Kemper anyone use one ?

[Kevin Dean]

I tried one for a while  , As with my Roland GR55 if you start messing with all the amp simulators & change them all the time the volume can jump up & down & you don't really notice it until at gigging volume , I find my GR55 going through my ABM  a lot more flexible & robust .  But that's just my opinion .

[BigRedX]

That’s what rehearsals are for. There’s no way you can tell if any aspect of you sound is like in a band context without playing with the band.

[mrtcat]

Pretty sure that @EBS_freak has experience of using a Kemper. Might be worth giving him a shout. I came close to getting one but opted for a helix instead and love it for live and rehearsal. 

[stevie]

19 hours ago, BigRedX said:

That’s what rehearsals are for. There’s no way you can tell if any aspect of you sound is like in a band context without playing with the band.

I'm  not sure where you get that idea from.

[Kevin Dean]

I started getting a different sound per song  & I found  that the sounds individually were OK a lot of sound would sound weak in a live situation & if I started pratting around with level settings at a full rehearsal I thing I would have been thrown out lol . Anyway it wasn't my cup of tea I'm much happier with what I have .

[Jack]

I had exactly the same problem, you can't tell until it's at band levels. Partly due to the mix, partly due to our old friends Fletcher and Munson.

But surely that's the same with any rig?

 

I sold mine, too difficult to adjust on the fly and too focused on exactly copying amps. I find the Helix suits me better on those fronts. YMMV.

[foxyFuze]

I rather like mine. I use the Fender Super Bassman profile and a few effects.

That said, I've yet to use it live so I can offer my tuppence worth in two weeks' time.

I still flirt with the dark side (guitar) so the Kemper offers a great deal of flexibility. 

Do I miss a normal amp and the associated tweaking with effects pedals? Yes, but the convenience for a hobbyist and occasional gigger is important. 

I'm still regularly tempted by the amps and effects on BC though!!

 

Edited April 2, 2018 by foxyFuze

[fretmeister]

Rehearse at gig volume. Set your settings at gig volume in a full mix.

 

Anything else just causes problems. And that applies to every type of rig.

[EBS_freak]

Kemper user here - and I'm very pleased with it... - like with all multiamp type things, it's always a challenge to get a consistent sounding rig, especially when using lots of patches and effects. How do you get it right? well..... that's what rehearsals and lots of gigs are for...

However, there are a few things to watch out for and may help you.

EQ - for example cutting your mids is going to make you sound weaker in the mix. People also have a habit of whacking up the bass control... that bass control is generally not your friend if you want deep punchy bass... you'll soon end up with a load of mush, especially in a band situation. This leads on to...

Compression - (especially multiband), can help you cut through and sit better in the mix than without

Volume - getting your patch level consistent is imperative. You can check this by playing a loop back through your settings into a DAW and watch the meters. (Of course, the above two still need to be taken into account - just cos they meter the same doesn't meant they are the same!)

Here's the secret... record your band with a multitrack capable desk. Playback the set with your dry bass sound going through your modeller. Then, you can tweak your setting on your modeller to your hearts content until it sits right with the rest of the band.

[mrtcat]

25 minutes ago, EBS_freak said:

Here's the secret... record your band with a multitrack capable desk. Playback the set with your dry bass sound going through your modeller. Then, you can tweak your setting on your modeller to your hearts content until it sits right with the rest of the band.

Excellent tip. I'll be pinching this. 

[fretmeister]

9 minutes ago, mrtcat said:

Excellent tip. I'll be pinching this. 

And it will still go to stinky poo in a different room.

[BigRedX]

9 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

And it will still go to stinky poo in a different room.

That's what the global EQ setting on the Helix is for.

[BigRedX]

23 hours ago, stevie said:

I'm  not sure where you get that idea from.

I don't know what your problem with my statement is?

Rehearsals are for making the songs sound right in a band context. One of the things that makes the songs sound right is having the right sound for each of the instruments. Certainly both the band's that I play with use rehearsals to tweak the sounds of the various instruments so that they all sound right together. I try and get all my various patches on my helix sounding right before I get into the rehearsal room, but I know that I'm still going to have to do some more tweaking once I hear them in conjunction with the other instruments at gig volume.

I think that one of the biggest problems that musicians have with complex equipment is that they don't take the time to learn how to use it properly. You are unlikely to join a  band the day after you buy your first bass guitar, so why do you think that you'll be able to get a complex multi-effects process working properly for you the same evening you took it out of the box for the first time?

[EBS_freak]

1 hour ago, fretmeister said:

And it will still go to stinky poo in a different room.

As BigRedX states, it's the EQ on the PA that compensates for the room. Or the output of the modeller if you are running a FRFR cab. If you have your modeller set up you'll never have to touch the patches... ever.

 

Edited April 3, 2018 by EBS_freak

[EBS_freak]

1 hour ago, mrtcat said:

Excellent tip. I'll be pinching this. 

Glad to be of service!

It can be a time consuming process but it will fix the majority of your balance and sitting in the mix straight off.

[stevie]

2 hours ago, BigRedX said:

I don't know what your problem with my statement is?

I was just bemused by the fact that you needed a rehearsal to get your sound. As others have mentioned this too, I am probably missing something. Is this because you use so many different sounds or because the Klemperer is so complex?

I bought a new bass a couple of months ago. Completely different sound, but I knew how it would sound in my band without having to take it to a rehearsal. Whenever I play an amp that somebody else has supplied, I take a few minutes to get the balance right without disturbing anyone else - and that's it. But I use one basic sound throughout the gig - more or less.

[mrtcat]

4 hours ago, stevie said:

I was just bemused by the fact that you needed a rehearsal to get your sound. As others have mentioned this too, I am probably missing something. Is this because you use so many different sounds or because the Klemperer is so complex?

I bought a new bass a couple of months ago. Completely different sound, but I knew how it would sound in my band without having to take it to a rehearsal. Whenever I play an amp that somebody else has supplied, I take a few minutes to get the balance right without disturbing anyone else - and that's it. But I use one basic sound throughout the gig - more or less.

No, you're not missing anything it's just that in some bands a "set and forget" sound doesn't work. You clearly know the sound that works for you and your band and whether you learned what it was at a gig or at a rehearsal the bottom line is that you now know what that sound is and how to make it fit. If you are using different sounds for different songs / have changed your signal chain significantly or regularly trial different sounds then it's clearly far more sensible to tweak in the rehearsal room than leave it until you are at a gig where time is tight and it would be unprofessional to spend hours tinkering. 

I use a helix and have one virtual rig for rock stuff with a pick another for fingerstyle stuff, another for mellow acoustic feel stuff. Is it entirely necessary? Maybe, maybe not but my band love it and guitarist does exactly the same and we have spent time at rehearsal working on fitting everything together. You may not know where BRX gets that idea from but I think he's absolutely right to use rehearsals as a time to make sure his sounds fit.