A few questions from a potential Kemper purchaser.

  • I've been reading up everything Kemper for a time now and really thinking of getting one. I've been thinking minimalist and would like to get my gear down to basics so the Kemper seems perfect to me. If it would just let me have my 65 Vibro Champ, Rockman stuff (that I regret selling) and my Cream Machine and Boogie Mark IV lead sound it would be worth it. Some things I am wondering:


    1 How well does it handle profiling sustaining sources? I realize that you can use like a Santana sound and get in front of your monitors and it will feed back in a controlled way just like an amp but for instance; I used to have this Roland recorder that had guitar sounds in it. There was one patch called 'Country' and it was a clean sound, but it would sustain forever. I used to fake steel guitar parts by playing a double lead with that patch. How does the profiling handle compression and sustain from a source?


    2 I have a Langevin Dual Vocal combo which is my go to recording channel right this minute. If I profile through a mic and then DVC into Kemper I realize I can eq for the profile, but will the limiter also be incorporated into the profile?


    3 I've seen some crazy patches like synths and things, can you profile a synthesizer or is it done with extreme effects?


    It's giving me a ton of ideas. Any light anyone can shed would be excellent!

  • Welcome :)


    1) it will sustain/feedback like the profiled amp (at the same volume and gain level). There is no guitar pickup involved in making the profile, so the profile sounds like the original amp. There is a Compressor effect that can be added to rigs, and there is also an "Amp Compressor" parameter that can be applied in the Amp section of a rig.


    2) the Kemper manual has specific instructions to not have a compressor/limiter in the signal chain when creating a profile.


    3) synths cannot be profiled - you have heard FX sounds.

  • 3) synths cannot be profiled - you have heard FX sounds.

    David, you can Profile processors but not FX, in the strict audio-engineering senses of the words. IOW, time-based FX aren't possible, but dynamic, EQ or distortion-based ones are.


    The reason we can't Profile synths is that they generate sound as opposed to altering throughput, so we can't bung something into one end and map the the engine's imposed changes at the other.


    Welcome, mate!

  • I have been searching and seem to be finding conflicting answers, so I'll ask:


    Let's say I plug my Sennheiser 441 (dynamic mic) into a mic pre, sing into it and eq it to my tastes.


    Then I profile the eq'd mic pre.


    Can I then plug the 441 straight into the XLR input on the Kemper and have the same sound singing through it through the profiled, eq'd patch or rig?


    This wouldn't put any studios out of business but it would be so handy for hotel rooms or small home studio setups!


    I'm thinking Ingolf said he was gonna try it and MHellerOfficial said he had sent vocals via spdif through a mic pre profile with good results but I want to know if the xlr on the Kemper will work with a dynamic vocal mic into a pre-amp profile? Is there enough level and basically, can I plug a mic in and sing and use Kemper eq, compressors and reverb etc.?


    Thanks for any light shed.

  • In theory, that should all be fine, David. There are already a few preamps on the exchange.


    As for the XLR input, I honestly don't know if you can use it in this way. At worst, you may have to use an XLR->TS adapter in order to plug it into the front input, which has a slightly-better spec than the rear (the reamping input, not the XLR one), noise-wise. At best, someone will jump in and say that you can indeed adjust the XLR-in level.

  • Thanks Monkey_Man, I think I've sorted it as apparently the XLR doesn't show up in the input selection so that means no, not possible to do what I was talking about, although I don't think it would be a huge stretch for a firmware upgrade as it exists! I'm super close to pulling the trigger, this would actually just be icing on the cake. I'm sold on the very idea and the accolades I've read and I intend to purchase from a dealer with a return policy just in case.Thing is, I use gear in as strange a way as I possibly can. I have sang through a Rockman x100 clean sound for instance. I'd like to know how all I can use gear before acquiring it. I also have several amps I want to profile and see.


    One more question though, in some vids of the toaster version I've seen, the lights on the buttons are all blinky the whole time. Is this to do with the camera or normal? Just wondering if you can calm that down? :)

  • I'd say it's the sporadic coincidence of the moments of frame capture and the LEDs firing. I think we see the same thing with fluorescent lights, don't we? So no, they definitely don't blink; that'd be a helluva distraction.


    I can relate to your Rockman effort. Back circa 1993 I sang through a Nobels Sound Studio, which was IMHO a sort of spinoff of the Rockman, but with less balls. Red unit of similar shape and size. It topped out at a half-decent overdrive, gain-wise. I sang through it with the gain dialled right back and the chorus (and delay if it had that - I can't remember) engaged. IIRC I recorded at least half a dozen songs that way, but thankfully it was only a Tascam 244 Portastudio job.


    I think your tendency to "use gear in as strange a way as I possibly can" will be well-served by the Kemper. Who knows what you'll think of Profiling? In my case, I'd like to try a cassette deck paused in record mode at various gain settings and the Vintage Harmonics™ module on my Focusrite VM Pro before I sell it. I don't have much lying around electronically speaking, so that'd be about it. I s'pose one could even try a very-long guitar lead (I don't have one of these either) - super-long, or even a bunch of different, long lengths.


    Of course, one could feed the Profiling signal into all manner of devices that sport speakers, such as a clock radio, for instance, and mic them up. The possibilities are virtually-endless, and I suspect you might well have a field day with this thing. Just promise to upload anything interesting you come up with to the Rig Exchange so we can all laugh... I mean, marvel at your efforts, David! :D;)

  • Sure will, sercho.


    They'll likely be my first Profiles, but I'll do my best and post them on the Exchange 'cause I haven't seen anything quite like them.


    The cassette deck isn't crap BTW; it's a Tascam 102 with Dolby B & C, which was aimed at studios in its day, probably for bands' demo references and printing mixes for clients to take home. Probably only had 10 hours' use since I bought it new around '91.


    I say this 'cause I'm hoping the in / out journey, including when the record level is cranked, doesn't just sound like the majority of decks we've all heard over the years. You know the pattern - the signal warms up 'til you hit a certain gain level and then kaboom! - All of a sudden it's nuked and sounds terrible.


    It'll be a while 'til I get 'round to making these, but I'll let the forum know so you'll see the thread if you don't catch 'em on the exchange.


    Anyway, sounds like David might come up with a few interesting things to Profile, so let's hope he's inspired by his Kemper when it arrives and starts experimenting right away. 8o

  • Hey Monkey_Man, just curious, what would you do with the cassette deck profile? :) I've definitely got a great sounding boom box from the early 90s with line in and five band graphic eq that could be interesting, Reel to reels and ADATS are long gone but I still have my Nakamichi cassette deck. I had a Pignose in the 70s, so glad to see that and Rockmans in the rig exchange.


    Interesting discovery concerning singing though a mic pre profile, I went through my odds & ends drawer in my home studio and found this thing that is XLR female Lo-Z balanced to 1/4" male unbalanced. Actually found two of them. I guess it's got a small transformer in there. My worry is that it's a little bit long and heavy plus a mic cable so is the Kemper input jack pretty sturdy? Anyway, it would allow me to experiment with my mic pre theory.


    I'm still sitting on the fence but there are so many things I want to try. I'm also in the mood to get rid of most of my possessions and if I could profile them first, I could still have them!

  • Hey Monkey_Man, just curious, what would you do with the cassette deck profile?

    A lot of folks like to experiment with warming things up. I'm thinking drum machines, for instance. If the higher-gain Profiles sound good, then I imagine they could be used on just about anything too, mixed-in to taste. EDM bass drum comes to mind.


    I've definitely got a great sounding boom box from the early 90s with line in and five band graphic eq that could be interesting

    Yup. Things like that can be used for authentic drop-in-for-a-bar effect instead of the usual iZotope Trash™ or Altiverb-style IR mangling. I'm talking about putting the whole mix through it for a bar or three. One could low-pass it and automate a rise. When the rise is done (full-spectrum sound of the boombox becomes apparent), you'd kick in with the full modern-mix sound. Drum buss or full mix, or even vox.


    I still have my Nakamichi cassette deck.

    Ripper! Do it, man.


    Interesting discovery concerning singing though a mic pre profile, I went through my odds & ends drawer in my home studio and found this thing that is XLR female Lo-Z balanced to 1/4" male unbalanced. Actually found two of them. I guess it's got a small transformer in there. My worry is that it's a little bit long and heavy plus a mic cable so is the Kemper input jack pretty sturdy? Anyway, it would allow me to experiment with my mic pre theory.

    Firstly, I don't think you have to make 'em low-z; the Kemper accepts line input (for reamping) at the rear.


    Secondly, of course the input jack's sturdy; it's German. ;)


    I'm also in the mood to get rid of most of my possessions and if I could profile them first, I could still have them!

    That's the idea, David! 8o

  • Well, after much researching and agonizing, the stars finally aligned last night and so by this weekend, I, too, shall be a Kemperian!


    I have loads of profiling ideas and I will hopefully upload some soon.


    I really hope it convinces me, I was playing my Boog F-50 yesterday and it's like it's alive and almost seems to crescendo when cranked a bit. I truly hope I can capture that.


    And Monkey_Man, I owe you a pint, bro! :)

  • Just make it a Löwenbräu and we'll call it even. :D


    Awesome news, man. You'll have to drag yourself away from auditioning Rigs in order to conduct some of that out-of-left-field experimentation - good luck with that. LOL


    Hopefully you've managed to get enough shut-eye this week to compensate for the inevitable Red-eye Special™ that is the Kemper-newb Experience™.