Posts by fretboardminer

Today I got one RCF NX-12SMA. Spent the whole day tweaking and testing, also doing a new, more thorough profile of my amp and then I did the toughest test:

GUITAR
> LEHLE SWITCHER
>> KPA+RCF NX-12SMA
>> just my amp (FENDER EC VIBROCHAMP)

Now, seven hours later, I am just tired...
What I can say so far:

• Especially those parameters in the amp section (sag, bias, definition) and cabinet section (high-shift, low-shift, character) need still a lot of time to get used to. Some of them might be subtle each on its own but in total they can bring you far away from where you started ... whether this is good or bad depends on your luck or on your knowledge of the KPA.
  

  
  

• I can only agree with what has been said before here: trash in > trash out. Your profile has to bee pristine! And this really is a difficult process, an art, just like recording an amp is anyway. Also for me there are a lot of unanswered questions on what the KPA does during profiling - it is more than just "recording". After all it is much more recomendable to avoid problems (by using a good profile) instead of solving them (by tweaking the parameters later on).
  

  
  

• It is way much easier to do this "amp standing there in a room right before me" feeling with the KPA plugged into a clean amp. A KPA+FRFR setup sounds more like a well (or badly) miked amp in the monitors of a control room. This is nice too, but it is not the same. Not even whith an expensive speaker.
  

  
  

• Especially on the high end sparcle of guitaramps with alnico speakers the balance between muddy and shrill is very fine line in a KPA+FRFR setup. Just a little bit too much makes it sound metallic and harsh compared to the Champ alone.
  

  
  

• This whole process is very subtle and fragile ... and psychological, psychoacustical and whatever ... certainly exhausting! But that is all too logical: many parameters to change offer many possibilities to get lost. It just needs more time than just picking up a Champ, plugging in and enjoying. Time will tell...

Ok, so much about my toughest test today. But the RCF NX-12SMA really seems to be a good speaker! Not much hizz, even response when you walk around it. And it still sounds quite nice when you look directly into its face - no harsh yelling.
It's just that they are a bit big and ... pricey.

I have posted a poll about this >> here >> in the "Feature Requests "part of the forum.

Quote from CSGBAND

Can anyone post a step by step for Mac users, please

TOTAL COMMANDER is a program in the Windows world. You need to install something similar for MAC. I found this here: muCOMMANDER. Maybe this helps. I don't know it but it seems to be capable of handling .tar files. In the MAC finder you see the backup files just as one file with the ending .kpabackup (for example my "2012-06-07 18-17-40.kpabackup"). When you browse to the same file with the TOTAL COMMANDER then you find out that you can click on that file and it will open just like a regular folder. There inside this folder you will see all the content that you want to change. This is because those backup-files are not just simple files but packed archives. So there is no need to store your changes, you just browse upward and leave the backup-file or you exit TOTAL COMMANDER and your changes are stored. I am not shure if muCOMMANDER works the same way, maybe you will have to store your file at this point then. Then you transfer your changes by uploading your backupfile through the restore process in the KPA.

But anyway I also would like to know if this method is confirmed by the KPA support. Would be really handy to have a dedicated editor software for the KPA.

The BOSE L1 is certainly still a candidate on my list. In a way it really is made for small club gigging...

Quote from Zappledan

You have to try them personally

This is certainly the best solution. But how could this be done:

1) You can hunt around and find one here, wait until you find another one there and try to remember how the first candidate did sound like. This might take months and years to find the right one and it needs a good memory for sound.

2) You can buy them online all at once and return those that you don't like. That's nice if you have cash enough under your pillow.

3) You can buy a train ticket and go to the headquarter of one of those large onlinestores and hope that they have the majority of your candidates in store. And then add ticket and hotel to the price of your speaker.

I still think it is a good idea to exchange some ideas before you go shopping. As far as I see it, only the ATOMIC AMP and the LINE6 STAGESOURCE are dedicated developments for our purpose. All the others are optimized for different applications.

Quote from Zappledan

try out a Fishman Loudbox Mini.

Ok, I will. The problem with acousticguitar-amps is, they still don't have those new, lightweight class-D poweramps and also with most of them I buy a lot of things that I won't need (starting with Hi-Z preamp, tonestack and above all reverb and chorus effects).

At the moment I am thinking about the SCHERTLER SIDE or DAVID or AER COMPACT 60 . All of them are quite a pricetag, but maybe worth testing.

On some stages it would be cool to be able to exactly phase-align the monitor with the FOH. This makes the sound much more tight and compact. I found out about that when I used DI-boxes for my Little-Big-Amp setup. A phase switch should be easy done and could help a lot. If it is a CPU problem it could as well be done as a hardware switch on the output jack. But way much better would be a continuous phase control like the RADIAL PHAZER in the monitor out section.

Hmm - yes, an acoustic-guitar-amp might be a good idea! Pity that the class-D technology has not yet arrived in this sector.

Certainly I need something smaller than the RCF NX 10-SMA or even RCF ART310A. It should be:

• best sound (of yourse with compromise in the low end punch)
• medium volume (just small venues)
• minimum size (should fit into a suitcase toghether with the KPA)

Right now I am thinking about dB Technologies K300.

Has anybody ever done small club gigs with Genelecs?

Quote from Bluesman

Yes - I know, but that shouldn't influence the distortion (that's what I actually meant by gain). Is that right?

It means that the XLR should be louder than the TS Jack, but there should be no distortion at all behind the KPA.

I think it should be possible to add further points to the list even still now. If anybody has more suggestions...

At the moment all I would whish for is a small, lightwight speaker with optimum sound and medium volume range .

I found this here about the levels:

Quote

Main Outs TS are +4dB unbalanced, while XLR are +10dB balanced.

Maybe like that?
BTW I opted for the output EQ

Quote from Bluesman

I am talking about the ALTO SXM 112a.

Maybe worth a try, yes. But I don't want to do too much compromise on the sound. When you play small club gigs with a nicely overdriven tube amp this is almost the only opportunity where people can hear a tube amp as it is, without the intervention of a PA. I started with the KPA because I want more control over the volume, but I would not want to sacrifice that sparkling, responsive sound of a cranked amp - especially not on small club gigs.

Quote from DocLine6forum

I still think that the Atomic FR is a very good choice.

Never tried the Atomic amps. Might be a good sound, but I don't like the size and weight.

Quote from guitarnet70

JBL EON Sucks! Big time! Ok for a DJ but awful with guitars. I've been using a QSC k-10 and I've just changed to a RCF NX-12sma: LOTS better! (and the QSC was already good). I'm not a big fan of the Bose concept.

Can you tell me what is is especially that you don't like with the EON?

Interesting:
the RCF NX are a bit the opposite concept of the BOSE. One is focussing
on emitting the high end exactly from where the mid and low part is
coming from (concentrical tweeter) and the other is lifting the high
speakers intentionally on ear level while the low speaker remains
standing on the floor, which might be helpful on small and narrow club
stages.

I need to buy a decent speaker for gigging in smal clubs. It should be as crisp and faithful as possible, but stronger than Genelecs or other studio monitors. I like the idea to play through real studio monitors. They could be good for experimental, weired sounds (many avantgarde electronic players use them) but I would fear that they won't survive a louder setup with say a drummer and a Saxophone. But yet it does not need to go as loud and as much lowfreq-umph as the big stack - it should replace my 2x6V6 10"-speaker amp set on nice overdrive. That is quite loud, but not as loud as a Stack or a Twin. I am torn between QSC K8 or JBL EON 510. The BOSE L1 Compact would be the top end of what I could pay for (I just need one speaker, no stereo). And also the top of what I could schlepp around.

• QSC K8
• JBL EON 510
• BOSE L1 Compact
• RCF NX 10-SMA

Impossible to find a shop where all these compañeros are on display all at the same time...

Any opinions? Any suggestions?
THNX FOLX

Quote from and44

yes,
Download Total commander.
then do a backup of your KPA.
trasnfer to PC/MAC
Load total commander
browse to the backup file and open it
you will see all you need to see.
browse through the "Rigs" section and remove the fluff
exit total commander
do a restore on the KPA
Smile.

Display More

Thanks!
I was searching for that. Will try it out tomorrow.

Wow - yes, it really does! I am travelling and I don´t have a pedal with
me right now, but I see now how I will be able to assign it. I´ll go and get a pedal tomorrow to try it out.

Thanks man!

BTW
there is a little UI mistake in the reference manual: it sais "Pedal Booster"
but on the display it sais "Wah Pedal Booster". Well - not a big issue,
but it might help.

I want to schlepp as few as possible and I could really do without a MIDI controller if only the expression jacks (i.e. EXP1) would offer a wider scope of possibilities to be assigned to. In my case I need Exp2 for final, overall Mastervolume and I would like to assign Exp1 to control the pre-distortion level behind a compressor in the stomp section.

And I am shure there are other players who have lots of further ideas as to where Exp1 would do a great job too.

Ok - I know sooner or later I would love to do a bit of program changing and then I need a MIDI-footcontroler anyway. But if it does not eat up too many resources, please give Exp1 a bit more options.

muchas gracias

Quote from guitarnet70

You can have only 1 volume pedal per rig. Post it in the Features request section.

Ok. I will post it there. Although I am quite shure that they will widen the scope of Exp1 sooner or later.

I just wanted to make shure that I didn´t forget any way to assign Exp1 to - say the gain of the amp section or the level of a compressor stomp before the amp.

Thanks though!