Harmonica

An SM58 into a "XLR to TR" adapter will allow you to plug into the guitar jack just like you would with an amp. The KPA has enough tonal control to do this with excellent results, I'm sure.

Those adapters can be had for $20. Try it and let us know how it works!

bd

You could use the Alt Input on the back panel of the KPA and set your harmonica rigs to use it instead of the guitar input. You could leave both plugged in that way. Just switch rigs to choose which one is active.

bd

I'd like to hear an harmonica played through a kemper.

I'd use a pre for the mic, to feed a more robust signal to the KPA

Old tread but since I almost exclusively use the Kemper for harmonica I thought I'd leave a reply:

Yes, this works great for harmonica! I use dynamic High-Z mics on the input (Shure 545's, Electrovoice 638, etc), for low-Z mics's (545, balanced) I use an old matching transformer (Shure A95). The output on those mic's is way hotter than any guitar pickup I plugged in so I set the clean sensitivity to about -8 / -10 dB.

The trick for a "classic" harp-sound is to find the lower gain profiles of fifties/sixties amps. I profiled my own amps but also purchased the TAF Vintage Rig pack which has some really great sounds, especially the 1961 Maestro GA-45. Tweak and adjust to taste. Compression and sag can really change the harmonic distortion-details from "angle-grinder" to thick and smooth.

I use a set of KRK studio monitors for home use, on stage a Camplifier 360 powering a pair of KPA-solutions Plus 112 setup as floor monitors in stereo (line out, monitor out), mains out to FOH.

Biggest advantages:

- Neutral volume adjustment: "in the old days" I had to adjust my amps to stage volume: below or above the sweetspot of the amp. Yes, in theory I can do the same trick with an amp and stage-monitors but trust me: considering I use a handheld cupped dynamic mic on stage I personally want control over those monitors instead of an enigineer. (usually they don't want it anyway for the feedback-infested hell that amplified harmonica can be, haha)
- Especially in a loud environment: way higher feedback treshold due to the setup and the set gain. A lot of firepower for stage-volume on the bench, haha. I use a special noise-gate (Harp Shield) but with the Kemper the treshold-pot is at dead-zero, where with a classic setup I actually had to use it.
- Since I use a lot of different sounds and effects for specific songs in my band I can use the performance mode to get consistent, easy-access sounds.
- Consistency: just hand the the FOH engineer two XLR's: "...Pan left/right, EQ flat on both. Thank you..."

Kemper? Love it!

Wow, great feedback, I didn't know it would turn out so well , once again it's a matter of choosing the right tools ! Have you tried the vintage amps from the free rigs (Old and Forgotten amp profiles) ?

No I haven't. Where can I find those?

The thing is: harp players (at least the ones who care) use very different settings on guitar-amps. So the whole profile-exchange thing is a bit of a hit-or-miss game considering all profiles out there are created using guitars as a reference. A niche market within a niche market I guess.

Quote from MascoSoundSystem

No I haven't. Where can I find those?

The thing is: harp players (at least the ones who care) use very different settings on guitar-amps. So the whole profile-exchange thing is a bit of a hit-or-miss game considering all profiles out there are created using guitars as a reference. A niche market within a niche market I guess.

Old-and-Forgotten-amp-profiles

Tnx

As a bit of "proof" you can make the Kemper work for harmonica: first half decent live video I found with me using the Kemper live. Toaster mains out to FOH, stage sound using a Camplifier 360 with 2 Camper+ cabinets as monitor.

Sat down and got some work done re-profiling some amps of mine which I profiled when I had the Kemper out of it's box for a few days...

Taking my time and really listening to what was going on, combined with the extra mileage I got using the Kemper got me to three conclusions about using this for harp:

1: The refine option is essential to really capture the "harp-dynamics" of an amp. Don't know why but it does. The basic sound-scape the Kemper puts out is only half way. Really put out a "showcase" of what you are putting in and she will capture it. You just got to show her.

2: Ignore all the mic-position dogma's for micing a guitar cabinet: Electrified harmonica? Don't be afraid to put it Dead-centre! Maybe a tiny, tiny bit of an angle to put it off axis.

3: Lower the gain of the amp! Most of the profiles I got were only just above "distorted" level for the Kemper. That's where it sounds like a full-throttle horn-section. Anything above and it will sound like a cat in a blender.

Do you use a bullet type mic for your harp?
They have a fair amount of tone in them, don't they?
When I've recorded harp players in the past it's always been with small combo's, Tweed champs etc. Is that what you're profiling?

Quote from MascoSoundSystem

Kemper? Love it!

Great advice
I can not play harp in front of audience but I appreciate your very good suggestions.

Quote from telelogic

Do you use a bullet type mic for your harp?

What's a bullet mic? Bullet is just a shape. Traditionally harp players use these because of the ergonomic shape for "cupping" (= making an airtight seal around the mic and harp with your hands) and because all the past greats used these in the fifties because back then pretty much all mic's where bullit shaped.

I have used bullets, but nowadays I use dynamic mics because you can cup these just as easy. For me it's a matter of four factors:

- You have to be able to use it for "cupping"
- You have to be able to get the membrame into slight overload.
- It has to have a fairly hot output (to drive the input of the amp) with a wide frequency range.
- You have to be able to put it into Hi-Z mode (by itself or with a converter)

It's a bit of a taylor-made recipe for each individual: How strong is your un-amplified sound to be able to drive the membrane? How big or small are you hands for cupping that mic? Do you have a relatively clean amp or does it distort early?

I use Shure 545's because for me it fits the bill and I consider the wider frequency range a plus over the traditional (mid-focussed) cartridges you find, or are able to fit into a bullit mic shell.

But a dead-simple SM57 with an impedance-matcher, in the right hands can be a killer all-round harp-mic.

Quote from telelogic

They have a fair amount of tone in them, don't they?When I've recorded harp players in the past it's always been with small combo's, Tweed champs etc. Is that what you're profiling?

Personally I don't consider the mic to be the biggest part for tone/distortion. It's in the amp. And then you can't beat a single ended 5 Watt tube-amp with an 8" speaker. Shure sells a "harp-mic" (520DX Green bullit) which puts out a distorted sound by itself so you can make a solid-state Peavey 300 watt amp sound "harp-like", but that's just about it. If you use that mic on a 5 watt tube amp it's just to much distortion to begin with and you miss out on all great sounds that amp is able to deliver.

Tweed Champs yes, but basically I have never tried a single ended 5 Watt tube amp which doesn't deliver the goods: Supro, Lectrolab, Valco, Masco, Oahu, Kalamazoo, Magnatone, Generic fifties mail-order amps with no branding, recent Epihone valve junior and VHT 6 etc etc. Saves a lot of money if you don't have to pay for the Fender-myth on E-bay.

As soon as you get out of 5/10-watt-single-ended-territory it's push-pull amps: they can also sound really great but it introduces more volume with you tone (which can be a practical issue) and they tend to be a bit more robust, round sounding compared to single ended amps. Very usefull as a base for adding effects on the Kemper. For instance: if I put the "Dirty Rotor" effect on top of a profile I prefer a bigger, cleaner sounding profile because the end result is much more pleasing: If I would use a dirty profile it would certainly have the WOW!-factor in the beginning but one minute later it's just an annoying, fatiguing sound.

Right now I am profiling: a Masco MU-5, homebrew Fender Champ 5F1 in the small amp range. In the "bigger" push-pull range it's a rebuild Gibson GA-6 with a 12" and a Voice of Music 160 (Yep!) with a 10" speaker,

Quote from Sharry

Great advice
I can not play harp in front of audience but I appreciate your very good suggestions.

Yeah, me too. I bought some harps in different keys telling myself I'd learn to play them in the near future. Obviously "near future" seems to be a widespread term ...

I'm using a 1951 Gibson br9 amp for recording harp, seems to do the trick.

Quote from telelogic

I'm using a 1951 Gibson br9 amp for recording harp, seems to do the trick.

It sure can