DI Box

  • I know nothing about DI boxes and making profiles with them...But I have a few questions


    I don't own a studio nor want to pay for studio time. I have one SM57 mic....When making studio profiles, mic placement and the room your in make a big difference - plus I don't have a sound proof room to put my amp in to record it. Nor do I have ribbon mics or condenser mics to make profiles with two mics nor do I have a mixer....


    Does creating profiles with a DI box take all that stuff I mentioned above out of the equation and give the novice user the ability to make standard profiles that would sound the same as a professional making their profiles with a DI box? Or is there technique, nuance, and skill involved in making profiles even with DI box?

  • Patients someone will help, I'm following this because I have the same question! It seems that it would, a DI box would eliminate your speakers/cab from the profile so you wouldn't mic up your cab (if I'm understanding it right)

  • If you create a direct profile using the Kemper DI method it's "tapping" into the signal before the speaker, so there's no cab. Great if you're going to run the profile into a guitar cab to add the speaker impulse response, but not straight into a PA or FRFR speakers.

  • I tried to make studio profiles, with varying degrees of success but nowhere near the quality of some of the bigger names out there. So I then tried some direct profiles using a DI box. Right away I had great success and like the amps I have profiled.


    If you want to make a merged profiled with your own cabinet, then you still need to know how to mic properly and have a good studio environment to do so. You are pretty much creating a studio profile (just the head and cab separate).


    You can do what I did and go buy some IR cabs ( Own Hammer, Celestion, just to name a couple). Then use cab maker to get them into Kemper format and load them into your Kemper. You know can make merged profiles or use the profile with a real guitar cab.


    Take note to check out the suitable DI boxes for making profiles, as many do not work or give you poor results.


    If you can dial in a good sound on your amp, you should be able to make some good profiles.

  • If you create a direct profile using the Kemper DI method it's "tapping" into the signal before the speaker, so there's no cab. Great if you're going to run the profile into a guitar cab to add the speaker impulse response, but not straight into a PA or FRFR speakers.

    Not entirely true. You can create merged profiles with your cabs and then either use it with FRFR and FOH or into a guitar cab with cab turned off for monitor out and merged profile out to FOH on main outs ( full FRFR).

  • You can still use with PA or FRFR, but you'll have to add a cab from the Kemper. Not really a problem.


    As to your question, it does take all of those variables out of the equation. Its pretty fool proof, but you can get quality profiles with "just" a 57. I slap one in the middle of the speaker, against the grill cloth and move until I get the most hiss on my monitors. That way I have all of the highs I will need and can cut them as needed.

  • Not entirely true. You can create merged profiles with your cabs and then either use it with FRFR and FOH or into a guitar cab with cab turned off for monitor out and merged profile out to FOH on main outs ( full FRFR).

    Thanks - I thought he was just talking about direct profiles without creating studio profiles.

  • Profiling with a DI and merge with a Kemper cab sim seems pretty doable for most people :)


    How do you hook up the DI? I'd say from the speaker out of the amp to the DI and then to Kemper. But... does a speaker need to be attached for the power amp?
    Does the DI have to be set to 0db, -20db, -40db?

    EBMM Luke Black Sparkle | EBMM Luke Luke Blue | Gibson Les Paul Standard 2008 | Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster

  • There are these wonderful things that the kind folks at Kemper GmbH have developed for us.


    These wonderful things are called User Manuals.


    Regrettably, it may actually require a bit of effort on one's part...the metaphorical equivalent of lifting a pinky finger, by spending a few minutes to read the salient section of the menu.


    In this particular case, it would be the manual entitled "Profiling Guide", which can be downloaded in .pdf format, for the quite reasonable sum of ABSOLUTELY FREE, from this link:


    Link to download KPA Profiling Guide


    The section you will want to read, begins on page 18, under the heading "How to Profile an Amp without a Cabinet [Direct Amp Profiles]"


    There are even handy diagrams, to explain the signal flow/path and connections, such as this:




    Cheers,
    John

  • Ha thx man! Pulled the trigger just yesterday and 'm reading a lot (on this forum, tutorials on youtube and also started to read te manual) the past week. It's a lot but I'll get there :)

    EBMM Luke Black Sparkle | EBMM Luke Luke Blue | Gibson Les Paul Standard 2008 | Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster

  • You can still use with PA or FRFR, but you'll have to add a cab from the Kemper. Not really a problem.


    As to your question, it does take all of those variables out of the equation. Its pretty fool proof, but you can get quality profiles with "just" a 57. I slap one in the middle of the speaker, against the grill cloth and move until I get the most hiss on my monitors. That way I have all of the highs I will need and can cut them as needed.

    Mule Train- what type of environment are you making your profiles in with the sm57? Do you have a separate room for your amp? Do you have any youtube videos of you profiling?