Saxophone

    There's another thread about using the Kemper for Harmonica which is interesting, but I think with Sax there's a different dynamic since harmonica players use the amp to give coloration to the sound, while sax players want as clean an amp sound as possible to be able to generate tone from the horn itself.


    I double (actually triple counting flute and this discussion would be relevant for that as well) on sax and guitar. I've been using the Kemper for guitar for the past year and it's been a revelation. Like most of us, I love tube amps, but - at least in my case - hauling around a decent tube amp has become more and more difficult with age.


    That said, one of the other things I love about the Kemper is all the awesome effects that are at your fingertips. I'm lusting for some of those effects to be available for my tenor and soprano saxophones. So, my two part question is, is anybody else doing this? And, whether or not, is this something that I should even think about doing? I'd never think of playing my sax through a real tube amp - too much coloration, but I can imagine a rig that is so clean that sax would sound great through it. I haven't found it yet, but I'm throwing the question up to see if anybody can give an informed opinion.

    I don't see why not, Bill.


    There are Profiles of mic preamps on the Rig Exchange, so I'd start there and use one as the base Rig, building effects therein.


    IMHO you'd be better off going for a mic-pre-based Rig as opposed to a clean guitar amp 'cause the saturation qualities will be more-in-line with what you'd expect as a horn player.


    If you're taking a line feed from a mic pre anyway, and if it exhibits all the grittiness you desire already, then simply disable the Amp and Cab blocks in the Kemper and use the effects to-taste.


    Let us know how you go, man. ;)

    You can search for the author "Downfall Studio". Very nice profiles of Neve 1073, Avalon, UA, API, Telefunken preamps. Search for "Neve" and you'll find even more.


    I use those from time to time for vocal recording rework and as well for acoustic guitars. Gives nice color and a chance to apply the great Kemper effects 8)

    To follow up, the first preamp rig I tried, the Downfall Studio Neve, sounds so fantastic that I haven't tried any of the others. I played clean and it sounds like my sax should. Then I played around with delays, reverbs, chorus, rotating speakers, phasers, etc. and the results were really nice.


    The problem with saxophone, as opposed to electric guitar, is that when I play, I can't really hear what is going through the amp. Even as opposed to acoustic guitar where you can isolate with good sealed headphones, with sax, the sound is going directly through your skull to your ears which overwhelms what comes through the headphones. So, to test, I pipe the output of the Kemper into my computer and record using Logic and listen to the results. It's a pain since it isn't real time, but it does work.


    To make a long story short, after several hours of playing around, I'm pretty convince this is the way to go. I've got to figure out how to make the stage cable management work, but I think it's doable. What I'm thinking is to buy a small mixer into which I'll run my guitar, sax and flute, then from the mixer into the return input xlr of the Kemper. Does that make sense?

    As a side note, as you said, you can just exclude the Amp/Cab section of any rig and just rely on the fx (mainly ambience, compression, EQ).
    It of course depends on the mic, but the less stuff in the way the more faithful to the original mic'ed sound :)
    Worth experimenting!

    Still chasing a worthy one :/

    Like 1

    Yeah, but saxophonists, vocalists and most who use a mic are used to and expect the colouration of their favoured preamp, or just any preamp as may be the case in a live situation.


    Technically, mic's require preamps anyway, so in the situation you're describing Bill would still have to employ the "cheap" pre on his small mixer if using the Aux input. The "classy" colouration he can add via the KPA using a decent mic-pre Profile would be invaluable here IMHO.

    Quote from Monkey_Man

    Yeah, but saxophonists, vocalists and most who use a mic are used to and expect the colouration of their favoured preamp, or just any preamp as may be the case in a live situation.


    Technically, mic's require preamps anyway, so in the situation you're describing Bill would still have to employ the "cheap" pre on his small mixer if using the Aux input. The "classy" colouration he can add via the KPA using a decent mic-pre Profile would be invaluable here IMHO.

    Makes sense M_M, even tho you won't necessarily find a profile of your referred mic preamp.
    Anyway, experimenting with things is, IME, the best way to really come to know things beyond everyone's (or own) "inherited" believes. One thing is to believe that a mic pre (profile) betters the sound in any case, and one other is to discover that in a given situation a more "direct" tone is what was missing for that mix.
    Things you can really learn only if you actually try them, IMO.


    Hope this makes sense mate :)

    Still chasing a worthy one :/

    Like 1

    I recorded a Variax acoustic through a Fishman Platinum D.I. from the rig exchange.

    Next I plugged in a Rode NT1 mic with a 1/4" adapter and recorded Congas and Harmonica with the same rig.

    Straight into a digital recorder using only Kemper Reverb.

    I think your Sax will sound Great.8)

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