AxeFx "Profiling" vs. KPA

    So the AxeFx II will be a 'Kemper' soon?
    FA announcement:
    "FWIW, our own profiling will be available soon for the Axe-Fx II."


    Some thought:


    I wonder if the KPA guys not only forget to do professional beta testing but also forget to patent the profiling :sleeping:


    I could write a lot about marketing and that a 'crapy technology' changed into something that's now the main point of the features wish list - but don't like it here.


    The funny point is - by the AxeFx announcement the FA people say:
    1) Sorry, we have found out that the KPA works fine
    2) We are trying to do all we can to implement something similar as soon as possible into the AxeFx - before you all are leaving the ship



    Yes, the KPA works VERY FINE - the pure amp/cab sounds are night and day compared to the AxeFx II.
    One the other side the effects are this much more versatile in the AxeFx II.


    So will the AxeFx II ever be a KPA?


    I think no - here are my points:


    01 ) The AxeFx II has no mic input - so a preamp is needed each time a profiling session will be done.
    02 ) The KPA is much better to be carried around to profile something compared to a racksystem and a mic preamp
    03 ) The AxeFx has 50 slots for User IR's - the KPA has 1000 slots for profiles - I wonder how many profiles will fit into the AxeFx
    04 ) I love the KPA UI much more than the AxeFx. Real knobs, LED-rings to show the stored values ...
    05 ) The LCD in the KPA is much larger and SO MUCH better visible (from any angle)
    06 ) There is no noisy fan in the KPA (no fan at all) - even the 'silent fan' in my AxeFx is a pain compared to the absolute silence from the KPA
    07 ) The separately switchable ground lifts (in the KPA) are a must to get hum free connection to tube amps and other stuff
    08 ) The KPA is this much easier to tweak and the "missing" deep tweaking options are VERY GOOD - since we play the thing much more instead of tweaking
    09 ) The profiling in the AxeFx is more a 'me too' option while the KPA is totally build for that
    10 ) The KPA profiling sounds great NOW - lets see how the AxeFx II profiling works in the future



    So the next big thing will be an AxeFx II Ultra / AxeFx III or an additional 2 rack spaces block with all the needed knobs and connections ...


    Anyway competition is a good thing - and the KPA people have to work fast to fix the bugs and implement the main missing features ....

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    Edited 5 times, last by Armin ().

    Quote from Armin

    09 ) The profiling in the AxeFx is more a 'me too' option while the KPA is totally build for that
    10 ) The KPA profiling sounds great NOW - lets see how the AxeFx II profiling works in the future

    Very true!
    I think it's funny that some are cancelling their KPA orders just based on the fact that Cliff stated he will offer profilling too. No one knows if his take on profiling will have the quality and realism of the KPA. Again - hype machine! ;)

    Quote from schneidas

    Very true!
    I think it's funny that some are cancelling their KPA orders just based on the fact that Cliff stated he will offer profilling too.

    That was the main intention of the Profiling announcement.
    That's what they wanted to see, guys announcing on TGP and Fractal Forum their cancellation of the Kemper due to Cliff's announcement.
    It wont work, never has, never will...a few will cancel, but ten times more will order as the KPA reviews hit the streets.


    Your product talks for itself, what you say and type doesn't make any difference.

    Yes, and now I understand the (according to ckemper wrong) statement that the KPA uses only 256 point IR's.


    The AxeFx II has only space for 50 cab slots (each 2048 points).


    To add the profiling feature they must share this IR space with the 'profiles' - and 400 slots sounds much better.


    Maybe we have another announcement that 256 or 512 points are enough for guitar profiling soon :D

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    Edited 4 times, last by Armin ().

    On the other hand two points from Cliffs list are true:


    -Profiles work only for ONE amp gain setting (for some amps)
    -The AxeFx has much more tweaking features


    What we need in the KPA is this:


    -Option to combine profiles into a 'master profile' (e.g. profile an amp at volume setting 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10) and then create ONE profile from this


    -Tonestack before the amp block - and additional tonestacks beside the generic one


    but I think both points are on the Kemper list already ;)

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    Edited 2 times, last by Armin ().

    I´ve had a axe standard for 3 years and now I´use a kemper for 5 weeks. Yesterday my AXE II arrives.


    Besides the bugs that will be solved in the near future there is only one thing that is better in the AXE and that is the playing feeling.


    The axe responds better and deeper to the pick attack. The other things as mentioned incl. the price difference are superior in the kemper.



    And so the question is: Is this something that´s only may opinion and if not could this be bettered with an future update by kemper !!!!!!



    I think the playing feel is as important as the sound.

    Uwe: I don't agree with that. I think the KPA feels better.
    Armin: I often read it from you and have to say something: it is "think" and not "thing" when you are speaking about "I think about....". Thing is "Ding" ;)

    MJT Strats / PRS Guitars / Many DIY Guitars -- Kemper Profiler Rack / Kemper Remote / InEar

    I know that our opinions in this case are different but I´ve made and will make A/B comparisons and the results are always the same:


    Kemper sounds a lot better, AXE responds and feels better. Maybe my words to describe this thing are not exact enough but I´m relatively sure that


    most of the players would come to the same conclusion.


    I think Xpenno has Kemper and a axe too, it would be nice if he could say something about this.



    P.S. I hope I don´t have any epiphanies ....(too much Faschingslieder in the moment)

    Quote from mDan

    Armin: I often read it from you and have to say something: it is "think" and not "thing" when you are speaking about "I think about....". Thing is "Ding" ;)


    Yes, i think English is not my thing :D

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    Quote from uweoverdrive

    most of the players would come to the same conclusion.


    Actually me and my buddies (5) came to the conclusion that the KPA feels better when we were A/B-ing the Axe2 and the KPA. But who cares. It's no competition. :huh:

    MJT Strats / PRS Guitars / Many DIY Guitars -- Kemper Profiler Rack / Kemper Remote / InEar

    We should all hope that it's very good in the Axe so that it will spur on Christoph to even greater heights of awesomeness in the Kemper! The KPA is just at the very beginning of it's product cycle, I'm sure there's lots of goodies to come and they'll be slugging it out for years.

    I had an axefx 2 and a kemper for 2 weeks side. BY side to decide which one to keep. My criteria were sound and feel. I've been a tube guy since 1979 so do have a term of reference. I sent the axefx. Ack. Nice unit fantastic fx. Amps a definite improvement on on previous gen units but nowhere near the kemper in sound or feel. all my opinion of course. Wanted to like the axefx more than I did but it just didn't happen

    Quote from sheguitarplayer

    I had an axefx 2 and a kemper for 2 weeks side. BY side to decide which one to keep. My criteria were sound and feel. I've been a tube guy since 1979 so do have a term of reference. I sent the axefx. Ack. Nice unit fantastic fx. Amps a definite improvement on on previous gen units but nowhere near the kemper in sound or feel. all my opinion of course. Wanted to like the axefx more than I did but it just didn't happen


    written with an ios device? ;)

    Quote from sheguitarplayer

    I had an axefx 2 and a kemper for 2 weeks side. BY side to decide which one to keep. My criteria were sound and feel. I've been a tube guy since 1979 so do have a term of reference. I sent the axefx. Ack. Nice unit fantastic fx. Amps a definite improvement on on previous gen units but nowhere near the kemper in sound or feel. all my opinion of course. Wanted to like the axefx more than I did but it just didn't happen


    So true, to me the axe fx II distortion (that's what I look for) always sounds like a great processed sound, those you find on albums and cds, even if you bypass the fxs The Kemper sound is rawer, reminds me the real sounds you get from a good head, no comp, no eq just pure sound . Obviousy the Kemper sound depends on how good the profile is (and yours EVH lead 2 is right now my main lead sound)

    You're not deep, you're not an intellectual, you're not an artist, you're not a critic, you're not a poet...you just have internet access