Discovered a Problem...

  • Hey!


    Today I have played a lot with the KPA, and sadly discovered what seems like a huge shortcoming of the unit. Try to select a high-gain profile. Play a very high note and let it ring. While it is ringing do some chugga-chugga muted low notes. It seems to me the high note completely chokes the low notes. The low notes only start to bloom after the high note dies off. This is not a subtle thing, it is very noticeable on my machine. Christoph?


    sample:
    http://snd.sc/JrW7wH

  • Hey!


    Today I have played a lot with the KPA, and sadly discovered what seems like a huge shortcoming of the unit. Try to select a high-gain profile. Play a very high note and let it ring. While it is ringing do some chugga-chugga muted low notes. It seems to me the high note completely chokes the low notes. The low notes only start to bloom after the high note dies off. This is not a subtle thing, it is very noticeable on my machine. Christoph?

    That is amp dependent, in other words real amps do this too. The Kemper simply reacts the same. I suggest trying a better high gain amp. Maybe a Fortin, Framus Cobra.. you get the point. :thumbup:

  • Hey!


    Today I have played a lot with the KPA, and sadly discovered what seems like a huge shortcoming of the unit. Try to select a high-gain profile. Play a very high note and let it ring. While it is ringing do some chugga-chugga muted low notes. It seems to me the high note completely chokes the low notes. The low notes only start to bloom after the high note dies off. This is not a subtle thing, it is very noticeable on my machine. Christoph?

    I have to agree with mikeb, this has nothing to do with the KPA, it happens with reals amps as well. It's very amp and guitar dependent.

    Use your ears, not your mathematical sense.

  • Will listen to your sound file soon. For me I havnt noticed anythig unusual in the high gain stuff. Some pickups offer more note definition and less congestion then others too

  • Hey, thanks for chiming in.


    I get the same result with different guitars. All passive pickups, I do not use EMGs. I carefully set my levels, so I'm not clipping. Same behavior if I set "clean sens" to zero. I have this exact same thing happening on both the analog and digital outputs. I'm using 1.0.8. Now I'm a little worried, maybe I have a faulty unit? ?(

  • Just by chance, have you tried doing a system reset of your KPA?
    Hold the System button while turning your KPA on to perform it. It will not erase anything, only the settings.

    Use your ears, not your mathematical sense.

  • Thanks for the tip, unfortunately, it was not a solution. It's really strange that nobody else can reproduce this. Seems like a highly unlikely failure - it feels like it is a limitation of the current amp emulation.
    PS: I do not use the noise gate. I have tried different guitars, cables, profiles, outputs... etc.: same result.

  • I'm in Hungary. I have ordered my unit from Thomann.
    I think I'll wait the response of Kemper support, but it looks like my unit is faulty in some way (as nobody else can reproduce this).
    I hope I will be able to arrange a replacement.

  • I can reproduce this, my tests sound exactly like your sound example.


    real amps in hi gain mode do behave quite like this. Just tested it with my H&K practice amp: it takes some time for the chunky low notes to sound clear and powerful.


    there are some strange digital artefact problems going on with the KPA, but this phenomenon sounds realistic to me.

  • I think it is high gain phenomenon. With too much gain, and with pickups, it will be congested and compression will kick in...


    Here my 5153 profile hitting high notes then low....


    http://www.energiestudios.com/Files/High%20pitched.mp3


    most of the notes are coming through fine.....



    Here is my Actual amp. this is quieter and darker cause I only used a dark ribbon so they won't sound the same, but specially towards the end you can hear that compression happening in the real amp.. Also at the very end, I was able to replicate that low whirling wobbly sound when bending notes that everyone is worried about on the REAL amp. I think more or less its just the nature of distortion.



    http://www.energiestudios.com/Files/REal%20Amp.mp3