PA for your Kemper

  • Hi everyone,


    Please name some PA that you have tried and worked fine with your Kemper, in a live gig or rehearsal with your band.


    I play in a five piece rocking band, so I'm not considering PA for just one singer with an acoustic guitar, I'm asking about PA for bands with, that's what it boils down to, Kemper guitar player. For instance: Mackie PROFX12V3 with two Mackie SRM450V3 (that's just an example).


    Not asking about monitoring like Kabinets, powered Kabinets, etc, I'm just asking about PA systems that you recommend with your Kemper.


    Thank you in advance ;)

  • I play in a five piece rocking band ... I'm asking about PA for bands

    For the actual PA system it's irrelevant whether you play through a profiler or a mic'd cab. What matters most is the room/crowd size you plan to play in. While the 2 Mackie SRM 450 V3 might just be enough for your practice room, I highly doubt it will be enough for a gig. Don't underestimate the low end! You'll likely need additional subs to pump enough energy into the room, even if it's just a medium sized pub gig with e.g. 100 people. And even then your PA will still be on the "weaker" side for a rock band.

  • Expect to spend BIG $$$ if you want your own P.A. that can deliver serious dB and sound quality

    for a "five piece rocking band" ......

    Better to hire from pros or use the P.A. at the venue, if they have any .......


    Cheers !

    The adjective for metal is metallic. But not so for iron ... which is ironic.

    Edited once, last by Hoki Toki ().

  • There are so many options to achieve this that it is nearly impossible to give you a recommendation. With that said, here is what I typically use in the venues in my area. They are all of similar size so this setup works everywhere I have needed it.


    For rehearsal I use two QSC K8 speakers and a Yamaha 12 channel mixer just for vocals. We set the amps of the guitar and bass to match the drums in volume. For gigs I use two QSC K12 tops with two QSC subs and a Benringer x32 compact digital mixer. I use the QSC K8 speakers for monitors. We run various things through the board depending on the venue. For outside gigs we mic up everything and run it through the mixer so that I can boost anything that needs it. I try to keep the stage volume down to the level of the acoustic sound of the drums. This setup works well for my needs.


    You will have to take into account the venues that you will be playing in to size the system correctly. I used to have a lot more equipment than this but I down sized to this system and have not regretted it a bit. I have always had enough equipment that I can use part of it for rehearsals and smaller venues and then scale it up for outside gigs.

  • we have always used hire PA with a quality engineer for our 10 piece band. That way the PA is always sized to the venue and we don’t need to worry about set up strip down, transportation etc. For the size of PA required it is usually more cost effective to hire unless you are playing every night as a decent PA will probably run well into 5 figures.

  • I've been very happy with my Bose L1 Model II with B1 bass module for vocals and Profiler. For smaller gigs, I used the Bose L1 Compact. I've just replaced these with the L1 Pro32 with Sub1 and L1 Pro8.


    Even in larger venues, I keep the Bose system on stage as my monitor. I run a line out to the house system. That way, my experience (what I hear) is the same.

  • Having a Kemper doesn't change the choice of PA. The single biggest factor is how and where you play. To be more specific - if you're putting the kick drum and bass guitar in the FOH mix and play reasonably big venues you'll need a LOT more power and speakers.


    Regardless, just look for the most flat frequency response, known brand, and a good warranty.


    Avoid plugging the Kemper into the mic inputs. Use line inputs.

  • Thanks all of you for your kind answers.

    As far as live gigs it seems quite clear, as for rehearsals I'm still undecided.

    Any recommendation to play guitar through Kemper at rehearsals?

    Right now I rehearse playing my stage through two Kabinets, powered through a Seymour Duncan Powerstage 700. It works out and sounds great. Kabients are meant to be stage monitors, but I guess I'm using them to rehearse with the full band and it works. Kemper straight through Kabinet monitors, neither PA nor mixing desk. Maybe you've got other suggestions.

    Again, thanks!

  • Hi, toni dd.

    Thanks all of you for your kind answers.

    As far as live gigs it seems quite clear, as for rehearsals I'm still undecided.

    Any recommendation to play guitar through Kemper at rehearsals?

    Right now I rehearse playing my stage through two Kabinets, powered through a Seymour Duncan Powerstage 700. It works out and sounds great. Kabients are meant to be stage monitors, but I guess I'm using them to rehearse with the full band and it works. Kemper straight through Kabinet monitors, neither PA nor mixing desk. Maybe you've got other suggestions.

    Again, thanks!

    I use the same setup for rehearsal as I do for live gigs. As much as possible, I want the rehearsal to simulate what I'll experience live. I say 'experience' because that covers how I'll interact with my gear and what I'll hear. Rehearsal should eliminate unpleasant surprises in front of an audience.

  • In your first post you made clear that you do NOT mean monitoring (on-stage sound reinforcement for the musicians) but PA (sound reinforcement for the audience, not the stage).


    Generally speaking, you don't need PA in a practice room since there usually is no audience. Monitoring is what you need there. Maybe you're a bit confused with these two completely seperate things?

  • I think it's also important as a band to have rehearsals and practices as different things.


    For practice you're learning new things and trying out different tones etc, so just a Kemper and Kab is great. I also like to keep practice volume levels really low, so we can learn and try vocal harmonies together.


    A rehearsal should be just like the gig, with no big pauses between songs and with a PA at gig volume (ish). Give band members s**t if they start practicing at rehearsal - they should be ready. ?

  • I think it's also important as a band to have rehearsals and practices as different things.


    For practice you're learning new things and trying out different tones etc, so just a Kemper and Kab is great. I also like to keep practice volume levels really low, so we can learn and try vocal harmonies together.


    A rehearsal should be just like the gig, with no big pauses between songs and with a PA at gig volume (ish). Give band members s**t if they start practicing at rehearsal - they should be ready. ?

    Spot on ?