Kone & Kabinet Q&A

  • ckemper


    How will the Kone software treat Direct Amp profiles? Will it be auto on or?


    Automatically.


    That's what the manual will tell:


    You probably use Direct Profiles in your live set, such as acoustic guitar sounds or bass rigs. Direct Profiles are marked by having the Cabinet Module set to „empty“, thus featuring a full range sound. Running a full range sound through a classic guitar speaker is unpleasant. Therefore, in speaker imprint mode (MonitorCabOff active), when switching to a Direct Profile, Kemper Kone will automatically switch to full range mode for that rig. No preparation needed.

  • will there be any ir for bass amps?


    We have plans for that.


    Modern bass amps are approximately linear. There is no real point to make imprints of those.

    The focus would be classic bass speakers that color the sound.


    However, bass amps such as Ampeg have been using different kind of speakers in their history.

    Maybe you guys can give us recommendations what speakers are most relevant.


    CK

  • Automatically.


    That's what the manual will tell:


    You probably use Direct Profiles in your live set, such as acoustic guitar sounds or bass rigs. Direct Profiles are marked by having the Cabinet Module set to „empty“, thus featuring a full range sound. Running a full range sound through a classic guitar speaker is unpleasant. Therefore, in speaker imprint mode (MonitorCabOff active), when switching to a Direct Profile, Kemper Kone will automatically switch to full range mode for that rig. No preparation needed.

    Thanks, if we have a guitar DA profile will there be an option to turn on the Kone speakers?

  • I think he means DI. I'm assuming you can still assign a kone imprint to a DI profile if desired?


    No, this is actually not planned.


    There is typically two kinds of DI Profiles.


    1) There are profiles taken from the DI output of a bass amp or acoustic amplifier, to adapt to a bass or an acoustic guitar.

    These profiles are full range (not flat responce), as they are not colored and lowpass filtered by a guitar or bass cabinet.

    They do not use distortion, the gain is at zero.


    2) Then there are profiles taken from a tube amp by a DI box, without capturing the speaker. We call them Direct Amp Profiles. These profiles may use the amp distortion, as usual. Direct Amp Profiles are typically created to be combined with a suitable cabinet preset (e.g. impulse responce) at a later point in time.


    The Profiler identifies DI Profiles by their CAB module being off or empty, and will automatically switch the Kone to full-range mode, as described.

    However, it has no means to distinguish between version 1) and version 2).

    And we think this is not necessary.


    We always assume that you will use the main outputs for a FOH mixing desk. To do so even with DI Profiles of version 2), you *have to* set up a suitable cabinet to complete your tube amp sound. By our definition, you have turned your Direct Amp Profile into a Studio Profile that automatically allows Speaker Imprints.


    In the case that you want to run Direct Amp Profiles straight into the Kone without using any other output, we would call this an exceptional way of using the Profiler. However, you can solve this situation by simply establishing an arbitrary cabinet (which wouldn't be heard in the end).


    Does this answer your question?


    CK

  • Yes, this answers the question.


    The reason I would like an option to turn it on for Direct Amp profiles as in #2 is for testing purposes. I can lock a cab there to try them but to save any changes with out the cab I would have to reload the DA profile with out the cab.


    I can see your point that this would be an exceptional way to use them but it is for development purposes and not use purposes.


    Thanks,

    Tim

  • It's more of a personal preference thing. A closed cabinet will give more bass, but that may not be desired. Raising a closed cabinet off the ground will lose bass which might be comparable to an open cabinet on the ground.


    Some players like the open sound of an open cab. Metal players would probably prefer a closed cabinet.

    It's so much more than that, an open back cab can fill a room with the reflections coming off the back walls. Move the cab closer or further away from the wall or corner to find that sweet spot. But, CK specifically said they didn't attempt to capture and replicate the frequencies coming off the back of the speaker. Although he said the Kone in an open back cab sounded good, he made no mention how accurate or realistic it was.

  • I've only made 1 profile myself, which was a DI (or DA I guess) of my JCM800 2210 which has it's own DI output, it's the main rig I use (it turns out I spent the first 6 months looking for a profile that sounded like my amp, until I just profiled mine). I mainly play through a cab but I'll make sure I attach a cab module to it to use with a couple of Kones when they're available

    Cheers

  • For clarification:


    a D.I. Profile of a guitar amp captures the Sound of the amp's preamp-section (without powerstage and without cab)

    a D.A. Profile captures the Sound of the whole amp (preamp plus power-stage) without cab.

  • For clarification:


    a D.I. Profile of a guitar amp captures the Sound of the amp's preamp-section (without powerstage and without cab)

    a D.A. Profile captures the Sound of the whole amp (preamp plus power-stage) without cab.

    No, this is not exactly our definition.


    See my definition above.


    A Direct Profile (DI) is a profile without a cab in general.

    A Direct Amp Profile (DA) is a subset of this, made with a tube amp and probable amp distortion involved.

    DA profiles can be either taken just from the preamp section or the whole amp (without cabinet)


    We strongly recommend to profile the whole amp including power amp, as you will achive the most authentic sound when you run the profile through a solid state power amp.


    CK

  • This DI Profile issue guides me to the next topic.


    There have been requests for a Speaker Imprint selection per rig. This is something that we want to deliver in a subsequent software version.

    The choice will be an individual imprint or - as default - the globally selected imprint.


    The question has arised where exactly to logically position this per-rig selection. The obvious choice would have been the RIG menue.


    But as we have thought about this more deeply, we came to the conclusion to put the selection it into the CAB modul.

    This way a selection can be made accordingly to the content in the cabinet module. A cabinet preset would carry the individual imprint selection when it is saved separately and later inserted into another rig.


    The somehow odd property is the fact that the imprint selection comes into action as soon as the CAB is switched off for the Monitor by activating "MonitorCabOff" and replaced by the Speaker Imprint.

    In a way, "MonitorCabOff" seems to be the wrong name, as the cab is not switched off, only the "virtual cab" is off.

    Can you handle this idea when you think about it for three seconds?

  • In a way, "MonitorCabOff" seems to be the wrong name, as the cab is not switched off, only the "virtual cab" is off.

    Unless I am missing something, it has always been clear to me that the KPA can switch the cab profile off, and not the... real cabinet (?)

    So, "MonitorCabOff" has been meaning to me that the cabinet profile is not sent to Monitor Out. wouldn't this be what we all have been getting since day one?
    :)


    Direct Amp Profiles are typically created to be combined with a suitable cabinet preset (e.g. impulse responce) at a later point in time.


    The Profiler identifies DI Profiles by their CAB module being off or empty, and will automatically switch the Kone to full-range mode, as described.


    Will there be a way to use one of the Kone's Imprints with a Direct Amp profile?


    Thanks :)

    Still chasing a worthy one :/

  • Let me get it right. If someone who uses imprints creates a CAB or RIG preset and someone else (who does not have Kemper CAB) opens it, doesn't that create a problem? Is it possible to add the global imprints off function(use imprints / don't use imprints)?

  • Will there be a way to use one of the Kone's Imprints with a Direct Amp Profile?


    As I understand: yes !

    You can make a D.A.-Profile, go to the cab-section: choose any virtual cab and also your desired Imprint. Then you push "Monitorcab off" in the Output-section and your desired Imprint automatically will feed the Kone.

  • Let me get it right. If someone who uses imprints creates a CAB or RIG preset and someone else (who does not have Kemper CAB) opens it, doesn't that create a problem? Is it possible to add the global imprints off function(use imprints / don't use imprints)?

    if someone does not have a Kone or Kabinet, they would not turn that feature on in the Output Menu.