Using the Kemper with FRFR live

  • It will come down to preference. Everything on the radio or live (unless you are up by the amp) is a mic'd sound which is what you get with the Kemper. If you can get into that and like it then the benefit is you hear exactly what the audience is hearing. That's a big plus. If you like the speaker cab by or behind you then great. You have to go with what you like and just do it. I like the consistency of hearing what the audience hears.

    "More Guitar in the Monitors" :thumbup:

  • For bigger venues, where the KPA is played directly into FOH the sound might be very close to a miced amp, but for a small bar gig, where the direct amp sound is basically what the audience is hearing, b/c there is only FOH for vocals and that's it, I am not sure, if the audience will appreciate the hifi-sound of the KPA as it sounds sometimes fairly harsh and brittle when using mid to hi gain profiles.


    For some reason, I find, that the KPA sounds better with single coils than humbuckers. I have a Strat, Les Paul and PRS Custom. They all sound very different through the KPA. To me the Strat sounds best with most of the profiles. The humbuckers of the other two guitars sound very agressive and the harshness in my opinion even increases, when using these guitars.


    bbb

    It' s only Rock n Roll, but I like it :D:thumbup:<3

  • Many things in music are "trainable".Rythm,technique,using fx,creating a good sound with the right chain of instruments..even things like vibrato & phrasing are trainable(to a degree)..


    I dont know a single reason why getting along with a miced amp through any kind of monitor should not fall into this category..


    As I said.I am a diehard old school tube guy who plays them exclusivly since 1985 and I would never use any tool which does not give me "the feel" I need..


    I can only recommend to "train" yourself and to find a way to use a tool which gives you complete freedom and control in all real liife situations.If this includes getting used to monitors it is just a very small sacrifice.

  • First use of DXR10 at practice last night.
    At home I had dialed in some profiles that sounded good/great in the room, which is of course 1/10th the size of the studio which can host about 100 people in the audience.
    I had started out with the DSP set to FOH which has a low and high boost, but decided to dial in profiles as flat as possible so had turned it off/flat. In that room, the chunky/chuggy bass, palm muted crunchy chords were sounding awesome, and the low end of the piezo really shone through as well.
    Last night I removed the Fender PA from the stage and plopped the DXR10 down in its place. It sounded freakin' great right off the bat. I used it in floor wedge placement position. It's so clear and present, and was heard well everywhere on the stage and in the room from an audience perspective. I didn't even need to raise the volume control on the DXR from the slightly less than -20db that I was using at home. Everybody was amazed at the sound coming from this little speaker! [Blocked Image: http://www.prsforums.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif
    Now... the bass...
    I am guilty of being that grunty, grungy, crunchy, bass thumpy rhythm guy, and after leaving the speaker DSP off all night I think I missed some of that low end growl. Well to be honest, my lead player (Steve) mentioned he missed some of that lower end "Dave" sound. Thing is that for now, I'm happier knowing that what I'm playing is better received out in the audience than I am worried about ruffling my own pant legs on stage.
    That being said, there's more tweaking to do. Next practice will have the DSP switched to FOH for that low end boost. Maybe that will fit better for stage presence. Not sure how far that added kick will project into the audience area. Might need to further tweak a couple of the profiles as well. Nothing like being wireless to test that theory.
    So... in retrospect, considering the MASSIVE change in live rig going from organic 50w tube 3x12 to the Kemper digital profiled domain with powered FRFR speaker, I am duly freakin' impressed! [Blocked Image: http://www.prsforums.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/wub.gif
    The clean and acoustic profiles sound bloody lovely. All of the profiles allow for a better sonic separation between Steve and I. I really like that, and want to further support and grow that. It makes us sound fuller and more interesting as a band live. I can attribute this to the use of amp profiles not available to me previously, and to the presence of the DXR10 in the room. Amazing.
    I bet I can satisfy the minor missing low end grunty bits with some tweaking. Would a DXR12 or 15 work better? Maybe, but I'm hearing that people are having to dial down mids on those. Maybe that's easier than trying to boost lows. We'll see.
    Still a work in progress, but I am feeling like what I've gained from a variety, flexibility, and versatility perspective far outweighs any perceived negative aspect so far.
    And the portability... wow.
    More testing to do.

  • I've been playing and gigging a PRS Custom 50 combo (and a H before that) for a few years. In our studio/practice/gig room I have a 2x12 attached for a 3x12 experience. We are a 4 piece/two guitar cover band.
    I dearly love the visceral grunty/chunky rhythm sounds I get from those amps.
    I have practiced twice now with the Kemper through my old Fender PA and have been struggling to get that earthy sound back, or close to it. That being said, one of our greatest enemies has been to get and keep sonic separation between our two guitars. The Kemper so far has been stellar for this. A trusted friend in the audience was very complimentary about how well we were all heard.
    A couple of days ago I got a Yamaha DXR10 and have been tweaking profiles at home to get ready for next practice, and I'm really liking what I hear. I am totally willing to give up a little pant leg flapping in order to improve the sound the audience hears.
    Wish me luck! :D

    LMAO. "pant leg flapping".


    Gave me a good laugh for the day..... mostly because it is so true :)

  • The "low end" and "chunky feeling" is many times more feel than hear.


    To get the "thump in the chest", you will need a bigger speaker IMO. The DXR15 is no where near has handy a speaker to carry as the DXR10, but it will definitely give you that chunk

  • The "low end" and "chunky feeling" is many times more feel than hear.
    To get the "thump in the chest", you will need a bigger speaker IMO. The DXR15 is no where near has handy a speaker to carry as the DXR10, but it will definitely give you that chunk

    Is that what you're running OneEng1? Or something else, and how do you like it?

  • I am running through FOH direct (DSR112's over PRX618XLF's). The sound is HUGE. I use IEM's on stage and play predominantly rhythm guitar (a few leads).


    When I sit in for other bands with traditional wedge monitors and backline, I use one DSR112. These don't have huge low end, but have incredible mid lows and clarity. They sound quite nice for a guitar sound; however, they don't put out the palm mutes well at all IMO. The full FOH on the other hand can make a palm mute sound like a kick drum hit if I really want it to :)

  • I'm using my KPA on stage from day one (now 4 years).
    The different FRFR solutions I've been using up to now ended in a Yamaha DXR10 as my stage monitor. For me the best result for my stage-feel. Seldomly I use an additional 1x12" cab (with a Celestion Creamback or a G12H30). It's been a long (and still ongoing) process of tweaking my performances to my taste and I often have to use different volume-levels for different stage-situations. Hereby I have to use also a pretty big bunch of Monitor-EQ-settings, because the sounds and my playing-feeling depend much on the volumes you're using (due to Fletcher-Munson-Effect).


    The results for the FoH are still rather wide spread, because we often have to use different pre-installed club-PA's or FoH's.
    Our own PA consists of dB-18"-bassbins combined with RCF-ART710s and delivers the best results, because my Main-Output-preset is optimized for this constellation.
    My presets do not sound so well with Bose- and Opera-systems, but this depends on the sound levels we're using. Again due to Fletcher-Munson.


    Though it is a very long journey (at least for me), I can confirm, that the FRFR-way is the way to go and the feedbacks I get after our numerous performances become more and more positive (Very remarkable for the blues-conservatives we often play for).
    It's a huge ongoing paradigm-change we're just experiencing, which is not comparable to former ones with Line-6-Pods or similar modelers.


    The KPA's potential is enormous, and I'm convinced that it's the begin of a new era. So be patient but keep on struggeling.

  • Nicely put Hurricane!
    Although I'm just starting down this road, I can see/hear/feel the potential, and as much as I feel like I'm sort of cheating with this the results can be and are astonishing.
    Much more work ahead for me, but the benefits seem to far outweigh any issues it would seem. :thumbup: