Modeler for practice/gigging

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paulyc

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I’m looking for anyone that has experience with using any of the big name floor board style modelers (Helix, AX8, Headrush Gig Board, Quad Cortex, etc). I‘m looking for something super portable that sounds great and gets at least close to the feel of an amp. Anybody have any input ? I really like the idea of this, but I’m concerned about how it actually sounds and feels compared to an amp. For context, 80’s LA sunset strip rock up through Dream Theater would be a good range of tones to model. I‘ve seen Stryper live a few years ago, Oz used a Line 6 pre Helix into the effects return of a Peavey Triple X and Michael used an ISP unit, both guys sounded great, so I’m guessing it’s at least possible. Thanks in advance.
 
bro-I used a pod hd500 for a church gig and it was perfect for what I needed. Straight in the PA and done. I used other people's patches that sounded really good and tweaked from there.
 
Yeah, the HD500 was actually the first thing that popped into my head too bro'.

I didn't think of 3rd-party patches so I opted not to mention it; I spent 2 years tweaking mine to get the "scratchiness" out of all the factory patches back in the day.
 
It's more about budget and personal workflow preferences than anything else. They can all sound great, some might require more dialing in than others. There's a learning curve to every modeler that can be frustrating if you're using to the 'what you see is what you get' nature of traditional gear.
 
Spaceboy said:
It's more about budget and personal workflow preferences than anything else. They can all sound great, some might require more dialing in than others. There's a learning curve to every modeler that can be frustrating if you're using to the 'what you see is what you get' nature of traditional gear.
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This is my biggest dilemma, idk if I have the patience to sit there and tweak it over and over again to get it right. I’ve watched Mark Day’s Fractal videos and they’re impressive as hell, but how much time was spent behind the scenes ?
 
paulyc said:
I’m looking for anyone that has experience with using any of the big name floor board style modelers (Helix, AX8, Headrush Gig Board, Quad Cortex, etc). I‘m looking for something super portable that sounds great and gets at least close to the feel of an amp. Anybody have any input ? I really like the idea of this, but I’m concerned about how it actually sounds and feels compared to an amp. For context, 80’s LA sunset strip rock up through Dream Theater would be a good range of tones to model. I‘ve seen Stryper live a few years ago, Oz used a Line 6 pre Helix into the effects return of a Peavey Triple X and Michael used an ISP unit, both guys sounded great, so I’m guessing it’s at least possible. Thanks in advance.
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I think the Kemper is out of the budget, and I’m looking for more of an all in one solution. I’ve heard the Kemper IS the most amp like (cue Wolf Hoffman using it and sounding fucking amazing), but it doesn’t have the quality of effects like say, the Helix.
 
Dude, the FX are awesome.

They updated the delays, 'verb, fuzz and overdrive stomps a couple o' years ago and they're now second-to-none.
 
They mostly all sound great except the Headrush, but to me the Kemper's the only one that to me really cops the feel of an actual amp. Haven't tried the Cortex yet so maybe it can too.

That said, if I was gigging one I'd probably just take the Helix. The interface is just so much simpler. Or for a budget option, the Amplifire definitely gets into the same neighborhood tone-wise and is way cheaper.
 
I’ve recently got one of these https://www.victoryamps.com/product/v4-the-sheriff-guitar-amp/ And enjoyed using it at two gigs last week that needed a quick setup into an unknown pa, on both occasions ran direct into the pa using a Phil X two notes cab. first gig I had a wedge to hear it through and second gig I used my iems, sounded great in both. Has a headphone out practising and I can use my existing board with it. Not a modeller I know but imo it’s a better compromise for those that like their tube amps. Nice and simple to set up as well.
 
Monkey Man said:
Dude, the FX are awesome.

They updated the delays, 'verb, fuzz and overdrive stomps a couple o' years ago and they're now second-to-none.
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+1 on this. I used to use an external board in the loop for delays, reverb, and boost - no more. They're a million times better than when they came out. I can do almost every gig now with just the native Kemper effects.
 
They all sound fine IMHO. I think whether they work for someone or not is whether you can trust yourself to just set it and then leave the damn thing alone. I unfortunately cannot and it ended up driving me nuts. But if you can just let it go and play it, all the new stuff is great IME.
 
Once you get the workflow, they're all pretty easy these days...I use an FM3.

You mentioned cheap, portable and feels like an amp...for Marshall-y tones, all the atomic modelers sound and feel fantastic. Their ui is a little limited and they don't really get updated, but they're a cheap way to give it a try. Our singer still uses my old Amplifier 12 and it sounds awesome. For pure amp tone and feel, I preferred the Atomic over Helix.
 
paulyc said:
I think the Kemper is out of the budget, and I’m looking for more of an all in one solution. I’ve heard the Kemper IS the most amp like (cue Wolf Hoffman using it and sounding fucking amazing), but it doesn’t have the quality of effects like say, the Helix.
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wolf is the reason i bought one and ever took them serious, being digital and all. i saw them live 2012 and he had one in his rack. i had no idea what it was, but i had one within a year of that. His tone has always been some of my favorite. His live tone on Staying A Life is bad ass.
 
I've seen the Fractal FM3 as low as $850. If you go on the website they have tons of free patches you can download and you won't need to tweak anything.
 
The AFXIII that I had sounded really good with no tweaking. I'm sure the FM3 is equally as good.

Just don't get sucked into trying to get it to sound exactly like something else. Just accept that it has its own sound, just like any other piece of gear, and go with it.
 
Kemper hands down. It comes loaded with great sounds and the effects are absolutely fantastic. They are always updating and improving it and it just works. Great form factor, sound, easy to dial in and is similar to an amp in that regard. It is the most amp like of them all IMO. Can't go wrong with the Kemper.
 
Thank you for all the replies. It’s giving me lots of food for thought. To those that know, what’s the deal with the Kemper profiles ? I don’t think I’d be making my own, but are they available for purchase or download ? I assume it’s like a computer, garbage in garbage out, so a good source would be needed for profiles.
 
I think people freak out too much about modelers and worry about tweaking. Literally you can plug in and instantly use one preset and never touch another thing. It is like having this big library of every book and you can read them whenever you want.
 
paulyc said:
Thank you for all the replies. It’s giving me lots of food for thought. To those that know, what’s the deal with the Kemper profiles ? I don’t think I’d be making my own, but are they available for purchase or download ? I assume it’s like a computer, garbage in garbage out, so a good source would be needed for profiles.
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Hey Paul,

There're several hundred loaded when you buy it. Also free Rig Packs put together by Kemper from the top commercial Profile sellers, built into the Rig Manager editor / control / librarian app. Then there're the (15 000+?) free Profiles (and always growing in number) on the Rig Exchange, You can download and sort them on / from the Kemper website, but since the Rig Manager app dropped several years ago, there's no longer any need; the Exchange is fully catered for within the app... with better sorting and whatnot.

The app's important IMHO if you want simple access to a large library. Instant audition by double-clicking a Rig or using the up / down arrows on your keyboard. The "old" way used to be copying from your 'puter onto a USB stick and putting that into the Kemper. You can still do that, but I prefer to keep mine "empty" and use the editor app.

HTH bro'.
 
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