sharing studio monitors between kemper and computer even if the computer's turned off.

    I'm strictly a bedroom player and over the last few months i've been toying with the idea of replacing my amps with a kemper.


    I've tried searching this forum trying to find this out, but all i could find was this thread but it didn't answer all my questions.


    What i want to do is:

    • replace my computer speakers with studio monitors (something like a pair of yamaha hs5)
    • use an audio interface (e.g. the focusrite scarlett 2i2) to connect the kemper and computer to the studio monitors
    • use the kemper when the computer is off (would the audio interface need to be powered? or can it just bypass it?)
    • use the kemper and computer sound at the same time (i.e. playing guitar along with a backing track or music?)
    • plugin headphones
    • do all the above without changing cables over

    But me being me i have no idea whether this is possible, let alone how to do it.

    Hi there,
    I'm was in exactly the same situation as you.
    I bought a 2i2 and a pair of JBL 305s.
    Pc sound was great, kemper sound was OK.
    After a couple of weeks of tinkering I realised I wasn't getting ping pong delays from the kemper, eg. the sound was mono, but pc out was stereo.
    I went through the kemper settings and everything was setup correctly.
    After a bit of research I discovered that the 2i2 inputs are mono only.
    You can get what I assume is summed mono by opening 2 tracks in a daw and panning them hard left and right. You get panned effects but still not stereo thickness.
    I bit the bullet and bought a 2i4, which has stereo or mono inputs and it's now great.
    But you need your pc on. I reckon you can get a a/b switcher type unit in between the kemper and the focusrite so the signal goes to either focusrite then monitors or straight to the monitors.
    I generally just have the pc on, or use monitor headphones straight from the kemper if I can't be bothered to turn on the pc.
    Hope this helps.
    Feel free to message me if u need any pointers.


    Steve.

    Definitely get at least the 2i4, make sure you have stereo capability and S/PDIF for future. To control my setup the answer was found from @nightlight in the Presonus Montior Station v1 or v2 whichever you prefer. Now I have my FRFR (Yamaha DXR 12), my monitors (BX8's), my Klipsch computer speakers, and AKG headphones all into the Presonus. Can listen to whatever whenever and pretty much however I like.

    I can't speak for the latest AVB interfaces from MOTU, but back in the day whatever CueMix configuration you'd set using the computer (CueMix was the virtual-routing mixer built into all MOTU interfaces), would be retained regardless of whether the computer was on or not.


    This was great as it allowed you to set up complex routing within the unit for all its ins and outs and then use it as a stand-alone mixer / summer / headphone feed etc. Any input could go to any number of or even all outputs.


    So, in your situation, when your computer is off, the interface would continue to feed the Kemper signal to whichever output you usually used. You might want to check out the smaller interfaces from MOTU; it sounds like you won't need any of the big-ass, fancy-schmancy ones. As a bonus, any of the more-recent models is unbeatable for sound quality at the price:


    All 22 Models in the Current Line

    I just use a mixer and go into my sound card from there, this allows me to do everything you wanted. Kemper to mixer, mixer to amp and monitors , mixer to audio interface.
    Computer only is on when it's required.
    Hope this helps,
    Cheers

    If you get a Focusrite 6i6 then that IS a little mixer. Meaning that it's got an external power supply and can route your signal even with the computer turned off.


    You'll need the 6i6 to have S/PDIF anyway. I recently had to upgrade from 2i4 to 6i6 to be able to do re-amping, and I wish I had just bought the 6i6 to begin with since it's not that much more expensive than 2i4.

    I am in the same situation as you are and I'm using a Yamaha AG06 mixer. I've connected to one stereo input the KPA and the PC is connected via USB. To the mixer output I've connected the monitors and the headphones (each one with its own volume). I can play a backtrack from the PC and the mixer has a switch that allows recording of all channels, including the backtrack (loopback).
    The only downside to this is that you're loosing the space parameter for the headphones, them being connected to the mixer and not the KPA (and space only working with the headphones connector of the KPA afaik).


    Remarks:
    1. don't use the guitar input in the mixer for KPA, use an aux input.
    2. you can extend the setup with a mic, connected to the mic input with pream
    3. you have other inputs available too, if you want to connect a keyboard or jam with a friend
    4. the mixer is powered via usb, either from pc or from a usb plug

    True, thanks for the info. But the downside still is that you will hear it in all the connected outputs of the mixer, including the monitors. If you like how it sounds that's no problem, but if you want to turn it off for monitors you will have to do that every time you switch from headphones to monitors (and back).

    thanks for all your help, i really appreciate it. If you can still route audio to the studio monitors with the 6i6 when the computer is off, i think that is probably going to be the simplest solution failing that, i can add a mixer. how do you mix with the 6i6, do i use that mix control software?

    Edited once, last by goodsoup ().

    Quote from Monkey_Man

    Yeah, I'll be doing a similar thing, cenzo - using the TRS main outs to go to an interface and the XLRs to a monitor mixer (little Mackie).


    That's one of the many, many cool things about this beastie - simultaneous signal at the XLR and TRS mains.

    Monkey Man, I don't think the main out jacks are (balanced) TRS. I think it's just TS. Don't know if it is relevant for your application, but always good to know.

    Quote from goodsoup

    thanks for all your help, i really appreciate it. If you can still route audio to the studio monitors with the 6i6 when the computer is off, i think that is probably going to be the simplest solution failing that, i can add a mixer. how do you mix with the 6i6, do i use that mix control software?


    Yes, the 6i6 simply remembers the last routing configuration you set up through the mix control software and works like that even without a usb connection to a computer.
    So obviously much more limited than using a real mixer, but could probably work for your setup ...

    Quote from DaanJM

    Monkey Man, I don't think the main out jacks are (balanced) TRS. I think it's just TS. Don't know if it is relevant for your application, but always good to know.

    Thank you Daan. I use TRS leads regardless so I just think of all my jack connections as TRS. I appreciate your observation for accuracy's sake 'though!


    Doesn't matter in my situation anyway 'cause it'll be a 20"-or-less journey from the Kemper to the interface.