Things new users go through.

    I wasn't sure exactly where to post this so feel free to move it if need be.

    I know this has come up before, but there are constant posts of new users wondering wtf is going on with their tone.

    I have been an owner of a Kemper for a few years now. When I first got it, I was running it into a Crown XLS1000 into some fairly inexpensive P.A. speakers. It sounded good and a much needed upgrade from my HD500. After a month or so I had gone through tons of profiles and found a lot that I liked. But...I wasn't getting the air moving like a real amp.

    So...I bought a Bose L1. It was a HUGE jump in tone. It finally was moving air and giving a much more realistic experience. But...I was having to boost the highs in almost every profile. I still felt I wasn't getting the full experience of the Kemper. After about a year, I decided to try something different.

    I bought a Yamaha DXR10. As much as I wouldn't like to admit it, the DXR blew the "twice the price" Bose away. It finally feels exactly like a big cab moving air when it's supposed to and when you load up a profile of a small amp, it fucking sounds like a small amp. I'm really impressed with the Yamaha.

    Of course this doesn't prove I found the perfect setup. I just wanted people, especially newer users to understand it's not just the Profiler, the whole setup decides what you hear. No matter how awesome the signal coming out of the Kemper is, if it's going through shit, it wills sound like just a little better shit.

    Here's something I went through:

    Amazement and wonder

    And that was through cruddy gaming headphones (still WAY better than the Pod Farm amp sim I had been using for years)

    My amazement and wonder only increased when I finally plugged it into my guitar cab.

    Quote from Ingolf

    Just got home from another gig where the DXR 10 sounded absolutely glorious! ;)

    Ingolf you seem to have a lot of experience gigging with the DXR10.

    What are your top 3 tips for getting that speaker to sound great on stage?

    I like mine but I haven't fully bonded with it yet...even after 30 or so gigs.

    Quote from Calaban


    Ingolf you seem to have a lot of experience gigging with the DXR10.

    What are your top 3 tips for getting that speaker to sound great on stage?

    I like mine but I haven't fully bonded with it yet...even after 30 or so gigs.


    Hm, I don't know, it simply sounds great.
    I use it in wedge mode, no processing and I feed my monitor out into input 2. This one I normally dial to about 10 o'clock.
    Kemper master is about 5.
    That's pretty loud but it sounds great on stage when it's cranked this way.
    no beam, just glorious sound. ;)

    I just got back from a gig, too :)

    I used a Bose L1 for quite awhile, and then I got a DXR10 for fast change gigs. I found that I liked the DXR for all gigs - the Bose went away :)

    I also use input 2, with the input set to the line between -8 and -20. I use mine as a wedge, but I don't have the low end switch set to monitor mode on the back of the DXR. My KPA is usually around 5.

    mmmm This is making me reconsider a line array PA setup! I've recently been looking into that newest batch of Turbosound loudspeakers. Your comparison of the DXR10 & Bose L1 makes me reconsider a bit.

    But I've also heard from DJs, and this may just be conjecture mind you, that one could invest in a higher grade of 8" sub, and still get comparable, if not better reproduction of LFE in the form of more affordable brand of 10", 12", 15" iterations. It's just a matter of form factor having better performance I think I'm saying? That's only one point being made when discussing subs at least. Doesn't make the case that the higher quality 8" is incapable of quality sound, but perhaps is comparable to... buying a porsche with the expectation of pulling a trailer. That actually is probably a bad side-case/example, as in our case, either speaker is built for the same utility.

    But aren't line-array setups proposed for their ability to project sound in a better perceivable spread so that it may remain audible to an audience? To also include options that assist the performer regarding feedback issues (not an issue perhaps, in the case of a kemper, but with mics I suppose).

    I'm questioning you, simply because I've been considering a line-array setup for the purpose of casual listening and the bonus of running my kemper through it. That and the formfactor of the usual PA system has always been offputting. But the pricing I'm looking at is around the same, and I may very well go for something such as the DXR10! Just not entirely certain at the moment now : /

    Not the point of your thread maybe, but still I ask! xD

    I used one Bose Subwoofer with my L1 - it had plenty of low end.

    Here's something else to consider about using a line array onstage: The L1 has a very wide dispersion, as well as a long throw. This would be an advantage if no one's instruments are in the PA, but could make you sound smaller than everyone else if all the instruments are in the Mains, because less of you would be coming out the widely spaced PA speakers than everyone else. This is assuming your amps are facing the crowd - it wasn't a problem for me, because we sidewash our amps.

    Could you voice your thoughts concerning low-end response? My experience with subs is limited, but my main concern is whether two 8" subs would perform better than the single 12" sub, in terms of speed and dynamics? I assume, perhaps the 12" sub may reach lower frequencies more easily, or attain higher spl, but these two items are not something I need necessarily.

    I believe, for the form factor and application in mind, I think I've a better idea of what I'm gonna try out first at least!