Posts by dougc84

I know you said you didn't want to use performance mode, and that's cool, but be sure to back up your original rigs in case you need to make changes later on. Editing a rig in performance doesn't modify the system-saved rig or its parameters, leaving you the original to reference at any time (handy!). So, regardless, back it up!

That said, I've used three MIDI controllers with my Kemper since I've gotten it in June (a Pod X3 Live, which I quickly replaced with a FCB1010 for temporary use, then moved on to a RJM Mastermind GT/22). I can't say I've experienced the same problem.

I believe there is an issue with the latest beta firmware in regards to program changes in browse mode specifically when using a MIDI controller, but I'm not 100% sure what the problem is.

Check in your system settings to see if "Rig Autoload" is enabled. If it's disabled, it may be loading up the rig only, but not replacing your current rig and settings. Just a thought.

What MIDI controller are you using? Are you ONLY sending PC messages from your controller, or are you sending CC messages as well? Do you have bidirectional communication set up, or are you just connecting controller MIDI out -> Kemper MIDI in?

Awesome. Profiling can be a challenge, as it's intuitive to use, but not intuitive if you have an issue, and tracing the problem can be from a ton of different sources.

Both answers are valid. Depends on how you want to approach the KPA.

Want to stick with browse mode? Mark your favorites as, uh... favorites. Then filter by favorites only.

Want to experiment with performance mode? Load up rigs in performance slots, and you're good to go. The added benefit is you'll be able to pick exactly what rigs are in what slots/PCs, and you'll be able to customize them to your liking without damaging the original "Browse Mode Profile." You can have a slot with a favorite rig in one slot with all the effects off, and, in the next slot, an overdrive, boost, and a delay on for a lead sound.

Also, if you have rigs that you know you will never, ever use (such as a stock rig), get rid of it. If you use Rig Manager, you can drag all of your rigs into a new folder, and clean up what's on the Kemper, in case you need them later. Make a backup before doing anything first though.

Have you tried adjusting the input gain on the Kemper itself, not just the amp's volume?

Have you tried different mic positions?

Are you direct profiling, without a cab sim?

I know this amp has a built-in gate that's active to some degree on some channels even if set at zero. Can you try a different channel and see if it does OK?

There are so many variables to this question. Please answer the following:

1. What kind of amp/amp + pedal chain are you trying to mic up?
2. What mic/mics are you using? Have you checked the mic cables and the mics to ensure they are working properly?
3. How are you placing the mics? Close? Far? Combination?
4. Have you adjusted the input level on step 1?
5. Have you tried refining?
6. Have you tried this mic setup in a DAW? Does it sound the same as running it through compare on the amp?
7. You have no other effects on, correct? Gates, reverbs, everything should be off, with the only exception being overdrive pedals that don't have built-in gates or abnormal waveforms.
8. Certain amps, particularly some preamps and other amps that were built in the 80's and 90's, have built-in gates and will make the resulting sound turn into mud.
9. How loud are you turning up your amp? If you're feeding it low volumes, you're probably picking up a lot of room noise and reverberations/reflections as well.

I dig it dude. The last section, for some reason, reminds me of the end section to "Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape" by Underoath, which is an awesome song. Who's the preacher in the background? My mind's going to Joel Osteen.

Musically, this is awesome. I'd buy an album of this stuff. Mix-wise, I think the kick is up too high, which makes it sound programmed. Maybe it is - I can never tell these days with such great programs out there - but it sounds programmed because it's up so high in the mix and it's completely flat dynamically. If it's programmed, try using the "humanize" feature in your DAW on that section. I also think the preacher is a little too high as well, or it just needs some EQ cuts to make the guitar stand out aside from it.

Great work. Keep doing this stuff.

I gotta say that OP has a point. You look at the firmware release schedule, and this has been a long time. My trigger finger is anxious for some updates. But, that said, I'd rather wait a little longer than have software filled with bugs.

You mention companies are forthright about upcoming releases though? Okay. Well, when Microsoft announces a new version of their OS, or Apple does the same, it's still months off, but the major version bump happens, at most, once a year. The reason they announce things is for marketing hype and to get users excited. However, there are two BIG differences between an OS X release and a Kemper release - device compatibility and competition.

Device Compatibility - The Kemper has to perform on one platform. One type of hardware. One display. One keyboard (think of the front panel buttons as a keyboard). The I/O is identical, save for the power amp option. When OS X announces a new release, they are in the beta testing phase. Their product is complete, but they have hundreds of different computer configurations that could be buggy. Windows is more of the same, except instead of hundreds, there are more like tens of thousands.

Competition - Kemper doesn't have direct competition. One could see AxeFX as a competitor, but they're really in a different league. The features Kemper needs to add on don't really apply to the AxeFX.

So with no direct competition, and one device to support, there's no reason to open up the upcoming release schedule. For a company like Kemper, that's like saying "our developers plan on being done by this date," instead of Apple saying "our product is done, but we want to test it out for a couple months and make sure it's solid." Saying "a new firmware version is coming out in 3 weeks" sets a firm deadline that most people anticipate and expect. People get unnecessarily excited for the new "thing," because, now, all of a sudden "old thing" wasn't good enough, even though you've been using "old thing" for a long time. You have unhappy users if it's late (programming is HARD, and you can't always foresee a problem), and you set a precedence for releasing updates early if you do it even once.

The fact is we haven't gotten any firmware updates because the Kemper is relatively stable. There aren't issues. And that's a good thing.

Would I like to see a release schedule or a list of upcoming features? Sure. But Kemper is no Microsoft. Or Apple. Or, heck, Marshall (even though it can sound like their entire historical archives). Releasing that information is just going to create an entirely different channel of user happiness that they'll have to manage.

If you're talking about jumping from rig to rig, no. Your best bet is to set up a performance in performance mode. Change your rig from the performance, and you can then recall it at a later time simply by going to that performance. You can then screw around with pedal settings and amp configuration without messing about with your primary rigs stored in browse. Just a word of warning - save each performance often. The added additional benefit here is, while it takes a little extra time to set up, you can then perform those songs later with the exact same settings you used to record.

If you're talking about changing some pedals, the "Undo" and "Redo" buttons will take you back and forward (respectively) in your history on the rig or performance slot you are currently working off of.

Quote from MrGecko

Hey guys,

I'm quite sure that this question has been asked before but I can't quite find my specific question so I figured I'd ask and get a quick answer.

Basically, my input LED is clipping when I'm on my bridge hum but not on the other pickups, whether it's a neck hum on my PRS or the single coils on my Strat. The amount of red is minimal, only when I hit hard but I'm guessing I shouldn't see any? I also have a J. Rockett Archer sitting before the Kemper that, when I engage, enhances the amount of red I see in the input LED by a little.
Generally I'll use the humbucker only on dirty sounds, but I'll use the single coils on clean to full gain.

What do I need to do to remedy this? I'm guessing it's something to do with Clean/Distortion Sense? Will it change the tone somewhat when I do change it?

Cheers

Display More

CKemper has stated that there is actually a very large ceiling (a lot of headroom) to the input and output circuit. Digital pedals like the Digitech Whammy/Wah and pretty much all Line 6 stuff - when the "CLIP" indicator shows, you're introducing distortion and overloading the circuit. This just isn't true on the Kemper. If it were red constantly while playing, it'd be time to turn down your clean sense (and potentially the distortion sense as well), but a quick flash of red will just start softly rolling back. Think of it more as a fader on a mixer - red isn't necessarily a bad thing if you're not constantly maxing it out, but you've just got a hot signal.

One suggestion for something I've done in the past that hasn't been mentioned yet: Record it.

Open up Logic or Protools or whatever DAW you use, and record the first part with one amp on one track, and the second part with the other amp on a second track. It doesn't have to be great - you're getting an idea for the tonal footprint. You can then look at the EQ curve (pull up an EQ unit on both channels, and turn the "preview" or "monitor" switch on). More than likely, a higher gain amp will be more compressed (which will make it seem more bass-heavy), whereas something like an AC-30 will hit more of the midrange or highs.

This gives you an idea of what you need to adjust with an EQ or compressor in your effects chain to make it sit better. Lowering the gain by 10-20% on the higher gain amp will result in less compression, giving a more dynamic feel, and, since the Kemper has that nifty compression knob in the amp settings, that can help too. Driving a higher gain amp sound with a tube screamer set with very, very low drive/gain and added volume will tighten up the sound. Boosting and cutting EQ on the higher gain setting to match the EQ curve of the clean amp will make it fit in the mix better. It's nice to put an EQ in the X or Mod spot, so you're not affecting what's going into the amp, but after it's come out.

It's the big problem with high-gain amps - because they're so compressed, they sound wonderful by themselves, but get lost very easily in a mix, and they end up trampling on other instruments (mainly the bass) when turned up loud enough to cut through.

You may end up with something that may not seem like the "perfect" sound you dialed in before, but the goal is not to have a "perfect" sound for you - the goal is to have a "perfect" sound for the band and the mix.

Another option would be to invest in a stereo power amp. The only difference between the power rack and the unpowered version is only the built-in power amp, and you can totally add on a power amp if you want.

I run mine a little strangely, but I can get a stereo signal or a mono signal, depending on how the venue is configured.

I send, out of the 1/4" outs, two outs (left and right) to a Behringer MINIFBQ equalizer, then the two outs (again, left and right) to a Matrix GT1000FX. I only run the EQ for shaping the output slightly for the cab I'm using (Matrix NL212, which is stereo). The cab isn't FRFR, but is extended frequency, and it sounds incredibly close to a FRFR cab with some EQ settings (I keep the Cab on).

Out of the XLR main outs, I send left and right to the house. I keep the Main EQ on the Kemper flat, and let the soundman adjust for the venue if needed. I keep the Main volume at about -10dB, and unlock it from the volume knob to prevent accidental changes.

If I need to run mono out, I can change the Main Out to mono. The stereo FX I run in the loop (Strymon Timeline and Strymon BigSky) then merge quite gracefully down to mono. This also means that I get a mono signal in my cab, but it'll match the house, and I'd rather have it match what the house is doing vs. what I'd like it to ideally sound like.

Quote from Raoul23

Direct profile + Studio profile is what makes a Merged profile

Yep, that's what I meant to say. It is rather confusing.

Additionally, if the cab is off, it's going to sound like a pre+power amp chain. It might sound truer to the original amp with a Direct Profile, but you'll be pretty similar in both cases.

A Direct Profile is basically ONLY the Amp + EQ.
A standard profile is the Amp + EQ + Cab.
Direct Profile + Cab = Merged Profile

A merged profile and a standard profile, at the end of the day, will sound identical (nuances aside).

That looks really nice, but the fact it's all rack mount with no physical faders is a downfall for me.

I'm a big fan (as well as a lot of my friends in local bands) of the Behringer X32 series. Their iPhone app is about one of the worst-designed apps I've ever used, but it works well as long as you have a sturdy wifi connection. It's got a bit of a learning curve but I'd definitely recommend it.

If you get any mixer with a wireless connection, be sure to pick up some sort of wireless repeater. You don't necessarily need it if you're at the back of the house, but if you're adjusting monitor mixes via the app, all of them are notorious for poor signal strength.

Quote from Booyah

Not much in the amp section can really clean up an overdrive pedal. If you are using one of the distortion stomps in the Kemper you could try adjusting the Mix in the stomps menus. Or try using Clarity instead f Direct Mix, unlike Direct Mix, Clarity doesn't change the character of the tone, it will just put the amps distortion more to the background. For any channel with Gain I use Clarity, only use Direct Mix on my cleaner channels to get them to pop out more.

Right, that's what I was saying. Before I went Kemper, I was using an AC-15 and a pedalboard full of really nice boxes to mold my sound. For my own personal "signature" sound, I really like the sound my overdrive boxes give me, and I cannot get a similar sound using the overdrives in the Kemper. I now use one of Paul's AC-30 profiles, and I get a fuller sound than I did from the AC-15, but I still like to drive it with those pedals. It sounds fantastic (in my opinion, at least).

However, when covering songs or seeking out alternative sounds, playing different genres, etc., the Kemper is king. I can load up all kinds of other amps to achieve the right sound for the song I'm on. The only difference is, for those gigs, I bring my controller only, and not my full board, because the idea of "my personal sound" has gone out the window. In that case, I could see the Direct Mix knob being beneficial, but, as you stated, moreso on the clean sounds.

I saw the video from the FB Kemper group. It's an interesting take on how to "clean up" a signal, and, in a sense, get a "double-amp" sound. The problem I have with this technique is that bumping the control makes that portion of the signal bypass the amp block altogether, which is fine if you're using the amp's overdrive, but I have some overdrive pedals in front of my amp, so it ends up sounding fizzy if I throw one of those on.

Quote from nEVH5150

Furthermore, if EACH switch was given an LCD screen of its' own and you could program each switch to perform what features you choose (like a lot of MIDI controllers...) the possibilities would be endless...!

Perfect integration with the Kemper AND the versatility of performing functions of your choice with a colour-changing LCD screen for each switch telling you what is what... Ultimate.

Soo... an RJM Mastermind GT?

Quote from TubeTom

Some Bugfix would be great. For example FX Spillover do not work with the KFC

Nah, there is effect spillover with KFC. It's typically an unsettling feeling in your stomach and tiredness, sometimes referred to as "the itis."

I should also add that this was discussed at length in a previous post:

Midi Program Change Mapping Table

with zero resolution except "buy a new controller."