Thoughts on a H9 with a Kemper

  • So I have been thinking about adding a Eventide H9 to my Kemper. I am just wondering how to run everything together. So here is what I have in my head about hooking it up.

    1. Guitar plugs straight into Kemper

    2 Main Kemper stereo outs to mixer inputs 1&2 pan left and right to pair of Yamaha DXR 10’s

    3. Direct out of Kemper (Stack) to H9 unit stereo out of H9 to Mixer inputs 3&4 pan left and right to DXR 10’s

    4 Monitor out of Kemper to Kemper Kab, set to mono with Kemper fx or (maybe mono stack only)


    I’m sure there will be some drawbacks to doing it this way.. but I imagine there are drawbacks to anyway you do it … but not haveing the H9 unit yet I’m just trying to think it threw before I make that purchase. I anyone has any other ideas or reasons this isn’t a good idea, I would appreciate the input

  • Use the FX Loop from the Kemper, than you can program it

    so that when the loop is on H9 works if loop is off H9 is off

    you can even plug the midi out from Kemper to the h9

    and change the programs with the Kemper

  • Thanks digbob, I think that’s a great way to set up the H9 and would be easy to do when out playing, I think it depends on what your trying to accomplish… I was trying to keep my stereo signal on both units and keep my monitor out signal. I mostly just play in my home studio for my own enjoyment. And my mixer is also my audio interface and if I route my stack monitor signal in the mixer too, I could remix all stereo effects and dry signal of course I would have 5 channels dedicated to the guitar part… could be overkill too. The midi would be a plus. I think the H9 would be a fun effect to enjoy with the Kemper .. I’m real close to ordering one

  • I used the H9 in an FX loop from Kemper. I use a Morningstar midi controller with the H9. I think I have it wired so that I can use the tap tempo from the remote to go in the H9. I just haven't used the rig much lately due to big venues being shut down (covid)... I'm more into pedalboard + amp these days.


    I think the only problem seems to be that there won't be delay/reverb trails from the H9 when I change rig on the Kemper.

  • I use the Eventide H9 plugins just for studio use. I wouldn't want to add to the Kemper for stage use. I would think a lot of that extra sweetness would get lost on a loud stage and loud audience (who are usually drunk).

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.

  • yes it will be for my home studio, everything is for my home studio. Not sure I really want to play out anymore at bars .. I did it for 50 years with over 3000 gigs in my lifetime. I think I enjoy the guitar more and more the older I get … but dragging my stuff to a gig don’t really sound like fun anymore …. That’s one reason I got my Kemper was to build a studio with every amp I ever wanted to try … I order the H9 tonight , guess I’ll be trying it out soon … I ordered a DanElectro Roebuck Distortion pedal too. I guess I’m ready to get into pedals again

    Edited once, last by SKW ().

  • I use my H9 occasionally in the Kemper loop, as digbob describes above - works really well. and I like that you can switch it on/off from the Kemper like any other onboard effect.


    Would be great if Kemper could also send midi change control commands to Eventide as you change profiles (for all I know this may be possible already, but would require additional midi cabling which I haven't gotten around to experimenting with just yet... now if they could do midi change control via bluetooth....that would be something!).


    Frankly, the effects on Kemper are good enough that 98% of the time there is no need to use external gear IMO. Kemper even has the Eventide-inspired Ballerina/crystal type arpeggiated delays built in.


    Some of the H9 programmable pattern arpeggiations are not available in Kemper yet - hoping they can add stuff like that someday, really fun to play around with these effects, particularly when playing solo, to set up pads/accompanying grooves. Some day... ;)

  • I got the H9 today. I was so excited I just ran it in the front of the amp so I could hear it ..it sounded great .. At first I wondered if I needed it at all with the Kemper haveing great effects too…But they really compliment each other. The H9 only can run one program ata time so it seems you need the Kemper effects just as much as you ever did. I really like that it seems to work well in front of the amp because it leaves all my main output available for sound board And the monitor out for my Kemper Kab, also I run the direct line out to my vocal harmonizer so it can read the chords…. I’ve had my Kemper for 7 years and I think this was a good way to change things up a bit I’ll be adding some overdrive pedals too .. then I think that will do it for me …..

    Edited once, last by SKW ().

  • I play H9 units since they came on the market. First in my pedalboards, one in front of the amps (stereo setup), one in the FX loops. Then the Kemper arrived, I sold all my pedals including the H9, because I was nearly able to get all my desired FX sounds with the Kemper. Then one unit was bought again, because I missed some sounds we had on our records. Actually I have one H9 in front of the Kemper for special sounds and mostly for the Wah Sounds, because I don't like the internal Wah sounds of the Kemper. It is in my live rack hidden behind the Kemper, with MIDI out from the Kemper, annoying, that it is only usable in performance mode. But it is small and I still need only the remote in front of me.

  • Thanks Jeremy for your info.. It’s good to hear how you have it set up ..… I was going to put the H9 on a small pedal board with a couple classic overdrive pedals .. trying to keep it all simple in case I start giging again someday. I not really sure what effect to use it yet since I have only had it two days .. I might try your set up and program my controller to run it… sounds like a great way to do it …but right now I don’t really know which FX would be top choice in the H9 ……..

  • It kind of depends what effects you're using in the H9 I think, some are just better sat in front of the amp and some after. The kemper's reverbs and delays are really good now, so mine is mostly used for pitch shift and more 'odd effect' patches which mostly work best between the guitar and the profiler. The great thing about having such high quality bread and butter effects in the profiler is you can spend your gear money on mad stuff you wouldn't have bought before (currently running a sitar pedal, sequenced bit crusher, and the new Chase Bliss Habit which is absolutely fantastic, all things the profiler just can't do)

  • Would be great if Kemper could also send midi change control commands to Eventide as you change profiles (for all I know this may be possible already, but would require additional midi cabling which I haven't gotten around to experimenting with just yet... now if they could do midi change control via bluetooth....that would be something!).

    you can in perf mode. You can send pc messages when switching rigs. I used this set up before the delay and reverb updates. The downside: any time the H9 receives the same command as the preset it’s already on, it resets the preset and cuts off the delay trail. If you want preset 9 (say a go to delay) to be on when using say just rigs 1,2 and 5 of the performance; you may have other reason for going from rig 1 to rig 2 or 5, such as gain stages. But you don’t want the delay trail to reset. It won’t, if you only programmed the first rig to send the midi message of preset 9. Suppose in rigs 3 and 4 you want a different H9 preset or just turn the H9 off with trails in tact? If you want it jump from one of them to rig 5, you’ll need rig 5 to send the midi message PC 9 to so that the H9 switches. But that means you can never seemlessly go from 1 to 2 or 5 without the H9 resetting. So the H9 in my opinion, for life purposes anyway is best used as a Swiss Army knife for a few occasional high end effects of which the kpa’s are inferior (not many) or if you don’t mind manually controlling it or don’t need it for effects with trails.

  • I have been trying to get a midi message out of my Kemper to my H9, so far no luck. I am in performance mode and I go into system settings, I can see where it has midi adjustment and have messed around with them .. but so far I can’t seem to figure it out …I am on channel 1 in the Kemper and the H9 is set to Omni ….But I don’t seem to be getting anything …If you got any advice I sure could use it

  • I have been trying to get a midi message out of my Kemper to my H9, so far no luck. I am in performance mode and I go into system settings, I can see where it has midi adjustment and have messed around with them .. but so far I can’t seem to figure it out …I am on channel 1 in the Kemper and the H9 is set to Omni ….But I don’t seem to be getting anything …If you got any advice I sure could use it

    on the h9 set it to channel one to match the midi out on the Kemper also set to one. (Or set them both to 2 or 3 or 4 or whatever). Then within a rig within a performance the soft button slot setting or something like that you can set a midi message PC 1 up to PC 127. You match that number with whatever H9 preset you want it to trigger. It’s also important that one effect block on the KpA has the H9 in it and it’s turned on of course. Then save the performance. When each time you go to that rig it will trigger that preset. Do the same for every rig in a performance you want it to trigger a preset on the H9.