Is there a difference between FRFR and active studio monitors?

  • Hi


    I have my KPA hooked to the pair of TANNOY 501A active monitors - unfortunately the sound coming out of them is not as good as reviews on this site. What I can describe is like someone put a towel on the speaker. Sound is rather thin and lifeless. I bought 5" monitors because of size of my room - 2meters x 4.5meters.


    The question is are my TANNOY monitors of FRFR kind?


    Thanks
    Tom

  • I feel the same with my Yamaha recording monitors, I have that same dampened sound.... nothing like the youtube studeo sessions with amazing sounds.. there must be a difference somewhere in the chain as when I plug the output into my guitar amp guitar input I get amazing tones... so there's got to be something.. I'de be interested in what you find out.. :)

    Leg em down and yackem smackem

  • Something's got to be wrong, either in the way you've connected the monitors, or in the way you've EQ'd the KPA.


    To answer your question, yes, active studio monitors are FRFR - in most cases moreso than the FRFR rigs players will set up for use on stage, but all of this comes down to the quality of your specific monitors.


    If anything, I would expect someone new to playing guitar through an FRFR solution to find the output too bright and shrill, and have to compensate for that. If it sounds like "someone put a towel on the speaker", then you're not getting enough high frequency content. You'd expect the opposite in making the transition from a guitar cab (inherently low-pass) to an FRFR studio monitor.


    With 5" monitors you should expect some compromises in terms of available headroom and low-frequency content, but not the "dampened" sound you describe. Unless, of course, you blew your tweeters out playing guitar, which is surprisingly easy to do... How does other program material sound through your monitors right now? i.e. Listen to a familiar recording, sound OK?


    So getting back to guitarnet's question... ?

  • How does other program material sound through your monitors right now? i.e. Listen to a familiar recording, sound OK?

    This is the way to go. As long as other recordings sound ok, it will be related to the settings of the KPA. Be sure you dont use the monitor output with cabs off with FRFR or studio monitors.

  • Thank you for replying me.


    To answer your questions:


    guitarnet70
    How are you connecting the KPA to the Tannoys?


    Master Output with XLR cables straight to the tannoys XLR inputs, OR Master Output with XLR cables into the Focusrite Saffire 6 USB interface XLR inputs and from interface RCA outputs to Tannoys XLR inputs - really no difference. Cabs in KPA are off course ON.



    Stevoe
    YES - I always watch profiling sessions on Youtube when KPA perfectly becomes VOX AC30 or Marshall Plexi, then I download preset, load it to KPA, plug my guitar - and... dissapointment.
    Sorry if it sounds weird, but so good to know someone has the same problem as me. When I plug KPA Monitor OUT to RETURN of my tube amp (cabs off in KPA), sound is bigger and more airy. Anyway when I have some dirty preset and pick one of the thickest strings on first frets (for example A string 5th fret) it still sound thin to me.


    mbenigni


    If it sounds like "someone put a towel on the speaker", then you're not getting enough high frequency content.
    Whats more the low notes (on E A D strings) seem thin. I know 5" monitors are kind of compromise, but hey if I hear on youtube session nice tube amp recreation, doesn't it mean that my speakers/monitors are able to create that same sound directly from KPA? In youtube session what I hear is KPA running through some monitors (rather bigger than 5") then sound is captured by camera or mic, then youtube compresses it all slightly, then it is finally played by my Tannoys.... so my home studio situation which is just KPA -> Tannoys is simpler isn't it?



    How does other program material sound through your monitors right now? Listen to a familiar recording, sound OK?


    What you exactly mean? Like I should record some strumming or chords using my setup and compare it to someone's else? I would be grateful to test it with someone, I play some preset at default settings and compare as someone else plays it. But maybe guitar has important role here? And it cannot be compared? Maybe it is my guitar? Bit in the other hand it was not 100$ gear...


    I wonder how recreation of profiled sound is dependent on guitar used while playing (not profiling).


    Just found video of cheap (I think) asian toy powered with battery, which plays in the way that I would be satisfied if my KPA would.


    HERE - starting from 1:41 there is nice glassy fender sound, later we have some rock chops which sound nice, recto also... can that be guitar equipped only with single coils? If humbuckers (recto full sound) how can tweed simulation sound so bright...


    Tom

  • Does it sound the same with headphones?


    Turn the noise gate all the way down when testing.



    Hold the "output" button and check all pages to make sure the Output EQ has not been adjusted.


    Are both your input and output lights staying green when playing and going off when not playing?


    Have you tried doing a factory reset?


    -Lonnie

  • My guitar is made in Japan Ibanez PGM301 equipped with 2 DiMarzio PAF PRO humbuckers and FS-1 single coil in the middle. They used are sold for lot of money like here. I know that some part of price is Paul's Gillbert signature.


    Yes on headphones (AKG K271) sound is the same flat. Noise gate is most often down, if it is engaged it is just little bit, but turning it down wont change anything.


    I will change EQ on output if it is not adjusted.


    Will check also input and output lights staying green when playing and going off when not playing.


    Factory reset is this procedure (Found in wikpa)?


    - switch the main knob to off;
    - hold the left/top soft-key above the LCD;
    - switch KPA to tuner while still holding this key;
    - Maintenance Module will be started;
    - in the Maintenance menu go to Memory;
    - use Memory FormatFlash and InitFlash;
    - check if the KPA works (booting, tuner);
    - check all the KPA settings;
    - go into the System block and hit Factory Rigs right most soft button. This restores all factory defaults.


    After that I will have 200 factory presets?


    I will record some samples of popular amps which are in stock presets (Fender Bassman, AC30, some Marshalls) to let you here.


    Thanks
    Tom

  • I would not suggest to completely reset the unit.... the problem must be on the settings.

    "Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" Serghei Rachmaninoff


  • I guess for me, the headphones sound amazing, through my amp is amazing.. but not through the m audio fast track pro to the Samson resolve 65a's I'll have to hook the outs directly next time I can to the speakers and see how it is...


    ciao 8)

    Leg em down and yackem smackem

  • Hi


    I recorded some samples of factory patches (latest firmware 1.1.1.7641) and uploaded them to soundcloud. Please don't mind sloppy playing just listen to the the sound. All patches are stock, no changes to gain or EQ (which was all flat as I remember).


    Naming (suffixes after patch names on soundcloud):


    BHB - bridge humbucker.
    NHB - neck humbucker.
    BHBS - bridge humbucker split to single coil + middle single coil.
    NHBS - neck humbucker split to single coil + middle single coil.


    For me crunch patches sound dull, and miss clarity, clean ones don't differ as much (AC Clean and D'Lux Clean) as they are supposed to (AC30 is much different than Fender amp). How do you judge them? Please be honest. How your guitars sound on the patches I did my recordings?


    Thanks for any opinions.

  • I agree with you, it really sounds dull... at least for my taste, as i am a little "high end addictive"


    The first thing i would do is a cross check is with another guitar and another cable. Also make sure, that you set the clean sense in the input section correctly. Make the input LED turn orange when you hit the strings hard...

  • I agree with you, it really sounds dull... at least for my taste, as i am a little "high end addictive"


    The first thing i would do is a cross check is with another guitar and another cable. Also make sure, that you set the clean sense in the input section correctly. Make the input LED turn orange when you hit the strings hard...

    I played using Epiphione Les Paul Classic (Alnico humbuckers), Washburn X30 (some washburn humbuckers) and my Ibanez PGM301. Not much change. Washburn played just louder.


    Cables: I have 10$ cables, but also Monster rock cable and bullet cable - as you could guess now, no difference.


    Will try to play with clean sense today. So should I set it that way, that after hitting strings hard INPUT LED should turn orange?

  • For me crunch patches sound dull, and miss clarity. How do you judge them?

    Yes, there is definitively some high end dropping away somewhere.

    • Did you check the Output EQs in the Master section?
    • Is it the same when you use the 1/4" Master outputs?
    • Set clean sense so that it is orange but never red and Distortion Sense to < 0 > and turn down the Noise Gate. Then make shure the Input module is locked.

    www.audiosemantics.de
    I have been away for quite a while. A few years ago I sold my KPA and since then played my own small tube amp with a Bad Cat Unleash. Now I am back because the DI-profile that I made from my amp sounds very much convincing to me.

  • Will try to play with clean sense today. So should I set it that way, that after hitting strings hard INPUT LED should turn orange?

    Right... Use you loudest pickup, normally the bridge pickup and hit the strings hard. The input led should turn orange, not green but also not red.
    Also make sure, that you try to set the noise gate to zero. If you have a high setting on the noise gate, the sound will get muffled.


    If you really cross checked with other guitars and cables and highly suspect the clean sense or noise gate as the source of the problem. Also check the output eq settings to be flat.