Fizziness/problem with ME using the Kemper

  • Hi guys, hope you're all enjoying your day with your Kemper.


    This will be a detailed post so I will summarize it first. I will post more details below if you need them.


    My Kemper just doesn't sound nice with distortion profiles, I have high end profiles, cab is on, it is connected correctly but somehow sounds fizzy and never organic to my ears.. I much prefer my presets in my eleven rack! My kemper "kinda" doesn't sound like the demos. And I kinda regret buying my Kemper TBH.


    If you know profiles with clear organic distortion PLEASE let me know! ( Something that sounds like Hotel California lead tone by Felder, Joe Bonamassa, or even my tone that I linked)



    Now to more details if you wanna read them.


    First of all, I have never used a tube amp.. I lived in iraq and we didn't have good gear there so I am not experienced with the "real" thing. Now that I have moved to Canada, I got my Kemper, got it a week ago and it had a lot of high end profiles (M Britt, tone junkie, and many). I love Marshall tones so I got 4 packs from Top Jimi. I got a bogner profile too (the amp that Steve Lukather uses). I connect it to Focusrite 2i4 MKii with 2 mono cables from Main Outs (Stereo selected on Kemper.. and it does work as stereo!). On my audio interface, "line" is selected and I am using logic pro but for some reason it sounds harsh and I can clearly hear fizziness and it's really annoying me.. and yes I tried the definition, EQ and clarity controls, didn't do much .. I owned eleven rack and it just sounded more organic and full, and JCM800 was much clearer (Here are clips). Kemper demos sound great, but it just has more fizziness when I use it.


    Thank you very much for taking the time to read!

  • Welcome to the forum :)


    It’s hard to say what the problem is but something isn’t right; you shouldn’t be experiencing harshness / fizziness in the top end. If you’ve been happy with other digital products you can get to a good place with a Kemper as it’s the best of them (IMO) for the tone of the amps.


    First thing to be sure of is the output volume; if you’re clipping your interface that will do it. If you keep between -12 and -18dB using a VU meter plugin within Logic that would be plenty. Clipping can certainly cause harshness. Also worth noting, if you are using any plugins within logic, is that you’re not clipping the inputs of any of them.


    Next look at clipping the input on the Kemper and also any locked settings.... if you bought this unit second hand it might be worth doing a reset? Previous owner might have done something unusual with clean sense / distortion sense / pure cab etc. Might even have locked in a reverb with a boosted high end - who knows? Back up your rigs first though.


    I’m sure others will come in with further ideas and I hope you fix it. It’s probably something simple but it’s just finding it :)

  • if you want to check out my profiles i'm pretty happy with my kraken profiles most of the time


    what do you use when listening to your sounds ? what monitor speakers or headphones?



    oh and you mentioned you like the elevenrack more ^^ i profiled all amps of the evenrack btw.


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    for me that is close enough ^^ but i know your problem, the most important thing will be finding a fitting cabinet and the settings in the amp section are important if you turn definition and clarity down
    it will sound more like old modelers just like the elevenrack and so on ...


    can you post a sound file of a recording with the kemper ? ( a reset i a good idea btw.)

  • Welcome! +1 on the reset.... I would plug some headphones directly into the KPA and see if the sounds you speak of are still there, do this before and after a reset.

  • What guitar do you use?
    I solved a part of a similar trouble by changing the positoon of the Pick ups of my strat. They were to close to the string.


    As I have PU's with a littel higher output I still have to reduce the gain of most of the profiles and have to check if definition in the Amp-Parameter has to be reduced.
    The clean sense in the input parameter I have set to - 1

    Edited once, last by Sharry ().

  • Thank you very much, Gary! :) I did reset it yesterday, checked the output, all the cabs options (In output menu and in the stack) and my audio interface input is not clipping. I believe this is how it is supposed to sound like, and this is why I said "Problem with ME" in the title. It could be my ears being used to darker sound and not THAT snappy. But the fizz is clear.. another way to explain what I'm hearing is, it's like an extra layer of fizziness on top of a good Marshall tone. I will post clips of the Kemper compared to my old Eleven rack in a second! :)

  • Hi Bommel! Thanks a lot for your clips and your suggestions! Your profiles are very well profiled! I tried everything but I am still not really feeling it :( I use Marshall Headphones which are good quality. :) Here are the clips.. (I am sorry for my sloppy playing and timing)


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    This is a project I made with the eleven rack, it was one-take thing and decided to redo it with the Kemper but the sounds are making this sound too thin IMO.


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    A solo using JCM800 in Eleven Rack is linked above in case none haven't heard it yet :D


    Oh and, I am lucky enough to have my Eleven Rack preset with me, if you want, I will send it to you, and you profile it and I will buy it from you for as much as you want :thumbup:

  • Welcome Raph! Make sure you do a backup - before reset, you don't want to lose those rigs! :thumbup:

    Thank you my friend! I reset it yesterday and I didn't take the time to backup it up since I exported all the profiles from Rig Manager (The original owner was kind enough to put all the rigs in a USB for me!).. Now I lost all my effects :cursing::D .. I think I will just download a firmware from Kemper and they'll all be back (I hope) :thumbup: I posted some clips :)

  • Welcome! +1 on the reset.... I would plug some headphones directly into the KPA and see if the sounds you speak of are still there, do this before and after a reset.

    Thank you Zapman! So I think this is how it's supposed to sound like... my ears are so used to digital for over 9 years to the point tube tones are sounding digital to me :D:D I posted some clips :)

  • also, check the Pure Cab settings, in the output. I think more people prefer it off than on. Checking for locked settings was a good suggestion, as well.

    Thank you Patrick! Nothing made it sweet sounding at least for me :( Check the clips I posted, I am thinking this is how it's supposed to sound like :(

  • What guitar do you use?
    I solved a part of a similar trouble by changing the positoon of the Pick ups of my strat. They were to close to the string.


    As I have PU's with a littel higher output I still have to reduce the gain of most of the profiles and have to check if definition in the Amp-Parameter has to be reduced.
    The clean sense in the input parameter I have set to - 1

    Thank you Sharry! I use a Gibson Les Paul, it is kinda sounding like a strat now TBH :D I posted the "good" profiles clips.. many others were much fizzier and snappier and some were dull. I am even thinking of selling my Kemper, getting an eleven rack, buying a bass and another guitar, but knowing this is the best digital unit. I am sure the problem is with me so I am trying to get used to it and trying to find so many ways before I sell it and regret. :/

  • It might be an idea to post a clip or two of some of those examples that you say are much-worse, Raphael.


    It'll be easier for us to identify the issue if you can provide exaggerated examples of it, I feel.


    On my CrapMac™ mono speaker (built into the computer) I think I can hear something, but if it's a "worse" example, that'd really help I reckon.

  • I added a Frequency curve of a marshall headphone at the bottom, i chose just one (Marshall Major II) to show the highs because headphones always have a distorted spectrum in the highs since they most of the time only have one driver for all frequencies so even the gutiar sounds i like sound not so good on headphones because the spikes will always pronounce some hizz or harshness. you can check that out at kopfhoerer.de even the most expensive headphones have that since it is mor of a physical problem. So i always recommend twaeking with monitors :D -> just as a side note


    I listened to the track and i get what you mean, the 87jub was the best sounding imo but yeah maybe if simply comes down to the profiles itself


    wanna try my profiles ? maybe you find something you like, they are all free ^^
    i don't have the Elevenrack anymore but here is the eleven rack folder
    https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tvu…8eXcE-o0LtS8dGaWx4ra?dl=0
    maybe this works for you


    the link to all of my profiles is in my signature.



    In case you want to stick to the profiles you use right now try adding a studio eq after the amp and take a midband with a very high q nad look for the hiss in you signal, most of the time that is around 4-5kHz this could help
    you can always use the body rez or a real compressor pedal in front of the kemper that also works wonders as i showed here


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    and try in the amp section turning clarity and definition a bit down


    maybe this helps :) cheers and good luck man! i can take some time to get used to the kemper imo :)

  • and try in the amp section turning clarity and definition a bit down

    Especially Clarity. That'll often exaggerate unwanted fizz, IMHO, especially as one approaches higher settings.


    EDIT:
    Raphael, it's worth noting for your benefit, I feel, that there's never been an issue with fizz using the Kemper. There've been "legitimate" criticisms about a very-slight roll-off of low frequencies (below 100Hz, which TBH shouldn't matter for guitar, and even then, I and many others find the unit stellar for bass guitar), and a "cocked-wah" effect that some with good ears have detected in the mid range of some Profiles (subtle, but there for some nevertheless). The point being that excessive fizz is something that's always been able to be put down to "user error", meaning that it's the choice of guitar, PU's, settings on the unit, monitoring or one or some of the many potential pitfalls others have pointed out.