The Sound Of Guitar Cabinets Versus Mic'ed Speakers - Kemper Profiler Main Manual

Working with Amplifier PROFILEs, Cabinet PROFILEs, Power Amps and Guitar Cabinets 92

The Sound of Guitar Cabinets versus Mic'ed Speakers

This chapter is dedicated to guitar players who usually listen to their amps through a guitar cabinet and are not
familiar with the studio sound of a guitar cabinet captured by a microphone.
The guitar speaker is different from most other speaker types, as it is only capable of transmitting a limited frequency
response. Therefore, listening to music through one is not a good idea at all. For guitar playing, however, they are
essential - especially for distorted sounds, as they damp the harsh, high frequencies of the distortion. Their heavy
coloration of the lower frequency components is also hugely beneficial to the tone of an electric guitar.
To record the guitar sound through a guitar cabinet, or further amplify it for a live concert, you have no option but to
place one or more microphones in front of the speaker to capture the complete sound of the rig. The choice of
microphones, and also their positioning, will add even more flavor to the sound - this is certainly an art in itself, but
fortunately it is easy to learn.
The Studio PROFILEs in your browse pool are captured by the same way. Achieving an authentic sound is as easy
as connecting the MAIN OUTPUT to your mixing desk, whether it be in a studio, or in a live venue. This is one major
advantage of digital guitar amps - they capture the entire sound of the guitar cabinet and microphone in their digital
heart. No need to carry heavy guitar cabinets anymore, or struggle to reproduce a certain microphone position.
There is another drawback that can be avoided on stage or in the rehearsal room: guitar cabinets have a focused
sound, meaning the high frequencies are loudest when you listen on the axis of the speakers. Conversely, they are
damped when you listen off-axis. Every speaker suffers from this effect to some degree, but guitar cabinets are
particularly bad. The closer you stand to the guitar cabinet, the more off-axis and out-of-focus you get, because your
ears are positioned much higher than the axis of the speakers. This means that if you want to sit well in the mix
onstage, you will tend to need quite a loud volume. Unfortunately, the victims in all this will be your fellow musicians
and your audience in a small venue, who listen much closer to the axis of your speaker. Remember - they don't hear
what you hear. This might well be the reason why guitarists are often accused of playing too loud - it's all down to the
focus.
The problem here, is that guitar players who don't play regularly in studios or live venues often tend to struggle when
listening to the Studio PROFILEs of the PROFILER through monitor speakers or headphones. Some say the original
sound from the guitar cabinet is the "real" amp sound, while mic'ing the cabinet gives it an artificial flavor. Listening
to a mic'ed amp through full-range speakers is a different experience to that of sitting in the room, listening to the
guitar cabinet directly, and the difference is especially obvious when you listen to the amp without being