Hey folks.
Over the past few months I've spent a good deal of time learning about my new Kemper Profiling Amp; reading the manual, visiting the forum, and getting some good hands-on experience in both live and recording situations. So far it has been incredibly rewarding and the results speak for themselves. My recordings sound better than I ever dreamed they could, and I get constant compliments on my tone at gigs.
I've learned a lot in the past few months, so from one satisfied user to another, here is the best advice I can offer any new users out there. Feel free to add your own tips.
- Read the manual. In my opinion the KPA is fairly easy to use, but it's also a very deep and complex piece of hardware/software with tons of features. It's worth spending some time with the manual to understand it all. You'd be surprised how many "problems" can be solved with a quick turn of the dial.
- Tweak the profiles. Preferably at rehearsal with the band. While there are tons of choices and it should be fairly easy to find a profile that works with a variety of guitars, pickups, etc., not every profile will work in every situation. Find a profile you like but it has too much low end for your guitar? Turn down the bass. Too much gain? Back it down. Too bright or stiff? Adjust the definition. Remember, not every profile can possibly fit every situation. Experiment!
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Check your signal chain. Noise, hum, rattle, buzz, etc. These annoyances can happen in a variety of places. Before you throw your Kemper out the window, use the process of elimination to locate the issue. The KPA is rarely the only element in your signal chain. Think about it; old strings, uneven frets, poorly setup guitar, unpotted pickups or bad wiring/shielding, bad cables, interfaces clipping...there are a lot of things that can make noise! Here's a tip: Sitting two feet from your computer using high gain pickups with high gain profiles might be a touch noisy.
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Set realistic expectations. There are things the Kemper can do, and things it cannot. Do you expect your car to work perfectly under water?
Rock on!