Posts by Noisenet

Quote from benvigil

It's pretty stellar that you have a sound guy with that level of attention to detail!

You're also a great example of how you make the switch. So many players think they can restructure their entire world and expect nothing to change. You have to work through it and tweak along the way until you get there. Congrats and I'm glad you're enjoying the new rig.

For quite a few years, I've had friends, employers and co-workers try to get me to make the switch to in ear monitors.

I've done a lot of studio work where I mic a speaker, get a killer tone to record then thrown on the cans, hit record and blaze away. Without exception, I have ALWAYS hated playing while monitoring using headphones. I just don't like the sound.

So I knew that doing it live would be about as painful. Throwing a mic on my live rig, piping it through my in ears with little to no tweaking of the monitor signal - yeah. No.

When I finally hit my breaking point last month (referenced in my last post) I knew simply going in ear wasn't going to be the answer - I'd hate it even more than I hated the little to no audibility of my guitar on stage as it was. The only solution was something like a Fractal or Kemper. So I did a LOT of research & learned that while the other solutions might be more flexible as far as FX, routing, etc, for overall realism of amp tone (my main concern) the KPA would be the ticket. Didn't hurt that Fractal only sells direct but with the Kemper I could use my Sweetwater card LOL!!!! So the Kemper won out.

I've played guitar for my living since the late 80's so I know full well that making a change like this - this isn't just another amp, it's an entirely new (to me) paradigm - is going to take time. But I can honestly say every phase (every week of using it) has improved drastically. Here's an example: I've been asked to do a one off gig with a band I used to go see when I was a teenager (I'm 49 so that was some time ago LOL) opening for Styx. I'm one of those guys sho shares every Todd Sucherman video I see, so naturally I'm eager to do this gig. Anyhow, the last couple days Ive been going over their material, songs on iTunes, the Mac and my KPA running through my interface into my JBL studio monitors. Several times both today and yesterday I was struck by how well my guitar sound through the Kemper was sitting with the mix. Using profiles that I, a total newb, made myself of a couple of my tube rigs (a Fender '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb and a custom modified Marshall DSL100). To me, it's astonishing, really.

And this is just one of the many 'horry sheet' moments I've had in my relatively brief time with my Kemper.

I have the powered rack unit. I put it in an 8-space shock mounted rack along with a Furman PL-Plus DMC power unit, my Sennheiser in ears and a rack drawer. I'm already thinking of grabbing the toaster version so I have one here at the house for programming/practice, etc because lugging that big ass rack upstairs to my place is damn near impossible for one guy LOL, but I don't wanna be without it here at home. Talk about your first world problems LMAO!!!!

Regarding my sound guy, he's a real asset - one of a dying breed, a soundman (at the local level) who actually works and cares as much as we do about the sound. When something's missing, he knows it, often before we do LOL!!! As long as I've been with this band, he's run my channel with zero EQ (save for a touch of roll off sub 100hz), whether it be my DSL100 rig, the TSL (also modded) that I used to have, my modded JMP-1 rig or my Fender Deluxe rig - he knows my sound and has been instrumental in helping me get the KPA dialed in.

At this point, I think it's pretty safe to say that I've surpassed the quality of the tone of all the previous rigs. For over a decade now I've been playing amps modified by one of the top amp guys in the U.S. (except the Fender - that is stock except for the 1979 Celestion G12-65 speaker), my custom mod for the DSL/TSL100s is now one of the most requested mods he does - what I'm getting at is I've been spoiled by really really great tone now for a long time. For the Kemper to match (and sometimes even exceed) that is remarkable!

Quote from Monkey_Man

Have you tried the wah presets in my sig? Nothing to lose, bro'.

Yeah, it's something you'll have to get used to.

That said, the Space parameter should allow it to "breathe" more and take away some of that "immediacy" you're not used to that headphones provide.

Great to hear it's all working well for you man; you certainly jumped into the deep end off-the-bat.

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LMAO - yeah, I certainly did. One too many "the guitars are too loud" when I knew I was barely audible and I was done. I play for a living so saying screw it really isn't an option. Next best thing? Remove all traces of my sound from the stage, save for a wedge on the other side for our bass player, who hates in ears.

Since I wrote the previous post I've been playing around a bit with my Kemper, notably with the sound in question. Through my studio monitors (fairly flat response) it sounds really really god, at least to my tastes. I've got a fairly good tone ear (or so I'm told) so I trust what I'm hearing is indicative of good tone coming from FOH. Our soundguy is top notch & I've learned to trust him. He likes the tone. Funny story - last weekend, we were discussing the sound on the first set break of the night, he said 'it sounds great man. If anything, I know this sounds stupid but I might be hearing the pick hitting the strings more than I should'. I kinda laughed, motioned for him to come over and look, and showed him the pick parameter. Dialed it back, it was exactly what he was asking for.


Just another case of Kemper FTW!!!!!!

This thing is truly remarkable. When I bought this, I charged it to my Sweetwater card with the idea that in a few weeks I'd grab the Axe III in a few weeks on another card and kinda compare.

Yeah, I'm not gonna do that. I paid off the Kemper, I'm happy where I am. I might buy a used Helix LT to keep in the truck as a backup so I can stay in the (relatively) high quality direct realm in case of emergency, but I've definitely made the right choice!

Another weekend of gigging with my KPA in the books. This week I added a power supply unit to the pedalboard onto which the Kemper Remote is attached. I swapped out the Mission EP-1 for my trusty Dunlop Crybaby Classic wah and also added a MXR Dynacomp.

During the time I was waiting for the power supply to arrive I experimented some more with the compressor in the Stack block and ended up getting it sounding and feeling REALLY close to the Dynacomp but once the PS arrived, I mounted it and added the Dynacomp - just that tiny difference in feel and sound actually made a world of difference for playing on my gigs.

I also experimented with trying to match the sound of my Crybaby Classic with the built in wah but after a couple hours of changing settings I ended up just going with the wah pedal. Again, made a world of difference on my gigs this weekend.

As I've mentioned previously, when I switched to my Kemper I also switched to in ear monitoring. For the most part, I'm LOVING what I'm hearing. Clean tones sound really great in my ears, especially when I kick in the chorus effect (I'm monitoring my guitar in stereo). Semi dirty tones, such as a Fender 68 Custom Deluxe Reverb amp with a Love Pedal Super Six on it (think SRV type dirt) sounds great as well, however, I'm still not happy with high gain type settings in my ears. Currently I'm using a profile I created of my custom modified Marshall DSL100. At one point during soundcheck I took the in ears out and listened through my bass player's wedge and was damn near astounded at how great it sounded - full, balanced and smooth - gargantuan even LOL! But through the ears it sounded pretty gnarly. That said, I almost NEVER like how my guitar sounds in headphones either. I have a set of Beyer Dynamic DT770 cans, they're killer headphones but for me, playing through them is kinda meh. What I record usually sounds fantastic once recorded, tone is definitely there. I'm just super used to that amp in the room thing. So I'm chalking it up to having to get used to it in my ears. At the moment, it's pretty uninspiring though LOL! This week I plan to experiment some with Pure Cab and Space to see what I can do there but I think I'm just gonna have to get used to it. My IEM system is a new Sennheiser G4 system, my buds are Westone AM30 Pro.That's fairly good stuff so I don't think it's those pieces.

That said, if anyone has any tips on getting my high gain sounds from my Kemper to sound more natural in my IEMs I'm definitely listening and appreciative!

Quote from Kemper Support #1

You can use the master volume knob to adjust the level on the fly. Simply create two presets with different volume link assignments. The stage one should have main outputs unlinked from the master volume knob and the studio one should have the link activated for any output that you want to use for recording and monitoring.

I do have my output presets setup this way. The problem is that when I've adjusted the level going into my interface (which runs from the main outs to my audio interface) at home, when I switch back to my gigging output preset, the main out level is still set to wherever it was at home, even though I've switched to a different output preset.

It's not a big deal to go in and change it but remembering to do so every time I've had the KPA at home, before I start blasting out some hard chords at full output level right into my bandmates' in ear monitors, or FOH (since the gain levels on my channels on both the FOH and Monitor consoles is set for my -18db output signal) is the challenge LOL!!!!!

Quote from Wheresthedug

You can use the Duna Comp with the KPa without running cables out to the front of stage. Put the Dyna Comp in the KPA FX Loop. You can the. Pit the Loop in any Stomp or FX slot you like on a rig by rig basis and turn it on/off using a button on the remote or any other midi pedal just like all the other stomp/fx slots. That was you on need a couple of patch cables and the dynacomp can sit on top of the KPA or anywhere else that is convenient.

Ya know, I had thought about doing this but my monitor signal is routed through my KPA to my in ears. In other ways, my return is occupied by the run from our monitor console sans guitar, which I blend with the rest of the monitor mix to my ears in the KPA. I do this so I can have my guitar in stereo in my ears as I don't have the option of running a stereo run from the monitor console. The upside is glorious stereo guitar tone, the downside is I can't use a loop for anything

Quote from karlic

If the Kemper is placed top in the rack, there is usually a little space to allow some ventilation. Mine has 2cm.

Surely a tube amp would be a lot worse in this situation, as they run way hotter than the Kemper.

That is a really good point, one I hadn't thought of. I've been using hot tube amps on these gigs for years and years with little to no problem...

Quote from Ingolf

Disconnect the Main Outputs from the Master Vol knob and keep the Main Out level at -18 dB.

Soundguys love me since I do this.

My Master Volume knob only affects my personal Monitor (and Headphone) volume.

I do the exact same thing - but at home I'd like to be able to use the Master knob to adjust my output level to my interface - especially when auditioning new sounds as some are really hot & heed to be turne down. Supposed I could do that with the rib volume knob but I don't wanna use that control when on any of my performances or rigs.

Quote from sambrox

No, they don’t. By the way, I believe Mooer do some switch caps that are a lot cheaper and more readily available. I haven’t used those, though.

Right on, thank you!

Quote from sambrox

The output from the KPA is hot, and will distort the pa desk if you’re running the main outs in to mic preamps. There’s a -12dB softswitch in the Output menu that only affects the main output.

I have this ticked at all times and use spdif or the monitor out in the studio/at home.

I also have this ticked. So, if I'm reading it right, I'm really at -30db (the sum of -12db and -18db)?

Quote from Monkey_Man

Just make sure there's a free 1U space above and below the KPA in the rack in this instance, I reckon, and keep it out of the sun / shaded.

The manual specifies 50->95ºF as the environmental-operating range with up to 95% non-condensing humidity, so you're covered in-theory.

I've always been impressed by the low operating temperature of the KPA rack; can't speak for the toaster as I haven't run one.

Ruh Roh. I don't have the option to clear a space beneath and above the KPA. I have it in an 8 space shockmount rack. The Furman, In Ear system and rack drawer eat up the other 5 spaces.

When I use my KPA live I have to keep my Master Output set to -18db. Not sure why but whatever, it's not a problem. When I play it at home or rehearsal then I set the output level accordingly, but for gigs, always -18db. i have a preset saved for gigging but have to remember to set it back to -18db LOL! My soundman isn't too happy with me when I forget, which I've already done a couple times :-o

Hey musicmad, thanks for the reply. I don't know how to do this. It isn't a switch attached to the remote, it's one of the switches on the Kemper Remote, the top row buttons that you assign to turn on and off various effects slots. I don't see any polarity switched for those in the System Menu, only for switches attached to the Remote.

I live and play in the Southeastern Coastal U.S. During the Spring, Summer and Fall months most of my gigs are outside in the heat and high humidity - some right up near the beach. From June through August and into September it gets pretty hot (especially when you factor in high humidity), often into the mid to upper 90s, sometimes into the 100s. For these gigs would I be better off using an old school amp setup or will the Kemper handle it? I have the power rack but the power amp is always turned off. It's in an 8 space shock mount rack with my in ear receiver a Furman power unit and a rack drawer, so no other heat causing devices.

Might it be worth it to mount a fan in the rear of the rack to keep airflow moving or would this be overkill?

So for some reason, when I boot my KPA and the Remote to performance mode, to the first rig in the first performance, when the Remote comes on line, the #2 button on the top row lights up and that effect comes on in the KPA. For this particular rig, I have a phaser loaded. If I turn the phaser off, either on the KPA or via the remote, then save the entire performance, the next time I boot the KPA, once the remote comes on line, that switch lights up and the phaser comes on.

If I switch to another performance, then back, that switch doesn't light up, nor is the corresponding effect engaged. If I boot to Browser mode then switch to Performance, it doesn't happen. It's only upon bootup to Performance Mode.

I'm running the latest firmware, 5.7.8.14528 but this happened with the last revision as well - started yesterday as best as I can tell.

What could be causing this?

Quote from sambrox

Wah tracking via the Remote is something that bugs me, too. I’ve learned to live with it by anticipating the lag and adjusting my wah foot movements accordingly, but it’s a pain for those fast movements. If you can get hold of a TRS cable that’s long enough, I really recommend using the input on the KPA instead. As for the toe switch, that’s a Mission thing. Mine needed a good few rehearsals and shows before the rubber washers had just the right amount of give in them to reliably be able to switch when needed, yet not switching by accident with the wah fully open.

I often have trouble engaging/disengaging the I-IIII switches, but that’s because I have very large feet. For me, I’d pay good money for Kemper to make me a Remote XL. I bought some Barefoot Buttons to help make I and IIII (the effect switches I mostly use) taller than the other switches, so I’m not hitting anything else accidentally and yet have enough confidence to fully depress the switch (fear of hitting another switch simultaneously was sometimes making me too gentle in my stomping, meaning nothing got switched!). It helped, but it’s still not comfortable and ideal.

Its kinda hard to tell from the angle of the photo - do the barefoot buttons obscure the view of the indicator lights on either row of switches?

Quote from Ingolf

No, you did it correctly. All I want to say is perhaps 'something' is wrong with your personal pedal since both Dunlop and Mission pedals get recommended a lot.

Can you go to a store and try another Mission with your Profiler?

Ok, gotta hold up my hand and confess user-error. When Calibrating my expression pedal I wasn't pressing the soft button, I just went to the screen and, because the little line gauge showed the movement, thought I was calibrating the pedal. Last night after my gig I was googling Kemper Wah Lag and found a thread where someone mentioned holding the button. So I set up my Kemper and tried it."

Duh.

Once doing this tracking got a lot better. The latency with the toe switch is still bad though. When I press it, it takes several milliseconds to enggae or disengage. For much of how I use a wah this isn't workable as I need to strike a chord directly after the final sweep of a phrase - when the wah doesn't disengage that chord becomes a trebly icepick LOL! That said, however, changing the wah to turn off when I stop movement is a little better, especially if I remember to quickly go to heel position to rest.

The only bummer, now, with this is it seems I have to calibrate the pedal every time I turn on the KPA. If not I'm back in the same boat. Anyone experiencing this?

Quote from jon9max

I had them do mine also. Great to deal with. Got the whole thing in about a week. https://btpa.com/

I hope I'm not being too nosey but I've been thinking of having Best Tronics make me one of these as well - what would something similar to the one pictured run cost-wise?

I’m using the Mission EP-1 for Kemper

Ive calibrated several times, unless I’m doing it wrong. I go to the appropriate page in system, and sweep the pedal. There’s no final step after sweeping is there?

Quote from scratch17

Am I correct that you tried making a Studio Profile with the compressor? That is, with a mic on the cab?

You might get better results if you to make a Direct Amp Profile with the compressor into the amp. I use the Kemper DI made for creating DAPs and find that by removing the cab from the equation I get better results with my Wheebo PlexFace into my Bandmaster.

After you get a great result, you can use the built in amp to drive your real cab and the DAP loaded in the Kemper. You might also try a Merged Profile, which is a DAP combined with a Studio Profile.

Finally, to get a good result from an overdrive pedal, I start with a relatively low volume clean sound on the amp. Then I dial in the sound I am looking for from the pedal.

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Hi Scratch,
Yeah, it was a Studio profile, mic on cab. When I tried that way, the result was a really distorted mess instead of the slightly squeezed sound of the comp into the amp.

I don't wanna take the speaker out of the equation as it's a big part of the sound of this amp - it's a Celestion G12-65 from 1979 that I put in to replace the original. So I want it in the profile.

Also, when I was making profiles last weekend I think I saw my neighbors gathering down the street with torches and pitchforks. They don't like the noise

After tonight I don't have any gigs till next Thurs so I'm gonna bring the rig home and mess with it a bit more. I wanna try a few more things & the suggestion here of the comp in the amp module. I'm leaning, though, to just running a Dynacomp out front, as well as my wah - not real happy with using the KPA wahs with my expression pedal - there's just a touch of latency both switching and sweeping the pedal, that kinda kills it for me. I know I could get better results connecting directly to the KPA but if I have to run cables out front I may as well have my wah out there that I want.

Interestingly, I profiled the same amp with my Lovepedal Super Six pedal, an overdrive of sorts, and it came out sounding great! So I'm pleased with that!