Monkey Man
Super Moderator
At the risk of sounding like a lackey, it doesn't.
Texhex
Active member
I can really only hear the Kemper difference when I'm using headphones so yeah, pretty isolated. Mark V 90W, DSL100H and 50W 5153 all profiled via a Reactive Load (now a Suhr) and IRs and they come out pretty spot on.
Here's a comparison I did with a FM3, Kemper and 5153. I used a reamped signal and the same IR on the Kemper and FM3 and set the model in the FM3 to exactly match the settings on the 5153.
I took some shit on the Fractal Forums for using a Captor but I subsequently purchased a Suhr Reactive Load and the differences are very slight IMO so I don't think the RL choice made that much of a difference.
Anyway, I really like the Kemper. I mostly use models of my own amps and literally use the same IR (Gods Cab freebie, 57_1_inch_cap_3 with cuts at 83Hz and 8300Hz) for all of them. The IR is the biggest factor with this digital stuff as far as I'm concerned and I never used to use high and low cuts but they make a big difference. I have it setup so I can dial in a sound on my amp and then shoot a Profile anytime I like what I'm hearing. Over time I end up with about 10-15 Profiles of each channel of an amp and I'm set.
I sold my first Kemper and then bought a 2nd one about a year later. I have kept this 2nd one longer than any other digital piece of gear, just over a year and a half now so that's saying something at least for me.
Good luck with the purchase OP. Feel free to hit me up if you have a tough time getting it to sound the way you think it should.
USMarine5150
Member
I've had a powered KPA for awhile. Pro tip... use real OD/drive pedals in front and it will sound every bit as good as a tube amp (IMO). (e.g. use a real TS808 or Rat, not their built-in pedals)
No one can tell the difference between digital and tube amps with effects and cranked. So do what works for you. There are things Kemper doesn't do as well IMO (like a cranked single-channel with guitar vol rolled off for cleans), but for most applications it's great. And being able to have 999 amps in a small package is great for most use.
And the new Rig Manager has been the game changer for me.
No one can tell the difference between digital and tube amps with effects and cranked. So do what works for you. There are things Kemper doesn't do as well IMO (like a cranked single-channel with guitar vol rolled off for cleans), but for most applications it's great. And being able to have 999 amps in a small package is great for most use.
And the new Rig Manager has been the game changer for me.
Spaceboy
Well-known member
Why use external overdrives? Instead of using the Kemper overdrives, would it be better to ‘bake in’ a boost in front of an amp you’re profiling? I really only boost for metal, not much of an overdrive guy otherwise.
E
ewill52
Well-known member
It doesn't. I've had Fractal and Line6, just pulled the trigger on a Kemper Stage. Here's my logic - I will never be able to afford most of the amps the guys on here drool over. I can't dump $3500 into a single amp, not to mention the dozens of other amps I might want to try. Modelers get me as close to Dumbles, Two Rocks, vintage Marshalls, etc, as I'm ever going to get.
In the room the feel is a little different. Through the mains or recorded, it sounds as good (if not better) than I can get amps to sound.
I've got a couple of killer amps and will always keep them. This isn't an either\or binary decision for me, the Kemper fits in a good spot with the rest of the gear.
In the room the feel is a little different. Through the mains or recorded, it sounds as good (if not better) than I can get amps to sound.
I've got a couple of killer amps and will always keep them. This isn't an either\or binary decision for me, the Kemper fits in a good spot with the rest of the gear.
crankyrayhanky
Well-known member
A lot of people do that but I don't personally care for that method, it works and sounds good but I'd rather use an actual OD in front, feels and sounds way better.
That being said, when I was gigging I just used the onboard Kemper Green Screamer as I had that dialed in to where it worked well. I had the mix down to like 65% on it so it actually does that whereas most TS do not have such an option.
I think they updated the drives in the last month or 2? I haven't updated in awhile. When they updated the reverbs and delays it was a HUGE improvement so I need to explore this
Monkey Man
Super Moderator
Indeed they did, Brother Ray.
The consensus seems to be that the update's awesome.
japetus
Moderator
It, like any tool, is only limited by the hands of it's user.
the rossness
Well-known member
I love my kemper! Maybe the best piece of gear I’ve ever had 
. I mainly use it at home. Its a great way to “demo” an amp you might be interested in buying. Live, it’s alright, but I prefer a real tube amp. I saw a VH tribute band over the summer and their guitarist was playing a kemper. His tone was garbage.
I think the kemper is a great tool. One to demo amps, or to record, but live, it hasn’t really wowed me.You might be a good candidate for the Synergy setup. I just got the SLO module and its tone is absolutely glorious!
. I mainly use it at home. Its a great way to “demo” an amp you might be interested in buying. Live, it’s alright, but I prefer a real tube amp. I saw a VH tribute band over the summer and their guitarist was playing a kemper. His tone was garbage.I think the kemper is a great tool. One to demo amps, or to record, but live, it hasn’t really wowed me.You might be a good candidate for the Synergy setup. I just got the SLO module and its tone is absolutely glorious!
Monkey Man
Super Moderator
The trick with live use is to choose the right Profile (obviously), tweak it at gig volume or something similar and not overdo the highs. If anything, it's probably a good M.O. to routinely dial those highs back a tad. Scooped tones generally don't work live for rock 'cause the midrange is where all the magic happens.
Many top artists (and lesser-known individuals) pull fantastic live tones out of this thing. Mark Knopfler wouldn't be using it for his live shows if it didn't deliver, as is the case with many other guitar-tone freaks.
Many top artists (and lesser-known individuals) pull fantastic live tones out of this thing. Mark Knopfler wouldn't be using it for his live shows if it didn't deliver, as is the case with many other guitar-tone freaks.
ElectricVoodoo
Well-known member
That it right there. For all the years I've been playing, I've gotten very finicky to what I want out of an amp and need that certain response from it or I'm done with it.
My mesa MKV 35 head never had it for me unfortunately.
Kapo_Polenton
Well-known member
Wow! this thing sounds beastly. Keeps the highs which sometimes get a little bloated and fizzy on the Kemper to my ear.
nothingeined
Member
Love my Kemper. Picked it up about 2 ago and it has been one of the longest pieces of musical equipment I have had. Mine is unpowered so I run it though a Powerstage 170 with the extra EQ options on it into a Mesa 4x12 Baffled Cab and it just plain awesome sounding. The profiles available for it is insane. Some of the best high gain tones and the cleans that have been coming up on the Rig Exchange are amazing as well.
dawnofdreamx97
Well-known member
Lifes short , why not play the real thing... ?
Honestly ... I've had the Kemper , axe fx 2 xl+ mooer ge200 , helix , they're all cool...but I always find i spend more time tweaking then playing ....
Ive heard guys get great sounds out of them but give me the real thing !
just saying!
Honestly ... I've had the Kemper , axe fx 2 xl+ mooer ge200 , helix , they're all cool...but I always find i spend more time tweaking then playing ....
Ive heard guys get great sounds out of them but give me the real thing !
just saying!
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G
GtarLover
Well-known member
So, there’s some good info here and some interesting ways to use the Kemper.
The quick answer is the Kemper doesn’t suck
I have a Powered Rack. I’ve profiled a few of MY amps that I really dig and find that these are the profiles I use most. Also, I have purchased a few profiles that are great as well. When I use the Kemper for a LIVE show, I run the Kemper’s Main Outputs directly to the FOH and then I also have a 4X12 cab onstage for myself and for stage volume for the band and audience. The cab is run out of the Speaker out, with Cab OFF on monitor, and the monitor volume is also adjustable. No chance of blowing the speakers AND any changes made to the stage volume don’t effect the FOH volume.
IMO, if you have amps that you LOVE the sound of, you can profile THAT tone and be extremely happy with the Kemper. Also, as I said, I’ve purchased a few great profiles as well. Rig Exchange is a great place to start and if you have the time to search and audition profiles, you can find good stuff there.
On the other hand, my Axe III is a different tool. I can create presets from nothing and it will simply sound great. The Axe has very accurate amp models and plenty of cab IR’s built-in. The effects section is vastly superior to the Kemper’s, although I really like the recent verb and drive updates from Kemper.
There may be a bit of a learning curve with the Axe III because it has some truly useful options that one must learn how to implement correctly for maximum benefit, yet the results are truly spectactular.
I currently use the Axe III for a majority of my live shows and have had BRILLIANT results.
Both are AMAZING tools for live and recorded music.
To the OP, again...if you already have the amps that you LOVE the sound of, the Kemper can really make sense.
I really like the idea of having the GREAT tones of MY amps in the box.
For me, I just gotta find the time to spend profiling them all
Also, if you record a tone from your amp, LOVE IT and want to come back to that EXACT tone or be able to recreate in a LIVE setting, just profile it and have it in the box forever. This is a VERY useful way to use the Kemper as well.
Best of luck
The quick answer is the Kemper doesn’t suck
I have a Powered Rack. I’ve profiled a few of MY amps that I really dig and find that these are the profiles I use most. Also, I have purchased a few profiles that are great as well. When I use the Kemper for a LIVE show, I run the Kemper’s Main Outputs directly to the FOH and then I also have a 4X12 cab onstage for myself and for stage volume for the band and audience. The cab is run out of the Speaker out, with Cab OFF on monitor, and the monitor volume is also adjustable. No chance of blowing the speakers AND any changes made to the stage volume don’t effect the FOH volume.
IMO, if you have amps that you LOVE the sound of, you can profile THAT tone and be extremely happy with the Kemper. Also, as I said, I’ve purchased a few great profiles as well. Rig Exchange is a great place to start and if you have the time to search and audition profiles, you can find good stuff there.
On the other hand, my Axe III is a different tool. I can create presets from nothing and it will simply sound great. The Axe has very accurate amp models and plenty of cab IR’s built-in. The effects section is vastly superior to the Kemper’s, although I really like the recent verb and drive updates from Kemper.
There may be a bit of a learning curve with the Axe III because it has some truly useful options that one must learn how to implement correctly for maximum benefit, yet the results are truly spectactular.
I currently use the Axe III for a majority of my live shows and have had BRILLIANT results.
Both are AMAZING tools for live and recorded music.
To the OP, again...if you already have the amps that you LOVE the sound of, the Kemper can really make sense.
I really like the idea of having the GREAT tones of MY amps in the box.
For me, I just gotta find the time to spend profiling them all
Also, if you record a tone from your amp, LOVE IT and want to come back to that EXACT tone or be able to recreate in a LIVE setting, just profile it and have it in the box forever. This is a VERY useful way to use the Kemper as well.
Best of luck
Monkey Man
Super Moderator
Yup, I was going to say it but you beat me to it, mate:
You can Profile your favourite amp/s with the mic position->mic->preamp chain exactly how you feel sounds best and send the resulting Rig to FOH live for perfect reproduction, with 100% consistency gig after gig.
No other way I'm aware of to achieve this live. Mic positions vary from night to night, as to components of the signal path. Then there're stage resonances and feedback that affect the tone detrimentally.
So, for accuracy, purity and consistency, it can't be beat in a live setting IMHO.
You can Profile your favourite amp/s with the mic position->mic->preamp chain exactly how you feel sounds best and send the resulting Rig to FOH live for perfect reproduction, with 100% consistency gig after gig.
No other way I'm aware of to achieve this live. Mic positions vary from night to night, as to components of the signal path. Then there're stage resonances and feedback that affect the tone detrimentally.
So, for accuracy, purity and consistency, it can't be beat in a live setting IMHO.
K-Roll
Active member
To me the kemper is the best purchase I've ever made. I have a consistent tone at home when recording, playing at the rehearsal place as well as live on stage. I bought the stage unit and basically I now hit the show with just a gig bag and 2 guitars and that's it.
At the rehearsal place I am running it through a yamaha dxr10 with a tiny 10'' speaker and it just rips on 1/2 volume. The other guy playing a tube amp keeps asking me to turn it down because it fills the place more dimensionally and broadly than his orange 4x12.
Also, for those who say - why not play the real thing? Do a quick math on how much it would cost you if like me you like to experiement. Say AC30 for clean tones and then a VHT ultralead for the chugs. A week later I find out there's a preset I like at home, I bring it to the rehearsal room, try it, find out I only liked it at home and go back search for something else. It's great that you have all these amp/cab/mic position options and right now I absolutely love the stl Bendeth VHT UL that's my main go to profile.
Quality of tone? No compromise to me, if any of you say yeah you can hear it in the 60hz frequency range it's lacking there a bit - first of all, the moment you go play live and there's a FOH system they always high/lo pass you. Always... and sometimes they cut everything below 90-100hz so goodbye 60hz. Same with the studio set up.
So basically the only thing you like more with a real tube amp is the room factor how it pushes air and thumps in your chest. But - the same can be achieved with a good profile, usually one that has a 57 and a 122 or 421 blended in. It just thumps like a real amp.
I have never received compliments on my tone whenever we played live while I was using tube amps, it was either too loud or too bright or too dry or too xyz. Now - it's been amazing, we run a basic in ear rack system so I can hear everything without having to run a cab and its perfectly doable. Sometimes I bring the yamaha with me just for fun and then I usually use just one of the in ear channels and unplug the other to hear myself in the room.
What is the best benefit is that since we both switched to a kemper in my band, the whole soundcheck takes roughly 15 min total and that's 10 min for drums usually. Wiring up, tuning the guitar, hitting a chord and we're ready to go. When I had tube amps, there would be many cases where I'd hit the mic stand onstage, or I would hear the sound guy hunt for fizzy piercing frequencies and mud. I take care of all of that in the profile and it is consistent.
One thing that does happen with the toaster unit that our other guitarst plays - it does sometimes bug out. Like.. it freezes and you can't switch a preset or you sounds like you are on 1/2 gain he has to restart and then it's ok. He bought it off a guy and I remember it does that ever since like maybe once in 2-3 months.
At the rehearsal place I am running it through a yamaha dxr10 with a tiny 10'' speaker and it just rips on 1/2 volume. The other guy playing a tube amp keeps asking me to turn it down because it fills the place more dimensionally and broadly than his orange 4x12.
Also, for those who say - why not play the real thing? Do a quick math on how much it would cost you if like me you like to experiement. Say AC30 for clean tones and then a VHT ultralead for the chugs. A week later I find out there's a preset I like at home, I bring it to the rehearsal room, try it, find out I only liked it at home and go back search for something else. It's great that you have all these amp/cab/mic position options and right now I absolutely love the stl Bendeth VHT UL that's my main go to profile.
Quality of tone? No compromise to me, if any of you say yeah you can hear it in the 60hz frequency range it's lacking there a bit - first of all, the moment you go play live and there's a FOH system they always high/lo pass you. Always... and sometimes they cut everything below 90-100hz so goodbye 60hz. Same with the studio set up.
So basically the only thing you like more with a real tube amp is the room factor how it pushes air and thumps in your chest. But - the same can be achieved with a good profile, usually one that has a 57 and a 122 or 421 blended in. It just thumps like a real amp.
I have never received compliments on my tone whenever we played live while I was using tube amps, it was either too loud or too bright or too dry or too xyz. Now - it's been amazing, we run a basic in ear rack system so I can hear everything without having to run a cab and its perfectly doable. Sometimes I bring the yamaha with me just for fun and then I usually use just one of the in ear channels and unplug the other to hear myself in the room.
What is the best benefit is that since we both switched to a kemper in my band, the whole soundcheck takes roughly 15 min total and that's 10 min for drums usually. Wiring up, tuning the guitar, hitting a chord and we're ready to go. When I had tube amps, there would be many cases where I'd hit the mic stand onstage, or I would hear the sound guy hunt for fizzy piercing frequencies and mud. I take care of all of that in the profile and it is consistent.
One thing that does happen with the toaster unit that our other guitarst plays - it does sometimes bug out. Like.. it freezes and you can't switch a preset or you sounds like you are on 1/2 gain he has to restart and then it's ok. He bought it off a guy and I remember it does that ever since like maybe once in 2-3 months.
Monkey Man
Super Moderator
Check that your buddy's unit doesn't have too many Profiles, Presets and / or Cabinets on it, K-Roll. Safest to keep the numbers low if possible IMHO.
Yes! '57 and 421 are my fave guitar-cab mic's! So much mojo to be had there.
Yes! '57 and 421 are my fave guitar-cab mic's! So much mojo to be had there.