Posts by V8guitar

  • Power Kabinet & PA

    TBH I think its more complex than that. I would virtually ignore trying to match the two and focus on the PA sound as your primary sound. Sounds like this will be the new element for you.

    The reason being is not all FRFR is equal and personally I've never found the FRFR mode of the Kabinet "useful". I would suggest you check your sounds initially through headphones and then through a PA, say at a rehearsal studio, at full volume. That should get you 90% there.

    You could be lucky and find your sounds just translate really well.

    Just so you know I use my Kabinet on stage and go direct as well, no issues so you will get there

    Also to add, I never play gigs without a PA ( you need it for vocals right?) and always put guitar and snare and kick thorough the PA for balance, regardless of venue size. I know this isn't always practical but I only play pub gigs/small venues (I'm not that good ha) but I've found I use my on stage monitor less and less. Last few gigs Ive not even turned my kabinet on, just used the PA in the room or monitors..

    Hope that helps..

  • Time for a Kemper 2?

    Quote from tsachou

    WARNING as when an ADMIN actually give you a warning , Yes i got one of those when the kemper Player was really buggy with midi . I responded to a post where a user wanted to use a midi controller i told him get ready for a lot issues another user said that i was spreading bad info so that was like a back and forth . i used some CAPS... then boom i got a warning . And no there's Not that many friendly users on here , unless you are saying Kemper is the best every time . i can careless as i can figure a lot on my own tbh , i have used and still own , QC , Tonex , FM3 , AX8 and HX STOMP . I build my main Pedalboard around A PBC6X and the KKP so i come here to check things out from time to time .

    Don't know the actual issue here but, I think its unfair to suggest you can't give views on here. Its usually how its done and often some people don't like to be challenged on their views or thoughts and it escalates.

    I've often asked people why they are trying to do something that I feel is counterintuitive - not because its not valid, but I want to understand in case I don't understand what they are really trying to do..

    In 90% of cases, the intent of most people is good...

    BTW you are still using CAPS which suggests shouting...

  • Time for a Kemper 2?

    Ahh.....the Kemper 2 debate...

    I'm totally on the fence. I'm really happy with my Kemper, had it for 10 years and its paid for itself many times over..yes its dated in looks and some minor improvements would be cool, but nothing to drive new hardware for me, with one exception....something I haven't thought of....Kemper have a history of giving me stuff I didn't realise I needed, like a dedicated cabinet! Perhaps a Kemper guitar, with a hex type pickup to mimic different guitar sounds?

    I'd be keen on anything that improves sound, I'd love a wireless remote solution but other than that...

    The NAM thing - i had a brief look at though...I need a dedicated unit, not interested in messing with software solutions..so perhaps having that capability on the KPA. A .vst would be cool...

    However, whilst I don't need an uprated version, if Kemper released a V2, I'd probably buy it anyway ha!

  • Looking for a modeler - is Kemper Stage the one?

    Quote from MayPRS

    What's preventing me of getting the Kemper is, to be honest a feel that the unit's software is a bit outdated - specially the fixed path and the fixed 4 pre-effects before stack and 4 post-effects after the stack. I know this is "real world" behavior but kind of would like to have the option.

    How can we assign the post effects? Can I have two reverbs? Or two delays?

    From what I've read the most important thing - the sound - is here but I would be really upset if Kemper released some kind of v2 with a more flexible path, more DSP... I know we got to live the day and not the future.

    By any chance: does anyone here moved from Fractal/QC to Kemper? And why?

    Understand the concern about its dated looks - I've had mine 10 years now ( blimey) but honestly once set up I rarely change anything. There have been previously requests for a Kemper 2 with a sexier interface, but from my perspective, I'd rather they focus ( as they have) on sound improvements of which there have been so many e.g. delays and reverbs, Kemper drive. I also like that Kemper has some unique products - its the only digital solution with the option of a built in power amp and a dedicated speaker solution.

    I wouldn't class myself as a power user ( i.e. wanting to do anything crazy) but I find the KPA has way more that I ever need. The only real restrictions are the slots NOT processing power...which is a restriction on other units. You can have any effects in any slot so the only real restriction effect wise is the 4 pre and 4 post. If this isn't enough, which I think is rare.

    The paths are not as fixed as many people think but yes definitely more restricted than Axe and Helix especially...so if you are really worried, plan out what you need e.g. I need 5 core sounds for clean rhythm solo etc and what stomps you need for each and then you can ask us and we can verify.

    In reality, all of the top end products you reference are excellent but all have different strengths. I think the KPA is best for great sounds with minimal set up/learning, the profiling capability and a well sorted workflow as a mature product.

    Its not perfect but its the best in my mind....

  • Looking for a modeler - is Kemper Stage the one?

    I don't think I can add anything else others have said, especially Torbiz!!!

    I would just add that I agree with Rufus that its as much about the workflow. All of those tools are top notch.

    I would add that I think Kemper, Fractal and Helix have their solutions dialed in. Quad is still relatively new and evolving.

    The best thing though is this forum - everyone is here to help!

    I've run my Kemper for 10 years now in 2 tribute bands (Whitesnake and The Cult) and I love it. Its not the same challenge as Queen and Mr May but you should be able to get it working for you.

    Let us know how you get on or what you decide as we are all guitarists loving what we do...

  • Matrix FRFR users?

    Quote from Steve5478

    What have you done in particular ?

    It was over 7 years ago now so I can't remember totally but in simple terms I cranked the treble and presence on my profiles to overcome a "smothered" sound from the guitar cab.

    When I shifted to FRFR they sounded so bad, harsh, brittle etc. Even when I dialled back the settings, I didn't like the inherent profiles so I just started again. So I went onto Rig exchange, bought a few profiles as well and just focussed on sounds I liked.

    The key was they now all sounded different whereas before many profiles sounds very samey.

    Around the same time, I did a gig and borrowed a cab ( bearing in mind I was still miccing my cabs) and again the sounds were so different. It was only then I realised how much the cab itself adds as much to the sound as the amp itself ( again sweeping generalisations).

    Now I know I could have looked at my cab and got a "better" one, but this experienced changed my approach. The sound FOH is my priority and because I now also don't mic my cab and go out direct (like its designed for ha! - I felt like an idiot), I can get closer to understanding that sound using FRFR or now the Kabinet.

    I know many people still love to use guitar cabs and I'm not even suggesting either approach is superior, my only point here is that swapping monitoring systems will have a fairly significant impact for these reasons

    Does that make sense?

  • Kemper player update

    Quote from JCW308

    Same EXACT thing here. There is definitely something going on.

    I have experienced this before with previous updates in rare cases and the cause has previously been a resetting of a global setting as a change to some of the functionality. Going from memory one was with the new reverbs that is repositioned the levels.

    So the point I think that was being made is it doesn't impact the base sound but could have impacted some settings. This is what I took from Burkhard's comment:

    "the output EQs are also new at Level I. Make sure, that these are set to neutral. Otherwise these change the tone globally."

  • Matrix FRFR users?

    Having in the distant past moved from a guitar cab to FRFR and then a Kabinet, a couple of basics ( in case you are not aware):

    1) Guitar cabs add a huge amount of colour to the sound. To the point that they will cover up bad profiles. If you haven't, I would compare headphones to the Matrix speaker rather than guitar cab vs Matrix to troubleshoot. The sound out of the Matrix should be closer to the sound going direct to a PA. If it isn;t then you have a damaged speaker or an issue in set up

    2) All monitor solutions will sound different and people will tune their sound to match. Therefore, expect a fair amount of work when changing monitor solutions. Most FRFR's sound similar to other FRFR's. Guitar cabs sound nothing like FRFR speakers.

    3) Imprints are only for Kabinet

    My experience was that I had to tweak my profile sounds so much for a Guitar cab and even then most profiles sounded very similar. I was using a farily decent cab with Celestions in it and yet it often smoothed everything into a mushier sound. I did get a better amp in the room sound, but compromised the sound variation.

    At that point I was still miccing my cab. I then tried to go direct and it sounded awful. As a result, I had to re-review all of my profiles. Once I did, the sound through FRFR was like night and day! I could hear the difference between an ENGL and Mesa Boogie etc.

    Hope that make sense.

  • Can a PROFILE be out of tune?

    Quote from BadBadger

    But what about Nigel Tufnel’s amplifier capo? 🤣

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    Ive not seen that...brilliant. Nigel is a genius!

  • all Rigs same output level

    Quote from Ben Decho

    What I do is leave your Output level alone.

    On each rig I use, I set the volume of the amp to my desired level. For a solo, I sometimes copy the rig to another slot in my performance, and make the new rig volume higher. So Number 1 is usually clean, 2 is crunch, three is more distortion and 4 is for leads. 5 if I really need more.

    The other thing I do is if I don't want all those rigs in a performance is to use the Morph feature. So if I have 1=clean 2=crunch 3=Heavier/distortion and I'm playing on any of these, but need a boost for my lead is to Morph the volume. So if I have channel 3 where I'm playing and want a boost, just pressing that footswitch again Morphs the volume, when done, tap again and it returns to the base volume.

    Once I learned this, it changed my life.... :)

    Same. My point is that the will impact the output volume at a rig level.

  • Show us your studio - Man cave or space lab, we wanna see your creative space 😎

    Quote from Michael_dk

    Good lord man, that's not what they mean when they say "burn a CD"!


    Glad to hear nothing worse happened =O

    Thanks dude. I got my PC backup and running minus the CD "burner", but its given me an excuse to order an upgraded PC. Coincidentally, my PC kept crashing as it couldn't handle the files I was using to mix with ( large .wav files recorded off the desk at a gig).

    So we'll see :)

    BTW just thinking about BayouTexan chair, I often want to raise my legs up to play guitar ( knees up to support the guitar) so I put my foot on a small stool. Its not a great solution, does anybody else have this "need" and any better solutions?

  • Show us your studio - Man cave or space lab, we wanna see your creative space 😎

    Quote from BayouTexan

    I got a new captain's chair for the studio last week and it has helped me tremendously to rest my neck after practice. I should have got this right after surgery. My other chair was a low-back type. I can recline and use the slide-out footrest to chill out while just listening to tracks. It came with armrests but I did not install them so I can sit back and play guitar.

    Yes, it had to match my theme. :) The pic makes it look more red-orange but matches great IRL.

    Looks like you are going racing! Fantastic!!!

  • Powerhead with 2 QSC K8 speaker cabs (stereo)

    Quote from Ruefus

    Headroom in this case is having enough power to cleanly amplify the sound.

    It’s easier to look at a home stereo or home theater set up. You want the amp to always have enough power in reserve to never reach distortion.


    The amp passes the signal as cleanly as possible.

    Or, take a guitar example - EVH and others use(d) the volume knob on the guitar to adjust gain (distortion). Wide open - lead, 7 o’clock, rhythm, 5 or so…..clean.

    Same sound, same amp. Different input levels.

    You lower the guitar’s output to not push the amp.

    For FOH or FRFR, headroom is crucial. Otherwise it’ll distort…and not in a pleasant way.

    This.

    guitar amplifiers where we often want "pleasing" distortion, for power amps you generally want as clean as possible. In general, the larger the output, the better - these are very sweeping statements as there are many other factors.

    Therefore the QSC's have plenty of power which is a positive and not something to worry about.

  • Player Main Out vs Monitor Out...

    Quote from Ruefus

    My experience is primarily amateur. Some here make their living at this and that's not me. Running stereo for yourself is one thing and I get the desire.

    It sounds glorious in your ears or within that couple of square feet in front of your monitors. Zero doubt.

    While I'm not a pro, I know I've been at this long enough and in more than enough small and large(ish) rooms as a player to know stereo guitar with a live band doesn't translate well in most rooms. We as players can tell the difference, but the audience is a completely different thing.

    EJ Thomas Performing Arts Hall in Akron, Ohio? Purpose built from the foundation up to reproduce sound. The conference room at the Hyatt? The lodal dive bar that smells vaguely of......you decide don't want to know? Not so much.

    Context and stereo for the audience matter A LOT.

    I feel the same.

    I don't use stereo effects and so the additional hassle of sending stereo to the desk etc is not worth it.

    I think in a single guitar band or a band where "deep" effects are used, stereo makes more sense.

    Put it this way, I think stereo and in fact any effects broadens the sound, and if not managed or mixed properly, its more likely to get lost than more direct sound.

    I can atest that Vinny Burns sound is glorious though :)