Profiling - where am I going wrong?

  • My bandmate was using his Ironheart IRT15 through my Marshall 4 x 10 cab with an EQ in the loop and one in front of the amp, and as usual had an amazing sound.


    I took the Direct out to the input on the EQ in front of the amp and then an SM57 was placed by our keyboard player (who is a BBC sound engineer) and back into the return on the Kemper.


    I turned the reverb all the way down on the Ironheart.


    My Kemper was connected to my DXR10 and I started with an AFD100 rig that is quite aggressive. I turned all the stomps and effects off.


    The first thing I couldn't figure out was the return level matching using the soft knob 4....I couldn't match to the sound of my Kemper as the Ironheart was pretty cranked....so I couldn't hear it over the sound from the Marshall cab in the room however much I turned it up or down.


    Should I have just turned the master volume on the Kemper up a lot more?


    Anyhow, I trusted in the words in the manual that this would auto-adjust. I did look for the Input light going red....but looking again, it says the output light is the one that I would have to monitor....I'm a bit confused...perhaps this stage is where I am going wrong?


    Anyhow, I put it through the profiling process. Once finished it sounded like a bass boomy muddy mess....nothing like the Ironheart and lots of fizz. Having refined and then saved the new profile, I could use pure cabinet to get rid of the fizz.....but it just sounds pretty bad....and nothing whatsoever even remotely like the Ironheart.


    Any pointers?


    Thanks,
    Andy

  • It's very difficult to profile when you can't monitor properly. There could be many things wrong, but the process of error checking is almost impossible without being able to hear what you're doing. However, it is probably a case of the return input being overloaded.

  • Hi,


    As I need a reasonable volume from the amp to hit its sweet spot, and I have a single room in which to do the profiling, are there any tips as to how to be able to better hear what is going on?


    Eg am I better to use headphones plugged into the Kemper?


    Do I increase the volume of the DXR10 so that I can more clearly hear what's coming through that?


    I can check the return input by making sure it's not going red this time.


    Thanks,
    Andy

  • I don't have valuable tips in regards to the volume issue -- but this is how close I got profiling my Laney ironheart (both direct; then studio profiles using built in cab emulation here).


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    I don't think the kemper is as good as the real amp; but they are quite close. If profiling is done right, I think you should be able to get similarly precise profiles.


    Or if you like I could do a direct profile of the IRT STUDIO ( it has 3 channels, including the ones in your amp) with your preferred settings and send you.

  • Hi,


    That's very kind. The thing is that the IRT15 probably sounds different? It's also set up with a Boss GE-7 in front of the amp and a 10 band EQ in the loop.


    I could take a picture of the settings on the front of the amp and the EQ settings but not sure if that would be of any use?


    By the way - how do you set things up so that you can hear the sound of the amp being profiled through the Kemper when the amp itself is roaring through the cab?


    Thanks,
    Andy

  • Same stuff for the most part. IRT 15 studio just a more complex rack version. It has a built in load, extra channels, ect, ect. The IRT 15 is basically the lead channel from the studio. The studio has extra clean and crunch channels. It will sure sound different -- tubes, this, EQs and all -- but I will profile if you think you'd find a use for the profile.


    I don't profile with cab in same room, ever. I either use torpedo or internal load of amps to profile at home or use real cabs in studio where I wont get to hear the cab sound. I wouldn't try profiling in the same room as cab.


    Cheers

    Edited once, last by Dimi84 ().

  • But if you must do so... I'd say record a good DI for refining, then run it through kemper during that stage. Or you can still do it manually but you may not hear much.


    What I would do is record the Kemper in A/B mode compared to amp to my daw so that i can compare later to see how close the kemper got. Just run a DI you've made before through both amp and kemper through the A/B mode. Record.


    That's one way to know how close kemper got ;)

  • Hi,


    Thanks - I really appreciate your help. I tried profiling again now, as before - same terrible results. I don't have the facilities you mention to do a DI profile.


    Attached are shots of the amp settings and the EQ pedals (just for interest - GE-7 is in front of the amp, the other one is in the loop).


    I'm sure the guitarist often has the volume much louder!


    Cheers,
    Andy

  • Thanks; I don't have EQ pedals right now with me to include them in the profile. But I will do one of the amp as it is in the photo tonight and send you ;)

  • Nah, I don't share my profiles most of the time. No problem, man, no worries, no big deal.


    PS: What pickups do you use? I will use similar ones.

  • Nah, I don't share my profiles most of the time. No problem, man, no worries, no big deal.


    PS: What pickups do you use? I will use similar ones.

    Hi, it varies, currently using my '95 PRS CE24 that has their own HFS / VB (Ceramic) pickups. I also sometimes use my self build that has a Tone Zone neck and Evolution Bridge in.

  • Hello; I just sent you the profile in private message.


    Cheerios

  • I tried to do some profiling at home with an ISO cab which produce lackluster tones. I think I even put them on the Rig Exchange. *facepalm*
    Then I went to my friends studio, he has some really nice vintage Fenders and old Vox and Supro. We set the Kemper in the control room, put the apms we were profiling in his vocal booth so we could crank them up. I patched the Kemper into his mixer so we could listen thru his Genelec monitors. We got some outstanding profiles even though we were on a time crunch.
    Going back soon because he's sure we can do better now that we've been over it.
    So I do believe that you need to separate the real amp from the Kemper so when you do the part where you A-B and tweak the profile you can hear the difference.
    That is when this little device blows you away.