I did a bunch of profiling this week, primarily of a rather rare Aiken Tomcat head that I am about to sell. In the past I had tried using multiple mics and pres, blending them together, but I wasn't happy with the results. This time I just stuck a Sennheiser 421 (set on"M") in front of a cab and went for it. I also used the Kemper DI for versions of the same settings without a cab. It all generally went very well, but I noticed a few things:
1. The direct out of the KPA doesn't sound the same as simply plugging into the amp. It sounds *brighter*, more hi-fi, buffered. This led me to think a Radial Drag might help, but it was completely ineffective, KPA out sounded the same going through the Drag no matter the Drag setting. Is this something I can address with adjustments to the input section? Ideally, the DI from the KPA should drive the amp the same as the guitar alone.
2. For distorted sounds, the initial profile was darker and quieter than the ref amp. Refining a profile with a heavy hand seemed to make the profile louder, but even brighter than the amp. Using a moderate attack brought the volume up without getting a lot brighter than the ref amp. It makes me wonder if there should be a way to shade in the changes the refinement brings - 0% to 100%. It would also be helpful to be able to level match the KPA and the ref amp during the profiling process - meaning the too quiet pre-refined profile could be adjusted to be louder.
3. The low end of the profile never quite matched the ref amp. The ref amp always sounded a bit more open in the low frequencies. It's not simply volume, it's clarity, size and depth as well.
4. I'm wishing there were a multi-band compressor or a very capable de-esser that could be set to any annoying frequency in the KPA. Ideally the bandwidth would also be adjustable, along with the standard attack and release controls.
Comments and guidance appreciated! Best...H