@OhG: Believe me, the paradigm shift of going FRFR will be half as drastic if you continuously remember that all the guitar and amp tones you originally fell in love with you only got to know RECORDED. Your whole musical socialization is recorded tones, not the stack in your room.
This very fact helped me very much to go fully FRFR.
Now I've been assimilated for a very long time.
Just bought a Kemper - need some help
- OhG
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@OhG: Believe me, the paradigm shift of going FRFR will be half as drastic if you continuously remember that all the guitar and amp tones you originally fell in love with you only got to know RECORDED. Your whole musical socialization is recorded tones, not the stack in your room.
This very fact helped me very much to go fully FRFR.
Now I've been assimilated for a very long time.This is what I tell people all the time in the studio when they first come to use the KPA
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Welcome. And have to agree about FRFR . I play in a couple of bands mostly classic and a little newer rock. and I like being able to hear the differences between 4x12 and 2/12 open back cabs. I want a twin to sound like a twin and a Plexi to sound like a plexi
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Hi Guys,
This post is long and I apologize, but I'd love some guidance here. I've been following this forum for over a year trying to read as much as I can about the Kemper PA. I've been very hesitant about buying one because I've been EXTREMELY skeptical (and still am) that it can actually sound as good as a regular tube amp. I know that's all subjective, and I know that the Kemper is supposed to sound like the final recorded versions of a mic'd up amp, so I won't get too deep into my skepticism in this thread.Anyway, I finally decided to take the plunge. I ordered the non-powered Kemper with the controller from Guitar Center and will have it in a few days. Before I ask my questions, here's some basic info. I play in a rock cover band (not metal). We do a lot of the typical top 40 rock stuff (Shinedown, Van Halen, STP, Alice In Chains, Bon Jovi, etc.). So the Kemper appeals to me because if it can do what it claims, I'd be able to start carrying a lot less equipment. Right now, I'm using a Mesa Roadster, two 1x12 Mesa Thiel cabs, a G-System and a PedalTrain Terra pedalboard that literally weighs 60+ lbs (and that's without a carrying case). Here are my questions:
- Which tube power amp would you recommend buying? I know many on this forum say that you should use SS power amps, but I have NEVER found a SS power amp that I've liked; which is exactly why I chose not to buy the powered version of the Kemper. I was looking at buying a Fryette Power Station, but can't find any available anywhere, new or used. So are there any tube power amps out there that'd you'd recommend, and why?
- My main use for the Kemper will be live gigs. I hardly ever record anything. So 95% of the time, it'll be for live gigs. And here's where my skepticism comes into play. I simply flat out don't believe that the Kemper can sound like a full kickass tube amp on stage. I know they're supposed to be used with FRFR monitors for ideal sounds. But any time I've ever heard a modeling amp through any kind of monitor (even DXR 10s), they sound so lifeless, harsh, brittle, stale, etc., that I wonder what people are thinking when they say it sounds good. I even went over to a friend's place yesterday and heard his Kemper being run through his Friedman ASM-12 and as soon as he hit one of his crunch rigs, I thought to myself "Yep, there's that classic 'modeler' tone that has no life, way too much low end and reminds me of the old Boss Metal-Zone stomp boxes". He said the patches were from when he profiled his Friedman BE100. So, MAYBE what I didn't like was the sound of his profiles. But the skeptic in me says it's more likely the digital sound of the Kemper. The Friedman ASM-12 had MORE than enough volume and actually did a great job of replicating the "amp in the room" feel. It was the sound I hated.
So, after that long-winded story, what would you guys recommend to use for speakers? Ideally, I'd like to play through something that would allow me to hear exactly (or really close) to what is coming through the PA out front. I know in order to do that, I'd have to use FRFR, correct? But that leads me back to the issue above with it sounding so lifeless. And even if I did find a FRFR monitor that I liked the sound of, and I sent the signal direct to FOH, I'm assuming even that setup isn't going to be all that easy to work with because the sound man would then have to constantly be trying to re-work my sound into the mix with each different rig (or amp) that I use. That becomes even more of an issue for the gigs where we run our own sound from the stage. I'm wondering if the better solution and better sound would be if I used a tube power amp (hence question #1 above) and run that through a 2x12 cab. It would be a more traditional route. If I were to go that route, which 2x12 cab would you recommend, or which speakers? I know if I go that route, whatever cab I use would color the sound of the profiles a bit, which kind of stinks. But if I can get a seriously kick-ass handful of basic tones (low gain, high gain, clean, clean Fender-ish tone, and a ripping solo tone) then I'd be happy with that and could adjust from there.
So that's where I'm at. I want to be able to hit the ground running with this thing as soon as I get it this weekend. I have a few options (buy my friend's Friedman ASM-12 for $650, buy a Yamaha DXR-10 for $600, or buy a tube power amp and use regular guitar cabs. I'll be open to trying the Mesa 1x12 Thiel cabs since I already have them, but I'm not expecting them to sound the way I want. For distorted stuff, they're fine. But I doubt I'd be able to get that really bluesy Fender clean tone from them.
Not to toot my own horn here but my Splawn profiles through my Splawn cab and Fryette Power Station sound legit as hell.
External Content www.youtube.comContent embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.Sounds spot on to my actual Splawn. I recommend the Fryette Power Station above all else right now but that is just my $.02
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Sounds killer, Jeremy.
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Sounds spot on to my actual Splawn. I recommend the Fryette Power Station above all else right now but that is just my $.02
JerEvil,
Your video, along with one I found on YouTube under the name "FastPonyRedCar" are the two videos that made me seriously consider going the route of the Fryette. I loved your video because unlike most clips that I've found, it wasn't full of death metal riffs tuned down so low that the tone becomes lost. The guy in the other video was very similar and was also using a Splawn cab. Good stuff! I'd love to hear how your setup does in replicating a nice Fender clean tone, or a clean tone with just a hint of dirt to it (a Hendrix or Stevie Ray sound).
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The main thing to remember is FRFR is totally different to a traditional amp and cab.
when you describe listening to the Kemper through a wedge, you're not liking it because it's a recreation of a mic'd amp, not because it's digital. Trust me, if you had your amp in isolation mic'd up and then fed through the same monitor you'd get the same feeling, it's just how it is. However to the audience it sounds great and normal.
I agree that solid state amps don't sound great. My solution is to run the Kemper through a valve power amp with a cab on stage for my own monitoring and then send the full Kemper signal to the FOH.
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JerEvil,
Your video, along with one I found on YouTube under the name "FastPonyRedCar" are the two videos that made me seriously consider going the route of the Fryette. I loved your video because unlike most clips that I've found, it wasn't full of death metal riffs tuned down so low that the tone becomes lost. The guy in the other video was very similar and was also using a Splawn cab. Good stuff! I'd love to hear how your setup does in replicating a nice Fender clean tone, or a clean tone with just a hint of dirt to it (a Hendrix or Stevie Ray sound).
Yeah Drew's (FastRed) clips are always solid, and his Nitro profiles are great.
I'll see about making some more clips like the Splawn ones with the tones you mentioned.