Recommendation on some real nice profiles usable for "electrified" harmonica:
Daniel McLaughlin, '65 Kalamazoo Two. Especially Clean 2, Clean 3 an Crunch 1 profiled with Shure 57 are dead on right out of the box (or zip-file...)
I replaced my own profiles of the same amp with these.
He also has a 6" Fender Champ which creates an interesting compression on all gain-settings.
Check them out, available on his website.
Hi folks. Was trying to impress my harmonica playing mate with the available range of Rigs for Kemper, and he asked if I had a Marble Max profile, which, of course, I couldn't find.
We're probably going to profile his next time we get together, but wondered if anyone had profiled harmonica amps like the Marble Max?
Oh, and another thing about "harmonica-amps". A lot of designated harmonica amps are so because they incorporate low-gain pre-amps (tube swaps to 12AT7 and lower), lower capacity rectifiers for more "sag", bigger coupling caps for more low-end and voiced tone-stacks. Basically adapting guitar tube-amps to work with feedback-prone microphones and a bass-deprived, mid-heavy instrument at usable stage volume.
The thing is: you can do all that with the Kemper (EQ possibilies in 4 stages, independent definition, gain, sag amp settings, completely neutral volume control without altering "tone")
I'm in no way trying to sh*t on specialized harmonica amps: I have played them, I know some builders and they sound amazing on stage, You just have to think about what problem you are trying to solve with such an amp compared to going with a completely different concept like Kemper. From the moment I got passed the fact that you are listening to your honest FOH/mic'ed Cab sound and feedback was no issue anymore with a simple FRFR active wedge in front of me, the need for "harp"-amps kinda disappeared. Just my $0,02...
Other really usefull profiles: TopJimi Bassman and Super Reverb on the (for guitar) clean gain settings.
Again, to make it work for harp with a Hi-Z mic: dail back clean sense to -10 / -12 dB (check the input clipping light) and use an EQ first in the chain (like a guitarplayer would use the pots on his guitar)
Just uploaded some of my harmonica-rigs in the exchange, check the recent ones under author "Masco Sound System".
Kalamazoo Model II, Premier Twin 8, Masco MU-5 and Masco MAP15 (actually a Masco made and sold under SS Steward brand).
Stars indicate level of gain with a Shure 545 dynamic Hi-Z mic: One star is on the edge between clean and breakup where you let your dynamics determine level of break-up. Three stars is Full Retard but do-able without feedback. Input Clean Sense on -12 dB.
If you want to EQ, I suggest you start with the studio EQ first in the chain: want more bass? Feed it more bass from the mic. Plate Reverb on all Rigs just because Kemper can.
Quick update about me as a harpin' Kemper user, I'm not an online-type-of-guy (old soul).
Installed 6.0 OS today and I found the new reverb section: RIDICULOUS!!!!!! WOW!!!! Those plates, rooms and springs sound fantastic!
Didn't do a lot of playing during the last year but last month I've been profiling again, building sounds, adding effects etc etc. This profiling concept just keeps on amazing me. You have to learn how to work it, but my god, when you do, does it deliver the sounds!
Hi Ingolf,
I have a technical background. I understand the proces of profiling an amp. I did made a few profiles and they were really wel. But profiling my 5 tube Marble Bluesonic amp did not deliver the expected sound. It is a Hi-Z input amplifier for keramic microphones. I tried it many ways, including input transformers.Don't bother to solve this, I am happy with my Kemper. But thank you for asking.
I can confirm that. I tried to profile my harp-specific amp with a 10 meg impedance and the profiles sounded like crap. Not compatible in some way.
@MascoSoundSystem
This may be a gain staging issue. What is your Input Level knob setting on the DXR10? If you have it set to 10, with a low Kemper Output Level, try turning the DXR10 down - try 3 or 4, with a higher KPA Output Level.
What's the noise in the DXR without the Kemper connected? Keep DXR input as low as possible and Kemper Monitor out as high as possible.
Allready did that, helps a bit. Also did some fiddling on the input of the DXR and it turned out to have some dirt in it...
The whole thing isn't a really big problem. Thanks for the signal strength ratio.
Thread resurrection...
I have the exact same issue with Yamaha DXR 10. Input 2 (TS unbalanced) connected to the Kemper monitor out with standard TS/TS cables. Lots of noise/hiss, independent from levels. Ground loop switch doesn't do much.
However: connecting the DXR10 on input 1 (XLR, balanced) with a XLR/TS cable no issues what so ever.
Ok, as promised: my first Harp-profiles uploaded on Rig Exchange:
- K'Zoo Two Slight Push
- K'Zoo Two Pushed
- K'Zoo Two Nasty Push
Three profiles of a Gibson made Kalamazoo Model Two. Completely original, including speaker, except for electrolytic caps.
Profiled close with a Sennheiser e906 aimed at centre of cone and a Shure 545 about one foot away to capture the lower frequencies.
Only difference in the proces was dailing up the volume control for more distortion and compression.
To be played with a high Z unbalanced microphone (for optimum mic performance use a 5-10 Meg buffer)
Let me know what you think of them. More to come: Premier Twin 8, Gibson GA-5T, Masco MU-5
I'm sure there are other harp players out there that would appreciate a few rigs created especially with their instrument in mind - I would like to see a few of them in the Rig Exchange, but that is entirely your decision of course.
I will. Just have some minor stuff I want to sort out and I got a Reslo CR in the mail.
Update.
Did a bunch of gigs with the Kemper and this thing is a dream!:
- Sound-engineers who know these strange blinking boxes smile when I take it out (the Kemper that is...), the other ones smile afterwards.
- Got rid of my two Camper 112's FRFR. They sound amazing but I decided to settle for a bit less in sound quality and save room in the trunk of my car and on stage with a single Yamaha DXR10.
- To make the very most of high-Z mic's you got to increase the input impedance of the Kemper. I use a 10 Meg buffer (Lone Wolf Terminator) but a Lehle Sunday driver or any (DIY) FET-buffer with a 5M+ impedance will work. The "standard" 1 Meg on the Kemper is ok but an increase will get you a lot more "Umph", especially with cristal/bullit mics.
- When profiling: Ribbon Mics! Dead Centre. My experience mic'ing for harp the centre of the speaker is where the interesting stuff happens harmonics-wise. A ribbon mic seems to captures them and smooth them out in a sexy way, where a dynamic mic (Sennheiser e906) captures them in a nasty way, EQ'ing doesn't make it better.
Almost forgot to mention:
- For all you tube-extremists out there (which I still consider myself to be): I own more tube-amps now, then I ever did before I owned a Kemper. Sold my big amps and got a bunch of small bargain-bin vintage tube screamers with money to spare. Pure tone over stage-volume compromise....
I'm using a 1951 Gibson br9 amp for recording harp, seems to do the trick.
It sure can
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.
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,
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.
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.
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 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!
The LCD shuts off the backlight when I turn off any parameter in the rig section: stomps (A,B,C,D), stack (amplifier, EQ, cabinet), and effects (x, mod, delay and reverb).
When I turn them back on the backlight comes back on again.
