Kemper Profiler Stage through mixing desk

  • Hi everyone, I’ve just got a Kemper Profiler Stage.

    When I play through my audio interface it sounds quite right, but when I play through a mixing desk the sound is terrible.

    I’ve tried with the mixing desk at my band’s rehearsal place and I’ve also tried with a different and better mixing desk renting a rehearsal place per hours, but the sound remained awful, nothing to do with the sound I get at home through the audio interface.

    I’ve tried with both low and high volume settings at the mixing desk, I’ve also tried with KPS master output volume at -18 and at -12 but… no way. Obviously the mixing desk has always been with flat eq, no gain, no effects, no compression, etc.

    Any help is truly welcome, thanks! ;):thumbup:

  • First at all, thanks for answering Ingolf.

    I understand your point but then I'm seriously disappointed because one of the main reasons why I made up my mind to go Kemper was leaving behind head and 4x12 cab and being able to plug and play at ANY rehearsal place, jam or gig with ANY mixing desk.

    And going further, I had the same reasoning about playing through FOH, but probably, according to your words, I was wrong.

    So it will not work depending on the speakers of the mixing desk or foh?

    Truly disapointing... or maybe is there some point I'm missing? Again, thanks for your support :)

  • Hi

    If you are connecting it up correctly to the mixer and your cab sim is on, it should be just an eq thing, you can adjust your global eq in the output section to suit whatever system your playing thru, also theres a new high cut low cut section in the output menu which can help too. And u could also eq the mixer channel, I used to roll off a lot of top end on my mixer but not needed now with the high cut on the kemper.

    Best of luck hope this helps

    Ferg

  • Hi everyone, I’ve just got a Kemper Profiler Stage.

    When I play through my audio interface it sounds quite right, but when I play through a mixing desk the sound is terrible.

    I’ve tried with the mixing desk at my band’s rehearsal place and I’ve also tried with a different and better mixing desk renting a rehearsal place per hours, but the sound remained awful, nothing to do with the sound I get at home through the audio interface.

    I’ve tried with both low and high volume settings at the mixing desk, I’ve also tried with KPS master output volume at -18 and at -12 but… no way. Obviously the mixing desk has always been with flat eq, no gain, no effects, no compression, etc.

    Any help is truly welcome, thanks! ;):thumbup:

    Which output are you using to connect to each? I have to run mine at like -28 to -34 to get it to sound right in the mixing board. I run it as -12 to my interface and FRFR.


    Also, make sure the cab is on.

  • First at all, thanks for answering Ingolf.

    I understand your point but then I'm seriously disappointed because one of the main reasons why I made up my mind to go Kemper was leaving behind head and 4x12 cab and being able to plug and play at ANY rehearsal place, jam or gig with ANY mixing desk.

    And going further, I had the same reasoning about playing through FOH, but probably, according to your words, I was wrong.

    So it will not work depending on the speakers of the mixing desk or foh?

    Truly disapointing... or maybe is there some point I'm missing? Again, thanks for your support :)

    This is all correct, but don’t underestimate there really are qualitiy differences between different FRFR cabs which can make all the difference between a great or not so pleasant playing experience.

  • This is all correct, but don’t underestimate there really are qualitiy differences between different FRFR cabs which can make all the difference between a great or not so pleasant playing experience.

    This is true, just as it is with regular cabinets. Even two cabinets of the same model, with supposedly the 'same' speakers can sound different enough to be grating.

    It *will* work as you describe toni dd . There are tons of people doing what you've said. But it isn't and never was truly plug-n-play. Acoustics matter - and no piece of gear can automatically compensate. What sounds good in one room on one system won't necessarily sound good in a different room. At best it'll be different in some regard. Even with the same PA. It'll be an even larger difference with different room AND PA.

    That's where the output EQ comes into play. The sound should be similar room-to-room, but with various 'problems' due to how the room reacts, how the speakers you're using sound....etc.

    I would think a combination of output EQ and mixing desk EQ should get you what you need. Someone is always going to futz with the desk because the same room will react very differently based on a million factors you nor the KPA can control.

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

  • Which output are you using to connect to each? I have to run mine at like -28 to -34 to get it to sound right in the mixing board. I run it as -12 to my interface and FRFR.


    Also, make sure the cab is on.

    Hi patrick2099, I've only used the main output for both mixing desk and audio interface. I'll also give a try to your suggestion of lower between -28 and -34 when playing through the mixing desk. Thanks!

  • Another big thing, which you probably already know. Your tones for monitors and recording is probably going to be very different than your tone for live use through a PA. You need to make sure you set you tones up at the volume you will be using live. If it sounds good at lower volume, it is probably going to sound like poo live. If it sounds good solo, it's probably not going to sound good in a mix.

  • Hi

    If you are connecting it up correctly to the mixer and your cab sim is on, it should be just an eq thing, you can adjust your global eq in the output section to suit whatever system your playing thru, also theres a new high cut low cut section in the output menu which can help too. And u could also eq the mixer channel, I used to roll off a lot of top end on my mixer but not needed now with the high cut on the kemper.

    Best of luck hope this helps

    Ferg

    Hi again fergal, I see the global eq in page 4/8 of the output section, but I don't find that new "high cut low cut" in the output menu, on what page of the output menu is it located? Thanks

  • Sorry for asking this, I'm new here, but... is it advisable to install a beta version? Any drawback?

    Like any software, the beta release is less stable and you may encounter issues using it,

    so prepare a backup and be ready to switch back to the stable version and restore your backup if something happens..


    I've installed it a week ago and didn't encounter any issue, but I can't advise you on doing the same because I'm not a gigging musician and I don't really care if something happens and I'll need to restore the backup...

  • Hi Toni, there are eqs that you can use that have the high and low cuts built in to them, so you wont need a beta firmware. it just means using up a slot, I would put it in the x slot, so after the amp section, you could then lock the x slot so it becomes available for all your presets. Hope that is of some help?

  • Hi Toni, there are eqs that you can use that have the high and low cuts built in to them, so you wont need a beta firmware. it just means using up a slot, I would put it in the x slot, so after the amp section, you could then lock the x slot so it becomes available for all your presets. Hope that is of some help?

    Thanks Fergal, that's exactly what I had started to do. Hope to find the right spot with those eqs. Again, thanks!

  • First at all, thanks for answering Ingolf.

    I understand your point but then I'm seriously disappointed because one of the main reasons why I made up my mind to go Kemper was leaving behind head and 4x12 cab and being able to plug and play at ANY rehearsal place, jam or gig with ANY mixing desk.

    And going further, I had the same reasoning about playing through FOH, but probably, according to your words, I was wrong.

    So it will not work depending on the speakers of the mixing desk or foh?

    Truly disapointing... or maybe is there some point I'm missing? Again, thanks for your support :)

    Ofcourse, no 2 PA speakers are the same. They all aim to have a flat response, but there is a difference between a 500 euro studio monitor which doesnt go nearly as loud as a PA speaker and can put all it's effort in giving good sound, and a 500 euro behringer speaker, which has to go loud first, or a 100.000 euro (yes, a six digit figure!) Adamson line array, which can do both flawless on 50.000 people-festivals.... Of course, all shades of grey in between... I am still astonished by how many bands put their singers through cheap crap speakers and expect this to sound pleasant. Same with the Kemper.... Any decent soundtech will cringe at the idea of mixing through a sub 3000 euro PA... But bands don't seem to care....

    Now, before you think that's a turnoff to the Kemper, you forgot one important thing: If you go with a real cab, in any room above 50 people your soundtech will likely want to mic your cab and put that signal through the same speaker you would be putting your Kemper through. Only difference is, you don't hear it, because you stand in front of your trusted cab... But it may or may not be a massacre out there. Not only because of a mediocre PA, but also because of mic spill and bad mic placement, and especially those last 2 are ruled out with the Kemper....


    Thing to learn here, in any case, Kemper or real cab/amp: if you want to sound good as a band, don't perform through mediocre PA's. No Behringer, even Mackie is questionable.... You don't have to put Adamson on your rider, but "respected A brand in working order" is regarded as a standard sentence in a rider of any quality band.... If you don't stand by this, don't expect to sound good, even with a real amp, it's not because you don't hear it it isnt there....

    The next question I hear from a lot of newcomers in the digital amp sim world, well, how do I tweak my presets with so many speakers out there? Well, simple, with a speaker that sounds as neutral/flat as possible: a quality set of headphones, or a quality studio monitor (not KRK G3, far from neutral, neumann would be a better choice). And maybe ask your local PA company if you can play sometimes through their PA/line array, just between the PA being set up and the crowd arriving: stand beside FOH desk, plug Kemper in desk, go wild. Maybe judge that speaker/system first by playing you favorite music through it, and adjust your guitar sound accordingly (just like a studio engineer does with hit studio monitors, he first has to learn their sound before he can craft a neutral mix through them....).... And if it then sounds crap through that Behringer speaker in your rehearsal room, well, probably your favorite recorded song will sound crap too, and then thats because that Behringer speaker is crap, not because the Kemper is....

    PS: don't forget the room.... The room can make even a top notch line array sound mediocre. Or your trusted guitar cab... Or even have a spot that the cab sounds good, while 1 meter further it sounds crap....

    Open air is the best because it has the least reflections....

  • Hi everyone, I’ve just got a Kemper Profiler Stage.

    When I play through my audio interface it sounds quite right, but when I play through a mixing desk the sound is terrible.

    I’ve tried with the mixing desk at my band’s rehearsal place and I’ve also tried with a different and better mixing desk renting a rehearsal place per hours, but the sound remained awful, nothing to do with the sound I get at home through the audio interface.

    I’ve tried with both low and high volume settings at the mixing desk, I’ve also tried with KPS master output volume at -18 and at -12 but… no way. Obviously the mixing desk has always been with flat eq, no gain, no effects, no compression, etc.

    Any help is truly welcome, thanks! ;):thumbup:


    All of what is said above is correct. The signal chains are quite different and you need to set it up for Live. Do not fret too much as you will get it sorted. I woudl suggest trying different profiles as some sound better for certain applications and don't necessarily scale up in volume. I use my KPA in the same way i.e. for live through a PA.