Clean profiles Vs. distorted profiles

    Hi,
    I'd like you guys to discuss the issue about profiling a clean amp, which has recently arisen. What I'm missing is why they talk about all "the preamps" sounding like each other, and never talk about the power section, or even the amp as a whole, as if the chain was guitar-pre-cab. Can any of you enlighten me on this?


    Talking about which, eng. Kemper has recently stated that, when profiling a clean-set amp, the KPA is not able to get informations about its "personality" as long as there's no distortion involved.
    On TGP, user tgp100 suggested profiling an amp as a distorted one, with actually a bit of overdrive, and then cleaning the sound lowering the gain when using it.
    If all the above is true, wouldn't this carry more informations, hence producing a richer and more faithful sound? Of course this would depend on the way the algorithm has been written, and because of this I'd like Eng. Kemper to chime in, if he feels inclined :) If tgp100 is right, this would lead to better (more realistic) clean profiles.

    My understanding is there's really no issue profiling a clean Amp you will get a very good profile
    its when you remove the cab that most will all sound the same.
    Most of the character of of the profile of a clean amp seem to be in the Cab.

    Edited once, last by troynova ().

    Quote from troynova

    My understanding is there's really no issue profiling a clean Amp you will get a very good profile
    its when you remove the cab that most will all sound the same.
    Most of the character of of the profile of a clean amp seem to be in the Cab.


    That was my understanding too. I think the point is not that all the KPA cleans sound the same because the preamp sounds the same, but that the foundational dynamics of the clean amps will be similar. On top of that are layered some additional dynamics differences from the poweramp interaction and then eq'ing in the cab section. So it would be a problem for those going into a traditional poweramp+cab as removing the cab in the profile you would lose the changes from the default preset, but it should be fine for those using FRFR.

    I'm traveling right now and nowhere near the KPA, but my first test when i get back will be trying the same profile using the distortion mode vs the clean mode, to see which sounds closer to the "real" clean amp sound, from what i've been reading it probably works better using the distortion mode, and backing off some of the gain after.

    Most of the dynamic's( better then 95%) come from from the player instument.
    I have profiled several clean Amp setups of my 68 marshall plexi and find no significant differences
    over one with a bit more gain.

    Monitoring on stage with a Amp & cab will always be a compromise.


    Say you profile a Fender( or any other distinct clean amp) and try to play it with the Amp & cab 4x12 it wont sound like a Fender.


    Even if you profile it dirty and back off the gain.

    ... and now we better understand why. since the (virtual) "cab" is not like an IR but carries the interaction poweramp-loudspeaker, excluding the "cab" can't possibly give the same quality as a whole profile played back through a FRFR system.