Hi Gary, that is hum and sounds like a problem with your set up not an issue with a profile.
What is your signal chain? Do you have anything else attached to the Kemper; any pedals or anything?
Hi Gary, that is hum and sounds like a problem with your set up not an issue with a profile.
What is your signal chain? Do you have anything else attached to the Kemper; any pedals or anything?
I thought hum was the right answer.
My signal chain if guitar into input of Kemper direct. I use the Remote, no other pedals. It has been this way since day 1, 5 years ago. I get the same results when I plug direct from monitor out to studio monitors, guitar cab, doesn't seem to make any different.
Really puzzled now...
That definitely doesn’t sound right. It sounds like the sort of hum you get with a ground loop but if there’s nothing else connected that shouldnt be the case.
Is it a powered Kemper?
I would get it looked at. There honestly shouldn’t be any hum like that.
I’ll go and make a recording of mine on the same settings and let you hear. What profile were you using in your clip?
I thought hum was the right answer.
My signal chain if guitar into input of Kemper direct. I use the Remote, no other pedals. It has been this way since day 1, 5 years ago.
I have one guitar that sounds like that. I've been lazy about getting it repaired. As my other guitars don't make that sound, I think mine is an issue with the guitar and not the amp. Do you have another guitar to test with?
Could also be an issue with the power. Another thing I've seen cause that noise is either electromagnetic or radio frequency interference coming from my computer. It seems to affect some guitars more than other and is especially noticeable if I turn either the computer or the guitar in a certain direction.
If it is coming from inside the Kemper, I'm not really sure what would cause that noise, but someone here probably would.
What profile were you using in your clip?
I was using Michael's 5153iii 3+ one of my favorites of his (the 3+ may be my own suffix).
I've now tried it on 4 guitars, including my bass (different profile obviously), in 2 different rooms using 4 different outlets. Same results each time. And yes, it's a powered toaster.
Gary, this is what mine sounds like running Lasse Lamert LL Bomber from the free rig packs. Its pretty high gain. Noise gate is off. All rig volumes etc are at 0 but the power amp out is set at full (max) so the hiss in the room is pretty loud. I have an SM57 stuck in front of a Mesa Recto 212 cab. In order to get a decent level to my DAW I had to turn the mic pre on the desk to full which introduces quite a bit of noise of its own. This is what it should sound like. Something is definitely wrong in your clip.
https://soundcloud.com/alan-dick/kemper-noise-test/s-YYc4b
Cheers
Alan
I've now tried it on 4 guitars, including my bass (different profile obviously), in 2 different rooms using 4 different outlets. Same results each time. And yes, it's a powered toaster.
Gary - you mentioned you have this issue with all guitars and in multiple venues. What AC power set up do you have for the KPA and/or any FX? It’s physical position may cause a hum.
It seems to affect some guitars more than other and is especially noticeable if I turn either the computer or the guitar in a certain direction.
It could be that, it does have some directionality to it. But it's a bit impractical to move my music room far from my computer, if that's the culprit, especially since that's where I try out all the profiles and do the tweaks and all my recordings.
Thanks for your feedback (humina humina) though, I appreciate your time and thoughts.
Something is definitely wrong in your clip.
Man, that is quiet! Do you normally run your power amp at full? (I never do) or was that to elicit any noise at all?
@paults thanks for chiming in Paul. I just have a simple power cable direct into my home outlets (multiple, different rooms as mentioned above), no effects besides the remote and it wasn't even engaged for that hum test I ran. If the problem is within the KPA, I am either royally screwed, or just have to keep running noise gates all the time. Speaking of which - I need to set the external knob noise gate to 4 or 5 to eliminate hum from the guitar with internal noise gate switched off. This isn't normal, is it?
It could be that, it does have some directionality to it. But it's a bit impractical to move my music room far from my computer, if that's the culprit, especially since that's where I try out all the profiles and do the tweaks and all my recordings.
Thanks for your feedback (humina humina) though, I appreciate your time and thoughts.
I definitely feel your pain, because that's the same situation I am in. My computer room, where I have my PC, Kemper, Studio Monitors, etc. is small to the point I can't escape this.
If I move the Kemper to the living room, and hook it up to my powered cab, I don't notice the issue nearly as much.
Thanks Patrick. I'm trying the playroom next, 'miles' away from a computer.
Man, that is quiet! Do you normally run your power amp at full? (I never do) or was that to elicit any noise at all?
@paults thanks for chiming in Paul. I just have a simple power cable direct into my home outlets (multiple, different rooms as mentioned above), no effects besides the remote and it wasn't even engaged for that hum test I ran. If the problem is within the KPA, I am either royally screwed, or just have to keep running noise gates all the time. Speaking of which - I need to set the external knob noise gate to 4 or 5 to eliminate hum from the guitar with internal noise gate switched off. This isn't normal, is it?
I only had the power amp up full to test how bad I could make it. I normally run it -20 something db depending on requiements.
No it’s definitely not normal to need to run noise gates to eliminate that kind of hum. I would contact support and ask them who can service it near you.
Thanks, sounds like I'm in for a fun ride...
Hang in there. You’ll get it fixed somehow and you will feel the relief wash over you first time you switch it on with no buzzing
Rear of Kemper has a ground lift.
Right?
Tried it?
Well I'll be damned... there's no hum in the playroom!! I'm hornswaggled.
Now I'll have to do all my profile hunting, tweaking, volume matching in this playroom, way on the other side of the house, then bring it back in to play/practice/etc... What a drag, but at least it's not an electrical Kemper issue.
Thanks for everybody's combined input that eventually solved this mystery!
Question: do most of you leave the rig volumes at 12:00 for live playing, or volume match wherever it's needed and sounds best? (no, I don't have a dedicated sound guy to depend on for this)
Display MoreWell I'll be damned... there's no hum in the playroom!! I'm hornswaggled.
Now I'll have to do all my profile hunting, tweaking, volume matching in this playroom, way on the other side of the house, then bring it back in to play/practice/etc... What a drag, but at least it's not an electrical Kemper issue.
Thanks for everybody's combined input that eventually solved this mystery!
Question: do most of you leave the rig volumes at 12:00 for live playing, or volume match wherever it's needed and sounds best? (no, I don't have a dedicated sound guy to depend on for this)
@prsgary, my guess is that some of the electrical wiring in that room is dodgy. Have all the plug points got an earth connection? That is the number reason at the top of my mind whenever I'm at some place and start to experience hum issues.
@prsgary I really hope you find your issue as hum drives me to drink!! Forgive me if you’ve tried any of the following already but I’m like a reformed smoker - suffered for years and now I am free. Free I tell you and I shall tell it on the mountain, even though I’m not actually on a mountain and this is a thread where a guy complained that profiles were crap when he meant he didn’t like them.
Do you have any dimmer switches in your house at all? Believe it or not they can infect the wiring elsewhere. Even when they are off.
Any fluorescent lights, including the little light bulbs? If yes, replace with led.
Computer. Look at C States / power saving. They can act like a massive radio transmitter.
Shielding on your guitars. Consider doing it.
Final puzzle piece for me was a new audio interface. FireWire caused airborne guitar interference. I know what you’re thinking - this guy is crazy. Afraid not. It did. My new usb interface has caused the remains of my hum issue to vanish.
I'll vouch for those causes, Gary; they're typical of what I've seen on the web and experienced over the years.
Most comments, at least in this thread, seem to be contradictory. People have been so excited by all the new delays we got, bitch that we don't have spring reverb, and then say they disable these on all their newly loaded profiles! Make up your minds! Seems like nobody agrees with what I have to say of late, even this post I'm sure. I think I'll read but comment no further.
We were talking about when we browse / audition Rigs, Gary. You simply cannot properly judge new acquisitions if they're smothered in hot sauce.
I choose to dispense with FX altogether 'cause I'm old school when it comes to recording, but I'm sure some of those who browse sans-FX do in fact add them in later once they've settled on what to keep and use.
IOW, I see no hypocrisy here. My guess is that your hum issue was frustrating you to the point that a tiny bit of said emotion "leaked".
Display MoreOK, I think we have been talking about different things.
Hiss and hum are two quite specific issues.
Hiss is the high frequency noise that you get with all high gain amps (whether real or profiled/modeled). Nothing hisses like my really Mesas at high gain As soon as you turn up the gain you compress the sound and raise the entire noise floor so hiss is unavoidable. Noise gates are designed to kill that, although the way they tend to interfere with the tail on sustained notes is a bigger issue for me than the hiss. It's probably because I grew up using valve amps without noise gates so I'm used to the hiss and a natural decay to the note. Also, I like to ride the volume knob for cleaning up the sound which often confuses noise gates. I tend to switch off noise gates (even my ISP Decimator Pro Rack G) or keep them really low (like below 3 on the Kemper) because the interference on sustain and glitchy triggering is a bigger compromise to me than the hiss. Others may feel differently, particularly if playing metal with tight fast rhythm passages where the gate is actually an effect as well as a utility.
Hum on the other hand is that low frequency (50/60hz and 100/120hz depending on country) that you get from a faulty amp or a ground loop. If you are hearing hum using a noise gate to cover it up is like trying to polish a turd. Hum needs to be removed at source as early in the signal chain as possible to avoid it being amplified even further. I genuinely hear ZERO hum in any of the profiles I have used no matter how high gain.
If you set the noise gate in the Input section it should be global across all profiles so you shouldn't need to tweak it much on an individual profile basis. I set mine as low as I can get away with for the highest gain profiles I am likely to use then leave it alone and forget about it.
Alan, you've hummed... I mean, summed it up very-well, mate!
Well I'll be damned... there's no hum in the playroom!! I'm hornswaggled.
Fantastic, Gary!
Hopefully it's your lighting (flouros are the worst in my experience), computer or something else.
Once you've tried "everything", you still have options such as power conditioners (to provide "perfect-waveform" power), rewiring somewhere in the house (might need an electrician to find the source) and even a poor-man's Faraday cage.
Not counting this latest challenge, I hope you're well, matey. Long time no chat!