Kemper sounds bad at low volume with studio monitors and good at high volume

  • Hello,


    My Kemper sounds bad at low volume with studio monitors and good at high volume. I have KRK rokit 6 monitors.

    Is there any way to fix this? Are my studio monitors bad? Should i add a subwoofer. What can i do?

    I really like my kemper but it is such a pain that IT doesnt sound good at low volumes.


    Greetings
    Michael

  • I think you're just experiencing the fact that louder (to a point) sounds better. I'm not being cheeky - it's real and not subtle. There's no way any amplified guitar is going to rock your world at acoustic guitar levels.

  • The other thing is this "Kemper sounds bad at low volume ". What do yo mean by 'bad'? In general, a low volume dialled in tone doesn't translate well at higher volume and vice versa.

  • I think you're just experiencing the fact that louder (to a point) sounds better. I'm not being cheeky - it's real and not subtle. There's no way any amplified guitar is going to rock your world at acoustic guitar level

    I agree, but has anyone ever played a yamaha thr10 for example? That thing sounds great at acoustic guitar volumes. So it is possible.


    I dialed the patches in at higher volume and at low volume they sound like shit, is there a way or a simple tweak to make it sound good at low vol? Or make a seperate set of patches/

  • How are you controlling your level? At the speakers or with the Kemper output?


    I recommend sending a higher level output to your speakers and turning the speakers down a bit to see if they like that better.

  • If you mean really high volume then you're battling the Fletcher Munson curve.


    You can use an EQ stomp to compensate for this effect and be able to turn it on or off, or just save the profile as a "low volume" version with the EQ section tweaked.

  • basic physics and anatomy dictate that our ears are more sensitive to some frequencies than others and this changes in a non linear fashion. Our ears are less sensitive to lows and highs at low volume than they are to mids. Therefore, as you turn down the volume we perceive the sound to be more mid heavy which often translates to dull/muffled/bad. However, if we set the sound to be pleasing at low volume it will have way too much bass and treble at higher volume. That’s why so many bedroom players use the classic V curve graphic EQ shape with all the mids scooped out. They sound god like in the bedroom but then get totally lost in a live band mix at higher volume.


    as previously mentioned read up on Fletcher Munson or Equal Loudness curves and all will become clear.


    basically you need to different EQ settings. This can be done by putting an EQ in one of the Effects blocks or by tweaking the Output EQ (which can be saved as a preset if you want).

  • First point. You talk about volume. What volume? Kemper output level? Rokits volume on the back panel of the speakers?


    In my case, with studio speakers at home, I have their volume maxed out (Back panel of the speakers) and I control everything else with the kemper or the computer. I don't touch the speakers settings.


    Good luck.

  • Hi Michael, sorry about your issue. One of my favourite things about the Kemper is that it sounds very similar at all volumes to me, obviously taking the Fletcher Munson thing into account. I did have a problem when I first got it as the volume pedal was in front of the amp block in the fx chain so as I turned down the volume, the gain went down as well. I just moved the volume pedal to the end of the chain and that sorted it out for me. I hope you get it sorted.

    A brace of Suhrs, a Charvel, a toaster, an Apollo twin, a Mac, and a DXR10

  • basic physics and anatomy dictate that our ears are more sensitive to some frequencies than others and this changes in a non linear fashion. Our ears are less sensitive to lows and highs at low volume than they are to mids. Therefore, as you turn down the volume we perceive the sound to be more mid heavy which often translates to dull/muffled/bad. However, if we set the sound to be pleasing at low volume it will have way too much bass and treble at higher volume. That’s why so many bedroom players use the classic V curve graphic EQ shape with all the mids scooped out. They sound god like in the bedroom but then get totally lost in a live band mix at higher volume.


    as previously mentioned read up on Fletcher Munson or Equal Loudness curves and all will become clear.


    basically you need to different EQ settings. This can be done by putting an EQ in one of the Effects blocks or by tweaking the Output EQ (which can be saved as a preset if you want).

    Thanks for this. It seems I can resolve the issue by making seperate low volume patches for noodling at home. For example i love a super reverb profile at low volume but when i turn it all the way up it is just too much.

  • I have Rokit 5's and my toaster sounds "great" at low volumes, even if going through my audio interface.

    Hmm, maybe because the 5's are a bit smaller?

    For low volume work it seems like it would be better to send the Kemper at full volume to make sure the speakers are getting a strong signal.

    Thanks, im gonna try this since I have the kemper master volume usually quiete low. Is that allright? Or should the kemper volume be maxed out?

  • Apart from the hearing matter, a reason for a big difference in tone at different volumes can be monitors placement. Experiment with distance from the back walls (specially for back-ported cabinets) and, above all, from corners.
    Generally speaking, the farer from such critical places the more a monitor's response mirrors the intended one. Regardless how you like them best, getting an as linear as possible response from your monitors will help you tweak your rigs in a more consistent way.


    Having said this, the way listening responds to volume variations is a given.


    HTH

    Still chasing a worthy one :/