Thinking about selling the Kemper

  • Dam it thats the best news i have heard for a while man, the community helping and it making the difference...I am going to have a beer tonight, i just hope Ant does not get a good win tonight too as i have to then have a beer for him too (things i do for you guys i know) and THAT would kill me LOL.


    One day it would be my dream for Andy and Jimi to show a Start to finish on their recording ->video set ups...but that does not mean we cant find answers mean time, all power to the community here. Dont forge the DYNAMICS in playing too (final puzzle piece)


    Ash

    Have a beer and don't sneer. -CJ. Two non powered Kempers -Two mission stereo FRFR Cabs - Ditto X4 -TC electronic Mimiq.

  • for example some mbritt and also Taf, that sound so distant/covered by a blanket and full of low mids that i can't imagine how they are useful/playable

    Not sure if it's the exact same thing, but I noticed something like that. For instance, I love the 68 Super Lead by Top Jimi. Just a beautiful, iconic sound. But after playing more modern high gain profiles, I go back and it sounds like it's in a room with the mic 10 feet away. When I turned the cab sim off on my Matrix NL12's (guitar cabs with an extended frequency response), the 68 Super Lead absolutely slayed.


    This is why I suggested getting a real speaker because headphones, to me, just can't give you that same feel. We're all different, and I know what it's like to live in an apartment where you have to keep the noise down. Hell, I live in one of those right now, but I still use my studio monitors as opposed to headphones. You can still keep the volume low.


    The way I see it, the Kemper is a digital emulation of a particular tube amp (or, I suppose any amp). Those amps are built to be played in a room, a room which affects the characteristic of the sound. I wouldn't want to buy a Peavey 5150 and have to listen to it in headphones all the time.


    Hopefully you figure out all the tricks to make it work, mate! As one guitarist to another, I just want you to be able to rock and feel awesome about what you're playing.

  • I came from Bias, and 90% of the time I'm just playing through headphones (AKG K712), I've only had my Kemper 3 days and I really don't regret my decision to refund Bias and put it towards a KPA. Can you tell me which headphones/monitors you and your friend used?

  • Dam it thats the best news i have heard for a while man, the community helping and it making the difference...I am going to have a beer tonight, i just hope Ant does not get a good win tonight too as i have to then have a beer for him too (things i do for you guys i know) and THAT would kill me LOL.


    One day it would be my dream for Andy and Jimi to show a Start to finish on their recording ->video set ups...but that does not mean we cant find answers mean time, all power to the community here. Dont forge the DYNAMICS in playing too (final puzzle piece)


    Ash

    I am waiting on my Kemper DI Box to get busy Ash!

  • Glad you find the right way with KPA .


    Just a note , KPA is not ALL about profiles .


    By my humble opinion it is ALL about interaction between profiles and our guitar(s) .


    I have 2 powerfull guitars , with very strong pups, 3 are so/so, and one is with lowest output pickups one can imagine (YJM Strat original Dimarzio )


    What is good for weak, is not good for powerful pickups and vice versa.


    I have to tweak the rigs for each and every guitar . No universal rig can satisfy all of them.

    1988 Branko Radulovic Hand Made Strat in Macedonia (SFRJ)

    2006 Steve Vai vwh moded with SS frets and Sustainac 2006 (Japan)

    2008 Fender YJM , moded (USA)

    2010 Tom Andersons Drop Top 2010 (made in California)

    2017 Charvel GG sig Caramelised Ash (USA)

    2022 Gibson ES 335 2011 Custom Shop Cherry of course ( Memphis)

  • @Rescator


    I agree that the KPA is very sensitive to the guitar you will use.But IMO it is very well possible to find profiles which are great sounding with 2-3 guitars without the need for tweaking each time you change the guitar.Allthough it is not easy and takes a lot of time to find them.But the result imo is worth all the effort.


    For me these very few profiles I found for myself which sound great with my two main guitars (custom LesPaul & 77` Stratocaster) show that indeed the KPA behaves like a real amp.Actually this was the point where I decided to keep the KPA.

  • Not sure if it's the exact same thing, but I noticed something like that. For instance, I love the 68 Super Lead by Top Jimi. Just a beautiful, iconic sound. But after playing more modern high gain profiles, I go back and it sounds like it's in a room with the mic 10 feet away. When I turned the cab sim off on my Matrix NL12's (guitar cabs with an extended frequency response), the 68 Super Lead absolutely slayed.
    This is why I suggested getting a real speaker because headphones, to me, just can't give you that same feel. We're all different, and I know what it's like to live in an apartment where you have to keep the noise down. Hell, I live in one of those right now, but I still use my studio monitors as opposed to headphones. You can still keep the volume low.


    The way I see it, the Kemper is a digital emulation of a particular tube amp (or, I suppose any amp). Those amps are built to be played in a room, a room which affects the characteristic of the sound. I wouldn't want to buy a Peavey 5150 and have to listen to it in headphones all the time.


    Hopefully you figure out all the tricks to make it work, mate! As one guitarist to another, I just want you to be able to rock and feel awesome about what you're playing.

    Do you use the nl12 and turn off the cabinet in the kpa right? I ask you this bacause today i have managed to turn up a little the volume on my monitor (yamaha hs5 if i am not wrong) and it was loud. So i disconnected one speaker and played at higher volume only with one cab and rhe resilt was overall good... Basically i moved some air, very little air because the volume was still low, and the sound/ sensation when you play with an amp in front of you came alive....so, what if i buy a matrix fl 10 or a 1x12 regular cab? Would it be better to have one cab instead of 2 monitors but still keep the volume low?

    Edited 2 times, last by Ale ().

  • Do uou use the nl12 and turn off the cabinet in the kpa right? I ask you this bacause today i have managed to turn up a little the volume on my monitor (yamaha hs5 if i am not wrong) and it was loud. So i disconnected one speaker and played at higher volume only with one cab and rhe resilt was overall good... Basically i moved some air, very little air because the volume was still low, and the sound/ sensation when you play with an amp in front of you came alive....so, what if i buy a matrix nl 10? Would it be better to have one cab instead of 2 monitors but still keep the volume low?

    The Matrix NL12 has an extended frequency response so it can work both with cab sims and without. Some profiles I liked better with the cab sims on, others without. The Top Jimi Marshall 68 Super Lead was one where the cab sim feels too "roomy" for me. Turning the cab sims off with the NL12 brought the amp "to the front". The great thing about the NL12 is that it's still a traditional cab, otherwise turning off the cab sim on a full FRFR, headphones, or monitors isn't pleasant.


    My opinion, and I know it's shared by many here, is that a cab is preferred to studio monitors. Matrix also makes full FRFR cabs, and they all weigh almost nothing. The thing about the NL12's is that they are passive, so they will require a power amp. The FR10 and FR12's are powered (with AB power, to boot). The FR's, however, are not traditional guitar cabs so they would require the cab sims on to not sound like crap.


    Great to hear you're able to try some new things, brother. I definitely recommend the Matrix NL12 if you're seriously considering it. Some weeks ago when I was with my band playing the 68 Super Lead (with the cab sim off through the NL12), I was compelled to stop suddenly and yell, "Fuck, that sounds awesome!". The other guys thought it was funny because I'm not normally a very enthusiastic person about damn near anything. Here is a decent review of the NL12.


    As for the high gain profiles, have you tried Jevo's stuff? I was using the 5150 III last night and sounded amazing.

    Edited once, last by MementoMori ().

  • i have never played it loud because i can't. I only play through head phones plugged straight to the Kemper

    Hi,


    You may want to try the Two Notes Torpedo Studio or Live. I have owned a Studio for a couple of months now and absolutely love it. I have a Kemper as well and still love it and plan to keep it as the MBritt profiles were a game changer for me.


    Here's my recent review of the Studio after six weeks on the Two Notes forum:


    http://www.rig-talk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=75&t=184250

  • ...there are some profiles, for example some mbritt and also Taf, that sound so distant/covered by a blanket and full of low mids that i can't imagine how they are useful/playable, unless i miss some technique to make them shine (any advice on this point is appreciated).

    It's useful to note what type of guitars/pickups the person used to make the profile. If an amp is EQed for single coil pickups (reduced highs), it can sound dark for humbucking pickups.
    This is why it's important to read the manual and watch the Kemper Tutorials on Youtube.


    https://www.youtube.com/channe…1rd9e82wTUK406XVaw/videos


    Increase the Defintion control in the Amp stack when darkness occurs. That helps.
    Learn about the Amp stack as well as the EQ stack. Even something as trivial sounding as having the EQ position post amp or pre amp makes a large difference.
    Additional EQ can be placed in the Stomp or X slot which also helps A LOT.


    Glad to see you you're making some progress!

    The key to everything is patience.
    You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.
    -- Arnold H. Glasow


    If it doesn't produce results, don't do it.

    -- Me

  • If he listens to the clips wieth headphones (forgive me if thats not what he said) and likes it, then he should be able to get the same sound when playing his kemper through headphones (minus the guitar and fingers...).


    I do agree that i do not understand why commercial profile sellers are putting up finished/mixed, double or quad tracked parts as their only sample of the profile.

  • The Matrix NL12 has an extended frequency response so it can work both with cab sims and without. Some profiles I liked better with the cab sims on, others without. The Top Jimi Marshall 68 Super Lead was one where the cab sim feels too "roomy" for me. Turning the cab sims off with the NL12 brought the amp "to the front". The great thing about the NL12 is that it's still a traditional cab, otherwise turning off the cab sim on a full FRFR, headphones, or monitors isn't pleasant.
    My opinion, and I know it's shared by many here, is that a cab is preferred to studio monitors. Matrix also makes full FRFR cabs, and they all weigh almost nothing. The thing about the NL12's is that they are passive, so they will require a power amp. The FR10 and FR12's are powered (with AB power, to boot). The FR's, however, are not traditional guitar cabs so they would require the cab sims on to not sound like crap.


    Great to hear you're able to try some new things, brother. I definitely recommend the Matrix NL12 if you're seriously considering it. Some weeks ago when I was with my band playing the 68 Super Lead (with the cab sim off through the NL12), I was compelled to stop suddenly and yell, "Fuck, that sounds awesome!". The other guys thought it was funny because I'm not normally a very enthusiastic person about damn near anything. Here is a decent review of the NL12.


    As for the high gain profiles, have you tried Jevo's stuff? I was using the 5150 III last night and sounded amazing.

    Thanks for the tips.. I suppose the 10 or 12 inch speaker Will produce more volume than one 5 inch monitor, given the volume level from the kpa. In that case i should bring back the volume, move less air etc..That's my only concern cause Only lately i found a balance in volume in order to not disturb my neighbours. Said that, i am open to find or look for better sonic solutuions given the volume issues...

  • Hi Ale/All


    May I insist you email sin and or Dan describe the headphones send him a Di track and ask him for a no Fizz high gain sound for headphones I bet you the prob can also be fixed from their end they are masters at this make no mistake.


    Ash

    Have a beer and don't sneer. -CJ. Two non powered Kempers -Two mission stereo FRFR Cabs - Ditto X4 -TC electronic Mimiq.


  • I do agree that i do not understand why commercial profile sellers are putting up finished/mixed, double or quad tracked parts as their only sample of the profile.

    To show that it can sound good in a recording specially if someone is listening through headphone. Without reverb if you listen to a raw profile, it should sound like you put your ear within and inch or two of the speaker and that will sound bad, so why would they present that kind of recording!

  • Yep they show that to present this is what can be done "in the mix" and if recording, some will show RAW then in the mix and others.
    I agree it should have RAW [AND] -> then in the mix like Choptones and others do.


    Ash

    Have a beer and don't sneer. -CJ. Two non powered Kempers -Two mission stereo FRFR Cabs - Ditto X4 -TC electronic Mimiq.

  • As for the high gain profiles, have you tried Jevo's stuff? I was using the 5150 III last night and sounded amazing.

    Wow thanks for the link, those EVH profiles are really good. ACtually I just downloaded 168 profiles that I didn't have before from this link and the blackmores , savage, Diezel etc are all good and useable. there are too many good profiles out there, it's like getting an update everyday. IF there's a problem from my end is too much of a good thing.


    I just scanned quickly through them and they're on par with commercial profiles. It amazes me everytime I download new profiles how many different flavors of the same amp exist and in the end of the day, I can still get by with one or two profiles because somehow almost all profiles or tube amps can be made to sound very similar.


    The gain knob on the Kemper has to be one of the closest simulation of tube amp drive ever built and can make be used to turn any type of profile in any direction from clean to metal and in between back and forth, sometimes I wonder why I even still bother downloading profiles, but I figure it's just to have different flavors and nothing more, the core sounds are there. If I had to do it with one pack, the Guido XTC 7-8 profiles would be more than enough. He's offering ridiculous prices as one amp each day till Christmas is roughly one dollar. One of the reasons I consider his profiles to be top of. the best, is the signal to noise ratio is better than the rest.

  • Junk those headphones, they are more for classical music than anything else :thumbdown: My shop that sells those says they work well with a decent headphone amp, but alone would not recommend for studio or rock type music. He sells all and is a good chap. Use uncoloured ones to I use two sorts Allen and Heath xone (known for studio quality kit) and also Sennheiser wireless ones HDR 120 II and I get the same sound as amplified.


    You have no comparison other than headphones which is tricky as it is difficult to go into a guitar shop plug in headphones and see if you get what you want.


    Do you use a DAW record and play back on monitors as well as headphones, I think that is the minimum you need to achieve. Normally, I check my headphone sound that way and then disable the monitors. I have achieve my sound way before that. Just straight out the Kemper or indeed any amp into those Beyers, well not for me and it sounds like not for you.


    Music wise I am not sure what sound you are trying to achieve, but not knowing that I will just point out a couple of things. 1) hum buckers on Gibsons can be mushy especially when gained up. I have 490T and 498B on LP and also a guitar with Classic 57. Ok for rhythm but not so good for lead in general. Some tunes ok. I also have a Jeff Beck Strat single coil and get more sounds from that than anything. I then have a custom Waghorn with Joe Satriani pickups on it. Yamaha with cruiser and transition dimarzio. I also have Musican man Axis Super Sport with custom dimarzios. I get most variation on the Strat from my amps. The LP has coil splitting so that works well to.


    Tone is about final output hence speaker or headphones you will get that final sound from them. Own hammer IRS are great as are Michael Britt Kemper profiles.


    It will cost a lot to replace the Kemper and your search will begin then. Find the artist you want to be on YouTube and model that. Pete Thorn uses Kemper, his own head and Torpedo Live and has many combos and heads so is a good source. If you are metal go look Ola England. Find the sound and then model it.


    I have Laney IRT studio which you can use with just headphones as it has a load in the amp. Its not that expensive and I would go try one in a shop.


    For me, you need to get the right headphones first and I would invest in either an amp or dare I say it something not too expensive like a Laney IRT-X frfr speaker. Then if you can find your tone there get some headphones like I use and you should get close.


    My sound is Awesome both live and in my DAW. For me Laney is great kit at the price. I have swopped speakers to get the tone by buying the cheap IRT112 cab and then just swopping speakers until I found what I liked.


    I am about to get a Kemper mainly for recording, but I don't need it I already have the sounds I want. I can load IRS into the DAW to get what I want so I have continued to not need it. Indeed answering you, I am almost talking myself out of getting the Kemper, but it does have sounds for the future! Like you I am mainly an at home player. I go open mic with the Boss Katana now as it is quite inexpensive and I have to say I get the basic sounds you are looking for from it easily.


    Preferably go find what you want get the sound and then profile it! :):):):):)


    My kit:


    Guitars: Fender Jeff Beck Strat, Swing Tele, Waghorn Sauria S Custom, Yamaha Pacifica JT, Musician Axis Super Sport, Gibson LP Studio, Ibanez AK95 with Classic 57, GW45 Ibanez bass, Warwick Corvette bass, Yamaha CPX500 II
    Amps: Fender George Benson Hot Rod Deluxe, Laney IRT Studio with 1 x 12 Celestion G12H Anniversary 1 x 12 Jensen C12k, Boss Katana KN100 combo, Laney A1 Acoustic, Ampeg BA108
    Pedals: Front board Wampler Ego, Rocket Archer, Mission Vol, TCE Visious Vibe, Belle Epoch, OCD, Kingsley Minstrel 2
    send return board: TCE mini corona, vortex, flashback, Mooer Eleclady, MXR Phase 90, Strymon Timeline, Dawner Prince Boonar, TCE hof
    DAW: Logic Pro X Presonus Firestudio Mobile, 2 x E5 active monitors, both Boss Katana and Laney IRT studio USB direct others DI
    Headphones; Allen and Heath Xone. Sennheiser wireless HDR 120 II


    I also use Positive Grid Bias Amp, Bias FX and Jamup pro with my iPad using Apogee Jam to Behringer mixer to Presonus in.