Kemper through a real cab issues

  • Hi

    I posted this in a couple of FB groups but I’m not really getting the help I need so I come to the experts here in hopes you can help me address these issues.



    I posted this same question in the KPA group. I’m hoping to get as much help/ideas as possible.


    Hey all…

    I need some help in setting up my K Stage.

    I’ve owned it for a couple of months and have always used it hooked up to my A/I and into my computer.

    But now I’m trying to get it ready for actual live use.

    I bought a Freyette LXII power amp and I’m running into a Splawn 1x12 cab with an Eminence EM12 speaker.

    I hooked it up for band practice the other night for the first time and was very disappointed.

    I ran the monitor out->input of the Freyette (not bridged)->cab.

    The Freyette is set to mono 8 ohms(same as cab).

    It sounded very digital and shrill. My bass player said it was cutting his head off. Lol. So I lowered the treble and presence and got through rehearsal.

    Today, I went and ran out of the mains output of the Stage with everything else the same. It sounded glorious…just like an amp in the room.

    I A/B with the monitor out and there is a huge tone difference going on.


    I went into every setting I could think of and I can’t see anything that is set differently or incorrectly.

    Not sure if this is important or not but the setup sounds infinitely better with the cab block turned on. I was always under the impression that the cab would be turned off when running into a real guitar cab but it sounded terrible when I do that.

    Anyone have any ideas what I can do to get the monitor out to sound exactly like the mains out?

    In an ideal live sitting want to run the mains out to FOH and monitor out to the onstage cab and I’d like them to sound the same.


    Also I noticed the when I plug into the left output of the Stage it has a huge volume drop….not sure if that is because the Freyette is set to mono? Again, I’m an ideal setup, I’d like to run stereo to FOH and mono to the cab. But I can tackle that after we fix the other problems.


    if there are any details that need clarification, please ask me and I’ll do my best to answer.
    thank you!


    This type of setup is new to me as I’ve always used a real amp up until now. Sorry if these are rudimentary questions but I truly am at a loss as to how to fix this.


    Any help/ideas here are greatly appreciated.

    TIA

  • Monitor output has its own global eq in the output menu so you can adjust it there to suit the power amp and cab setup without interfering with the foh main output. You also have global high and low cut in the output menu but that effects all outputs. You probably knew all this already but hope its helpful best of luck ??

  • Yes, I looked at all of that.
    the eq for mains and monitor are both set the exact same already.
    I can’t readily see a parameter that would explain the drastic tone difference. And there is a big “feel” difference.
    the monitor out sounds /feels like when you turn the cab block off when running into your DAW.

    Not quite that drastic but it approaches that type of thing.
    harsh, sterile and brittle sounding and feeling.

  • Yes, I looked at all of that.
    the eq for mains and monitor are both set the exact same already.
    I can’t readily see a parameter that would explain the drastic tone difference. And there is a big “feel” difference.
    the monitor out sounds /feels like when you turn the cab block off when running into your DAW.

    Not quite that drastic but it approaches that type of thing.
    harsh, sterile and brittle sounding and feeling.

    I wouldn't leave both eqs the same I'd eq the monitor output eq to suit the cab. might help a bit

  • You need to properly adjust the EQ, 120Hz and 3.9K cutting frequency, not the end, 1.5K frequency should be reduced by about 4dB, the sound is normal, otherwise it is now very bad sound, all the adjustment values are my reference values, you can set according to your own preferences.

  • A few things spring to mind which might need clarification.


    You mentioned that the sound changed when you turned the cabinet section off. Was this the actual cabinet section of the Stack section or by ticking the Monitor Cab Off in output menu?

    Do you accidentally have the Kone DSP for imprints active in the output section?


    What output source are you sending to the Monitor Out?


    Volume drop on left output could be the Panorama control panned to the right.

  • You need to properly adjust the EQ, 120Hz and 3.9K cutting frequency, not the end, 1.5K frequency should be reduced by about 4dB, the sound is normal, otherwise it is now very bad sound, all the adjustment values are my reference values, you can set according to your own preferences.

    yes, I typically will both lo and high cut the extreme frequencies just because it sounds more like what a real guitar cab would naturally do to the tone.

  • just checked this.
    The “cab off” box was NOT checked.
    I have now checked the box, but I will have to plug in later after work to see if it fixed the issue.


    I’m assuming that having the box checked is what I am supposed to have it set on??

    it depends on the type of monitoring that you are using. If you use a FRFR cabinet you should leave the option unchecked. If you use a regular guitar cabinet or the Kemper Kabinet with imprints you should activate the option to switch off the internal cab sim for the monitor output. If you do not activate it you will send a cab simulated signal into a real cab which in most cases will result in a rather muffled tone.

  • I was originally turning the cab off from the actual panel of the the stack section of the Stage and not in the menu. (Monitor cab off)


    I believe the output source is set to monitor stereo. the mains output is set the same.

    I will need to check the panning in the panorama section. I saw that setting in the menu but didn’t touch it. Heck, I didn’t even know what it did. Lol

  • deactivating the cab module on the front panel will deactivate it for all outputs which is generally not desirable. That is the purpose of the "monitor cab off" option to make it possible to deactivate the cab sim just for the monitor outputs while keeping it active for all of the other outputs.

  • it depends on the type of monitoring that you are using. If you use a FRFR cabinet you should leave the option unchecked. If you use a regular guitar cabinet or the Kemper Kabinet with imprints you should activate the option to switch off the internal cab sim for the monitor output. If you do not activate it you will send a cab simulated signal into a real cab which in most cases will result in a rather muffled tone.

    ok….this may be the issue.
    I am sending the monitor out to a Freyette LXII. Then into a Splawn 1x12 cab loaded with an Eminence EM12 speaker. So, not an FRFR.
    Hopefully this solves the issue. I will report back once I have the chance to plug in tonight.
    TIA (hopefully…lol)

  • Cab & poweramp make a huge difference. If I plug into an old cheap 2x12 of mine, it sounds "shrill". Plugged into a good cab with a CL80, same settings, its rich and thick and almost too much bass if it is turned down. Crank it up a bit to where the speaker & cab come out of low volume bass dominance and it's glorious. Plugged into a closed back greenback type cab, it takes on a completely different sound EQ wise. I never feel the need for any drastic EQ for my live cab sound it, getting it right has more to do with the profile/speaker/cab that I am using.


    I kept trying speakers/cabs until I could come very close to matching the direct sound I liked with cab sound I liked. For me it was a clear powerful speaker and open back cab. If I do EQ it's a bit of HPF/LPF and a pinch of midrange in the studio EQ. IMO speakers with a lot of "character" may sound good for some things but not as universal.

  • is the "monitor cab off" option in the output menu activated?

    ok, I played through the cab last night and with the box checked it made a big improvement.
    however, there’s is quite a big difference tonally between what the mains is outputting vs what the monitor out sends out.
    I’m not sure what that would be? All I was doing was taking the 1/4 Jack and moving between the mains out and the monitor out. It was still running to the Splawn Cabinet. All volumes/eq’s were set to the same parameters. Why would it sound different? Generally the monitor out was brighter and punchier.