Posts by jtm18

Thanks guys!

Sometimes, when you go to a project studio of someone's, their set-up is pretty minimal. Supposing they've only got 1 input for a guitar, can I connect my KPA using ONLY the left (mono) output (XLR) and go into their audio interface?

Sure- I was just unaware that the TRS outputs are unbalanced...
The manual should be make that more clear, as well as possibly labeling the output jacks on the rear of the KPA so there's no confusion.

No- it's the the TRS outputs on the Kemper are unbalanced, so I'm getting less level going into the RME. With the new cables I got, which are XLR to TRS, I'm getting the balanced XLR signal from the Kemper, therefore increasing the level. All's well!

Ya- it's definitely strange that the Main Outputs are XLR BALANCED and TRS UNBALANCED... I'm assuming there's a reason for this, I'm just not a tech to know exactly why. It wouldn't hurt the KPA to label this more clearly on the rear panel by the jacks- especially when the manual simply states to "connect the main outs of the KPA to your mixer." A little more info about how to properly connect would be wise.
All I know is that I'm glad this was finally figured out (thanks to everyone on the thread for contributing, btw), as I was getting very frustrated, and wasn't comfortable bringing the unit to sessions outside of my studio.

I'll be honest- I had no idea the XLR would work properly and the TRS wouldn't. I kind of lucked out...

Hey man,
As for an interface, it depends on how much you want to spend, and what you're looking to get out of it...
A good interface with good A/D conversion, good mic pres, etc, will run a bit more money than a basic, plug-n-play box. The advantage of good mic pres is that, for example, plugging an acoustic directly in will sound much better. Also, a microphone will, as well. I use an RME Fireface 800 that isn't cheap, but isn't the end-all, by any means. I can, however, get a great signal when I plug directly into the unit and not have to worry about the sound being compromised by cheap components.
If, however, you're just a hobbyist, and don't require a pristine signal, by all means save some cash and get an M-Audio interface, or something similar, that won't break the bank. Sweetwater.com has buying guides for all their gear categories- may be a good place to do some research. Good luck!

Don't sweat it... again, since it happened at my dad's studio with his cables, then my own place, I assumed cables weren't the issue! No more assuming for me!

I can't help feel a bit lame here, but whaddya gonna do??
It turns out that my cables were the issue. I was using some TRS cables I had lying around here to connect the KPA direct outs to my RME interface.
Well, since I thought I owed it to the KPA to have some good, designated cables, I ordered some Monster Studio Prolink XLR female -> TRS cables and they arrived today. When I replaced the old cables with these, the level into Logic just about tripled!
Point is this: make sure your cables aren't the cause of any problems here! I'm loving this Kemper more and more each day.

Haha- no worries on changing the theme of the thread... still working on my original issue, but I can say I learned a little something about sound quality and file formats!

Is it ok to leave the KPA on for hours throughout the day? Or is it better to turn it off, if you're going to be out for an hour or two- for lunch, for example? Thanks-

J

Thanks for the info!

The "noise gate" was turned way up...
I didn't realize that it stayed at the position I put it even after I change presets. Problem solved!

After playing with my new KPA for the last few days, I noticed that it felt like there was some latency happening. I'm running it into my RME Fireface 800, which feeds Logic 9 on my MacPro.

After noodling around a bit more, I realized that when I attack the guitar softly, the sound comes out as if there's a filter, or volume pedal swelling up, as the attack is very soft. It almost sounds like a wah-wah. I tried numerous rig presets by numerous authors and found this to be the case no matter what preset I'm on.

I have attached a link below to a small audio sample if you're interested in hearing this. FYI, I'm playing a Strat with the neck pickup, running thru a Mogami instrument cable, and the KPA preset is "GT 75 Scream 6L6" by B Dinnies. The master volume is at 10, and the preset's volume is at -1.7db.

Again, this is just the preset I recorded, but this was happening with any one I selected- not just the one above. Anyone else dealing with this?

After going to link below, click on "JTM KPA attack demo.mp3"
Audio sample

Hey Recordpress,
I've been having the same problem here... I'm running the KPA into an RME Fireface 800's rear analog inputs using XLR from the KPA to TRS into the RME. The RME goes into Logic 9 on my MacPro. The level is super soft. No one's been able to figure out why, as most people don't seem to have this problem. I got my KPA last week, and it was doing the same thing at my dad's studio, going into a MOTU 2408 then into Logic. I've got the KPA's master volume turned all the way up, and it sounds fine with headphones. As soon as I go to my cpu, though, the level is very low. Strange no one else can figure this out...

Ya- you're obviously knowledgable with this stuff; thanks for your input!
I just got the specs of the KPA's output from KPA:
Analog Outputs
Master L and R Outputs: XLR balanced, ¼ inch TRS unbalanced with ground lift
max output level: XLR +22dBu, TRS +16dBu

Monitor Output: ¼ inch TRS unbalanced with ground lift
max output level: +16dBu

Direct Output/Send: ¼ inch TRS unbalanced with ground lift
max output level: +16dBu

I'm gonna call RME once more to see if they've got any ideas. I'll never be totally comfortable seeing the level going into Logic so much lower than I'm used to/expected. If I hear anything, I'll keep you in the loop. Thanks again!

Hey Garrincha,
The reason that I had those faders down was to control the level of my speaker controller- a Mackie Big Knob. I wanted to be able to move the overall level knob without my speakers blowing my ears off at the slightest nudge.
However, when I raised the levels in the RME mixer, it didn't affect the level going into Logic that much. RME tech support wanted me to find out the output of the KPA- either +4 or -10. I just set my RME settings to +4.

That article is interesting, but has very little to do with the original issue. A good read, though...
My focus is still in figuring out why I'm getting such a difference in levels within my sequencer when using the KPA vs my other guitar processors.
These forums are dangerous- one could spend all day on here!

Marco- I think it as probably an RME issue... I attached some screenshots of my RME settings and Logic channel strips in an earlier post in this thread. Thanks for your input.

Stemast- the only reason I bring this up is that I've never experienced this in my years of using guitar processors/amps/modelers/etc. Nothing in my system has changed since before I got the KPA. I thought I'd be ok just plugging it as it says in the manual, and it'd function correctly. This same issue was also occurring at another studio I was at, where we've never encountered anything like this. The recording isn't fine. When playing back, it's very soft; which is of no surprise considering the waveform is so small. Logic isn't getting a strong enough signal for some reason.

Using my POD X3 Pro, or Vox ToneLab SE processor, I'd simply plug my guitar into there, go into the RME, then into Logic.
I'm not going to adjust the waveform's view within Logic simply because it looks small... it IS small/soft/low/etc.

With my other rigs I mentioned above, I'm only hearing guitar when I'm "record-enabled" in Logic. That's the way I want it. That's the way it's always worked in my studio, or whatever other I'm at. Obviously, there's something different about the KPA that is not doing this, and causing audio to be heard even when Logic isn't open.

As for headphones- I'll obviously hear a normal volume from the KPA's headphone jack. There's never been any confusion about that. My main issue is the level that's showing up coming from my RME into Logic. If the waveform is very small, that means it's not getting a strong signal. As I said, nothing has changed since I got the KPA. If the waveform is normal/"healthy" with my other guitar gear, there's no reason it shouldn't be with the KPA.

I'm certain there are some settings within the RME or Logic that will remedy this.

No- that's the thing... it's loud everywhere but in my computer.
I can get the volume up by turning the KPA's master volume to 10, and there's plenty of audible sound. However, the amount of signal showing up within Logic (coming from the KPA going into the RME interface) is minimal. So, by plugging into the front of the RME, I can add gain to the signal that gets to Logic.

What's also strange is that I still hear the KPA even when I'm not record-enabled in Logic... I don't know why. To me, if the track isn't in record, or "input monitoring" mode, I shouldn't hear the signal.