Kemper testing, mixed feelings, please advise!

If it sounded good with a 4x12, but not in studio monitors, my guess is you have the Cabs globally turned off in the Output settings.

Check the Output settings on the Kemper - make sure the Kemper Cabs are On. (Bypass is NOT on)

You cite a tone that's a mix of double tracked guitars and bass. The Kemper wont sound like that on it's own, you need to track twice and also track bass (and drums) to get that sound. Through a real cab you'll get a lot more bass than through your studio monitors which might give you the impression that your sound covers the whole territory.

The 11r is to my ears a very digital sounding device, pretty much identical to the first gen Pod. The significant point of that unit was that it had a very harsh hard treble (fizz), but also a very compressed tone that allowed it to be quite smooth sounding for lead work, also gave it exagerated transients which were interesting for metal in the same way that a triple rec is. To get that with the Kemper you can either disable the cab section which will give you a DI type sound, fizzy, trebly, or you can make use of the stomp section and add in some treble with a treble booster and maybe fuzz or even bit crushing, finally raise the compression in the amp block. This will get you a tone and feel that's closer to the 11r (but much further from a real amp).

If the cab block sounds odd to you then it could be the monitors you're using, but it could also be that your settings have become messed up somehow (maybe an output setting or EQ maladjustment). You can reset the Kemper ot factory settings which might help with that.

Another possibility is that you're getting double-backed monitoring, meaning you might have accidentally left software monitoring on in your DAW, on top of the zero latency monitoring from your soundcard you might be getting a hollow phase shifted sound that way.

Finally, does the Kemper sound OK through a decent set of headphones? If not then the issue is the Kemper or the profiles themselves, if it does sound good then the issue is elsewhere.

Also:

All Kemper cabinets include the sound of the microphone, and its placement when the amp/cab was profiled. They are almost always close miced cabinets. (the Kemper does not capture any of the sound of a room). The profile is a mono file, and may or may not have stereo effects.

When you listen to your 4x12 cabinet, in the room with you, you are hearing the cabinet, room reflections, no microphone sound at all. And, you are listening in Binaural sound, with your own ears.

Your 11R would have sounded different through a guitar cabinet, too.

Make a profile of your cab?

Hey sinusoid, since you're on the Kemper forum, I guess you're certain that every single member here thinks that the Profile sounds spectacular. They would not be here otherwise, would they?

The Profiler, when properly amplified and diffused, sounds exactly like the profiled amp. There's certainly something wrong with your unit, or your setup.
Let's check some potential issues:

1. You switched cab simulation off with the 4x12 and switched it back on with your monitors, didn't you? How did you do that?

2. What power amp did you use with the Marshall?

3. Try using a good pair of headphones: doest it sound right?

4. Are you sure you're not overloading the A/D (input LED) or the D/A (output LED) converter?

(Set Clean Sens so that the input LED barely gets red with the hardest strumming, and Volume to get the same on the output LED)

5. Are you sure you're not overloading the monitors' input?

6. Are you sure you're not feeding the monitors with too a weak signal?

(Both points 5. and 6. are accomplished through Master Volume on the Profiler)

7. Since you talked of phases, how does the unit perform with just one monitor?

8. Exclude all the FX pre/post stack and use the row profiles, and see what happens.

Please check the above, and feel free to let us know.

If there is nothing wrong with your Kemper I think you may have simply got used of how the Eleven rack sounds and basing your opinions comparing to the Eleven sounds you've tweaked and love. The kemper is not as HI- FI as the 11 rack, eleven has an odd high end that is quite a love or hate thing and sounds unique. I really like the Eleven rack but the Kemper has so much more to offer, for me anyway. Maybe you just haven't found the right profile yet. Some people love the stock Kemper profiles and some hate them. They are like it or not, accurate representations of miced up amps. To me most stock profiles are very flat sounding so need a bit of eq when recording especially on the top end but this takes only seconds to achieve, simply dial to taste. Only advice I would give is Try out some rigs on rig exchange or have a listen to some of the many commercial sellers clips and see if any of those are closer to what you want. Good luck

Like Chris said above I think you may have gotten too used to the way the 11r sounds I know I did when I went from my Vetta to the kemper, but after a few gigs and the help from TAF profiles my kemper came into a world of its own. Have you only used the factory profiles I never had much luck with them ??

Personally, as someone just starting with the Kemper, I am just finding that some of the profiles are a bit Boxy sounding (especially Marshall profiles) but that is in comparison to what I prefer. Others may really like that tone and therefore have recorded their profiles like this. Finding the right profile takes time but I have certainly found ones that I love.

When playing these profiles through the 4x12 cab are you leaving the cab simulation on or off? If you have left it on and you like the sound, the sound you are liking is a cab tone being recabbed and this will not be the same sound you get when recording (unless you mic the cab).

If you have the Cab Simulation turned off while running it through the 4x12 cab and like that sound, then it should be able to reproduce a very similar sound when going direct with the cab simulation turned on, keep in mind that your cab may not sound like the cab that has been simulated, and that ambient room sound with the real 4x12 cab changes the way you are hearing things as well.

Messing around with different cab simulations may get you the sound you are searching for.

Good luck!

Agreed with the above.

there's also a general issue related to being accustomed to hearing close-mic'ed rigs, which AAMOF do sound weird in real life at times.

The last issue I'd want to point out is the high expectations one has when purchasing expensive gear: the first moments of use are always suspended between own projections and a different reality.

I too believe - provided there's nothing wrong in the setup/monitors - it's a matter of finding the right sound, playing at high volume and getting accustomed to the new sounds.
Give yourself some more days of use, and try different things/setups/volumes: you'll find your way. The Profiler does sound good.

Welcome!
My advice is: go into the control room and start tweaking a profile you expect to be in rhe ballpark for your sound.
Learn what cab swapping can do, learn to tweak the deeper amp parameters.
Maybe add some studio EQ later.

You'll see that the Profiler is an extremely powerful tool and I'm convinced you'll find what you're looking for.

You could profile your 11R, you know. Might be a good idea to get yourself started -
after you do, just lock the cab section (hold the 'lock' button and click the cab) and start browsing the other profiles. You'll get a similar spectral balance to your 11R, but with the responsiveness and character of the Kemper's profiles.

Also, many high-gain players don't find true love hidden in the factory presets. Try Lasse Lammert's pack or some Rig Exchange profiles, see if that makes it better.
You should, however, never expect a close mic'ed sound to be similar to standing in front of a 4x12. This may be redundant, but i just thought i'd point that out.

Yes, the KPA can sound like your tweaked 11R sounds - simply profile the 11R.

And it can sound as any recoding chain of real amps, cabs, mics as well - setup everything as would do for a 'real rig recording' - and profile it.

My KPA sounds also VERY close to the sound of my real amps next to me.

Hey Sinusoid,
I started playing more with the cab and amp parameters and I find that even within the cab that is selected it is possible to adjust the voicing enough to get rid of the boxiness of many of the profiles. Give it a try... Finding more and more flexibility in this amp every day. Totally awesome!

I've owned both for a couple of years now. While I think the 11r is great for the money, the Kemper hands down sounds "better" to me. I'll also add the noise gate in the Kemper is 10000x better than the 11's.

But for the money, if you are happy with the 11r, why spend all the $ to upgrade?