The Kemper thread

PVO_Dave

How are you connecting it Drew? Given your background I feel like I'm in egg sucking territory here (sorry!) but I know that the Kemper seems to be very fussy when it comes to balanced / SPDIF cables, there was a post about it not so long ago on here too.

Did you have the same setup when you had the Toaster version a while back?

WiresDreamDisasters

PVO_Dave said:

How are you connecting it Drew? Given your background I feel like I'm in egg sucking territory here (sorry!) but I know that the Kemper seems to be very fussy when it comes to balanced / SPDIF cables, there was a post about it not so long ago on here too.

Did you have the same setup when you had the Toaster version a while back?

Just analog out from the main outs to line inputs on the Apollo. Nothing digital going on - I'm not even connecting USB for Rig Manager at this point.

I didn't have this issue with the Toaster version I was borrowing from a friend tail end of last year. But we've just moved house, so a lot of variables have changed.

But I don't really think my house is causing this. If it was, I'd hear the same noise issue with all my other gear and I don't.

Most odd.

Again this is the noise:
https://soundcloud.com/sloppiestholes/kemper-noise-floor

Putting my Strymon DIG in front of it with the pedal in DSP buffered mode ... the noise disappears completely.

Freebird

WiresDreamDisasters said:

Freebird said:

What is you are Kemper connected to?

My Apollo x8p audio interface. This sound is there with or without usb connection too. It's there with all my guitars.

Helix doesn't do it. My amps don't do it. Plugging directly into the soundcard and running an amp sim doesn't do it. I'm at a loss.

It's almost like the Kemper isn't shielded or something.

Is the noise present even with Guitar >> Kemper >> Headphones?

WiresDreamDisasters

Freebird said:

WiresDreamDisasters said:

Freebird said:

What is you are Kemper connected to?

My Apollo x8p audio interface. This sound is there with or without usb connection too. It's there with all my guitars.

Helix doesn't do it. My amps don't do it. Plugging directly into the soundcard and running an amp sim doesn't do it. I'm at a loss.

It's almost like the Kemper isn't shielded or something.

Is the noise present even with Guitar >> Kemper >> Headphones?

Yeppers.

But it disappears when it's just Kemper >> headphones with no guitar connected. I guess they've got some sort of mute circuit on the input in that situation.

Musicwolf

That sounds very much like a ground loop, but I can't understand why it is there with headphones only and no connection to the Apollo.

WiresDreamDisasters

Musicwolf said:

That sounds very much like a ground loop, but I can't understand why it is there with headphones only and no connection to the Apollo.

Ground lifts on the Kemper don't cure it either.

kennedydream1980

I had the same problem with my stage whenever is was connected via USB to my Mac or Windows laptop. I could never figure out why it was happening. Helix, Fractal AX8 or Boss GT-1000 were all silent in the same setup with the same cables. 

So I would have to constantly unplug the USB to get rid of the noise.

WiresDreamDisasters

kennedydream1980 said:

I had the same problem with my stage whenever is was connected via USB to my Mac or Windows laptop. I could never figure out why it was happening. Helix, Fractal AX8 or Boss GT-1000 were all silent in the same setup with the same cables. 

So I would have to constantly unplug the USB to get rid of the noise.

This happens all the time, even without USB connected. I'm talking to Andertons now. I'm gonna take the Stage to my sis-in-laws house to try it out there. If the noise disappears then I know it's dodgy electrics in my new house. But that would surprise me coz none of my other gear does it.

If the noise is still there, then I need to decide if I get the HEAD+REMOTE or RACK+REMOTE instead.

drwiddly

I've had no such problems with my Kemper rack but a few years back I bought a 6550 and it had a really annoying buzz/hum but only in my home studio. I was connecting it via 4cm with a gsp1101 so I suspected that might be the problem but the noise was there with just amp and guitar.

Like you, none of my other gear sufferred with the problem. I had advice from people on here but nothing cured it. Eventually, after about a month, I worked out it was coming from an outboard hard drive connected to my pc and transmitting the noise via the mains.

Good luck with sorting your problem out.

WiresDreamDisasters

I'm probably gonna crossgrade my order over to either the head+remote or rack+remote. I don't want the poweramp because I think the Seymour Duncan powerstage would probably sound better, and I want the option of using it with my Helix too if I ever fancy it.

WiresDreamDisasters

Upgraded my order to a black unpowered head and remote. I'm reasonably confident I wont have the noise issue with that.

Freebird

WiresDreamDisasters said:

I don't want the poweramp because I think the Seymour Duncan powerstage would probably sound better, and I want the option of using it with my Helix too if I ever fancy it.

Which SD powerstage model were you thinking about?

WiresDreamDisasters

Freebird said:

WiresDreamDisasters said:

I don't want the poweramp because I think the Seymour Duncan powerstage would probably sound better, and I want the option of using it with my Helix too if I ever fancy it.

Which SD powerstage model were you thinking about?

Just the 170. A mate has it and it's fucking LOUDDDDDDD. We tried it with a Helix and it was pretty good. I think the Kemper might be better though. I smashed Camden GuitarGuitar's windows out with that combo last year and have been meaning to get that setup ever since.

I'm still on the hunt for another loadbox this year too. So I can do dual-amp'd loadbox setups into IR's in the DAW.

Now that we're in a final house for some time (probably decades!) I want to have a *cough* how shall we say ... less in flux studio setup at home! Things plumbed in permanently and properly rather than spaffing cables everywhere and constantly connecting stuff and disconnecting stuff, basically.

Lestratcaster

Can anyone help with an issue here with my Kemper going into my Focusrite 8i6. Basically I'm trying to get a mono signal from the Kemper into the interface for use with Zoom guitar lessons. I have plugged a 1/4" jack to xlr into the 2nd analogue port on the front of the interface, whilst the 1st analogue port is for my xlr mic. The xlr mic has been picked up in Focusrite control but not the Kemper. Have set analogue 1+2 as monitor outputs in the Focusrite control settings too. Output on Kemper is master mono.

What else have I missed and why is there no sound?

EDIT: Just plugged it into monitor output instead and I've got sound! But why didn't it work through main output L?

octatonic

WiresDreamDisasters said:

Upgraded my order to a black unpowered head and remote. I'm reasonably confident I wont have the noise issue with that.

Good choice- although why the head vs the rack?

WiresDreamDisasters

octatonic said:

WiresDreamDisasters said:

Upgraded my order to a black unpowered head and remote. I'm reasonably confident I wont have the noise issue with that.

Good choice- although why the head vs the rack?

Don't really want to fuss with a rack setup, prefer the look of the head.

Musicwolf

Lestratcaster said:

I have plugged a 1/4" jack to xlr into the 2nd analogue port on the front of the interface

Why are you using a 1/4" to XLR?  The Kemper has main outs on both 1/4" and XLR whilst the Focusrte, if I have the right model, has combi ins.  I would use eiether a 1/4" to 1/4" or XLR to XLR.

Lestratcaster

Musicwolf said:

Lestratcaster said:

I have plugged a 1/4" jack to xlr into the 2nd analogue port on the front of the interface

Why are you using a 1/4" to XLR?  The Kemper has main outs on both 1/4" and XLR whilst the Focusrte, if I have the right model, has combi ins.  I would use eiether a 1/4" to 1/4" or XLR to XLR.

Cos I thought it was one of each at both ends? Also I only have 1 available analogue port to use on the Focusrite so I would have to use mono from monitor output wouldn't I? I.e I can't use 2 cables as there isn't space for 2.

Am I meant to use the same end connection for each? It does work on monitor output, I tried swapping for the mic xlr but it din't work for some reason. Also tried a guitar cable into the interface.

Musicwolf

Just check that, on the Kemper, both the 'Master Volume' and the 'Volume' controls are turned up.  You can configure the outputs in different ways re volume controls so maybe things aren't the way you are expecting.

Lestratcaster

I think they're both ok, what was weird was a soon as I plugged it into the monitor output there was sound and I was able to hear through the monitors as usual.

I tested a couple of videos to check the guitar signal can be heard, which it can, but the Spotify playback volume is very very quiet compared to the guitar, I've tried adjusting the levels in the Focusrite control but the guitar volume is still much louder than the audio. I'm wary now my students won't be able to hear the backing track if I play along to them.