Kemper sounds through Headphones AWESOME / through speakers & FRFR MEH !

  • Hello, i'm playing my kemper at home with the following setup


    HOME KEMPER ->SPDIF-> scarlett 6i6 > Yamaha HS7 studio monitors
    LIVE : KEMPER ->Monitor output with standard guitar cable -> FRFR cabinet's input.


    HEADPHONE setup : KEMPER ->SPDIF->Scarlett 6i6-> headphones


    When playing with my FRFR speaker or my studio monitors The kemper lacks in dynamics. It doesn't sound at all like the tone jukie sound samples for example.

    But when in play with headphones the sound is like completely different in a way that i can hear a more fattier juicier tone. It has ton of dynamics, compression... like i really can hear my pick touching the strings .

    So what can be the problem? It my ears its like the sound is mixed with a dry guitar tone. Like its 50% dry tone 50 % the kemper profile.


    Or is the problem the home volume with the speakers?

    Thx

  • You probably have SPACE activated for your headphones. It also goes through the SPDIF signal. If SPACE goes into your monitor speakers, the sound can lose definition. Definitely sounds better without it through speakers, so try to turn it off.


    I have almost exactly the same setup at you, with a focusrite and Yamaha HS5s.

  • Are you using studio headphones? Even some studio headphones color the sound and add all kinds of bass to the tone which you may or may not like.


    You also need to tweak your profiles at 85-90db not at bedroom or talking volumes.

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.

  • Hi there!

    I know it's been a while, but have you ever figured out how to deal with this problem? I have the same and it is driving me crazy. I tried many things without success.

    Thank you!

  • The OP never replied, so unless there was a setup issue we'll never know.


    My guess is that the headphones were run a lot louder than the speakers and that's the missing "juice".

  • It's been said a few time how good the quality of the kempers headphone out is... even with my spdif to a scarlett 8i6 I hear a huge difference. Also probably related to the impedance/driver for the output. Drawing more current or something.


    I prefer tweaking not on the kempers headphone because I don't want to be dissapointed what i'll hear in the other case :)


    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

  • honestly I found this to be the case with every Ampsim as well. I have several on my iPad like amplitude ToneStack and Tonebridge etc. and through headphones all sound really good. Plugged into the PA they are nowhere near as pleasing. Especially if any of the patches have a reverb or space effect on them. It’s just a function of having direct sound pumped directly into each year I think as you hear the details of the sound and the nuance more clearly like this without things bouncing off walls that you normally get in a room.

  • ... It’s just a function of having direct sound pumped directly into each year(sic) I think as you hear the details of the sound and the nuance more clearly like this without things bouncing off walls that you normally get in a room.

    This is why I prefer to avoid IEMs and headphones. Sound is not generally meant to be pumped directly into the human ear canal. That thing that van Gogh cut off serves a purpose.

  • When I first got my Kemper I LOVED it through my guitar cab but wasn't as thrilled about my studio monitor sound. After a while I started to like the Studio monitor sound because I was doing a lot of recording and it was closer to what was played back. Going back to the guitar cab, I didn't like it. I was playing it at low volume similar to the volume I use in the studio. Getting my ears adjusted, I slowly cranked up the volume LOUD and all of a sudden I was getting the awesome sound I remember having. When I get the speaker going a bit, it sorts itself out. Volume has so much to do with your perception of sound. What might be a great tone low might be very strident loud. And a profile that sounds good through monitors might sound like mud through a guitar cab at low volume. When I turn mine up, it becomes glorious, sweet controlled harmonic touch sensitive feedback and harmonics galore! It just doesn't react that same way through headphones or IEM when there's no volume going back into the guitar itself. That's why I love my KPA, it kills as an amp in the room and records beautifully with plug and play ease, I just have to re-adjust my ears per setup from amp in room sound to through profile's miked speaker sound.

    Sometimes I'll move a small cab in the room to use to get more of a familiar feel when recording even though I'm recording the KPA output. When I play it back it's no different than when I was miking cabs and the playback was always a bit different that what I was hearing recording especially when you're in the room with a cab or could hear it bleeding.

  • Not sure if this is the solution, but I've had my power rack for about 4 days. I play a lot of high-gain stuff, so the sound in both FOH and thru a cabinet is crucial regarding consistency. I've turned off the cab output for the monitor out. But for the main out (FOH and DAW), it sounds much better with good quality IRs, instead of the provided cab from the profile. Setting the IRs in the rig mgr is a breeze. Takes away all that fizz up top.

    Tue Madsen rigs and IRs are phenomenal. I haven't tried the Celeston IRs yet.