First thing you recommend doing with a brand new Kemper?

    I'm getting a new un-powered Kemper rack and controller delivered this weekend. Beyond excited to finally hear what this thing can do. I have a 30-day return policy with it, so I'm not really at risk here. But I really DO want to like this unit, and I've only got a few weeks of trial time to be convinced. I know there is a learning curve to these types of units. So I want to get a head start and get this thing sounding great as soon as possible.


    I know that I should do the following:

    • Make sure it's running the most current firmware
    • Download only high quality profiles (I'm guessing the Amp Factory, Tim Owens and Michael Britt are the best places to start, yes?)

    So with that said, are there any tips in terms of settings that I should adjust as soon as I get it? I know this will depend on the setup I use with it. I'm considering two options. The first is running the Kemper into a FRFR monitor like a Yamaha DXR-10 or Friedman ASM-12? If that doesn't sound "life-like" enough for me, then I'll try plan B which would be running it through a power amp and into my Mesa cabs. I know with that option, I'll lose a lot of the versatility of the Kemper as it'll result in all the profiles being colored by the Mesa cab.


    I know if I'm using a guitar cab, I should turn the speaker cab sims off on all the profiles. But are there any other settings that I should definitely change as soon as I get it?


    Thanks for the tips!

    Make sure to adjust the Clean Sensitivity and Distortion Sensitivity parameters found in the Input Section of the Kemper. These settings are very important since they affect the tone of the profiles. Each guitar you use will need its own settings, which you can save as presets. After doing this, go to the Output section of the Kemper and enable Pure Cabinet. This works great when connecting the Kemper to an FRFR monitor as it gives you the "amp in the room" sound. Adjust this parameter to taste.


    Watch these tutorial videos, if you haven't. They are very helpful in getting you started:


    https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCGGZ01rd9e82wTUK406XVaw

    Yes, those guys you mentioned make the best profiles, but they also have some available for free in the Download section of the Kemper website. That way you get a taste of what each of those profile creators sound like and then you can decide to buy from there. Keep in mind that you can download tons of free profiles from the Rig Exchange, which I recommend you download this software.


    Good luck!

    Edited once, last by Jose7822 ().

    Clean and distortion sense has already been mentioned. It is about gain-staging, and this is important throughout your signal chain. Adjusting the inputs are important to make the preamp simulation work as expected. Equally important however is the output. In particular; you need to drop the main output level by about 25dB as soon as you intend to plug the balanced (XLR) main-outputs into a mixing console, audio recording interface or anything else with a mic-preamp to avoid nasty clipping of the signal. I do most of my monitoring via the monitor output so I have the main outs at -25dB all the time as they hardly ever connect to anything else than a mixer or recording interface.


    Do not count out the rig-exchange as a source of profiles. It takes a lot of time to find the good ones that suit your style, but it is well worth it. Install the rig-manager on a PC or mac. It makes it much faster and easier to audition lots of rigs and to transfer the good ones to your profiler.

    My advice after (the already covered) clean sense and Pure Cab tweaks would be to jam along to some really good quality youtube or whatever backing tracks.


    At first I found sound through a DXR10 or studio monitors a bit weird when it was just my guitar, and wasn't sure I liked it (had only ever used a real amp/cab before the Kemper so it was not what I was used to hearing), then I started jamming along to some good quality band backing tracks. This is what convinced me that the Kemper really does sound like a pro mic'd cab with all the trimmings. It just becomes part of the track and sounds glorious. Was a real eye opener for me.


    Have a fun weekend with your new 1000 amps :)

    Best thing to do is set aside a few days, tell someone you haven't gone missing and play the snot out of it.


    Definitely get rig manager, go thru a bunch. even tool around with "poor' profiles, such as badly miced etc, vs ones you don't like.


    Kpa is garbage in, garbage out, so it's important to get a sense what the culprit is if you don't like something.


    Seems like you have the basics covered, also there are no real rules, so experiment, even if sounds get coloured, you might like that too.


    If you can profile your amp/cab, or try ones you are familiar with, which will give you a better way to compare lifelike.


    Have a blast :)

    Quote from Raoul23

    Sleep lots before it arrives ;)


    ^This!!!
    and let these guys know what your plugging into the KPA including pups and what Genre you like. I'm sure you'll get some tips on which profiles to sample first. I know your psyched!! We been there and for a lot of us, we're still there with the KPA!

    This thread is going to be extremely helpful. I'm really looking forward to getting this and REALLY hoping it does everything as advertised.


    Right now, I only use 1 guitar (Charvel Guthrie Govan signature model). So I don't have to worry about different settings for different guitars. As far as what I'll be plugging in to, I haven't decided yet. For my initial tests, it'll probably be either a Friedman ASM-12 or a Yamaha DXR-10. I just have such extreme doubts that a plastic molded box like a Yamaha PA speaker will be able to produce a full the full tone I'm looking for.

    Quote from greenblob

    My advice after (the already covered) clean sense and Pure Cab tweaks would be to jam along to some really good quality youtube or whatever backing tracks.


    This is great advice. A lot of the good, commercial profilers have recording experience and know what sounds good in a mix. There have been several profiles that were disappointing when I first tried them out but sounded amazing with the band.

    Quote from Jose7822

    Make sure to adjust the Clean Sensitivity and Distortion Sensitivity parameters found in the Input Section of the Kemper. These settings are very important since they affect the tone of the profiles. Each guitar you use will need its own settings, which you can save as presets.


    This is actually a good moment to enlighten a myth about Clean Sens and Distorted Sens


    - It is not strictly necessary to adjust Clean Sens.
    - Clean Sens is made to balance clean sounds versus distorted sounds. This is for your convenience, not a must.
    - Adjusting Clean Sens does not change the tone at all, just the volume of clean sounds. Check it out!
    - Clean Sens also controls the volume of the digital input signal, reflected by the Input LED.
    - It is no problem if the LED goes red on the pick attacks.
    - Due to a very effective soft clipping algorithm in the input section, it is very hard to produce audible clipping even with a very hot guitar. Check it out with a clean amp!


    - It is not necessary and not even recommended (!) to offset Distorted Sense away from the middle position if you don't have a special purpose.


    - It is not necessary to have input presets for individual guitars. If you feel a certain Clean Sens value does cover your guitars well, then you are setup well!


    Please advice if you have more questions concerning initial setup.

    For me, personally, I found that I had to adjust the Distortion Sensitivity on at least two of my guitars. Otherwise, I wouldn't get the same gain level (perhaps tone was not the right choice of word in this case) using the same profile on these guitars. As far as Clean Sensitivity goes, it is perhaps not a necessity, but it is definitely convenient to set this to your liking since it does help balance the level between cleans and dirty tones.


    As you (Mr. Kemper) rightly say, these settings are more of a convenience rather than a nessecity. We don't have them when plugging into a real amp anyway. They do make things easier though, and I'm glad you have included them in the Profiler. Thank you!


    I hope this clears what I was trying to convey :-).

    I agree with Ingolf. Thank you so much, Christoph, for sharing that.


    It's funny, but I'd become ever-more confused by the posts about Clean Sens until now. Even the occasional info supplied by the Kemper Team™, and I think CK himself, served to further mystify me.


    If CK's post is correct, which let's face it we have to assume is the case(!), I think it has the potential to simplify and clarify the function for so very many of us that Ingolf's request makes perfect sense.


    ckemper: On November 2, 2013 you posted this (thread Overdrive Stomps RIDICULOUSLY LOUD = unusable) :


    "Let me clearly state that if the clean sense is set right, then activating a distortion pedal does not cause a surprising volume jump.
    With analog equipment this is handled by the stomps volume.
    On th Profiler this is not necessary, once the clean sense is set.
    The stomp volume is still available for a dedicated solo boost etc.
    The Profiler is designed to produce a unity volume across various situations, when clean sense is set right and the other bipolar volumes are set to their middle position. Depending in the situation, and because situations and guitars are individual, levels might need 2 or 3 dB of adjustment.


    The gain into the stomps are also like on the original, I have tested this quite some times.


    If somebody has still problems of this kind, please post here. "


    This sounds as if it is absolutely necessary to adjust clean set "right". Has anything changed since that post?


    No, nothing has changed.
    Let me put both posts into the same picture:


    For your convenience, and to benefit from the unity gain principle the Profiler offers you, we advice to set the Clean Sense as described.
    Conventional distortion pedals need the individual tweak of the volume control, to achieve the same result.


    On the other hand it is not *necessary* to do these tweaks "with a brand new Kemper", to ensure that it will produce the optimum tone. (This was the OPs question and the answer that I have replied.


    I make a distinction between tone and volume here. A rig can sound right, but still have an undesired volume compared to other rigs. The same would happen in the analog world.
    The Clean Sens control can balance different levels just with a single adjustment.

    I would recommend getting profiles of amps u love in real life.


    For the last week I was regretting selling my Rockerverb MKIII for the Kemper. That was until yesterday when I stopped using Mesa Dual Received profiles and actually started using an Orange (with Maxon 808) Profile. Glorious. Sounds pretty much just like the MKIII driven by the 808 which I loved and surprisingly feels the same. The MKIII just feels soft on the hands and ears.


    I have never played a Dual Rec to be honest and while I liked the sound the feeling felt hard and lifeless. Maybe that's how dual recs are.

    Hi OhG,
    Firstly, welcome to Kemperland!
    Secondly, if you have not done so already, may I suggest reading the manual as this will be of value in the long run.
    Thirdly, ensure you have enough food in for the next few days, nothing requiring any cooking. Multipack of water bottles/beverages of your choice.
    Phone off, send the neighbours on a
    cruise, power up, plug in and enjoy the unbelievable quality and diversity of sonic joy that is the KPA!
    Oh yes and have the manual out while you play!
    Kind regards
    Pre-Amp