Hello Folks,
Another weekend, another time sink trying to get my Kemper to sound like a good high gain amp... with little success. I'm looking for some confirmation if these are the tones I should be expecting.
In there is a playlist with DI, a clean profile I like and then 4 high gain profiles. I find the high gain channels to sound nasty, exemplified by the 'Go Jimi Go' profile.
Signal Chain:
Guitar: Ibanez S Series, middle pickup, 'C3'
Amp: Front Input Kemper
Audio Interface: XLR connection to Phonic Helix
DAW: Reaper
Kemper Settings:
Input locked with no noise gate and clean and distortion sense at zero
EQ locked with a cut below 80Hz and above 9K
Stomps locked off
Pure Cabinet Off
Space @ 3.0
Main Output: Master Stereo
Main Volume: -17.1dB
Perceived Problem:
The high gain tones sound hollow, fizzy and generally nasty . I have tried 100s of profiles at this point, whilst some are more enjoyable than others it never seems to match the quality that people here seem to talk about. It doesn't seem to match what I hear in demos and YouTube videos. I chose these profiles as the high gain profiles from some of the respected high gain profilers that come with the Kemper.
Additional Comments:
- There is no huge difference in using headphones, PA speakers or my living room speakers
- Cab Mode is on
Overall I am looking for a sanity check on whether these are simply the same tones that you all hear on these profiles or if anyone can identify an issue with the sound and/or confirm that this is not how it is supposed to sound.
Any help would be appreciated, feel like I have a huge disconnect between the online discussion and my experience with the Kemper.