Hi, I'm a new Kemper user (audio engineer, software developer, singer/songwriter, etc.)

  • Hi,


    My name is Cary Miller.


    I am (somewhat) known for my lengthy posts on Gearslutz as "Hearcomesyourman".


    I'm a professional audio engineer who was mentored by Shelly Yakus (Mixing Engineer for John Lennon's Imagine, among a slew of other classic rock albums).


    I recently bought a Kemper to archive my tube amps (and to probably let most, or even all of them go).


    I really love the sound of it, though today I'm having a bit of a technical issue I wasn't having last night (so I'm looking for the right subforum to ask for a bit of help).


    I'm using a Prism Sound Titan Via PCIE to Pro Tools "Ultimate" (It's just HD Native with a fancy new name) and a Creation Audio Labs MW1 studio tool as a light clean boost to help with gain-staging low volumes on my smaller amps and anything that's staying at 16 OHMS for modeling.


    I'm also going to be using a pair of Tone King Ironman II Attenuators for anything in 8 OHMS (so I can crank the gain on my PLEXI for example, but keep the volumes low via a reactive load).


    The Tone Kings aren't currently in chain (and weren't last night), so I know they aren't the culprit...but I'm experiencing weird and constant digital clicks/pops when I plug in my MW1 Studio Tool (the output of which is patched to the front input on the Kemper, same as last night during my first profiling session).


    Been going through each step in the chain...seems to be the MW1, which is mostly a passive circuit, also it's ground lifts aren't helping.


    My other worry is maybe there's something defective about the front input?


    I'm using Mogami Platinum instrument cables, and I have spares...swapping them out didn't help.


    I was seriously impressed last night...and now I'm seriously depressed, would love it if someone can help?


    Also I updated the Firmware last night BEFORE I started my session which went flawless...would that have something to do with it?


    - Cary Miller

  • Hi Cary. Welcome to the forum. I'm certain that one of the more techie types on here will be able to help you with the pops. The only thing I can think of is if you're using S/PDIF, in which case the Kemper must be the master, and you have to match the clock rate. This is from the manual:


    The S/PDIF Clock can be selected on the same page as S/PDIF Volume. The PROFILER can generate a clock of

    44.1, 48, 88.2, or 96 kHz. Your audio interface and DAW will be clocked at the selected rate and your DAW project should be set accordingly.

    Go for it now. The future is promised to no one. - Wayne Dyer

  • Welcome Cary

    Can you list your signal chain and routing from guitar-Kemper-amp-whatever-Kemper-whatever-playback? Just so things are nice and clear for the techie types that Zappledan mentioned :)

  • Hey, Cary.


    Fellow pro software dev, studio rat, yada, yada, so I can dig the frustrations.


    I'm a new Kemper powered head owner as of a couple of weeks ago. For what it's worth, I'm coming analog out of the Kemper into my mixer, and have gone both guitar cable and wireless into the front panel Input. I've also come out of a mixer bus into the rear aux in for reamping. Haven't had any digital artifacts at all and performance of the Kemper has been rock solid.


    Any debugging tips I could offer would probably border the terribly obvious, but I do have a couple of observations that might be worthwhile.


    Unless the MW 1 is a beloved part of the signal chain because of sonic qualities, it might not be necessary in a Kemper setup (and of course, I could easily be missing the point of some of your configuration). The signals from the output of the Kemper are plenty sufficient for mic pres. Reamping DAW -> interface -> Kemper is also incredibly painless. While it might be necessary when dealing with some of your amps and / or working directly to PT, I think you'll find Kemper <-> audio interface to be pretty low maintenance.


    Knowing your background this might also seem like a dumb question, but is it possible you were on auto pilot when configuring things, i.e. assuming you needed x, y and z where perhaps the Kemper alone would do? My configuration is the Kemper plugged into two channels of my mixer (Yamaha TF5, which is also the audio interface), and out of the TF back to the Kemper for reamping. Nothing else in the way, great audio quality, seamless workflow.


    This isn't meant to be one of those typical Internet forum, "you're doing it wrong" posts, where you ask how to do something and some yahoo tells you that you shouldn't be trying to do that in the first place. My thinking is that since you're not yet familiar with it, you may be assuming that you have to do more work than is necessary to achieve your results. I mean, you know, not that programmers would ever try to make something harder than it needs to be. :)

    Kemper remote -> Powered toaster -> Yamaha DXR-10

  • Did another quick Google and the MW 1 is described as,


    "Creation Audio Labs MW1 Studio Tool is the ultimate DI and reamp unit. It integrates instrument level gear and mic and line level gear. "


    Unless there's some other specific functionality, you don't need it for your guitar signal into the front input, and the Kemper is already designed to give you the pass through analog guitar out through the back aux send, as well as accepting reamp in. Plug guitar directly into front panel input, configure the aux send to have the analogue guitar signal and route that to PT to track your DI. For reamping, pipe the DI track out of the interface and into the jack in back of the Kemper marked for accepting the reamp signal. You'll have to twist a couple of knobs to change the expected signal from front panel to reamp in but otherwise the Kemper is a complete DI and reamp unit already.


    For playing guitar / reamping at least, I think you can leave it out of your chain with no loss in functionality. If it has to be in the chain for some other reason, I'd check to make sure that the signal level coming out of the MW1 isn't too hot and overloading the front panel input, which may be switchable to different levels (not in front of the unit at the moment), but defaults to expecting guitar level signal.


    Hope this helps!

    Kemper remote -> Powered toaster -> Yamaha DXR-10

  • I apologize for this question in advance, but:


    Are you using the MW1 because you want the profiles to include the sound of the MW1? If so, it needs to be connected to the input of the amp, not to the input of the KPA.


    I’m asking because having it at the input of the KPA is likely to affect the way you set the amplifiers and microphones, but the profiles will not sound the same if you don’t have the MW1 in front of the KPA.

  • Hi Cary,

    I saw your post and forwarded a link to Michael Wagner. Here was his response to me:


    "Hello Alex.


    If it’s about the profile sounding different than the original amp, with the MW1 in the chain, that would be normal, because the Kemper is not going to read the MW1 because it’s test sounds come out of another hole. Clicks and pops is most likely a clocking issue, so if he uses the SPDIF in/output he might have a problem there. The MW1 should not create any clicking or digital pops obviously. He should try everything without the MW1 out of the chain and see if the clicks go away.

    Cheers

    Michael"


    I hope that helps,

    Thanks,

    Alex