Get the most out of your Amp // Profile your amp "perfectly"

  • Hi! :) Sorry for the Title, this is my way of doing the profiles right now but there are many ways to do it.


    1. The CAB

    If you use the the Torpedo Live

    • Play your amp.
    • Look for a cab before profiling, to go for sure that it is tweaked like you want it.
    • If you like the cab make a profile with the cab on.

    If you use the the Torpedo Live + MIXREADY IR

    • Turn the Cabsim in the Torpedo Live off.
    • Record the cabless signal.
    • Add a cab or mix cabs until everything is quite right in your DAW.
    • EQ it like you would in the mix.
    • Import a sweep from Voxengo Deconvolver, export it with all eqs and cab applied.
    • Convert it into a IR.
    • Use the kemper cabmaker to convert it into a .kipr file.
    • Load it onto the kemper via a USB stick.

    If you use a cab + D.I. Box

    • Mic the speaker as you like it.
    • The closer you are the less room influence you'll have btw.
    • Plug the mic into a parametric eq or a digital mixer.
    • EQ the the sound beforehand to your liking.
    • Get rid of fizz by lowering between 4 and 5k with a very high q.
    • Profile it so you have a cab for the following d.i. profiles.

    If you use the the Torpedo Live + Match EQ IR (of your favorite Sound)

    • Turn the cabsim in the Torpedo Live off.
    • Record the cabless signal, play per string the whole octave with a powerchord or something dissonant to fill the spectrum.
    • Load in the guitar stem of the sound you would like to copy (liverecordings or bands that use just one amp work best, if the production uses more sounds in one track there is no chance to do that).
    • Make a match EQ with Izotope Ozone.
    • Then look where differencies are in the distortion itself and tweak the amp to fit the amp on the recording better.
    • Match eq again and do that until it is spot on.
    • Import a sweep from Voxengo Deconvolver, export it with all eqs and cab applied.
    • Make a IR out it.
    • Use the kemper cabmaker to convert it.
    • Load it onto the Kemper.

    2. Profiling

    Now you're Ready for Profiling !

    Turn the cab sim off or connect the mic cable to the d.i. box, choose "no cab" and you can start profiling now!

    The same settings can sound drastically different with more or less poweramp saturation, that is why i recommend 2-3 poweramp settings and 2-3 gain settings. Of course this will cause many profiles but the systematic approach saves time afterwards and captures more of the amp.

    Now per channel do these combinations (for example)


    Gain Low% - Master Low%

    Gain Mid% - Master Low%

    Gain High% - Master Low%


    Gain Low% - Master Mid%

    Gain Mid% - Master Mid%

    Gain High% - Master Mid%


    Gain Low% - Master High%

    Gain Mid% - Master High%

    Gain High% - Master High%

    Where to set the different Values ?

    Low Gain - Cleanest setting with the gain knob, just before it starts to break up.

    Mid Gain - Just before the distortion gets muddy.

    High Gain - As much as the Kemper can do.

    why?

    • Lowering gain on the kemper works better then adding gain.
    • Just before the next drastic change in gain the amp is simply more dynamic.
    • Totally clean signals do not get the gainstructure right, so by profiling at the very edge to breakup it gets that right and by lowering the gain in post it is way more accurate).

    Master Low - No Compression and saturation (tightest Tone).

    Master Mid - just before saturation and compression starts (best of both worlds).

    Master High - maximum volume as much as the kemper can do (less fizz but more mud!).

    why?

    just check it yourself with a different Volume everything changes, compression, reaction, frequency response tightness, the gainstructure changes... simply everything.


    How to dial your amp in ?

    • Use more mids and highs than you'd do normally.
    • Be careful with bass the subbass can be sometimes too much.
    • make it bright but be careful, the presence knob can mess up the measurement in extreme settings on some amps!

    why?

    Frequency masking! Some EQs intruduce so much noise and especially transients and they will give the kemper a hard time sometimes and boosting frequencies raises the noise floor. This noise floor tricks the kemper then into thinking this is the gain structure. So if you profile a very bright clean amp and the d.i. profile is completely different and distorted, turn the eq knobs down.


    How to refine?

    I got the best results by using 3 guitars, i used a active 8 string guitar (when using this the lowend turned out better ), a passive Ibanez with a 5 way switch, and a Tele.

    I played strummed chords hard and steadyly and house of the rising sun because of the appregiated chords.

    Sometimes the transients mess up the measurement especially with ultra tight amps or very clean ones.

    Play a loud chord first, then press refining, so that the kemper only hears the ringing out of the note, then stop refining. Do the same with more chords and openstrings.

    What to do if your amp sounds different ?

    • Get even closer by adjusting definition, sag, clarity, bias tube shape and so on while being in this Comparing/refinig window...
    • Sometimes the definition is too high! this and the tube shape knob are the most important knobs!
    • Sometimes noise interferes with the signal use a noise gate (preferably the isp decimator g string II) und just use is very slightly. Instead of the "amp too noisy" dialouge the "noisegate detected" will appear but it will not abort and sometimes it works fine.
    • Sometimes the ground lift switches reduce also the noise!

    This is how i made almost all of my profiles, i really hope you find something you like and i hope this helped!

    Have fun guys!

  • There is more i discovered meanwhile ...


    Especially very tight amps like some engl or the kraken mess up the Spectrum of the profile when you refine it.

    The transients and pick noise will mask a lot. So...


    Strum a Chord - Then press refine und let the chord ring out for some time - end refinig and start over with another chord or just all strings at once.

    That way the refining process doesn't hear the transients/ attack/ picknoise and it will be FAR more accurate ... sometimes you have to adjust the definition still but it will get you closer

  • I just added a few more tipps ...

    Sorry to join party that late, but that's really some interesting tips there - especially the 3 gain settings you recommend for profiling.


    Thanks!

    Thanks man! i hope it helps :)


    "How to get better profiling results?"


    Bommel: "Well, play house of the rising sun.... duuuh"..


    Cool tips :)

    Thanks haha :D well maybe Bonanza could work too ^^

  • Great stuff!

    I just got the Kemper DI and am going to finally profile the crap out of my 70s JMP. Much appreciated!

    nice! :) i love the jmp!! i'm really looking forward to these profiles!

    I'm waiting for tomorrow to get the package with Kemper's DI and start to try to profile my amps :)  Bommel Thanks for tips and profiles !!!

    Hey thanks,too !! :)



    I never got how the kemper d.i. works... has it something like a autmatic pad or something ? because on my d.i. and on my torpedo live i have to change the pad settings/input level when i increase or decrease the master volume ... or is it expected to use the return gain inside the kemepr profiling process?

  • I never got how the kemper d.i. works... has it something like a autmatic pad or something ? because on my d.i. and on my torpedo live i have to change the pad settings/input level when i increase or decrease the master volume ... or is it expected to use the return gain inside the kemepr profiling process?

    I have no idea. I have another DI box that will work, too, so I’m going to try both. The one I already have is passive with 42 dB attenuation, so between the two, I should be ok. I hope!

  • Bommel

    I never got how the kemper d.i. works... has it something like a autmatic pad or something ? because on my d.i. and on my torpedo live i have to change the pad settings/input level when i increase or decrease the master volume ... or is it expected to use the return gain inside the kemepr profiling process?


    Mmm… I don't know how to answer for now ... I read around for a long time before choosing the d.i box and orienting myself towards the most expensive and the one with the least options. The choice fell on this because from some reviews it seemed the one that gave less problems than adjustments etc ... therefore plug & play having no adjustment whatsoever you can't go wrong ... the philosophy seems to me correct, now we have to see if it reflects reality: -) not having ever profiled I thought "simple is better" :)

  • oh nooo wrong thread ... uppsy whoopsy

  • Yeah exactly :D thsi one was a d.i. profile and i added one of my irs that i will offer soon. (hopefully) :)

  • I made a little update.

    I also wanted to shre the gear i use just as a help.


    Torpedo Live

    Alesis PEQ 450 (totally underrated 10 bands of fullparametric bands, that is amazing to eq the amp before profiling, it works great in the effects loop and after the mic or cab loader)

    AMT Pangaea

    Behringer GI100 Ultra-G


    when using the old d.i. boxes i use a real isocab as a load