Recently purchased used Kemper profiler

Quote from Ragnarok

Have compared my set up with YouTube videos of exact same profile, set the same way afaik, using same guitar, and mine always sounds fizzier.

I've never experienced something like this. Every profile sounded 99% the same with my guitars.

You could do it with studio eq and then lock it in the x slot.

Can you record a clip?

Quote from Ragnarok

The more effects I add the worse it gets.

This is a big experience on the way to find a goode sound.
Turn off all effects and try at first to get a good pure amp tone.
After setting input and output section the parameter of the amp section should be your first friend.

I do not use a guitar box, because it limits the possibilities of the Kemper. FRFR active Monitors are for me the best choice .

Main advice: Be patiently - It tooks weeks to month to become the experience to find the own tone.
Good luck on your way.

Quote from Ragnarok

I will try that, but being that every single "gainy" profile sounds fizzy, and all my input/output levels have been reset to factory zero, it makes me think there is something wrong across the board. I don't understand why using a pretty common guitar (sg standard, or les Paul custom) into kemper reset, using professionally made profiles, into an frfr speaker doesn't produce good results. Either I'm an idiot or maybe I bought a dud.

Hi Ragnarok,

Something still does not sound right, here. Would you kindly advise exactly what model JBL monitor you are currently playing through, in which you are experiencing this anomalous and undesirable high frequency "fizz".

How old is the monitor? Is there any possibility that there could be damage or malfunction with the HF driver (tweeter)?

Cheers,
John

P.S. -- For a few weeks, after first purchasing my KPA, I played through my Tech 21 PE-60 Power Engine. It sounded fantastic. However, I was set on using my KPA with a true FRFR monitor, and decided upon the XiTone 1x12 passive wedge monitor. When I first received the XiTone, and hooked it up, I was getting some very weird high frequency harshness / fizz / distortion. This anomaly was most noticeable on the tail end of a distorted note, as it decayed.

After much trouble shooting, I ruled out my KPA, and decided to open up my XiTone cab, and take a look at the drivers and cross-over circuit board. Everything seemed okay, except for one surprise. The XiTone uses an Eminence BETA-12CX coaxial driver. As such, I expected to find the HF driver to be the Eminence model ASD:1001, which is what Eminence recommends for their BETA-12CX. Instead, I found some no name Brazilian HF driver.

Don't ask...I have no idea why Mick at XiTone decided to cut a corner, here, with my particular XiTone wedge. In any event, I decided to order the matching Eminence ASD:1001. When it arrived, I immediately swapped out the no name driver for the ASD:1001...and BOOM, complete fix. It was a night and day difference. So, in my case, the problem was due to a malfunctioning or defective HF driver of dubious pedigree and quality.

Quote from Ragnarok

I will try that, but being that every single "gainy" profile sounds fizzy, and all my input/output levels have been reset to factory zero, it makes me think there is something wrong across the board. I don't understand why using a pretty common guitar (sg standard, or les Paul custom) into kemper reset, using professionally made profiles, into an frfr speaker doesn't produce good results. Either I'm an idiot or maybe I bought a dud.

Absolutely not an idiot, brother.

I do have the same setup, also JBL FRFR for rehearsal here. I do use two EON 10 inch + one 18 inch sub. I had success right out of the box. It took me about 20 minutes to find a couple of profiles with a great and authentic basic tone. After a couple of days and getting better in tweaking the Kemper my sound on my favourite amps' profiles became a dream come true.

Some points to consider, though:

* Many JBLs do behave very much like studio monitors, meaning: they reveal flaws in the sound, they are not forgiving much, especially in the higher frequencies. That results in good mixes sound do awsome and bad mixes do sound terrible. So again: which model are you using?

* I was (and still am) discarding about 80% of the profiles I tested through RigManager because they didnt sound well. Many were in deed very rich in harmonics without a chance to cure that with presence/treble (could well have been a wrong cab driver, not for FRFR or none, cant remember, nowadays with more understanding I do check that)

* Its easy to get an somehow OK sound since the first POD arrived. But its tricky to get an awsome sound- until today. IMHO with the Kemper its easier than with the modellers. But then again: each and every bit in the chain must fit/work perfectly to get that great sound. In example: on a cheapo but OK high-gain sound the playing is not that important. In a great, reactive and dynamic high-gain sound it is way more ! (This is also a message to some people who complain that their commercial profiles do not sound like in the manufaturer's demo. I am not at all saying I am the greatest player, but my experience tells me if its my brain and hands - or the amp / profile)

Quote from Ragnarok

Also something I've noticed, this thin fizzy sound is all to do with the distortion. Dial it back to little or none, and most profiles sound pretty good. The farther I push the distortion knob the the thinner and less dynamic the tone is. If I start with a clean say '68 super lead and turn the overdrive dial up halfway it sounds worse than a medium gain super lead profile (still, medium gain does not sound good, just not as bad)

Can you record a sample?

Quote from Ragnarok

Am having a hell of a time recording anything. I know this is pretty stone age but I've never recorded anything directly to a computer before (then why the hell did you buy a kemper... I know). Any suggestions would be appreciated .

What issue(s) are you having specifically? I run a pair of cables from the output of the Kemper into my audio interface and record the output via my DAW.

Quote from ColdFrixion

I run a pair of cables from the output of the Kemper into my audio interface and record the output via my DAW.

Could even be the recorder.exe (stereo!) if there is no DAW. Could even be the microphone input, if there is no external pro audio device!

Quote from Ragnarok

Also, is any passive p.a. monitor with a speaker and a horn considered frfr? None of the guitar stores that sell p.a.gear around here know what I'm talking about.

I think most FRFR solutions just use a single speaker, not aware of any that use both and are "true FRFR". In fact, even FRFR speakers are not FRFR. The room and where you position the speaker also has an impact on how everything sounds. I had a Tech 21 Power Engine and I used its EQ to make its response similar to my monitors. I sold it though in favour of using monitors. Plan on getting a DXR10 one of these days though, everyone says they are quite flat, with a bit of a mid boost that really helps you cut through a mix.

Quote from nightlight

I think most FRFR solutions just use a single speaker, not aware of any that use both and are "true FRFR". In fact, even FRFR speakers are not FRFR. The room and where you position the speaker also has an impact on how everything sounds. I had a Tech 21 Power Engine and I used its EQ to make its response similar to my monitors. I sold it though in favour of using monitors. Plan on getting a DXR10 one of these days though, everyone says they are quite flat, with a bit of a mid boost that really helps you cut through a mix.

Hello Nightlight,

I think you may be mistaken. In my experience, the vast majority of FRFR monitors are 2-way. That is to say, they have a main woofer, and a dedicated high frequency tweeter. Remember, "FRFR" does not just stand for "Flat Response", it also stands (perhaps more importantly) for "Full Range".

The Tech 21 PE60 is not a FRFR monitor. It is a great powered speaker...I own one, myself. However, it has the typical frequency response (more or less) of a regular guitar speaker...which is to say, significant roll-off beyond 3 kHz. I believe the PE60 uses a Celestion Seventy 80 speaker.

Compare the frequency response curve of a Celestion Seventy 80, with a true FRFR monitor, such as a Yamaha DXR10. Note the flat response all the way up to 20 kHz, which is due to cross-over circuitry in conjunction with a dedicated HF driver.

http://celestion.com/product/22/seventy_80/

Yamaha DXR Frequency Response Curves

Cheers,
John