Focusrite sucking life out of my kemper

  • Hi guys,


    how are you? I am new posting here


    I am having a deal with my focusrite sucking life out of my kemper. I have tried everything spdif different cables.

    first I thought it was the kemper or the profiles but with headphones everything sounded amazing so I connected my iloud Mtm direct to the kemper out set to stack same as I was using on the focusrite and voila kemper back to life.


    I did A/B going spdif and even spdif all my profiles are lacking life and definition.


    Any idea?


    do you guys think that even going spdif focusrite is not a good option ?

    The sound when going through the focusrite is like if it was out of phase (it’s like the sound is muffled and trapped into the speakers) now when I go straight from the kemper to the monitors everything works perfect.


    This is killing my mind


    any idea or advice would be greatly appreciated!

  • The sound when going through the focusrite is like if it was out of phase (it’s like the sound is muffled and trapped into the speakers) now when I go straight from the kemper to the monitors everything works perfect.

    I think you may have answered your own question here!


    It sounds as though you have two signal sources running simultaneously and these are out of phase with each other.

    You need to run through the entire signal chain from beginning to end to find what is causing this.


    Are you using direct monitoring on the Focusrite AND hearing a second signal from the armed record track in the DAW for example.

  • I bought a focusrite Scarlett 8i6 to use the kemper with it's Spdif output.

    I also wanted the best sound possible, the XLR to my old steinberg Ur22 was really not giving the sound I got from the headphone out.


    It works flawless and as expected ... superiour sound due to the spdif. The AD/DA convertors on the headphone out from the kemper are much higher quality then the ones from the older steinberg.


    Only pitty is that the scarlett is not switching back to internal spdif when the kemper is switched off ...


    So playing with kemper : spdif from 8i6 should be set to spdif and put to spdif internal when the kemper is switched off


    Raf

    Kemper stage with 2 mission pedals (in a Thon line 6 FBV case) and a Zilla 212 (K-100/V30) , SD powerstage 700 poweramp

  • I have a UR44C with same preamps. The sound from my monitors sounds just like the sound from my 7506 headphones. Only one is right by your ears.

  • I have a UR44C with same preamps. The sound from my monitors sounds just like the sound from my 7506 headphones. Only one is right by your ears.

    I mean the sound compared to straight from the kemper's headphone out compared to headphone out from the UR22 when monitoring the kemper thru the front xlr inputs ... huge difference


    Raf

    Kemper stage with 2 mission pedals (in a Thon line 6 FBV case) and a Zilla 212 (K-100/V30) , SD powerstage 700 poweramp

  • I guess I don't regularly use the headphone amps in my Steinberg although when I did, I thought they were great. Normally I send a separate mix from the UR to a multi headphone mixer amp. For a while I had one of the new MOTU units. It was really really good and headphone amps were great, but I was used to something with a mixer panel that I could run comfort reverb from without using a plug so I went with the UR.

    Setting up quick monitoring and playback levels is very important to not disrupt creativity IMO.

  • I would like to add another comment have been doing more tests and with the computer off I am running 2 spdif into kemper and focusrite 6i8 even with the computer off sounds totally different when going through the interface than when I plug the same iloud monitors into the kemper straight.


    Are there different spdif qualities in terms of interfaces?


    Have any of you experienced something like this with a focusrite interface?


    Thanks again!

  • I think you may have answered your own question here!


    It sounds as though you have two signal sources running simultaneously and these are out of phase with each other.

    You need to run through the entire signal chain from beginning to end to find what is causing this.


    Are you using direct monitoring on the Focusrite AND hearing a second signal from the armed record track in the DAW for example.

    hey man!


    No, I am using only direct monitoring from focusrite control. I did another test and with spdif into the focusrite and the computer off did A/B between kemper into the focusrite out of the monitors and kemper straight to the monitors. And there is still a big difference, it feels right like I am playing through an amp all the characteristics of the amp the mids the resonance all is there. When I go into the focusrite everything gets lost is like someone put a gate and a filter before reaching the monitor.

  • Are the output settings ok ? I'm not sure if you can select a different output signal going to spdif vs monitor out ... Between main and monitor there is ... master stereo etc ...


    Maybe check that !


    Raf


    ps : maybe a bad spdif cable ?

    Kemper stage with 2 mission pedals (in a Thon line 6 FBV case) and a Zilla 212 (K-100/V30) , SD powerstage 700 poweramp

  • There’s definitely something wrong there. I don’t believe a Focusrite interface should sound like that with SPDIF. Which interface is it? Is it possible you have a setting in Control messed up? Even my old Saffire sounds great with SPDIF and XLR.

    yes I am also surprised because it’s a Scarlett 8i6 3rd gen it has only year and a half it’s the last series.
    I did everything both with the computer off and on and it’s the same. Everything in focusrite control is default. There are no phase cancellations in terms of 2 monitoring happening. This is driving me crazy definitely.

  • all the output in the kemper are fine I tried both -12db and 0db spdif and is practically the same. And I tried spdif master stereo and spdif stack and the same. In summary whenever the kemper goes into the focusrite out to the monitors sounds lifeless. I can feel it in my hands and also there is a lack of low mids.

    I have 2 spdif cables tried both of them. This are 75 ohms spdif cables. I think they are fine? But even when going analog out of the kemper into the main line input sounds the same.

  • I have the exact same Focusrite, use it with SPDIF and it sounds great. Not much difference between plugging the headphones into the Scarlett or the Kemper. I know that’s not a solution to your problem but at least you know it’s not the device.

  • Just so I understand, does the focusrite only sound bad through monitors or also through headphones?

    the focusrite sounds different both headphones and through the monitors. I need to make a point here if someone listens to the audio it doesn’t sound bad but it’s lacking a lot of frequencies and sustain compared to when going straight from the kemper into Arge studio monitors bypassing the focusrite.