Posts by PHILBERT

Sounds great!

Sounds real because it is real.

Phil

This just in....

PERFECT!

Wells for the 2 Mission pedals (left and right), and all is a nice tight snug fit. Freddy at Thomann hooked me up with this Thon Custom 111666 ATA Flight Case. Took a bit to get to the States, but well worth the wait! This is what I always wanted.

Phil

I managed to get Performance Mode working. Cleared a bunch of MIDI Assignments that I didn't know where they came from, but still can't get Browse Mode to change no matter what numerical value I set on both units. I guess I have to build up more in Performance Mode to do some patch switching.

Has anybody managed to get Browser Mode to sync using the Stage unit to a Rack or Toaster unit?

Phil

Quote from cmbrowns

Hello Philbert

There's a checkbox called UI to MIDI on the System settings page 15. From the description in the current User Guide (page 277), looks like this might be something to try.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for replying. I have it checked. Not sending program changes for Banks and Memory 1 thru 5 presets.

Phil

Hello forum members. Long time since I've been here.

I just purchased a Kemper Stage, and want to replace my Kemper Remote with it using MIDI OUT on the Kemper Stage to MIDI IN on the Kemper Rack. I can't get it to change Program channels (program change). When I try, I see a little "SE" symbol on the Rack unit in the Author's Name section in the upper right corner. I also see an "*" symbol and something else underneath. It turns effects on/off, and controls some other button on/off choices, but won't change rigs. I use Browse Mode most of the time at home, but Performance Mode doesn't change either (I tried it). I also matched MIDI Assigned numbers to match in both units (33 for the same rig), and that didn't make it work either.

What am I missing? I love the Stage, and love my Rack at home. I travel for work a week at a time, so this is a lifesaver in hotel rooms, but when back at home want to control my Rack. The two both have the latest firmware and the Rack was cloned to the Stage.

Phil

I don't check in enough around here! Came back this morning to check for updated OS and packs, then found this. GOOD NEWS!

Although those are "big ticket" items, for sure, I hope one day they include a DRY PAN capability so I can use the internal stereo effects and still place my dry signal with a PAN control (without disrupting the full wet stereo field). That might be a hard thing for them to do, I don't know. Still, that would eliminate the need for outboard reverb and delay.

I have to say that this device has given me SO MUCH satisfaction, that I doubt I could get as much satisfaction from the actual amps and cabs that it profiles. My sound is perfect with the KPA.

And I'd also like to commend Kemper for product longevity. While other companies want to sell you yet another "new" device, the KPA is here to stay...along with all your perfectly dialed-in tones. It just keeps getting better, and all for the price of ONE admission.

Thank You!

Phil

Welcome!

I skipped over the whole Axe FX thing. Always heard this midrange plastic tone when someone recorded with one. My Kemper acts, feels and sounds like real good tube amps. Never experienced anything else like that from the "modelers". I'm finally fully satisfied...and have no need to go anywhere else.

Phil

I found "my perfect" speaker cab...for 75% of the type of amp and music I like to play.

That being said, there are always going to be other types of amps and music styles that need something different. I'm still hunting for those.

Pink noise and EQ changes are two dimensional. IRs' are three dimensional and accounts for phase relationships. Having done the whole EQ thing over a decade ago, although the tone improved, the phase got messed up and resulted in some weird distortion that didn't please the ear. For me, I only use a small amount of EQ to sweeten a mix, but don't depend on it for my core sound.

So what really makes up the final product we hear? Think about ALL the variables that contribute from start to finish. Wood types and how all the pieces are put together to resonate as a whole, pickup types with all the various elements (magnet material matters a lot) , pickup position(s) along the strings, pickup height (very important for phase at the very start of the signal chain), string contact point materials (nut, bridge and tail), string size and composition, tone circuits (if you use them...I do at times), amp design (pick your favorites for not only tone and distortion, but also compression and dynamics), quality of tubes (sweet harmonics or harsh flat distortion), amp EQ (mud and buzz, or phase coherent clarity?), speaker type (i.e. real "vintage" or MODERN "vintage"?...not the same at all), cabinet type...size...wood, and finally (maybe the most altering element) microphone placement position(s) and microphone model(s) ..and even the room they all are in!

All of this matters, and neglecting attention to detail on any part of this will have an "amplified" effect. But where I see the most confusion on the final stage of the sound...the one that so many struggle with concerning a live mix...is the constant battle between "live amp in a room" and "ready for mix tracking" tone. Not the same thing, is it? Close micing a cabinet will never sound like what you hear in the sweet spot of your amp in a room. Fitting into a real live mix is often a combination of live amp on stage and close miced tone coming out the FOH. The goal is to get the room sound with mic effects being minimal.

Can you have your cake and eat it too? I believe you can. The key is to keep the "core" midrange tone signature realistic sounding (like the amp you love and hear in a room), and get the low end and top end to fit into the mix. Do as much as you can through the whole signal chain without external EQ. Only resort to EQ when nothing else can be done to get you that last little bit fitting you into the mix, as the more you use it, the more the PHASE relationship becomes skewed. So when you address ALL of the elements carefully up to the final "capturing" elements, think big on the spectrum of amp tone you capture. It's much easier to reduce bandwidth...than build it up from final post EQ. The end result can actually be like the amp in a good room with NATURAL enhancements from careful microphone placement and capture. If you are seeking that tone, but are not a profiler yourself, you have to hunt for it until you find it. But in order to know it when you hear it, you have to know what it sounds like to begin with.

I'll always remember the live guitar sounds I heard from Queensryche on their Mindcrime tour, as well as Godsmack in Philadelphia back around 2009 as best examples of live FOH tone. Defined and BIG, but every element of the tone from the speaker type to the guitar wood used could be clearly heard and identified. That was proof (to my ears) that it CAN be done, and that the organic qualities of proper phase alignment can achieve such focus and clarity that even the wood of the guitar used could be heard. The "perfect" cabinet requires the perfect mic capture!

One final thought on cab IR's...If you dislike a cab for "fizz" or "buzz", or find one too dark and distant, it's probably because the person who adjusted all the tone elements up to the speaker selection (important) was using the mic placement to compensate for something else that was lacking up to that point. This is why many cabs don't "fit" our individual situations of tone up to that point.Using mic placement to do anything other than capture the amp as it naturally sounds in a room will always have this effect. I believe it best to "keep it real" (as much as you can) from start to finish.

Phil

Quote from Michael_dk

But if you pan the signal say to hard left pre-fx - you only sending the signal into the left delay line of the fx, so wouldn't that give the same result?

Maybe I'm missing something???

Is there a way to pan my signal before stereo delay and reverb in the Kemper? I didn't see it, if there is.

Quote from skoczy

Ot would be handy to lock everything except the CABINET with "one click" INVERTED LOCK functionality for LOCK button, to lock all except chosen section, for PREVIEWING CABS

That's a good idea! Instead of locking everything but the cab, have an easier way to "audition" just one parameter...like cabs...or amps...whatever. Everything else would be locked with one button press.

I like it.

Quote from Michael_dk

I'm not sure I understand...

If your pan control is pre-fx (after rig section), you will send a lower signal to (for instance) the left side at the input of the fx. Doesn't that give you the same result?

My stereo reverb and stereo delay are being panned, meaning the volume of the reflections is diminished on one side by using panorama, so it's not pre-FX. That is what I'm asking for...pre-FX.

Quote from Antipodes

I was trying to check this recommendation out but in the Factory set the "Bog People" profile has the Laney Ironheart amp and the Normals 2x12 cab. Was this the combo you were referring to?

Yes, I JUST found a YouTube video of the Laney Ironheart Keith did. That's the amp!

I first dug out a couple of cabs in Keith's offerings that sounded good with my TJ JCM800 and TJ JTM45 amp profiles a while ago. Used them with a few other amp profiles too, but The Laney amp profile didn't hit me until last weekend when I dialed up a couple of cabs including one of the "Normals". I have two "Normals" cabs saved. One is darker and the other brighter. The brighter one is what I dialed up, and it all came alive, so maybe that was different than the original.

With minor tone tweaks and gain saturation to the peak of clear distortion, this amp is awesome! I use the same effects and stomps I listed above with maybe a bit more Volume output from the compressor (again to the best crunch without messing up note definition). I actually hear "note bloom" out of guitars I hear it on when I use my own Hughes & Kettner amp. That's a first time for me with a Kemper profile.

So, what do you think of that amp profile? Maybe try some of Keith's other cabs and see if another one fits better. If you want my EQ and Gain settings, I will list them here.. For the record, Keith is an awesome high gain player (seems like a great guy too), but I'm not doing all that high gain drop tuning stuff (beyond my talent level). I'm playing mostly "old school" rock and 80's metal stuff, and this amp does it well. Now I wonder what a 7 string would sound like through with that amp/cab. Stopped at the music store on the way home, but lucky for me nothing fit my taste. Saved me from explaining to my wife what I needed ANOTHER guitar.

Just a quick update...

As it turns out, I accidentally, purely by ear, mated Keith Merrow's "Bog People" amp with his "Normals" cab. The tone and response is pure heaven to my ears, even though I'm finding his music is more like pure H3LL. It's actually really good. Could have been subliminal coincidence, but I swear I was going by ear on these selections. Now that discovered more about his music (and sound), I see some strong relationships with Josh Middleton and even Jared Dines. I like how these guys get full tone, especially midrange definition for musicality. Still has all the improtant high end crunch and low end thunder, but pushes the limits without losing the mids! The Bog People amp is not really a "metal" amp, but more "hard rock". EVERY guitar I put through it sounds like they are on steroids. Great harmonics and fullness. And it was a free offering!

I think I found my favorite profiler. Things are starting to come full circle. I am about to check out Keith's profile offerings. I can tell from his recordings and demo stuff on YouTube that he has excellent ears and taste in amp/cab sound. This going to get even more interesting!

It's a Godsend for anyone who knows real amp sound...and can appreciate it. I've been playing all weekend and can't stop. Found this profile called KM Bog People that is just perfect for everything through the Normals Eminence Go cabinet. It's got everything going for it, and works so well on all my guitars without any further tweaking needed. I wasn't sure going from my Les Paul to Tele would work. OMG! Killer! Best amp tone I've found to date.

Sorry to hear about the spine issues. Get well soon...and if you make more videos, or recordings, I'll tune in. I enjoy your playing a lot.

Not to spoil your enjoyment, but I wish I could find some "Rectifier" tones that sounded like what Rectifiers were sounding like in the late 90's and early to mid 2000's. Those tones were awesome! The only thing I hear being profiled today is what sounds like a bad imitation of an Axe FX imitating a Line 6 imitation. Bunch of buzzy crunch without any musicality. The real thing sounds very different...that is unless you max it out in the preamp stage and gut all the mids. Not my "cup of tea".

Glad you found what you like. I wish I could.

Wowza! Nice job. You make it look so easy!

God, I remember discovering that (at the time underground) album when I was just a kid starting to build up my chops. What I would have done if a Kemper existed at that time! Who knows? All I had was two MXR Distortion+ stomps back to back (laughs). Best I could do at the time. Even later when I finelly got a Marshall JMP, that VH tone and distortion was one we all wanted, but could never really get. Now we know about the variac and 20 watt Celestion tone Eddie kept to himself at the time.

I have to believe the Kemper is making incredible players these days due to the sound, response and inspiration that real great tube amps can deliver. We are so spoiled! But today's young guitarist has incredible advantages we could only dream of back in the day. Lucky basteds!

Quote from NowoTone

I haven't had so much fun with my guitars in a long time.
Still need to get my head round the fact that the same rigs sound and feel so very different depending on the guitars used. I have to admit, when I gigged a lifetime ago, I used to play fairly clean (with distortion via stomp boxes) and the only amp I own is a Roland JC 120. For recordings, I've used mainly NI Guitar Rig and Scuffham S-Gear during the past few years. Of course, I noticed the differences in guitars and pickups there as well, but it was never as pronounced as with the Kemper. I have created a rig that morphes from a low gain clean chorus delay sound to one which has high gain with a little reverb and practically no delay. On on my strat with Seymour Duncan Hot Rods both sounds and the morphing between them sound great. On my Ibanez Artist the high gain sound drops in volume and seems to be pretty thin. So now I start labelling the rigs depending on the guitar I use them with.

Having a critical ear, the Kemper is the only device that sounds and feels like real tube amps and cabs to me...especially on the high-end harmonics and low-end thump. Once I get my sound dialed in, I can't tell I'm not playing an actual tube amp/cab. The only difference is the gain and tone controls were dialed in by someone else. That makes it a "snapshot" of those settings, so you have to find amps that work for your situation. Being mostly a mid to high gain player, I listen for amp profiles that sound like they are close to the gain and tone settings I would dial in myself. That opens the door to using all my guitars on the same amp/cab profiles, as I shape my own personal amp sound to do just that. It's the approach taken at the profile stage that can either limit guitar choice, or open up options. The only limitation I experience with profiles I like is gain saturation limits, but most profilers offer several gain level profiles to work with your guitar output. I pick the one that works best and "gain down" from there...meaning you can dial back and get better response than if you try to dial up. It hits the wall at some point. On a real amp it would "mush out". On the profile it gets a weird pick attack effect. With so many choices, I can live with that. I usually find plenty of profiles that work. Let your ears be your guide.

I resurrected two fantastic "free" profiles from either the stock profiles that come with the Kemper, or the free packs I downloaded off Kemper's downloads web page. One was called "KM Bog People" (Bogner amp I'm guessing...fantastic with the right cabinet), and the other "KM Sea Nymph" (also very cool). The "Nymph" profile does something to my Strat that makes my single coils sound like real humbuckers. OK, so that's a limited profile, but a cool option if I was using a Strat on stage and just wanted to change the "pickup sound" instead of the guitar. There are so many QUALITY options.

The Remote foot controller is also very well designed. I wish two pedals were already built into it, but can manage with two Mission Engineering pedals plugged in. Had some custom length right-angle stereo "pancake plug" cables made to order so everything fits nice and snug. Now I just need a tight fitting case to put everything in so I can transport it.

Enjoy! I know you will.

PS - "Copy and Paste" is a powerful feature that allows you to move and change stomps, effects, cabs, amps and a bunch of stuff around. Once you start building your own custom rigs, you will find it a snap with those tools.

Cool!

I love a good professional live Kemper success story.

Welcome!

Great intro. I'm fairly new to Kemper too. In a matter of a few days I was comfortable with all the controls and saving my "tweaked" alterations in memory. After a couple of weeks I discovered using different cab profiles and everything expanded exponentially. Now I'm in constant tone heaven. If you think the stock profiles are good, wait until you get a good cab collection stored and download some profiles that catch your ear. It's pure sonic satisfaction! Got so many custom "tweaked" amps saved in "Favorites" now that it's a question of what I feel like playing out of the LARGE room full of amps and cabs! So many choices!!!

You gotta love this technology!

Rock on!

BTW - Love the beer that comes from your region of the world.

Quote from Ibot39

Are you sure you are talking about the definition control? 0.0 is NOT a typical value that the profiling process sets. Please have a look again.

You are correct! I must have been think of the CAB Character control, but what I was trying to say is I don't normally alter the Definition much, if any (as you can see). Instead I try and pick the best profile and cab to go with it. Then balance the tone controls.

EXAMPLE:

I just downloaded the Josh Middleton (excellent composer, player and recording engineer!) JTM Heavy Bundle 1 (and picked out a Peavey Tripple X profile (Tripplr Y CR 5) this morning as one that struck my fancy out of the bunch. Not quite ready for prime time yet, so I dialed in one of my favorite cab profiles ("Normals" Eminence Governor cab) and went to work on the tones. Very minor adjustments with BASS -0.1, MIDDLE -0.2, TREBLE +0.6 and Presence -0.1. Best GAIN saturation sounded like 6.8 without a COMP BOOST. With it I get clean max crunch at a COMP Volume of +1.2. Killer balanced and focused tone.and crunch! Works with several other cab profiles just as well, so the balance is just right on the amp EQ section.

Just for the sake of it I "goosed" the DEFINITION from 9.1 (as it came) to 9.9. It gave the crunch a bit more edge without disrupting the overall balance. Then I did A/B tests on both saved patches. I like both, but that little extra "bite" on the top edge is pretty sharp. And BTW, 10.0 was too much of a shift. Lost mid clarity. Useful for the "final touch"...if it needs it. In my case it really didn't, but it sounds good. Probably goes "beyond" what the real amp could do.