Posts by scratch17

Quote from ElDoca

As for the Kone, it only seems like three of us here are planning on buying it on day 1. I'm not hearing much hype about it anywhere else. Also lots of discussion about other recent FRFR/cab purchases by users here, don't know why anyone would buy anything until this is released and reviewed. Oh well, too bad for them

I want both a Kemper Kabinet and a FRFR.

Certain profile types like Studio and Merged might actually sound better with a FRFR. Adding speaker emulation DSP might be detrimental to the overall sound. But a DAP with a Kemper Kabinet might be heavenly.

Quote from vernon48

The thought of hearing the Kemper as it is intended to be heared, through an engineered solution designed by the OEM, has me about as excited as I was when the Kemper was first announced.

The use of a DAP and a traditional guitar cabinet should get just as close to 'amp in the room' sound as a DAP with the Kemper Kabinet. The difference between the two would be negligible assuming the Kemper technology gets really close to modeling the speaker types they include.

There is nothing inherently better about the technology of modeling a Vintage 30 in a 1 x 12 cab, than using a real Vintage 30 in the same cab. So I doubt it will get you any closer to what you conceive of as "hearing the Kemper as it is intended to be heard". You just won't need as many real cabs to cover the modeled speakers offered by the Kemper technology.

One of the areas that has not been addressed with the Kemper Kabinet is ports, open backs, and specific cabinet dimensions and designs (think Thiele, for example). I doubt that these parameters will be included in the initial models.

Another parameter which might be desirable would be speaker loading. Using a 16 ohm cab with an 8 ohm output will definitely sound different than an 8 ohm load. So will using a 2 ohm load with an 8 ohm output. It might be a nice parameter to have available. Since the loading would only be modeled as a sound quality parameter, there would be no electrical downside. The actual cab will always provide the nominal load to the amplifier that it is designed to handle.

Finally, Kemper, please add a Polytone driver to the models list. Kemper Kones should be able to help with jazz tones too.

I own one Friedman product. I think he is one great amp designer, and as such I respect his opinion when it comes to amp design.

So if I ever get a Synergy modular preampp, I plan on buying a few of the modules he has designed.

I also get where his comments in his video in the first post in this thread are coming from.

My one current Friedman product is a UAD Unison plugin amp simulation of the Dirty Shirley and BE-100 amps. I guess he likes digital when he gets paid a royalty.

As for 'piracy', I could not disagree more. I used to work for Kodak. Remember them? They sold analog film and the cameras that you had to buy to make pretty pictures. Now they are gone because digital technology made film obsolete. Are digital camera manufacturers committing piracy too?

The Kemper is often refereed to as taking a 'snapshot' of the sound of an amp. How ironic is that?

I use a Universal Audio Apollo. There are 17 studio compressors / limiters available such as Empirical Labs Distressor, DBX 160, Teletronix LA-2A, and 3A, UA 1176, Manley Variable Mu, SummitTLA-100A, Tube Tech CL-1B, API 2500, Neve, SSL, Vertigo, Elysia , etc.

These can all be run in real time with near zero (< 2ms) latency.

If you need to use these live with snapshots, they also run on Universal Audio's LiveRack platform.

Quote from SliderJeff

the ability to store those into a stomp slot so that it could be used in conjunction with any amp profile I chose to use. My gut says that perhaps this is outside the scope of what the Kemper can do, but if someone has alternative info, I'd love to know that.

The real issue is that you cannot store a profile in a stomp slot. A profile can only be loaded into the stack. So if you made a direct amp profile of an overdrive pedal by itself, it could only be loaded into the stack. And as sambrox noted above, you cannot have dual amp profiles.

You can, however, load a DAP of an overdrive pedal into a Kemper, and then load a DAP, Studio, or Merged profile into a second Kemper, connecting them serially.

Kemper 1 loaded with overdrive --> Kemper 2 loaded with a profile of an amp

The arrow would represent the analog or S/PDIF connection between the two Kempers.

Quote from Chris Duncan

A few companies over the years have nailed it. Mackie manuals, back in Greg Mackie's day, were comprehensive, accurate and written with a sense of humor that managed to entertain without getting in the way

I learned more about ITB setup from Mackie mixer manuals than I did reading any DAW documentation. Maybe because I grew up with analog mixers the mackie manuals made more sense to me. BTW, you can find many of them online.

Quote from Vinny Burns

Going to dig into the manuals tonight and work out as much as I can.

OMG! Evidence actually exists that a Kemper user has intelligence.

Quote from Chris Duncan

I drive a C7 Corvette.

Did it come with a free foot controller too?

Quote from Wheresthedug

Maybe someone who designs and builds amps can confirm if this effect is also at play between pre and power amp sections. Assuming it is, it may be part of the reason many people eventually went from rack pre/power amp setups to traditional amp heads.

Alan, I rarely disagree with you, but I must disagree with this part of your post. And frankly, considering that I know you own a Mesa Stereo 2:90 power amp, I am not sure how you have come to ponder whether there is some truth to that.

Do you hear a difference between a head and your Mesa rack gear? I sure don't.

I do agree that by profiling a preamp and a separate power amp, then loading each on two separate Kempers might lose something as the interaction of the electrical systems of the two devices might be lost. But I badly want to try it.

So I will get a Stage. I want to wait until the OS 7.0 is in full release. I might also wait for a Kemper Kabinet before I buy the Stage. If the Kabinet release drags until next year, I will pull the trigger on the Stage first.

Once I've purchased a Stage to go with my non powered Rack, I also want to profile my Wheebo Plexface overdrive pedal. I'd load the Plexface profile into the Stage and a DAP into the Rack, connecting them by S/PDIF. I would profile the pedal by itself without a tube amp.

I suspect the result will be excellent because an overdrive pedal's characteristic sound is by definition extremely close to that of an overdriven tube amp.

There would be some huge advantages to having multiple profiles of the Plexface (or any overdrive pedal without full MIDI implementation).

1. You can create presets of as many settings as you want and switch instantly between them.

2. You can use expression pedals to vary parameters such as drive, volume, EQ, etc.

Granted, the variable parameters will not be those on the pedal's pots. They will be the ones made available by Kemper. But by doing profiles with various combinations of settings of the pots on the pedal, I can come close to capturing the sound of the pedal with lots of the variations of the pots. That is certainly more parameter control than having to bend over and turn a knob while playing.

The Plexface has two sections. They can be selected individually or together (connected in series). So it is like two pedals in one.

It also has a lot of controls that add up to a whole lot of flexibility. There are 6 switches and 6 pots that affect parameters.

The first section does a switchable model of a '59 or an '87 Plexi, with level, tone and drive controls. The second section has a '57 or a '65 Blackface with volume, treble and bass controls. There is also a switch for flat or pushed midrange and low end that is global to both sections. And there is a switch that changes the power from 9 to 18 volts for added headroom.

There are even trimmer resistors and pots inside the pedal to fine tune the sound of the Plexface. I haven't played with them, because I love the stock settings. But I plan on trying out some of these adjustments if the profiling works. They'd be just as easy to add to the profile as any other setting.

So if I can make really accurate profiles of my Plexface I will have far more hands free / instant control over its sounds than what the pedal itself can offer.

Quote from Fedest

the main goal of being of being the most affordable option, while still delivering the best possible signal from the Kemper to the DAW

OK so I totally missed the point that it has to be really, really cheap and it has to be able to deliver "the best possible signal from the Kemper to the DAW".

Sorry, I just didn't understand that those two requirements are not mutually exclusive. I stand corrected.

No warranty if it’s not an authorized dealer. Caveat Emptor!!

Universal Audio Twin MkII has two analog Mic / Line / Hi Z inputs, 4 line outputs and an ADAT or S/PDIF input. To connect to a Kemper, you'd need a decent S/PDIF to lightpipe adapter.

The A/D and D/A quality is excellent. Many commercial music releases have been made using Apollo Twin. Better still, you get access to all of the world class UAD plugins.

You can get a Twin Mk II with a single DSP chip for $599. The 2 chip model is $799 and the 4 chip model is $1199.

GeoZorbas, please take a breath and realize that no one here meant to insult you in any way. You made some statements in your first post in this thread that did show a misunderstanding of some of the

terms and methods used for creating profiles. The comments were not an attack on your

philosophy; they were an attempt to show you where your facts were incorrect.

And they pointed you to areas where you could find some answers and potentially get better results.

Profiling is an art. Part of that art is selecting the best method for creating a profile. Part of that art is

microphone placement. Part of that art is dialing in the sound you want on the device you are profiling.

Even knowing how many profiles you need to make to get the totality of the device you are profiling

can be tough to gauge.

My suggestion is to keep at it. Re-read the manual sections on profiling. Until you get experience in making

profiles of all types, you may struggle getting exactly what you are looking for.

+1; but I seriously doubt this will happen. At least on the Rack or Toaster.

I suspect it would have been done long ago if it was possible. There may be a hardware issue preventing S/PDIF routing as an external hardware loop. Of course any multi-effects unit would have to be able to act as a slave to a Toaster or Rack which must act as a master.

I have asked here for an effects loop that can connect via S/PDIF so I could use my Universal Audio Apollo plugins as Kemper external effects without a redundant A/D and D/A step.

BTW, if it is possible to do a S/PDIF loop, make this available on the Stage as an alternative as well. Just limit the total number of loops to two so that profiles work across all models. That would allow any multi-effects unit with S/PDIF I/O to connect with Stage in the digital domain. It can act as a slave or a master.

Quote from thebrushwithin

If I have morph set up on both the Stage and the Rack, and I hit a morph button on the Stage, will the Rack also morph? This is assuming the Stage connects to the Rack via midi.

I think you will have to follow the steps outlined in the video for using UI to MIDI.

One of the most significant new features of the Stage is the ability to act as a slave when connected via S/PDIF.

Until the release of the Stage, you could not connect two Kempers serially via S/PDIF. That is because the Rack

and the Toaster must always be set as a master. As with Aladdin's Genie, two masters are a non starter.

So why not use analog I/O to connect two Racks, Toasters or one of each? You can, but you add an unnecessary

A/D and D/A conversion step. I want to avoid that step, so I will be buying a Stage instead of a used Rack or Toaster

to go with my non powered Rack.

What will I do with 2 Kempers connected in series?

Here's one example.

I plan to make some profiles of my Wheebo Plexface overdrive with no amp in the signal chain. Here's the signal path:

Guitar --> Kemper --> Radial X-Amp --> Plexface --> "From Amplifier" on the Kemper Profiler DI Box --> To Profiler XLR jack connects to the Profiler's input and the to Cabinet jack connects to a cab.

The X-Amp provides the pedal with a Hi Z guitar level output that the Plexface expects at its input. Note that the cab is not really needed here because there is no tube amp in the signal chain.

Once I have the overdrive's profile, I load it into the first Kemper's stack. Now I can load a Merged, Studio or Direct Amp Profile into the second Kemper's stack.

Quote from paults

You could name the rigs or performance slots in the Stage to indicate the contents of both units. If the stage has a Marshall in a performance slot, and the slave unit has a Vox, you could name the slot “Marshall + Vox” in the Stage.

Sure, but all that is doing is telling you what is loaded on the slave unit. I hope to be able to change the focus of the controls and display, so I can make specific adjustments to the rig loaded on the slave in real time.

Right now, if I have different effects on each rig, when I hit button IIII on the Stage, I assume I will be doing something to the slave, which I may or may not want to do. At the very least, it would be a huge advantage to be able to assign foot buttons I, II, III, and IIII to the specific unit under UI to MIDI. That would sort of be like changing banks.

It really comes down to using one foot controller to try to do different things on two units. That is not what it was meant or designed to accomplish.

The release of the Stage will likely incentivize users to sell their Kemper Toaster or Rack and Remote. Kemper must have expected that. I don't think that Kemper was thinking that some Stage buyers would sell their Remote but keep their other Kemper. Nor, I suspect, have they fully fleshed out the issues that might arise when using a Stage as a Remote with a second Kemper.

I love the potential synergy of having a second Kemper. There will be all sorts of ways to combine two of them. I was going to buy another non powered Rack before Stage was announced.

Because Stage can connect via S/PDIF to my Rack as a slave, I can connect serially without leaving the digital domain. Two Racks can't do that. They both must be set as master. Add the extra external effects loop and the Stage is a home run for my use case.

BTW, any extra function I get from the Stage's form factor as a foot controller is only added value to me. I already own a MMGT10. And I still intend to use the Stage and Rack only in studio, with the Rack in front of me on the desk and the Stage at my feet. The foot control of both units will allow me to control each unit in real time with my feet while I track.

Quote from V8guitar

I currently have the rack and remote. The only interest I have in the stage is if it could replace my remote purely as the remote for gigs where I want to use my rack and for other gigs where the stage would do.

Quote from Burkhard

The Stage offers "UI to MIDI".

And while "UI to MIDI" transmits many controllers including the whole navigation within Performance Mode, the data doesn't have to be the same. You could store different Rigs in Slot m of Performance n of master versus slave PROFILER.

If I understand you correctly V8guitar, you'd like to have the Stage visually show what it is doing when controlling the Rack. So in effect, the Stage would become a full blown Remote for the Rack.

Even though the Stage can control the Rack, as per Burkhard's quote above, to do so would require a way of changing the focus of the controls and display to whichever unit it was controlling.

Burkhard, can the Stage do so?

I suspect the Stage can only focus on the settings it is controlling on its built in processor. But I hope I am incorrect.

Quote from pippopluto

If you call Perf1Slot2 on the two devices, and those host two different sounds tho...

I stand corrected. Happy to see this is easier than I thought.

BTW, until a full owner's manual specific to the Stage is published, we won't know about a lot of the details about what it can do (if anything) as a MIDI controller of other devices. We also won't know how flexible or comprehensive the MIDI implementation is.

I suggest that the Stage will need to have a separate manual for programming techniques if it can be used as a MIDI foot controller with other devices.

I also think that Kemper should consider the ways that two Kempers could be used together with an eye towards maximizing their possible synergies.

Doing so could increase the market for both the Stage, the Rack or the Toaster.

Quote from CelticGibson

If the Stage has "UI to Midi" like the toaster/rack then you can control another Kemper with the Stage.

I believe that UI to MIDI turns the two Kempers into a master and a slave. That implies that if you do an action on the master, the slave follows with exactly the same action. This makes perfect sense for using a second Kemper as a backup in case of catastrophic fail during a performance.

But it doesn't address whether the Stage can also send MIDI data to make changes to the second Kemper (Rack or Toaster) to create a different action on the slave than the one being triggered on the master.

So if you want to use two Kempers to make different sounds at the same time, UI to MIDI is not going to work for you.

As an example, I want to be able to morph between two different profiles (think: amp stacks). Since a single Kemper can only load one profile, you need two Kempers to accomplish this kind of morph.

In this situation, I want to use a pedal to control the output level between the two Kempers. As I increase the output level from min to max on Kemper 1, I want the reverse to happen on Kemper 2 . It should decrease in output level at the same rate. This becomes the morph control.

I have a non powered rack and would like to use a Stage with a pedal plugged into it to control this morph between the two Kempers. I am hoping that with the single pedal, I can use MIDI to control the output of the Stage and the Rack at the same time. That means that the Stage would need to be able to send MIDI CC and PC data and at the same time control the Stage.

There is a very big implication here. Doing the above (if it is possible) will take some MIDI programming unless the new editor will let you use the Stage as a remote for the Rack via MIDI. For that to happen, the editor probably needs to be able to see both Kempers, which I doubt it will do.

I suggest that anyone contemplating using a Stage and a Rack or Toaster together, keep your Kemper Remote.