Posts by drumdrum

    you did not post any sound clips, so take the following as you will....


    For the way you've explained it, it sounds to me that either:
    1 - there is a "phaser" effect on somewhere in your chain


    2 - There is a problem with your wedge


    3 - The room is a different room than what you're used to, and EVERY room has its own room modes or frequency shifts in it.
    No room, no matter how treated will have zero room modes (Except maybe an anechoic chamber), an TBH thank GOD for that as anechoic chambers sound strange and music does
    NOT sound good in them!
    Could be you're sitting right in the spot of a room mode. Chances are that as you play you're moving your head as well which can (in certain rooms under certain conditions) give a "phasey"
    type of sound. If it is the room though, it is most likely a very faint "effect" on the sound but we're all different so what I may call "faint", you may call "loud".
    Anyways, try moving your position in the room. IF it is the room, then the effect should change / go away depending on your position in the room.



    HTH

    Also, and frankly put, if you have any unwanted "noise" in your chain, the cable wont be the problem. Chances are that you have an issue elsewhere that a new cable could never fix.



    99% of "hum" problems are due to a ground loop and cheap guitar cables are not your problem to begin with.





    also, please bear in mind, that a "cheap" cable, is not necessarily a "bad" cable. I have used the same 4 e25 Planet Waves cables for the last few years and they still go strong. I only got them as they come with a lifetime guarantee and for my own piece of mind, I chose them over store brand ones that were about e10 cheaper.
    So if one breaks, I bring it down to my local guitar shop, and they swap it no questions asked.
    Now THAT to ME is worth the extra e10, but as with everything, YMMV :)

    hate to play devils advocate, but numerous studies have proved that there is no difference between a $20 cable and a $200 cable....sonically speaking.


    More expensive cables can tend to have better insulation, shielding connectors and overall build quality, but unless you're very careless and/or accident prone, you'll get the same tone with "cheap" cables as you will with expensive ones.



    Heres a good read to put it in laymans terms:
    http://www.ultimate-guitar.com…nstrument_cables.html</a>



    The differences are in your head unfortunately. That said, if it stops you questioning that part of your chain, then maybe the piece of mind is worth it to you.




    So why the price differences? Because, simply put, they get the higher price, usually from so called "audiophiles" (audio-fools? :p ).


    Seriously, spend your money on aspects of your chain that actually will make a difference to your tone - a pedal, a guitar service or even a new pack of strings! :thumbup:

    ok....try this...


    @OP:


    Im not 100% sure what you mean by "ticky tacky", are you referring to actual very faint "tick" sounds? As in, phonetically sound like a "tck"?


    Ive gotten them before....and IME the issue is usually one of the following:


    1 - Kemper not set to be the master clock! Doh! Its an easy one to forget! :)


    2 - The pickups in your guitar being hotter than your last guitar, for which your input profile is set to. I have setup an individual profile for most of my guitars.
    IME, active pickups are almost always hotter than passive, and as such, required more reduction of the clean input.


    3 - Gain. Yes, individually a roaring profile can sound immense (ie, AWESOME!) but Ive been recording for years (and other bands) and one think that ALWAYS always always always always
    (did I mention "always"? ;) ) gets newbiews and even some experienced pros from time to time, is too much gain.
    If you record a single take of a guitar with high gain, it can still sound ok. But double track that guitar, hard pan them left and right and you get mush!
    The solution? Turn the gain down. Way down in some cases! Turn it down until the clean sound starts breaking through, then stop, and turn the gain up a little from that point.
    That is your "recording gain". Live, feel free to crank it up a bit more, but for recording, the less gain you use, the clearer your tone in most recording cases.


    People often think that the "heaviness" of a song is the guitar tone.....its not. (sorry guys!) Well, ok it is a little, but in my experience 70-80% of the perceived "heaviness" of a song comes from the bass and drums. The rest is guitar, singer, synthesiser, bass-synthesiser, digereedoo, whatever else! :)


    Obviously this is more applicable to metal and heavier tones, but can also apply for general rock too.



    4 - and I hate to say this and risk insulting you, but in the interest of helping you....
    is your pick technique good? Are you accidentally and unknowingly brushing the top of the pickup/guitar/some-part-of-the-guitar when you strike a chord?
    I saw this problem with a young band I was recording about a year ago. Decent band, but the guitarist had this odd habit of just ever so slightly brushing his pick off the pickup now and again. It led to some noise I tells you! A "self-taught" lad, like a lot of us here.... I guess bad habits can seep in easily!


    Not intending to seem insulting, just maybe try to check your playing to ensure that the issue is not something more fundamental.



    5 - IME, with gain-ier tones, there can be inevitable ticks and pops in the recording. But the thing is, it is there in about 99% of "professionally released" albums out there!!!
    The issue is, as a listener, you never ever notice it, but when you learn as a producer/mixer engineer what to listen for, the issue is quite common! (and ruins music for you too, but I digress... :) )
    Anyways, this happened to me a few months ago...its your ear naturally "learning" and getting better at being a producer/engineer....


    however....


    it too now brings with it a new skill you must/should/will learn....which is knowing when you are now hearing a "genuine" issue, or whether you are (as I like to put it) "listening past the music".
    I.e., are you hearing genuine ticks and issues? or are you hearing those very subtle pops and clicks that you as a more experienced engineer can now hear, but never heard before?


    Me? I'm still learning this new lesson. I love being able to now hear things that I never heard before, but also am still learning when I'm listening past the music.
    This has often led to hours of "fixing" issues, those little subtle clicks, only to have no one notice what the heck I had done! - read: I wasted 3 hours "fixing" something that was never audible to 99.99999999% of the general listening public!
    Anyways, the more you record the better it gets and you get to know what is a genuine issue and what is not, and this also makes you more confident and faster.



    I'm writing more here than I imagined, but I hope this helps.
    I adore my Kemper. It has sped up playing and recording for me, but take a bit of time with it.
    No device, whether it cost you $200, $2000, or $2000000 will sound amazingly perfect as to what you had in your head essentially "out-of-the-box".
    Give it a bit of time, learn it a bit better and how its functions translate to your desires, and I've no doubt you'll be recording as intended before long. :thumbup:

    +1 on a looper!


    Thought...if internal space is an issue for the KPA, why not let us use a USB stick as storgage? Maybe in our formatted USB sticks that we all use to upgrade, there is a folder (or a hidden folder) called "loop_recordings" or something, and the KPA can use that as loop storage.


    Patend Pending Kemper! :P


    Nah just kidding but a looper would be greart! :thumbup:

    I don't think the Mac version will have sound editing. Only profiling management, and maybe eventually backup control. There is some tag editing at most.


    So the Mac nor PC version won't/don't have similar capability in tweaking internal parameters as the Fractal software.


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENXvZ9YRjbo&feature=kp



    :D



    Well its a pity that it doesnt do sound editing....hopefully this will be a thing Kemper can add in to Rig Manager v2.0 or something...

    +100000!!



    Seriously, I actually considered getting an Axe FX2 this week primarily due to it having a sound editing option from the computer!
    I know....GAS...I need help! ;( :P 8)

    I cant be 100% sure that this was the cause, as I recorded it ages ago, but sure here goes:


    I think the 2 reasons I got these issues were:
    1 - Likely did not set the master clock correctly.
    2 - I did not practice the part enough. (Im much better at guitar than I used to be thanks to the KPA, but likely I did not know the part well enough when I orginally laid it down.)
    3 - I suspect that I may have clipped the input light. My Seymour Duncan Blackouts are fairly hot compared to my other main guitar (active PUPs vs passive PUPs I suppose).
    I may not have set this right.
    4 - The profile is very distorted naturally, so chances are this combined with step 3 gave more click-clips...



    Anyways, I re-recorded the part and all is well now. :thumbup:

    I use IEMs too actually, though most of the time as a drummer onstage (A drummer? Here? in the Kemper forums? SHOCK HORROR! :P )


    I wouldnt use them for checking mixes or anything but they can be a great tool for onstage work.
    Guitars though, I'd just go with a good sound engineer any day of the week! :thumbup:

    +1 for the ATH-M50


    Seriously, they are a bargain at their price and IMHO are some of the best headphones you can get!


    I check mixes on these all the time. Very detailed and responsive.
    Senheisser 650s are also very good. More expensive though and for me, the extra cost is NOT worth it vs the ATH-M50.


    The thing is though, that everybodys ears are different, so while I may love Headphone X, you may prefer headphone Y. (Etc)


    I always recommend people find out their own preferences their own way by trying them on at shop with a known source (bring along your favourite or better yet, your own mix).

    Hi all,


    I am in the final stages of getting an album done, and I got the masters back last night from the mastering engineer.


    On one particular track, the right rhythm guitar had a fair few pops and clicks in it. On most others there are some fainting clicks and pops, but it could be me "hearing" the pops and clicks as I am a little paranoid about the integrity of my tracks at this point.


    Anyways, on the track in question, I opened up the mix in logic and checked the track in solo, and true enough there were pops and clicks, albeit faint ones. You wouldn't hear it in the full mix, but the master was squashed with a limiter that made these things more obvious. Its not "Death Magnetic" squashed, but it is loud enough to be competitive with more "famouser" band releases.


    In a few of the other tracks, there are some very obvious and loud "clicks" now and again, that can be quite noticeable if you look for them. Its gotten me paranoid now that I have been going back over a couple of tracks last night comping away anything that I think could be perceived as a "flaw"....to the point that I wasted 2 hours doing this until realising that I could never be happy and just reverted to a pre-comping-like-a-mad-man save file! (Glad I did....its music made by humans, not robots....not YET anyways! ;) )


    Since I recorded these tracks with the Kemper direct, it makes me question... are some profiles more "clicky" than others?
    My guitar for this track had Seymour Duncan Blackouts and I used the bridge pickup.


    The culprit/profile in question above is the Keith Merrow "Shorted Out" profile with no pedals in the chain....just the guitar and the amp and cab profile tone. :)



    Anyways, long story short, I tried to fix the clicks by moving around parts, but I realised after an hour or so that I was just "turd polishing" at this point, so I re-recorded the part with a different profile.
    Job done in 45mins! (4 min track, about 4-5 good takes, wasted about 10 mins in dud takes and tuning times between takes.... and the rest just some random noodling around! :) )





    Is this simply a "some profiles are more "click-prone" than others" type of scenario, or are there some steps to take to prevent this from happening?


    Know-a-days I actively set the Kemper as the master clock with my interface (UAD Apollo) running at 44.1KHz and I leave the constant latency switch engaged on my Kemper in case I need to re-amp. ( I always record out a DI also from the KPA). I will admit, when I originally tracked the song, I cannot remember if I did or knew to set the KPA as the master clock. Could this be a clocking issue?
    I may have indeed set the KPA as the master...I cannot honestly remember, and I was too green at the time to take notes of that detail! :)


    I use Logic 9.1.8 with OSX 10.8.5 and a UAD Apollo as my audio interface FWIW. I use a KPA Powerhead v2.3 (public release) and I do all my recording over SPDIF. Sometimes I mic up my cab and crank a profile through my 4x12, but I didnt on this album.
    thanks! :) :thumbup:

    I never saw the post in which he said he was shipping his Axe. Did he delete it, or did I miss something? 8|


    anyways Layne, if you're still having issues, I posted about something similar (kind of) in another thread that may have a few relevant points for you:
    Link to Post



    Anyways, dont mind those on the forum accusing of "trolling". Any decent musician knows that there are many great devices out there, just as there are great guitars out there.
    "Fanboy"-ism is silly and immature and all it does is cause the person to limit themselves in their own options.


    I tried (extensively!) and Axe 2 before I went with the Kemper and never looked back. For me, it took too long dialing in a decent tone with the Axe 2. I actually like to PLAY my guitar rather than tweak things as minute as "tube bias" or whatever! :)
    Also I preferred the sound of the KPA for my music. Personal choice, but I will admit that the Axe 2 was also a very good unit. I would have kept both if I had had the funds at the time, and I dont feel like paying for an item upfront and being put on a "waiting list". To me, if you pay for something, you get it then and there (or sent out to you then and there). I dont like the Fractal business sales model. But maybe I'm old fashioned that way! :P

    Try this:


    1 - when rocking out with HP, crank that room sound man! :thumbup: But when playing via your speaker, turn OFF the room sound. Yes, it prints the room sound to the output of the Kemper, not just through the HP preamp.


    2 - Check your sample rate of your interface! If its not 44100 (say its 48000 for example) then it will sound "fizzy", "harsh", over-distorted etc. It'll sound just off....BUT , this can be good if you WANT it to sound like crud as an artistic effect.


    3 - HP = stereo goodness - "ooohh baby, yeah thats good!". Single speaker = mono. Things just wont sound as "big" in mono....ever....except for maybe a digereedoo...MAYBE....


    4 - Your room! Your room has a MASSIVE influence on your sound.
    Let me repeat for emphasis:
    You room has a MASSIVE influence on your sound!! :thumbup:
    Seriously though, every room in existence has an influence on your sound in the room. You can treat most rooms to a certain degree, and some more than others. But chances are, that big bassy, full, huge sound in your cans will be different in your room.
    I suggest, if you really want to check out your room (and if you're serious about your music, you should!) download Room Eq Wizard. Its free, and all you need is a measurement microphone. I use a Behringer ECM8000 and it works great! (Dont let the name Behringer fool you...this is one of their rare decent products!)
    Links:
    Room Eq Wizard
    Behinger ECM8000
    You can use any measurement mic, but these are the type of mic you only use a few times, so either get a lend or dont spend too much. On a side note, they actually make decent drum room mics but keep that to yourself! ;)




    5 - As mentioned before, maybe you just prefer "duller" sounds.




    6 - Be honest with yourself, are you expecting that huge, "Wall of Sound" to come out of your small stereo speaker? There is a reason that big rock bands use 4x12s at gigs and such.
    What I mean by this is.....be fair to your expectations of what you want and what you are listening on. I mean, its not the Kempers fault that it cant make toast, so why expect it to do something that it never could (with your setup)?




    Anyways, hope this helps! Roc on man! :thumbup:



    One of my LEDs has gone out on the ring of LEDs around the gain knob & one's gone out around the Vol knob!
    Are these the LEDs you're referring to ?
    My unit's more than a year old. Don'y know if Kemper would repair under warranty & if so does it have to go back to Germany?

    This happened to me. Volume knob too actully. Anyways, I sent it back to Kemper via the retailer I bought it from as it was still under warranty. I got it from dv247.com who give a 4 year warranty on all items so I was sorted. All in all, it took about 5 weeks or so turnaround.



    I think that the LED-gate is the reason why the LED ring on the toasters are missing from the rack unit. For me, its actually one of the many reasons I went for a toaster over a rack...they just look awesome! :) (well, that and its more portable, naturally! :thumbup: )

    Well, while that may be suitable for a lot of users, a good number of studios (both professional and semi-professional) do not connect their main session computers to the internet.


    Personally, I dont agree with the logic, but the thought being that if its not connected to the internet, it cant get a virus.




    Anyways, if you want platform independence, then why not make the Rig Manager a Java based program? It'd be platform independent at least, if that is your main concern.


    Anyways, I just wish they'd release a Mac version already. But I can live without it for the time being. :thumbup:

    Ok, I can understand peoples "frustration" with people selling on others profiles with tweaks.


    But lets look at the original profiles themselves.


    If we cast stones at the guys who sell on a profile with modifications, should we not also throw stones at the guy who made the original profiles, as he is also making a copy of someone elses work. (ie, the amp makers?)


    Its a very gray/grey area....no right, no wrong. I can understand all sides.
    In a perfect world, they'd all be free. But hey, a fair pay for a fair days work is always best. :thumbup:

    Dont get me wrong, if I could demo a profile and see if it works for me then I'd be up for considering to buy it.


    It's the "blind test" nature of charging for something I dont like, especially if the cost is e70 for a pack.


    Yes there are often demos which are used to promo the profiles, but they dont ever sound the 100% same for you due to:
    1 - Different guitars
    2 - With different pickups
    3 - Played by different people.


    The Keith Merrow Profiles are probably my most played and favourited profiles. They sound amazing for the stuff I do.


    Would I buy another Keith Merrow profile pack? Well, I'd be VERY tempted (depending on cost) as his first profile pack for Kemper was
    (for me) absolutely brilliant! True, not all of the KM Profile Pack1 profiles work for me, but thats just down to my tastes.
    But I'd heavily consider buying it as its by a profiler that I trust.



    I wouldn't be too sure about some of TAF profiles without getting to try them first.


    I think Kemper should try to figure out a way to allow for profiles to be demoed on the KPA.
    It could be done like some plugin demos work. They could work 100% for a set period of time then de-activate, or they could work and omit a 5 second silence every minute or something.



    The thing is, does Kemper want to get involved in building a sub-ecosystem within the KPA world? It may be more hassle in the long term than its worth, and I'm not sure on the legal side of things. Besides, heres a question that I honestly dont know the answer to:


    Does the Axe Fx2 have profiles (or what ever they call them in AF2 world) that are sold by 3rd parties?
    Im just curious on this last part. :)

    I just find it hard to find the justification in 3rd parties trying to sell profiles. Especially at the high cost some of them are charging.


    To me, its a bit a "copy of a copy" scenario. Granted, the hard work and good gear make your copy very good, but I too find it a dubious market to support.


    I mean, why doesnt everyone then stop uploading free profiles and set up their own commercial profiles page? It would then:
    1 - Force prices down, due to increased competition
    2 - Force better profiling by the "non-studio" owning people (ie, the everyday-man) in order to stand out or make a name as a "good" profiler
    3 - It may even force the commercial guys to give it away for free as otherwise, they'd be buried between the rest of the profiles.



    The simple fact is that, when you start charging for something, people automatically assign more value to it. Its a fact. Im not saying that "higher asking cost = better profile", as expectation rises also. But having value in your work makes others also have value in your work. But is it really "their" work to be selling?



    To be perfectly honest, I bought a KPA over a real amp, and have never looked back. I know Im not the only one, and yes, it has cost the amp makers a sale.
    I honestly dont think I'd ever go back to a "real" amp ever again....or at least in the foreseeable future. Thats just how good technology, and in particular the KPA, has made it for us.


    We truly live in great guitar-gear times! :)

    Jumping on the devils advocate side here:


    Where's the line here?
    Sure, some people have pirated the profiles and others havent. But to say things like "after buying a $1500 KPA, $5 is peanuts" is kinda of missing the point.


    The simple fact is, that profiles are not demo-able. For me, $70 is a lot to throw down blindly for a "producers pack" without knowing how it will sound with MY guitars, with MY pickups and MY playing style.
    Its just not financially feasible to buy every profile you think you may use only to find that its useless.
    However, its not right either to build a sort of consortium in order to share profiles around the place. That's not fair either on the profile creator.



    Here's a thought for you though.....
    How many people here have not gone ahead and bought a real amp, and instead bought a Kemper? I am one of them, Im proud to say (hey, it's a Kemper forums after all! ;)
    Is the very nature of the KPA itself not a "lazarus soul" (forgive the use of the next word...) "stealing" type device?


    Say Messa, Marshall, Peavey and the rest all turned around and started claiming IP rights on their amp sounds. It could be the end of devices like the KPA, AxeFX2, 11 Rack, GSP, etc.
    But then where does it end? Pearl copyrighting a drum sound? but I digress...



    Poor show by the perpetrators, but I can understand why someone would do it.