Kemper people in here..

Si_

so, the Kemper has been out for a while now.. and i've got a chance of getting one at a decent price (the 600w powered rack version) Anyone use them live? how well do they work? How well do they work through a standard Cab? I was surprised to read they are not an audio interface, so you can't jeu plug it into your PC via USB and record.

I've been down the AxeFX route several times and although there great, they take too much tweaking, I'm assuming the Kemper is more of a "download and play" device.

Si

digitalscream

It's worth checking out the Kemper forums - they had a lot of tiny little bugs in the early (and not-so-early) days, and the startup time can be an issue at gigs. However, they do sound excellent. If I could afford it, I'd get one in a heartbeat.

However, having just bought another Eleven Rack, I shouldn't even be getting involved in these conversations...

Si_

LOL.. 

Handsome_Chris

@Si_, at the risk of sounding like a troll, what happened to the Mesa Mk V?

Drew_TNBD

LOL. Si... you're worse than myself and good ol' Nocaster put together

But seriously... the Kemper IS quicker and easier to use than the Axe FX. But I don't think it will be for you; as I recall you had some concerns about the live tone, which was leading you down the tweakery path.

I think the Kemper will lead you down a similar path.

The more I hear modelled amp tones live, the more I think they're thin and do not come anywhere near a real amp. Recording?? No problem. Live use... nah bro. Real amps, real speakers, real air moving, real microphones being hit with real SPL.

Fiftyshadesofjay

As a Kemper owner myself I'm going to have to disagree with the above in the fact that they sound thin.  In my experience they can sound pretty much identical to the sound of a mic'd up valve amp.

Having said that, I never had much luck with using it with a power amp and guitar cab. This is because the whole profile is baked in with the power section, cab and microphone, and I got less than perfect results disabling the cab and using it with a power amp.

Now if I was playing big stages with great sound reinforcement, I genuinely don't think you'd be able to tell the difference between a mic'd up amp through the PA and the Kemper.

Unfortunately I'm mostly playing small hard core shows and we're lucky to get a decent vocal PA, hence the reason the Kemper lives in my studio!

Si_

What are you playing through now Drew? hard to keep track of your rig

Shame about the cab sim issue as the one I've been offered in the 600w power amp version so was hoping to just hook it up to my Bogner 2x12, but sounds like that's going to be a bit pants.

I'm trying to resist buying my 4th AxeFx i've got a guy coming in the next 10 mins to take my Mark V away so will have cash burning a hole in my pocket.

I really should stick with 1 amp but you know what it's like

digitalscream

Here's an idea - to get around the problem of the cab and mic getting in the way in the profile, couldn't you just use a load box between the amp and the Kemper, thus profiling the amp on its own without the cab?

Si_ said:

I'm trying to resist buying my 4th AxeFx i've got a guy coming in the next 10 mins to take my Mark V away so will have cash burning a hole in my pocket.

Thank you. I now feel much better about the fact that I've just acquired my third Eleven Rack

Fiftyshadesofjay

Oh, and to answer your other question, while it's not exactly tweak free, I found it so much easier to dial in usable sounds than the Axe-FX, and when they're dialed I tend not to tweak after that.  For reference I have owned an Axe Ultra and Axe 2 previously.

Si_

Well, guy has came and went with my Mark V.. I can already smell the money smouldering in the bank... got a few options, so need to have a hard think.

Moltisanti

i ran an Axe FX rig for a while and this is where i sit on the whole thing now.

Studio use - Axe Fx/Kemper

Live direct to FOH, In ears with pro setup  - Axe FX /Kemper

Live at non pro/touring level - Valve amp turned up, forget micing it unless really necessary.

spacecadet

If you're anything like me, you keep swapping gear in and out but look for the same basic sounds out of every rig. Maybe 5 or 6 core dry sounds then essentially the same ones with some fx on. I looked at the Axe FX, Kempers, Eleven, multi amp rigs, racks full of stuff and after listening to some recordings spanning the last 15-20 years, my tone is basically the same. I've now had pretty much the same rig for nearly a year and its great. Budda amp which is an amazing pedal platform and then use a couple of OD pedals to get the drive sounds. FX change in and out depending on what gig I am doing but get most of the stuff from a Mobius and a Time Factor. All of this switched in and out with a Gigrig G2 and I couldn't be happier. Since I decided to stop worrying about the main rig, my attention has shifted towards actually playing and that has improved ten fold over the last few months.

Discussing all this with a good friend just recently, he asked why I was spending so much time and money on gear when whatever I play through, I still sound like me. That hit home. Hasn't stopped me collecting pedals though!

Drew_TNBD

Si_ said:

What are you playing through now Drew? hard to keep track of your rig

Shame about the cab sim issue as the one I've been offered in the 600w power amp version so was hoping to just hook it up to my Bogner 2x12, but sounds like that's going to be a bit pants.

I'm trying to resist buying my 4th AxeFx i've got a guy coming in the next 10 mins to take my Mark V away so will have cash burning a hole in my pocket.

I really should stick with 1 amp but you know what it's like

I'm playing a Diezel D-Moll with a bunch of single stomps. Never been happier!

David5150

Si_ said:

 

Shame about the cab sim issue as the one I've been offered in the 600w power amp version so was hoping to just hook it up to my Bogner 2x12, but sounds like that's going to be a bit pants.

 

I made the switch to Kemper a year ago for my live and studio rigs and got in all kinds of a pickle about do I need to get the FRFR speakers that folk on the Kemper forum were talking about.

 

To cut a long story short in the studio it sounds fantastic - and is easy to get a great recorded sound out of.

 

Live I'm a traditionalist and prefer to have a cranked amp behind me so I had to tinker a lot to get the sound I wanted out the Kemper. Right now I'm using a Marshall 20 watt valve poweramp into a blackstar V3 cab and whilct it initially sounded a bit 'fizzy' without the cabinet element of the profile disabled with some EQ-ing I can now get it sounding just as great as many of the Amps I'd usually use (Mesa & marshall)

 

Its like any bit of kit - you need time to work out your own tone and Ime, and my bandmates, are happy with this (for now!!)  It sits in th emix really well and honest to god I do find myself gazing at it quite often wondering 'how does this box make an AC30 and then a Bognor, and then a JCM800 come out of the same source' If fact other guitarists have spoken to me at gigs asking the same question.

 

If you're anywhere near Chelmsford you're more than welcome to have a go on mine.

 

One more point re USB connnectivity - Kemper have just relesed a rigmanager that allows for managing profiles over USB which cuts the mucking around with an USB stick out.

 

It's a great product and well worth a go

 

crunchman

Fiftyshadesofjay said:

As a Kemper owner myself I'm going to have to disagree with the above in the fact that they sound thin.  In my experience they can sound pretty much identical to the sound of a mic'd up valve amp.

Having said that, I never had much luck with using it with a power amp and guitar cab. This is because the whole profile is baked in with the power section, cab and microphone, and I got less than perfect results disabling the cab and using it with a power amp.

Now if I was playing big stages with great sound reinforcement, I genuinely don't think you'd be able to tell the difference between a mic'd up amp through the PA and the Kemper.

Unfortunately I'm mostly playing small hard core shows and we're lucky to get a decent vocal PA, hence the reason the Kemper lives in my studio!

I heard one live, having heard the same band the year previously when the guitarist had a Marshall half stack, and the FOH sound was much better with the Kemper.  It was through a good PA with a sound guy who knew what he was doing though.

drwiddly

I've had mine (unpowered rack) for about a year but this has coincided with me leaving all the bands I was involved with and moving 200 miles away so my chances to use it for live gigs have been nil.

It's great in the studio and, with a bit of work, I've got some good sounds out of it through power amps and cabs but I'm still not 100% happy with the power amp & cab route. I've tried it with a Matrix GT1000FX, a Mesa 2:90 and a VHT 2/50/2 but I'm still not completely convinced that power amp/cab is the way to go with the KPA. The Matrix gives the best tone but, in a band situation, it can get a bit lost unless you're in a big enough room to crank the rig. Unfortunately, the only opportunity I've had to try it like that, we were in a tiny studio and balancing volume and feedback levels was a nightmare.

The valve power amps give more grunt and cut through better but they do affect the tonality of the rig and things can get a bit fizzy.

I appreciate that this post isn't the most helpful and I know I need a lot more time to iron out the kinks with using the KPA live but I have no doubt it's possible. There are some absolutely killer profiles available (especially from The Amp Factory) and the FX and useability of the unit are getting better all the time. For example, the pitch effects are stellar and the wah is the best I've ever heard from a digital unit - easily as good as my Weeping Demon and modded Cry Baby.

Is it for you? I don't know but, having followed some of your amp journey on The FB, if you do get it, you need to give it a fair chance. It's more plug and play than an Axe FX but it still needs tweaking. The factory profiles are very raw and don't sound that great until they're tweaked. There are lots of good profiles on the Rig Exchange but there's a hell of a lot of dross too. TAF are the best I've tried but you have to pay for them. If you can spare a tenner, try the Bogner Goldfinger and Marshall 1987X packs.

If you fancy a run down to Selby, you're welcome to have a go with mine.

Si_

thanks for all the info.. I've decided to just hold onto my cash for now and not get anything with it.

digitalscream

Si_ said:

thanks for all the info.. I've decided to just hold onto my cash for now and not get anything with it.

Should we hold on to our skeptical chortles for the moment?

The only way you're hanging on to that cash for any significant period of time is if you delete your account for this forum

Si_

I've got a few more things to sell but think I'll defo be able to resist at least until they sell. 

... I'm in town tomorrow but going to stay clear of GuitarGuitar as I've had my eye on an OD100 they have in for months..