Doesn't cut through the mix.

    It could be a number of things. Ranging from having a weak IR to simply being swallowed by having every other element, bass especially, too loud in the mids or the sound dude hates you / doesn't know how to mix a kemper.
    Making sure that you have a strong IR to work with if you're not using a real cab. If the cab sim is bad, then cutting through and sounding good ain't happening.
    I call this line 6 spider syndrome. Where it sounds fine at low volumes on its own in your bedroom but, the second its thrown into a mix, it gets buried so deep that it merits a funeral.
    A good cab sim is just as important as the amp.
    Read the last line again
    If you're using a real cab then your EQ is super duper important. Presence


    Guitars are mid range instruments and I know its been mentioned. But, making sure you're cutting through the mids is key.
    This doesn't necessarily mean that the kemper is at fault if you'r getting swallowed.
    It's entirely possible that something else is occupying that space that shouldn't be, so during rehearsal listen for who is taking the mids.
    The other guitar, maybe keys/synths or the bass might be cranking in the mid-range not allowing anything else to live in that sonic area.
    Again, the best way to tell is to listen during practice to see who is playing where on the frequency range. (or check their amp settings) Find the person playing in your frequency range and slap them with a large fish.
    If its a live issue with a live engineer. He probably hates you. Next time bring him snacks. ;)




    Quote from theplayer

    So this means I always have to insert an eq for any rig? I use a graphic eq in a number of rigs: here's one:
    80Hz: 2.9 dB, 160 Hz: 0.6 dB, 320 Hz: -1.5 dB, 640 Hz: -1.6 dB, 1250 Hz: -1.5 dB, 2500 Hz: 1.5 dB, 5000Hz:8.2 dB, 10.000 Hz:6.2 dB. And Low cut: 206 dB, High Cut 33488 Hz. Volume 0
    Maybe this is not right?


    Low cut: everything below 100. Just muds up the mix.
    80 Hz is bass or kick territory. Should never be boosted and should be cut entirely.
    160 Hz is kick drum area. Don't boost, cut down to -6db if needed
    320 Hz is your area, boost, leave alone, or scoop
    640 Hz is your area again, boost if it's not cutting through the mix, cut if too nasal sounding, its up to you
    1250 Hz is the part I generally leave alone. Don't cut more than 1db and boost lightly as well, for this is the threshold of hiss territory.
    2500 Hz is pick attack area aka the prime butter area. Cut to add smoothness. Don't boost, you're in hiss country.
    3.2-4k Hz is literally nails on a chalkboard frequency. Does nothing but nastiness so cut -3 with a wide Q. DO NOT BOOST!
    5k and up is hiss.adds air to clean tones with a LIGHT boost. Under all circumstances, don't boost with distortion. It's just gross.
    High cut 8K-10K for distortion/ 12-20K for cleans


    Again fish to face anyone in your area.

    Quote from Ingolf

    I agree with everything except: "The fletcher munson curve is not an issue at all, as it happens to everything we hear every day, not just our guitar amp. No producer or FOH mixer deals with it. I only hear guitarists talk about it".

    That's why there's a "loudness" button on many stereo amps. We do this ourselves when playing at low levels.


    "The loudness control is simply intended to significantly boost low and high frequencies when listening at low levels so that the ear perceives an overall flatter sound pressure level. In other words, if the loudness contouring control is not enabled at low volume levels, bass and treble appear to be lacking"

    Brilliantly-stated, Ingolf! :thumbup:

    Quote from ckemper

    Guys, you are really complicating things.

    I'm sorry for everyone but I do agree with this. I'm not a tone master unfortunately.


    Quote from ckemper

    Turn up the Power Amp Boost on the last page of the output menu.
    If then cuts through the mix, but too much bass, turn down the bass in the Monitor EQ.
    Consider to switch of that graphic eq in the signal flow.
    If the result does not sound good, then another rig/profile might fit better.

    To me this is more understandable and easy follow.
    Though I don't understand that I have to increase Power amp boost. Does everyone have to do that to get through the mix? My other bandmember plays also a Les Paul but with a 1 speaker ENGL amp. He has no problem getting through..He sounds very balanced like a les Paul supposes to sound. I really wonder if my sound has something to do with my poor and old Marshall 2x12 with Goldback speakers. I wonder if a far better cab with ??? speakers would do magic and can make much eq or other tweaking redundant.

    Quote from theplayer

    I'm sorry for everyone but I do agree with this. I'm not a tone master unfortunately.

    To me this is more understandable and easy follow.Though I don't understand that I have to increase Power amp boost. Does everyone have to do that to get through the mix? My other bandmember plays also a Les Paul but with a 1 speaker ENGL amp. He has no problem getting through..He sounds very balanced like a les Paul supposes to sound. I really wonder if my sound has something to do with my poor and old Marshall 2x12 with Goldback speakers. I wonder if a far better cab with ??? speakers would do magic and can make much eq or other tweaking redundant.

    It's easy. Either turn up the Volume or the Frequencys humans can hear well. So, either more Volume or more mids. Your choice.
    And yes, a different Cab can help. Either because of a more mid focused sound signature or because of more efficient speakers. If your speakers are very inefficient, they might suck power (you need more volume on the amp for the same output from the speaker).

    Quote from Tritium

    Don't sccop your mids.


    Try a mid-boost frowny-face EQ settings, of which this is an example:

    While, yes, this does help, maybe it's not the sound he wants...
    I see this in hundreds of threads on different forums. Yes, boosting mids is ONE way of getting heared. But for some people it's not the sound they want (see dimebag). I also don't tell a Blues player to cut his mids to improve his sound.


    I do agree that you have to "find" your tone while playing at gigging volume. This is key to getting good tone. After that, it's up to taste. Generalizing that only boosted mids are a "proper" guitar tone is simply not true.

    Quote from domsch1988

    While, yes, this does help, maybe it's not the sound he wants...I see this in hundreds of threads on different forums. Yes, boosting mids is ONE way of getting heared. But for some people it's not the sound they want (see dimebag). I also don't tell a Blues player to cut his mids to improve his sound.


    I do agree that you have to "find" your tone while playing at gigging volume. This is key to getting good tone. After that, it's up to taste. Generalizing that only boosted mids are a "proper" guitar tone is simply not true.


    Hello domsch1988,


    I do not disagree. However, I probably also should have prefaced by prior post with the qualification that I was speaking in generalities, but not meaning to "over" generalize. That is to say, if you want your guitar to sing out and not be buried in a mix, as a general rule, refrain from "scooping your mids".


    Obviously, if you are not a lead guitarist, and instead are focused on de-tuned thrash/death metal rhythm, and doing your best to make an electric guitar sound like a mutant bass guitar on crack...well, this advice may not apply. :P;):D

    Quote from theplayer

    My other bandmember plays also a Les Paul but with a 1 speaker ENGL amp. He has no problem getting through..He sounds very balanced like a les Paul supposes to sound. I really wonder if my sound has something to do with my poor and old Marshall 2x12 with Goldback speakers. I wonder if a far better cab with ??? speakers would do magic and can make much eq or other tweaking redundant.

    Properly mixing 2 Les Pauls is a hard task. These guitars eat lots of frequencies and 2 of them eat lots of the same frequencies. the ballsiest wins and the other rages. I'd definitely suggest you and him share some equalization in the 400-1500 Hz area. where one boosts the other cuts and vice versa + @mikhailreeves comments, especially with regards to narrowing the global spectrum

    Quote from pamplemousse

    Properly mixing 2 Les Pauls is a hard task. These guitars eat lots of frequencies and 2 of them eat lots of the same frequencies. the ballsiest wins and the other rages. I'd definitely suggest you and him share some equalization in the 400-1500 Hz area. where one boosts the other cuts and vice versa + @mikhailreeves comments, especially with regards to narrowing the global spectrum

    This is good advice in general when playing with two guitars. KSE is a prime example for this. They made some Tutorial videos where they play seperately and then combined. A classic example of two "not so great" sounds forming a massive wall of sound.

    Quote from theplayer

    I'm sorry for everyone but I do agree with this. I'm not a tone master unfortunately.

    To me this is more understandable and easy follow.Though I don't understand that I have to increase Power amp boost. Does everyone have to do that to get through the mix? My other bandmember plays also a Les Paul but with a 1 speaker ENGL amp. He has no problem getting through..He sounds very balanced like a les Paul supposes to sound. I really wonder if my sound has something to do with my poor and old Marshall 2x12 with Goldback speakers. I wonder if a far better cab with ??? speakers would do magic and can make much eq or other tweaking redundant.

    I don't get it anymore. Didn't you say you were running the Main Outs to FOH? So then turning up a power amp boost will not really make you louder, right? This is just about your "monitoring cab" on stage. Most probably, the FOH sound man will simply ask you to turn down the volume of your cab.
    You really need to play with EQ in a band context. The simple solution of more volume will probably not help you in this case.

    Quote from karlic

    If anyone makes it sound complicated, then that is not right. The louder you play, the more bass and treble seem to be present. A sound at low volume in you bedroom may sound great with a scooped eq, but that will be less likely to work at gig levels.

    Yes, i'm absolutly agree with this explanation.
    Manything are explained with Fletcher and Munson curve.


    But, you have to think that some frequencies have a role.
    Around 160 to 200 Hz, there's the fondamental of your note, it adds some musicality to your sound.
    Around 400 Hz, there's like a whiplash in the sound, it cut the mix.
    Around 800 Hz, there's like a grunt (typical of Marshall Sound).
    Around 2500 Hz you're cutting the mix and too much of this freq make the sound harsh.
    After 3 or 4 Khz it's the harmonics, they reinforce your sound color.
    Around 16 Khz, there's some air side in your sound.


    All this frequencies must be present in your sound.
    You can choise to slighty lower or increase some of them according to your sound or according to the sound of the other members of your band,
    but all of these freq must remain present in your sound.


    Often i have to equalize a bit like this :
    [Blocked Image: http://nsm07.casimages.com/img/2017/04/12//1704120545139350714978496.jpg]

    It's definitely your graphical EQ. I know you want that mid-scooped sound, but it's better to look for a profile that gives you that sound without carving out everything in that space with such a drastic "smiley face" EQ.


    In fact, I'd suggest you do away with the EQ altogether and look for a profile that better fits your sound. If you're using it across profiles, you may also want to reconsider doing that. Sometimes a guitar that sounds good in isolation will not cut through the mix.


    What everyone was talking about when they were referring to Fletcher Munson boils down to this: when crafting sounds in a band context, play at a volume that is similar to what you use on stage. This takes out some of the guess work involved on whether said profile will sound alright at stage volumes. I cannot stress this point enough.

    I'd suggest taking out some low mids if you want that mid scoop tone, somewhere around 300-400Hz. This will thin out the tone but also accentuate the high mids.


    IMHO, having boosted mids in band context may seem like a good idea, but for overall sound you're doing damage to the vocals. Vocals sit in the midrange, you need to leave room for them otherwise your vocalist is constantly struggling to hear him/herself and pushing their voice resulting in a bad sound. If you have a good soundman who knows what they're doing this won't be as much of a problem but in a rehearsal situation it'll be very bad for the vocalist, constantly fighting the guitars for volume.

    I learned this the hard way with my powerhead, did a gig a week after i got it and had everything cranked on stage..amp boost at full, profiles at 4 oclock and monitor volume full but was still utterly lost in mix. I was using a 5150 profile and through the pa it sounded epic, through my cab it was non existant. I had scooped the mids on a profile that was already fairly scooped sounding. The next time i rehersed with the band i used thr same profile and ran a mid heavy eq with the bottom end lowered and i spent most of the rehersal turning down to fit in the mix, not sit on top of it. Less gain, more mids and a cut to the bottom end should end your cutting through issues.

    I have experienced that we often are dependent from many things we cannot always influence.


    I use my kemper powerrack in a high gain environment with my other guitarbuddy playing over an Engl Steve Morse head. The Kemper is used the old fashioned way like a normal head over a diezel 4X12 cab.


    Last weekend I had a gig in a well known venue with excellent sound equipment and learned a few weeks before, that we would use Marshall 1960a cabs. So I spent the last rehearsals playing over my old Marshall 1960a cab adjusting the sound via the main output equalizer and managed to get an excellent full sound fitting very well in the mix.


    The gig was more kind of a festival with 6 bands and only a short linecheck before starting. To say it in a few words, the Marshall cab at the venue sounded completely different than the one I have in my rehearsal place, on stage I sounded rather harsh and hollow, and after the gig some people came to me saying, that we had an excellent sound but that they could barely hear me.


    I guess the soundguy did not krank my line too much, and moreover all the time I spent adjusting during rehearsal was for nothing. Of course I could have fixed this a bit on stage, but honestly, I am nervous before gigs, which sometimes makes my thinking less clear and moreover, time was really little before starting.


    So, this is my last gig's story, sometimes I have very good sound, this time I had less luck....


    I would however state, that the Kemper is always able to provide a sound that pleases me and at the same time cuts through. In my case, it is rather a matter of experience in how to handle the unit.