Live at small venue with no FOH

    I have had my sights set on a mesa mark V for a while now however since ill be moving into an apartment soon, i would hate to spend so much on an amp i couldn't use at home. since then ive been thinking kemper but im not sure if it would be the best fit for me


    i have no worries about liking the tone of the kemper when compared to a mic'd amp however...


    my metal band has never played with any sort of foh or mic situation. basement/backyard shows, cranked amps and the drummer hits hard as he can. no real reason for a mic in a situation like this, in such a small space your pounding the audiences ear drums as it is. in a situation like this, how would the kemper paired with a power amp and guitar cab sound on stage compared to the other guitarists tube amp?


    am i better off just buying the mark V and getting something like a neural dsp VST for at home?


    edit: i make music at home separate from the band aswell so the quality of my home recording tone is just as important as my live sound.

    We don't play metal, but my band has played lots of small venues with nothing but our backline. Never have I run out of headroom or even come close.

    Do you have a PA for vocals?

    I am not a metal player but I have a Mark V:25, Studio .22, Two Channel 100w Dual Rectifier and a Triaxis with 2:ninety power amp. I never use any of them anymore. For home use even the .22 and Mark V:25 are way to loud to get a good tone from so I use the KPA. For rehearsals the powered Kemper head works great into a real cab or plugged into the studio PA. For live, powered head is plenty on stage if anything else is needed main outs to the FOH and you have everything covered.

    Couple of things:

    • In your case its as much to do with the power amp and Cab rather than the KPA itself ( if its unpowered). I play in a number of heavy rock bands and not come close to maxing out backline volume.
    • Its less about volume and more about finding your sonic "space". If you clash with other frequencies in the band ( e.g. bass or too similar sound with the other guitarist) your sound will not cut through
    • Regardless of size of venue I would ALWAYS mike up/go through the PA. Its not about volume, its about balance. You will find the opposite...you will have to be louder if you don't go through the PA as you will have to fill the room from your back line and it gets lost very quickly as soon as any people come into the room. A PA will give you additional "projection", plus you can avoid volume wars with the other band members.

    Agree...ALWAYS insist on being mic'd and sent FOH. Makes a world of difference as 1) guitar cabs are very very "directional" in nature and 2) your audience will appreciate you not having to turn your amp up to 10 and blowing their faces off! Lol.