Posts by OhG

Quote from HCarlH

When you're using other people's profiles, the KPA is not plug and play. Learn about the amp section controls.
With time, you will figure it out and love it.

1) Read the manual

2) Watch the tutorials.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGGZ01rd9e82wTUK406XVaw

3) This is what it can sound like.

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I've read the basic and in depth manual twice now, before even getting the Kemper. I've watched all the tutorials on the Kemper channel, and as many others on YouTube that I could find. The clip of Pete you've posted above is him playing direct. I have no interest in that because I'm using this for live sound. So I need it to sound good on stage first, and then worry about front of house. I know that's backwards in some respects. But for me, I play better when I'm happy with my sound on stage.

I'm not giving up on the Kemper yet. Like I said, I know listening to it through the Bose headphones is not the best option. But it just reminded me of the Boss Metal Zone pedal.

Quote from Dean_R

You'll figure it out and my guess is you will enjoy it. Just curious what did you use before? Real amps or other modelers?

I've always used tube amps with guitar cabs. But I'm only using 1x12 cabs now, so even the paradigm shift from going from the "amp in the room" feel, to a FRFR monitor shouldn't be too drastic for me because I'm not using a 4x12 cab pushing a ton of air.

The thing is, I've only got a couple weeks to make a decision on this because that's when my return period is up. And if I'm even having any doubts, this is going to be returned because I'm not spending thousands on something that doesn't sound right. My current live rig of my Mesa Roadster and a couple 1x12 Theil cabs with the G-System sounds AMAZING. But it's more than I want to lug around (my pedalboard alone weighs over 60lbs).

Quote from paults

Do you like the Bose with recorded music? Does the air pressure change from the noise cancelling circuit bother you when you use them? While it presumably works OK on a full mix, I think it would have the potential to adversely affect the sound of a single guitar.

The Bose are okay. They're great at noise cancelation, and I'd say about average in terms of audio. They're definitely not something I'd use for mixing music. So I know that part of the problem is the Bose. But while I could certainly be wrong, I don't THINK the Bose would have any affect on how stale or digital the profiles sound. Again, I'll try it tomorrow going through my Mesa's loop return and into a regular cab to compare.

Quote from Frodebro

My first reaction to my Kemper was about the same. I was excited that I had something new and cool to play with, but the sounds I was getting out of it weren't exciting me at all. It took a couple of weeks of really digging into it and learning how the different parameters worked before I started getting closer to what I wanted, and then it was just a matter of finding the profiles that were in the ballpark and then fine-tuning them to suit my own taste. But the real "a-ha!" moment came after I started profiling my own amps, that's when everything clicked and I finally understood why so many people were so excited about this unit.

My thought process is that the people at Kemper, and the people who have a ton of experience in profiling amps, can do a far better job at that than I can. So any profile I try to make, isn't going to sound as good as someone with a pro studio, or a nice selection of mics and stuff like that. So I was hoping to get some good tones out of the box. That's my whole purpose of buying the Kemper; because I don't have all those amps that I was hoping to get in this.

Quote from viabcroce

Most chances are some settings are off.
Is the cab engaged for each profile you play? Do you "see red" in the Input or Output LEDs (LOL)?
Is there any weird EQ in the Output section?

Do you have a computer? Can you connect the Profiler there and hear through the computer's cabs?

I've shut it down for the night. I didn't change any parameters at all. So whatever comes stock is what I played. The EQ for most medium to high gain tones sounds like a typical modeler, in that it's overly saturated in gain, with all the mid-frequencies scooped out. I did look in the output section (if I remember correctly) and noticed that the feature where you can turn the cab off, was not checked. So I'm assuming the cab was "on" for all profiles.

Let me preface this by saying I literally did nothing more to my Kemper than turn it on, plug my Guthrie Govan signature model guitar in, and plug in my Bose QC15 headphones. Believe me, I know Bose headphones aren't the best way to judge the Kemper.

That said, my Yamaha DXR10 won't be here until the end of the week and I couldn't stand just letting my brand new Kemper just sit there without hearing what it can do. So I plugged in as above.

I went through LITERALLY every profile that comes standard on the Kemper. It had some decent clean tones. But there was not a SINGLE distorted tone that I would use. If I had to play a gig with the way this thing sounded through headphones, I'd cancel the gig rather than play because I'd be too embarrassed to use these tones.

Every high gain tone, sounded like the old Boss Metal Zone pedal, just at different volumes or different gain settings. Some of the profile names are almost insulting to the artists they're supposed to "replicate". For example, there were a couple on there that had some version of Eddie Van Halen reference in the name. The last one I tried, sounded more like Pantera's tone than a Van Halen tone.

I'm still going to give this thing a fair try when I receive the Yamaha DXR10. And maybe tomorrow night (since I don't have my Yamaha yet), I'll hook it up through the power section of my Mesa Roadster and see what it sounds like through that using my Mesa cabs. I'm positive that will sound better than headphones. But the whole point of buying this was to NOT have to lug around the amp and cabs and to use FRFR so I can hear exactly what the audience hears. But if this is what it's going to sound like at a gig, I'll be lucky if there is a single "audient" left. LOL

I probably shouldn't have even used the headphones. Because after what I heard tonight, it's only increased my skepticism.

Edit: Full disclosure, after plugging this into the Yamaha DXR10, I fully admit that this unit sounds WAAAAAAY better than through the Bose headphones!

When I say presets, I use that term more or less to refer to where they are stored. I'm used to the terms Banks and Presets, and from a layout perspective, I think the Rigs are the same as Presets, in that they are stored within Banks of 5, or Performances. It's just the way my brain looks at them. Basically, to me, they're 5 different sounds/presets/banks that make up the patch that I'll be using for a particular song. But I know what you're saying.

And when I'm searching for the right sound, I always use a dry sound first (no effects). I just want to hear what the amp/cab/mic sound like. That's the meat of the sound right there. If that doesn't sound good, effects aren't going to help it (IMO). Effects are just the spices that go on it after to bring out the extra flavor.

Damn. Too many food references. Now I want a steak!

Quote from lightbox

Please don't pay attention to the (non-existant) playing. Just pay attention to the super-obvious differences in sound.
Comparing the Orange Matamp to a couple of Marshall rigs (JCM800 and Golub Crunch)

No post-processing, all played on a Gibson Les Paul with Burstbucker Pro pickups, bridge pickup, volume & tone @ 10.

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I think it's very obvious what I meant by saying "open" sound for the Matamp

The clip isn't loading for some reason.

Edit: My mistake. Firewall at work.

Thank you! Considering I just spent a decent chunk of change on this stuff, I want to make sure I don't blow it up! (c:

Today's stupid question, brought to you by me again.

If I want to use the Yamaha DXR10 as my monitor and send a direct signal to FOH, I have a couple questions.

• To hook up the DXR, do I just take a 1/4" out of the monitor out and into the DXR? Does it have to be a speaker cable?
• When sending the signal to the mains, if I'm just using a mono signal, I'm assuming I can just take an XLR out of the left main and hook that into the snake that leads back to the board, correct? My concern is, phantom power. I know the manual says the XLR outputs are protected against Phantom power. And it then says "However, you should avoid feeding phantom power into the Profiler if you want the best audio quality." So if I'm reading this correctly, using an XLR out to the snake won't cause any loss in audio quality, or damage to the Kemper. It's only if I'm using Phantom power going INTO the Inputs that it may cause issues, correct? I just want to make sure I have this correct because in the past, I've plugged in an iPad into a snake using a 1/8" to XLR cord, and it fried the iPad because I didn't use a DI box in between the two to prevent Phantom power from being sent back into the iPad. I just want to make sure I don't fry my Kemper.

Quote from lightbox

What I'm trying to say:
Enjoy the huge versatility the Profiler offers you. Don't stick with one specific amp just because you had it and got used to it. You didn't have a chance to try the whole range of tube amps before you got this neat digital monster.

Oh believe me, I will definitely not be sticking with one amp. That's why I got this thing; so I could have a variety of amps available that (as you mentioned), I'd never be able to afford. I've always played a Mesa Roadster. But while that sound is decent, I want the sound of a Friedman, or Bogner, or old Marshall Plexi. So I plan to use it to it's fullest. My point with this thread is to help destroy some of my skepticism by having one of the first profiles I use basically show me that the Kemper really can sound full and not digital or stale like all the other modelers I've tried.

Quote from paults

Since you don't have the DXR yet, how will you be giving it your first listen?

Studio Monitors or quality headphones may be your best bet, but they will not have the same impact as stage volume.

The DXR is on it's way. I just got the Kemper tonight, but won't really get a chance to even plug it in until tomorrow. So tomorrow, I'd like to just make sure I've got the latest firmware, and then download whatever profiles people have recommended above so that I can be 100% ready to go when the DXR arrives. Until then, I may toy around with it using headphones, but I definitely won't judge it based on how that sounds. I'll just get familiar with the rig manager and stuff like that. I've read the manual and the in-depth manual, and will likely read them both again tomorrow too.

Quote from Raoul23

I would say, and this is only my opinion, check out the free TAF JCM800 that's awesome and if you like that the one in the Marshall pack is even better

I'm showing my "noob-ness" here. I know TAF stands for The Amp Factory. But where is this JCM800 profile found? I looked on their website under "Free" but didn't see anything there. Is one that's already in the Kemper as a factory installed profile?

Thank you guys. I appreciate the advice. Quitting time from work can't get here soon enough. I want to get this thing home and dive into it!

I understand this will be a very subjective thread, but I finally bought a Kemper and I'm picking it up tonight. It's the non-powered rack version, with the Kemper controller. I've also ordered a Yamaha DXR10 to use with it. I may also test a Friedman ASM12, but for now, it's the Yamaha.

As I've mentioned before, I'm CRAZY skeptical the Kemper will be able to deliver the distorted tones I'm expecting. I'm going into this expecting it to sound very digital, stale and totally lack that tube warmth kind of feel. But I'm going to give it a go and hope to be pleasantly proven wrong.

So here's my question. I play in a cover band that does all modern and classic rock (i.e. Shinedown, Van Halen, Stone Temple Pilots, Journey, etc.), and need some tones/profiles that can accurately replicate the amps those bands used (among others). So with that in mind, what specific profiles would you suggest that I download/buy to give me what you all consider the best tones available for the Kemper? Basically, if you had to impress someone with the sound of the Kemper, using only ONE profile, what would it be? I'm mainly looking for a good Marshall plexi tone, Friedman BE100 to start with, and maybe a nice heavier sounding one for the modern rock stuff (not metal or death metal). But in general, just a nice, distorted, warm, tube oriented, medium to high gain sound to begin with.

I know I'll have to sit with this and tweak it for a while. But I want to get off on the best start possible. I don't want my first impression to be based of the factory presents/profiles because I'm assuming while they may be good, they aren't the top of the line stuff. And if I dive too far into those presets and hear nothing but disappointing preset after disappointing preset, I'll be even less likely to keep the Kemper. And I REALLY want to like it enough to keep it and have it replace my current tube amp rig for live shows.

Quote from JerEvil

Sounds spot on to my actual Splawn. I recommend the Fryette Power Station above all else right now but that is just my $.02

JerEvil,

Your video, along with one I found on YouTube under the name "FastPonyRedCar" are the two videos that made me seriously consider going the route of the Fryette. I loved your video because unlike most clips that I've found, it wasn't full of death metal riffs tuned down so low that the tone becomes lost. The guy in the other video was very similar and was also using a Splawn cab. Good stuff! I'd love to hear how your setup does in replicating a nice Fender clean tone, or a clean tone with just a hint of dirt to it (a Hendrix or Stevie Ray sound).

Going into this thread, I was really leaning toward the Friedman. Now I'm torn. The weight of the Friedman certainly isn't appealing. But I do like the fact that it provides a bit more of the "amp in the room" feel. But, it sounds like most of the people on the forum feel that the Yamaha gives a more accurate representation of the Kemper's profiles. Ugh!!!!

Carp,

I'm hoping that the paradigm shift won't be so drastic for me. I used to use a 4x12, then shifted down to just a 2x12, and now I'm using only 1x12 cabs (sometimes just one of them at a gig, angled up at me the way a monitor would be). So I've gradually reduced the amount of "pushed air" that I'm feeling from the cabs. Hopefully, going from the 1x12 cab to a 1x12 FRFR monitor will just be the next step in the progression and I'm ASSUMING it won't be as drastic of a change for me as it would be for someone who is going from a 4x12 cab to a 1x12 monitor.

I know the word "better" is subjective. But for a FRFR monitor on stage, in a loud band setting, for top 40 modern rock cover band stuff (i.e. Shinedown, Van Halen, Alice In Chains, etc.), which do you think would be the best option to go with? I'd like to find a monitor that can give me something close to the "amp in the room" feel, while doing a solid job of producing the tones/profiles as close to the original as possible. Ideally, if the monitor sounds great, I won't need to also use a guitar cab on stage and will just run direct to FOH.

I can get the Friedman and the Yamaha for basically the same price. So throw cost out the window and base this simply on which cab you would go with in the above scenario.

Ampoholic,

It sounds like your situation is almost identical to mine. So the first thing I'm going to try with the Kemper (as Ingolf also recommended) will be the FRFR route. I'm considering a DXR-10 as many have mentioned, but I just have such doubts that a plastic molded PA speaker will be able to produce the full, thick guitar sound that I'm expecting. I'm hoping to be wrong. The other option may be a Friedman ASM-12. I've heard that one and know that it can provide the "cab in the room" feel and is more than loud enough. We'll see. (c: