Help with multiple issues and harsh tones from new Kemper

  • Received a new Kemper yesterday, and I have spent over 16 hours and have yet to get a useable tone out of it. It began crashing about 5 minutes after I began using it. Contacted Kemper support. Trying to fix that caused the rigs in the browser to sound like they were a mile away down a deep well with reverb. The fix for that caused every model in the browser (but not perform) to have what sounds like an auto-wah pedal on in the background, which would not go away even with effects turned off. One rig file is corrupt and keeps showing up as being removed when loading the rigs. That all seems to be resolved (except that the glitched rig still gets kicked out and is not in the bank) after the tech had me do another type of reset.


    However, my main issue is that every rig in the Kemper seems to have a hard/stiff, harsh/brash, clanginess to it. I have adjusted the input sensitivity for clean and gain, adjusted the mains ouput by -12db to keep from overloading the speakers, and that seemed to lower the amount of the harsh tone, but it is still there, just turned down somewhat. The highs do not sound musically pleasant at all, even on the clean rigs. It is very sharp and ice-picky, even with very warm PAF pickups in a couple of my guitars. It reminds me of having the wrong Line/Amp switch engaged while running to a powered cabinet with an old Vox Tonelab I had. Like the "cabinet sim" is not turned on or something and it is just raw signal.


    I own many other modeling amps, and while scrolling through their models, there are some I do not like, but they all have a distinct feel and personality, and I get what the programmer was going for. With the Kemper, all the models sound like the same model, just with different amounts of gain or a different EQ setting. I cannot imagine this is correct. My 50 dollar Pocket POD has more authentic sounding models through these speakers than what I am hearing from the Kemper Rigs. Is my unit defective, or is there something major I have missed after 16 hours of scouring the forum and reading the manual multiple times? I am running it through KRK Rokit 6" powered Monitors, but have also tried it through 2 powered speaker cabinets, using mains out and monitor out. Nothing removed the harsh tones. Please help.

    Edited once, last by Mr Bee ().

  • please make a backup first.

    then install the latest OS and should the issue still persist, please record a short sample of the issue.


    Since you have already contacted Support, I'd suggest you follow their instructions.

    They are the best source of help for troubleshooting.

  • I have already installed the latest OS. I did not buy the Kemper to record with, and have no ability to record a sample. The instructions Kemper support gave me temporarily cured the glitches, but now the background Wah sound is behind every rig in the Browser function again, and repeating the instructions given by the Kemper tech did NOT remove it this time. It is there again on startup even after the reset.

  • A lot of gain profiles are quite bright and work in a mix, but sound too much alone. Try the Michael Britt free profiles to see if they help. His sounds are a lot darker than most and might suit you. A least it will help you see if the unit is faulty or not.


    Whenever I get some new gear, it is best to let the dust settle before worrying too much. The warranty if active for quite a while longer.

    Karl


    Kemper Rack OS 9.0.5 - Mac OS X 12.6.7

  • Kemper help line never texted back after the 2nd suggestion. I have been reading online for days. Found out how to reset the Kemper to factory blank state and reload the entire operating system. The glitches don't seem to be happening any more, but I'll tell you, it has RUINED my confidence in the Kemper.


    Any product that requires over a week of resetting every parameter possible and a complete wipe of the entire system to get rid of a corrupt rig that the factory installed does not earn my confidence at all. If it was a "known issue" as the Kemper tech said, then why didn't they recall the units? I'm never going to be 100% sure that my Kemper is not still defective in some way.


    I am THINKING it is working correctly now, but I have still not found one rig in it that does not seem to have a harsh and fake sounding high end (like a cheap Line-6 POD through earbuds) I have tweaked every input and output parameter anyone has suggested and it still sounds very sterile and harsh, and its present on almost all the rigs. I can dial it out by changing a half-dozen settings, but then the entire rig sounds like mud under water. Same through my Rokit Monitors or a powered amp cabinet.


    A lot of the Marshall amp rigs I like do have a great sounding "Karang" when I am just playing chords, but finding a lead tone that isn't icepick harsh when playing the treble strings has been elusive so far. Any further suggestions greatly appreciated.

  • Kemper help line never texted back after the 2nd suggestion. I have been reading online for days. Found out how to reset the Kemper to factory blank state and reload the entire operating system. The glitches don't seem to be happening any more, but I'll tell you, it has RUINED my confidence in the Kemper.


    Any product that requires over a week of resetting every parameter possible and a complete wipe of the entire system to get rid of a corrupt rig that the factory installed does not earn my confidence at all. If it was a "known issue" as the Kemper tech said, then why didn't they recall the units? I'm never going to be 100% sure that my Kemper is not still defective in some way.

    Deleting a corrupt rig or updating the system to get rid of it should not take a week but a couple of minutes to do. Other users that were suffering from the same problem solved it in an instant with the help of our support team. I am sure you will agree that recalling units for a problem that can be solved with a simple software update would be a waste of time and resources for both parties involved. If you tell me your ticket number I will take a look at it to see what went wrong in your case. Have you checked your spam folder for any missed responses?

  • The fix for the corrupt rig Kemper support sent temporarily fixed the problem, but then it reloaded every time the unit rebooted. I do see that Kemper support sent one more message about the wah-effect problem suggesting that I might have had a wah pedal plugged into the unit and not realized that I had plugged a wah pedal plugged into the unit...


    It was taking a day for each reply to individual questions I was asking Kemper support. I eventually just began reading everything I could find on here, and that is how I figured out how to reset to factory state and reload the operating system. That cured the wah-effect problem, crashing problem, distant down-a-well sound problem, and corrupt rig problem, etc, I had been experiencing since I unboxed it.


    Its not like it was a single glitch that was cured as soon as it rebooted once. Every issue I have run into took hours of time trying to research and understand how all the various resets, reboots, backups, transfers from computer to USB sticks from Kemper website downloads, formatting problems with the USB, and so on, work. I am sure that not recalling the defective programming saved Kemper a lot of wasted time, but it sure hasn't saved me any. This Kemper may turn out to be my favorite piece of gear in the long run, but in 35 years of playing guitar, I have never had a rougher start with a piece of equipment.


    The help-line ticket number changed a couple of times, but the last one in my text is KA00170427.

  • thank you for providing the ticket number. We did reply to each one of your 3 tickets within 24 hours and asked for a backup and a recording of the issue but unfortunately we never received any response to any of our replies. Since you were able to fix your issue with a reset it must have been some odd setting so I am confident that we could have identified the cause of your issues with a backup very quickly.

    In one of your tickets you mentioned that the "cocked wah" sound only appeared in browse mode and not in perform mode.

    The difference between these two modes is that in browse mode the input settings are locked by default while in perform mode they are not. The Noise gate is a part of those settings. Chances are that you have accidentally set the noise gate to a very high value in browse mode which will kill most of the high frequencies and change the envelope of the resulting sound for all rigs in browse mode. Maybe this is what you described a s a "cocked wah" sound. Resetting the unit to its factory default state will also reset the noise gate values and fix that issue. Maybe you can try if the "cocked wah" sound returns when you set the noise gate to something like 8-10. If it does you have found the cause for your problem and can avoid this from happening again.

  • I have never set the noise gate or any other parameter to anything. I was simply turning the unit on and off at that point. After every instruction I was given to restart the unit while holding down a certain button on the Kemper, a new global issue developed. First, the unit was crashing, and would not even load. After following the first instruction, the entire unit sounded like it was down a deep well. After following the second type of reset instruction, that went away and the constant wah-sound occurred. After I reset again, and that problem disappeared, the corrupt rig was still present and showed up every time the Kemper loaded the rigs. At that point, I took it upon myself to research and try to find a solution, since each question I had required a 24 hour waiting period for an answer before I could proceed. At that time, I had no clue how to make a backup, and I still have no ability to make a recording because I am not set up for that.


    All of those issues seem to have resolved themselves when I reset the unit to factory state entirely following some instructions I found from someone here on the Forum. The only thing I am wrestling with now is trying to find a way to dial out the rather harsh and clangy treble frequencies I am hearing on every rig. I assume it is not inherent to the Kemper, and can be cured with some combination of Input settings, Output settings, Cabinet settings, Speaker settings, Presence, EQ, etc, but it is a lot of variables to digest. I will keep working on it.

  • The support team is located in germany - if you are living in the US a certain waiting time for a reply has to be accepted.

    If you did not know how to create a backup please ask for assistance. Our staff would have explained the process.

    Basically all you need is a standard USB stick, insert it into the PROFILER , allow the automatic formatting and then create a backup in the USB stick menu. Creating regular backups is highly recommended with any digital device.

    The whole process is described in the main manual.

    Generally speaking the PROFILER sounds great out of the box over any pair of decent studio monitors or headphones. The global Main out and Monitor out EQ in the output menu can be used to adjust the over all sound to your specific monitoring situation.

    In order to help you with your issue please provide some recordings and a backup. If you do not own any recording device with a line input maybe you have a friend that can borrow you one or you can use the input of your computers sound card with the right cable.

  • I understand that I can make a backup. However, in 2 weeks worth of trying to get the Kemper to work properly, I have yet to hear it functioning in a way that I would want a backup of. If the Kemper, out of the box, sound great through any decent pair or Studio Monitors (I have new KRK Rokit 6" powered speakers) then that makes me 99 percent sure that my unit is not functioning properly. I invited another player over to make sure it was not just me, and he described the lag as feeling like his fingers were playing through syrup while playing leads. The lag throws off your timing and messes up finger synchronization. You can't really tell its there while playing big chords, but it does impart a clangy harshness to the tone of every rig. Resetting the rigs, the midi, and the global settings does not get rid of the lag. Adjusting every EQ parameter and input/output setting that is described in the manual does not make it go away. Other units like an my older Line 6 POD, and Vox Stomplab do not exhibit the same problem when played through the same Studio Monitors or Powered Amp. They sound like they always have. I already followed the procedure several people listed here for resetting the Kemper to factory state, and then reloaded the operating system via the Kemper updated download. Please advise if there is another procedure I can use to reset the unit. There is nothing saved in it that I care to lose. I have been playing through the amps that the Kemper Profiles for 35 years. I know that what I am hearing cannot be what Kemper intends players to hear.

    Edited once, last by Mr Bee ().

  • I understand that I can make a backup. However, in 2 weeks worth of trying to get the Kemper to work properly, I have yet to hear it functioning in a way that I would want a backup of.

    Support needs your backup to scrutinize the problem.

    Otherwise everybody involved will only speculate.

    Therefore please follow support's advice.

  • As Ingolf said, support can carry out analysis from your back up. It isnt about saving what you have on the profilier. Its more like taking your phone or computer into the Apple store and they coneft it to their diagnostic software and can tell you what the problem is. If you won’t co-operate with them it seems unfair to critcise them on a forum.


    For what its worth I have always found support to be helpful. I have had my Kemper for 18 months and I can assure you I have absolutely no noticeable latency and absolutely killer tones. That would suggest theres is something wrong with your unit.

  • Kemper support has asked me to send:

    -A recording of the processed guitar signal.... which I cannot do because, as I have said, I have no ability to record.

    - A recording of the unprocessed guitar via direct out... which I also cannot do for the same reason.

    - A backup of the profiler reflecting the RECORDING SCENARIO... which again, I cannot do because I cannot set up a recording.


    Its not that I am "refusing to cooperate". I simply cannot provide them what they ask for unless I invest even MORE time and MORE money into recording equipment that I do not need or want, to continue testing a unit that was crashing and then continuing to malfunction from the minute I turned it on. I do have the ability to just make a backup of the Kemper on a USB stick, but would that even provide them anything useful? It does not sound like it would based on the reply from the support person.


    I understand that others are thrilled with their Kempers, which is what makes me sure mine is not functioning properly. I know that no one in their right mind would be happy with what I am hearing and feeling out of mine.

  • Grab your smart phone and do a vid of the problem. A backup of the profile you are having problems will tell them what is going on. They can load what you are using to test. That is why they want the backup.