Posts by HankLinderman

    I did a bunch of profiling this week, primarily of a rather rare Aiken Tomcat head that I am about to sell. In the past I had tried using multiple mics and pres, blending them together, but I wasn't happy with the results. This time I just stuck a Sennheiser 421 (set on"M") in front of a cab and went for it. I also used the Kemper DI for versions of the same settings without a cab. It all generally went very well, but I noticed a few things:


    1. The direct out of the KPA doesn't sound the same as simply plugging into the amp. It sounds *brighter*, more hi-fi, buffered. This led me to think a Radial Drag might help, but it was completely ineffective, KPA out sounded the same going through the Drag no matter the Drag setting. Is this something I can address with adjustments to the input section? Ideally, the DI from the KPA should drive the amp the same as the guitar alone.


    2. For distorted sounds, the initial profile was darker and quieter than the ref amp. Refining a profile with a heavy hand seemed to make the profile louder, but even brighter than the amp. Using a moderate attack brought the volume up without getting a lot brighter than the ref amp. It makes me wonder if there should be a way to shade in the changes the refinement brings - 0% to 100%. It would also be helpful to be able to level match the KPA and the ref amp during the profiling process - meaning the too quiet pre-refined profile could be adjusted to be louder.


    3. The low end of the profile never quite matched the ref amp. The ref amp always sounded a bit more open in the low frequencies. It's not simply volume, it's clarity, size and depth as well.


    4. I'm wishing there were a multi-band compressor or a very capable de-esser that could be set to any annoying frequency in the KPA. Ideally the bandwidth would also be adjustable, along with the standard attack and release controls.


    Comments and guidance appreciated! Best...H

    I originally updated to the latest through RM and experienced some problems for a few days, like the remote shutting down, some strangeness switching profiles. I think I even got the Kemper to freeze. I reinstalled via usb stick and the problems went away.


    Best...H

    Many of us record a DI track along with the Kemper (amp) track. Since the only balanced outputs are the Main XLR outputs, I'd like an option that sends the DI out to one and Master Mono out to the other.


    (Part of this is my own confusion - I had thought the 1/4" outputs were balanced TRS, but they aren't.)


    Also, I have been running the output of my Kemper through a Grove Hill Liverpool tube compressor into ProTools. The meter hardly budges but what a difference! Much more filled out. If you have some nice studio gear - pres, eqs, comps - give them a try.


    Best...H

    From further up in the thread: "Go to system and load factory presets."


    FWIW, I went ahead and updated - first I backed up my internal presets, then updated Rig Manager, set RM preferences to "Allow Betas", updated Kemper to 5.7 when given the option in RM, then went to "System" and loaded factory presets.


    The only weirdness I have found was on a performance that had been edited and was the current state of the Kemper - that edited performance became the saved version.


    Reverbs sound great of course!

    Are the Reverb "on / off" switch and mix bugs universal? Anyone not getting them after their update?


    If you aren't seeing the bugs, let us know how you did the update - did you use usb or RM for the update?


    Did anyone else's tones change? I'm not talking about reverb parameters, I'm asking if sounds changed beyond that.


    I'm holding off upgrading for a little while...


    Best...H

    I have recently bought a non powered toaster and a remote in hopes of being able to do electric and acoustic out of one rig. My live rig is currently 2 Princeton Reverbs with gold alnico 10's and pedal boards for the electrics and acoustics. I aim the amps at my head and let foh take care of things out front, works perfectly. BUT it's a slightly complex setup pedal-wise and I need a separate pedal board and monitoring for the acoustics. Anyway, the sound of a tube amp and speaker is what I grew up on and it's what I love.


    One experiment I have tried is to have a power amp input installed on one of the Princetons. It's actually a clone made by Roy Blankenship - he changed the ext speaker out to a line in. It works wonderfully, fed by the monitor out set to cab off, but the variety of sounds the Kemper offers is reduced significantly through this rig. The main outs still have the Kemper cabs, so the variety will be there at foh. On the upside, it completely fulfills my desire for a tube amp and speaker cab.


    Ultimately I will move to the Kemper only rig, but for the moment I gig with the pedals and amps setup, still working on the Kemper. I also detest in-ears, so I will likely get a full range cab or two. The beauty of that setup is I will also be able to monitor acoustics through it.


    BTW, in running acoustic electrics through the Kemper I learned to select "constant latency" to maintain phase. I do wish the Kemper had a way to adjust phase as it's a critical factor for acoustic electrics.


    Best...H

    How do I become a registered member for the private forum? (I have bought a KPA, currently in the 30 day eval period from my retailer.)


    I'm having a "line in" installed on a Princeton Reverb clone as a stage monitor. Using the KPA monitor out with cab off should be fine - this is just to give me onstage control and *comfort* when I need it. Make sense? I don't want to carry a full range monitor - the PR and some pedals would also serve as a backup in the unlikely event of a KPA failure.


    When profiling, can I use a Hot Plate with no attenuation as the DI source between an amp and cab?


    Best...H