Baffled by what it actually sounded and felt like while sitting in front of it, as opposed to just having heard it in recordings, I recently picked up the Kemper rack. While at first I had my doubts concerning effects (being a hefty pedal- and gear-enthusiast), my doubts were completely swept away as I gazed upon the massive, yet still not ridiculous, amount of types of effects built-in. Not having been very eager to sell off the fantastic Strymon pedals I had, I was more than comfortable with it once I had the shiny Kemper unit on the desk in front of me.
While the Strymon Timeline offered vastly more types of delays than one could hope for, I actually was relieved to return to a state of only having what I consider to be a barebones necessity. While I was a big fan of the Ice-delay, pattern-delay and filter-delay options in the Timeline, I do not think that any member of any crowd (or even in the band, for that matter) ever noticed the slight harmonic overtone, the mild pulse, the light tone-sweep hiding away in the settings of one of many pedals. Thus, the deed was done and no longer did I bear the need to have every single option laying at my feet.
The whimsical type in me would prefer a little more icing for the atmospheric touches one might add; a self-created musical chaos as it were. But then again, I'm but a bedroom applicant, so why float away on features that far-fetched.
And so it happened. The huge case filled with shiny goodness and heavy amplifier clothed in orange tolex, weighing in at about 60kg in total, were deceived, for there was another. The age of the Kemper had begun.
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In all seriousness and all epic use of words aside, I do love this thing. It's intuitive, offers many great features and is astoundingly light-weight. I went for the unpowered rack, as I will just be going straight into the PA live and use powered monitors at home, and it fits greatly into my demands. It outshines anything I've ever heard, which includes the Axe-FX and many boutique amplifiers.
And for people wondering: I'm a twenty-one year old student in graphical design from Belgium with a lot of ambition in the musical field. When I'm not busy playing an instrument, I'm probably reading up on gear, producing, mixing or just listening to music. Being a professional, fully supported financially by the music industry would be one of my lifetime achievements.
Any questions, be sure to ask and answers will be given where suited!
