Kemper at Home, at Rehearsal and Live. Different setups, eqs, filters, etc

  • Hi everyone, I've found that there are several posts relating issues with the different setups, eqs, high cuts, low cuts, etc all of us use playing at home, at rehearsal, live, etc.

    Obviously all those three situations require different solutions. In my case, I'm still struggling to find the right answers and thought it could be useful if we shared our main setups, differentiating among HOME, REHEARSAL and LIVE and just naming the sort of sound we like in an easy, short way, with one single example, only one, for instance: Van Halen Brown Sound, Metallica Black Album, John Mayer Continuum, BB King Live at the Regal, etc. Plus, add your main guitar, so maybe it can help other users with similar gear and/or tastes.


    These are my global setups and my gear with Kemper Profiler Stage at 1.HOME, at 2.REHEARSAL and 3.LIVE.


    WANTED SOUND: Van Halen Brown Sound


    MAIN GUITAR: PRS custom 24


    1/ At HOME: two Main outputs into M-Audio M Track Eight soundcard and Rokit 5 KRK monitors.


    Satisfaction: 10/10. Awesome sound and tone, everything perfect, the sound in my head. I wish I got that same tone/sound quality at rehearsal or even live.

    Output source Main output: Master stereo

    Main output EQ: Bass, Mids, Treble and Presence, everything at 0.0

    Main volume: -15.8 dB

    Output filter: Low cut 100.0 Hz High cut 3010.8. Hz

    Global Pure Cabinet on: 3.0

    Space Headphones only ON: 3.0 (I don’t use headphones)


    2/ For REHEARSALS with the band, I use two Kemper Monitor outputs into Seymour Duncan Powerstage 700 and two Kabinets.


    Satisfaction: 6/10. Not a disappointment, it sounds quite ok, but still work in progress to achieve the perfect 10/10 sound I get at home. Any help is welcome! ;)

    Output source Monitor output: Master stereo

    Main output EQ: Bass, Mids, Treble and Presence, everything at 0.0.

    Monitor cab off disengaged, not active

    Monitor volume: -15.8 dB

    Output filter: Low cut 100.0 Hz High cut 3010.8. Hz (I cut a lot of high frequencies since sound was a bit too harsh in the upper highs)

    Global Pure Cabinet on: 3.0

    Space Headphones only ON: 3.0 (I don’t use headphones)

    Kemper Kone ON

    Monitor cab off disengaged, not active

    Imprints disengaged, not active ( I tried them, but just not for me, besides I'd rather get the same sound than will go in a live situation to FOH through the main outputs)

    Bass boot disengaged, not active

    Sweetening 0.0


    As it sounds a bit harsh in the high frequencies, in spite of Kemper's High cut 3010.8 Hz, I tweak the Seymour Duncan Powerstage 700 EQ this way: Bass 13h, Mid 08h, Treble 09h. As I said before, any help is welcome!;)


    3/ I still haven’t played LIVE with Kemper, so I cannot detail as I did for HOME and REHEARSAL, my last gig was pre pandemic with tube amp and cabinet (lovely Victory V50 and Marshall 4x12), but when it arrives, my LIVE setup will be Kemper's main output into FOH and Kemper monitor's output to Seymour Duncan Powerstage 700 plus two Kabinets for monitoring on stage. Crossed fingers thinking of how to tweak EQs, filters, etc. I hope the sound technician will know hot to deal with Kemper... =O


    Hope it can be useful if some of us share our experiences, thanks for reading so far! ;):thumbup:

  • hey Toni, you had helped me out in my thread a few days ago.. I am actually thinking about setting up duplicate profiles - 1 set for monitoring at home and practice w/ Kabinets and another set for live FOH sound created from the monitoring/practice set but tweaked. So I don't have to do any editing for live purposes. Also plan on getting an FRFR for the purposes of creating this set.

  • i am in the same boat:rolleyes:

    Cry Baby Slash Classic Wah -> KPA -> main to FOH ->KRK6 -> Monitor out DXR10 -> EXP DVP3 -> Remote: Guitars: Slash Gibson Les Paul Custom Shop - James Tyler Variax JTV59 - Epiphone Les Paul with EMG 81 - Furch GN2 Nylon -> Maybach Lester 60 -> Kemper Powered Cab -/ Focusrite Scarlett

  • Though I use different setups with various sizes and styles of guitar cabs, and not FRFR speakers, the issues I've faced have been similar. (And, I used to use FRFR and it didn't help or hurt.)


    I don't use commercial profiles, I use my own of my amps (that's why I bought the Kemper.) I have many commercial profiles, and they have similar issues to what I face with my own profiles...


    The listening environment is SO CRUCIAL to your experience, and it almost never the same.


    I would profile an amp, at substantial volume, through a 2x12 cabinet, only to have it sound HORRIBLE through a 4x12 or 1x12 cabinet (similar styles of speakers, in general.)


    But I realized, the amp is the same way. If I dial up my Plexi for a 4x12, then run it through a 2x12, the settings won't even be close to the same.


    My initial approach was to attempt to use the monitor eq to even out tones, but it doesn't work... there's just not enough fine tuning that could be done for me.


    I've resigned myself to creating profiles for each cabinet now. I have a list of the amps/tones I use (there's 10-12) and I start with profiling on the 4x12 because it's the biggest and seems to have the widest response.


    From there, sometimes the profile will work with only moderate adjustments on the 2x12 or the 1x12, but often I just re-tweak and re-profile for the smaller cabs.


    I have performances setup for whatever rig I'm using that night. It's a lot of performances, but it's easy to copy and paste the effects and just change out the amps.


    Bottom line is this, and this is after using a Kemper since version 1.8, your listening situation changes everything, and you have to optimize for each situation or you'll be disappointed. That usually means starting over from scratch for each new listening environment.


    OR, you'll need a more powerful EQ than is built into the KPA for the output. I did have some luck, once upon a time, using spectrum analysis with an RTA mic and a Behringer EQ to even out my speaker cabinets (this was in the FRFR days.) It was quite a process, though, and in the end I prefer hearing a guitar cab.

  • I have 1 toaster/KPA for live use ( it lives in the boot of my car ) and 1 for home use (it lives besiude my pc & soundcard ).


    I found it was a pain unhooking it (xlr's,spdif,usb etc...) and then setting it back up every time I had a gig.

  • Hi, toni dd.


    That's a daunting question. In my best version of a musical world, I can practice, woodshed, rehearse, perform with the same gear, in the same acoustic environment.


    I used to have two of everything, one for home and one for playing live. At home, I had a big room with a stage, PA, lights, and my guitar signal chain - everything I used for live shows. The goal was to make the transition from home to the stage seamless. Playing at home, I'd flip on the lights, crank the PA and the guitar stuff. I could play LOUD in that room. This was also my rehearsal space. And there were very few surprises when we played live.


    Today, I still use the same signal chain at home, for rehearsals, and for most live settings. The guitar signal chain ends with FRFR (the PA). I have been happy with that approach for fifteen years. I got a PROFILER in 2014 and until the lockdown, I was happy running FRFR.


    I read a post from Ingolf about the amp-in-the-room sound using guitar cabs. (Sorry, I can't find it now). I think that was just before the lock down. I was inspired to dig up some old EV M-12G cabinets and a pair of class D amps. That was fun, but I eventually dismantled that setup because I'd never use it live. Recently I picked up a PowerRack and a Kabinet. Again, that was just for fun. I won't use the Kabinet for rehearsals because I wouldn't use it live.


    Okay, we're circling the drain here. It's wholly impractical to replicate my old setup these days so I'm experimenting with in-ear monitors. I'm struggling with singing with them, but the guitar tone is gorgeous and consistent in every situation.

  • Always mono.


    At home I use my Stage with a Headrush 108.


    At rehearsals I go straight to the desk.


    Live, I use In Ear Monitoring.


    At home, I make corrections, depending on the guitar, with the output eq.


    At rehearsals I first adjust the eq in my channel at the desk. It works.


    Live, I have a very nice sound with the IEMs. Our sound man does what he thinks it's correct for the PA and it doesn't affect what I'm hearing.


    I must say I don't use a lot of effects and I don't pretend to have a perfect sound in every situation. I just go for an almost raw sound that cuts in the mix. Well, Actually let's say 5 sounds: same kind of amp with different eq and gain levels, some reverb and delay and some wah when I want them.


    I'm thinking about another 108 for the double tracker at home, to try it and see if it's ok for rehearsals and live use with my band. There is another guitar player and I'm not sure it is a good idea. If it is, I'd use stereo delays, too.

  • Thx for sharing, thinking about it atm. Why did you use exactly this left channel?

    I used both channels to compare the tone / sound of the cabinet mic, to the direct output tone / sound of the Kemper.

    Right channel is the sound coming from my 4x12 cabinet, and the left channel is the sound coming direct from my Kemper to my interface.