Posts by greenblob

Quote from V8guitar

This seems to be a different problem.
backup should be used as just that, to ensure if things get corrupted you can restore.

Why are you loading up each time? Why not store all performances onto the KPA and change performances for each set ???? There is plenty of memory...

Am I missing something??

You are correct. My gripe is a little different to the OP, but very related. There is a good chance I'm an idiot and not understanding a better solution. If so - any help would be massively appreciated! I'll try to explain. Apologies if it gets a little long winded - but I'm trying to explain clearly.

I have each song saved as a single performance (using 5 slots) and change to the next song in the set by changing banks. The order of these banks is what I'm using to follow the nights setlist (we have 4 different setlists/shows that we typically play). I'm doing it this way as we use many wildly different sounds from song to song as well as and lots song specific time based effects (band plays to a click), so a single song per performance bank is perfect and keeps things tidy and logical.

Re-arranging the order every night using the "arrange" feature with the KPA faceplate buttons is a very manual process takes way too much time on the night of the show (with the limited screen space, frustrating input lag when moving things, etc). Repeating this fully manual process almost every night seems crazy as i'd be doing the exact rearranging work over and over and over going between 4 lists.

As I understand it, the only way I can currently automate this process at shows (without using a laptop and RM) is to load an entire previously saved KPA backup that had the required setlist order setup as its "Performance" when the backup was made. 3 button presses and a lot of waiting (for the backup to load from a usb stick) is much better than the well over 100+ manual button presses (to arrange 30+ songs) that'd be needed every new show.

I really hope I'm daft and missing a better solution, but IMO being able to save unique re-callable Performance set orders onbaord seems like it should be a thing?

@"V8guitar" - Are you suggesting I just load all the different sets back to back (so the performance list is super long with duplicates), and manage them by starting at a certain bank? Eg:

- the 2hr setlist (28 songs) starts at Perfromance #1 thru #28,
- the 1hr setlist (14 songs) starts at Performance #29 thru #42
- the 45 min setlist (10 songs) starts at Performance #43 thru #53,
- etc, etc..

Any advice appreciated!

Have been using this little fella for about 5 months and it's given me nothing but problems.

[Blocked Image: http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o566/bradgreen78/20170527_204552_zpsx8qtuoqd.jpg]

From a show last weekend you can see me awkwardly fighting it from about 40 seconds onwards on and off throughout the whole song. This was the last straw my little friend!

I love the size of it (fits in my guitar case), but the pot in it is garbage. I'd been using it as a global wah (locked in a slot, set to disable when stationary) for all profiles, and after a about 2 months the wah would kick on by itself giving a "cocked wah" sound. Tightened up the torque screw to make sure it couldnt move unless pushed (was thinking stage vibration as the cause), recalibrated in the KPA menu etc, and that helped for about 2 weeks... but then it started happening again.

No worries. Opened it up thinking I'd just clean the thing with some electrical contact cleaner spray and was surprised to see a second spare pot living inside (in its own little plastic bag and all. AMT included a spare! Maybe they suspect something?). The pot is a weird unenclosed sliding track type thing, not a typical enclosed rotary pot, but super easy to change out.

So i swapped it out for the spare one. All good for about 2 months then the same issues came back.

Long story short - the AMT is retired to the junk drawer and the larger (but super reliable) original Mission expression pedal is back in service.

What expression pedals do you guys use and have had good luck with?

Quote from Guavadude

I'd just use the mic you have but I'd blow off running it through the Kemper and go straight into your interface. Record it the best you can with the built in pre you have and add gain later by using plugins and compression.
You don't mention what interface you have. I'd upgrade that before anything or add a small two channel interface with a better pre. You won't hear a world of difference between an SM57, 58 or SM7.

I agree with this.

@waraba The demo you shared sounds fine. You keep mentioning you have a weak vocal, but really its no where near as "weak" as i was expecting. Using the KPA as a mic pre is pretty unconventional - but great things have come from being unconventional - so I say stick with its working for you.

Other things to try:
Get right up on the mic you are using (proximity effect is your friend if you want a "fatter" vocal sound)
Use your recording softwares compressors. I don't hear alot of extra noise/hiss in the demo vocals, so a heavier compressor plugin will be your friend if you still feel the vocals are lacking weight.

Got me curious about what cool things the KPA could be used for as a vocal processor now... hmmmm...

Whatever mic you go with, the only advice I strongly recommend is - purchase new from reputable stores/sites only!

There are quite a lot of hard to spot fake/counterfeit mics out there. I have some "fake" and genuine Shure mics, and side by side, they look incredibly similar. Amazing the effort they put into these cons. They look the goods, but perform very badly compared to the real thing. I was burnt by this trying to save a few bucks online (the fakes were only about 15% cheaper, so I thought I was getting a genuine deal.. silly me).

As far as mic models, it's hard to say what will be best for you as everyone has different preferences of what sounds "better" in a certain scenario, but the previously mentioned Shure SM7B is a solid bet as a long term keeper for a studio dynamic mic. If you ever plan on jamming with mates in a band setting a SM58A Beta is a popular and proven choice.

You should be able to get the vocal level you need out of any modern mic by boosting the signal in your software. How are you connecting the signal to your PC?

Quote from Ingolf

Just do a backup. It contains Everything incl. Performances.

This is what I'm currently doing and well.. it's painfully slow. Really not a good solution.

We have 4 different sets (45min, 1hr, 1.5hr & 2hr) with the songs arranged in order in performance mode, and with each set being saved as an individual COMPLETE kpa backup on a usb (as i need to be able to do this at a venue without a laptop or RM). I have to load the applicable backup before every show. if the set length is different. This takes 10+ minutes for it to load (checks all the rigs, cabinets etc etc etc) and I say a little prayer every time hoping someing doesnt lock up or fail. It seems to work, but damn, is a VERY clunky overkill solution to something that should be quick and easy as it's just a performance sequence/order change... not actually any sound/parameter changes of any patches.

I REALLY wish you could save performance lists/orders and select them in a similar way that you can save and quickly select different "Input" settings when changing guitars.

I have no idea why this isn't already a thing. Would save me about 50mins a week in waiting if lists could be saved and recalled onboard!!

Quote from pikman

This is a dumb question I guess,I use the KPA for recording only.I plug it into my AudioBox ione.Is the pure cab for just for use with an external cab or can I use it the way I have it plugged into my AudioBox and to my JBL speakers?

"Pure Cab" affects the main outputs and will be captured by the Audiobox interface you are plugging into. You do have some options though.

Cut from THIS 2015 THREAD post by @sambrox "Monitor Out Cabs Off checked in the Output section and using the monitor out, Pure Cab does not affect it, meaning you can leave it on when using a real guitar cab and have the benefit going through the Mains, yet still have the raw Direct Amp sound going to the guitar cabinet (if you're using Merged profiles, of course. I'm not sure about Studio profiles and the Cab Driver algorithm, but will check tonight)."

Very interesting pics Armin!

Quote from Armin

Yes, I did

I bought a real Toneking SkyKing amp for my studio after finding myself constantly using KPA profiles of it for clean/light breakup stuff (from multiple profile vendors). It's an amazing amp!

The Kemper has curbed my real amp desire to a massive extent, but like many of us here, with some gear - we are powerless to resist!

@Armin , what are those speakers? an Adam model of some kind? They are HUGE!

Upgraded by Kemper backup. Well, not really upgraded... err... miniaturized?

Just ordered an Atomic Amplifirebox. It'll replace my original 3 button Atomic Amplifire (which I've never actually needed as a backup.. My KPA has been rock solid for 3+ years of shows).

The 3 button one is a bit big and awkward to fit in my KPA's 4u shallow rack. Because of that I've always just thrown it in a spare bag or case or whatever (that usually ends up being far away from the stage should i even need it in a hurry). Far from ideal.

The little Amplifirebox should be perfect. Stuff her in the rack and know with 2 quick plug changes we can limp thorough the show if the KPA ever craps out unexpectedly - god forbid!!

Quote from mwinter77

Interesting as I had 100% the exact opposite experience! Go figure!

Yeah. I've read lots of people have had great success with the Shure GLXD stuff, and I tried everything to get it reliable (FW updates, many channels, re-scan before every use, re-positioning body pack and receiver, removing all local sources of wi-fi & interference, etc, etc..), but it kept dropping for about 1 sec a few times and hour. It is possible my unit has a fault of some kind. The Line 6 G50 has been a winner for me, but I do miss the Shure GLXD's body pack battery charger that's inbuilt to the receiver. Thats a pretty slick feature.

I guess the best advice is get one of the well reviewed options (there are many) and give it a go?

Quote from drunkenmans

Over the years I have learned from them, from the audio engineers that it is best to give them what they expect, the sound of a natural guitar amp, with its darkness, or high frequencies

Yep, with a Eng at the desk, I totally agree.

It's so tempting to tweak your kpa guitar tones to be closer to whats typically needed in a band mix (ballpark high/low pass's etc), and send that, but when you have no idea how it's sounding through FOH, you're not really doing anyone any favors.

My best success has been to simply aim for a great mic'd amp tone that conveys the emotion you're going for, and let the Eng do their job to adjust & make it all fit together beautifully as a band though the mains.

Quote from 120dBRockNRoll

As I had bad experiences with 2,4 GHz systems (WiFi trouble) I switched to a 620 MHz Beyerdynamic Opus 900 (TS910M & NE-911): no interferences at all and outstanding audio quality.
It's not the cheapest wireless-system, but IMHO worth the price.

Same. I have a rather expensive Shure GLXD guitar wireless unit that sits unused in a drawer as it proved too unreliable infront of an audience. The cheaper Line 6 G50 i got to replace it has been flawless.

Used a few different units and have been most happy with the Line 6 G50. Simple, sounds fine, good value and reliable. Buy a set of decent rechargeable AA batteries if you go with one though. I get about 5hrs out of a set. Rechargables used to be crap, but nowadays they are almost as good as standard batteries and have save me lots of $$ over the last year.

Quote from Frodebro

I made some direct profiles of my Mark V a few years ago, then ran both it and my power rack into identical Mesa cabinets. The A/B comparison was close enough that I wouldn't have been able to tell which was which if I were blindfolded and somebody else was randomly switching the A/B box.

Same. I've made direct profiles (dummy load line out) of my Tone King Skyking combo, and when playing the profile though the powerrack into the Sky Kings speaker, imo, it sounds great. Very hard to distinguish the two in both tones and feel.

Admittedly, I have made some direct profiles that didnt turn out so great (poor tone and feel compared to the real amp) but I just deleted those ones. For the majority of them its pretty spooky how close it is. Only did this is a nerdy curiosity experiment as I use the main outs direct to FOH almost 100% of the time.

Power on tap (volume) seems more than adequate also.

Different strokes i guess.

Fuzzed octaved guitar tones for added goodness.

The guitar is an old favorite of mine (my 2nd ever electric guitar!). Bonus point if anyone can actually tell wtf it actually is!

Quote from fourstrk

My feel is that it depends on the profile. Generally speaking, the KPA can make a "bad" guitar sound appropiate. Do you share this impression?

Short answer: It depends on the profile.

Better answer: It depends on the amp and its settings that were profiled.

I mean, some real amps at extreme settings will make alot of guitars sounds similar.... and if thats the amp sound/behaviour you want to capture, the KPA will do it. If its not, get a good profile of a more honest amp and setting, and changing guitars will have the expected result of better showing the instrument differences.

The good amp profiles act just like their captured hosts. If well captured, the profile keeps the honest quirks/personality (both good and bad) of the original amp at that setting.

IMO this is the single biggest reason the KPA see's so much pro use in both studios and on stage. It's honest to what was going on during amp profiling.

A super sensitive amp that typically highlights individual guitar differences will do just that when well profiled. An amp/gain setting thats setup to sound similar no matter whats stuffed into the input jack will profile and duplicate that behavior.

Quote from Fireloogie

Which IE are you using?

Sennheiser EW300's for the transmitters. We all have different in ears phones, but i have molded 64Audio A6's and they are brilliant. Really love them.

Quote from Raoul23

What router are you using with the QU-PAC the one my band uses with the QU-16 keeps dropping out. Any drop outs with yours

A cheap $40 Netgear N600. In an uneducated attempt to avoid possible network/traffic issues down the road (clutter from audience cell phone wifi!) we disabled the 2.4ghz signal and just run the typically less busy 5ghz wifi network in the router. Never had the iPad lose connection so far. That said though, as our input levels dont change night to night (same kemper/Vocal Mic etc levels) the iPad is only ever turned on if we're mixing foh from our rack, and that's rare. I'd recommend the N600. It just works!

Cool you got it sorted and glad the sale went well, but... still jealous you scored the remote. I really wanted it! They are rare animals at the moment!

Bought a 15m/50ft one from Amazon to try out and yep, it's a winner! (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GVXYQBS) Threw it on the floor straight out of the delivery bag and it sits almost as flat as a well loved standard guitar cable. Super flexible for an ethernet cable and feels like great quality. No more dark stage Loch Ness monster tripping traps. Woot! Thanks for the recommendation @BILLIAM666 !!

Note: I use a cheap Power over Ethernet injector to run the extended cable length. This cable by itself will not magically extend the 7.5m/22ft Kemper limit. The 20ft version seems like a perfect upgrade for the stock cable.

Your morphing solution seems like the best for the situation without changing anything else. You could stage gates before and after heavy distortion effects etc, but thats a pain and very rig dependant. Are you using loads of gain? Any compressors?

I'm not sure how loud "really loud" is, but naturally, excessive volume in a room will always cause problems. The sheer amount of vibration in the room will bring on loads of unwanted guitar noise, and as you know gates can only do so much before obviously killing the note tails.

I know its lame... but maybe focus more on getting the apparent volume down a bit at rehearsal? I'm sure you're familiar, but the usual fixes are proven to work and generally make everything sound better and tighter:

- Elevate/angle PA and guitar cabs (if used) to be directed more towards ear level (huge overall room level reduction with same/better punch)
- Who's making the the most noise that your trying to match? Normally its a hard hitting drummer. Could you give them a monitor as they would have playing live? Or, put PA behind them so it's louder for them but matched for you?

Not much to add, but in case it's helpful, I've been using one of the recommended TP-link power injectors (this one - Amazon Link) for over 2 years with various super cheap 100ft/30m ethernet cables (cat5e) and its been flawless.

The TP-Link power injector is only $16USD (in its own housing and comes with a power supply), so im not sure why Kemper didnt just build the injector circuitry internally into the KPA's ethernet port and be done with it. Would have resolved alot of cable length\gauge issues people seem to run into. Seems like a bit of a design oversight imo.

Without the PoE injector I never found an ethernet cable longer than the stated 7.5m/22ft that could reliably connect to the remote.