Good Sounding Monitored Distorted Guitar Sounds Become Bad Sounding Played Back Guitar Sounds

    Hi,


    I'll get right to the point: The Kemper sounds great on distorted settings when I sit and play it straight through my monitors. It sounds great on distorted settings when I am monitoring it while recording with my DAW (Cubase 10). When I play them back, those distorted recordings sound much less than great. The best way that I can explain it is that the recorded distorted guitar sound looses depth and becomes somewhat harsh. I have tried both analog and S/PDIF outputs. I have experimented with different gain staging. I have tried different sample rates and bit depths. I have up to date equipment (most recent Mac mini and Apollo Twin quad mk ii). I see nothing wrong with my connections. It is my understanding that I should be hearing the same sound on playback that I heard going in. I am not. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and God bless.

    Probly not the issue, but you should check you have the output EQ set the same for both outs. There is one set of EQ for 'Main', and another for 'Monitor' outputs. If you have RM3, click on the output button, and you can see all the settings. If not, on the Kemper push the output button and scroll thru. There are also some output presets in RM3 you could try.

    I have noticed something similar and have wondered if maybe hearing the natural guitar tone in the room adds some of the frequencies that sound great in the moment but lackluster in the daw. Maybe add a little of the dry guitar to the profile to fill that back in?

    Hi Jerrold, yes you should hear the same thing back - minus the 'in the moment' feeling that you get when doing a take.


    Really great advice on checking the output eqs, but this is only if you are directly connecting to your kemper to your monitors for zero latency tracking using the monitor outs on the kemper, whilst you record your main outputs into your daw. Otherwise, if you are monitoring using your DAW there should be no difference at all.


    You don't have something (plugins or external hardware inserts) on your mix or print bus that you don't have on whilst tracking? Often (either due to inexperience or managing latency issues) people add something onto their main or print bus after they got the 'tone' or 'mixed sounds' that they already really like to make it louder etc. But if you are doing that, you need to 'mix into' those plugins - rather than trying to apply it as a 'polish' to what should already be the mixed sound.


    Cheers,

    Greg

    PRS Custom 22's - Fender Strats - Diezel VH4 - Carol Ann OD2 - Toneking Imperial MK2 - Colin the Kemper - CLR Neo ii.

    Thanks for the 3 of you for the input thus far. I am pretty sure that I have checked all of those points, but your reminders are good, so I will go through and see if I am missing something (which is entirely possible). Once again, thanks.


    Jerry

    Hey dude! A bit late to the party but did you ever get a resolve. I use Cubase 10 Pro and all of my metal tones playback like ass but sound great directly through my monitors. I've bought many different interfaces over the years expensive ones too and replaced and tried many cables and still ass. On all of my guitars is the same issue. Starting to think it's the kemper as I've tried everything to try and fix it.

    Are you saying that the guitar sounds great when you play it, record it, and play it back, but then it sounds thin and harsh when you play it back? "Play it back" cancels each other.


    How does guitar --> Kemper ---> interface ---> studio monitors sound?


    How does guitar --> Kemper ---> interface ---{

    ................................................|----------> stage monitors sound?


    Those two will not sound the same. So, the real question is; How are you specifically monitoring your playback, and are you using the exact same monitoring for playing, recording, and rendering?

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.

    I had this same feeling when I first got my Kemper and started recording. As I stated before, the SPACE was on by default in the output menu. So the Kemper sounded totally amazing in STEREO!


    But when I would track a mono channel, the recording was blahhhhk compared to the live sound because I was only getting half of the SPACE modified sound.


    That is why I turned SPACE OFF on my output channel completely and use it as a STOMP only. So it is on when I want it and am doing stereo tracking.


    Could there also be something in the recording software that is summing the Left/Right into a mono. Because that would also probably sound like wet ass. (Best description I could come up with)

    SPACE is activated by default on the HEADPHONE OUT only.
    You actually need to find and uncheck a tick box to have it in your MAIN OUTs.

    Guitar--> front input kemper--> SPDIF IN--> SPDIF OUT INTERFACE (Clarett 4pre) -->SPDIF OUT(interface)--> SPDIF IN Kemper.

    HS7(Monitors)-->XLR male out-->TRS--> Interface (same for both monitors).

    SPDIF output (Master Stereo)

    Main Output (Off) Monitor output (Off) Direct Output (Off).

    SPDIF Volume (Kemper) 0.0db.

    Pure Cabinet Checked but on 0.0

    SPDIF outlink Unchecked.

    Monitor cab off CHECKED.

    Main out checked -12db.

    Kemper Kone unchecked.

    Monitor Stereo Unchecked.

    Bass Boost Unchecked.

    SPDIF Clock 48khz

    Clock source SPDIF

    Sample Rate 48000

    Clock Status SYNCED.


    Sorry if its a bit long hopefully i aint missed anything out.

    i meant it sounds different when i play back the recording in my DAW like its broken or digitally glitching or something...every distorted tone ive tried and believe me ive tried hundreds all have this horrendous result. The tone doesnt sound like that when im playing through my monitors or headphones its just when played back in Cubase. Ive tried with all of my other guitars with the same results and in other daws i just cant get it right.


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    Quote from AdamMassacre1981

    i meant it sounds different when i play back the recording in my DAW like its broken or digitally glitching or something...every distorted tone ive tried and believe me ive tried hundreds all have this horrendous result. The tone doesnt sound like that when im playing through my monitors or headphones its just when played back in Cubase. Ive tried with all of my other guitars with the same results and in other daws i just cant get it right.


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    I could make that tone work in a mix easily. But with out a comparison of the good vs glitchy, it's hard to know what the problem is because this sounds generally fine... but...


    I play and record through my DAW using studio monitors or studio headphones --both are plugged into my interface. I do not use headphones plugged into the Kemper phones output at all. My recorded tone on playback is exactly the same tone that went in --and I mean exactly! If I went back and played over the recorded portion then I would get no difference in tone --just a volume increase (if I played it inhumanly perfect the second time).


    I suspect your routing of the Input/Output in the DAW Settings is not set up correctly. BTW, the SPACE option on headphones is useless if you listen with headphones plugged into your interface like I do. That only works with phones plugged into the Kemper. You can pass the SPACE option through the Main Outs and into the interface and DAW if you have that selected in Kemper Output Settings, but I am not sure if it is available on the SPDIF out. I always have SPACE off since it is not useful for recordings anyway.


    For a test, I would hook up only a single mono output into your interface using a TS cable, then load a single mono track in your DAW (no plugins), select the input for the track to correspond to the input you used on the interface (Mic/Line 1, etc). Then just make sure your outputs in DAW Preferences go out to your left and right monitors (that are connected to your interface). Arm the track, record it, and play it back. It should sound the same. The Kemper only produced the sound going in. It has nothing to do with the sound coming out (so to speak).


    I'm curious to know what you find.

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.

    Edited 2 times, last by BayouTexan ().

    Quote from AdamMassacre1981

    i meant it sounds different when i play back the recording in my DAW like its broken or digitally glitching or something...every distorted tone ive tried and believe me ive tried hundreds all have this horrendous result. The tone doesnt sound like that when im playing through my monitors or headphones its just when played back in Cubase. Ive tried with all of my other guitars with the same results and in other daws i just cant get it right.


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    Just to clarify, are you saying that the tone is fine through the HS7 connected via the interface when playing or with the HS7 connected directly to the KPA?


    Assuming it is via the interface then you can literally rule out the issue being with the KPA and also (almost certainly the interface). It has to be something in the daw unless you are using direct inout monitoring on the interface.


    Have you tried connecting by analog (main outputs) instead of SPDIF?


    Have you tried reducing the SPDIF level to something like -6db in case you are clipping somewhere?


    The good news is that you can

    Quote from Wheresthedug

    Just to clarify, are you saying that the tone is fine through the HS7 connected via the interface when playing or with the HS7 connected directly to the KPA?


    Assuming it is via the interface then you can literally rule out the issue being with the KPA and also (almost certainly the interface). It has to be something in the daw unless you are using direct inout monitoring on the interface.


    Have you tried connecting by analog (main outputs) instead of SPDIF?


    Have you tried reducing the SPDIF level to something like -6db in case you are clipping somewhere?


    The good news is that you can

    I think its just my ears and my lack of room treatment. When im listening to the soundcloud clip on my phone through my headphones it dont sound too bad yeah needs a little work but i kinda dont hear the "crappy-ness" as much or maybe ive been struggling so long (years) getting a sound that i just expect everything to sound bad and my ears are tricking me haha what i need is to get someone in my studio setup with fresh good ears and tell me in reality that it aint too bad and its all in my head hahaha.


    Yeah checked all the levels nothing is peaking and i have reduced the SPDIF level -6db and -12db tried all levels.

    Yeah tried main outputs with many cables.


    I guess the next plan of action is to fix my room and get it treated because ive kinda tried everything else at this point.

    Quote from DonPetersen

    not sure if this has come up yet, but arw you using proper SPDIF cables and not just RCA?


    Also as a test record the analog outputs and see if they play back corIve purchased many different


    Quote from DonPetersen

    not sure if this has come up yet, but arw you using proper SPDIF cables and not just RCA?


    Also as a test record the analog outputs and see if they play back correctly.

    Ive purchased many different SPDIF cables just recently purchased a pair of HOSA SPDIF Coaxial Cables True 75-ohm which im currently using.

    Quote from AdamMassacre1981

    I guess the next plan of action is to fix my room and get it treated because ive kinda tried everything else at this point.

    Room treatment is always a good idea and never wasted if done properly. However, I doubt it is going to help in your situation. If it was the room, it would affect the monitors equally during recording and playback but you said that everything sounds OK when tracking a recording; it is only playback that sounds off. The room can't be the cause as it is a constant in both situations.


    You are probably on to something with the ears tricking you idea. Our minds and ears often okay devious tricks on us.