Testing whole signal path

    Hi guys looking for a way to bypass my audio interface to test help eliminate a perceived issue I am having with my KPA sound.

    I'm having another go at getting to grip with a perceived issue I am having when I compare other naked examples posted here and around YouTube and my own sound. I'm no engineer so I can only describe the difference in terms of shape. My results feel rather more two dimensional and wide but not in the "sounds huge" desirable way, like a balloon that has been stretched too thin across two points rather than a nice fat round unit sitting in the centre of ears. That's probably a crappy description but hopefully it's of some limited value.

    As a way of testing one thing at a time I want to take out my audio interface from the equation. I can and have just manually changed connections at the back of my desk, problem is that take a minute or two and by the time I get back in front of the desk I'm not sure if I'm hearing any difference. What I am aiming for is I suppose is a small mixer that I can just mute or solo two stereo pairs so there is no gap between playing and listening between the direct signal as it comes out of the Stereo main directly into my monitors (they are passive and therefore through a reference amp) and the sound as it comes out the Focusrite Liquid 56.

    I am using SPDIF normally but for the purposes of this listening test I suppose the analog main pair from the KPA should tell me what I need?

    I'll probably have no use for this sub mixer again so obviously don't want to spend the earth, any suggestions on a unit or any other method of achieving this test.

    I seem to recall a mate of mine had an old Samson c control, If he still has it I am wondering whether this might have the connectivity needed for this test.

    Edited once, last by Duncan ().

    So you want two routes:


    1) Guitar -> Kemper -> Monitors
    2) Guitar -> Kemper SFPDIF -> SPDIF Interface -> Monitors


    Yesterday I was rehearsing 5 pairs of monitors using Presonus Monitor station. This allowed me with the click of the button turn off/on any of 5 monitor pairs. But I had 5 pairs of monitors.


    As I understood you want to try 1 pair of monitors. You may try doing it with analog mixer, connecting monitors to main output of mixer and then connect


    1) Guitar -> Kemper main output to one of the inputs of mixer
    2) Guitar -> Kemper SFPDIF -> Interface analog output to second input of mixer


    and the mute between these two inputs checking if there is any difference.


    What monitors are you using?

    Hi,

    I'm thinking:

    Gtr > Kemper Analog out> Reference Amp > Monitors (Alesis MKII passive)
    Gtr> Kemper Analog out > Focusrite Liquid 56 > Reference Amp > Monitors (Alesis MKII passive)

    Keeping all analog should be a fairer test albeit as I say my usual connectivity to the Focusrite is SPDIF.

    I don't think there is anything wrong per se with the Focusrite its more the MixControl software and , for me anyway, its over complicated routing options which leaves me to question whether I have things set up correctly.

    If after this test should both sound identical then I guess I need to look to other areas. Whilst it would be nice to have a second KPA test to run a similar test that would be one expensive exercise. In the alternative I would dearly appreciate anyone who would help me with some audio test files.

    Thinking out loud - and please chime in with any other suggestions…

    i) The profile would of course need to be identical on each system
    ii) The guitar used would need to be as near as is practicable the same (my primary gtrs are a Gibson LP standard with burstbuckers and a USA strat with Texas specials and a USA SG standard with stock pups)
    iii) Sense settings would (per gtr) be set the same
    iv) Same firmware version - I am running the latest non Beta
    v) Parallel processing - off
    vi) Panorama - '0'
    vii) SPDIF or analog Output paramter would be the same

    The test audio file would be a simple riff or chord sequence and as far as possible not strongly influenced by the different players own playing fingerprint. Again just thinking aloud if using a D.I file in addition to the Stack output I guess a rough target db for the D.I with the DAW would be desirable and simiarly then use the same re-amp sense setting to record back to DAW (with a unity setting on the DAW input of course)

    Does this seem like a sound basis for a test?

    As I guess the question might be in peoples minds I would say I have listened direct through headphone out on KPA but I am not experienced enought to say how that headphone experience is translating to standard monitoring. It's certinly not a night and day difference, if it were this would be an easier thing to track down I'm sure but then I find headphones even with a dry mono signal just don't correlate to monitor listening.

    You don't need second KPA. Just plug your guitar into Kemper. Then from Kemper you would go two ways:


    1) Kemper analog out -> mixer analog in -> mixer main out to Reference Amp -> Alesis MKII passive.
    2) Kemper analog out -> Focusrite analog in -> mixer analog in -> mixer main out to Reference Amp -> Alesis MKII passive.


    BE sure to set same input leves in both cases.


    Most mixers I have seen have mute switches so one input would be active at the moment. Or Kemper out would be active either Kemper+Focusrite would be active.

    Doh, don't know why I forgot to add the mixer in the path in my previous post, sorry for confusion. I guess it may of appeared that the rest of my post may have been connected with the isolating the audio interface when really it was intended as a next step if the initial test doesn't throw anything up. I suspect the audio interface might be a sonic red herring so would still be interested to hear from anyone on the likely success of the second phase of tests I mention. I checked with my friend and he still has the C Control and looking at the manual looks like it has 2 pais of balanced 1/4 outputs http://www.manualslib.com/manu…ontrol.html?page=7#manual hopefully I can match the levels with some steady riffage and my hand held SPL meter!

    Why would you need 2 pairs of balanced outputs? You just connect 1 pair of monitors, so you need 1 pair of outputs.. I'm not sure if I get your intentions correctly.