I don't run wireless, but I have been thinking about this. My band mostly plays pub venues around the 300 people mark. My guitar lead can reach out quite far and as I'm the sound man for my band I'll take a wonder round the venue while playing the guitar for sound check. The band PA is 2 DXS's each side and a DXR10 each side running through a Allen and heath QU-16 mixing desk. I connect my KPA to the desk by monitor out and main outs. The monitor out is the sound that the audience hears and because I use IEM' and love the space effect that the KPA offers it's the main outs in stereo that feed my IEM's.
my main sound live is the JCM800 from TAF Marshall pack I've found this has needed little EQ through the Yamaha PA and sounds really big!!!
I've used the Kemper live in a church worship environment since it came out...I've used wireless and I've used a cable that was long enough to hear things clearly in front of the mains (and have 'tuned" my patches to both the monitors and the mains)...I go direct into the system and have been very happy as have my sound techs.
I gave mine a listen in the mains when I first got it, but, not since then. If you are using FRFR onstage, you know what you are sending to the mains. The rest is up to the Sound Tech 
I'm going wireless and whenever I can I go out and double check the sound FOH, just out of curiosity.
As I'm tweaking my rigs through CLR's I don't have any translation problems to FOH ever.
I gave mine a listen in the mains when I first got it, but, not since then. If you are using FRFR onstage, you know what you are sending to the mains. The rest is up to the Sound Tech
i suppose the same is true for any guitar set up a $4k valve rig is still the mercy of the sound man.
You are dead right Jerevil what everyone thinks sounds good is always different that's why famous bands have a favourite sound man that they take on tour because they know how the band want to sound. For example ozzy Osborne wouldn't have the same sound engineer as the person who does 1 direction because its 2 different styles and sound engineers get well known for being good at a certain sound. if you can I'd always try and go out front to see what things are sounding like
I don't know much about that alto speaker but it might cause problems translate profiles well as it might not be a FRFR and might boost or flatten certain frequencies. When I first got my Kemper I was waiting for my DXR 10 to arrive and borrowed a friends wharfdale
monitor to do 2 gigs. I tell you this that the KPA profiles I picked for live use in my studio using my ref speakers did not translate well at all, but as soon as the DXR10 arrived the following weekend
it was another story the profiles translated really well and needed little tweaking
I use a Line 6 G30 and do go out front to listen to the sound....but I have to run back and forth to change rigs on the FCB. I use a 2 x 12 cab and mic it....just what works for me....I've not had the time to experiment through a proper PA....didn't like it in the rehearsal room and have trust issues! So I get it sounding as I like through the 2 x 12 cab and then let them mic it.....
I use a Line 6 G30 and do go out front to listen to the sound....but I have to run back and forth to change rigs on the FCB. I use a 2 x 12 cab and mic it....just what works for me....I've not had the time to experiment through a proper PA....didn't like it in the rehearsal room and have trust issues! So I get it sounding as I like through the 2 x 12 cab and then let them mic it.....
I may go this route
I'm always wireless and for most shows we do our own sound so I know it's set good. I'll still give a listen and tweak the main outs using the Kemper's main out EQ just for room variations, I then save that setting and name it whatever the venue is called. If we have a sound man I will tell him to set me flat, I'll make any adjustments from the Kemper's main out EQ as before and constantly check throughout the night to make sure they hasn't made any drastic changes to my FOH tone.
I use a 2 x 12 cab and mic it....just what works for me....
That seems to totally defeat the purpose of the KPA, but to each his own. If it works for you, it can't be wrong!
That seems to totally defeat the purpose of the KPA, but to each his own. If it works for you, it can't be wrong!
I have made my own preamp profiles of Rivera, Carvin, Triaxis and it sounds verry good through a power amp and 2x12 kabinet. I been using this only for two years live now, and I'm pro.
Are you running wireless? If so, are you actually getting down off stage to hear your direct tone through the FOH during sound check? Do you ever opt to have the sound man mic your guitar cab (for you non FRFR guys)?
Are you all taking at face value your profiles are sounding as you'd expect? I mean every house system is different as is every sound mans idea of what sounds good
I use an X32 Rack mixer with DSR112 tops over PRX618S-XLF subs. I use IEM's and go directly into the PA with no speaker on stage (I play rhythm guitar and only an occasional lead).
I do multi-track recordings via USB on the X32, then feed the raw input back through the X32 Rack giving me a "virtual band" playing through the PA. I mute everything but my guitar, then tweak the channel eq to my liking. Then I put everything back into the mix and do one last tweak ..... since sometimes what sounds so good by itself doesn't sound so good when you have it in context with the entire band.
I make most of my rigs at home using head phones (Sennheiser HD 280). What I reliably find is that my PA sounds warmer with much more bottom than the headphones. I am thinking of giving my Shure E215's a shot to see if they are any closer to what things really sound like because of this.
With the ability to do virtual sound checks easily in modern (and pretty inexpensive) mixers, the days of my not knowing how I sound out front are completely over.
I also use a CLR to dial in my rigs, and they sound very, very close on any PA system I run them through.
I also use a Line 6 G50 and check it, but at rehearsal we have the monitors facing us and I am going direct and it sounds very close to what I hear out of my CLR (just not as good!).
No need for anything else but to plug in and rock when showtime hits.
Display MoreI use an X32 Rack mixer with DSR112 tops over PRX618S-XLF subs. I use IEM's and go directly into the PA with no speaker on stage (I play rhythm guitar and only an occasional lead).
I do multi-track recordings via USB on the X32, then feed the raw input back through the X32 Rack giving me a "virtual band" playing through the PA. I mute everything but my guitar, then tweak the channel eq to my liking. Then I put everything back into the mix and do one last tweak ..... since sometimes what sounds so good by itself doesn't sound so good when you have it in context with the entire band.
I make most of my rigs at home using head phones (Sennheiser HD 280). What I reliably find is that my PA sounds warmer with much more bottom than the headphones. I am thinking of giving my Shure E215's a shot to see if they are any closer to what things really sound like because of this.
With the ability to do virtual sound checks easily in modern (and pretty inexpensive) mixers, the days of my not knowing how I sound out front are completely over.
I have the same headphones I guess it makes sense that if the profile sounds good in those, a pro level PA should sound good as well.
That seems to totally defeat the purpose of the KPA, but to each his own. If it works for you, it can't be wrong!
If your aim is to perfectly replicate profiles of given amps yes. But if your aim is to have fantastic sounds available to you to use live that you love - that you can reproduce consistently at any volume - which is my aim.....then it' a perfect application.
That's not to say I won't experiment further with going straight to the PA in future....but I haven't had the best experience with soundmen....
Cheers,
Andy
If your aim is to perfectly replicate profiles of given amps yes. But if your aim is to have fantastic sounds available to you to use live that you love - that you can reproduce consistently at any volume - which is my aim.....then it' a perfect application.
That's not to say I won't experiment further with going straight to the PA in future....but I haven't had the best experience with soundmen....
Cheers,
Andy
I'm sorry. I just don't get it. Are you saying that a sound man can't screw up a mic'ed cabinet, but will screw up a direct signal?
In my limited testing, the signal through a PA sounded fizzy and lacked body - apparently some of the issue is getting used to what a mic'd tone sounds like. So that was my primary issue - I should have been clearer on that, sorry. That said, I've never had an issue at any of my gigs listening out front to my Kemper > Cab once mic'd.
The next is that you have to tweak profiles you like at the volume you are going to use them.....I can do that with my cab in the studio....I don't have a PA to use though so not sure what other people do here? I'm happy for others to chime in.
Third is that I like to have my own cab, under my control that I can increase in volume as a monitor if I need to if the soundman is really useless. I have had examples where I've said I couldn't hear myself, and the soundman has said just to up the volume of my amp....where you would have expected him to simple stick more guitar in my monitor wedge.
Now, with the confidence that I love the sound of my Kemper, and having tweaked the global eq to my taste for the venue, I can listen out front and check it is representative of what I want from the PA.
Thanks for quizzing me it raises a really important question - how do other guys get their direct to FOH tones sorted?....we all know how little time we tend to get for soundchecks.....
Cheers,
Andy
