Rehearsals with kemper in 2 guitar band?

  • Hey, I'm the new guy so I let the others decide what volume I should have. The Switchblade is a programmable tube head so I have a louder "patch" for leads.

    My hopes were that I could just bring a kemper stage from home to rehearsals & plug it into an appropriate power-amp+cab & have the same sounds & patches I have made at home. At home I use the kemper through 2 small studio monitors

  • Ahh OK.


    I would suggest you try to set up your sound around FRFR, even if you don;t use it long term. Direct is effectively FRFR and if you don't set it up that way. You need to base your sound around FRFR otherwise you are highly likely to have issues - I've been there.


    Most venues I play don't provide a backline. Plus there will be big differences between amps.


    I really recommend avoiding using the 4cm as your platform unless you are going to take your own amp to rehearsals and gigs, otherwise there are too many variables. Last thing you want, especially as the new guy, to be trying to sort your sound at a gig.


    If it was me I'd get eitehr a powered FRFR speaker e.g. DXR10 or get some time at the rehearsal space and hook up tot the PA direct. Get your direct sound sorted then even if your sound is compromised via an amp, you know the audience sound is great!

  • Totally....volume wars are the worst!

    Ughh..


    But it is fun if you're 15 and just got your 2204 & 4x12 with greenbacks... annihilating the other kid in the band with his..whatever "amp".. still trying to mess with you...haha..


    Freakin' kindergarten this was..^^

  • I've rehearsed (and gigged) with 2 x Celestion F12-X200's in a Marshall 2x12 and it was flipping great. No complaints from me or the other members. However, in that constant search for "amp in the room", I've now put 2 x K12H-200TCs in the cab and, to my ears, it sounds way better than the F12s. (That's using Kone Imprints, mainly Greenback and V30). Haven't rehearsed with it yet though.

  • The problem is that the rehearsal space doesn’t have a real PA system capable or handling both a singer & a guitarist. It’s very bad - the singer is barely audible between the wall of sound from the loud drummer & tube amps.
    I will need to build my own FRFR rig. What are the best speakers? 1 or 2? Active or passive? Good power amp? I’d prefer it if we would all use in ears at rehearsals but that doesn’t work unless everyone is in on it

  • The problem is that the rehearsal space doesn’t have a real PA system capable or handling both a singer & a guitarist. It’s very bad - the singer is barely audible between the wall of sound from the loud drummer & tube amps.


    If you can't hear the singer..this is bad..'big problem.At the next rehearsal you should ask your band mates to sit down to discuss a few things..

  • The problem is that the rehearsal space doesn’t have a real PA system capable or handling both a singer & a guitarist. It’s very bad - the singer is barely audible between the wall of sound from the loud drummer & tube amps.
    I will need to build my own FRFR rig. What are the best speakers? 1 or 2? Active or passive? Good power amp? I’d prefer it if we would all use in ears at rehearsals but that doesn’t work unless everyone is in on it

    Fair enough, we've all been here.


    I think you need your own rig, FRFR is my preference. My suggestion is, get a power amp and then you can drive whatever speakers/cab you want. Loads of choice but I'd get something with plenty of headroom, stereo for me is overkill...

  • There was a great post in here about adding a tone booster to the X slot to act as an eq boost. Although I don't play guitar in my band anymore I tested this at home next to my silver jubilee. I always find jubilee patches to be muffled and too bassy, used this boost method and the sharpness and attack returned.


    May be worth a try.

  • The reason we can’t hear the singer isn’t because we want to be louder than him. It’s because the PA is very bad - it’s just 1 old active pa speaker behind the drummer & a smaller 1 for the singer to hear himself.

    In the metal bands I’ve played with the drummer usually decides the volume. I’m not a drumming expert but it seems to be impossible to adjust the volume on acoustic drums when playing metal. We set the amps until the drummer says “OK, I can hear you”.

    Fair enough, we've all been here.


    I think you need your own rig, FRFR is my preference. My suggestion is, get a power amp and then you can drive whatever speakers/cab you want. Loads of choice but I'd get something with plenty of headroom, stereo for me is overkill...

    how much wattage will such a power amp need? Is the Orange Pedal Baby 100w enough?

    Edited once, last by linusius ().

  • how much wattage will such a power amp need? Is the Orange Pedal Baby 100w enough?

    Unfortunately I can't advise as I have a powered rack and haven;t looked into external power amps. For solid state amps, they do not equate to valve amp wattage. You need as much headroom as possible. Personally I'd go bigger to be sure but someone else might be able to better advise...

  • This is a huge jungle of options. I wish kemper offered an active kabinet for the kemper stage. I’m going with either an SD power stage 200 or an Orange Pedal Baby 100 & hope the volume is enough. Supposedly, the pedal baby is louder than a power stage because it’s class a/b

  • Its not exactly science but in my experience you'd need at least 400-500watts of transistor amp to get the same headroom as with a 50/100w valve guitar amp. Whichis probably why the powered Kemper is 400/600w.

  • yep Big Yin. I believe a major part of the reason is that power is measured to the point of 5%THD (might be wrong on the exact figure). Valve amp start distorting gradually and breach the THD threshold well before they deliver maximum power. Whereas, solid state amps deliver very close to maximum power then distort very quickly with little remaining headroom.