Headphone output better than SPDIF output when recording

  • I didn't know he was from support but I do now. Those words gave me great hope. I think the fact Kemper sounds so amazing via headphones is the reason for my frustration :)


    Support have also asked me to try another audio interface so will try that tonight.


    However Focusrite 18i8 Scarlett is not the cheap end of the market so I doubt it's that.


    New quality cables being delivered by Amazon any time now as well. Still hoping it's that really.

  • However Focusrite 18i8 Scarlett is not the cheap end of the market so I doubt it's that.

    This is what I use with no issues. I play metal and record all the time.


    I'm telling you it's your settings somewhere or there's a bug with the spdif out on your kemper. It's a dry signal vs the headphone and analog that have fx on.

  • There was no effect on apart from Space which was about 3.7
    SPACE Headphone Only was not On.
    We set SPACE to 0 in output and added SPACE as an X module.
    just listening to stereo out for both headphones and SPDIF the sound is drastically different.


    I agree it's a setting but my son locks his computer when he goes to work so I can't check Scarlett or Cubase settings during day (probably doesn't want me to check his internet history lol)


    I'll do much more thorough tests/recordings if cables don't do it an settings all look ok.


    @schreckmusic We bought the SINMIX Mesa Boogie DR2 profiles and they are fantastic for metal (Well through the headphones they are :) )
    We also got Josh Middleton's and ChopTones profiles which are also godly metal tones.

  • Yeah we turned off all effects in the end.
    Still no comparison.
    Cables delayed by Amazon until Sunday so can't try em yet.
    We also tried another audio device (ESI U24XL) and wasn't as good on that as well. (analog)

  • Sorry dude I'm not giving up on this.
    The difference between the analog and spdif is not as great the difference between spdif and headphone output.
    I posted that as a response to being asked why SPDIF is essential.
    It's a ridiculous situation being forced to record via the headphone socket.
    Someone stated above the sounds being recorded SHOULD BE IDENTICAL to the Kemper Headphone sound which is amazing. I mean TONAL PERFECTION


    ''Headphone sound which is amazing''.


    ---Really ? .


    ''I mean it's TONAL PERFECTION''


    ----WOW try to record it then, through headphone out


    NO !!!! It's a ridiculous situation being forced to record via the headphone socket.


    ---- Just one time, please let us hear this wonderful headphone sound


    ''NO !''


    ----- if we could hear it we could judge how the headphone sound is better than analog and SPDIF. I'd like to know


    '' I tell you, the sound from headphone is gobsmackingly gorgeous!!!!''


    ----Really??


    ''I mean it's TONAL PERFECTION''


    ---- But as it is possible, with the right cable , to record from headphone output, let us hear the difference


    I wont even try !


    ----- So this SPDIF and Analog output sounds different ? less quality than headphone output??


    ''the sounds being recorded SHOULD BE IDENTICAL to the Kemper Headphone sound which is amazing I mean TONAL PERFECTION''


    -------You want this headphone output sound so bad ?


    ''YES!!! I can assure you is gobsmackingly gorgeous!!!! the sounds being recorded SHOULD BE IDENTICAL to the Kemper Headphone sound ''


    ----Record from headphone output then , it only takes a special wire, it takes 5 minutes to test


    'NO !!!!


    ----- So the last thing you would try to get that headphone sound is to record this headphone output?


    I'll never test that !!! I want the SPDIF to sound identical to the headphone output


    ----You don't want to record this tonal perfection from the headphone out, you want to record it from SPDIF and Analog


    YES !!!! It's a ridiculous situation being forced to record via the headphone socket.


    ---------OK you know what?? , I will make a test and record my headphone output and compare with the SPDIF this could become interesting and not frustrating at all, seriously this test could be really productive.
    Then I will upload it here so we can listen to it. Will you listen to it?


    NO!!!


    ---------- But I will do this test and start another thread I am very curious about it ...

  • Have you tried inverting the phase of the digital out recording and comparing it to the headphone recording.
    They should completely phase cancel out if all settings are the same and they actually are the same sound.

    These profiles go to 11!

  • Of course, the S/PDIF track would have to be nudged forward in time a little to compensate for the D/A convertor's latency via the headphone out.


    EDIT:
    Probably inconsequential anyway 'cause the differences are obvious and don't require verification through scientific means.

  • you re wrong.
    It s the ad/da of the kemper who is much better than your soundcard.


    Test it:
    Record a DI track
    Reamp this (spdif)
    Listen it with your soundcard.
    Then reamp this reamped track BUT turn off every thing in the kemper and listen it with your headphone from the kpa (=dry signal from your computer).
    => this sound is better but it s the dry signal from your computer...

  • I am following......as I too use a scarlet 8i6 and agree with OPs assessment. I always chalked it up to ad/da going into Focusrite. Headphone out does sound much richer. Never tried recording out of headphone out. Seems silly to use that as work around. It is frustrating to hear what your signal can sound like than what it actually ends up sounding like.


    I appreciate your reporting back on the findings!

  • I always chalked it up to ad/da going into Focusrite.

    His issue seems to revolve around the S/PDIF route 'though, Henry.


    Whilst he's not-entirely happy with the traditional analogue one (KPA main to interface), the S/PDIF signal is apparently way-worse.

  • Headphone out does sound much richer. Never tried recording out of headphone out. Seems silly to use that as work around. It is frustrating to hear what your signal can sound like than what it actually ends up sounding like.


    I appreciate your reporting back on the findings!

    Well so you confirm that headphones sounds richer for you too...
    This is probably true guys
    why is it so silly to try to record the headphone out?
    Nobody wants to try it out?
    I will when I got the cable for it...
    You say ''I appreciate your reporting back on the findings!'' but what are we gonna find if headphones out always sounds better ? Lets record it as a test ... just to see if ITS STILL SOUNDS BETTER WHEN RECORDED WITH THE HEADPHONE OUTPUT... OR NOT Its just wires after all, this test will be helpfull and of course we wont stop here... if it sounds better when recorded than the SPDIF then it means that SPDIF needs a big adjustment


    I will try it soon to record headphone out I am curious Many say it's silly to try I just say its silly not to try ...

  • WOW this is very interesting I think this post will become a classic instructive post , coz the different ideas and point of view will create light as we say in french

  • @adywhittell Please stick with it as this is probably very frustrating to you, it would great for the whole community to figure out.


    While I do think that AD / DA conversion may be part of it, at the end of the day, even the headphone signal gets converted by the interface and stored digitally in the DAW so it may not explain everything.


    Maybe it is a simple software bug where some form of EQ is applied (or not applied) differently between the analog and SPDIF case compared to the headphones.


    @Gforce guitar They did record it through the headphones, scroll back on this topic, there are links to sound files. It is very clearly audible that the headphones are better.





  • The best demo I ever did (of myself) was a bunch of songs where my mixes were fed from a Mackie CR-1604 16-channel desk's headphone output into a Sony portable DAT machine.


    Just sayin', 'cause if worse comes to worst and the OP runs out of time, the quality of the KPA's headphone feed is IMHO more than up to the job.