Posts by OneEng1

  • Gain significantly higher from profiles originating from performances than browse pool.

    I have some rigs that are just noisier that others. I am particular about the noise floor though and really like "dead silent" to happen when I am not playing (yea, never was a fan of the ole 5150 ;) ). Still, higher gain rigs tend to amplify pickup and cable induced noise.


    Have you ever played with a ceiling fan near? That took me a few minutes to figure out too. Thought something was wrong with my KPA ;). Bizzar sound when you are playing through a FRFR near the fan. Sounds like the KPA is breaking up.


    Also, I have a Furman high quality noise reducing power strip. This is really great for clubs that have crappy power. I have gotten some buzz from noisy grounds before too.


    For my strats, I put gold foil all around the pickup area and grounded it to the cable ground to help get rid of the buzz. My PRS is pretty quite for the most part and hasn't needed such work.

  • Kemper Kab with built in power amp???

    Quote from V8guitar

    Replace VHT with ENGL and this is my experience almost exactly!! Dude, I cannot agree more!

    Yea, I spent the better part of 20 years going through different pedals and amps to get to the VHT rig I had. Sadly, that timeframe ALSO lined up with the busiest gigging in my life and me going into my 40's (now in my 50s). Those late nights lugging all that gear back home after a crazy night of jammin just got to be overwhelming (also had 15" 3 way tops and CV folded horns back then to schlep around).


    For me, the KPA, foot controller, and either a FRFR speaker or the Kabinet is the IDEAL gigging setup in the world. No amount of money can get you a better sounding, easier to setup, more reliably great rig.


    Even my venerable VHT head let me down one Thursday before a busy 3 gig weekend. What was cool is Steve Fryette actually called me to help me work through biasing the amp after my tubes blew. Pretty great guy, and a great company really.


    Now, no tubes to blow :). Don't have to worry about moving my rig while it is hot (btw, this can make your tubes go bad), and everything is sooooooo easy to get right.


    I am watching carefully for a consensus on these forums on what rack mount amp works best with the new Kabinet. Might need a Christmas present for myself this year :)


    Now what is really messed up is that with COVID, I don't move anything anywhere! Of course, this wont last forever .... I hope!

  • Bouncing between Fractal and Kemper...

    I have a friend that has the Axe III Fx. He got one of the very first ones.


    While I really loved the editor (I am an engineer after all), after a couple hours of fiddling, I found that while the Axe is definitely more flexible (hands down), it is not nearly as easy as the Kemper to simply get a good tone out of.


    Perhaps if someone was very familiar with the Axe, this wouldn't be the case.


    I left after around 6 hours of playing around between the Axe III Fx and my KPA and felt that either device was a premium gigging device. The KPA just got to good tones faster IME. I do agree about the efx on the Axe. There is literally NOTHING you can't do with that device.

  • Kemper Kab with built in power amp???

    This....


    I used to tote around a VHT 4x12 with P90 speakers AND a 2x12 VHT fat bottom cab .... AND of course, a VHT Ultralead head.


    ..... and I used to be much younger ;).


    I generally don't play long with a band that has stage volume so loud that a 1x12 can't more than hold its own. I would state however, that when I didn't have a KPA and give a feed directly to the FOH, I always mic'ed my cab. The guitar cab (for me) was only to provide me monitoring on stage, and put enough air movement in place to get some string action going when needed. I haven't had my amp provide FOH sound since high school ..... which was REALLY a long time ago :).


    The primary reason for giving up my venerable VHT rig wasn't sound quality. I really loved that rig. Have you ever lifted a VHT 4x12 slant top cab before? All that tight punchy bottom comes at the price of REALLY heavy wood. I bought the Kemper to go to a much lighter, and easier to setup gig rig. The tone was just a welcomed surprise really. I was prepared for the tone to be a let down in order to get a lighter, smaller, easier to setup rig.


    I am now seriously considering a Kemper Kabinet. I would need to purchase a 1 space power amp. My Kemper Rack is in a 4 space SKB, so a light, rack mounted power amp and a Kabinet would be really nice for jamming with bands that don't use IEM's and go direct into the PA as I do with my own PA.

  • Age of a Kemper

    Quote from V8guitar

    Curious, why do you want to know?


    I bought mine second hand and I think i've had it about 6 years but not sure....but as there are few mechanical parts, the hardware has changed very little and I'm running the latest software version, its of no interest to me.

    I believe that very early on there were EITHER production issues with the LED's, or the original components had a propensity for failing. Aside from that, I have not heard of any serious hardware issues.... and even the LED's can't really be considered that serious IMO since if you use it live, you likely rely on the foot controller, and if you use it with a computer for recording, you most certainly would now use the editor ;).

  • Gain significantly higher from profiles originating from performances than browse pool.

    Hi Patrick,


    Does it buzz without anything plugged into it?


    If you have everything backed up, I think you can do a factory reset.


    Is your unit in a rack with any permanently installed cables? If so, if you unplug everything from it (except headphones), does it still buzz.


    If none of this works, I would put in a ticket. If none of this works, my guess is that your KPA popped a cap in the DC regulator and it is putting noise on everything.... but I could be totally wrong.

  • Overdrive updates

    Quote from whippinpost91850

    one Eng1. You been giggling at all? I’ve managed to get in a couple at the American Legion on Lake Oakland

    Not a single gig. I also moved to North Carolina 😃. I need to start all over again and get a new group together when this crazy virus relents!

  • Overdrive updates

    I am really looking forward to this update. This is perhaps my biggest want of the Kemper. Past wants were:


    1) Performance Mode

    2) Foot controller

    3) Reverb enhancement

    4) OD enhancements


    For me, this enhancement will fulfill every want I have for the Kemper .... other than a special rig plug-in that makes my playing automatically better ;).

  • How do you guys use performances?

    Interesting how many of us have used the same basic idea:


    1) Cleanest rig on the left

    2) Heaviest Rig on the right

    3) Various levels of heavy between left and right.


    What I do:


    One Performance:


    1) Natural Clean

    2) Pushed Clean

    3) Classic Rock Rhythm

    4) Heavy Rhythm

    5) Lead


    Second Performance:


    1) Chimey Clean

    Similar 2-5 as above, but geared more toward AC/DC type of distortions.


    A few other performances especially designed for specific songs. Examples:


    1) U2 Streets, 2) U2 Pride, 3) U2 With or Without you.

    OR

    1) Cake by the Ocean, .... you get the idea


    For special tones, I have a hand full of performances that hold those settings. I spend most of the time on the general performances.


    Also, I keep the right most effect in the chain, and the right most effect button on the pedal set to a pure boost. This comes in very handy for precise changes in volume from in the background, to more up front, or from rhythm to lead.

  • Acoustic Simulation

    Acoustic in a live setting is a PITA IME.


    Rumble, feedback, stage noise pickup, etc. make it especially difficult when working a live stage that isn't a huge production setup with a stage big enough to play tennis on ;).


    For doing a little eagles "take it easy" strummin, I have a feeling that the Kemper acoustic sim is going to be fantastic. Sadly, most people in the audience don't know what an acoustic guitar is supposed to sound like anyway!


    For the rest of us .... sure. Nothing as sweet as a Martin (I prefer my Taylor personally) mic'ed up with a Neumann in a sound room. I guarantee I could hear the difference on a recording (not in the mix).... but I don't think that is the intended use case.

  • Kemper Kabinet - comparison between TC Electronic BAM200 and Fryette PS-2

    Quote from skoczy

    I was about to take DXR-10 to electro garbage point today. Jusy connected Kemper once more, to make sure.

    And it works :huh:

    Although I've seen gray smoke coming out of speaker few days ago :|

    If I get time today, I will compare DXR-10 to Kabinet...

    Did you buy the DXR new? If so, all you need is the receipt. I purchased my DSR112 from Guitar Center and got my receipt sent to me through email so even if you don't have the original receipt, you can likely still get it.


    It really shouldn't smoke ..... ever :)

  • [high gain] Profiles have way too much bass

    Quote from Vinny Burns

    Most profiles I have bought just have way too much bottom end for recording. I am shelving most stuff below 105-120 and still having to take a little bass out of the profiles. Makes you wonder what people are monitoring on when profiling. No mix engineer would use any of these without cutting everything below 120hz. A lot have too much energy in the 290-310hz area too.
    it’s something I am always careful of when profiling my own amps.

    I think it is part of the "sounds good by itself" thing. In a recording, I think the eq is set way different in a mix than what would "sound good" plunking without context. Live is another complete issue. depending on the frequency response of what is being played through, this may also have way more bass in the KPA output.

  • [high gain] Profiles have way too much bass

    When playing live, most metal players I know like a bass heavy output. Sometimes it seems like the actual bass player is redundant ;)


    I also think that many of us (even non metal players) like to feel that chest thump from a good palm muted high gain wack on the strings :).


    I would go with the HP and LP myself. You can easily turn these on and off for differing output environments (head phones, monitor speakers, FRFR PA speaker, full PA, etc).

  • Kabinet Kone - 2x12 loud enough for band?

    Vinny has it right.


    The fact is that the tone you hear while practicing through an amp of any kind is not what the audience hears. Lets just take the case of a traditional tube amp and cab before we get the Kemper involved.


    1) Guitar cabs are notoriously directional. Depending on where you stand on stage, you will hear either piercingly loud guitar, or nothing but a muffled semblance of guitar. Directivity alone prevents the crowd from hearing what you hear when you practice.


    2) So you graduate from using just your guitar cab on stage and add an SM57 through the PA (I used to like the Sennheiser E609 or the upgraded version E906 better than the 57 though). Now you have introduced a TON if variables to what the audience hears. First, the mic. Second, the mixer and channel eq being used, third the speakers, fourth the room acoustics, etc, etc. If you have someone to mix your guitar intelligently from out front (even if it is set and forget), you are likely to get a pretty good FOH sound .... but it will not sound like your amp in a room with you.


    3) Now you decide that this is silly. Why haul a tube amp and 4x12 cab up on stage if all you are going to do is mic a single speaker, send it through a mic, the mixer, and the FOH speakers to get the sound that the mix sounds good with? ..... so you buy a Kemper. No cab, no stage noise (which gets into every other mic on stage and makes mud out front), and as pointed out, very consistent sound night after night. The on-stage monitor is for you to hear what you are doing. Sure, we all would love to hear what makes us the happiest, but that isn't necessary for a great FOH sound .... although it does effect how much we may be into playing that night. No one likes to hear crap through the monitors all night ..... so ...... on to 4)


    4) Now our Kemper is going straight to the FOH, the FOH sound is fantastic (as long as the mix is setup well for the speakers), and now we need to keep the person playing that guitar happy with what they hear. For those that really want to hear the "amp in the room" sound just like they did when they were practicing, ....... enter the Kemper Kabinet or Kone. Now, you run your main L/R to the FOH mixer, and the monitor out to your Kemper Kabinet. I still recommend putting the Kabinet on a slant mount pointed toward your head (and at the back of the microphone if you have a vocal microphone). Now YOU get that amp in the room sound exactly like you practiced it, and the audience gets a good mix.... the best of all worlds.


    The key take aways here are:


    1) What you hear on stage is NEVER what the FOH sounds like. Never has been, never will be.

    2) Kemper KPA with Kabinet is the best solution for getting the best FOH sound AND the best monitoring solution for what YOU hear on stage.... at least IMHO.

  • Kabinet Kone - 2x12 loud enough for band?

    First, (and this is just for me), I feel that the most important aspect of the Kemper is its ability to sound great through a good PA ..... followed closely by how easy it is to setup and take down at the end of the night. I am accustomed to using IEM's for monitoring, so whatever noise the cab is making is lost to me anyway.


    Where the cab (or Kabinet) makes a difference is in the action of the strings (you have to move air near the strings to get that pleasant ring and sustain).


    For people who used to the unbridled fury of an on-stage cab as their monitoring of their playing, the Kabinet is a great option as it gives you that "amp in the room" feeling you don't get even with a good PA and even the very best IEM system.


    For .... well, lets say less than "good" PA's, and bands that have wedges on-stage for monitoring, the Kabinet gives you good tone despite the bad PA and less than optimal monitoring situation.


    Having my KPA going direct into the PA has been my go-to rig since 2013 now. For live gigging, KPA is simply unbeatable in my book. This is especially true for cover bands who must run a very wide range of guitar tone in one set.