DI profile not even close

  • I think it's a level problem, if the Kemper gets a way too hot signal and the automatic adjustment doesn't get it right, this is what happens.
    I've had this problem with a Hughes & Kettner Triamp MK2 some time ago.
    The next firmware version solved it back then, because it must have been the automatic return level adjustment in profiling mode.


    Can you turn down the amp or add more attenuation at the DI box?

  • I experienced this exact issue when I tried to get some Direct profiles. I kept adjusting the return level and trying again.


    I also seem to remember turning he master down a bit and I believe that helped.


    All the searching I did made it seem like the level coming back into the Kemper was too hot. Not sure how or why. It was only a 50 watt amp.

  • certainly they should sound nearly 'the same'...
    I would somewhat suspect the Countryman... do you perhaps have a passive DI you can try as an alternative?
    The active Countryman certainly does NOT respond well to being overloaded... just a thought.

    Yes. I just picked up a LiveWire DI that is passive and has -20 & -40 db attenuation. I tried both settings. It sounds the same either way. The -40db setting just requires more level back into the profiler.

  • I experienced this exact issue when I tried to get some Direct profiles. I kept adjusting the return level and trying again.


    I also seem to remember turning he master down a bit and I believe that helped.


    All the searching I did made it seem like the level coming back into the Kemper was too hot. Not sure how or why. It was only a 50 watt amp.

    I think it's a level problem, if the Kemper gets a way too hot signal and the automatic adjustment doesn't get it right, this is what happens.
    I've had this problem with a Hughes & Kettner Triamp MK2 some time ago.
    The next firmware version solved it back then, because it must have been the automatic return level adjustment in profiling mode.


    Can you turn down the amp or add more attenuation at the DI box?

    I'll have to give turning down the return level a shot. The level was pretty low in general although I never took any meaningful measurements. This is a 50 Watt amp and the Countryman is supposed to be able to handle over a 1000 watts even at 16ohms.

  • I just tried bringing the level down. I brought it down so much that I got message saying the level was too low. I started bringing it up 2db at a time until it worked. Didn’t sound any different. Then I tried making the level really hot. Again, no difference.


    I’m starting to wonder if it’s software related.

  • I wish I could point a finger to what the problem is here, I know it’s frustrating Aaron… I am not used to hearing the direct signal, so it all sounds very bad to my ears, I would have to hear both the reference amp and the Kemper through a guitar cabinet… I don’t know if you have recorded that?

  • it might also be excessive volume in a certain frequency range. Try less treble for example, just for troubleshooting.

    After conducting another experiment, it seems like cutting frequencies doesn’t have any effect. At least not other than making it sound slightly different.

  • I wish I could point a finger to what the problem is here, I know it’s frustrating Aaron… I am not used to hearing the direct signal, so it all sounds very bad to my ears, I would have to hear both the reference amp and the Kemper through a guitar cabinet… I don’t know if you have recorded that?

    I know what are saying. I actually posted some samples last night of the studio profile I took of the same amp. And then another with the DI merged. They sound nothing alike.

  • I did, however, have a breakthrough today. I mentioned in an earlier post that I wondered if the particular amp I was attempting to profile could have been finicky. Don’t misunderstand.... there’s nothing wrong with the amp. It’s in perfect working order. But.... I tried profiling a different amp through the same setup and didn’t have any of the same problems. So there’s the answer. Sort of.


    There’s something about this amp that the Kemper doesn’t like. My guess is that there is some interface issues between the Kemper and it’s input or output. Can’t completely wrap my head around it because there is a DI box in between the OT and the KPAs return. Maybe it’s the input. But if it is, why does the amp sound normal when I’m just monitoring it in realtime?


    I have a call in to the guy that built the amp. Maybe he’ll have some insight.

    Yup. This is exactly what I ran into. Couldn’t find any helpful info.

    Did you try profiling other amps?

  • Did you try profiling other amps?

    I tried two. One (a Bad Cat Cub with EL84’s) did it much more than the other (locally built 40 watt amp with 6L6’).


    Never came up with a reason why. I also tried a couple different DI boxes. Obviously though, if you have an amp you want to profile, “try a different amp” is not a satisfactory solution haha. It was frustrating.

  • I tried two. One (a Bad Cat Cub with EL84’s) did it much more than the other (locally built 40 watt amp with 6L6’).
    Never came up with a reason why. I also tried a couple different DI boxes. Obviously though, if you have an amp you want to profile, “try a different amp” is not a satisfactory solution haha. It was frustrating.

    Exactly... I sent an email to Kemper support to hopefully begin a discussion about why certain amps are tricky and if they can offer some suggestions. Maybe a tweak or two in their software could solve the problem. Who knows?