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The Fretboards very own Axe FX II VERSUS Kemper thread
Base theme by DesignModo & ported to Powered by Vanilla by Chris Ireland, modified by the "theFB" team.
Comments
My mate has both and I A-B'd them for a while.
Hence I bought a Kemper.
Perfect for studio use. Absolutely great sounding so long as you don't mind investing in some profile packs.
I've got an AxeFX I like a lot but it's not a real amp. It sounds great especially the heavier tones, and recording gets great results. Can't get it to match the power and immediacy of a large valve head, but then I get to run up 100w Matamp heads without negative feedback pretty much everyday. No hiding with those buggers.
The user interface sucks. It's return to the 90s. Or 80s almost. The screen on a 10 year old TC G major is better....
I'd like to try a Kemper sometime.
vs? I want a Strat and Tele , an LP, etc. Why not both of these?
Trying to pick up on all the different sub-threads here: I have both, and run FRFR, they work very well like this. This is for recording and practice, but I can't see why live would be different beyond personal preferences and the comfort zone of using a real guitar cab
The KPA feels and sounds more like an amp to me. It sounds more like my amps to me, even though I haven't bothered doing any profiles yet, but I got a few good free ones, and bought a load from the Amp Factory. For every amp/cab combination in each bundle, there is typically only 1 or 2 that I would use, but that's the same as any synth or keyboard patch set, I ever bought, you pick the ones you want to use. Most amateur profiles I have tried are completely crap an unusable (same as most patches in Guitar rig or amplitube that people upload), so don't assume you can easily match pro level profiles. If you were to use it love, you would find that when changing guitars or reacting to the room, you can easily change bass. mid treble, presence, volume, using dedicated labelled knobs. Also you can very easily adjust sensitivity across all patches to compensate for hotter or cooler pickups. But, no good footswitch system
The AF2 is better for complex FX, but even after 2 years, I haven't been able to dial in or find convincing DC30 emulations, for example (as well as other amps I own). There are amps in there I love, but the complexity is deceptive - thinking that because there are dozens of pages of parameters, therefore you can create the amp you want is a mistake, very few people get that good, this is a repeat of people's experience in synth patch building - few have the time or ear - and it's quite analogous to non-sample based synths in that after changing one parameter, you need to change 6 others in 6 other screens, lots of similarity to a butterfly flapping its wings and causing changes to other bits of the sound somewhere else. Footpedal option is amazing. AF2 seems to have more of a problem with patches that sound crap when you change guitars if they have different pickups, Bass, mid treble, etc are screen-based dynamic controls and don't work very smoothly, and ou're fiddling with dynamic knobs which change round, for the patch you're in,.
If you were to really worry about the boot up time with either KPA or AF2, get a UPS for £100-£150. Note that the AF2 lets out an almighty loud crack into its outputs when powered up or down, which I would worry about more, it could take out a driver.
Switching a tube amp on and off quickly cost me a rectifier valve and a few fuses, they are not designed for that
I know that a pure valve amp (no three legged monsters etc) will withstand the EMP from a nuclear explosion, so I can't imagine a brief power cut being that detrimental to them. @VanHayden, I am curious to here what can damage them, but that's for another thread.
I think the user interface on the AF2 is alright, and probably better that the AF1 due to it having more knobs. The KPA looks a bit more like an amp of sorts. The AF2 really benefits from using an editor with it, as do any of these rack doodles; especially when you get into the deep editing (modding) of the amps and effects. It certainly isn't as slick looking as the Roland gear, but then Roland have the years of design experience behind them. The KPA and AF2 are near enough cottage industries compared to Roland.
Reference switchmode PSUs, I've just received two for the AF2. One to replace the one that may have blown, and a second as a spare. I've had my AF2 for over two years, so it's just gone over it's warranty, so I'll start to see how reliable it is.
I have a small home studio so have been able to crank the KPA a bit and it definitely sounds better through my Matrix power amp than through valves. The stock profiles are a bit meh tbh and the user stuff on the Rig Exchange is variable to say the least! Like @TTony I've bought a few packs from The Amp Factory and there's some great stuff there. Not tried doing any profiling yet but will give it a go soon.
Which is best? Not sure really, I like them both for different reasons. The Kemper sounds more amp like whereas the Ultra is more slick sounding (if that makes sense?) but that may be because I've had more time to tweak it. Both good units, no reliability problems so far and I rarely use my valve amps now and my pedal board hasn't seen daylight for ages.
I've never tried a KPA, but heard a lot about them good and bad.. some of the recordings I heard with them were very good.. the new pitch features in there look to be [and from the clip, sound] amazing too.. I'd certainly like to try one out some day..
I guess you all know I'm an Axe-II user [before that, VG-99, 2120, GP-16].. I know the Axe well.. fw 9.0 was the major turning point.. from there it's just got better and better.. like all units it does have it's down sides, but so far I've managed to config my way around them.. it's a massively flexible unit with massive choice inside it.. a bit of a double edged swrd that it.. all that choice can make things [at least initially] very time consuming to work through [until eventually you start finding your regular fave bits and pieces]..
in addition to all this, I should point out that the VG-99 is a very good unit.. the modelling is not as acurate, but that don't mean it can't sound good.. I really like the tones I've had out of it.. also, it's absolutely rock solid and somes with a superb editor.. and the bit I like is that absolutely every single parameter can be assigned to control via MIDI.. and I adore the FC-300.. it's integration with the VG-99 is superb..
the 2120.. my longest served touring buddy... I still love this unit... absolutely seperb.. massively capable.. sounds fantastic.. and... although nowhere quite as advanced technology wise, in some areas it can out perform the VG-99 and the Axe-II.. not bad for a lil' early 90's gizmo..
to be honest... both my units had the ass kicked out of them far too many times in airports to the point where reliability became an issue [not bad after 10+ years of touring].. had these units had a more gentle life, I doubt it would have every occurred to me to look at the VG or the Axe.. cos I was happy as a sandboy just the way things were..
I loved my VG99, but the amp modelling was pitiful
My favourite tricks were insane tunings, and the bass emulator, but in the end I sold it on, and started using tunings on real guitars instead
I wish my AF2 could do multi-string retunes
NAMM Show News - Software Version 2.3
Parallel Path Signal Chain
This feature is dedicated to electric bass rigs, but works just as well with any other instrument, of course. We have always offered a variety of profiles intended specifically for bass players; however, as with traditional bass rigs, the signal will lose some fundamental bass frequencies when playing through a distorting amplifier. This is why bass players add some of the direct sound to the distorted signal; this way, they retain not only the bass frequencies, but also the original dynamics.
The Profiler now features an optional, parallel signal-path that runs from the Input, through two of the four Stomp slots, and straight to the Output section. With Parallel Path enabled, the main signal path bypasses the two Stomps reserved for the parallel signal. This elegant solution allows for many possibilities - in particular, it means you can compress and equalize the two signal paths individually.
Analog Octaver – Not only for bass players’ delight
The Analog Octaver is a classic effect and a staple for bass players. Despite not being widely known, it works great for other instruments as well. A modeled, analog detection-circuit manipulates and filters the input signal to add two lower octaves to the original. This works great on single notes, adding dimension and fatness.
The Octaver algorithm in the Kemper Profiler responds significantly faster than the original analog devices available. An optional low-cut filter reduces the energy of the low notes. This allows for higher levels of both low-octave voices, without having to deal with any deep growling, or rumbling artifacts.
Beat Scanner - Sync to your pulse
Beat Scanner will listen to the rhythm of the guitar and detect the precise tempo in no time. Just play a simply riff you like and Beat Scanner will follow.
Headphone Space
Headphone Space fights ear fatigue when working with headphones. It adds the sound of a small room to the master signal of your Profiler, imitating the reflections off the floor, the walls, and other objects within the room. Even a mono signal will sound stereo once the room reflections reach the ears. Now you can rehearse and work with headphones for hours without feeling uncomfortable.
Innovative Pedal Vinyl Stop Effect
Just by moving the foot pedal right up, Pedal Vinyl Stop will pitch your playing right down to zero. No sound will be heard until you pull the pedal down again.
Reamping revamped
Record an unprocessed instrument signal, and pipe it through an amp later. This popular trick allows you to adjust and fine-tune the amp’s sound when mixing. Usually, some special equipment is required to convert the high-impedance guitar signal into an appropriate signal at studio-level, for recording. The signal, ready to be "reamped", needs some appropriate treatment as well - with the Profiler, this procedure is both straightforward and easy. With this software update, everything you need comes right out of the box. Impedance and signal levels, just as required. Both recording and reamping can be performed using the analog or digital SPDIF connections.
One stop solution to manage all your rigs
RigManager allows you to preview, tag and manage the thousands of rigs available for the Kemper Profiler. Equipped with extensive sort and search features, it helps you to find the right tone in no time and allows you to concentrate on your performance. RigManager also seamlessly integrates with RigExchange, a cloud storage thousands of Kemper Profiler users utilize to store their personal rigs and share them with the user community.
Though, the best news is: RigManager is free of charge and available in Q1/2014. A Mac version will be released later this year.
yeah... the VG-99 modelling ain't all that acurate when compared to the Axe...
so... I chose to ignore the names of the models and forget that they were trying to be someone specific..
so then I simply thought of them in terms of clean, mid-gain, hi-gain etc models and screw what their names are..
armed with that approach I managed to crate some stonking tones..
I think the trap with modelling is getting so hung up on the fact that the JCM800 must sound so exactly like a JCM800 that some folk actually forget to use a modeller to carve their own voice..
scew all that... find the things you like.. config until you love what you hear..
but most of all.. spend more time playing than writing huge dissertations about how the bloom of a palm muted note for a JCM800 model minutely differs from the real one...
and so the anal microscope overrides the musician...
the kemper speaker sims were poor to my ears and ruined it
The young do not know enough to be prudent, therefore they attempt the impossible - and achieve it, generation after generation.