FOH Sounds so bad for the most of my profiles

  • I would like to ask for your advice and knowledge - rookie here [Blocked Image: https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tf6/2/16/1f609.png]

    I use the Kemper with the Kabinet, and use it with the imprint cabs, but I can't deal with the rigs to reach a powerful and nice 80's rock sound, they all seem similar.. What am I missing?

    The other issue is that with some rigs that I like through the Kabinet, but when I send it to the FOH some are muddy, others so fizzy (completely different from the cabinet)

    Is there any way to do some tweaks only on this rigs for the FOH sound (that will not affect the other rigs, not changing the Kabinet sound)? Or even, send the same sound some I hear on the Kabinet to FOH (without miking the kabinet)..

    Thank you all (and sorry for my English)

  • Hi Nuno,


    I think you have hit one of the problems we all face and not specific to the Kemper. Getting a sound that sounds good through whatever monitor sound we use and translating that to FOH. The Kemper ( and all new digital equipment) gets you closer to that as it takes away make type and placement issues blah, blah.


    Just to note the signal path is slightly different for the Kabinet and FOH so will never be exact.


    No simple answer but this is my approach:


    1) FOH sound is the priority (in my view). Therefore I would focus my initial efforts on getting that sound right.In my experience if you get this right, monitor sound is generally pretty good. To do that you need to audition rigs via FRFR and/or at volume.


    2) If using the kabinet (like I do), then choose the imprints against that profile, knowing that it will not impact or possibly even sound the same - it just needs to be good enough ( as the imprints do not go out the main outs).


    3) Do not mike up the Kabinet. Wrong path and won;t solve the problem ( both because Kemper do not advise and because miked sound is different anyway).


    In regards to all profiles sounding similar, that is strange through FRFR or Kabinet as that is one of the benefits. Make sure you audition different amp types from different vendors. I play 80's metal and I find there is too much choice! Start with the free BM Kemper pack as I think there are some great sounds in there which should get you 90% of the way there.


    Hope that helps in some way.

  • No I don't think you are but its made me rethink my focus.


    With a valve amp, you want to get your "amp in the room" sound right because you then mike it up. So you want the best sound you can to then feed into the PA and let the engineer sort out how to translate that through mike placement and PA E.Q.


    With the KPA your monitor sound can be very different ...for example I can switch off my on stage sound totally ( turning down the master volume) but Im still feeding a sound through the PA. So they are partially independent.


    My point is Id never thought of this before and more importantly never had any control over it. With the KPA you can. So its an issue but actually ( I believe) less of an issue than with a conventional set up, its just you are more aware of it. Hence I've just shifted my focus to tuning my FOH sound and the rest falls in behind this.


    Just my view :)

  • Agree with you, and will take your advice in consideration! My focus will be the FOH, and then my "amp in the room". For this, maybe I have to change the IR/cab to FOH. Will you recommend good ones?


    Thank you so much!

  • I don't use external IR's as for me they are a waste of time. Better to look at profiles with cabs included (as a minor point) and only change cabs as a "tweak". I tend to try a sound, if I don;t like it, generally move on rather than change cabs etc. Usually because the profile is an end to end process and swapping cabs isn;t a precise science :)


    The only exception is I sometimes use the Marshall 1960A cab.

  • I can't agree more. Get your tone at FOH first. That's what the audience hears. That's what I care about. It's how I develop all my tone now.

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.

  • I set my FOH sound at stage volume. At stage volume is very important, because if it sounds good at bedroom volume, it is going to sound awful FOH. After getting FOH how I like it, I have some control over my monitor volume, because I send mains to FOH and Monitor to my monitor cab. I use the output block to adjust the monitor to my liking. What is going to FOH is much more important than my monitor, though, so the main setup is to make FOH sound good and then get monitor as good as I can after setting main.

  • Also, the choice of profiles you use for live use can sometimes be very different than the ones you want to use at home, for recording, etc. You really need to find the profiles that sound good at FOH, before you worry about eqs, tweaks, etc. If you have a laptop with Rig Manager on it, and a way to audition your profiles at stage volume, that is a good starting point.

  • Also, the choice of profiles you use for live use can sometimes be very different than the ones you want to use at home, for recording, etc. You really need to find the profiles that sound good at FOH, before you worry about eqs, tweaks, etc. If you have a laptop with Rig Manager on it, and a way to audition your profiles at stage volume, that is a good starting point.

    Totally!

  • I can't agree more. Get your tone at FOH first. That's what the audience hears. That's what I care about. It's how I develop all my tone now.

    Perfect advice. If you play with in ears, often a good FOH sound will be good in your ears too. Remember that live profiles will be darker than those you might typically use in a mix to get a good result.

    Karl


    Kemper Rack OS 9.0.5 - Mac OS X 12.6.7