Connecting Kemper to tube amp

  • I have a unpowered head. For this gig they ask me to play the Kemper through the house amp - I think AC15 and they want to mic the amp.


    What is best way to connect the Kemper to a tube amp?


    Can I still run with profile or Is this better to turn off the amp stack and only run with effects?

  • I have a unpowered head. For this gig they ask me to play the Kemper through the house amp - I think AC15 and they want to mic the amp.


    What is best way to connect the Kemper to a tube amp?


    Can I still run with profile or Is this better to turn off the amp stack and only run with effects?

    You need to experiment.
    The AC15 has no loop so you will colour all your profiles going through its whole circuit.
    I predict that profiles that resemble EL84 tones/vox- like tones will sound great though.
    Make sure to switch off the cab.

  • leave the mic where it sits and pull the XLR from it and connect that to the back of the Kemper if they'll let you or maybe just do it anyway? I use to pull the XLR from di boxes on stage all the time. They would try to get me to plug in a 1/4 to the di box for fear of noise or ground loops but I would assure them I had a button for ground loops and that everything would be ok.

  • Good way to get a sound guy to be pissed at you - good luck getting good sound at the venue! :D

    Yeah good point. But... I wonder... would the sound guy be able to tell the difference between the actual ac15 and a profiled version with the same mic? That, would be an interesting test. Of course, there's lots of obvious variables that come into play to make that difficult to pull off. You'd be better off working as a team to run that test

  • Yeah good point. But... I wonder... would the sound guy be able to tell the difference between the actual ac15 and a profiled version with the same mic? That, would be an interesting test. Of course, there's lots of obvious variables that come into play to make that difficult to pull off. You'd be better off working as a team to run that test

    Yeah. Most likely, it's just the sound guy being jaded after too many unruly/annoying/bad/untalented artists with their incessant demands :)


    I think the best way to go about is:


    - Prepare for the possibility of having to run through the vox (or consider simply playing the vox without kemper)
    - Talk to the sound guys, saying "I respect your time and experience and I don't want to cause any undue work - but could we try just for two minutes running the kemper through a line input on your desk? If you're not satisfied, I'll go through your amp as requested, but I'd really like to try the kemper direct first.". Hopefully they'll react well to that. Feel free to throw in the keyboard analogy too.

  • Yeah. Most likely, it's just the sound guy being jaded after too many unruly/annoying/bad/untalented artists with their incessant demands :)
    I think the best way to go about is:


    - Prepare for the possibility of having to run through the vox (or consider simply playing the vox without kemper)
    - Talk to the sound guys, saying "I respect your time and experience and I don't want to cause any undue work - but could we try just for two minutes running the kemper through a line input on your desk? If you're not satisfied, I'll go through your amp as requested, but I'd really like to try the kemper direct first.". Hopefully they'll react well to that. Feel free to throw in the keyboard analogy too.

    I've always made friends with the grumpy sound guys, you may not always get what you want because they are "in a mood" but in the long run it makes for a better relationship. :thumbup:

  • I tried the KPA on my own ac15 (at home)
    Used The mon out with cabs disabled.
    The ac15, at least mine, is very enthoustiastic in producing highs, so i had to compensate quite a bit using the mon out eq....but...got me a pretty decent tone.


    FOH...id use Kemper output, not a mic

  • I'll probably never do this live, but your post made me do some reading and theoretically, I could run my current rig as the left channel via direct out, and set up my Blues Deluxe Reissue (going into the power amp) via Monitor Out with the cabinet off and have a 'monster' stereo rig. If I did do it live, I could still run the Main Out L/R to FOH for stereo to the sound guy. hmmm...

  • I tried the KPA on my own ac15 (at home)
    Used The mon out with cabs disabled.
    The ac15, at least mine, is very enthoustiastic in producing highs, so i had to compensate quite a bit using the mon out eq....but...got me a pretty decent tone.


    FOH...id use Kemper output, not a mic

    This is helpful. To show my lack of understand - to what input of the AC15 do you connect the KPA?


    Also I like this idea of Awesome_Elvis to use AC15 profile and trick the ears of the suond guy. Any recommendations for good AC15 profile??

  • thanks yes. They have recall the settings and dont want to add any new to the channels. But yes i would prefer to connect to the back of KPA

    What about to lay an normal XLR cabel (male/female) from your KPA to the AC15 Mic. So you can try both without changing any rooting!

  • Maybe its an idea to disconnect the mic cable from the mic and put it in the left main out, cab sim on. Use the main out eq to get a good sound on foh if the soundguy wont change the mic settings and use the main out volume control.

  • Just be aware that a mic signal and a line signal are two very different things. You could end up with a very pissed sound guy. Or venue owner for that matter.

    With Vol to -27 to - 35 dB at the main it works very well .
    For safety reason maybe start with lower volume not to frighten the master of mixer. ;)


    Anyway there will be a more flexible sound than with a guitarbox by mic. All Rigs had to adapted if someone is sensitive for his sound.