Getting a bit sick of these.......

  • ....constant compliments on my sound :)

    Played a gig last week and was starting to doubt my sound (again!) and an audience member unprompted said how great my sound was, particularly how well my solo sound cut through.

    Only posting this to say how important FOH sound is. We focus so much on monitor sound, don't forget your FOH sound is what people hear. Also that I take more validity from others unprompted comments than my own insecurities.

    Just thought I'd share.....

  • I can relate ^^


    I still see a bit of scepticism im peoples eyes, when i show up with a Kemper in a rack atop a JBL MRX512cabinet. Untill i start playing. I’ve subbed in bands where the rest of the members pressured their guitarists to buy a Kemper afterwards.

    And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.

    Edited once, last by Kim_Olesen (March 29, 2022 at 12:13 AM).

  • I can relate ^^


    I still see a bit of scepticism im peoples eyes, when i show up with a Kemper in a rack atop a JBL MRX500 cabinet. Untill i start playing. I’ve subbed in bands where the rest of the members pressured their guitarists to buy a Kemper afterwards.

    Apart from the great sound, I also think a couple of other reasons for this could be:

    1) You don't have to play at crazy volumes to get great sound

    2) Quick set up - set and forget

    3) Sound blends into a band really well

    I just love it!

  • Apart from the great sound, I also think a couple of other reasons for this could be:

    1) You don't have to play at crazy volumes to get great sound

    2) Quick set up - set and forget

    3) Sound blends into a band really well

    I just love it!

    Point three might even be the most important one. Because one of the comments i hear often is how the sound is more produced, making the bands live sound better. Just like keyboards (mostly) always sounds produced. The important factor here being that the blend just gets so much better. It puts the guitar in the same “ballpark” as the keys.

    And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.

  • Point three might even be the most important one. Because one of the comments i hear often is how the sound is more produced, making the bands live sound better. Just like keyboards (mostly) always sounds produced. The important factor here being that the blend just gets so much better. It puts the guitar in the same “ballpark” as the keys.

    Interesting as I needed a year to find an appropriate sound for gigging. And for that I need a whole bunch of midrange boost to cut through the band although I own a frfr cab with 400 Watts. Maybe it is different once all is mixed via PA but at least in our rehearsal room I still have to go at least for 75% of power. With my Custom Kone-Kabinet I need 100% plus Kone-Boost. With one of the typical „produced sounds“ (JTM, Keith, Deadlight, …) I could barely hear myself or get ringing ears due to the unbelievable highs.
    In the end might be the nature of Rock/Metal tones (although we play on Standard Tuning).

    Eventually I prefer my BlueAmp Spark FRFR over my Kone due to being closer to an expected PA sound and therefore closer to the crowd. Which is the key point you stated. It should feel well though better get the peoples ears crazy. „Can you feel it, see it, hear it today? …“

  • Interesting as I needed a year to find an appropriate sound for gigging. And for that I need a whole bunch of midrange boost to cut through the band although I own a frfr cab with 400 Watts. Maybe it is different once all is mixed via PA but at least in our rehearsal room I still have to go at least for 75% of power. With my Custom Kone-Kabinet I need 100% plus Kone-Boost. With one of the typical „produced sounds“ (JTM, Keith, Deadlight, …) I could barely hear myself or get ringing ears due to the unbelievable highs.
    In the end might be the nature of Rock/Metal tones (although we play on Standard Tuning).

    Eventually I prefer my BlueAmp Spark FRFR over my Kone due to being closer to an expected PA sound and therefore closer to the crowd. Which is the key point you stated. It should feel well though better get the peoples ears crazy. „Can you feel it, see it, hear it today? …“

    I play rock and metal and use the Kabinet as well but never get above 25 watts.

    There is a tendency for the sounds to sit in the mix but you have to take the approach as you do with a valve amp - reduce gain and effects a touch and I've just strated using the eq preset "studio cut ( I think)" which helps with cut.

    „Can you feel it, see it, hear it today? …“ if you can, then it doesn't matter anyway :)

  • i find, more so nowadays, when i turn up with a kpa there is a look of approval and relief on the engineer’s face as if to say, “ah that makes my job easier” and they recognise the quality and convenience of players using the kemper.

    It is clearly established as a unit of an approved and accepted standard. Other brand “all-in-one” floor units/amp-modellers (that may still offer quality sounds) can result in a raised eyebrow of dismissal but the kpa seems to be recognised as a device that is trusted.

  • I went to my local metal fest last week end , EVERY band ( 3 of them) played on modelers , the1st one was a KPA, then fractal then Helix. Tone was great or passable , mostly due to different sound techs .

    I somewhat miss the stacks on stage TBH , I guess it's dream for the roadies, but we're now in a different era :o

  • i find, more so nowadays, when i turn up with a kpa there is a look of approval and relief on the engineer’s face as if to say, “ah that makes my job easier” and they recognise the quality and convenience of players using the kemper.

    It is clearly established as a unit of an approved and accepted standard. Other brand “all-in-one” floor units/amp-modellers (that may still offer quality sounds) can result in a raised eyebrow of dismissal but the kpa seems to be recognised as a device that is trusted.

    Imagine being a frontrunner for guitar direct i to the FOH. Been doing it for exactly 30 years now. My pre-Kemper rig being centered around a Marshall jmp1 preamp. Awesome sounding rig it was too. I remember doing a live tv show, giving the sound tech a left and right cable, telling him not to mic my cabinet. He flatly refused. I argued that he could give it a chance, and if he didn’t like it, then he could mic the cab. Ofcourse he came back, wanting to know how i got that easy to work with great sound.

    And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.

  • I have similar experience with my KPA. I have converted a couple tube amp purists to date :).

    I really bought the KPA for the portability. The improvement in FOH tone was actually a surprise. I agree with your assessment that MOST guitarist focus heavily on their monitor tone (since it used to come directly from their tube amp in most cases) and forget that the FOH sound was not as good. In some cases, the FOH sound from a miced guitar cab is just horrible and the audience hears a very unbalanced sound on each side of the stage due to the guitar cab being so directional.

    With the KPA you also get consistency from gig to gig (unlike tube amps that tend to have good days and bad days ;) ).

    The FOH sound of the KPA is astounding. Love it. Of course, I still keep my MD421 and e609 microphones for guest playing in bands that are used to having a guitar cab on stage for monitoring (my band uses IEM's).

  • I went to my local metal fest last week end , EVERY band ( 3 of them) played on modelers , the1st one was a KPA, then fractal then Helix. Tone was great or passable , mostly due to different sound techs .

    La Hellfest, c'est pas tout de suite ?! lol (private joke) ;)

    KPA --> Great Tone

    Fractal --> intermediate

    Helix --> disappointing

    I'm kidding ^^:P