Posts by fretboardminer

wow, thanks. that´s an interesting idea!

Quote from Sharry

The only answer I know is : You can profile an amp (or preamp) but not a guitar.During the profiling process the Kemper produces signals to be analyzed.

Ahh, yes! Now I remember: the KEMPER does these wobbling UFO-Sounds during the profiling. So no acoustic guitar profiles - what a pity.

Quote from Sharry

I would wish the Kemper could play guitar, With the existing perfectionism, that would probably be better than my playing.

A while ago I was restoring an old recording of piano music. There were two large gaps of sudden silence from drop-outs in the middle of a dense moment of the music. And the "pattern recognition" algorithm of the software (RX btw.) was able to fill these gaps scaringly perfect!!!

No, I am not talking about profiling the Fishman AURA (or any other acoustic guitar preamp/DI etc).
I would like to know if it is possible to profile my acoustic guitar directly! I didn´t think of this possibility back then when I owned one.

Has anybody here ever tried to use the KEMPER in a similar way like the Fishman AURA? That means to create a profile that compares the pickup signal of an acoustic guitar with the signal from a good microphone? Could this work by any means?

Hi there,

I am late — but thanks for your advice. I took a look at the manual and saw that indeed there is a general output EQ. I don't remember if it was there back then.

Digitech MC² looks interesting. From the pictures it seems like the pedal is very short. But I will give it a try If I stumble onto one.

Hi Kemperists,

I have been away for quite a while. A few years ago I sold my KEMPER and since then played my own small tube amp with a Bad Cat Unleash. That does the job quite good. But it is awkward to carry and to handle and I am still thinking a lot about buying another Kemper. Especially because in the meantime it comes with built in power amp. Which opens up a lot more options for gigs.

I don't dare to ask if there is a floorversion planned. Seems to be a problem. Although for me this would be the most interesting.

But there are other questions where you might be able to give me a hint:

1) Is there any optical or magnetical controller pedal on the market? I talked to Lehle and they said, they might think about it for the future. I need a smooth running optical pedal for master volume control all at the end of the chain.

2) I love the Electro Harmonix FREEZE. It is such a nice and handy tool. Like the left pedal on a piano. Very musical. Is there anything similar now in the effects rack of the KEMPER?

3) Back then there was no master output EQ on the KEMPER. I really would love to have one because it makes adapting to rented backline amps much easier.

best greetings
Olaf

Check the Output Source (Master Menue Page 1/5). If this is set to Mod Stereo or anything prior to Master Stereo, then it is possible that you don't hear the Delay and Reverb even if it is on.

Quote

First of all I would buy ear-protectors, if you play with a very loud band....

Shure I did!

Quote from guenterhaas

It's not that easy to find good FRFR-systems for the Kemper and it's hard to get a similar feel like playing an amp/combo. I've tried out several P.A/monitor-cabs and I found out that special FRFR-cabs like Atomic CLR, Camper CX112 and Matrix Q12a sound much better and give me more of the "real feel".

I concentrated on active FRFR speakers because carrying a KPA plus a Matrix Q12a (or some other of the sort) is way too much when you travel. Even on trains but certainly in airplanes. I can't afford to pay overweight fees. I never played in a venue that was able to rent one of these "guitar special FRFR cabs" for me. And I don't think it is possible at all to get them from any backline rental company. Also I never understood the need for "guitar-special" FRFR if the idea of FRFR is flat response full range.

Now I had a gig with with my (very ) loud band. The setup was:

my custom made 2x6V6 amp
> UNLEASH
>> speaker out back to my amp's JENSEN Blackbird 12"
>> line out into a Twin
>> volmepedal (and FREEZE) into the FX loop of the UNLEASH

An alternative setup could have been this, but I did not test it because we arrived late and the soundcheck was a bit in a
hurry and I am more convinced that this setup will work fine anyway:

my custom made 2x6V6 amp
> UNLEASH
>> speaker out back to my amp's JENSEN BLACKBIRD 12"
>> second speaker out connected to only the speakers of the Twin
>> volmepedal (and FREEZE) into the FX loop of the UNLEASH

It was a great sound and very good feel to play. In bands with a more reasonable, moderate volume level the little-big-amp setup with the UNLEASH is already clearly my favourite now. This certainly puts my KEMPER a bit closer to ebay. But I will wait until it I see how the UNLEASH works on a gig with airline travel. Guitar and UNLEASH checked in in the suitcase and my Champ as cabin luggage.

Yesterday my rehearsal with my (very ) loud band confirmed a bit, what musicman65 predicted:

Quote from musicman65

You can't run an SS amp into saturation without creating square waves and ugly harmonics so you need extra headroom to avoid this.

Possible that only one Jensen Blackbird speaker is not enough for these volumes. So when I set the UNLEASH to the max it was quite harsh yesterday. With a second cabinet in parallel the total impedance would drop to 4 Ohms so that the UNLEASH would fire out nominally 180 Watts. This and the fact that there would be less burdon on each speaker might be a cure for this effect. ... Time will tell ...

Quote from guenterhaas

If you play in a club or on smaller stages (probably like fretboardminer) and maybe the amp is not even miked up, you will get a good guitar-sound with a simple tube-amp very fast. If you want to have the same quality with the KPA you need very good FRFR-cabs.

I have a RCF NX 12sma and a RCF TT08 here. Yes, for really small gigs a combo is still unbeatable (at least now with the UNLEASH for controling the volume). On larger stages all the features of the KEMPER are very enticing. I think I will soon sell those FRFR speakers. But not the KEMPER. There are a few things I have to check out first.

Now, after a few more gigs without the KEMPER, I have to report one more interesting observation: there have been several people who know me and my music quite well and they came to me now and told me:"I am really very happy that you play tubeamps again! You were so enthusiastic about this digital thing that you played recently that I did not I dare to tell you that for my taste it does not really sound as expressive as your real amps."

Today is a first rehearsal with my loud band and I am curious how the UNLEASH will perform there.But so far it is really totally ok. I never had a power controlling device that sounds so transparent and true!

I listened to your "Oriental Traces". Nice sound. And good playing! But as you mentioned yourself the categories would be more like "lounge", "world-music", "nu-jazz" or "ambient. I don't think many would use the category "Improvised Music" for it. I was talking about Improvised Music as a desctiptive category, not as a working method.

Especially togther with the categories Freejazz and Echtzeitmusic I think it does indeed narrow it down to that stile of free playing that for example the Berliner FMP label promoted in the last 40 years with musicians like Cecil Taylor, Evan Parker, Peter Brötzmann, Peter Kowald, Hans Reichel, Paul Lovens and many more. My music is also on that label on several CDs two of them being electric guitar solo improvisations.

I once posted a Youtube clip of a Sun Ra organ solo here on that forum which caused strange and irritated comments of the WTF kind of type.

Now I have equipped an old 1x12 cabinet that I had left here with a new Jensen Blackbird 100 Watt speaker. So now it is possible to turn up the UNLEASH all the way without fearing to destroy a speaker. All I can say so far is that it is by far loud enough for what I need as a stage sound.

Quote from mattlocked

According to the late Mr. Alexander Dumble it all comes down to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVTj08qTwGw

I don't know about how electrons swim – but from my own experience in the last 30 years I know that the high frequencies are the problem zone. It is so hard to EQ a shimmering acoustic-guitar-like sparkle without going too icy and sterile. Meanwhile on a Champ (5F1) it is easy: just plug in.

The reason why I went KEMPER is that I wanted to have that sparkling sound of a Champ at it's sweet spot at any volume level and controllable with a pedal. I tried it now for a bit more than one year, did recording sessions and concerts of many different size from small arts-gallery 20 people gigs to large festivals with good PA. The problem zone was always the high end (and also the flexibility of the distortion). But I have to add that my music is very special, quite far away from the mainstream. Improvised Music, Freejazz and Echtzeitmusik. With minority music you encounter minority problems. I guess for most other commercial music styles the KPA is totally ok.

Quote from HappyKemper

Here is some good food for thought info, Amp Power Myths, tube vs solid state:
http://www.guitarnuts.com/amps/myths.php

Thanks Harry, lots of good info.

Quote from musicman65

Sorry if this is overly technical. I'm an electrical engineer so my explanation might be nerdy but does agree with your reference link when applied to FRFR operation.

No problem. As long as you don't mind to encounter the same laymen's errors over and over again. I for example measured the UNLEASH's output at 120 Watts into 8 Ohm (using Gerald Weber's simple method).

For me the UNLEASH is just perfect because I like small amps and if I need more volume I can hook it up to a bigger support amp. But I wonder what would be if someone uses it with a 100 Watt MARSHALL full stack. I don't think he will be able to get the same maximum loudness (in case he needs it) than without the UNLEASH. I have no means here to test this. My understanding of this power thing is this:

• technically tubeamps are the same as loud as solid state amps.
• musically they are stronger because: 1) as Scott Grove mentioned they often are fitted with better speakers and 2) they still sound good in the clipping range. So we can turn them up louder before the clipping sounds ugly.

The UNLEASH is more than a "powersoak" or "attenuator". Basically it seems to be a very clear, inductive load plus a 100 Watt class D poweramp. It is like this:

load box + line level tap > two switchable volume controls > effects loop > direct out > 100 Watt class D poweramp

This offers a lot of options:

• you can hook it between amp and built in speaker of a small combo. Then you can turn it seemlessy down to zero but you can only turm it as loud as the wattage of the speaker allows.
• you can connect a Champ to an external 100 Watt speaker. This allows you to turn down all the way and also to turn it up all of the 100 Watt glory.
• you can hook it between amp and built in speaker of a small combo and connect the Direct Out to the Poweramp In of a bigger amp.
• you can hook it between amp and built in speaker of a small combo and just mike that amp to the PA.
• I did not try yet but for Kemperists it should be even possible to connect the Direct Out of the KEMPER to the Return of the UNLEASH and then to a guitar cabinet. This way you could use the UNLEASH as a 100 Watt class D poweramp.

I won't sell it right now.
But I took it out of my rig.

Last week I just wanted to test the new tubeamp loudness controller BAD CAT – UNLEASH . And from the first notes on I was fascinated to hear my good old BENDER 2x6V6 amp so clear and swift at any volume. And the effects loop in the UNLEASH allows me to control the volume with my HILTON pedal. That's all I need!

Cool!

Yes, the Aux In seems to be quite noisy. So don't forget to turn it down when you don't need it.

In the new FW it seems to be possible to control the Aux In volume separately for Main and Monitor/Headphone Out. This could be handy sometimes.

It should be clear that when I complain about expression pedals, I am talking about them being used to control the volume. For controlling other values I also agree that most marketed pedals are good enough.

Quote

I don't know where a problem is hidden here.

It makes a big difference if you use the pedal to set a value during a silent moment or if you use it to create expressive volume changes within the sounds. Try this:

• fast Derek Bailey like cut ups
• tremoloes
• fast violin swells
• even simple crescendos can be awkward on some pedals
• Another point, where friction is especially ugly is this: establish a broad, ambient-like sound layer and then try to just ever so slightly change the volume just a little bit. Friction in a standing pedal is much higher than when it is mooving. This leads to very ugly, bumpy volume changes.

Quote

No other forum member has picked up the inertia topic yet.

So what? I do. Earlier you were an advocate of diagnostic A/B comparisons. Now you rely on mayorities?

The PA at my gig at Saalfelden Jazz Festival was very good and at the beginning of the soundcheck the effects loop of the KPA was accidentally switched off. When I activated it again we all could clearly hear how much the signal is deteriorating with the use of the effects loop. So hooking up my HILTON pedal into the effects loop cannot be the ultimate solution to my (minority?) problem.