Bad sound through frfr speaker and headphones.

    First off, it sounds great through my Orange PPC212 cab. I got the Q12 passive yesterday and it sounds quite crackly, some of the higher frequencies are very noticeably separate from the overall tone and it just doesn't sound as good as it should. I can really notice a high pitched distorted frequency when playing with the gain on anything over 4. It's okay for clean stuff, but anything other than that and it's useless. I can hear it on headphones too but it's much more noticeable via the FRFR speaker. This is not noticeable through the cab where it all sounds as it should.


    I thought it might just be because I was at home, in a quiet flat and being a bit paranoid so I took my cab and my Q12 to practice and the difference was obvious; Great on the Orange and poor with the Q12. I'm pretty sure that it must be a setting or something wrong that I'm doing.


    With the Orange I'm running from the red output on the back into the cab, turning off monitor cabs and making sure that there's no input or output clipping by playing with clean sense and the volume.


    With the Q12 I'm turning the cabs back on, running from the red output at the back into Input on the monitor. I'm up to date with the latest firmware, I've got no clipping, I'm making sure the Q12 is on a stand.


    Is there anything else I'm missing? This isn't an issue with warmth or not being used to the digital nature of it all, but just down to shitty tone from both the Q12 and my headphones. Any help is appreciated, thank you. :)

    Hi Phil,


    first of all please be aware that the Profiler is reproducing the sound of a mic'ed amp. Most amps are close mic'ed which brings a lot of high frequencies iinto focus that you would not perceive that prominent normally. Nobody is used to listen to a guitar cab the way we force our microphones to do, and your experience is quite common among new users.
    Check this thread: Trouble with high gain sounds

    So the fact that I don't hear this with a cab is because the miced portion is removed and I'm bypassing it?


    I don't know if I can play with a speaker in that case, I can really hear it and I don't think it sounds good at all, very disappointing in fact.


    I've bought a lot of amp factory stuff, and I don't hear this on any of the recordings Andy made (although that was probably a direct recording) and not on user recordings or songs.


    Maybe I'll mic it up and record it later but it seems that you're aware of the issue. That thread does talk about playing around with the definition so ill try that too.


    Was everything alright with my setup? Is there anything I need to turn on or check?


    EDIT: I should add that when I went to my local guitar shop I tried out the KPA with some Rokit 8's which sounded pretty bad, until the assistant changed a few settings, at which point it sounded great. I believe he put it in stereo. I'm playing in mono obviously but this leads to me think it could be a simple thing.

    Edited once, last by PhilUK84 ().

    Which profile(s) are you using? Double check that you have switched the CABs back on, when you play using headphones or the Q12. The terrible effect you describe sounds like the CABs were off. When you switch CABs back on, have you (by accident) locked the CAB slot with a completely wrong and strange cabinet being used?

    I'll check when I get home. Perhaps I'm not doing something right because I'm sure that it shouldn't sound like that. Could you guide me through the settings I should have on?


    It's not noticeable unless you're used to a certain quality. Someone who doesn't know may not notice but I know that something isn't right when I compare the Q12 to the cab and then look at all the people who love the frfr method. Everyone who I've shown it to can hear it.


    It's like the frequencies aren't merged, it's very easy to hear a trebley crackling.

    Well, I think others have mentioned it already many times on these forums. You can't directly compare guitar cabs' sound with FRFR speakers' sound directly in the room. They will always sound different. The Kemper Profiler (with FRFR speakers) doesn't replicate that amp in the room sound and feel. Instead it replicates the mic'ed guitar cab sound pretty much perfect, which is something very different.


    If you're a live player who is used only to the direct blast from guitar cabs, then it's hard to get used to this difference. On the other hand, if you're already used to have IEM, then it shouldn't be a problem at all because the IEM was the mic'ed cab sound already.
    Basically the Kemper Profiler gives you the luxury to hear the same that would be recorded (live or studio) and what the crowd in bigger venues would hear through a good PA system.


    That being said, it's up to you if you want to stay "in your own world" with a sound that nobody will hear the same like you ... or if you're happy to close the gap between you and the audience (and recordings). None of both is bad, it's just a pretty different approach.


    If your sound through headphones or FRFR speakers is really bad, not just different, then there might be something wrong in your settings or simply a very bad profile.


    First of all, check if the CABINET section is locked. Press and hold the CABINET button until you see the CABINET menu. If there is a lock symbol on the right side of the screen, press the LOCK button to unlock it. With a locked CABINET section, if you load a different rig, the CABINET portion of the new rig will not be loaded, instead the old cabinet will remain active.

    I hear the noise now on all my equipment so I think it's something that I've picked up on due to the difference in the KPA. I hear it through my amp but it's not noticeable, through the cab and KPA I hear it a little, through the headphones I hear it fairly obviously and through the KPA and Q12 I hear it very obviously.


    I think it's the trebley part of the gain that is being exaggerated. I have done a recording, and you can hear it quite obviously every time I hit the strings.


    This could be normal and it may well be that I'm not used to it, but regardless; I don't like it lol.


    I do notice a change if I turn the cab on or off and if I turn monitor cabs on and off.


    Here's the recording, make of it what you will. (TAF LP BassmanTIM+ with +5 gain, +2 bass, +3 Mid, -2 Treble through a Mars Green 4x12)


    https://soundcloud.com/farce_bandit/noise

    Edited once, last by PhilUK84 ().

    Anyone got any thoughts? :) I listen to other recordings and all the Amp Factory stuff and none have this high pitched frequency. There must be something that I'm missing here. Cabs are on, there's no clipping... What else could it be?

    Edited once, last by PhilUK84 ().

    TBH I don't seem to hear something that would push me to think that something is "wrong".
    But I'm another one who loves smooth attack. Have you tried and play with the Pick parameter? Also, set a PEQ with a great Q and maximum gain, and sweep the freq until the issue is made most evident. The take the gain to negative and see whether this also can help you find a tone you like more :)

    If I am playing just the guitar not involved in any mix I find I have to lower the hi shift in the cab parameters just slightly on 90% of profiles to satisfy my ears. This removes unpleasant hi frequency nastiness to my aging ears.

    New talent management advice to Laura Cox -


    “Laura want to break the internet? let’s shoot another video of you covering the Nightrain solo in the blue singlet, but this time we’ll crank up the air conditioning”.

    So I took it to practice again. It sounds great through the cab but just awful through the Q12 regardless of the pick parameters etc. I'm starting to think it might have a fault. I should get my CLR tomorrow so hopefully I'll be able to know for definite.


    I'll post an update tomorrow, thanks for all your help. :)

    I still can't get a sound I like through both the CLR and the Q12. It just sounds harsh, it's fatiguing. No one likes it and everyone prefers when playing through a cab. I'm starting to think I've either got a bad one or maybe I'll just have to play through a cab, or just return it and get a couple of different amps for versatility. This can't be normal, no one would play one.


    :(

    The overall sound of your demo clip sounds VERY muffled, like neck PU and rolled back tone. I own the same profile and I can copy this tone. So what you recorded is in the profile/rig. Nothing wrong with your monitoring and nothing wrong with your Profiler. This is just the way the Fender Bassman sounds when you leave clean territory. Anything beyond Gain 5 will develop this effect, even the Bassman 59 does. And the Timmy Overdrive used in your rig adds to this effect.


    Something for you to watch:

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    Not the best audio quality, but I think you will immediately see how the original amp does the very same. Beautiful cleans but from 3:00 on you will notice what you called "noise" when he adds more Gain. That's the Bassman. ;)