Profiling Help

  • Hey Guys!!


    I've been using my KPA for about 5 years now. It's been all over the world with me, and I'm embarrassed to say that today, for the FIRST TIME EVER, I have decided to try and profile some of my amps. I don't have a huge collection of mics or studio gear, but I've got a protools rig at home, and I've got some awesome plugins I would like to use in conjunction with them.


    I want to profile 3 of my combos through my Apollo Twin Quad for plugins. I tried it earlier just running a mic to the return input on the kemper, and the tones I got were okay, but I know I'm capable of getting better. I'm using a Sennheiser 609 silver.


    How should I run this chain so I can include the plugins on my UAD Apollo?


    Any help you can give me would be much appreciated. Including tips on cabs and such. For instance, when I profiled my Tupelo earlier, I loaded it and the cab section was not enabled. Is this because it assumed I had a cab on it when it was profiled and thus didn't need another one?


    I know this thing can get some amazing sounds captured, I just need to be pointed in the right direction to get there. Help me stay sane during this quarantine now that all my gigs have been cancelled haha..


    Thanks!

    Chad

    I've had a longer relationship with my Kemper than anyone I've ever dated. I'm not mad about it.

  • So, I don't have an Apollo but I run my Mics through my computer as well and mix them in my DAW with EQs, Saturations etc.

    My signal chain looks like this.


    Kemper Direct Out -> Amp (or Stompbox)

    Microphones -> RME Interface

    DI Out from Amp (with a two notes captor) -> RME Interface


    In my DAW I mix everything together. Sometimes I use a Cab Simulation (ML Soundlab MIKKO is killer) for the DI signal and blend it with the microphones. This is a bit more complicated as you have to align the phase and timing of the different signals but I've done it with success.

    Than I route the complete sound to and Aux Bus. The output of this Aux Bus is routed to an own output of my RME Interface. And this output is cabled to the Kemper Return. :) Sounds complicated but I've made a template for this so I don't have to do this again.

    To do the profiling I have to activate the monitoring button in my DAW so the signal goes direct through the whole chain and out of my interface. You have to make sure that you don't produce any kind of endless feedback chain.


    Whats really great about this, you could record some riffs or do some reamps and mix everything together, you can make different variations and adjust the volume for an honest compare between the sounds and than profile the best or different combinations and blends.

  • That is awesome advice! Thank you for the tip. Seems like it's a bit over my head, but definitely would give you some flexibility that I'm not getting from the current setup haha. I just know that the main profile I've used for 5 years is that AC20 free profile that was apparently done in an apartment with just a 609. It sounds glorious and I'd like to capture a few of my amps with that much character!

    I've had a longer relationship with my Kemper than anyone I've ever dated. I'm not mad about it.

  • Sorry, as I said in my main post, I haven't figured out how to run it into my interface. I'm pretty new to it, despite having used this for years. Just wondering what the signal path would be for me using a pretty bare bones setup. I've got a couple of mics I can swap out, but essentially it's Amp, Kemper, UAD Apollo Quad that I'm trying to figure out how to run.

    I've had a longer relationship with my Kemper than anyone I've ever dated. I'm not mad about it.

  • Sorry, I think Navar’s post answers the signal chain question. I was just trying to point out that if you want to do this in order to use plugin in the signal path you need to be cared which plugins you use. I expect the 1073 plugin will work fine and probably the Studer too but the 1176 might not profile well at all. The manual spec issues not to use compressors when profiling

  • Sorry, as I said in my main post, I haven't figured out how to run it into my interface. I'm pretty new to it, despite having used this for years. Just wondering what the signal path would be for me using a pretty bare bones setup. I've got a couple of mics I can swap out, but essentially it's Amp, Kemper, UAD Apollo Quad that I'm trying to figure out how to run.


    Kemper Direct Out Output connect to Amp

    Microphones connect to UAD Mic Input 1 and Input 2

    UAD Line Out 3 or 4 connect to Kemper Return Input


    In the UAD console mixer app thing route the microphones to the connected Line Out and make sure that nothing else is routed there. Blend the microphones like you want it. I don't know if you can create a bus or group in the UAD software but if so it makes it easier to mix them into that.

    I saw on the screenshots of the UAD software that you can select an output or a send or something like that, but it can't be difficult to figure it out.

    If you want to go through your DAW you have to do it like I've described above.

  • Sorry, I think Navar’s post answers the signal chain question. I was just trying to point out that if you want to do this in order to use plugin in the signal path you need to be cared which plugins you use. I expect the 1073 plugin will work fine and probably the Studer too but the 1176 might not profile well at all. The manual spec issues not to use compressors when profiling

    I totally get it now. Thank you for the tip about the comp! I will be sure not to use that one when I'm profiling it :)





    That is exactly what I needed. The idiots guide to profiling :) Thank you for putting it concisely for me!

    I've had a longer relationship with my Kemper than anyone I've ever dated. I'm not mad about it.