Living in an apartment where neighbors are constantly complaining. Playing at lower volumes while still maintaining sound integrity?

  • I have a THR10c which i like, and obviously a Kemper which i like too, but both don't go very well together.

    I must also keep the volume down in my bedroom and i use most of the time Headphones (DT-880) and sometimes Studio Monitors (Focal Alpha 65).

    I am very curious about this statement. He likes the "almost same" amp that I have, and also the Kemper. But they don't go well together?


    guizmobro Is it possible to route other audio through the Kemper at the same time? So that I can hear a backingtrack in the same headphones for example?

    Edited once, last by keem85 ().

  • Yes you can. As I don’t record at the moment, I wanted the simplest possible solution. I go from the headphone out of my Mac to my Kemper aux in. You need a y-splitter to do that, which cost me 10€ on the big t. You can find a video tutorial on the « aux in » on the kemper website.


    Once connected, you can mix the aux in signal within your kemper. Works like a charm.

  • I am very curious about this statement. He likes the "almost same" amp that I have, and also the Kemper. But they don't go well together?


    guizmobro Is it possible to route other audio through the Kemper at the same time? So that I can hear a backingtrack in the same headphones for example?

    Yes agree with vjau75 . When I tried to use mu THR100 to use it like a flat monitor for my Kemper it just didn't sound good. That's at least what I think he means.

  • I'm thinking of connecting my (soon to be purchased) Kemper to this Yamaha amp and use it as a speaker for home practicing

    Along those lines, it's worth mentioning that a pair of studio reference monitors are also a great way to practice if you have a computer audio interface / DAW recording setup. The THR5 will color your guitar sound to some degree. Because powered reference monitors are FRFR by design, you hear what your Kemper is really giving you from the L/R main outputs.


    You can get great quality representation of your tone at low volumes this way, and if you do any recording, what you hear is what you get. Of course, that's yet another thing to spend money on but these days you can get good quality powered studio monitors for not a lot of money at all.

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

  • I was actually looking at iLoud for monitoring Kemper. Hoping it have flat sound like the studio monitors.

    While I have no experience with iLoud, they're not advertised as reference monitors or even FRFR for that matter. The only thing I saw in specs was the frequency response of 50 - 20k, which doesn't tell you anything about which frequencies might be disproportional.


    It's not uncommon for quality consumer grade speakers that are designed for listening pleasure to be heavily hyped on the low end (even earbuds - listen to your song on reference monitors, then on your iPhone via Apple ear buds and you'll wonder who the heck dimed the bass knob when you weren't looking).


    Side stepping for the moment the whole "guitar cab in the room" thing, at this point what you probably want to hear is an accurate representation - the good, the bad, and the cosmetically challenged - of what a given profile sounds like. This is what FRFR speaker cabinets and studio reference monitors are designed to do. While none are perfect, the goal of this style of speaker isn't to artificially enhance the listener's experience. It's to tell the truth.


    With that in mind, even an inexpensive set of speakers that are designed for use as studio reference monitors will serve you much better than a random speaker choice with different priorities. Your iLoud example was $250. A pair of small powered Mackie reference monitors is $300.


    https://www.sweetwater.com/sto…ch-powered-studio-monitor


    If you want to go with an active FRFR speaker, I bought a Yamaha DXR-10 based in large part on how much love they get around here. It's certainly not the only one people like but it does sound great. This goes for $600.


    https://www.sweetwater.com/sto…w-10-inch-powered-speaker


    You can spend five figures on studio reference monitors if you have a commercial studio, deep pockets, and can justify the expense. However, past a certain point, the benefits become subtle and aimed at mix engineers with golden ears. What you need at the the moment is "best bang for the buck." Mackies fit the bang for the buck category.


    I still have a larger pair of HR824s as my main studio monitors. They're not sexy, and I could spend more money to get some subtle improvements, but they deliver great quality for their price point. I also have an earlier version of the smaller ones that I linked to above in my office / B room. And once you open the door to inexpensive studio reference monitors, plenty of other guys here will probably make additional suggestions since there's a lot of good gear out there at a low price point.


    In your case, it's a matter of looking for the right kind of gear, and for something like the Kemper, you want speakers that tell the truth rather than enhancing any particular part of the spectrum.


    That said, while you're saving your money there's absolutely nothing wrong with using the Yamaha to practice with in the meantime. Tweak it until it feels good to you. Then play guitar.


    When you can afford to upgrade, either studio monitors or active FRFR guitar cabs would be my suggestion for the next step. If you want something you can take out and play with others, saving for long enough to get something like the DXR-10 would be a better choice then studio monitors. However, if you're only playing in the house for now, studio monitors get the job done and also help you build a recording environment. You can always buy an FRFR at a later date if you want to rehearse / gig with others.

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

  • Thanks Chris Duncan .. This is really useful information for me. I'm gonna go with the studio monitors to get the best out of it!! By the way, I just got my amp. I am unpacking it now as we speak! I'm so hyped! Any idea where I should put these annoying half drunken elves that's been bugging me ever since I picked up my amp?

  • By the way, I just got my amp. I am unpacking it now as we speak! I'm so hyped!

    Keep calm and take your time! The first night I had it, I just unpacked but didn't try it, because I knew I wouldn't be able to stop and I had to take care of my kid. The 2nd evening, I played 4 hours straight which hadn't had happened in a long time ;)


    Enjoy!

  • I'm kinda daunted by this unit.. I was like "how the hell am I suppose to use this live??" :P I was also so eager to install Mbritt profiles, but they didn't include USB cable in the package, and I don't have that kind of USB cable here. BUMMER!

  • Don't be. It's actually really easy. Just treat it like an amp in the first instance.


    Watch the tutorial videos on the website when you are ready. The reference manaul canbe downloaded from the website too and you should read through it at some point but for now just turn on plug in and have fun.


    There are already some MBritt Profiles in the factory content. You can also transfer profiles by USB stick until you get the right cable. However, the cable is just a standard printer cable so if you have a printer unplug that and borrow the cable :)

  • Yeah. I actually went down and found one in the basement of the apartment building here. I remembered there were a bunch of cables lying around there. Any idea where I can purchase these plugins from Mbritt? I saw it on youtube, more specifically Matchless SC30 R 2- (Matchbox 30) - M. Britt

    Profile Pack 1

  • We aren't supposed to discuss specific commercial profilers in the main forum. There is a sub forum specifically for this. Sometimes threads get moved by mods when you start discussing profilers in the main forum.


    What I would say is that Michael has his own website (as do most of the other familiar names). Just Google for the appropriate profiler and add something like Kemper Profile packs to the search.

  • Ah ok I didn't know. Thought that was the main thing about the Kemper :P

    True enough, but the mods do a good job of keeping this forum friendly, well mannered and spam free. If I have to comply with the occasional rule to keep this such a good environment, it doesn't bother me at all.


    It's perfectly fine to discuss commercial products, they just ask that you do it in the appropriate sub forum.

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

  • Ahh I see. I thought he meant that it was illegal or something.. Was thinking in the lines of "maybe it's illegal to talk about paid presets because it's against Kemper's rules" or something. :P May I ask something else? I am currently trying to assign rigs and stomp boxes to my Remote.. What happens when I turn on another amp? Will I lose all my assigned stomp boxes, stomp delays, wah etc? I'd like to store it as a PEDAL set, but can't find anything in the manuals about it. It was a pretty sparse manual.


    EDIT: And also the looper button on remote isn't working it seems. It just says "empty" when I try to push it and loop my chops :P


    Oh man I have thousand questions. How do I remove/delete stomb effects that I have added to "X" or "MOD".. How do I assign a function to my Remote, for example delay freeze? Sorry guys. I'll stop bugging you if there is some place good where I can learn all of these things :P

    Edited once, last by keem85 ().

  • Hmm I'm testing out performance mode now, trying to add different amps to 1 - 2 - 3 - 4, but I can't figure it out.. All I manage to do is to get "slot 8 - new performance", But i'm not actually able to assign anything.