Kemper Kabinet - it should be able to take DAW direct input in the Aux input

  • Hello everyone. If you read the Kabinet materials and manual, it basically says the Kone shouldn't be used without a profiler, which makes sense - but I have yet to see someone who has used a powered Kabinet with the output of their daw (for example using amp sims) just as a FRFR speaker (in the mode without the speaker imprint) - this should be possible with the Aux input into the Kabinet. Has anyone tried this, or has anyone seen a review or feedback of this anywhere?


    Really curious how the kabinet performs as a FRFR speaker for other amps sims as well so anyone with personal experience on this with feedback would be appreciated!:)

  • The output of a DAW goes to your Interface and then to the Main/Line Outs of the Interface which usually go to (powered) studio monitors (which are FRFR). I suppose you could hook up a powered Kab the same as a studio monitor.

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.

  • Bear in mind that the driver in the Kabinet isn’t a typical flat response speaker. It relies on the Kone DSP in the Profiler to apply an EQ correction to make it flat. Most FRFR cabinet rely on DSP to get their flat response but most have this in the cabinet itself.

    I'm curious to hear more about this - isn't the kone supposed to be flat and the DSP in the profiler just supposed to emulate speaker types?

  • I'm curious to hear more about this - isn't the kone supposed to be flat and the DSP in the profiler just supposed to emulate speaker types?

    No speaker is flat.


    The DSP has two separate aspects as far as I can understand.


    1 - to create a flat response base line


    2 - to apply speaker imprints on top of an already flat baseline.

  • Has anyone tested to see how the Kabinet performs underwater in a plastic bag , in FRFR mode using a pioneer hifi amp, linked to a helix, whilst playing a trombone?


    Sorry for the sarcasm, but why would anyone try what you are asking? Not clear what you are trying to achieve or do and therefore why you are trying to understand what happens when using something it's not designed for...the answer is pretty simple...unpredictable because it's not for that.


    Of course we find things out through experimentation, but it usually has a purpose.


    The Kabinet has no intelligence built in...it's an amp and speaker. The speaker is created with the Kone software in mind. As an FRFR speaker I think its OK but not great, its power is from the imprints.


    So, it might sound OK or terrible, unlikely to sound great.


    Are you looking for new sounds or do you have a particular reason or are you asking the same question as others have - how do I get the imprints to work with other units??

  • Has anyone tested to see how the Kabinet performs underwater in a plastic bag , in FRFR mode using a pioneer hifi amp, linked to a helix, whilst playing a trombone?

    I was planning on trying that this weekend and making a YouTube video about it. Should get lots of likes and generate some ad revenues 😄

  • Really curious how the kabinet performs as a FRFR speaker for other amps sims as well so anyone with personal experience on this with feedback would be appreciated!:)

    As has been said - mixed results at best.

    The Kone exists primarily for one reason - to give the player the amp-in-the-room sound that is lost when using cabinets captured as Impulse Responses, or as part of the Profiling process. IRs and Cab Profiles are colored by the microphone(s) used to capture them. All FRFR solutions provide a mic'd cabinet sound. The Kone imprints do not.

    The Kone is not at all like traditional FRFR speakers. That's not its purpose. It's not designed or intended to play recorded music or play well with other digital amplifiers. If it happens to work well, that's luck.

    It's a monitoring speaker first. If it works another way....that's a bonus.

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

  • This is a really weird response. If it is not intuitively clear one would be curious if the kabinet could perform as a frfr speaker for amp sims without a kemper in the mix using the aux out, then you haven't spent any time in a studio with real musicians sitting around lately.


    During the five years I had a kemper, I was curious about how the kemper performed vs. amp sims (which have come a long way in that time). It would be dead simple to test this, but i no longer have a kemper atm - but i am curious if the kabinet can do this and how it performs as frfr for amp sims (you misread my original post as I do NOT want to use the imprints with other units at all (sorry for the all caps, i am not yelling but it seems like you might misread this again so i am emphasizing it). What I want to do is hear feedback on if the kabinet has been used as an FRFR speaker (ie theoretically neutral) with NO imprints and NO kemper as technically it should be able to do this with it's aux input -- and all you have to do is think about that for one second and the next obvious thought would be "What sounds should i test in such a setting? Oh yeah, guitar sounds ie an amp sim like pretty much half of hi gain recordings in 2022".


    Not controversial - not deserving of sarcasm - not sure why you respond when you have nothing to add, nothing personal but it's really odd. I look forward to valuable feedback from others who are also curious and have done this test. If it sounds pretty good, I might be a couple powered kabinets and run them as a third stereo monitors out of our audio interfaces.


    :)

  • I understand your points. I guess I'm just wondering where the feedback is of anyone who's actually done this - forget the theory, the kone is supposed to be relatively flat and comparable to the other flat celestion speaker (i hear you, it is different so it can use the dsp imprints) but think about the kabinet acting as a frfr speaker which it is supposed to be able to do. Again, I look forward to someone who has actually tested this - I wish I could, every guitar player I've asked in LA has said the same thing: "hmmm, no, but that sounds cool, lmk if you find anyone who's tested it".:)

  • I understand your points. I guess I'm just wondering where the feedback is of anyone who's actually done this - forget the theory, the kone is supposed to be relatively flat and comparable to the other flat celestion speaker (i hear you, it is different so it can use the dsp imprints) but think about the kabinet acting as a frfr speaker which it is supposed to be able to do. Again, I look forward to someone who has actually tested this - I wish I could, every guitar player I've asked in LA has said the same thing: "hmmm, no, but that sounds cool, lmk if you find anyone who's tested it".:)

    the Kone is not an FRFR speaker but a broadband speaker. The Kone technology in the Profiler turns it into an FRFR speaker for the Aux in or if "Monitor cab off" is not activated. If you want to have an FRFR monitor for your amp sims but have no Profiler you should buy a real FRFR monitor/speaker.

  • the Kone is not an FRFR speaker but a broadband speaker. The Kone technology in the Profiler turns it into an FRFR speaker for the Aux in or if "Monitor cab off" is not activated. If you want to have an FRFR monitor for your amp sims but have no Profiler you should buy a real FRFR monitor/speaker.

    Are you saying the kabinet cannot be used through the aux input as frfr speaker without a kemper? I appreciate your response - but I'm trying to clarify your second sentence. You're talking about the kone speaker, and I'm asking about the kabinet product (which has kones in it).


    FYI - I'm not looking for advice about frfr speakrs (i've had several before) and what sounds good etc - but specifically the use case i asked about with the kabinet.

  • The Kone speaker needs a Kemper Profiler to mimic the sound of an FRFR speaker. Without a Profiler it will sound like a broadband speaker.

    This is also true for the Kabinet because it uses a Kone speaker.

    If you do not have a Profiler it is pointless to use a Kabinet unless you happen to like the sound of a broadband speaker.

    I guess what creates the confusion is that I refer to Aux in as the Aux input of the Profiler while you seem to refer to something else.

  • Apologies for my sarcastic response, the point I was making which is way more neatly summerised by Kemper support is that the Kone/Kabinet is designed for a specific purpose, which is to work with the Kemper to create the "amp in the room sound", primarily using imprints. The FRFR capability is almost like an add on.


    Hence I find it odd when people try to use it for something else. So it might work, it might not. The results will be unpredictable for so many reasons and hence it was my way of asking what you are trying to do.


    Hopefully someone else gives you the answer as it's not something I have ever tried with my Kabinets.

  • Are you saying the kabinet cannot be used through the aux input as frfr speaker without a kemper? I appreciate your response - but I'm trying to clarify your second sentence. You're talking about the kone speaker, and I'm asking about the kabinet product (which has kones in it).


    FYI - I'm not looking for advice about frfr speakrs (i've had several before) and what sounds good etc - but specifically the use case i asked about with the kabinet.

    The best would be, if you read carefully (again?) Main Manual 8.5, page 95, chapter KEMPER Kone. If you use it in different setup than recommended it will sound somehow, but nobody can tell you in advance how. You have to try it, maybe you will like it, maybe not. Who knows.