Need help with my metal live rig (gain, volume, feedback, headphones)

  • Hello everyone,

    I recently bought a Kemper Stage Profiler so I am new to the Kemper world. So far I am loving the rigs and sounds on low volume that I have on my board, however I am experiencing some trouble while trying to play together with my band. I bought a 2x12 Harley Benton G212A-FR Active Cabinet because it seemed very convenient for rehearsals and as live backup (I planned to go directly in the PA with my Kemper at live shows) so I wanted to try it out.


    I recently joined a Modern Metal band (Vocals, Bass, 2x Guitars, Drums) and a high gain tone is important to me. The issue I am having now is that I have trouble adjusting the sound and volume settings of both the Kemper and the Cabinet. I attached a photo of our reharsal room situation.

    • I have trouble cutting through the mix of my band, meaning I don't hear myself very clearly and the others also don't hear my guitar (no in-ear-monitoring)
    • My setup starts to return high pitched feedback on higher volumes and I'm not sure how to tackle that. I have already added a noise gate in my rig settings but it seems it's not enough. I am using active EMG pickups on an Ibanez 7 String. My rig is a Mesa Rectifier simulation.
    • Is it normal that my rig sound on the headphones (AKG702) is very different from my sound on the actual Cabinet? I expected it would be similar but when put on the headphones I have to reduce the presence and treble by a lot.

    Now I'm kind of confused if I made any mistakes. Maybe the 2x12 FRFR is not the optimal choice and I would be better off going with a 4x12 and a poweramp or if there is any advice someone can give me on how to adjust my settings? I know my thread is a bit vague but I can get some input where to start.

    Thanks for reading!

  • Easy to see that rehearsal setup and the placement of your cab compared to the other cabs is washing you out. I frankly don't know how any of you can hear yourselves since everything is coming off one direction in a tight space. I'd go for in-ears right away before risking hearing damage. Then I'd re-arrange the cabs to space them out further and raise yours off the floor. Put the bass amp next to the drummer and the two guitar amps left and right of the drummer.


    Comparing a cabinet to headphones is like comparing apples to oranges. No way in the world they will sound the same.

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.

  • I use two kemper kones neo in a Marshall 2x12 cab with a 400w dsp amp for monitoring or back line line so say, then enable the Kones in the output settings you can then mix front house mains / headphone in the output section separately. I also use input distortion sense if the guitar is hot maybe tweak that down a little ( lock the input ) . On the output- dial in the high and low cut, you can really make that cut through the mix with tight bottom end and less fizz on the higher frequencies there has been some really helpful threads on this subject. I usually have the amp at about 3/4 to full volume and turn down the output on the master to taste . It’s as loud as my dsl 100hr and every bit as punchy . The going to remember is the louder it gets the less gain you need . To saturate the signal for a really true screamer sound I use a clean gain and compressor before the input of the stage. It sounds amazing . Dialing in the tone I did at a studio with the kit on full tilt so I could emulate that full valve sound , it took a bit of time but the results are jaw dropping compared to my Marshall one trick pony ! Eradicating the hummm and digital feedback is an art less bass at volume really helps as that gathers momentum at high volume .
    When I a/b’d the Marshall with an orange 2x12 v30 and the kemper in the studio the kemper sounded better . I played my first gig with it a couple of weeks ago and it was awesome. I believe we have the loudest drummer in the southwest 🤣 one last thing I use a head rush for a stage monitor in front of me and that helps me hear really well what I’m playing . I don’t use in ears I believe I have the best of both worlds . Hope this helps a little 🎸😎

  • That Harley Benton cab is advertised as full range (i.e., not a traditional guitar cab that colors the sound) so it should in theory sound at least similar to what you get in your headphones. Some thoughts:

    • I see that the cab has "Resonance" and "Presence" dials, implying that some coloring is still going on. That may explain some of the difference.
    • How are you connecting the cab? The most standard way would be to use the Monitor output from the Kemper, making sure that the "Monitor Cab Off" option in the Output settings is not engaged. Since your cab is not a traditional guitar cab, the Kemper needs to provide that part of your sound as well, just like it does to your earphones and the PA. (Just checking, you've probably figured this out already.)
    • Raising your cab, as has been suggested, can make a huge difference. A full range cab on the floor can sound very boomy, plus you're currently sending most of your sound energy to below your knees.
    • Finally, it's true that even a "full range" cab will never sound exactly the same as a pair of headphones. "Full range" is never entirely "neutral" (and that goes for the headphones as well). Also, even though the Kemper isn't like a traditional amp where the valves behave differently at high power, our ears do respond differently to the same sound at different volumes. For that reason, you should ideally audition and select your profiles at the volume you'll be playing at, or at least expect to have to tweak profiles that sounded good at home.

    If you get a chance, it could be useful to try out your Kemper at high volume on a different full range system, like a PA or an active monitor speaker. If the result is closer to the sound you're after, you'll know that it's not just a matter of volume, and that you should try adjusting the positioning and/or settings of your Harley Benton cab.

  • These are all classic issues in a tight rehearsal space.


    "I have trouble cutting through the mix of my band and My setup starts to return high pitched feedback on higher volumes" have a similar solutions.


    1)If you stand close or over your speakers, the sound will blast past you, make sure you have the speakers angled so everyone can hear them Ironically I've found guitar speakers ( i.e. 4x12's) have a much smaller dispersal pattern - so to me they would make it worse not better. Stand slightly off axis with a 4x12 and the sound changes dramatically IMO.

    2) Its not about volume but " cut". At volume you actually need less gain, so try turning that down a bit. Cleaner sounds cut better but I appreciate you want that metal sound so only reduce by a bit. Play with your eq. Try the studio eq preset "cut the mix"...

    3) Feedback is related to too much gain and volume. With the adjustments above you will get closer to eliminating it but in a cramped rehearsal space this is always a risk for both guitars and vocals.


    Is it normal that my rig sound on the headphones (AKG702) is very different from my sound on the actual Cabinet? I expected it would be similar but when put on the headphones I have to reduce the presence and treble by a lot.

    • Unfortunately speakers, volume and room will all impact it. So headphones should get you close but you will need to "tune" your sound at volume.

    Personally I wouldn't change anything. You have enough "power", its about E.Q. and being sensible. Our Metal drummer is very loud but I can still have my amp loud enough out of my Kabinet without feedback. Even with a White Falcon which is a semi acoustic and re-knowed for feedback.

  • Thanks a lot for your responses so far, these were already very helpful! :)

    I realized the sound that I created at home might not be suitable for the rehearsal situation. While it does sound great on lower volume, i'm guessing I simply used too much gain, e.g. I put a screamer infront of the rectifier and had weird EQ settings where the rig and the box were clashing. Since my AKG's show the "true" color of the rig, maybe that's why I was so shocked how bad the old rig actually was.

    So now I created a new rig by using my headphones as reference with much less gain and a different EQ (cut the mix, as suggested). So hopefully this will already get rid of some of my troubles from before. I also ordered a small power-amp so I can test my rig on the ENGL 4x12 box and if I prefer this setup, I might use the FRFR at home and buy a passive 4x12 to go with the power-amp.

    I'll also raise the cabinet from the floor and see how it goes. Thanks again!

  • I started out putting a OD pedal in front of every profile I had which was a big mistake. If I need a high gain then I use a high gain profile and only lower or raise it's gain parameter by 0.2 - 1.0 if needed. I only use OD pedals in front of the tradition clean profiles (Fender, Vox, etc.) as necessary.


    But I will use a Boost for solos with any profile if my guitar volume is already at 100%.

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.

  • Fantastic, I think this will help. Even in my tube days I never used gain pedals. On the Kemper for me its unnecessary as amp gain on a good hi gain amp is good enough for me ( I tend towards ENGL's). Gain pedals maybe as tone shapers but stacking gain has to be done carefully to avoid noise and feedback.


    I saw the ENGL cab - killer cabs but very heavy :). Just note that cabs add a massive difference to the sound, so if you then go and buy a different cab it will be a totally different sound ( again!). I moved away from 4 x12's because they have a relatively narrow dispersal ( far less than you think) and are awkward to transport and I go direct into the PA so only for on stage monitoring. In other words, not worth the hassle!

  • Ok so I tried again today and it went a lot better than last time. I didn't get any strong feedback noise and it sounded alright. However, that FRFR cab is still not convincing me. I tried the ENGL cab and it just sounds so much more massive in comparison. This let me to believe that I'm better off with a regular 4x12 with celestion vintage 30s. So I'm going to pick one up tomorrow. Maybe I'll just use the FRFR at home although it's a bit oversized for that use :)

  • Welcome to the forum and to the Kemper world TheTrendkiller - hope you'll enjoy this incredible machine as much as most of us here do... :thumbup:8)


    Just to add to all the great comments above: Tweak your sounds at rehearsal/live gigging volume to be on the safe side. You can easily google "Fletcher/Munson effect" for great explanations why you perceive your sounds at home at low volume different from the level you use in the rehearsal room.

  • Welcome to the forum and to the Kemper world TheTrendkiller - hope you'll enjoy this incredible machine as much as most of us here do... :thumbup:8)


    Just to add to all the great comments above: Tweak your sounds at rehearsal/live gigging volume to be on the safe side. You can easily google "Fletcher/Munson effect" for great explanations why you perceive your sounds at home at low volume different from the level you use in the rehearsal room.

    Thanks! 8) Yes, I definitely need to get my hands on an iPad so I can conveniently tweak sounds in the rehearsal room.

  • Ok so I tried again today and it went a lot better than last time. I didn't get any strong feedback noise and it sounded alright. However, that FRFR cab is still not convincing me. I tried the ENGL cab and it just sounds so much more massive in comparison. This let me to believe that I'm better off with a regular 4x12 with celestion vintage 30s. So I'm going to pick one up tomorrow. Maybe I'll just use the FRFR at home although it's a bit oversized for that use :)

    BUT......just remember this is just for your monitoring not what people FOH hear.


    We all used to get obsessed with our on stage sound because we then miked it up for FOH - so there was a direct link between the on stage sound FOH .


    That isn't the case with the KPA because you go direct out. Therefore your monitor sound is secondary to the sound you want out FOH.


    Hope that makes sense before you buy and start lugging around a 4x12 just for you to hear..

  • Thanks for the information :) Since we'll be spending 98% of the time in the rehearsal room, I'm more concerned with the monitor sound than the FOH sound which (to my understanding) mostly is in the hands of the engineer anyway. We have a show coming up in march though and I'm curious to find out how it will go!

  • Thanks for the information :) Since we'll be spending 98% of the time in the rehearsal room, I'm more concerned with the monitor sound than the FOH sound which (to my understanding) mostly is in the hands of the engineer anyway. We have a show coming up in march though and I'm curious to find out how it will go!

    This was my point.


    Its NOT in the hands of the engineer, he can only work with what he is given.


    I care most about what the audience hears ( as they are the real judges of our music) and therefore my focus is on that. My monitor just needs to be "good enough"..


    You can use the 4x12 in the rehearsal room, just worried about you buying one. I've gone the opposite way. I have a 4x12 for sale if you are in the UK :)

  • Thanks, I already picked up a used 4x12 cabinet on Sunday and will see how it goes. I had the same one before so I'm confident that it'll suit me as well with my Kemper as it did with a real amp. I'm guessing that the sound which I'm hearing through my AKG headphones should be pretty close to what the engineer will be working with.