Posts by 10w73

Quote from NADIRICA

Thank you for your detailed help. The EQ settings on the video on the internet seem to have not changed. The results on the humbuckers guitar samples are the same. The sound from my kemper is not bright. I watched a lot of sample video. I made experiments with different guitars. In my kemper the sound is never bright. I agree with others in other comments. I changed the guitar strings 1 day ago.

But you have tried lots of other profiles/ cabs/ rigs, right? If others sound good just get rid of this bad sounding one.

Quote from JesseLuciani

I have a question that might not be thread worthy, maybe someone can help me sort this out. If I'm using a line cable, should I go into a DI box? Or just direct into the board? Does it matter? What does the DI change/do for the sound? Should I avoid the DI box if I'm using XLR?

Using a line cable you are free to consider using a DI-box while I think it won't be necessary. DI-boxes are able to "convert" unsymmetrical connections to symmetrical ones. It's a way of getting rid of unwanted interferences/ noises in the signal. If you don't find something that interferes with your signal there will be most likely no use for a DI-box. The levels are already line levels so there is no need to use a DI-box for that. Try finding some wiki page (i. e. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DI_unit) or something if you want to dive deeper into it. When you use the symmetrical outputs on the Kemper (XLR) there is absolutely no need for using another DI-box to my mind.

Quote from Preacher

I didn't see anyone else mention it (but scrolled past some posts), but since you specifically talked about hearing just "pick noises" after a while, I remembered that I've seen some Kemper tutorial video or something lately where I remember there was a setting on the Kemper that affects the presence of the picking sound. Like Pick Sens or something. That wasn't the name for it but maybe someone else knows what I'm talking about. Or maybe I dreamt this, lol.

That’s right. There’s the Pick parameter and sometimes it works really good and sometimes there’s something left.
This parameter more or less takes some attack. Maybe like a compressor plus additional magic. But this of course only works till a certain point and taking away the attack also isn’t always wanted.

But thank you, mate.

You guys helped me so much in this thread! I can’t thank you enough. Few days ago I just quickly started from scratch with my kinda crunchy sound for open chords, kinda liked it, left it that way and I’m happy. However, I think about getting a new guitar, a Music Man Valentine with Tremolo 2018. That sucks because it is 2500 € and I don’t have that much. Always the need for something new, I know ...

Quote from Wheresthedug

One other thing; you mentioned that you get a strange sound on open strings but not if you use a capo. That would suggest an issue with the guitar rather than the profiler.

The guitar is set up as good as it gets. I did the best I could and afterwards went to a trusted guitar builder who fine tuned everything again. However, I will go ahead and try a different bridge soon. But I know that there are people like the guys from Social Distortion that tune a full step down only to put a capo on the first. Which to my mind would be "the same" as if they just tuned a half step down (I play standard tuning). So maybe they also like the sound more when played with capo. It's not that there is something horribly wrong with my beloved ES-339, it's just a quiet brilliant ringing in the background that sometimes gets really disturbing and amplified when played slightly distorted with open chords.

Quote from lacantina

I see that you are playing a 2014 Gibson Melodymaker among others!?

Right. But I'm not playing it right now. This is all about the ES-339. Guess what, I wanted to put P90s in the ES but now I'm not so sure.

Quote from Wheresthedug

If it's any consolation, you are not alone!!!

There is some great advice in this thread already. Here's my tuppenceworth:

I also seriously considered the Helix but ended up going Kemper for the simple reasons that it felt more like my real amps "to me" AND I perceived it to have less tweakability so I was less likely to end up down the Rabbit Hole. The truth is they are both awesome units and I would probably have been equally happy/unhappy with either. As it turns out the Kemper is WAY more tweakable than I realised. However, I force myself to treat it like a real amp for the sake of my sanity

After fiddling around with Helix Native and this thread I decided I don't need the Helix. It does things different, maybe also good and it doesn't sound too bad. I also totally like the editor. After a I dialed in a fine tone, I waited a day, I started to dial in something from scratch at my Kemper and to my mind it instantly sounded better. So no need for a Helix and I'm really happy right know.

You guys helped me so much!

Quote from Wheresthedug

Good luck in your quest for the holy grail

Yeah, thanks, mate!

Quote from Wheresthedug

This issue isn't unique to profiler's and moddeler's.

That's so true. Before the Kemper it was modding my cheaper guitars and before playing guitar it was my home computers. It never ends.

Quote from Audiopilot

I love his AFD100 and I use the Marshall Silver Jubilee live.

I will look into this. I love hearing Marshalls but playing them never satisfied me somehow. Thanks!

Quote from Ibot39

I do what I can do in a given time. Then I stop and have even more fun playing. If a problem still is very "disturbing" I write it down to come back a few weeks later, so I can forget about it now.

This is what I do sometimes and what I will try to do more often now. I kinda needed everything very quickly back in the days but I now am able to be more patient and I'm working on improving that skill. A few years ago I had to open new things right in the car after getting them or retrieving things from the post office to take a first look. Now sometimes a can leave a package untouched for even a few days. I'm gettin' old.

Quote from SQUAREHEAD

It’s very likely, many times, we have reached the best it will do, but with the simplicity of the old amplifiers it’s much easier just to stop Tweaking…

That is totally true. With my TH30 Combo there wasn't even much possibility to shape tone. It sounded like it sounded (except for the very special tone shape thing on channel two. Cheers to you, Orange). Rest was guitar, pedals and maybe some EQing on the pedal board. Now ... You know.

Quote from V8guitar

2) an Amp on its own sounds different to when a band cranks up
3) It takes time to get used to a sound, not 20 seconds..for me it takes months. Hence try to stick with a sound..
4) I don't know what sounds good! Don;t get someone to play your gear because you can;t play but because you disassociate yourself from it. I guarantee it sounds different!

I know, I know. But I need to like the amp at least a little even when not in context. But of course you are right. I promise I will now try and stick to a sound. Also because I learned that I don't always need to improve things.
I know that this (your point 4) will always sound different especially when played by someone way more able to play than yourself. I got this buddy and whatever guitar, amp etc. he touches - it is magic. It sounds killer. Every time! If I take that stuff home it is ok, it sounds good but I'm not able to get that much out of it as he does. It's mostly his awesome chord noodling that sounds so special an so natural. I kinda also hate him for that ...

Look, I wouldn't have said what I've said if I heaven't made experience. Would make no sense. It is a tremendous difference hearing something through headphones and or at home levels or really, really loud. But what can become an even greater problem is underestimating the cab's part. Of course out there are "good" IRs etc. - but what they make out of the amp also depends on the amp. A good IR will sound bad in a rig if the amp was profiled with way to much low end or way to much treble or with scooped mids or whatever. How will you know if an IR is good in correspondence with a profiled amp without hearing it so to speak.

I'd suggest that you think less of your actual cab on stage and focus on finding an IR that seems to support your profiled amp very good. See, it is not about getting a good IR of a cab you know. That is not how this works. It also depends on the mic or even the mics used, on the mic(s) position and the room itself as well as the preamps, the board, the EQs that maybe added in the process and so on.
So, crank up those earphones until it hurts (or a little less ) and if it sounds killer you may as well sound killer on stage with maybe a little output EQing and help from the FOH guy. And next time try to set your tone at stage volume.

Have fun, mate!

Quote from wwittman

But as a start, I’d suggest that if you were happy with the sounds through your cab you could just sent those sounds via the main outputs to FOH and let the mixer adjust as needed.
Odds are it’s going to be just fine.

Either I got you wrong or you are wrong here. If it sounds killer through his cab this has absolutely nothing to do with the sounds FOH gets. Since with his cab there is no cab sim. The cab/ cab sim influences most of the sound and hence what FOH gets will be absolutely different from what he gets through his cab.

You have to keep Fletcher-Munson curves in mind. It is just not possible to hear through headphones what you'll hear through the PA because of the different volumes. Killer tones at home sound way to fizzy with to much treble at stage volume. You can, however, try to compensate that as far as possible with different output EQs but therefore you need to know how your Kemper sounds in the rehearsal room at stage volume and how it sounds at home. I would start with setting up a fine tone at stage volume, take that home and fiddle with the output EQ until it comes close. From then on you can reverse the process and start at home. But this isn't an exact science, you can just narrow that kind of stuff.

The other way around: The more you crank your headphones (if they are good and mostly flat, i. e. 880 Pros or something like that) the more they may sound like your rig at stage volume.
But: I needed quite a long time and more than one try to find the right EQ settings paired with the right headphones (I tried many!) to be able to set up at home and have a clue what it may sound like when played loud.

Quote from Atlantic

The problem is not your tones nor your ears. The problem is how you manage the eternal dissatisfaction inherent to human beings.

We always want what we don´t have. And you focus in the guitar tone as other people focus in other things.

My advice would be:

- Think that perfection as happiness is an illusion and/or just brief. It does not exist. So aim to 85% of your "perfect tone target" and it will be good enough.
- Just focus on playing and writing music. That is an infinite task and you will keep your brain happy and working. If you focus on guitar tone, once you think it´s over and that you have it, your brain will try to find some way to keep working by finding imperfections.

There are many ways of enjoy guitar. Some listen to it, others even play it. Some like to trade them ad infinitum and are always looking in Reverb.com, ebay, craiglist ot whatever...

You seem to spend more time in the search of the tone and it´s not working for you, because you think it should have an end and it doesn´t.

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Man! This is just awesome. This may be the best advise I've gotten in the last few years (not only according to guitar but at all). Honestly. I tend to overthink, yes, I want things to be "perfect" after I'm done with them whatever that means and I tend to feel the urge to finish things as best and as efficient as possible. And yes, that often interferes with happiness, since I of course know that there are on the one hand things that I can't control and on the other hand things that can't be perfect or that I can't make perfect due to simple facts or due to a lack of something (ability, technology, money or whatsoever).
While playing and tweaking, however, that never crossed my mind. Maybe also since so many praise the Kemper as being perfect and for me it never was. But neither was any other piece of gear I've ever gotten. And that's not about the Kemper. I don't want to say that it isn't perfect, I can see that what I want maybe just isn't always possible or possible right now. Or the other way around, if I got what I thought is perfect, there comes the need for getting even more out of it. This is what you said, I think. We want what we don't have. I thank you, man! Get yourself some ice cold beer or something!

Quote from drog

Tweaking can take you down a rabbit hole, you will end up doing that forever. My suggestion would be to listen to your guitar in a band context and not on its own. See how it sits in the mix.

Find a profile you like the sound of the first time and leave it as is. As tempting as it might be to tweak it, do not. Just leave it for a month a use it with the band and get some mileage out of it. Record with the band and see how it's sitting in the mix. Only adjust the front knobs bass/ mid/high , overall volume, clean sense, if needed but nothing else.

Then if you still don't like it, go find another profile. Rinse and repeat but do not tweak. So many people are no used to hearing the mic'd guitar sound alone. Also I would recommend shutting off pure cab.

I at least keep that in mind. Not being allowed to tweak my precious Kemper sounds like hell on earth to me. But in fact I think you are right. I'm also totally aware that it is about the guitar in context but I need to at least like what I here when playing alone. Otherwise I can't focus since I'm still listening for that stuff that bugs me. That this is a mic'ed sound and not a amp/ cab in a room sound is totally clear.

Would you please explain why you'd recommend shutting of pure cab? I heard some saying to leave it of and others stating that it is so much better when on. To me it seems that with pure cab above 3 - 4 I at least can get rid of some of the things that I don't like going on at the low and high end.

Quote from Tyrone_Biggums

My advice may be totally worthless, but in my experience, if I am unhappy with my setup, having someone else play through it (someone that is a much better player than I am) has reset my thought process. Not saying your playing ability is sub par. I just know the tweaking rabbit hole is reallllly deep.

So you basically saying my playing is sub par, huh? Just kiddin' Actually I don't think this is worthless at all. I think I will try that and maybe have this person loop something or play for a while so that I can tweak a little with the other one playing my setup.

Quote from sercho

Do you actually like regular amps sounds?

To be honest, I don't know but I don't think so. I always tend to like a mixed and EQ'ed and maybe doubled guitar track a lot more. Maybe that's why I also like the really sterile Helix at least a little. Then again it doesn't feel right when it is too sterile. Vicious circle ...

I i. e. hear a video with a mik'ed amp and a cool pedal in front of it (like the Beetronics Beehive etc.) and I think yeah, that's it that's the sound I want to have. Or just listening to profiles on Soundcloud etc. ... And then I got those profiles and then there is undefined rumbling in the low end going on or the pick is over pronounced or there is something strange in the high mids or above going on and I never really can get rid of everything I don't like. So I tweak and tweak and I think it has gotten better. And then listening to it again the next day I again will find something I hate.

Quote from Ibot39

In your case I would say: Buy, borrow, hire a REAL tube amp. Set it up to your liking and make your own profiles. If you have problems with micing technics - consult someone with the knowledge.

I right now don't got the money but I really think about borrowing one. Making own profiles is also problematic since I don't got the right room and not the best pre-amps, mics etc. - I think that commercial profiles should be better in theory.

Quote from sambrox

And don’t worry about whether they sound real or not. If you’re happy with the tone, then that’s YOUR tone. Doesn’t matter if it sounds “real”.

Thank you so much. I even often said that to others! Somehow I totally lost faith in my tones. Can't really tell you why. I think it is because most profiles sound so very different to what I like.

Quote from sercho

Do you actually like regular amps sounds?

If so, just find an amp you really like and try to profile its sweet spots... This is what I would try to do if I was in your situation.

Anyway, have you tried these profiles?

Old and Forgotten amp profiles

IMHO @Oraakkeli did a great job here capturing some truly vintage raw tones!

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I will try those. Thanks! That's the thing. I never owned a really versatile and/ or good tube amp. I just had a simple TH 30 Combo and a small pedal board and it was kinda cool but I also didn't really know how it sounded mik'ed - I just remember the amp's sound. I think I didn't like the mik'ed sound a lot but didn't think so much about it back in the days.

Quote from Kempermaniac

How do you monitor? With your two Palmer cabs or FRFR or headphone? That's important to know.

I monitor with various headphones (880 Pros, 990 Pros and some others), studio monitors, a DXR10, our rehearsal room PA and I also got a fine pair of custom InEars by UltimateEars. I don't use the cabs to monitor, this would make no sense to me.

I EQ'ed the sh't out of it. I sometimes waste three slots for EQs (which is another reason to reprofile them with a second Kemper, so I can free up those slots). My question is not only about the sounds itself. This is about how I can trust my sounds again? How will I know if I'm even still somewhere a regular amp could sound and things like that. Everytime I'm looking for videos about Amps or for reviews of profiles or amps or even of the profiles themselves: metal. Metal everywhere.

Howdy!

As the title states I'm confused and I'm really, really frustrated and I'm asking you to help me sort things out. Thing is, I'm way to audiophile, respectively I got those "dog ears" if you know what I mean. What sounds great at first is not a blessing but a course when it comes down to be satisfied with a tone. If I wanted (and sometimes also if I don't want to!) I can listen to a loop until the very point where I just hear a annoying pick noise and interfering frequencies but almost no amp at all.
Of course you just give your ears some break and start over again and of course this works for a certain amount of time.

This was just to explain how my ears work and I don't need advise with that. What I need advise with is the following. Due to me being able to focus on things I hate I'm not satisfied with most of the profiles on rig exchange and also most of the profiles I bought are not that good sounding to me until I tweak and tweak and tweak and tweak.
I think most profiles got way to much low end and without cutting them around 8 kHz the are to fizzy while the mids seem to be scooped.
Yeah, I don't play metal and maybe my guitars doesn't even Djent. With some changes in cabs some of them get better but the don't go where I really want them to be.

I'm need four basic sounds to play my music. I need a vintage clean tone, a vintage crunch tone I use to play open chords with a slightly distorted amp and I need a vintage distorted sound for country punk/ punk/ punk 'n' roll plus a vintage fuzz.
What is vintage? Well, there we go ... I'm into Social Distortion and bands like that and I'm of course also totally into everything that sounds a little like the Stones etc. What I think is a vintage tone is maybe a tone with over-pronounced mids, not that much low end and not that much treble. I cut around 85 to 95 Hz and around 6500 to 8500 Hz.

Always and really always there is something that bugs me. Playing without a capo with the slightly overdriven/ distorted amps and open chords often leads to some sparkling way to bright tones at the high end that I hate but most often cannot get rid of. Playing with a capo often tames things a bit but that's not what I want. I want my tones to be killer without cheating. The distorted and fuzzy sounds work most of the time but there is often to much pick noise (I of course know the pick parameter but that's not what I mean/ hear). Vintage clean tones work more or less. That's ok.

So what I did was taking the profiles I like best and send them through my DAW, EQ'ed them again and reprofiled them with a second Kemper.
I thought it would be ok. Still not perfect but ok.
The last two weeks I was on holidays - I got my ears a huge break so to speak. On holiday I read about the the Helix and they got me curious. So I downloaded Helix Native as a trail and tried dialing in a slightly distorted tone for my open chords. I used the DAW to compare that to my Kemper's sound and now I hate both of them. The Helix doesn't feel that real to me while I like the sound a little better as what I got out of my Kemper right now. My Kemper's tone sounds almost unreal or whatever to me. And I'm so confused.

Thing is: Since a tweaked, tweaked and tweaked my Kemper's tones that much and even reprofiled some of them as I said I'm not even sure if all this still has anything to do with a real amp.

How to overcome that? How can I trust in my ears and tones again? Have you been where I am right now?

Don't get me wrong. This is in no way a Kemper vs. Helix kinda thing. Not at all. I was never completely satisfied with my guitar tone and right now I feel like I have hit a dead end.

Thanks in advance, dudes!
Cheers

I custom built a Palmer 112 open back with a Creamback Neo. Very reasonable price and and a small footprint while very light. The Creamback Neo sounds great to my mind. For the rehearsal room I even got a second one (alos open back) which I bought with a V30 already built in. I'm totally satisfied with that. Especially since I only use it for the feeling. Of course the KPA runs stereo straight into the board.

There are huge differences, though. At first I got a Fender 112 which is closed back and I liked it for the even smaller footprint but I didn't like the sound at all.

Quote from ampoholic

I cleaned them, then put a LITTLE 3in1 oil on a cloth, wiped the shafts. Then worked the switches until they were smooth again.

That sounds sexy. You really have to work them. Rock ‘n’ Roll! I’m just kiddin' - Right now I’m on holiday and I will try that when back home. Do I have to be careful with the oil, though? I mean like is it able to create a short circuits or stuff?

Will do. Thanks!

Quote from TomR

I might be wrong but haviing an extra acoustic rig (there are some on rig exchange and some came with kemper) where the cab section is being switched off. So no need for another feature based oh what I understood you want to do....

But his on stage cab would still be on like before. This makes no sense. He wants to mute the monitor out so to speak. And I think he’s making a point here.