This can't be... what am I doing wrong?

    Quote from SonicExporer

    Is this a tongue-in cheek rhetorical question? :P I'd say almost 40 years in and out of studios, recording, producing and doing technician work would qualify as understanding how mic'ed amps sound. :D (Actually I thought we already covered this at least once during the course of this discussion...)


    It's great to know how experienced you are. But you don't seem to like any of the profiles on the Kemper, which begs the question, "What's your idea of amp tone?" Previously, users have indicated that they want an "in the room" sound, which is why they could not gel with the Kemper.


    I have no experience micing an amp, but I trust people like Sinmix and Michael Wagener to do it for me in a way that sounds like a real amp. They say it sounds like a real amp and I agree. I've had people blown away by the tones in this machine.


    But you don't seem to like any of the profiles, forget about being unable to profile your own amp. Clips have been posted of how accurate profiling is, but you don't seem impressed based on your own results. So it's not so tongue-in-cheek at all and seems like a genuine question.


    I mean, no one is ruling out the possibility you have golden ears. In fact, that's the answer to this thread that I'm leaning toward: you actually hear things that many of us do not in the profiles. But most of us are just perplexed by why your experience seems to be so bad. That's why there are so many questions on this thread, not because you're some kind of attention magnet, we are trying to figure out what has gone so wrong for you.

    Quote from SonicExporer

    Even in spite of the struggle I'm having, I don't argue the KPA clearly has a place in studios for certain kinds of work. Demos, overdubs, rushed sessions, etc. That doesn't mean I'd use on final production tracks though, and I think it would be a big mistake to assume any of these top producers and engineers you refer to would either. How do we know those people aren't being compensated in some fashion by Kemper, or quid-pro-quo for a free unit in their studio, etc? All I'm getting at is at the end of the day it doesn't matter what other people say or do or use. The only thing that matters is what my ears hear. Which is why I have now tossed out the challenge for someone to perform the test I listed a few responses ago.

    Compensated by Kemper? They don't hand out Kempers to artists or anyone AFAIK.


    Dude, you are just another amateur who pretends to be in the same league as Wagener, Sneap and many other top producers, not liking what you hear is one thing, I don't like how some amps sound as well, Kemper is far from perfect in some regards, but I don't go around internet babbling about things I have no idea about (like Kemper compensating people for saying things).


    What albums did you produce since you are so experienced and have massively good ears? There isn't many people in the world who have this ability and skills, so I bet you must be pretty famous.


    Sell your Kemper and move on. Few people did it, it's ok.

    Quote from SonicExporer

    Is this a tongue-in cheek rhetorical question? :P I'd say almost 40 years in and out of studios, recording, producing and doing technician work would qualify as understanding how mic'ed amps sound. :D (Actually I thought we already covered this at least once during the course of this discussion...)


    No it's not a slight against you at all, it's an innocent question. I don't how much experience you have, we've never met!


    We often get people saying how it doesn't sound anything like an amp, when the real problem is a lack of experience so I just thought I'd ask.

    @SonicExporer


    I would recommend you to try some Splawn-profiles from the RE.Specially the Nitros over there.I am a "hotrod-marshall" freak(only with 20 years of recoding experience but however) and two of my tubs amps are a 81 2204´and Steavens-Poundcake IA..cant get more hotrod-marshall than this and I can assure you that there are some great profiled splawns which are as hotrodmarshall as it can get too..


    If this also does not work out for you it would bring me to the conclusion that you will not be happy with any modeler for simulating miced marshalls.And after 40 years of recording experience (respect..you must be over 60 years old and still rocking..great guy.. ;) ) with tube amps you maybe should stay with these..


    greetings

    @mdeeRocks, be a bit less accusatory and defensive. No need to brandish personal invective, none of which solves anything.

    Quote from Nikos

    @SonicExporer


    I would recommend you to try some Splawn-profiles from the RE.Specially the Nitros over there.I am a "hotrod-marshall" freak(only with 20 years of recoding experience but however) and two of my tubs amps are a 81 2204´and Steavens-Poundcake IA..cant get more hotrod-marshall than this and I can assure you that there are some great profiled splawns which are as hotrodmarshall as it can get too..

    the user-supplied (thanks again for this) factory content rig "1971 Mars Golub Crunch" by marko is also a very good one

    @DonPetersen


    Yes,it is a great profile.But it is not first which comes to my mind if I would like to have a "real hotrod" marshall..the Golub is a great profile for crunch-stuff maybe adding some OD/DIST-in front of it.I just think that OP has more modded pre-highgain in mind than some vintage crunch with OD/DIST-pedals in front of the pre..therefore I would recommend Splawns..they have these hotrod-sounds "from birth".Plus the creator of these amps has also a fine approach of interpretating these classic marshall-sounds into present time adding better EQs to his amps.If some of these Splawns in the RE do not fit into what OP is looking for with the KPA than nothing will do it for him.

    That Golub profile is actually one of the handful I had already selected, along with some TJ Marshalls, after scanning the many profiles out there. Many of the other profiles may be fine as well, but the way they most are rendering out of my KPA into my ears is not. So I have no opinion at the moment on any profiles themselves per-se as I don't know where the actual problem exists. Well, other than to say some profiles are a lot better sounding than others. And BTW, I own a Splawn.


    I just tried multiple different approaches profiling my Baron 7 watt. Turning volume down, then WAY down. That didn't work. Then tried turning preamp down, then WAY down. That didn't work either. In fact, in some settings it managed to get even worse.


    I'm going to drag one of my big amps out of storage, stay tuned. Not sure If I can get at it today, if not tomorrow. I'm about over this magic box that's for sure. If after a few tries with another amp this thing still can't capture and reproduce a real amp sound then I give up.

    Quote from SonicExporer

    I'm going to drag one of my big amps out of storage, stay tuned. Not sure If I can get at it today, if not tomorrow. I'm about over this magic box that's for sure. If after a few tries with another amp this thing still can't capture and reproduce a real amp sound then I give up.


    It sounds like you continue to be stubborn, and refuse to listen to the many of us who have politely encouraged, nay, pleaded with you, to contact Kemper Support. Well, I, for one, support your right to make a silly mistake.

    I would just return it for another or contact support, that in my opinion is your only two options. You have wasted way to much time on this endeavor after spending 2K plus dollars on piece of equipment and can't get a handful of good sounding rigs off Rig Exchange out of 9,000+ after tweaking and the help of countless forum members. Profiling an amp is not the answer. Just my opinion :)

    Dear SonicExporer..


    You have a Splawn;And finally you will profile it "tomorrow";


    Honestly..do you realize that there are some guys here in this thread who have invested in good will some considerable time to help you while you are not serious at all;you make wild,unproven and extremly ridiculous claims about Kemper giving handouts to get rave reviews;


    When you asked the guys here to make profiles of "hotrod marshalls" did you ever thought about to profile your own Splawn because your "40 years of recording experience" should be enough to tell you that there is a tiny little difference between a 5 watt amp which does not have enough balls to kick any serious cabinet you need to get at least somehow serious "marshall hotrod"-results and a 100w Splawn you call your own;

    Dean, these are all excellent pieces of advice, agree completely. I picked up most of this in researching on the forum when I first got the device (IIRC actually it was some of your older posts that were very helpful). However, I've done all this tweaking already, ad-nauseum. The only thing I haven't tried yet in your list is Mbrit free profiles from his site.

    Ok, I got the Splawn out of storage, gimme' an hour or two to set up and try the KPA again....


    And enough with the brow-beating about contacting support. We don't have all the information yet. I've said how many times now that I'll contact them once I'm done verifying the last step of whether or not I can get a profile created properly. For 100% sure though no matter what happens I am going to contact support to investigate the history of the KPA I have.


    Back shortly with the final test results (this time with the Splawn)....

    I think it would also be good if you were to record the amp direct into your daw and then the kemper profile once you've got it as close as you can and then upload it to SoundCloud or whatever and have them play one after the other, so we can hear what it sounds like.

    Quote from SonicExporer

    Back shortly with the final test results (this time with the Splawn)....

    I agree with @Zapman, profiling is not the answer. Why? Because you haven't liked any profile out there pretty much.


    Like I said, either try another Kemper (if you do not want to contact support) or return it because it's not your thing (and that's cool, too).


    There are subjective views here and unless you lend us your ears we won't be able to hear what you're hearing. I did and do hear a big difference between your amp and the profile you made, but no other profiles are honking your hooter, so that's beating a dead horse.



    Now if you said you liked x number of profiles but could not get that tone with your 7 watt or Splawn that would be a different approach.

    Quote from SonicExporer

    Dean, these are all excellent pieces of advice, agree completely. I picked up most of this in researching on the forum when I first got the device (IIRC actually it was some of your older posts that were very helpful). However, I've done all this tweaking already, ad-nauseum. The only thing I haven't tried yet in your list is Mbrit free profiles from his site.

    What speakers are you using to audition the various profiles and what outputs are you using from the Kemper?