Posts by RosboneMako

    Clean amps have a ton of headroom (dynamic range). So a lot of Kemper profiles sound thin and lack chime because it is reproducing that high dynamic range. Some profilers will add compression to bring them alive.


    That is the key here, add compression. I personally like the compressor in the stomp section. The compressor in the AMP section works also. You can also try some AMP section SAG to get different tones.


    My other fav trick is adding a TREBLE BOOSTER stomp after the AMP/CAB. Adjust the MIX to taste.


    Not sure what sound you are looking for but a neat clean profile to try is in Rig Exchange named "Wooly Coats Spanky MK2".

    I am writing a VST and I made a weird thing where I boost/dist 150HZ and 1500HZ and it gets real chimey. I made some profiles and put them on Rig Exchange also. Results will vary. Mine are labelled "MakoD2-Chime01" thru "MakoD2-Chime06". They have a lot of high end and various crispiness.


    You can also try a crunch amp like the famous AC30 profile and turn down the gain.


    You have a ton of options. Best of luck getting the sound in your head and out of your speakers!

    One of the best Marshall IRs I have heard is on the Kemper from the factory (Rig Manager?). Locate the Lars Leuttge pack. Its probably a Marshall amp because the cab is labelled 1960AV or something. If you look at this IR in some software, it looks like it was man made because everything is perfect as far as phase etc.

    But IRs are a chase-your-tail kind of thing. They always sound like "it could be a little better".


    Good luck!

    Welcome!


    Long time Line6 fan here. I even got a Helix after I got a Kemper. Love both, its a great time to be a guitarist.


    As I only play at low volumes I have always had great luck with studio speakers.


    Recently I started driving a Katana with a single 12 and was surprised how good it sounded. It lacked the clarity and bass of my monitors but once you get a 12" up to volume it really starts to shine. Get that heavy low mid push. The Katana 12 had enough high freq to be useful in my case. I assumed a monitor would be much better. But the Katana stood its ground.


    I have not tried a Kab, etc. Imprints sounds fun.


    The amplifier is a major concern. If you want the profiler to do the heavy lifting, then you want the loudest cleanest power you can get. Since you are questioning your current tube setup, I think you are leaning towards a cleaner setup. I think this is another variable that puts people into certain camps. A Kemper/Line6 into a slightly driven amp sounds amazing and has insanely good feel! But it will not sound good for every profile right?


    But my suggestion would be focus on the volume you play at. This is where amps and speakers start to run into issues.


    Best of luck!

    The Kemper has a small parallel option. I turn it on in the INPUT section of the rig using RIG MANAGER. I usually use a Graphic EQ and a Chorus on that signal and mix that with the amp profile path. I think the limitation is the first two stomps are only available. It is meant to be used for bass.

    I also have a Helix and use the same parallel GEQ Chorus setup on that.


    I also wrote a VST and made a parallel path before the amp section just for this purpose. Since I wrote it myself I have 3 stomps and 2 modulation slots available. And I tend to use a more distorted sound into the chorus on the VST. Mostly because I do it all in stereo and the chorus spreads it across the speakers nicely. So that is another option using a Kemper stomp to add grit and use the amp for cleans. Gotta love the Kemper.


    For new people trying this stuff, you always have to think about phase issues with two paths.

    I agree with everything said so far. Def seems to be an EQ adjustment at the input. My guess is it rolls off the lows. And agree it could be almost a tilt eq.


    Assuming it does not do a great deal more than input EQ, you could attach the Kemper to a sound card and run Room EQ Wizard on it to see the actual EQ changes.

    My take is that you will love the profiles that have:
    1) The sound you are looking for (amp/pickups/gain/EQ/etc).

    2) Been dialed in at the volume you will be playing them at.
    3) Been dialed in on similar equipment to your playback devices.


    1) You have to start with the correct sound/amp. Pickups are crucial to the sound also. Your personal taste also matters. if you like dark smooth tones vs gritty tones fully of bite for example.


    2) Due to your ears response, volume plays a significant role in how sounds are heard. Adding volume also increases the amount your playback devices amp will add to the sound. And the amount the speakers compression will affect the sound.


    3) If a sound is dialed in on a 12" speaker, it will sound a lot different on a high powered PA. And vice versa.


    So to me, these discussions of who is the best is almost meaningless unless you talk extensively about the music genre, guitar, pickups, monitoring solution, etc. For my purposes, the profiles I make myself are the best. But anyone else using them would say these are trash.


    I have not heard many people talk about how people author their profiles. I have only heard that MBritts sounds really good loud and thru a PA. So I assume he dials them in pretty loud in his studio with pretty good sized speakers. Or he just has a magic ear?

    In laymans terms:


    The 'Generic' EQ is the standard EQ that was normally used since the inception of the Kemper.


    Liquid Profiling means you can select other real world amp EQs instead of the Generic EQ. If you pick a Marshall EQ it will have the same frequencies and gains as the original amp. This is a cool feature because real amp EQs are interactive. Changing the mid may change the bass for example. The controls should act very similar to the real amp.


    This includes the gain control for a real amp. You will now have 2 gains. The LP amp gain which is adjusted to the real world amps gain range. And a regular gain that is the normal Kemper gain with its full range of control. Think of it like a Fender may have a gain range of 0-10 which corresponds to the Kemper gain of 0-.4 for example.

    I should also mention you will want to use a very clean profile and turn off any FX, Cab/IR, etc. That should give you the best shot at getting the right curves for the Amp EQ sections.


    Also note the liquid EQs may be interactive so you cant sweep the mid for example and call it a day. Adjusting the bass/treb/pres may affect the mid freq and response.


    REW is great for making profiles as well. You can sweep your mic setup and see if you have phase issues like suck outs, echoes cancellation, etc. First time I swept my 2x12 cab I was blown away by how much the one speaker bled into the other. I ended up piling deadening material around the unused speaker.


    Best of luck and have fun.

    In case you have time and wish to go further, I'd very much like to see studio equaliser curves for :

    - high cut

    - low cut

    - steep low on/off

    - steep high on/off

    The app used to determine/show the freq curves is called ROOM EQ WIZARD. It is a free download.


    You need to be able to run your audio cards output into the Kemper and then Kemper out to your audio cards input. At least in the analog out only days of the Kemper.


    Since the Kemper acts as an audio device itself now, you may be able to route it without touching any cables. I have not tried.


    Not telling you to do it yourself. Just posting info for others and also help you in case you want to know what some of the new Liquid EQ response are. You can get REW and start sweeping all of the stuff you are interested in. Like what is the EQ of a tube screamer? Sweep it and find out!


    cheers

    Half of the fun of doing a tune is seeing how it comes out sonically. Super fun tune! If Tony Iommi can write some of the best guitar riffs ever with no finger tips, I have hope you will be fine. <3

    The point though of LP's - as I see it .... and as CK states - is that if you do it as recommended, you will get very "authentic" amp response and adjustability whereby when you move the G/B/M/T etc.... it "authentically" reproduces how the Amp would respond ... no one is claiming its "1:1 perfect" ... but it is very "authentic" and to my ears bang-on amp-like and musical.

    For clarity:

    What I was saying is pretend you have an old Fender. Maybe the EQ is after the preamp. LP's should work fine on this amp generically just set the EQ in the Kemper to Pre. Same for a Marshall or something that has EQ then gain. Set the EQ to post.


    Both of these scenarios will be great 90% of the time with LP's for most amps.


    The issue comes with situations like EQ -> Gain - > EQ -> Gain -> EQ. LP's are not going to be great with a single shot for this amp. You will probably need multiple profiles.


    I am just saying people need to be realistic about what the Kemper is trying to accomplish. If you want dead nuts copies of an amp get a Helix, Fractal, etc. If you want an amp that sounds amazing, is easy to use, and even better most of the time get the Kemper.

    Since every amp is designed a little different, you should profile at several points. The EQ and gain stages will vary so you cant just magically do a 12 o'clock version and have it be perfect.


    The addition of some EQ presets will not magically make the Kemper a Helix(etc) where every device in the amp has been modeled. Liquid is designed to get you much closer to the real amp, not model that amp to perfection.

    Agreed kids now complain of carrying a P.A. on a stick . We carried 70 PAR cans, heavy light dimmers, Leprecon light board and 8x BGW 750 backbreaker power amps (about 85lbs ea.) that we lifted and took 4 guys to lift each rack they were in and 4 huge MCA Sub cabs with 15" speakers and a 4 way P.A The only instructional videos I had were pushing my way up to the front of a show and watching fingers. I cannot even respond when I hear of people complaining about "hauling" around the systems now. My amp rig in the 80s was harder to haul around. We were WAY tougher then.

    You cant fit into "skinny" jeans when you bulk up so much carrying man sized equipment :P

    The Kemper is an electronic device that is plugged into the wall. It will make more noise than a guitar generically. But it is usually pretty clean.


    Things to look at are:

    - The Kemper should be connected to the same power source (outlet) as the Amplifier. Or you will get GROUND LOOPS where small amounts of current are flowing on the cables because the Amp and Kemper are not at the same GROUND voltage/potential.


    - If the Kemper is connected to a PC with a USB cable, you will get a bunch of noise. It is best to remove the USB when profiling. May help if the Computer is also on the same power source.


    - Cables are antennas. The longer the cables used from the Guitar/Amp/Kemper, the more noise and the less Guitar/Kemper signal you will have. This is called signal to noise ratio.


    - Computers are noise generators. Even if not connected to a PC, you will pick up noise being transmitted from the PC. Always keep the guitar/Kemper/Cables as far away from the PC/Monitor as possible.


    You may be able to go into the Kemper and try lifting GROUNDs on inputs/outputs to see if it stops the ground loops.