Kemper Amps Forum

Quoted from "Radley"

AFX distortion is smoother and 'wider'.

What tube amp have you sat in front of that has 'smooth' distortion?
Can you A/B the smooth distortion with the distortion of the real tube amps modelled?

We know the Kemper distortion is accurate because studios and guitarists able to make Profiles have agreed the A/B comparison is literally 100% accurate.

For some guitarists including myself (intermediate) "smooth" distortion with un natural sustain will always appear to feel better to play, it hides mistakes and lousy technique....but plug into a real tube amp and that's not the way it sounds, it's not smooth, it's rough and tough and gritty and your fingers need to really work.

Which distortion sits better in the live mix & studio recordings?

Some of the mono Kemper patches have sounded much Better ad wider then some of the axes stereo cab patches. Ever since I have got the Kemper I am noticing the axe sound in every clip. Kemper is superior. It is more authentic If anyone has mixed both modelers and real amps though would know that the real amps breath and sit better 9/10 times.

Guys - I don't mean to start an argument, but neither the Kemper nor the AFXII completely nail the sound coming out of the speaker of a tube amp. Kemper adds some extra 'digital fur' and fluctuation/wavering, and AFX sometimes adds a certain glassiness some may not prefer. In no way is there a huge difference between the two, and even if there was, the AFXII has way more tools to make a necessary correction. The fact is, most tube amps on their own don't compare to the sounds we now hear on recordings - I want more than basic amp emulation... I want great sounds at my command, and that involves more than a Marshall and a mic. I contend that the final winner of this epic battle will be the company who can deliver the kinds of sounds we hear on our favorite recordings, with the requisite pre and post EQ, post effects, etc.

Quoted from "Radley"

Guys - I don't mean to start an argument, but neither the Kemper nor the AFXII completely nail the sound coming out of the speaker of a tube amp. Kemper adds some extra 'digital fur' and fluctuation/wavering, and AFX sometimes adds a certain glassiness some may not prefer. In no way is there a huge difference between the two, and even if there was, the AFXII has way more tools to make a necessary correction. The fact is, most tube amps on their own don't compare to the sounds we now hear on recordings - I want more than basic amp emulation... I want great sounds at my command, and that involves more than a Marshall and a mic. I contend that the final winner of this epic battle will be the company who can deliver the kinds of sounds we hear on our favorite recordings, with the requisite pre and post EQ, post effects, etc.

. What are you talking about? Most tube amps don't sound as good as our favorite recordings??? Huh? Tube amps don't compare to what we hear on recordings you say? What do you think they are using to record? Certainly not modelers. No offense but you don't really know what you are talking about I believe and have moddeller itis. Of course tube amps sound great in recordings. It's what has been done for a long time now and will always be. When I profiled my amp I was nearly indistinguishable from the real recording. Actually close enough to make 50% of people not know which was real and which was Kemper.

Quoted from "MaxTwang"

Quoted from "Guitartone"

...but plug into a real tube amp and that's not the way it sounds, it's not smooth, it's rough and tough and gritty and your fingers need to really work.

You need to try out some better tube amps!

OK, I'll go try out some better tube amps and report back to you.

Quoted from "Radley"

Guys - I don't mean to start an argument,

It's not an argument, it's a discussion.

Please do not over-react: I am simply saying that the natural sound of tube amps is usually not good enough (by itself) to make a great modern recording. PS: I've been a rather successful LA studio musician for 25+ years. The Kemper's high frequencies give it away - we are listening to numbers, not a paper cone into a mic.

Having owned the Axe II and all previous Axe Standard and Ultra, and now the KPA, i'd stay they're very nice devices that make my life easier touring and recording, but in my opinion everything available today, there is still room for improvement, even with the profiling of the KPA I don't enjoy playing it as much as a good tube amp, honestly after playing it for a while there is something that I can't describe, but it's not the same as a good tube amp, I get sick of the sound, BUT like I said, both AXE II and KPA are very useful tools and i'm keeping both for now, and I'm very glad they exist, I think it will get very interesting in the near future when these units improve even more, they're getting closer but not there yet.

WORD.