Kemper Amps Forum

Quoted from "jeddie"

Come on you have to do a little work and search the profile database for what you want. You can't just judge this device on the factory presets. In fact I just cleaned my device and I think I deleted all the factory presets. This device is so easy that if it sounds muffled you just turn up the treble and presence. I like the raw amp sound, but I do see where you could get a "mastered" sound as well. Download the bogner xtacy profile or the marshall golub or the 5150 profiles. Get the tills cabinets etc etc. Do some due diligence!

Interesting comments on this thread.. just one problem really The presets on the Kemper are probably the best in the world against ANY of those emulator/simulator things mentioned and not mentioned too. They certainly dont sound like a real amp as some have said, but the Kemper sounds and feels like a real tube amp especialy with a completely direct comparison. I got a load of friends round and watched their jaws drop as the comparisons were made in my studio.

I never found one of those simulators/emulators with any real substance in the sound department where it matters.. the sounds are always disguised with more effects than you can handle as compensation to bad sounds. But those are emulators and this is Kemper.

I dont relate to the Kemper being a simulator/emulator... but rather a product using the DNA of real tube amps. Indeed the first and only one in the world right now.

BTW I respect your comments and its not a dig at anyone - everyone has a right to their views... but try that other emulator/simulator stuff and you might well sell it all (I did) - unless you like sounds with the kings new clothes cloaking the real tones of those things.
King Kemper... perfect (well it will be once they complete the OS )

I rather likes some of the presets for something's, helps to turn up the cab volume. But I didn't love the high gain sounds out of the box. That problem has been solved for me in user profiles.

I sent u a pm.

That being said, some might just be used to digital sounding moddellers and not yet appreciate some of the sounds in the Kemper yet. But certainly te stock sounds won't appeal to everyone. I will gladly send u stuff I think works great.

Getting a "straty" sound is a combination of three things.

1) The guitar (and it's pickups), unless you have the right pickups then nothing you can do will ever give you this sound, strat pickups are very honky which sound great clean, most superstrats have very flat and even pickups that sound dead on cleans because they're more tailored to be used with distorted or highly processed (chorus etc) tones, they need to be neutral. If you want strat tones you may need to get (or borrow) a strat.

2) The way you play, classic strat riffs make use of the strats natural advantages, it's tremelo, the scale length, the slides, use of vibrato and hammer/pulloffs. The way that you dig the pick into the strings to really bring out an almost slap like sound. Get a good hendrix riff and it's all about the timing and attitude. Having access to Dave Gilmours rig wont let you sound like him unless you can nail the way he plays.

3) The amp (and spring verb), the blackface is a great amp but it's damn loud. The Kemper is still a modeler so it will allow you to play quieter and get close results, but honestly you need to raise the volume on your speakers to approach the volumes you'd use on the real amp in order to get the right instrument/air/amp interplay, not to mention as your speakers get louder their frequency response is going to change. Next you need to add that touch of reverb, it's a fundamental part of the whole tone that a lot of people forget about. A final touch is a little vibro, it's up to you on this but it's a part of many classic strat tones.

It's a lot of work. I know for a fact that even with a real Fender Twin and Strat I have difficulty getting those classic tones because of my technique (and self preservation for my ears).

Oh and one final thing, bear in mind that what you hear while playing isn't necessarily what everyone else hears or what you'll hear if you were to record and play back, at lower volumes especially you'll hear so much room and guitar that it can overwhelm the amp sound. Record what you play and then put it up for everyone here to listen to (along with the rig/patch) and that way we can give you good constructive criticism that's not so much stabbing around in the dark.

Some good info there from Per, nice post!

It is obviously just you... (I'm jiving, of course!) It is never easy finding your way & sound with a new machine - in many ways, it's 'back to square one'.

Quoted from "Per"

Oh and one final thing, bear in mind that what you hear while playing isn't necessarily what everyone else hears or what you'll hear if you were to record and play back, at lower volumes especially you'll hear so much room and guitar that it can overwhelm the amp sound. Record what you play and then put it up for everyone here to listen to (along with the rig/patch) and that way we can give you good constructive criticism that's not so much stabbing around in the dark.

So true.
While playing I often think my sound is trebly and shrill and usually overcompensate by turning down the treble. When playing back its usually way too dark and muffled.
To get a good sound (to everyone else's ears) I have to play with a sound that to me is often quite thin.

Quoted from "skoczy"

Quoted

Few minutes ago I tried to get the sound of Blackface profile http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCAnRP8q3ro
(starts 00:1 but I couldn't get that "straty" sound on my single
coil. Maybe my guitar is crap? Maybe these pickups are.. I don't know.
Maybe the wood (basswood) is of a kind that will never give that
"fenderry" twang?

What guitar are you talking about, the Ibanez in your Avatar...or another single coil Strat that you have?

It's not the basswood, basswood is great wood for a Strat.

In the video it appears as though Alex is using a very "vintagy" Strat with vintage sounding pickups, unlike 95% of modern Fender Strats.
Are you using the single coil in your Ibanez and aiming for these type of tones?

Quoted from "skoczy"

Yes, I am talking about Ibanez PGM301 (in my avatar). HSH Dimarzio pickups. Full specs here . And yes, I was trying to get anything close in terms of sound and feel to the fender twang using single coil or 2nd and 4th position. Well I am trying to get anything thats close soundwise to any of published Kemper samples. Anyhow I have seen no samples recorded on Ibanez.

Well I just got home and will try to noodle on profile UWE JCM C 335 www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QgcyHGVwGc and upload what was recorded soon.

Sorry, but forget about single coil Fender Strat or Tele twang with your Ibanez.

When you mess around with the UWE JCM C 335 Profile, try changing the cab to one of the Till's 1960 Marshall cabs...006 is a good one to start with.