Posts by OhG

Okay, first, I want to point out the wording of my title. I said what am "I" doing wrong. I'm wording it that way, because at this point, I can only assume I'm doing something wrong. Because I've gone through WAY too many commercial profiles to have not found anything good at this point. So either I'm doing something wrong, or the Kemper is extremely overrated (which I can't imagine is the case considering all the support it has).

I've gone through hundreds of commercial profiles so far. And as others have said, the clean stuff sounds great. But the medium to high gain stuff, sounds like total crap. Very digital sounding, overly saturated, sometimes has that harsh ice-pick sound, very stale. I've literally found TWO medium to high gain profiles that are usable for rock music (not metal). Aside from the profiles that came with the Kemper, these are just some of the others that I've tried:

• Multiple Michael Britt packs, including the Heavy Pack
• I bought 5 of Guido's packs today (Bogner Ecstasy, Orange Rockerverb 50, Marshall JTM45, Mesa Road King and Mesa Rectifier)
• About 6 Amp Factory bundles
• Pete Turley profiles
• And44 profiles

I've tried multiple options for the monitoring of these, and I'm currently using the Yamaha DXR15. I had the Yamaha DXR10, and the 15 is not that much different (a little more bass and volume, that's it).

I haven't tweaked much other than trying the Pure Cab feature and reducing the gain a bit on some of the profiles. I know that tweaking will be a recommended suggestion, but given that I've gone through over 100 commercial profiles, I would think that the odds would be good that I'd run into at least a few that sound good without the need for tweaking, but it really hasn't been the case. I'm using a Guthrie Govan signature model guitar in standard tuning. Nothing else is hooked up to the Kemper. I'm using the Monitor out with the Monitor Output set at -15dB and the volume on the DXR rolled back to about 9:00.

Here's a video of me going through about 5-6 of Guido's Bogner Ecstasy pack. They all sound nearly the same, and they actually sound worse in person than they do on this video. In the video, you can't really hear the fizzy-ness as much. They actually sound decent in the video. Again, I'm guessing I must be doing something wrong, because I know a ton of people have praised Guido's profiles. So this is NOT a knock on him. But these profiles don't even sound remotely close to what is played on the YouTube video advertising them.

Help please!

I've read through this thread and the "Output Leveling" thread that Rob posted. Am I understanding this correctly in that the only real way to level the volumes of all the rigs is just to match them by ear? That's what I figured I'd have to do, so it's not a big deal. I just wanted to make sure that's the way to do it as opposed to putting all the time into it and later find out there is a way to automate the process. This shouldn't be a big deal for me since I'm starting from scratch and can just balance each rig as I find keepers.

I managed to store a couple rigs in a performance, but I'm still not even quite sure how I did it. I again have to say the manual is absolutely HORRIBLE in this regard.

At one point, the Rig Manager said I had 2 performances stored, but when I clicked on the "2", nothing was in there. I restarted Rig Manager and then they were there. Between the cumbersome method of saving performances, and the fact that performances edited in Performance mode are actually just copies rather than edits being saved to the original rig, I have no doubt in my mind that at some point, I'm going to lose a ton of saved performances at some point with the Kemper.

To me, more time needs to be put in on Kemper's end to make the Kemper, Controller and Rig Manager work better together. Why not just have the rigs stored in one place, if you edit them, they're edited universally, not just on originals or copies, and then a simple drag and drop method that works. The sound of the KPA is great. But IMO, the user interface needs improving.

Quote from Carp

All you have to do is select one of the Performance categories (Local Library, My Profiler, etc.) and either right-click in the main window and select "Create New Performance" or press Ctrl+Shift+N.

Then, once the performance is created you can rename it and add rigs. To add rigs, I usually copy one (Ctrl+C) and then select the performance slot and paste it(Ctrl+V).

That's exactly what I'm doing. But when I right click, the entire menu is greyed out and I can't select anything. I've got my Mac hooked up to the KPA using the USB cable and I know that connection is good because I can swap between profiles using the keyboard. I've turned the KPA to both Browser and Performance mode, and in both cases, the menu that has "Create Performance" is in grey.

This has got me so frustrated, I'm ready to throw my Kemper out my window and then go stomp on it.

I've read the manual, and I've read the Performance section in the Rig Manager manual FOUR times now. It says to open a second window, so I've done that. I've got my Rigs from my local library in one screen, and I've got the second window open to "Performances" on my profiler. Right now, there is nothing in there. So, just like the manual says, I go to my Rigs, select the rig I'm trying to move, and I drag and drop it into the Performances window. Nothing happens. I drag and drop it onto the word "Performances", nothing happens there either. The only place I can drag and drop it, is into my local library, or into "My Profiler", but that's pointless because it's already there.

This has got to be the WORST manual I've ever seen. It tells you all about what you can do with the Kemper and describes it's features, but in terms of giving step-by-step instructions on HOW to actually do something, it's awful.

Quote from hjscheffler

Have you checked the tutorial videos on the Kemper website? They deliver a lot of useful information in a very condensed format.

Yes. They are very good at explaining things in terms of "how to", but what I liked about Scott's videos was that he would show you practical examples of how to apply the tutorials, and show you how to achieve certain sounds. They're both a great help. I think Scott just used a different approach.

Would be awesome if someone else picked up where he left off.

Well frig! That's a kick in the nuts! I was looking forward to the videos. They were an awesome resource.

I'm probably posting something that a ton of people here already know, but I'm throwing it out there just in case there are other KPA newbs like myself who may find this helpful.

I've used the G-System for around 3 years now and while I was using it, I found a YouTube channel (G-System Video) run by Scott, in which he was constantly creating great videos and tutorials about the different things the unit could do, as well as presets for people to check out.

Well, through a random Kemper search on YouTube this afternoon, I accidentally stumbled upon his new Kemper channel and I'm so beyond psyched to know that he'll be running a channel similar to what he did with the G-System. For anyone who hasn't checked out his videos, I'd highly recommend them. I've posted the link to the first video in his Kemper series below. They can be EXTREMELY helpful (and funny), especially for newbs because he explains everything in a very basic manner. His very first video has already given me some helpful info on how I can better chase that Eddie Van Halen tone in the beginning of Poundcake where it sounds like there are two guitars; a clean and distorted one, playing the same part.

Scott, if you're reading this, I'm glad to have unknowingly followed you into the Kemper world!

Quote from Frodebro

However, the stomp effects in the KPA are pretty good, so you may be able to run without pedals anyway.

This is my hope! The more weight I can shed off my 65lb pedalboard, the better!

Now that I've decided to keep the Kemper, my next task is to get it gig-ready. I've got a couple weeks off, so now is the perfect time for me to dismantle my current rig (and massive pedalboard) and assemble my new (and thankfully, lighter Kemper setup).

Over the last 2 years, I've been using the TC Electronics G-System for effects. One of the many things I LOVE about the G-System is that it allowed me to use some of my external stomps, and place them in dedicated loops so that the pedals would always be on/active, and I could program certain presets/patches so that when I chose those presets, the stomps would automatically be on. So I wouldn't have to hit the preset, and then step on the stomp to activate it. One stomp did it all (changed channels, activated whatever built-in effects I wanted, plus external stomps). In my setup, I had 3 individual loops. I was using two of the loops to activate pedals in front of the amp, (one loop had a TC NovaDrive, and the other had a BB Preamp) and I had one loop set up for after the preamp section, containing an MXR Phase 90.

So my question is, does the Kemper have any way to do something similar? Given the number of built in OD pedals inside the Kemper, I think I can get rid of the NovaDrive pedal. And maybe I can get rid of the other two as well (I honestly haven't had time to really dive into the quality of the OD and effects on the Kemper yet). But if by chance I don't find the Kemper overdrives/boosts and phase 90 sort of effects to be as good as the BB Preamp and the MXR Phase 90, is there a way to set up rigs to automatically activate external stomps like the G-System did?

If there is, it isn't clear to me. It appears to me the only way to do this is to actually have to hit a rig button, and then step on whatever individual stomp I want activated, unless the stomp is in the effects loop of the Kemper, which I'm guessing I could at that point, program the rig to also activate the loop.

I also want to have a dedicated wah, expression and volume pedal all hooked up to the controller too (not sure if that is relevant to the above discussion).

Quote from paults

If you record the first loop with your guitar volume down (or with a quieter rhythm tone), and then play over it with the guitar wide open (or with a louder lead tone), they don't have the same volume.

True, but the downside to that is if you reduce your volume pot, you're going to change the tone (or gain) of one of the tracks. So if you're playing a song that has a full blown heavy rhythm part underneath a solo, if you roll the volume back, it's not going to be the same as playing that part with the volume on full and gain at 100%.

Quote from flyingheelhook

OhG has indicated in separate thread that he has decided to keep the Kemper.

I therefor would like to offer OhG my complete and unconditional apology for misjudging his intent, the way I voiced my opinion, and any harm or hurt I may have caused by the statements I made.

Thank you. And likewise. But no hard feelings. Sometimes it's easy to take a person's tone in an email the wrong way and it just snowballs from there. Just don't take my guitar tone the wrong way. That's where I draw the line. (c:

Quote from kulagun

Thanks everyone for the tips. I'm excited.

So did everyone sell their tube amps after? I have a Fender deluxe reverb with some pedals and I'm still skeptical I guess.

I'll address your skepticism first, and then the part about selling stuff.

As many in this forum can attest to, I was probably one of the biggest skeptics that they've seen here in quite a while. I'm VERY picky about my tone; to the point where it's really probably not healthy considering I'm not a pro-touring musician. I just play in cover bands every weekend.

I bought my Kemper just under a month ago and was not shy about telling everyone on here how hesitant I was. In fact, right up until last week I was still debating on whether or not to keep it or return it. Not so much because I didn't like the sound of it, but because due to a busy schedule, I simply didn't have the time to really devote to it every day as I had hoped.

Anyway, I tested it through 3-4 different FRFR cabs, as well as ran it through the power section of my Mesa Roadster with my two 1x12 Mesa Theil cabs. I found a FRFR cab that sounded great and gave a really accurate "amp in the room" feel (the Yamaha DXR15). Found some profiles that I really liked. Tested it on a couple different PA systems really quickly before gigs with my normal tube amp setup just to see if it would sound as good live as it does through my Yamaha.

In the end, I've decided to keep it. And these are my reasons why.

• After I found the right profiles, and I cannot stress enough how important that point is, it sounds GREAT when cranked through the Yamaha DXR15. I can crank it up to what I call "let the next zip code know I'm awake" levels, and it sounds great. Just like my Mesa Roadster. So even if all I used was this one single profile for my medium to high gain sounds, it's already doing what the Roadster did. The Roadster sounded amazing too, but it's just one amp (even though it has different modes). So even if I use this one sound/profile, I've basically lost nothing over the Roadster. Not to mention, I still have literally over 1,500 profiles that I have yet to even test out. So I'm pretty sure I'm going to find at least another handful that I like, which at that point, will already be more than the Roadster could do. At that point, I'll be selling my Roadster to off set some of the cost of buying the Kemper.
• I'll also be able to sell both of my Mesa Thiel cabs to pay for the DXR15 and have money left over.
• I'll be able to sell my TC Electronics G-System because now that I've got the Kemper controller, the effects in the Kemper, combined with those that will be released in future firmware updates, will be more than what I need.

So, I plan on using my current Mesa Roadster & G-System rig while I'm getting my Kemper up to speed. Once I have the Kemper dialed in to the tones and needs of my current working band, I'll start using that live (we're too busy for me to just plop it in now and not have the various tones I need ready and tested). Once I get the Kemper ready for live use, I plan on profiling my Mesa Roadster and then selling it. I'm going to wait until my Kemper is ready before I sell the Roadster for several reasons. First, as mentioned above, I need the Roadster until the Kemper is ready. Second, I want to try the profiling piece of the Kemper so that I'll have experience with it down the road when I want to clone another amp. And third, in the off chance that I can't find a Mesa Roadster profile out there somewhere that I like, I can get my sound that I'm used to, before selling the Roadster.

I know that's a VERY long-winded response to your questions. But my point is, if the Kemper can work for someone as picky as I am, it can work for anyone. AS LONG AS you find the right profiles. Don't give up even if you've gone through 30 of them. Honestly, I'd say the vast majority of the medium to high gain profiles that came stock on the Kemper sound like complete JUNK to me. I think the ones I like are actually commercial profiles. BUT, the 2 Friedman profiles that I found and love so much, are profiles of $3,600 amps, and I'll be damned if they don't sound just as good as the real thing to me. So even if I come away with just those 2 profiles, I basically just got $7,200 worth of amps for the price of the Kemper, not to mention built in effects, a looper, controller, and a far more portable setup. Also, don't expect every profile (even the commercial ones) to sound good or to sound like what you think they're supposed to sound like. You have to remember, the person who profiled these things, not only may have a different idea as to what sounds good than you, but was also very likely using completely different gear than you'll be using to play them back. So tweaking will be necessary. But there ARE some great sounds out there.

My fingers are tired now.

I've heard a Friedman, but can't really give it an honest opinion in regards to sound because it was my first time hearing the Kemper in person, and in all honesty, I wasn't impressed with it. That's not a knock on the Kemper or the Friedman. Since then, I've purchased a Kemper and have found some sounds that I really like it it (specifically, a Friedman Steve Stevens profile and a BE100 profile). As you mentioned, what sounds good to people is subjective and when I heard the Kemper, what I thought as "not sounding good" may have been tones that work well for the person who was demo'ing it for me.

As far as the Friedman goes, I've heard that it does give you more of an "amp in the room" feel. When I heard it, it was definitely loud enough (and I play LOUD on stage).

From what I've read, there are a couple of cons to the Friedman. The weight is up there. And the positioning of the handle is a sore spot for a lot of people. But for me, the thing I didn't like about it is the lack of inputs. It only has XLR inputs. So in my case for example, I'm using the Kemper like a lot of people do, in that we use the Main Outs of the Kemper to send the signal to the front of house, and we use the Monitor Out to send to our stage monitor/speaker. The problem with the Friedman, is that it doesn't have a 1/4" input, meaning if you want to use the Monitor Out as I've described above, then you have to also grab an adapter to throw at the end of your 1/4" cable to convert to an XLR end. I don't know if that'd translate to any kind of signal loss or tone change, but my theory has always been to use as little as possible, so that you reduce any chance of those issues.

I've also read that the Friedman is VERY similar to a B-52 cab with very few changes, other than adding the Friedman name and increased price. I can't confirm that because I decided not to get the Friedman for the reasons mentioned above. But I did read many threads where people said something similar.

These are the speakers I tried:

• Yamaha DXR10. The SOUND of this one was awesome, but it couldn't handle the low end at the volumes that I play at. And I'm tuned to standard 440 tuning. The speaker would fart-out on me at high volumes when doing palm muting. This could have been a defective cabinet, I'm not sure. If it was in fact a defective cab, and the speakers could handle the palm muting at high volumes, then I'd go with this because it did sound great. However, it is a 10" speaker, so I may have been asking it to do too much.
• QSC K12. I tried this and instantly felt like it sounded like crap.
• Yamaha DXR15. After hearing how good the DXR10 sounded, but needed more volume and low end, I tried this one. It's amazing. It might have a little more low end than some people like, but that can easily be dialed out. I'd rather have a speaker that CAN handle low end on high volumes and dial it out, rather than have a speaker that can't handle it at all. If the Yamaha DXR12 was in stock, I would have tried that and my guess is that it would have been the perfect "meet in the middle" option between the DXR10 and DXR15. However, I got the DXR15 brand new for $500, so I couldn't pass that up. The DXR15 also provides a FAR closer "amp in the room" feel than the DXR10 or QSC12 in my opinion. The Yamahas are also a little more mid-range centered, which in the case of guitar, is helpful. It'll help the signal cut through the mix a bit better on stage. I'm still going to test out the Yamaha DXR12 at some point, but I doubt I'll get rid of the 15 even if the 12 sounds good. I may keep them both and use the 15 behind me facing out toward the crowd, while using the 12 angled up at me. Then I'll be in my own little audio cocoon of bliss on stage.

Something to also keep in mind, is that Yamaha has a great warranty, and if anything ever goes wrong, you won't have trouble finding an authorized Yamaha dealer that can help you with the issue, even in your local area. From what I've found, Friedman doesn't have as many authorized dealers around. I'm not sure what their warranty is like, so I can't speak to that.

I'm not shooting down the Friedman. They make GREAT stuff. But even though they do make some great cabs, they're known more for their amps, whereas Yamaha is known for their speakers.

Quote from Ingolf

Dialing down the trim pot completely attenuates the channel sensivity to line level. This should be ok then with the profiler if you make sure not to send a hotter signal than -15 dB.

Cool. I've decided to start out with my Main Out signal level locked (unlinked) at -18 or -20 (I can't remember which one I used). So hopefully this will be okay.

You're right. My solo tone would already be set to a few dB higher than my rhythm tone. I guess I should have worded it better. I meant for parts where there are simply 2 rhythm guitars playing at the same time, but playing different parts and one should be a little above the other (not necessarily a lead tone volume).

But considering the looper is just a perk in this controller, and not supposed to be the main purpose, I'm very pleased with it. I'd much rather have this, than nothing at all, which is what you'd find in most controllers.

I'm not able to switch off the mic pre-amp on any of our boards. So would just dialing the trim knob back below unity help, and then just use the fader for volume adjustments?

Quote from Monkey_Man

May I take the liberty of referring you to the rant I posted a few minutes ago about letting go of the old-school mentality of trying to hit inputs as hard as we can without clipping, OhG?

Confused with Ouput cliping led behaviour ! Need help please.

Bearing in mind that the Kemper's converting your signal to a digital one, and that its internal dynamic range is very likely humungous, I feel that said rant may provoke an epiphany for you. I may be wrong, but you never know... http://www.kemper-amps.com/for…?postID=290361#post290572

Hell yes! I love rants! LOL. I've actually been very impressed with how quiet the Kemper is for the most part (especially as compared to the G-System which is what I've been using). I just want to make sure I understand the important pieces before I spend too much time tweaking my tones for live gigs, so that I don't have to go back later and re-do them all because of some bonehead mistake I missed.

Quote from Ingolf

Believe me, the S/N ratio is never critical with the Kemper and will be just fine.

cool. In that case, I won't bother with it. It sounds good now and if the Kemper doesn't generally have noise issues, then no need to worry about it.

Quote from Trazan

Clean Sense does two things; sets input gain, and levels clean and distorted sound (It can act very different from a regular amp.

Ahh. I wish the video explained it that way. It makes sense now.