Posts by V8guitar

  • Kemper Kab with built in power amp???

    Quote from silvioherrmann

    It's just not correct if some people say that the Kabinet would be loud enough for a Rock band with a loud drummer and another Guitar player with 4x12...

    Totally disagree.


    I have been using my kabinet for about 6 months now. I play in 2 rock bands with a very loud drummer. Last rehearsal I had to turn mine down as I was too loud. The other lguitarist uses a 4 x12 at rehearsal ( with a powered toaster).


    The volume I get from the Kabinet is ear splitting.


    If you are getting a smell from it, sounds like a fault. Id be interested in what power you are putting through it ( what does your power meter say)?

  • Live gig with the Kemper

    Quote from Wheresthedug

    I had one sound guy refuse to take a direct feed and insisted on using a mic. When I turned up without a speaker for on stage and just asked to go direct with a little guitar in the monitors he tried to make me use a Line6 Spider combo so that he cold mic it because it “always sounds better” ?‍♂️ I eventually went out to the car and brought in a Mesa EVM12L cab which he miced with an E609. Thankfully I had a powered head and had already prepared for this worst case scenario but the usual happened during band changeover and his mic got misplaced. I had to reposition the mic myself or the audience would have heard no guitar. Wouldn’t have been a problem if he had just accepted a direct XLR feed but you can’t argue with so e folks.

    Like you I've only ever had this once before, about 5 years ago. Luckily the band we were playing with had a 4x12 I could borrow with my powered rack.

  • Powered or unpowered?

    I have the powered rack and love the convenience/flex of this. In you situation I think I'd go powered kabinets for simplicity.


    Your decision is really around flex vs convenience as there will be little difference sound wise.

  • Live gig with the Kemper

    Quote from fendrbud

    Thanks for all the good replies here! I think I will then use only one XLR mono signal from the kemper. As for monitoring, I was thinking they probably have some on-stage monitors that are connected to the table, thus not much for me to think about other then adjusting the levels correctly.

    Why would you avoid in house monitors?

    Purely because you don't have control of them. Things change after sound check. Without a backline your guitar will need to be in all monitors so the drummer, singer and bass player can hear you.


    However, I have used them and played without a back line before so its not essential, just need to get it right in sound check and the advantage is controlled sound to everyone.

  • Where's that " Power Amp Boost " in output settings ?

    What do you mean loud enough to gig? I assume you are not looking to use your backline as your frontline sound? If the question is, is it loud enough as a monitor then yes it is.

  • Live gig with the Kemper

    Main things to do are:


    1) Take 1 XLR to the desk unless you are running stereo from the main output. Personally I don;t bother with stereo and keep it simple for your first gig.

    2) ensure you select the -12db soft button on the output ( look it up in the manual) to ensure the signal is not too hot

    3) Make sure your volumes are unlinked so your main out remains at a set level.


    The sound engineer will very likely have seen a Kemper/helix/Axe before so will also be aware so nothing really to tell him.


    Prior to all of this I would strongly suggest you test in a rehearsal room at volume. the sounds you have set up via headphones will sound very different at gig volume.


    Also, how are you monitoring? Are you using any cabs? As yours in unpowered, do you have a powered cab at all? I would not rely on an in house monitor if you can avoid it.

  • Neural Quad Cortex

    Quote from drew_fx

    My background is, I've been audio engineering for 20 years. I've produced professional music tech products for the last 14 of them. I've made (as part of a 2 man team) 504 profiles that were slated for commercial release. Unfortunately corporate NDA's prevent us from selling them at the moment. They're really good though.

    My background is I've been playing guitar badly for the last 35 years. I am useless at determining a good sound and my ears are not very discerning....I have my Kemper for 2 main reasons:


    1) One stop shop solution, which is big for me

    2) Because I know its possible to get pro sounds out of it - so any sound issue is then my issue


    ....hence I rely on opinions like yours and others :)

  • Neural Quad Cortex

    Agreed.


    Everyone is arguing the same point.


    In summary:

    1) Could an audience tell the 1-5% difference between an accurate profile/capture, especially in a hot sweaty gig where everyone is into the music itself? Nope

    2) Can an audience spot a really poor guitar sound? Yep.

    3) Will they tell you? Nope.

    4) Is it important to love your sound to play better and therefore you have to be happy with your sound no matter what lengths you feel is right - Yep

    5) Is accuracy important? Yes because these are the only reference points we have.

    6) Is good sound better than accuracy? Ultimately yes but having a solid base makes this easier. Valve amps aren't perfect and shouldn't been seen as the "final stage" but are also what are generally considered the best guitar sounds we have. Every recording takes this sound and alters it so they are never one and the same.


    I'm happy drew makes these measurements because I never will and we need people to do this market research.


    I said from day one that I don't really listen to paid reviewers and I'd rather listen to opinions on here. You never take one opinion of course and hence I'm interested in these debates and it should be encouraged not criticised.

  • New Kemper user - An old school valve/tube amp user turning to Kemper by accident

    Quote from KjetilKleven

    I have kept it with three different amp models and I have also had the "old school" effect processing in mind when programming my profiles. So I basically re-reate the sounds I had before, but the Kemper gives med the option of a lot more different pedals, so I can get more ambient sounds in the background of my clean parts. But as you say, Dont over tweak. The same goes for old school amps and pedals too.

    Fab.


    I also found Morph very useful. If you haven;t checked it out yet, have a look, especially if you play live and have the remote. I use it to boost riffs.

  • Kemper Kabinets and why Kemper advise that micing the Kemper Kab is not recommended.

    This is the whole concept and misinterpretation.


    Read the Kemper website where is talks about the sounds you hear on record and at a gig via a PA is NOT the sound from the amp. so, you want amp in the room from your monitor and studio sound ( whole profile) from your FRFR/PA. The kone provides the Amp in the room.


    Note the KPa can also do this...use a direct profile into a cab and mic it. Done.


    You are reverse engineering the problem. This is not an issue but actually a solution to a physics problem.

  • Neural Quad Cortex

    Quote from Nightmare Circus

    It's more that the listener is never going know if it's accurate or not they just care if it sounds good. I think the real issue here is you're arguing for feel and I'm arguing for sound. I've heard that argument go both ways though, some people love the QC feel and others think it's sterile and unrealistic. Me? I'm an engineer and if it's metal I'm going to put a multiband compressor on it and get rid of the junk so the guitars and bass aren't in an eternal death match

    Agreed.


    There are 3 people you have to please with your sound

    1) Audience

    2) You

    3) sound engineer


    I think we are all arguing the same point. Some people take very analytical approach to their sound, others more relaxed - both are equally valid,


    Personally I'm useless at sound analysis....I could never work out how to use Mid on a regular amp, let alone, IR's, power sag, definition etc. My point is, I can hear the difference but actually my views changes on what I like by the minute. I don't have the perfect sound in my head nor do I instantly like or dislike unless its really bad. I also have to spend time with a sound to adjust to it. I don;t think I'm alone in this.


    The point here is I do think I should care more and perhaps some people should care just a little less.


    The audience will of course know a really bad sound - would they be able to tell the difference between the QC and Kemper when set up in a similar way? Nope.

    Does it matter? if it does to you then it does.


    But note there will be a much bigger difference in the fingers, technique, whether the singer is in tune :). To debate over 5% difference is only important to "you".

  • Neural Quad Cortex

    Quote from creative360

    Easier or not, I'd miss definition, power sagging, pick, compressor, clarity, tube shape/bias parameters. I'm not a totally endless tweaker, but this stuff does come in to play, often after the profiling process, even years after, when those controls are used for a particular guitar, mix, etc. I'm surprised that NDSP didn't include a suite of post-capture shaping options. Their easy-peasy plug-ins sound good too, but besides being dsp hogs, you're basically stuck with what you get. I guess it's a sort of curated mindset, versus putting more aspects of sound design in user hands. (But kind of like Garageband vs Logic, iMovie vs Premiere, working around those oversimplified interfaces is often a bigger obstacle than simply learning the deeper tools, even if you only use a fraction of their functionality.)

    But this is the dilemma for Kemper and QC.....tweakability vs ease of use


    The perfect mix would be profiling with auto refine ( whatever that would be) but still with the ability to change parameters after.


    Just related to an earlier post...am I being a bit stupid.....so Neural is highly regarded in the industry for their plugin's AND their capture process is pretty good but the models aren't great? Strange...although i know many products seem to shift with duff presets..

  • Experinces with poweramp durablity & longevity.

    Quote from Dynochrome

    I looked for them and couldn't find any. I don't know if the one in the Kemper is a "stock" model or made for the Kemper.

    Not sure, I think its a slight different version than the stock one going purely from memory on tghis forum as people starting looking into this prior to the powered Kabinet.


    You might struggle to get much more than " I've run it for a few hard, no issues" as its almost a bench test your after and most manufacturers won;t publish those..


    Anyway, lets see if anyone else has info :)

  • Browser vs Perform

    Based on what you've said, I don't think your missing much. Performance is really around grouping profiles and effects which is of most use live.


    As Paul said the grouping might be useful but no different to a folder in RM where you can save your favs ;)

  • Experinces with poweramp durablity & longevity.

    Quote from Dynochrome

    That's what I was asking to hear about! Thanks for sharing your experience.

    I think in reality what everyone is saying is there is a lot of headroom anyway with the amp and so far its shown to be pretty reliable.


    Personally I would suggest its way more reliable than a valve amp for the obvious reasons.


    I believe its an ICE amp ( some people on here will know the model its based on) and I assume ICE will have some durability specs...

  • Experinces with poweramp durablity & longevity.

    There is theorectical and real world.


    lightbox has given the theoretical and there are many on here that have used the power amp in anger for many years.


    I have run my power rack for 6 years, doing circa about 40 gigs a year. I drive it pretty hard as the bands I'm in certainly do not hold back on volume so no issues.


    Not sure if that helps :)