Sound differs extremly on different amp or PA

  • I was impressed by many posts all over the internet, which suggests that Kemper sounds great regardless what PA or so is used.

    My experience is different - on each system (which are usually set linear), my rigs sounding very different, partly good to bad.

    As this seems absolutely normal in a way, I wonder why other users tell other stories.
    Am I doing something wrong or are there some hints unknown to me?

  • So many factors come into play when using the Kemper. It will never always sound the same or good with all scenarios. When using one only profile, jump around to a real cabinet, FOH, powered speaker, different power sources, different speakers, that same profile is going to sound different.

  • You can’t really expect a different room, speakers and amp to sound the same or universally good. Not without some tweaking.


    The same pa in a different room will sound different.


    The same everything can (and will) sound different depending on where you stand, how many people are in the room…..


    The Kemper by itself isn’t responsible for good sound everywhere.


    What the Kemper offers is ruthless consistency.


    If it sounds great in one place, but not another - it’s not the KPA’s fault.

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

  • I find that having HPF/LPF set correctly makes a big difference in consistency. When just playing a live cab, it doesn't make as much difference as when I am using studio monitors or through a big P.A. I have different outputs adjusted for "Live" and "studio".

    The way I set the LPF that helps it to sound like an "amp in the room" recording/studio monitors is I listen to my cabinet as I turn down the LPF. As soon as I hear it affecting the high end, I stop there and go up a little higher. (usually around 8K) That keeps frequencies that would normally not be heard with a "real" cab out of the recording/studio monitors for a more "natural" sound. Every speaker setup has a different crossover, EQ etc.

    I imagine if you set up your Kemper with a perfectly flat set of monitors then played it through a perfectly flat P.A it would be the same, but most P.A. systems are not flat by any means.

    If things sound different between setups, like it has been mentioned, it's not the Kemper's fault, it's the differences in what it's going into.

  • Thank you all for your much appreciated responses.

    It‘s clear to me, that this is not a problem by Kemper. I just asked myself, why the sounds with Kemper seems more different sounding on certain setups than other solutions, i.e. Boss/Roland, which I used for many years before Kemper. The main problem I have are crunchy rigs, which sounds powerful and harmonic on one system and the same settings sounding flat and harsh on the other system.

    However, I‘m happy with Kemper and think the post from Dynochrome mention some hints, which I will try out. Probably is it a good idea too, using the global EQ.

    I‘m gonna check it out.

  • The Kemper had me selling all my boutique and expensive tube amps and I have not regretted it one bit and doubt I will. (Like I did in 1985 and sold my JMP sweetheart 4104 for a Laney ) If you are not there yet, it is just a matter of you learning it and getting there. I still GAS for amps then go "I can get anything that amp does with the profiler". and it stifles it. Keep working with it and discovering, I promise it will be worth it.

  • I find that having HPF/LPF set correctly makes a big difference in consistency. When just playing a live cab, it doesn't make as much difference as when I am using studio monitors or through a big P.A. I have different outputs adjusted for "Live" and "studio".

    The way I set the LPF that helps it to sound like an "amp in the room" recording/studio monitors is I listen to my cabinet as I turn down the LPF. As soon as I hear it affecting the high end, I stop there and go up a little higher. (usually around 8K) That keeps frequencies that would normally not be heard with a "real" cab out of the recording/studio monitors for a more "natural" sound. Every speaker setup has a different crossover, EQ etc.

    I imagine if you set up your Kemper with a perfectly flat set of monitors then played it through a perfectly flat P.A it would be the same, but most P.A. systems are not flat by any means.

    If things sound different between setups, like it has been mentioned, it's not the Kemper's fault, it's the differences in what it's going into.

    Was wondering about that scenario today, how you mentioned having outputs setup for live & for studio.


    The K has never been taken out of the house yet, so I've not heard it through a PA or at gig/rehearsal volume through a guitar amp. Do you have Profiles tweaked differently for studio & live? For example, when I used to run my Line 6 stuff through PA's at gigs, there were presets that I made that had less bottom end, smoothed-out top end, and a bit of boosted mids to cut through triggered kickdrums. Those things are low frequency black holes, lol.


    Just curious!

  • I play live with in ear monitoring. It never sounds the same. Sometimes it's like heaven, sometimes I "need" to cut some high end to feel comfortable, most of the times it's just ok. I don't care too much about that if our sound tech (always the same) says it sounds good through the PA.


    When I cut some high end, first I try with the guitar"s tone control, just to check. If the result is not right, I go to the modeler's eq or tell our sound man to add a low pass filter.

  • Do you have Profiles tweaked differently for studio & live?

    No, too much unnecessary hassle for me. Just fixing the HPF/LPF does it for me. If I can get it to sound good through my studio monitors, I know It can sound good through a P.A. I usually test in a mix with drums & bass to see how it sits.

  • I find that having HPF/LPF set correctly makes a big difference in consistency. When just playing a live cab, it doesn't make as much difference as when I am using studio monitors or through a big P.A. I have different outputs adjusted for "Live" and "studio".

    The way I set the LPF that helps it to sound like an "amp in the room" recording/studio monitors is I listen to my cabinet as I turn down the LPF. As soon as I hear it affecting the high end, I stop there and go up a little higher. (usually around 8K) That keeps frequencies that would normally not be heard with a "real" cab out of the recording/studio monitors for a more "natural" sound. Every speaker setup has a different crossover, EQ etc.

    I imagine if you set up your Kemper with a perfectly flat set of monitors then played it through a perfectly flat P.A it would be the same, but most P.A. systems are not flat by any means.

    If things sound different between setups, like it has been mentioned, it's not the Kemper's fault, it's the differences in what it's going into.

    So you cut the highs at around 8k globally? Where do you cut the lows? I appreciate the input since I rehearsed with my Kabinet today and found it very harsh in both fullrange and imprint modes.

  • There are 2 fundamentals here:


    1) You cannot E.Q. for live through a guitar cab. The sound is so vastly different to what you send FOH that you have to build your sounds using some kind of FRFR speaker first IMO.


    2) Every PA sounds different. Unless you E.Q. yourself at every gig, then you have to accept variation.


    Personally I don;t use HPF/LPF at all, nor do I E.Q. at any gig, I treat it like a regular amp and let the sound engineer make any changes to their PA. If the PA is crap, then everything will sound crap, not just your guitar and the sound engineer will know their PA the best.

    The only change I made is at the last gig, the sound engineer said my rhythm sound was a bit fizzy and wished it sounded like my lead sound. Turns out that when copying a sound across I'd missed some settings, so now resolved.

  • I treat it like a regular amp and let the sound engineer make any changes to their PA

    Me too basically but trimming up the top and bottom makes things a lot easier and only has positive impact. No sense taking up headroom to the pre if the engineer is just going to cut it anyway. I don't EQ because I agree that would be soundboard job, but I'll trim the fat.

  • Me too basically but trimming up the top and bottom makes things a lot easier and only has positive impact. No sense taking up headroom to the pre if the engineer is just going to cut it anyway. I don't EQ because I agree that would be soundboard job, but I'll trim the fat.

    I agree with this practice. It is good to get it right at the source and not expect the sound engineer to trim it up. Sound engineers are not all created equal either. Some of them are not that good with EQ settings for various things. Why not make it easier on them and make yourself sound better in the process?

  • every amp in the world, doesn't matter if Tube or Modeler Profiler or solid state

    sounds different with every PA used even the same PA in diff room changes your sound a lot

    thats Physic Science

  • I agree with this practice. It is good to get it right at the source and not expect the sound engineer to trim it up. Sound engineers are not all created equal either. Some of them are not that good with EQ settings for various things. Why not make it easier on them and make yourself sound better in the process?

    Exactly.

  • Me too basically but trimming up the top and bottom makes things a lot easier and only has positive impact. No sense taking up headroom to the pre if the engineer is just going to cut it anyway. I don't EQ because I agree that would be soundboard job, but I'll trim the fat.

    I think the point here is getting your sound right in advance. Your point on trimming also suggests it makes the sound more "forgiving" which is also no bad thing ;)

  • I think the point here is getting your sound right in advance.

    Yes but as we have been saying getting the sound right can mean a lot of different things depending on what's amplifying it for the ears. On a big P.A. with crispy horns that produce cymbal freqs, and big powered subs , Letting the top and bottom go too far would not be getting it right in advance. In the studio or just playing through a cab, "right" may be much different.