Kone Konundrums

  • Hello all,


    First up, thanks to Team Kemper for their brilliant service as ever. Ordered two Kones online, they arrived really quickly, ace stuff.


    But. (And I have read the manual) I feel like I'm doing something wrong. I've installed the Kones into a 2x12 ENGL cab which had V30s in it. And it sounds thin and very un-Kemper-y. Like a fizzy 90s Multi-FX. The V30 sound in the Kemper Output doesn't seem anything like the V30s that were in my cab. When I scroll through all the speaker sims, they all sound thin and really toppy.


    Also, 'sweetening' and 'directivity' do hardly anything at all to the tone.


    I'm using a powered rack into the 2x12, and a reasonably high output Creamery humbucker pick up in my Fender Tele. I am coming out of the speaker input with a regular speaker cable. Monitor cab OFF is ticked, Kemper Kone is ticked. I've taken the cabinet off in the stack setting. Monitor Volume is -25db.


    I am convinced it's me that's doing something wrong, as the videos on YouTube sound great and nothing like what I am getting.


    Any suggestions? Be slow with me because I am a bit of a luddite. Thank you in advance!

  • I'm pretty sure you need to put the cab on in the stack ...

    Thanks - that seems weird though, I thought the point of this was to replicate a cab on the output, so there would be no need for the cabinet on the amp, if that makes sense. Now surely it is basically going through two cabs - and I have the same kind of wooly and over-middy sound that I used to get if I accidentally left the cab on when I was putting it through my 'regular' Marshall 4x12.

    Or am I getting this totally wrong?

  • the cone is flat. its made to take cab profiles, so the cabs should be on. Right? like through a PA speaker

  • But surely that means it’s going through whatever cab the profile in the stack has on it, and then also going through whatever cab it’s set to in the output menu?

  • yes. leave your cabs on

    I dont own the cone. Im currently running it into my 1x12 Mesa Combo. It has the black shadow speaker so in my case ALL cabs are off. Otherwise it sounds thin and fuzzy. Cabs off (for my situation) sounds awesome

  • I would leave the profile cab stack alone. You can either run it with Monitor Cab on or off in the output settings. With it on, you will still be using the cab included with profile, the sweetening parameter will be available, and the kone will be in flat mode. I find this approach works much better for gainy profiles. With monitor cab off, the profile cabinet is bypassed, and you can then select speaker imprints in the output settings and directivity will be an available parameter. I've found the V30 speaker imprint to be bright and fizzy, as you are describing it. Another thing I recommend trying is cabinet placement. I first had my kone loaded cabinet elevated and pointing directly at me, and that didn't work well at all. On the floor and vaguely pointing at me seems to work better; however, I often find that in that configuration using the flat (monitor cab on) setting that gainy profiles are somewhat dark and boomy.

  • I would leave the profile cab stack alone. You can either run it with Monitor Cab on or off in the output settings. With it on, you will still be using the cab included with profile, the sweetening parameter will be available, and the kone will be in flat mode. I find this approach works much better for gainy profiles. With monitor cab off, the profile cabinet is bypassed, and you can then select speaker imprints in the output settings and directivity will be an available parameter.

    But this makes no sense... I mean, your explanation makes sense. But now I am going through two cabs, which I don't want to do. I basically want my cab to sound like it has V30s in it (or whichever ones I want from the Imprint selection). But now it has V30s in it AND whatever the profile has on it.

    I am convinced I am doing something wrong at my end because the YouTube demos are great.

  • But this makes no sense... I mean, your explanation makes sense. But now I am going through two cabs, which I don't want to do. I basically want my cab to sound like it has V30s in it (or whichever ones I want from the Imprint selection). But now it has V30s in it AND whatever the profile has on it.

    I am convinced I am doing something wrong at my end because the YouTube demos are great.

    You won't be going through 2 cabs if you have Monitor Cab Off selected. When that's selected, it removes the cab from the Monitor output, but allows it to continue through the Main outs.

    Go for it now. The future is promised to no one. - Wayne Dyer

  • You won't be going through 2 cabs if you have Monitor Cab Off selected. When that's selected, it removes the cab from the Monitor output, but allows it to continue through the Main outs.

    Okay, I am using a speaker cable from the speaker out into the cab I've put the Kones in. So the Monitor Cab being Off or On is affecting the sound.


    Should I be doing something else?

    Using a (regular) cable from the Monitor Out into the cab sounds very very bad whatever settings I fiddle with.

  • Okay, I am using a speaker cable from the speaker out into the cab I've put the Kones in. So the Monitor Cab being Off or On is affecting the sound.


    Should I be doing something else?

    Using a (regular) cable from the Monitor Out into the cab sounds very very bad whatever settings I fiddle with.

    have you engaged your cabinet back on?

  • have you engaged your cabinet back on?

    Yeah and it now sounds a bit like when I put it through my regular Marshall cab with the cab setting left on. It's better though, with a bit of tweaking. I wonder if that's what I got wrong - it didn't instantly sound like a V30 or whatever.

  • the cone is flat. its made to take cab profiles, so the cabs should be on. Right? like through a PA speaker

    Mhhh... We are talking of using Imprints.
    Apart from the fact that the kone "is driven to linearity by the KPA's DSP" (which would make it anyway more linear when Imprints are not used), Monitor Cab has to be off in order for the Imprints to be engaged. So the kone is not going to see the cab profile (in this situation).

    But the point that in order for the Imprints to sound as designed the Cabinet has to be on in the stack is not trivial nor - AFAIK - documented.

    Yep, we know you can't use DI profiles in order to be able to engage the Imprints, but this is not necessarily the same as saying that cabinet must be on (in the Stack).
    That's why I am asking someone in the know for an explicit statement.
    :)

    Still chasing a worthy one :/

  • Monitor cab off should be ticked, kone should be ticked and the cab in output stack should be on. It is a little confusing, but essentially it's like this;


    - Kone being ticked tells the kemper that you're using the kone so it will adjust the output for imprints or FRFR depnding on monitor cab setting (I'm sure you knew this already)

    - Monitor cab off tells the kemper that on the monitor out you want it to ignore the IR in the output stack and instead use the kone imprints. The other outputs of the kemper will still have the IR on them and not the imprints.

    - Turning off the output stack would only really be for if you're using an external IR like a two notes or running in to a standard guitar cab.


    If you turn off the output stack then the kemper will only send the head (no imprint/IR etc) direct to the output, as you're essentially saying you don't want any output section on your profile.


    Maybe the easiest way to remember it is just don't touch the output section when using the kone.


    Hope that helps

    - Liam

  • Most of this is true, but let me clarify one point:


    If you switch off the cabinet module in a Rig, the KEMPER Kone logic assumes you want to play acoustic guitar using a direct PROFILE. In this case it supersedes the Speaker Imprint selected in the Output Section and switches to Full-Range Mode just for this Rig. In case this is not a Direct PROFILE for acoustic guitar, it means you are hearing a tube amplifier PROFILE without cabinet PROFILE and without Speaker Imprint through a full-range cab. Not a nice experience. So, leave the cabinet module on for normal electrical guitar applications and just activate Monitor Cab. Off in order to switch the KEMPER Kone into Speaker Imprint Mode.


    This information is included in the KEMPER Kone section of the Addendum and Main Manual by the way.

  • Yeah and it now sounds a bit like when I put it through my regular Marshall cab with the cab setting left on. It's better though, with a bit of tweaking. I wonder if that's what I got wrong - it didn't instantly sound like a V30 or whatever.

    Did u managed to get sounds like a V30? And what kind of profile u using - high or low gain?

  • Wow I just found this thread and it's my exact same experience. I just put two Kemper Kones in my Victory 2X12 and it's so disappointing just thin and tinny. I've done cab on cab off and all the different speaker choices as well as the bass booster. But it's not even close to a good tone. Has anyone ever figured out the solution to this? I feel like I'm one button push away from great tone. But as it is it's no good.

    Sounds great through a regular guitar cab though with regular speakers.