First gig with Kemper tomorrow night...

  • So have had Kemper for a month or so but didnt have any gigs during that time. So I've had enough time to futz with it so that I think I've got it ready to go. The big test will be when I plug it into the PA and get out front to hear it during sound check. I'm using 99% MBritt profiles so hoping they are good to go.


    I've got the main outs turned off from the master volume so I can adjust the monitor level on stage (Powered toaster into wedge) via the master volume and NOT affect the main out level. I'll be curious how my levels are for solos, etc. Excited but nervous at the same time. Taking along my combo amp "just in case".


    I do NOT have a backup of my Kemper profiles/performances yet. (Just realized this as I'm typing this..and its all packed up). So maybe i'll try to get one between Friday and Saturday gigs.


    Any other things people have run into that I may want to think about before a first gig?

  • I would be interested in hearing how it went!


    I'm in the same boat as you. New to Kemper, and planning to use it live. I've set it up in a similar fashion to you, except I'm planning to send the main out to PA and use a real guitar cab on stage.
    I've also set it up such that master volume only affects the stage volume (cab/monitor out). I'm going to use it for small gigs, so people will hear both the cab and sound from PA.


    As for solos, I noticed that even though we have unlinked "main out" from the master volume knob, if you use a volume pedal it WILL still affect main out.
    So I think, for me, it'll work ok. I'm used to thinking of my full volume as solo levels, and then back down on the volume pedal when playing rhythm. That would still affect both PA and cab.


    As for backup plans... I think I'll be bringing along my old rack (or a simplified version of it) for the first few gigs - just in case ;)


    BTW - I'm curious to how you've configured the output levels for main out? I found it to be extremely hot from factory settings. Had to dial it back quite a bit to not clip the inputs of my audio interface. I'm a little nervous if the level will still be good for a PA...

  • the best tip I can give you is to search the forum. There are so many good tips for live tone that I can't combine in a single response.


    The most useful tip of the many out there for me was to not overdo it with a massive amount of profiles.
    I play in a cover band and for my first few gigs I used like 30-40 different profiles. Not just slightly adjusted but totally different profiles. Maybe someone with imense experience can pull this of but for me it was very difficult to hear myself sometimes because of the different cutting through the mix ability of the individual profiles.
    If you got the time check every Song or Performance with the full band before the gig and adjust volume, treble and presence.
    For the beginning maybe use just a few profiles for the whole show.

  • When I play the Kemer at home through my guitar cab (changing the monitor cab function) it sounds very good. The Kemper really can sound just like an amp into a regular cab. But part of the reason I got this was to cut down on stage noise. So thats why I'm using the wedge.
    I do have an expression pedal but only use it for wah. For solo's I have the rig button on the remote programmed to "morph" up 4 db when I hit it. I "want" the volume level to increase to the mains for that becuase...I dont trust sound guys to boost my solo's.
    Re: output levels...I'm at whatever the factory volume setting was for the mains. Good tip on it being hot. The nice thing is the sound man tonight is someone I've worked with alot so I trust him to tell me whats good and bad.

  • the best tip I can give you is to search the forum. There are so many good tips for live tone that I can't combine in a single response.


    The most useful tip of the many out there for me was to not overdo it with a massive amount of profiles.
    I play in a cover band and for my first few gigs I used like 30-40 different profiles. Not just slightly adjusted but totally different profiles. Maybe someone with imense experience can pull this of but for me it was very difficult to hear myself sometimes because of the different cutting through the mix ability of the individual profiles.
    If you got the time check every Song or Performance with the full band before the gig and adjust volume, treble and presence.
    For the beginning maybe use just a few profiles for the whole show.

    Thats a crazy amount of profiles! That would be tough to match all those volumes. I am using 3 performances (15 rig slots) but those 3 performances are made up of mostly the same Mbritt Marshall profiles just tweaked for gain and delay. (plus a couple of "funk" style clean tones). And a bunch of them are just duplicates of the same rig but put on different performances so I dont have to move up/down so much between songs. (We go quickly between songs).


    This site has been a life saver. Honestly I dont know that if I had to rely on the manual I could have done it. I'd have sold it.

  • Good luck - be interested to hear how it goes.


    I got my KPA yesterday and have a gig i two weeks so under a bit of pressure myself! I'm going to get one profile working first and work our from there I think!


    Regards,


    Si

  • Update on the gigs. Overall the gigs went very well. 2 nights at the same place so I worked with the same sound man both nights. Probably easiest to label things as what I liked and what I didnt like:
    Like:
    - Ease of setup. Very easy to set up the kemper. Like the small footprint on stage. I have mine set up where I only have the remote cable going to the front of the stage so that is nice. Overall very easy to set up.
    - Consistency of sound. I have "most" everything based on a few Mbritt profiles. So even while switching between performances I have the same profiles mixed in with different performances. Easy to use....but honestly..not "easier" than my normal setup with an amp.
    - Tone: Had a few guitar playing buddies in the audience both nights. All said the sound was very good. One guy said he thought my tone was the best he's heard it. That is probably the thing that is, at the end of the day, the most important to me. Sound guy said tone was pretty good. He's not a huge fan of these but likes that he has most of the control that he needs. (I boost my sound for lead levels and he tweaks if needed. They needed to come up a bit overall).
    - Stage volume: I had my wedge pointing back at me from teh front so Sound guy loved that and I did too.


    Didnt like:
    - changing performances. We go very fast between songs and I have to actually start changing performances sometimes before the last note has rung out of the last song sometimes. Takes more time than my old setup.
    - Small foot buttons on remote: big feet. Sometimes hard to hit the right button. Probably just takes time to get used to.
    - A few "drop outs" in sound. Not sure if this was the wireless or the Kemper. But occasionally my sound would just stop for a second. I've used this wireless before without that issue so I'm a bit concerned about if its the Kemper or not. I doubt it was noticable to the crowd but it was noticeable to me.
    - Feel not 100% same as an amp. Yes its close. But its not an amp. It doesnt respond quite the same as my amp did. Especially with rolling off the volume, etc. Just a bit of that certain "something" that you like from playing with an amp that is missing. But...worth it overall.


    I had the sound guy take notes of any adjustments I want to make. My clean sounds were too hot. So not a huge deal to adjust those down. I need to boost my leads a bit also. It was nice he was able to take those notes for me. I didnt get a chance to go out and listen at all to sound checks or anything. I wanted to know how the delays sounded but never got a chance. Overall very happy with it and look forward to using it again in 2 weeks.

  • Great stuff.


    Looks like you've ticked most of my boxes with your experience. To be honest I'm prepared to trade off a little of the 'real amp' feel for all of the convenience factors and the fact that hopefully the people who matter out front get a decent sound!


    Regards,


    Simon

  • Yep. The "hassle factor" of bringing a big rig is definitely an issue. And if I can get more consistent sound and bring less gear....its a win. to be honest, there will always be a certain degree of "Rock and Roll coolness" missing though without the big "Marshall" logo behind me. But I think I can deal with it.


    the other thing is that I'm a bit "tweaker" in that I am always trying to tweak different things on my amp and guitars to improve tone. I think however that alot of that is "feel". If some of the feel is gone with this setup...I think that the need to tweak will get less. For example, I have a set of Wizz pickups at home that I had on my last historic Les Paul that I've been wanting to put on this one. (Gibson collectors choice model). But...I almost dont want to go through the work because I dont think I'd notice it when we play. So thats a bit of a bummer. But...at this time...not enough to make me move away from at least multiple more gigs with the Kemper.


    I am a bit concerned about the "dropping out" of the sound though. I may start a new thread asking if anyone else has experienced that.

  • Thanks for sharing the experience. The only really worrying thing for me is the drop-out issue - I really hope that turns out not to be the Kemper!
    Never had any drop-outs with mine so far, but I have only been using it at home with a PC so far, not with the poweramp.


    There is definitely something about the way a set of real tubes gets cooking towards the end of a gig. That extra singing, searing overdrive - magical! That's something I guess we have to expect to loose with the Kemper. But if the overall tone is so much better, and with an easy way to get it in the front as well, then I think it's worth it.


    I don't know about you, but normally I actually have a fairly fixed set of main gear for live usage. I've been gigging many, many years with the same pre-amp and tube power amp. So obviously we grow to really know and love that particular tone. I've found that every single time I make a major change to that setup - it will sound a bit strange (and often "worse" to my critical ears) for the first couple of gigs. Even if it actually is better.... Just habbit. Love to hear what you think after a few more gigs ;)


    Cheers,
    Kasper

  • My 2 cents you said the sound guy is not a fan of these things lol You must remember that most people( being guitar players and sound guys) sometimes listen with there eyes not there ears if you know what I mean. If you hid what you were playing through would there opinion be the same? Years ago I had a buddy hide his gear under a curtain ,the guitar players there had to know what he was using since they all said his tone was amazing....he was using a Peavey rockmaster pre amp ...lol even at most concerts you really don't know what someone is using unless you know the tech guys on a personal level. Just some thoughts


    Cheers