High Gain Profiles sound very weak

  • Hey guys,


    As the title says, Im unhappy with my Kemper high gain sounds and desperately try to fix this issue.
    Im reading this forum since a few weeks but couldnt find any solutions that fits to me, so I just decided to make this post.
    So I just tried out a lot of things like changing settings and testing many free profiles.
    I even purchased some Top Jimi High Gain Sounds recently but my results are far away from what Ive heard in that preview.
    To describe my high gain sounds shortly: They are pretty weak, sound far away, kinda lifeless and powerless.


    So my signal chain looks like this:
    Guitar (ESP LTD MH401 with EMG81+85) --> Kemper -(SPDIF)-> Audio Interface (Focusrite Scarlett 6i6) -(USB)-> Yamaha HS8 boxes / Computer : DAW : Cubase


    Some things to add:
    - There is no huge difference in using headphones in the headphone jack of the kemper or going through the end of the chain
    - Cab Mode is On
    - SPDIF Volume is on 0db (which is maximum)
    - Input / Output dont clip
    - Space -> HeadphOnly checkbox is not actiavted, so I get that space through the other outputs too


    What am I doing wrong? Thanks for helping! ;)


    Greetings,
    Boshi

  • Hi -- difficult to offer advice as based on the description. Can you provide a recording? Sinmix does good profiled for modern metal. Also pickups matter.

  • Hey,


    Thanks for answering so fast, I made a short recording to get you an idea of my issue:


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    I just recorded 1 guitar track and panned it to the middle, no EQ or compression used in my DAW.


    Here is the reference from the same profile by Top Jimi, which sounds much better than my recording I think:


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  • This may sound obvious but have you played around with the definition on amp settings? I find this can make high gain profiles sound thin if definition is too high. Also subtle changes to the Kemper EQ can make a huge difference in my experience. I've bought a lot of Top Jimi profiles and I rate them really highly, especially after I've tinkered with settings. I have a similar setup to you so think you can achieve good results if you play with a few settings.

  • Good evening,


    So Im trying to answer as accurate as possible :) :


    MentaL: Distortion Sense is at -2.0 dB right now but it was set to 0 dB initially. I was playing with the settings for the recording and ended up getting my "best" results at -2.0 dB


    deadpan: I just checked the profile once more, but dont see any compressor in the effects section


    RushFan1976: I guess u mean the standard setting like bass, middle, trebble, presence? I tried a lot of different settings about that already and this is my personal favorite setting


    Thanks for all the help guys! I appreciate that.


    Could it be that this Top Jimi guy just went into a 2x12" box and miced that up for a more realistic "room sound"?

  • Just out of curiosity...


    Try hooking your monitors up straight into the Kemper. Check your output BEFORE turning the HS8s on.


    See if the interface is causing issues.


    Also, there is a MB Recto profile from Reampzone on the exchange that KILLS. If that doesn't sound good there is something going on for sure.


    Also, remember, your listening through monitoring not a guitar cab. BIG difference.

  • Hey StratGuru,


    I just checked that MB Recto profile out and I pretty much like what I hear! Got it saved in my favorites now. ^^


    Soo and I also went from Kemper -(Main Out Left/Right)-> HS8 , but the sound of the Top Jimi profile was pretty much the same.
    There was just one thing I noticed: The Main Out, which I used for the HS8, was a lot louder than the SPDIF Out.
    Could that be the reason for the difference of sound quality?

  • I have plenty of questions:


    Do your high gain profiles sound better compared to mine?
    Does anybody get their sound quality close to the top jimi profile sound?
    Or is there a better way to record than via SPDIF? (like micing up a guitar cab for a more real sound?)


    Im just curious if this is the sound I should expect when Im using my Kemper.

  • Try the 2 steps below:


    1) Disable pure cab from output menu. Really important for proper metal tone.


    2) Try this free pack --> https://www.dropbox.com/s/jivioiqokx83yde/SinMix_MRP_v06.zip

    To your point 1: Turning off pure cab for "proper metal tone"? Thats only a matter of taste I would say and not a fixed rule. Maybe your experience. I'll say the opposite :P


    If you don't want too much of the mic characteristics in your tone and want less "phasey" result, LOWER settings of pure cab will do the trick with high gain profiles too. I almost always prefer my riffs with pure cab on (no matter if it is high gain rock, modern metal, doom, black metal).


    Everytime I thought Kemper sounded weird, the cause was an activated mono button on my palmer monicon or I screwed something obvious in the DAW :rolleyes:

  • To your point 1: Turning off pure cab for "proper metal tone"? Thats only a matter of taste I would say and not a fixed rule. Maybe your experience. I'll say the opposite :P
    If you don't want too much of the mic characteristics in your tone and want less "phasey" result, LOWER settings of pure cab will do the trick with high gain profiles too. I almost always prefer my riffs with pure cab on (no matter if it is high gain rock, modern metal, doom, black metal).


    Everytime I thought Kemper sounded weird, the cause was an activated mono button on my palmer monicon or I screwed something obvious in the DAW :rolleyes:


    Did i say that was a general rule? Did i speak representing everyone? Of course it is my experience and i don't know why should i explain myself everytime i post my opinion.


    Actually, pure cabinet was created to remove the mic characteristics and have a more guitar cabinet tone through a speaker, because most of the users who moved from guitar cab to frfr had difficult time to adjust to new sound because it is really different, that's why kemper team created this feature, to make the transition smoother. That's why i don't like it, it is something extra that it is not needed to have great tone. Besides it ruins my sound making it undefined, plastic and muddy. Also i think is really wrong that it is enabled by default, if someone wants it could enable it easily. I have already read a lot of people complaining about kemper's sound and when i told them to turn off pure cabinet they are finally satisfied by kemper's sound.

  • I never use pure cab with high gain profiles that have been miced how I want them to.


    If micing is bad, I wil just use another profile or profile my amp better.


    Just my own experience of course. It is also not a general rule everybody must obey somehow.

  • @Jimi71 can you post a DI of your playing and we reamp it?

  • @Jimi71 can you post a DI of your playing and we reamp it?

    If you volume match the two sound samples and maybe lower gain in your profile, I think the differences will be smaller than they appear. Plus pickups matter quite e a bit.