Monitors or Cabinet?

    Ive had my kemper for nearly a year now, had a lot of fun and very thankful to a friend of mine who suggested it. Probably the best piece of gear I've ever bought!


    Anyway, Ive been using monitors now for a year and would like to move onto a cabinet to express the sound differently. Im a bedroom player at the moment, no bands or projects going on. However in the new year, i'd like that to change. Is it worth sticking with monitors and using the PA for a gig. Or is it worth investing in a cabinet? Any recommendations on 2x12 cabinets?


    Thanks


    Tim

    A riff a day, keeps the doctor away.

    Like 1

    I would not recommend in investing in a traditional 2x12" cab.
    If you want to play out and step up invest in a good FRFR system instead.
    Recommendable solutions are the Yamaha DXR 10 or, more expensive, the Atomic CLR.
    And others that have been discussed here often. ;)

    I guess you mean a guitar cab. Have you consider a more linear cab?
    It would sound very differently from a studio monitor anyway.


    As for me, when I'm on stage I want to hear what goes FOH, so I prefer a linear monitor. If I am not sure about what I'll find at the venue I take my CLR with me.

    This is good advice from Ingolf


    I have had several Kemper units over the years now since they first came out. I have gone through the struggle with having that traditional cabinet behind me beaming into the audience. I was not always happy with it because the heavier gain profiles would all sound very similar through the traditional v30 speaker and the cabs off in the profile settings. I tried a friend's CLR one weekend and it dawned on me that I didn't need the cabinet behind me any longer. I've been trying some other FRFR solutions as well just to see what is out there.


    Needless to say, i'll only use a cab now with a traditional tube amp. After hearing the rich tones from a good FRFR setup, it's pretty hard to go back.

    Thanks for all the replies, had some great responses via Facebook swell. I think I may gamble with a cabinet, it would be a 2x12 guitar cabinet. Can I ask what is the difference between linear and guitar cabinets are? (absolute n00b)

    A riff a day, keeps the doctor away.

    A guitar cab has a very specific sound signature, very rich in mids and with a variable amount of lows and highs. Also, the amplitude response is quite rough and irregular.


    A linear cab aims at being... linear, that is translating all the input frequencies at the same level (ideally, think of its amplitude response as a flat line from the very low to the very high freqs.
    Note: not all the linear cabs are actually... linear, but they all are certainly more linear than any guitar cab :)


    Think of it as listening to a CD through your guitar cab Vs. a PA :D

    As the profiler captures the whole signal chain incl. the miced guitar cab only a FRFR solution will bring out the differences of different rigs as they are. Listening to the through a guitar cab colours them all in the same way (i.e. like the guitar cab that is used sounds).
    So definitely FRFR is recommended to get the best out of the profiler.

    Game has changed now with the direct profile method! Not drastically, I imagine that FRFR will still give a better representation of Kemper tones. But there are advantages to using the right profile with the right cab, it'll be more like a traditional amp in room sound, I'd imagine.


    That said, the advantage of having so many profiles on the rig exchange is best maximised if you're able to sound like the original, which is where FRFR shines through.

    Quote from nightlight

    Game has changed now with the direct profile method! Not drastically, I imagine that FRFR will still give a better representation of Kemper tones. But there are advantages to using the right profile with the right cab, it'll be more like a traditional amp in room sound, I'd imagine.


    That said, the advantage of having so many profiles on the rig exchange is best maximised if you're able to sound like the original, which is where FRFR shines through.


    Sure. FRFR brings out the diversities. One certain cab = one special sound.

    Quote from Ingolf

    Sure. FRFR brings out the diversities. One certain cab = one special sound.


    Just might be "your" sound! I haven't got a powered Kemper, but I am so excited with the stuff that's coming out now that I probably will take the plunge one of these days, just based on the happy user base.


    Oh wait. I haven't got a CLR yet ^^

    Quote from nightlight

    Just might be "your" sound! I haven't got a powered Kemper, but I am so excited with the stuff that's coming out now that I probably will take the plunge one of these days, just based on the happy user base.


    Oh wait. I haven't got a CLR yet ^^


    I hear you. ;)
    I'm more of a one sound/my sound guy myself.
    So the main advantage of FRFR on stage FOR ME is the consistency and wide dispersion.
    Being beam- free on stage is great.
    ;)

    This :)


    Above all, unless you find the exact cab for "your sound", I believe that the FRFR versatility translates to an easier path to finding your tone, because each rig will sound "like itself", and with so many sonic possibilities available it will be easier to sculpture your sound.

    Get an FRFR 2x12 cab. Matrix Amplification as well as Mission Engineering make them and they have gotten good reviews. Getting the Mission Engineering Gemini II myself and ditching my monitors.