Just got a Kemper....

spark240

I got to say, ...Ive been though a few guitar FX and pedalboards....and this thing is pretty awesome.

PVO_Dave

Go check out the Mbritt profiles

Chalky

Play it through a proper guitar speaker cab - maybe the return on your amp's fx loop. Sounds way better than through monitors.

simonk

Good score. Definitely check out the M Britt profiles. What are you playing it through? I think it sounds much better through an active monitor - I use a Yamaha DXR10.

Evildurka

I picked up a powered rack a week ago and I'm impressed too. Can't wait to get some profiles made of the gear I have already.

andy1839

I've had mine a while, taken it to a couple of jams and its performed really well into the fx loop of a Peavey 6595 212. Used a Line 6 M13 as a midi switcher (not full midi but let's you choose between 12 rigs, more than enough for me) and a Rockett Archer for a bit of a push.

At home I'm using it with a hifi separates poweramp into hifi speakers and it sounds great. Thomann do a trumpet case for about £30 which it fits into brilliantly with space for cables etc.

As mentioned above download some decent profiles, I've got a few of the M Britt ones and haven been disappointed.

Fiftyshadesofjay

Chalky said:

Play it through a proper guitar speaker cab - maybe the return on your amp's fx loop. Sounds way better than through monitors.

Not this. Sorry. 

If you want the traditional sound of an amp next to you do this, and it does sound good. However I think it's misleading to say it sounds better, as running through monitors you're essentially running it how it was originally designed, which is to emulate a mic'd up amp.

I understand people not being used to this, and some people have a hard time adjusting but I also know a recording engineer used to hearing an amp under a mic would strongly disagree with your statement.

spark240

Well....I've only got as far as the headphones !....I will be using it for recording and listening back through Yamaha HS7,s....the guy I got it from also mailed me some additional profiles from Britt and Hi watt, haven't loaded them up yet.

paulmapp8306

Fiftyshadesofjay said:

Chalky said:

Play it through a proper guitar speaker cab - maybe the return on your amp's fx loop. Sounds way better than through monitors.

Not this. Sorry. 

If you want the traditional sound of an amp next to you do this, and it does sound good. However I think it's misleading to say it sounds better, as running through monitors you're essentially running it how it was originally designed, which is to emulate a mic'd up amp.

I understand people not being used to this, and some people have a hard time adjusting but I also know a recording engineer used to hearing an amp under a mic would strongly disagree with your statement.

Age old debate.  Running the Kemper through a real cab - inits early days - was not great.  The AFX did this better as you had a seperate amp block.  The Kemper has got better AND there are MANY profiles out there now that have been taken without a Cab - it direct out from a head.  Chuck these through a real cab it it sounds fantastic.

Fiftyshadesofjay

paulmapp8306 said:

Fiftyshadesofjay said:

Chalky said:

Play it through a proper guitar speaker cab - maybe the return on your amp's fx loop. Sounds way better than through monitors.

Not this. Sorry. 

If you want the traditional sound of an amp next to you do this, and it does sound good. However I think it's misleading to say it sounds better, as running through monitors you're essentially running it how it was originally designed, which is to emulate a mic'd up amp.

I understand people not being used to this, and some people have a hard time adjusting but I also know a recording engineer used to hearing an amp under a mic would strongly disagree with your statement.

Age old debate.  Running the Kemper through a real cab - inits early days - was not great.  The AFX did this better as you had a seperate amp block.  The Kemper has got better AND there are MANY profiles out there now that have been taken without a Cab - it direct out from a head.  Chuck these through a real cab it it sounds fantastic.

I agree to extent, maybe I didn't express myself properly. I'm not saying the Kemper or Axe don't sound good through an amp or cab because they do.

What I'm saying is don't say it doesn't sound good through monitors just because you're not used to the sound of a mic'd up amplifier.

hywelg

What I'm saying is don't say it doesn't sound good through monitors just because you're not used to the sound of a mic'd up amplifier.

I have never yet heard a recorded sound that was as good as the sound in the room when it was recorded. So if you want to sound like a studio recording that's fine, but I would be hoping for a better live sound.
Matt Schofield is an absolute tone Hound and he is constantly searching to capture that on a recording and has admitted he hasn't yet. When he got to play through a Kemper profile of his sig amp his comment (and I was in the room when he did this) was, Yes it sounds like my recorded sound. Now if you have never seen him live you won't understand how different his sound is live. It is huge, very dynamic and revealing.

firepaulmusic

Surely his recorded sound is what you hear through the PA at one of his gigs, unless it's in a smaller venue?

Nas

I saw him in a small venue and could hear the sound from the amp. The guy is great and his tone was massive live .

hywelg

firepaulmusic said:

Surely his recorded sound is what you hear through the PA at one of his gigs, unless it's in a smaller venue?

Nope. Hearing is believing. Nothing like the recorded sound.

Fiftyshadesofjay

hywelg said:

firepaulmusic said:

Surely his recorded sound is what you hear through the PA at one of his gigs, unless it's in a smaller venue?

Nope. Hearing is believing. Nothing like the recorded sound.

Are you sure you're not confusing things just by the fact that when you see a live act you can hear a bit of the actual amp and it's way louder than playing the CD?

I mean, if you have the same player with the same amp both mic'd up, one being recorded and one being sent through a PA, is it not (more or less, not counting post processing) the same thing?

Chalky

Playing the Kemper through monitors is good - I have Genelec 8040s if that makes a difference - but I just think it sounds to me the player much better through a guitar cab. Maybe its the just the mental feedback loop of 'pick string and hear response'? The monitors sound a bit more sterile/synthetic? Hard to explain.

drwiddly

For live work I have a direct feed from the KPA to FOH and I get that in my monitor mix too but behind me I want it through a guitar cab, preferably with a valve power amp (I often use it into the return of a 35w combo). It just sounds better to me that way and the valve power stage makes it feel like a normal amp. I also have an Axe FX and I use that the same way. It just feels right and sounds great IMO.

FelineGuitars

I'm loving my Kemper 

I got some great profiles from http://www.topjimi.com but there are a lot of cool places to share rigs with.

spark240

Have to say, still on headphones at the moment, but this is a great bit of kit, and I've had a few FX.

Evildurka

I have some Dynaudio BM6's can't wait to see what it sounds like through them