Dear God - I hope it gets better than this!

    Let me preface this by saying I literally did nothing more to my Kemper than turn it on, plug my Guthrie Govan signature model guitar in, and plug in my Bose QC15 headphones. Believe me, I know Bose headphones aren't the best way to judge the Kemper.


    That said, my Yamaha DXR10 won't be here until the end of the week and I couldn't stand just letting my brand new Kemper just sit there without hearing what it can do. So I plugged in as above.


    I went through LITERALLY every profile that comes standard on the Kemper. It had some decent clean tones. But there was not a SINGLE distorted tone that I would use. If I had to play a gig with the way this thing sounded through headphones, I'd cancel the gig rather than play because I'd be too embarrassed to use these tones.


    Every high gain tone, sounded like the old Boss Metal Zone pedal, just at different volumes or different gain settings. Some of the profile names are almost insulting to the artists they're supposed to "replicate". For example, there were a couple on there that had some version of Eddie Van Halen reference in the name. The last one I tried, sounded more like Pantera's tone than a Van Halen tone.


    I'm still going to give this thing a fair try when I receive the Yamaha DXR10. And maybe tomorrow night (since I don't have my Yamaha yet), I'll hook it up through the power section of my Mesa Roadster and see what it sounds like through that using my Mesa cabs. I'm positive that will sound better than headphones. But the whole point of buying this was to NOT have to lug around the amp and cabs and to use FRFR so I can hear exactly what the audience hears. But if this is what it's going to sound like at a gig, I'll be lucky if there is a single "audient" left. LOL


    I probably shouldn't have even used the headphones. Because after what I heard tonight, it's only increased my skepticism. :(


    Edit: Full disclosure, after plugging this into the Yamaha DXR10, I fully admit that this unit sounds WAAAAAAY better than through the Bose headphones!

    Edited once, last by OhG ().

    Like 1

    Most chances are some settings are off.
    Is the cab engaged for each profile you play? Do you "see red" in the Input or Output LEDs (LOL)?
    Is there any weird EQ in the Output section?


    Do you have a computer? Can you connect the Profiler there and hear through the computer's cabs?

    My first reaction to my Kemper was about the same. I was excited that I had something new and cool to play with, but the sounds I was getting out of it weren't exciting me at all. It took a couple of weeks of really digging into it and learning how the different parameters worked before I started getting closer to what I wanted, and then it was just a matter of finding the profiles that were in the ballpark and then fine-tuning them to suit my own taste. But the real "a-ha!" moment came after I started profiling my own amps, that's when everything clicked and I finally understood why so many people were so excited about this unit.

    Quote from VESmedic

    Welp, here we go... Another 22 page thread... Good lord


    You definitely make me laugh! The Stealth is still awesome by the way.


    Back on topic, and then some chime in when first listening to the KPA that it sounds great in headphones why can't it sound that way through my cab or monitors.


    Quote

    Most chances are some settings are off.


    ^^This as stated by @viabcroce , you'll get it sorted out and love what can come out of that little box :thumbup:

    A guitar on it's own in headphones will never sound right, I know this has been a major complaint for many artists before modeling was even invented when listening to the Miced sound of guitar in the studio, even as part of a mix.

    Quote from viabcroce

    Most chances are some settings are off.
    Is the cab engaged for each profile you play? Do you "see red" in the Input or Output LEDs (LOL)?
    Is there any weird EQ in the Output section?


    Do you have a computer? Can you connect the Profiler there and hear through the computer's cabs?


    I've shut it down for the night. I didn't change any parameters at all. So whatever comes stock is what I played. The EQ for most medium to high gain tones sounds like a typical modeler, in that it's overly saturated in gain, with all the mid-frequencies scooped out. I did look in the output section (if I remember correctly) and noticed that the feature where you can turn the cab off, was not checked. So I'm assuming the cab was "on" for all profiles.

    Quote from Frodebro

    My first reaction to my Kemper was about the same. I was excited that I had something new and cool to play with, but the sounds I was getting out of it weren't exciting me at all. It took a couple of weeks of really digging into it and learning how the different parameters worked before I started getting closer to what I wanted, and then it was just a matter of finding the profiles that were in the ballpark and then fine-tuning them to suit my own taste. But the real "a-ha!" moment came after I started profiling my own amps, that's when everything clicked and I finally understood why so many people were so excited about this unit.


    My thought process is that the people at Kemper, and the people who have a ton of experience in profiling amps, can do a far better job at that than I can. So any profile I try to make, isn't going to sound as good as someone with a pro studio, or a nice selection of mics and stuff like that. So I was hoping to get some good tones out of the box. That's my whole purpose of buying the Kemper; because I don't have all those amps that I was hoping to get in this.

    Quote from paults

    Do you like the Bose with recorded music? Does the air pressure change from the noise cancelling circuit bother you when you use them? While it presumably works OK on a full mix, I think it would have the potential to adversely affect the sound of a single guitar.


    The Bose are okay. They're great at noise cancelation, and I'd say about average in terms of audio. They're definitely not something I'd use for mixing music. So I know that part of the problem is the Bose. But while I could certainly be wrong, I don't THINK the Bose would have any affect on how stale or digital the profiles sound. Again, I'll try it tomorrow going through my Mesa's loop return and into a regular cab to compare.

    Quote from Dean_R

    You'll figure it out and my guess is you will enjoy it. Just curious what did you use before? Real amps or other modelers?


    I've always used tube amps with guitar cabs. But I'm only using 1x12 cabs now, so even the paradigm shift from going from the "amp in the room" feel, to a FRFR monitor shouldn't be too drastic for me because I'm not using a 4x12 cab pushing a ton of air.


    The thing is, I've only got a couple weeks to make a decision on this because that's when my return period is up. And if I'm even having any doubts, this is going to be returned because I'm not spending thousands on something that doesn't sound right. My current live rig of my Mesa Roadster and a couple 1x12 Theil cabs with the G-System sounds AMAZING. But it's more than I want to lug around (my pedalboard alone weighs over 60lbs).

    Quote from OhG

    I'll try it tomorrow going through my Mesa's loop return and into a regular cab to compare.


    When you do that, turn the cabinet Off in the Output Section :) If it is too buzzy, turn the cabs back on. Either way, it still won't like the Amp/Cabinet profile, but it may give you more of an idea of how it will sound when the DXR arrives.

    Hey OhG,


    I know EXACTLY what you're talking about. I had the same experience as you, the cleans sound awesome and the distorted sound like crap. That was until I enabled Pure Cabinet, found in the Output section (page 4, I think). Try that and set it to taste before you plug the Kemper into a Cabinet. That changed the way I bonded with my Kemper. Hope it does the same for you :-).

    There's three possibilities here that I see.


    1) The Kemper isn't set up correctly. Do a reset, then add a little "Space" from the output settings to emulate the room and maybe dial up the "Pure Cab" parameter a little too.


    2) Your monitoring solution is bad, as others have said - do you actually like the way stuff sounds through those headphones? Good phones make a huge difference. And yes playing back through a proper mointoring solution will make a world of difference.


    3) You've not heard what your own amp sounds like recorded before now. The Kemper gives you the sound of your amp as mic'd up, not as your amp in the room. Many guitarists aren't used to the sound, it's quite different. But to help you see that the Kemper is not in fact digital sounding or like some cheap processor at all you will have to actually profile your own amp and compare the sound that you hear recorded with the amp sound recorded (just hit the A/B button and record a riff or even better do a reamp from your DAW through the Kemper to get to hear both side by side). Trust me that until you do this you will always have doubts, it's not about your own profile being a brilliant example of micing technique, it's about finding out just how close the Kemper is to the source and getting over tube snob syndrome, I had to do this too when I first got my Kemper and I too was underwhelmed until I did this test. Your ears are just so used to what you think an amp sounds like that hearing how an amp actually sounds like when mic'd up can come as quite a surprise.


    Good luck with your rack or toaster, don't get disheartened. But do be scientific and analytical about it rather than emotional. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

    When you're using other people's profiles, the KPA is not plug and play. Learn about the amp section controls.
    With time, you will figure it out and love it.


    1) Read the manual


    2) Watch the tutorials.
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGGZ01rd9e82wTUK406XVaw


    3) This is what it can sound like.

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    The key to everything is patience.
    You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.
    -- Arnold H. Glasow


    If it doesn't produce results, don't do it.

    -- Me

    Like 4
    Quote from OhG

    I've always used tube amps with guitar cabs. But I'm only using 1x12 cabs now, so even the paradigm shift from going from the "amp in the room" feel, to a FRFR monitor shouldn't be too drastic for me because I'm not using a 4x12 cab pushing a ton of air.


    The thing is, I've only got a couple weeks to make a decision on this because that's when my return period is up. And if I'm even having any doubts, this is going to be returned because I'm not spending thousands on something that doesn't sound right. My current live rig of my Mesa Roadster and a couple 1x12 Theil cabs with the G-System sounds AMAZING. But it's more than I want to lug around (my pedalboard alone weighs over 60lbs).


    All I can say is, when your Yamaha FRFR comes in, give it some volume, I'm not talking concert level volume. at the same time it can't be low level practice volume.


    To feel and enjoy any modeler. I find it a must (similar to using tube amps) to have enough volume when I'm playing at home. for my wife to sometimes come down and tell me to turn down even though I have a separate room in the house designated as studio room with acoustic panels etc.


    Modelers are not that much different from using real amps and not that much different from how loud most musicians get when they really want to enjoy music; have you listened to even classical music lately and felt the massive dynamic range between soft and loud?


    I don't remember the last time I used headphones for practice. Even though KPA has a specific feature (space) to make it more enjoyable with headphones and it's quite much better than other modelers even in that regard, I personally would have returned it right after I got it if I was going to base it on the sound through headphones alone. You need to push some air for it to be fun and once your comfortable picking you favorite profiles,you can switch to headphones as a last resources if needed due to wanting to practice late night etc.


    If you come back to the community and ask about recommendation for specific profiles that will suite your style, that would also help. To give you an example, I love my KPA, and I currently don't think I have a single profile from all the profiles that came with it, not that their bad, but there are too many and I quickly realized that I had to narrow it down to what works for me.

    Michael Britt has kindly offered to send a free pack of 20 profiles if you sign up for his mailing list.(Scroll to the bottom of the page) I believe there are a couple of other guys here who sell profiles who have free packs as well. There are no bad sounding profiles from Michael. He uses single coil pickups primarily so you may have to turn up the treble a little if you use humbuckers.


    http://www.mbrittprofiles.com/

    The key to everything is patience.
    You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.
    -- Arnold H. Glasow


    If it doesn't produce results, don't do it.

    -- Me

    Quote from Dean_R

    A guitar on it's own in headphones will never sound right, I know this has been a major complaint for many artists before modeling was even invented when listening to the Miced sound of guitar in the studio, even as part of a mix.


    Yep, but what comes out of the Kemper's HPs Out is not a guitar on its own: you're in the studio's mixing room, and are listening to the recording room's sound through HPs.
    I like how the Profiler sounds with HPs :)



    Quote from OhG

    I didn't change any parameters at all. So whatever comes stock is what I played.


    It doesn't matter, really. Trust me :)


    +1 for a System and a Rig Reset.



    Quote from OhG

    the people at Kemper, and the people who have a ton of experience in profiling amps, can do a far better job at that than I can. So any profile I try to make, isn't going to sound as good as someone with a pro studio


    Possibly, but this is not the point. When you hear how similar to your favourite tone(s) the Profiler sounds, you'll start (as others have written) how good it can sound :)

    OhG, go through the check list others have mentioned in several threads and this one, and gain staging is always important.
    The guitar tones you and we all love on albums are miced amps.
    I use good studio headphones AKG K601 and enjoy both mixing, listening to music albums or playing kemper or most other guitar gear that use a miced guitar sound. Playing the kemper through a guitar cab also sound great to me when A-B testing against the real amp, and with a direct amp profile you get your own amp sound without using mics, anybody can do this (direct amp profile).
    To me it sounds like you belong in the category that will prefer the kemper through a guitar cab, simply try it with your own amp and behold.


    I prefer using both options (guitar cab and monitor) to have most flexibilty and sound options depending on what I want.
    Expensive gear is never needed to get a great miced sound, but good ears and knowledge/experience is important.
    Imo nothing sounds good if we put our ear direct to the dry sharp sound of the speaker.
    Add a bit of reverb ambience/ space (no tail) which is very common when mixing guitars on album recordings to get a roomy feel when using headphones or mixing.


    In this thread you write that you have been reading this forum for over a year learning about the kemper, but I'm a bit surprised that it seems like you've never heard a kemper before, seen videos or read about how pros and tube amp users use it. There are thousands of videos and songs online. link Just bought a Kemper - need some help


    List with hundreds of bands and producers using kempers live and on albums (videos, music and setup links)
    Many of the bands use kemper with guitar cab on stage or monitor, then to PA.
    http://www.wikpa.org/Various_stuff


    Some good profiling tutorial videos, plenty of A-B comparisons:
    http://www.wikpa.org/Profiling_Tutorials#Videos


    Link to full user manual, additional rig packs, latest firmware and more:
    http://www.kemper-amps.com/downloads


    Download rig manager.
    There are over 7000 profiles on the kemper rig exchange + additional rig packs, it will take you many days to go through that.
    Plenty of free shared profiles and tips on the forum:
    SinMix [MRP] Metal Recording Pack 23 Amps + Mesa Triple Rectifier Mesa Oversized Cab!
    Gun to your head - what's your favourite profile


    Good luck! :)