If you were going to purchase a Kemper, AXEFX, or Synergy gear…

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dimebag11
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I guess I look at the tweaking thing a bit differently than most. Currently a Line 6 user which I run into a Power Station or the effects return of a tube head, and then into a 212 Mesa cab. I've spent time with Fractal too and I think that's the route I'll eventually take.

I agree that there's a ton of tweaking than can take place and it sometimes get in the way of actual playing, but for me, once I get something dialed in and store it, I rarely have to make drastic changes when I'm using it at a rehearsal or live situation. Maybe dial it in a bit to fit the space better but I like geeking out and dialing in my tones and then having them on tap. I guess some people are tempted by the deep editing and get option paralysis, but for me, if it sounds and feels good then I just play. Same as I would through any piece of gear. With modelers, I feel like I'm actually getting somewhere and like all the little tweaks and improvements are progress. With my tube amps, it's love/hate. They can sound incredible one day and then the next I'm like wtf happened. Nature of the beast I suppose with power fluctuations, etc but I wonder why I don't experience the same with modelers, even when running into a tube power amp.

With amps, "tweaking" means pedals, changing cabs or trying a different amp altogether. I won't be getting rid of my amps any time soon but I feel that for whatever reason, the modeling stuff is more consistent. With my amps, I have the occasional "holy shit, that sounds and feels incredible" day, but then are days when it's just meh. The modeling is always pretty damn good sounding.
 
I'd get an AX FX. Haven't owned the other two you mentioned but my AX FX2 running it FRFR through a 2x12 active PA sounded great when jamming. It's just a pain in ass to dial it in at first and learn what it can do.
 
Banned by IK Multmedia said:
No one is listening to analog media really but the more digital layers the worst the signal waves get. Recording an analog amp in a digital media is better than recording a digital amp in the same media or even analog media. The more layers of digital stuff in the chain the worse it gets.

Being able to tell the difference is not the point but how your brain proccess it.
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If we can't measure objectively what the difference is, then I'm inclined to say it's placebo. I've convinced many folks in my studio by swapping the signal from the Analog Marshall and Cab, to a line from a similar set up in the AxeFX. Never since the AxeFX Ultra have I had anyone say "wow is that digital?". Then when you tell them it's an AxeFX, some people get kinda grumpy, others find it exciting. Just exposes our the dogma we hold as nerdy musicians.

At the end of the day if it sounds good, it probably does.
 
Analog vs Digital
The differences these days ain't in the listening, it's in the playing.
Sometimes there's still something that bugs me now and then with a digital amp/pre-amp.
And that's after spending at least a year each with Fractal, Kemper, and Neural.

Tubes are impractical these days so the next best thing is SS pre-amps.

KSR-VESTA-ksr-vesta-front_led-on-yellow.jpg
 
rottingcorpse said:
It wasn't just the modules. And some of the Jaded Faith mods were good. The loop sucked.
I used the head version and it's power amp was weak sauce too.
If I'd had a Mesa power amp I'm sure it woulda had more thump.
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I had the RM and it had, without question, the shittiest sounding loop of any amp i've ever played. Literally the reason I sold it lol
 
I have Kemper, I love it. The truth is, they're all pretty good these days. QC sounds fantastic. Tonex sounds fantastic. the Fractal stuff sounds fantastic. Some of the opinions formed on here are based on user experience and comfort with the UI. That makes sense. I like the digital options just because I've got opportunities to play amps I'll never get to own.

Helluva time to be alive and play guitar
 
ghosty999 said:
Never since the AxeFX Ultra have I had anyone say "wow is that digital?". Then when you tell them it's an AxeFX, some people get kinda grumpy, others find it exciting. Just exposes our the dogma we hold as nerdy musicians.

At the end of the day if it sounds good, it probably does.
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Bingo. Honestly, just about everything mentioned in this thread can sound great, we've reached that point, you should be able to make some killer sounding music these days with what's out there, we're living in good times as players. I've recently decided to no longer mention what I'm using in my tunes, just focused on the music, hell, even when making a video now and all the gear is glowing in the background I still don't plan on stating what's actually being tracked lol...only if a listener specifically states "damn that sounds good, whatchu using" will I tell them it's "the bogner" or the "SLO" or the "Axe Fx", etc. I don't expect to get that question tho...which would be nice.
 
Crunchity said:
Bingo. Honestly, just about everything mentioned in this thread can sound great, we've reached that point, you should be able to make some killer sounding music these days with what's out there, we're living in good times as players. I've recently decided to no longer mention what I'm using in my tunes, just focused on the music, hell, even when making a video now and all the gear is glowing in the background I still don't plan on stating what's actually being tracked lol...only if a listener specifically states "damn that sounds good, whatchu using" will I tell them it's "the bogner" or the "SLO" or the "Axe Fx", etc. I don't expect to get that question tho...which would be nice.
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I like your style. Let the art speak for itself and don't let people know the technicalities.

I had a phase of purposefully recording on a "bad" piece of gear but withholding the info till after folks said it sounded great. I know it's a troll move but nothing beats the feeling of hearing a valve snob compliment a Peavy Bandit because they thought it was something else haha. Bad I know!

That doesn't mean I still don't love a good analog setup. And own expensive valve amps myself!
 
ghosty999 said:
If we can't measure objectively what the difference is, then I'm inclined to say it's placebo. I've convinced many folks in my studio by swapping the signal from the Analog Marshall and Cab, to a line from a similar set up in the AxeFX. Never since the AxeFX Ultra have I had anyone say "wow is that digital?". Then when you tell them it's an AxeFX, some people get kinda grumpy, others find it exciting. Just exposes our the dogma we hold as nerdy musicians.

At the end of the day if it sounds good, it probably does.
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We can both objectively measure and listen the difference

https://www.audiomasterclass.com/bl...ference-between-a-sine-wave-and-a-square-wave
 
ghosty999 said:
We aren't comparing an isolated Sine and Square wave, we are comparing analog and digital guitar amps.

Real test is whether you'd routinely fail a blind A/B test between the models and the reference amp. Can you claim to beat a blind A/B?
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There is no need for that. In digital you only get signals known to be unpleasant. You know compression? Its effects on sound quality are well known. No need to make everyone blind.
 
Banned by IK Multmedia said:
There is no need for that. In digital you only get signals known to be unpleasant. You know compression? Its effects on sound quality are well known. No need to make everyone blind.
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All we're asking is you back up your claim with proof via a simple test.

We all agree a Square, Sine, Triangle and Saw wave sound different. So we can park that discussion.

I'm guessing you only listen to music on record and record on magnetic tape? Since anything played back by your DAW/Computer is a square wave representation of real analog sound (just like an AxeFX)?
 
ghosty999 said:
All we're asking is you back up your claim with proof via a simple test.

We all agree a Square, Sine, Triangle and Saw wave sound different. So we can park that discussion.

I'm guessing you only listen to music on record and record on magnetic tape? Since anything played back by your DAW/Computer is a square wave representation of real analog sound (just like an AxeFX)?
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That is about losing integrity. You are presuming by the time a full analog chain is recorded to a hard drive it is the same as the digital chain recorded to a hard drive. It is impossible to manipulate audio digitally without degrading it. Each digital layer keeps adding to audio degradation.

A typical professional level studio is all analog but they do record to the computer hard drive. They are not doing that for no reason.
 
Banned by IK Multmedia said:
That is about losing integrity. You are presuming by the time a full analog chain is recorded to a hard drive it is the same as the digital chain recorded to a hard drive. It is impossible to manipulate audio digitally without degrading it. Each digital layer keeps adding to audio degradation.

A typical professional level studio is all analog but they do record to the computer hard drive. They are not doing that for no reason.
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Dude, you've been spouting nonsense the last page and a half of this thread. It's clear to everyone that you don't know what you're talking about. I'm not going to waste my time arguing with you. Just give it a rest. I can see why IK Multimedia banned you.
 
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