If you are able to get two short clips from the studio, one with the real amp and one using the profile, and send them to Support at Kemper in a ticket describing what you just explained it would be timely and possibly very helpful toward encouraging Kemper to have their engineers look into fixing this issue.
Unfortunately, my KPA is travelling now to Germany to be repaired (Led issue).
I'll do as soon as it comes back.
Development team asking me for reamped DI. So I'll do this just as soon as I have enough time, what they want me to record exactly.
These aren't issues about "room reverb" or something like that. I've done tests with quite a few amps and modelers, all direct, and the "congestion" and "raspiness" is there.
If these issues are dealt with kpa will be "perfect" for me in terms of tone.
A note about fret buzz: are you comparing kpa through headphones or monitors vs amp through cab? I fret level guitars and always check for buzz with modeler plus good headphones. It's harder to perceive the buzz when going through real cabs, I find, due to the "nature" of cabs themselves
In fact, for best testing, I fire up an acoustic sim that enhances fret buzz.
A note about fret buzz: are you comparing kpa through headphones or monitors vs amp through cab
Doesn't matter whether mains, near fields or headphones, same disparity (relatively speaking) of fret buzz between KPA and actual source. The KPA seems hyper sensitive to input. I noticed this early on. This isn't necessarily a bad thing overall, but as far as fret buzz goes it seems thus far to be a negative. I need to do more testing, along with trying to get to the bottom of why I'm getting the phasing/alias/drunk mosquito sound in the high end at times in tracks.
Did you confirm that the drunk mosquito wasn't a result of in-interface summing via onboard routing or built-in mixer, combining a slightly-delayed (due to A/D conversion at the interface's inputs and D/A at the Kemper outs) signal with the Kemper's S/PDIF out, Sonic?
The drunk mosquito is a critter I'd like to see squashed.
I am not totally sure what the "fret buzz" and/or "mosquito" sound is in this case -- audio clips would help a lot.
[Blocked Image: http://l450s.alamy.com/450e/b0t1je/sudafed-banned-from-sale-from-chemists-and-pharmacy-b0t1je.jpg]
[Blocked Image: http://odditymall.com/includes/content/sword-fly-swatter-thumb.jpg]
There you go...problems solved.
As a final step, to improve one's guitar playing and overall KPA experience...
[Blocked Image: https://beaglesandbeer.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/img_3025.jpg]
Display More[Blocked Image: http://l450s.alamy.com/450e/b0t1je/sudafed-banned-from-sale-from-chemists-and-pharmacy-b0t1je.jpg]
[Blocked Image: http://odditymall.com/includes/content/sword-fly-swatter-thumb.jpg]
There you go...problems solved.
As a final step, to improve your guitar playing and overall KPA experience...
[Blocked Image: https://beaglesandbeer.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/img_3025.jpg]
Do you profile amps, conduct tests?
If yes, I am all ears (I don't mean that ironically in some way).
I think: including DI of low riffs relying on muting, simple chords, clear, single note lines would be ideal test.
I'm running that right now. KPA is very close.
But not quite close enough not to matter to me, especially in terms of feel (small tone difference = bigger one in feel).
I don't want alcohol to mask the differences that do exist either!
I want to contribute to bridge whatever gap there still is.
Display MoreDo you profile amps, conduct tests?
If yes, I am all ears (I don't mean that ironically in some way).
I think: including DI of low riffs relying on muting, simple chords, clear, single note lines would be ideal test.
I'm running that right now. KPA is very close.
But not quite close enough not to matter to me, especially in terms of feel (small tone difference = bigger one in feel).
I don't want alcohol to mask the differences that do exist either!
I want to contribute to bridge whatever gap there still is.
Hi Dimi,
My post was only meant to inject some humor into this discussion. It wasn't directed at you,,,it was meant for all who are following this thread.
For those who haven't been following the entire thread:
Sudafed = solution to the perceived "congestion" issue
Fly swatter = solution to the perceived "drunk mosquito" high frequency phasing/aliasing
Some great beer = solution to almost any minor problems in Life* 
Did you confirm that the drunk mosquito wasn't a result of in-interface summing via onboard routing or built-in mixer, combining a slightly-delayed (due to A/D conversion at the interface's inputs and D/A at the Kemper outs) signal with the Kemper's S/PDIF out, Sonic?
The drunk mosquito is a critter I'd like to see squashed.
Ok, so I finally had a chance to look into this a bit further. I did not fully dissect the profile to determine every nuance that could be contributing but I did manage to find a huge culprit: The Definition setting.
Up to around 8 or so the fret buzz is at a more normal level, but as you approach 10 (and especially in the 9+ range) the KPA suddenly starts grabbing the fret buzz like nothing I've experienced before. In experimenting I noticed I could hear hiss kick up considerably in the signal as it nears 10. This probably explains why I hear it in guitar parts at times since I tend to run Definition in 8.5 - 9.3 range on a number of profiles. So I've now learned just how crazy this Definition control can get. I have no idea what exactly it is doing but at the upper end of the range it really brings out upper frequency nuances. There seems to be a pretty harsh ramp from 9 to 10..
Sonic
Interesting, Sonic; thank you for following up, man.
Personally, I never run Definition higher than 6 or 7. For my tastes, I love the vintage goodness it imparts around 5 and below, and I always try lowering it when auditioning Rigs before even hitting the EQ stack.
I'd have thought that for the early-'80s sounds you're after, you'd have wanted to dial it back. Higher settings give a more transistor-amp-like response, and lower ones more-valvey.
Thoughts?
Display MoreInteresting, Sonic; thank you for following up, man.
Personally, I never run Definition higher than 6 or 7. For my tastes, I love the vintage goodness it imparts around 5 and below, and I always try lowering it when auditioning Rigs before even hitting the EQ stack.
I'd have thought that for the early-'80s sounds you're after, you'd have wanted to dial it back. Higher settings give a more transistor-amp-like response, and lower ones more-valvey.
Thoughts?
Well, many of the profiles I tried had the definition up already set quite high. And for me, I've been trying to get rid of the congestion issue as well. Higher definition seemed to help a bit. Clarity helps too, but too much thins the sound out even further.
Agreed. I tend to avoid Clarity except in "emergencies", such as when I just have to lower Definition to insanely-low levels, for the same reason.
Makes things too-thin-and-scratchy for me. If the Profile's "default" is low, say, below 2 or 3, I can live with taking it up to 5 (Clarity)... if I have to. Guess I'm a bit addicted to the vintage graininess of low-Definition settings.
My two drachmas:
Kemper tends to sound like there's a cocked wah/tube screamer on super high tone values (or maybe drunk mosquito too, space craft taking off -- pick your favorite analogy) when definition is pushed high.
The problem is lowering the definition you are getting away from the amp tone in other ways, even if the above effects are less prominent. And kemper tends to push definition to the max when it comes to the kinds of tones I like the most: unforgiving, clear, cutting, tones you get from quite a few amps. The combination of these real amp tones and also definition pushed to max by kemper (to be able to emulate the amp tone) seems to generate more of these undesirable (to me at least) effects.
Result is I'm faced with either a profile that has the drunk mosquito thing and is otherwise closer to my amp tone or a profile that is less drunk -- maybe has had a beer or two only; make it 4 -- but is off the amp tone in other ways.
The solution? I've no idea, but none of the on-board controls quite do it for me; neither do in between EQs trying to dial out these effects while profiling.
Good to know, if the definition setting is giving unwanted sound then lower it and look at another parameter to adjust
(EQ, cab shift, etc).
@SonicExporer Same DI as before, this time with a tubemeister 18 amp.
Well, many of the profiles I tried had the definition up already set quite high. And for me, I've been trying to get rid of the congestion issue as well. Higher definition seemed to help a bit. Clarity helps too, but too much thins the sound out even further.
So far I haven't been able to find any positive thing that you have wrote about in the Kemper. Are there any positive enjoyable traits that you're able to find in the KPA? Are there any real world ( not profiles) favorite tube amps that you can plug into that allow you to find the sound in your head?
@SonicExporer Same DI as before, this time with a tubemeister 18 amp.
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1:25: The attack of the drunken mosquito!
1:25: The attack of the drunken mosquito!
[Blocked Image: https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/x/drunk-little-mosquito-cartoon-illustration-looking-47090403.jpg]
@SonicExporer Same DI as before, this time with a tubemeister 18 amp.
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Good grief, just like the other clip at around 1:40 and again around 3:00 you can hear how terrible the replication is. Congested and thin. Un-natural as well. This really sticks out in a mix when you start layering things.
Anybody who can't hear this really doesn't understand tone, that's all I can say. If you think the KPA is reproducing a real amp sound then wonderful. however plenty of proof has now been shown in many cases that it simply does not replicate adequately. And the sad part is, if some other people got out of the world of denial or marketing spin and instead put time into working on the actual problem (testing, support tickets, etc) maybe the tonal deficiency would actually get fixed. For live or hobby use maybe the KPA is ok for some people, but for serious recording these tonal deficiencies can be a real impediment. Some applications more than others.
Sonic
.....
Anybody who can't hear this really doesn't understand tone, that's all I can say. If you think the KPA is reproducing a real amp sound then wonderful. however plenty of proof has now been shown in many cases that it simply does not replicate adequately....
The fact that you're unable to use or edit the Kemper and get a good tone out of it only proves your inabilities, with all due respect.
I'm not going to be harsh, but by God, how can anyone not be able to get a good tone from the Kemper is beyond comprehension. Kemper should be renamed "Good Tones for Dummies" and it's honestly quite embarrassing not being able to get a satisfying tone from it. Thousands of players are getting stunning tones for the whole world to listen to and enjoy but all you can muster is congestion.
I don't get why some people always try the worse case scenario and then claim that things don't work. If you haven't been able to learn the Kemper, then it's your fail! Move on or post some good tones that you produced with real tube amps, and
I'll put my money on it that those tube tones that you produce with real tube amps will suffer from the same congestion and mosquito attacks you claim are because of the KPA.
