It's a cool design but I think it doesn't send CC, so can't send tap tempo among other things unless I'm misunderstanding. I think something like the Morningstars would be much more flexible controllers.
Posts by JedMckenna
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I only use my headphones to practice at loud volumes
I heard you say that in another thread and at the risk of being annoying and patronizing, please be careful. Every loud session kills cells in your inner ear and sooner or later, you'll wake up one morning with last night's ringing still there, like usual, but that time it will never go away. You'll go see an audiologist and he'll tell you that there's nothing to be done and you'll have to live with it. Hearing loss is not a quiet paradise.
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When you think these software algorithms sound better than the amps they emulate, it's time to reevaluate your perception of how amplified guitar should sound. Your mix engineer doesn't want this baked-in reverb/compression and will always prefer to work with a raw amp tone rather than with the "ear-candy" frequencies these software emphasize.
Also if your studio monitors sound significantly different than your Kemper headphone jack, either check what you are doing wrong or change monitors.
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Id14, I suppose you are talking about Audient ID14? This interface is fine and there won't be any "degradation of sound quality" or noise whether you use the preamps or a converter to go SPDIF. I wouldn't worry about changing interface if you have an ID14 because nothing in it's price range (and quite a bit above) will make your sound any better. Save your money.
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I put a green scream and an a graphic eq (in slot x) on the same remote button. With the eq, you can push the mids and fine tune the volume boost.
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Been there brother and that's annoying. Not sure what your "super-strong hook-and-loop tape" is, but I'd still try some good, wide, industrial grade 3M velcro both on the pedal and the top of your lid (even maybe put small screws + washers through the velcro on the lid side so that it doesn't un-stick), and then cut yourself a big piece of foam/pillow to put over your stuff so that when it's closed, nothing moves inside. Good luck.
That being said, despite all the complaints against the official Kemper bag (if you have a toaster), mine is still going strong after 4/5 years of decent use. The remote +2 pedals fits well inside and it's certainly the lightest alternative.
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I think just playing loud in the headphones is the best you can do.
A fast way to tinnitus, that's what it is. But you won't know about it until it's too late.
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Usually those drastic EQ change tells me I'm not quite using the profile the way it was intended to when it was created, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but I'd rather get another profile that's closer already to what I need for that situation. Especially with the highs... I feel cranking those up to make it sound good at low volume is a rookie mistake. For example, many people whine that M Britt's sounds are too dark and muffled but while they probably wouldn't be my go to for recording as is, I found they have huge body/tone at gig volume and sit well in the live mix with minimal adjustment.
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I've had the same issue pretty much since I had my Kemper and it's very dangerous on a gig. A serious design flaw in my opinion. I took a 1' extension cord that I duct taped to my back panel (I make sure the extension goes very deep in the socket and it's secure) and now I plug my remote cord into that extension instead.
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The sounds you get from commercial profilers and from Rig Exchange are made from amps that have been tweaked with various purposes in mind and you might find them inappropriate if you try to use them for a different purpose than what was intended from the creator. For example, if you use profiles made with a live sound in mind, you might find them too muddy and not clear enough once you lower their volume and try to record with them. Getting an Axe FX or other gear won't solve someone's misunderstanding of acoustic properties, which I feel it at the core of most sonic problems people run into with the Kemper. They often pick a flashy sound on rig exchange or from a commercial profiler that sounds great on youtube and then show up at rehearsal, the volume goes up and it's being played through a different system with a less/more neutral sound and all of a sudden their nice profile sounds terrible. If you don't want to make your own profiles, the solution is just to try a lot of profiles in a variety of different sonic situations and on different systems (headphones/in-ears/studio speakers/FRFR). Also, since you're talking about harsh and fizzy - you can try to isolate sounds from recordings if you can to see what you should aim for - it can be pretty eye-opening to see how a sound can be great in a mix and not so great in isolation.
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Maybe I'm not getting this right but you can only set up one fx loop on the KPA, so if you want to use the Kemper pre-stack stomps before your amp, bypass or disengage the stack section and use the Kemper post-stack effects in your effect loop, I don't see how that's possible. Again, I'm not sure I get this right. Mostly though, I don't see the point. Maybe what you want is a multi effect unit (like an Helix FX or something) to use with the amp using the 4-cables method?
Or you know, perhaps just use the Kemper as intended and profile your amp...
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At the moment, the Kemper is not very stable while it is connected to the editor. For example, turn the browse/type knob in performance mode on the KPA while it's plugged to a computer and it will eventually freeze and crash (a known issue.) Since the purpose of having the editor on an iPad would be to allow editing on the go (at rehearsal, etc), in my opinion it is useless to develop this until those issues are solved and the KPA can be stable while connected to the editor.
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There are usually a bunch of backline amps and stuff at most important concerts that could be used in case the Kemper goes wrong so I never bring a backup. Besides, I know of Murphy's Law and all but in 5 years of everyday use of the Kemper, it never just "stopped working" all of a sudden. There has been a few crashes and reboots maybe, a non critical hardware issue as well but not a full stop "I suddenly can't use it anymore." So statistically, 0 occurrences in 1825 days. Do what you will with those odds but imo there are more important things to worry about before a gig. If something goes wrong with Kemper say the week before the show and it needs repair, I do have a large pedalboard (containing an Atomic Amplifier 3) that does the job just as well.
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Kemper has been asleep at the wheel on Rig Manager for far too long. They need to shake up whatever group is responsible for RM or add better engineers to fix it. The whole application is a fucking mess ...
As Rush puts it... "quick to judge, quick to anger, slow to understand."
I'd go ahead and say that at this point, at least 80% of problems users come across with RM are because of an improper workflow (not saving, screwing up their performance by loading random slots, accidentally using the lock function, etc). This workflow might be counter intuitive to some (it used to be much worse pre-editor days) but there is definitely a logic and a workflow to follow to have stability. This program has come such a long way and combined with the editor and all the features like drag-and-drop (none of this existed 2 years ago), this system now checks all the boxes. There has been 4 or 5 updates of RM these last few weeks so I wouldn't call that "asleep at the wheel".
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A lot of demos from commercial profilers are deceptive in the way that EQ/compression/reverb is added after recording. Many are even double/quad tracked. Of course if a profiler doesn't do this and everyone else is, his profiles will sound weaker in comparison, therefore a lot are doing it in spite of what they claim. Thankfully, there is Rig Exchange.
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- Logic Pro X on a 27" Imac (not very recent, but a workhorse)
- Apogee Element thunderbolt interface (I don't use spdif, except for monitoring sometimes )
- JBL 305 speakers, Sennheiser HD600 or Audio Technica M50x headphones
That being said, I feel that the importance of gear is exaggerated nowadays. The internet has become a big advertising panel for new products and internet forums (often pushing promotional content) are full of threads and argumentation comparing brands/models/etc which within the same price bracket, all pretty much offer a different shade of the same thing. As long as you don't get the absolute worst low-end gear on purpose, you can get professional results with almost anything as long as your ear is properly trained and you know what you are doing.
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I don't agree with the review above concerning the M50x, they are killer and I never experienced ice pick/boominess. I also have Sennheiser HD600 that are also great and slightly more "neutral" perhaps (maybe by virtue of the fact of being open back) but for almost half the price in my area, the M50x are definitely more bang for the bucks.
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Firstly if the Kemper sounds good with headphones and active monitors connected direct, it’s not the Kemper.
Not necessarily. I've had problem with only one of my main output before. Meanwhile, the headphone, the other main and all other outputs were working fine - I just had to do my gigs in mono until it got repaired.
Fun fact, I contacted support and sent it over, then picked it back up at their Recklinghausen office during 2 dates of a Europe tour (coincidentally) a couple of days later. They had apparently changed the board inside, unbelievable customer support! Hang on brother!
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I trust my studio monitors best for tweaking sounds. Headphones are not ideal in my opinion, but could probably work better than IEM imo. If you use studio headphones, try to get an open back pair that's as flat as possible. I have a pair of Sennheiser HD600 which seem to work well.
Edit: I can also vouch for the Audio-Technica M50x, they are probably a better value at nearly half the price of my Sennheiser.
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They're all rat catcher and blenders, the same YT influencers who have been telling people for years that they couldn't hear any difference to the original amp, now they want to telling us something else. This YT influencers will lie in your face if they get enough money for it.
Let me agree with your unpopular opinion. Many of those channels have basically turned into a nuisance, they pretend to review and educate but do the exact opposite by confusing, pushing products and distracting musicians by focusing on trivial stuff like hour long videos discussing what kind of Klon Centaur variation you absolutely need. They can't sell you the discipline, personal style, experience and technique you need to be a better musician so they carry a narrative where gear is all you need. Many of them would fall flat in the context of a studio session, yet are reviewing the most cutting edge stuff every week as if they were some sort of authority.
As for the Kemper, it's just fine as it is!
