Connecting Kemper to active monitors

  • Sound quality on initial test:


    XLR > S/PDIF


    Both are very good, but just that little bit better for XLR. Could be a tweak here and there to get them equal but I think I'll probably stick to XLR.


    I would expect you to find this for the following (somewhat complex) reasons. I only use SPDIF for reamping where I send it from the Kemper to my DAW and then back to the Kemper for conversion back to analog sound. For regular recording I use the XLR outs to my audio interface. The reason for this is outlined below.


    What you have to think about in all of this is signal chain and conversion between digital data and the analog world we all call the sound we hear.


    In the case of using the Kemper to the DAW with SPDIF you are transferring the Kemper sound directly as Digital data which your DAW then records directly as digital data - later your audio interface (or Kemper in the case of reamping) does the conversion (interpretation) of the digital data into the analog sound you ultimately hear.


    When you take the audio from the Kemper's XLR or TRS type outputs you are taking analog sound from the Kemper and then using your audio interface to turn it into digital data that you then record and then later turn back into analog (sound) when played back again through your audio interface.


    The thing to keep in mind is that the conversion from Digital to Analog (D/A) is not an exact science - there is some (a lot really) audio art to it as well. The reason for this is that digital is not analog and analog is well analog and the interpretation of what is missing between the smooth analog curve and the stepped digital data is subject to interpolation - no matter how many bits or what sample rate - more bits and higher rate always gets closer but is ALWAYS still an interpretation. There are many factors involved in the D/A process that can ultimately change the resultant analog wave forms (interpretation) of the digital sound - again this not an exact one way to get there type of thing - hence the art of the audio conversion process.


    So in the case of the Kemper guitar stack sound we all know and love I personally believe the Kemper has a better D/A process and conversion of its digital sound back to analog than the most (any) audio interface I have heard does.


    Because of all of this I believe taking the Kemper's analog output (XLR or TRS) and then converting back to digital through your audio interface (assuming it's a very good one) will produces a better warmer more authentic sound than taking the direct digital data from the Kemper (SPDIF) and having your audio interface do the conversion back to analog later.


    In the case of D/A's found in most modern high end audio interfaces this difference is not huge but I really think you can hear the difference between them and the D/A's found in our beloved $2,000 Kemper box. If you record SPDIF and then send it back to the Kemper for final conversion to analog (as is the case with reamping) you are using the Kemper for the final D/A step and thus is the best use of SPDIF in my opinion (as a studio guitarist and engineer). Otherwise I use the beautifully lush and very analog sounding output the Kemper has on its own and then capture that with your audio interface A/D's for recording into your DAW.

  • Well, record both and normalize the level... and judge what Don has suggested :)


    Well, I've been recording the same riff at the same level and now I think the edge actually goes to s/pdif. It just has a slight bit more clarity and depth around the edges. I'm tuned down to C# and it sounds just a little heavier in s/pdif.


    My problem now is that I can't get the backing track that flows through the Kemper to register in Reaper with s/pdif!


    Reaper with XLR: can record guitar + backing track
    Reaper with S/PDIF: only guitar creates waveform in Reaper
    Audacity with XLR: guitar and backing track okay
    Audacity with S/PDIF: Nothing.

  • Well, I've been recording the same riff at the same level and now I think the edge actually goes to s/pdif. It just has a slight bit more clarity and depth around the edges.


    Interesting what you say as I think the "extra clarity" is probably what I think is why I like the Kemper D/A a slight bit better and the "warmer/softer" sound I prefer.


    But either way - different D/A's are expected to produce very slightly different audio experiences - otherwise there wouldn't be a range of about $10-$1,000+ for what you *could* spend on one!

  • Interesting what you say as I think the "extra clarity" is probably what I think is why I like the Kemper D/A a slight bit better and the "warmer/softer" sound I prefer.


    But either way - different D/A's are expected to produce very slightly different audio experiences - otherwise there wouldn't be a range of about $10-$1,000+ for what you *could* spend on one!


    And I was just using one rig -- a Mesa Dual Rectifier. Wouldn't surprise me if my ear told me otherwise with a different profile. And truth be told, I really have to sit there and listen hard and replay them to catch (what I perceive to be) a difference.

  • This. Basically, choose the most practical tool :)


    I just did a recording playing along with the live version of Iron Man from 2005 off YouTube, in C# tuning running though Reaper/XLR, and it sounds great. I think even if I finally managed to get the backing track working through Reaper/SPDIF, I still wouldn't be able to discern the minute difference from XLR.

  • I'm having trouble with XLR and Spdif


    its so confoundedly frustrating idk how to record anything in my DAW


    Not sure how much you've done stuff like this, but for me, I relied on YouTube instructional videos for Audacity and Reaper a few months ago. Would have had zero chance otherwise. Surely someone has done one for your DAW -- it's worth sitting through.

  • Some personal experiences with XLR vs. S/PDIF (some of which may be a result of my newbie status):


    -S/PDIF seems to have a beefier bottom end, whereas XLR seems more even from high to low


    -S/PDIF is easier to work with because volume is not an issue -- you can blast away and clipping never occurs, which is convenient; XLR on the other hand has a specific threshold and takes more time and trial and error to get right.


    -S/PDIF cable stays put whereas XLR requires unplugging/plugging from other units every time I want to record


    -XLR, at least for the moment, is easier when it comes to recording the full guitar signal plus backing track. No adjustments to the interface are needed; whereas with S/PDIF, it only detects and sends the guitar signal to DAW. If in fact it's possible to record guitar + backing track via S/PDIF, there is some additional set-up step that needs to be taken and it isn't obvious what that is. A non-issue with XLR.