Swirling, bitcrushing or ring modulator-ish sounds... - faulty unit?

    Hi everyone.


    I just got my Kemper and I am - so far - quite impressed with this little unit. The factory presets had a few terrific sounds but it was when I checked out the user profiles provided by the community that I got really blown away. Splawn, off-axis mic, what more can I say? 8)


    Here's the thing though: As impressed as I am, I am having a serious issue. I hear constant bitcrushing (or envelope-ish, ring mod-ish) sounds. This seems to happen across all profiles/presets and doesn't seem to be lowered or raised by tweaking the input gains (clean/distortion etc).


    It isn't noticable when doing standard rock/hard rock riffing on higher gain settings, i.e. anything reaching distortion rather than overdrive, but as soon as I play normal chords it really shines through. Backing off volume on the guitar or lowering gain on the preset doesn't seem to help much either. It's most noticable on the treble strings. When playing crystal clean sounds I can't hear anything wrong at all.


    For example: playing around with a standard D chord, then Dsus4 and Dadd9 chord, first strumming them and then picking the notes individually, is causing this effect in a bad bad way. Again, this is across the board. All profiles add their own subtle flavours to it but it's there alright. In fact: all chords that aren't basic power chords (+fifth and/or octave) seem to introduce these "noises". On a sidenote, since it seems to be a real sore subject around here, I believe there is some latency within the unit. But that's another thread ;) Please don't take this as anything else than me just mentioning all the symptoms to the doctor.


    Realizing that I basically described me playing the lead riff out of "The summer of '69" I feel that some clarification is needed: this was an example. I play 90's rock (yes, the g-word) so overdriven and distorted chords, or anything on the treble strings for that matter, might come in handy.. Phew.... :D


    Anyhoo. Surely this can't be how the mighty - borderline mythical - Kemper is supposed to sound?! It's time consuming to find info about other faulty units so have literally no idea if this is just a poor batch or if it's a "signature sound" that one will have learn to live with. The latter meaning returning the unit, sad but true...


    Any tips? Please inform me if it's my brain or the unit that is broken! 8|


    EDIT: So I recorded two sound samples. I haven't been looking for a REALLY bad sound, I just scrolled to previously mentioned AC Top Boost and hit the record button. Then I switched to something completely different, Lasse Lammert's profile of a Rectifier rack (LL - Big Rock), just to have something different for reference.Notes: I am playing a Les Paul traditional with Classic 57 pickups and my input sens is set to -5 on both clean and distortion. I also dialed the gain back to 5 on both sounds. Can't seem to get the embed thing to work properly but here goes:


    https://soundcloud.com/yellophant/sets/kemper-noise

    A sound clip would be helpful. Are you sure you haven't got any effects on that might be causing the signal to get effected? What about headphone space, is that switched off, though I'm not sure it would cause the symptoms being described. Thirdly, what profiles are you using? Something you recorded yourself, or something not available on the rig exchange? It's quite possible that the artifacts you describe are the result of erroneous profiling, since those elements would be introduced in the final product as well.

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    Start with turning the noise gate on the input section all the way down to off. Disable any noise gates in the stomps. See if there's a difference.


    No noisegate on.


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    soundcloud please...if it s something like this :


    Well, that IS a ringmod-ish sound but try the same while picking a chord, like the one I described; Dsus4. For me it gets nasty.


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    A sound clip would be helpful. Are you sure you haven't got any effects on that might be causing the signal to get effected? What about headphone space, is that switched off, though I'm not sure it would cause the symptoms being described. Thirdly, what profiles are you using? Something you recorded yourself, or something not available on the rig exchange? It's quite possible that the artifacts you describe are the result of erroneous profiling, since those elements would be introduced in the final product as well.


    1) I will upload a sound clip as soon as I can.


    2) Choosing Headphones out or Monitor out only provides me with different monitoring options for the poor sound :)


    3) Choosing different profiles only provides me with different flavours of the same noises/artifacts... They ALL have it.


    For instance: the Kemper-made "1962 Electro" and "AC Top Boost" have the same innate ring mod-noise as a user created Splawn-profile, or an Engl Blackmore, or whatever else for that matter.


    I also switched from front input to alternate input, which did nothing...

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    Welcome! as others already stated, please do a recording of the noise.


    Thank you! Sorry about the instant whining :D


    I will record sample as soon as possible!


    EDIT, because I forgot:


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    Never heard of anyone having an issue like this.I suggest contacting Support, via the Kemper website.


    Yes, I am in contact with the Kemper support team :)

    So I recorded two random sounds. I haven't been looking for a REALLY bad sound, I just scrolled to previously mentioned AC Top Boost and hit the record button. Then I switched to something completely different, Lasse Lammert's profile of a Rectifier rack, just to have something different for reference.Notes: I am playing a Les Paul traditional with Classic 57 pickups and my input sens is set to -5 on both clean and distortion. I also dialed the gain back to 5 on both sounds. People are always using so much, too much, gain :D


    https://soundcloud.com/yellophant/sets/kemper-noise

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    I can clearly hear the swirling and modulation.So I'm curious what support will find here.


    Well it's a relief that I'm not the only one. So am I :)


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    Maybe you accidentally "locked" a Modulation effect in the ON state?Does every Profile have the same MOD effect ON?


    I don't use any effects whatsoever other than the "real stuff"; pedals in front of the KPA. And wouldn't that be indicated by some light on the front panel or symbol on the display? Nothing indicates so I'm going with: no, no locked modulation effects :)

    It's sounds to me like an intermodulation distortion effect (may be by notes that you are playing+distortion effect):

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    And feel free to comment the recordings I did, opinions ranging from "What? I hear nothing wrong" to "Holy sh$t, that's awful".


    I honestly don't know how bad my KPA sounds compared to others.

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    It's sounds to me like an intermodulation distortion effect (may be by notes that you are playing):


    Wouldn't that only be audible on specific notes and the octaves on these notes? In my case it doesn't matter what key or where on the guitar I am playing; I get the nasty effect regardless if I play a D in standard 2nd fret position, an F minor on 8th fret, or a G sharp on 11th...I mean just sticking to the basic ones. There aren't many of the same notes in those 3 chords, yet they all sound crap hehe...

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    Wouldn't that only be audible on specific notes and the octaves on these notes? In my case it doesn't matter what key or where on the guitar I am playing; I get the nasty effect regardless if I play a D in standard 2nd fret position, an F minor on 8th fret, or a G sharp on 11th...I mean just sticking to the basic ones. There aren't many of the same notes in those 3 chords, yet they all sound crap hehe...


    I have found solution for you - It's not KPA problem:
    http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tel…tonation-spot-warble.html


    "As an example, tune your perfectly intonated guitar exactly to spot on open strings. Turn on some distortion and play an A chord. Listen to the g and b strings especially. You'll get beats, and it will sound out of tune. According to your tuner it isn't. Now, tune the b string flat until the beats go away. Play some Van Halen and notice how awesome it sounds. Check the b string on your tuner, and it will be flat."


    I've tested this on two guitar's recording them via interace , the same effect you can get with generating tones.

    Please hear the example bellow - at 0:20 i've tuned down e string half step down - and the warbling is gone:)

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    Thank you for your replies people.


    Sorry if I haven't been updating you guys throughout my 12 rounder with the support team :)


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    Sounds like the same problem that I have kemper-amps.com/forum/index.ph…7968-Poor-Sound-Quality/? Is it worse on profiles that are just on the point of breakup?


    There is coloration of the sound depending on what profile I am using but besides that it is pretty much the same on all profiles, except the clean ones.


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    I have found solution for you - It's not KPA problem:tdpri.com/forum/telecaster-dis…tonation-spot-warble.html


    It would have been great if intonation was the answer but I have tried all kinds of notes and chords with all kinds of tunings and positions. And besides; trying to get all my guitars in tune, within just a couple of cents 1st to 22nd fret, in order for me to be satisfied with this particular amp is a definite no go... That would make alternate tunings on the fly impossible btw.



    Now: I am not sure if everyone is on the same page as me when it comes to the various types of sound artifacts that I was experiencing. Swirling yes, modulation yes, there are quite a few to be honest. Some could have been imagined during my first days with the KPA, while getting my ears used it, but I have had gearhead friends listening to the sounds IRL and they all agree. Hell, even the drummer from one of my bands could hear it! ;)


    However, I have tried ALL my guitars through the KPA and found those things I do not like using all of them. Intermodulation and noises and whatnot are of course some of the things but the real deal breaker was the fact that every amp/profile I tried displayed the same types of artifacts... This is not plausible as I have played my fair share of amps since I started this guitar/gear fetisch, around 20 years ago. An AC30 simply does not generate "noises" like an Engl SE, period.
    When reamping with DI through my Focusrite LS56 I experienced a little less of the modulation, "swirling" and sub-octave feel (6th down actually), so in my mind the A/D conversion can take some of the blame.


    Also, none of my previous amps, nor other amps that I have played extensively, have had these issues with the same guitars used. I won't go through the list but suffice it to say that I haven't played Line6 Spiders...
    The final push to give up came from the support team when they were evaluating my DI recordings taken from the KPA: "sorry, but we don't believe this to be a Profiler issue. Enclosed is a recording of your DI track through Logic Pro for your reference. We are experiencing the same issue with any of the amp models in Logic Pro.".
    Well, I didn't spend 1500 euros on the amp simulator section of Logic Pro now did I? Case closed and suddenly I need to have fretwork done on ALL of my guitars?! I don't think so. They didn't generate any sound artifacts the week before purchase.


    I understand that there are a lot of people out there that really like - or love - the unit but the KPA and I did not click. Returned mine this week and I actually feel relieved that I did. Back to my trusty SM57's and total recording control... or absolute failure of course :)


    I am NOT trying to bash the KPA! There still might be an easy solution for the problems I had. There could have been small factors that just happened to build up to something bigger, only heard when using specific devices (e.g. the KPA). For me the results were not tolerable. It was a new toy and if that doesn't make you want to play more and louder then there isn't much else to do but...well, return it to the store before the 30 day return runs out and I am stuck with something that will surely drive me crazy. Once you hear something that bothers you it's hard to let it go.


    It is a really nice piece of kit, so as I told the tech support; I will get back to trying the KPA (KPA 2?) but for now I am out!


    Cheers everyone!