Terrible Kemper sound

  • Hi.

    Ive recently purchased a bundle expecting it to suond like this (taken from their official website):

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    Heres what it sounds like when Im recording with it (MusicMan Jp13 ->Kemper -> Focusrite 2i2 ->Cubase


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    Purecab is dialed down to 0.
    Any ideas?

  • You can't expect profiles to sound the same 100%. That's never going to happen. It doesn't matter if you have the same guitar and pickups. We all sound different. I believe it was the profiler Cililab here on the forum that had a couple of different guitarists play the same guitar, pick and profile and if he hadn't told us that I would believed it was a couple of different profiles. When vendors make their profiles they refine their profiles to suite their guitars and playing style. So that is why the rest of us many times have to tweak the profiles a little. And some profiles we just don't like and that's fine too. Anyway I can clearly here the vendors profiles are much more limited and the higher the better it sounds. Nothing wrong with how it sounds from you. And it also depends, do you want pofiles to sound good on their own or in a band context, live or mixed. Or all three?

    Think for yourself, or others will think for you wihout thinking of you

    Henry David Thoreau

  • I understand there should be some difference,

    but it sounds nothing like the vendor's... Im just not sure if there's something wrong in my setup or some checkboxes that should be ticked in my kemper.. I believe there is something Im missing

  • It sounds to me like the guitars are doubled and panned. Did you try do the same with your profile?

    Have a listen to the difference..

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  • You are connecting to the 2i2 via XLR? The profile might be panned in the stereo field so ensure you are connected to the focusrite in stereo and you pan both channels left and right. Make sure the setting for each input is set to "line" and not "instrument" since the profiler is a line level device. Because you are going into XLR then you are at the mercy of the pre-amps in the focusrite and each pre-amp has a gain control. You need to find a ideal level for each channel with the gain knob.

  • XLR or `1/4 inch jack is all the same. What about in Cubase? When you add a track to record the profiler, are you adding a stereo track? Maybe you need to link both channels in the focusrite Mix Control software...

  • Unfortunately I dont have that kind of adaptor to fit my headphones into that jack.. I will only be able to tell tomorrow

  • Maybe it will surprise you but there is no big difference between the two records.

    "sounds nothing like the vendor's"

    I understand why you say this, but I think there's no big difference at all.
    I have experience, there are much more differences at the same setting.


    As Jocke said it is impossible to create 100% equivalent sound.


    Lots of things affect the sound:


    1. Tunig.

    1/a. For example, in drop tuning (especially from drop C and below) it will simply be different with the same preset.

    1/b. It is less important but the thickness of the string also matters.


    2. Pickup... needless to say why (EMG 81 or a 498T? Fire and ice.)

    2/a. Pickup height. Important.


    3. Pick attack. Fckn important.

    Your setting will be quite different under James Hetfield's right hand. :)


    Kemper related solutions:


    1. Important: ask if the seller has used the pure cab function.

    This has a great impact on the sound.

    In the case if if he didn't use it. (I think it should not be turned on by default especially if you make a demo recording as a seller.)

    It is not enough to set the parameter to zero. You have to turn this off!


    2. Important: If you listen to your recording on the sound card headphone output (or on speakers), it won't sound like in Kemper when you see this setting: output (menu) in page 5: (pipe ON) space >HeadphOnly. (the question is whether the seller has turned on this)

    You can also turn off the pure cab here.


    I guess I don't have to say that there is a huge difference between a single (one mono/stereo guitar track) a dual and a quad tracking recording.

  • Hi man,

    Im not trying to get 100% the same sound, however mine sounds awfully boxy and dull. Even through headphones.
    Purecab is indeed turned off.

    My jp13 (7string) is not a 498T. should be some relativity to the sound produced by them. even with stereo guitar tracks, it is awful.

    I'm really lost here.

  • Here's your clip with nothing changed except the volume brought up with a limiter, still dull sounding? :)


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    Sounds pretty similar to the seller clips to me, apart from the slight difference because of different guitar, pickups, strings etc.