 12 cabs because you can choose 'from rig' which means you can combine any cab with any rig (although this will not represent the original rig anymore).
    Also read again about linking and unlinking different volumes to the volume knob.


    Now I can read in stereo.... :)

  • Always smiling...! :)


    Little by little I get a hold of everything....!


    1. The combination of the KPA with my 2 QSC K8 speakers works fine. Pressing CABINET shows a dozen of cabs. But do I need them when I now have external speakers?


    2. I want to try a rig from the Kemper community, so I downloaded one (extension: .kipr) and put it on a USB stick. KPA doesn't show this. Where to find and install that file?