EQ Settings For Guitar Cab

    I've been using my powered KPA through my Zilla 2x12 V30 closed back cab for a few months now and I have all the appropriate things turned off like the cab soft button, pure cab etc. However sometimes it's hard to really dial OUT those non cab frequencies (the high end). I've experimented with post graphic EQs and setting the limit for the high frequencies to about 5kHz but it's still not the same - I also usually have the presence down 2-3db on global and the performance slots. Are there any other go-to settings that anyone has that I can try out?


    By the way I'm talking about all kinds of tones - chunky metal distortions full of mids right down to beautiful cleans!


    Cheers
    Mike

    I'm not sure I understand you right. Those 'non cab frequencies' as you call them wouldn't be present in your cab.
    If they are I see 2 options:
    1. You seem to not like the way your cab colours a certain profile.
    2. Or you seem not to like how a certain profile sounds through your cab (which is at least 50% of your sonic experience).
    Before EQing anything, find out if the culprit is 1 or 2.
    Have you monitored yourself through decent neutral monitors?

    I have monitored myself through good FRFR speakers yeah. It's just the typical case of sounding good on FRFR but not so good with the cab. You maybe right with the profiles - some of my performances with different variations of gain sound good but some don't. Will have to find the 'one'!

    I was using my Powerhead through a 2x12 with V30s and I had the same issues. I did set the monitor out EQ to adjust the sound to suit the cab but some patches just sounded odd through the cab but great through a PA.


    My fix was to try to stick to amps profiled with a similar cab to mine. Those offending artefacts seemed to fade then. The cure was going FRFR but that's another matter!

    Agreed with Ingolf, it seems a matter of (un)matching.


    Try with Cab on and experiment with some amount of Pure Cab, it can't hurt.
    I have personally experienced guitar cabs that sounded much better with Cab on IMO.


    HTH

    I have sort of stuck with V30 like speakers/cabs but surely with 3.0 it shouldn't matter as much (all my profiles I use are 3.0 and merged)? I have also tested with 'Cab' on but it's clearer with it off, might try pure cab though! And if I'm honest my problem lies with high gain and bell like clean tones (I'm good for crunch and light gain), anyone have some high gain and clean profiles in mind that I could try out?

    A - Great Profiles* + Kemper + Class D Amp + Cab On + Pure Cab Setting on 8 + CLR => great

    B - Great Profiles* + Kemper + Class D Amp + Cab ON + Pure Cab Setting on 4 + Real 2 x 12 Cab => also great


    Difference ?


    B just needed a bit of hi / hi-mid EQ boosting .... thats it


    Ive used both ways live many times and whilst there are some minor tonal differences between each option, they are very small / subtle ...... and remember we are only talking about different frequency emphasis with each option .... not good vs bad frequencies ....... and quite frankly and to be %100 straight up ...... half way through the 2nd song at each show, with each option ...... I thought the option I was running that night sounded better than the other option ..... until I used the alternate option the next time !!!


    My Point


    I *know* Cab On in to a real cab *should* sound worse .... and on paper it definelty should not work ............. but trust your ears and not forum advice .... which is exactly what this is :) ....... Cab ON in to a real guitar Cab with very minor EQ'ing is every bit as good and satisfying as Cab ON in to a FRFR


    And remeber the one thing that no FRFR manufacturer will ever tell you ..... and this is CRITICAL ..... there is no FRFR standard ..... CLR / Friedman / Matrix / Gemini .... all sound very different to each other ... its an endless search with an UN-atainable destination ..... next time you are in a recording studio, go in and listen to a piece of any music or any audio and switch between all the differnet sets of studio-monitors ....... none of them sound even remotley the same.


    FRFR is a concept - even *if* you could build a " flat speaker" ... and that a whole 'nother debate .... the very second you place that speaker in to any enclosure, the whole thing changes ....


    FRFR may be great - may be not-so-great .... but it is not an objective, provable universal end-point truth


    Your Kemper + amp + speaker either sounds right to your ears ... or it doesnt.


    End of story :)


    All the best,
    Ben


    * - I only use MBritt profiles

    Any guitar cab will sound vastly differently with Cab on (much more than how different two linear cabs can sound), so it's definitely a matter of experimenting. For some (guitar) cabs, Cab on brings a definitive deterioration to sound. For others, the tone is better (than with Cab off).


    As for designing a so called "FRFR" cab, the strategy would not certainly be to put a flat speaker into a cabinet and hope for the best... You need at least two transducers to start with, and they (and the relative crossover) are chosen or designed to fit a particular cabinet design, which is part of the sought tone since the beginning.


    But the matter about a linear cab is that no cab can be flat (+/- 0 dB) from 20 to 20k Hz, but it can be flat in relation to human ability to perceive non-linearities. This is the whole point of a great project.


    :)

    @benifin I'm sure that I prefer cab off into a real cab by my own recognition but I'll definitely try cab with pure cab! Also I wouldn't really go FRFR any time soon as we often borrow cabs for gigs and that would mean always lugging an extra speaker around.


    @mattt67 - I like it with my blackstar ht5 but not my old Laney IRT60 (sold). I also don't really have an amp after I bought the Kemper, didn't see the need (oops)!

    I have sort of found an answer: a flat Graphic EQ in post stomps with Low Cut at 87.0 Hz and High Cut at 45550.2 Hz (or there about) then with my monitor eq (for cab at least) at Bass -1.1, Middle +0.4, Treble -0.6 and Presence at -2.3. It's taken out all the weird/not good sounding frequencies.


    I hope this helps whoever stumbles across this!