New Here with New Kemper

  • Hello All!


    I am pretty much a hard-core, tube amp nut that has been looking for a more compact and more versatile rig for my gigs but without sacrificing my tone. I own many of the amps that modelers try to emulate: 1959 Bassman, 1960 Deluxe, 1964 AC30, 1965 AC10SRT, 1973 Super Lead and a 1988 Boogie Mark III Simulclass. I still gig these amps from time to time but my main gig rig has been a Carol-Ann Tucana 3r through multiple cabs or a RedPlate RP40 combo for smaller jobs. I like the channel switching capabilities of these modern amps that allow them to deliver the goods at reasonable volumes without resorting to stompboxes which I dislike. And besides, these amps just sound so damn good!


    I started my search into digital with the obligatory POD. Granted, I knew I was buying it only for a late-night practice tool, so I was not expecting it to compare to my tube amps. I finally decided to try a more modern modeler and bought and AmpliFire based upon the reports that it sounded and felt like a real tube amp. It sounds great through headphones on about 3 models if I use aftermarket IRs and tweak the hell out of them. However, when I tried it live at a rehearsal with one of my bands, it just sounded too flat and too processed to be useful for me. The other thing that I didn't like about the AmpliFire is that its Fender Tweed tones and Vox ACxx tones sound NOTHING like the real thing, and this is a shortcoming I have heard in other modelers as well. I still use the AmpliFire as my late-night, headphone practice tool and as long as I don't stray from the few models it does well, it is fine for that application. But I won't use it live.


    I then looked at some more expensive modeler options but it seems that all of the fans of that technology always mention the effects and routing capabilities as their primary concern. I use minimal effects. I just want something that sounds, feels and reacts like my tube amps.


    I then started researching the Kemper and after watching some pretty convincing YouTube videos showing profiled tweeds and ACs that even I had a tough time determining the vintage amp from the profile, it caught my interest. As I learned more about the capabilities of the Kemper and watched Michael Wagener's and other producers' interviews regarding the Kemper, it appeared to be the best solution for my needs.


    To make my long story short, my powered Kemper with foot controller arrived today. I have only played around with it a bit through headphones and one of my guitar cabinets. It passed the ACxx test with flying colors through my heaphones so I am hopeful for the rest. Tomorrow l will try it through my studio monitors.


    I have a rehearsal with a new band on Thursday and I would like to try out the Kemper then but, I could use some help on the following before I feel comfortable dragging it out with me:


    1) What are the differences between BROWSER MODE and PERFORM MODE?
    2) I am bit unclear about the differences between rigs, performances, and presets and how they are created, stored and recalled.
    3) If you were in an AOR cover act and wanted to have 3-4 core amps with a few effects available, how would you best go about storing them so that they could easily be recalled through the foot controller?


    I am not the patient type when it comes to reading manuals so I am hoping some of you experts can get me up to speed ASAP. I am sure I will have more questions as I start profiling my own amps and dig deeper into the unit's capabilities but so far, I am excited by the challenge. Thanks for listening and I look forward to your comments.

  • Welcome!


    I suggest reading the Kemper Quick Reference Guide, to get the answers to 1 and 2. Better to get the offical explanations than people's interpretations of them.


    For number 3)


    If you want just want each amplier once, want to be able to turn off 3 or 4 FX per amplifier, I would set up a Performance, with a Performance Slot for each amp, with up to four FX assigned to the Remote's FX switches.


    Or, I would set up a Performance for each Amp, and have 5 slots in each Performance slots with different combinations of active and inactive FX in each Slot.

  • Welcome to the forum! That's quite a collection of amps you have :love:


    Perhaps you should profile them all, with a Performance created for each. Of course, you could always share those profiles in the Rig Exchange ...

    Go for it now. The future is promised to no one. - Wayne Dyer

  • Welcome Scott (or not) :P


    I use Performance mode almost exclusively in order to test profiles and practice/perform.
    At home I have the Kemper connected to my laptop running Rig Manager, along with my DXR10 speaker. I try out profiles, find ones that sound good, drop them into a performance, then tweak that bank of 5 rigs.
    I do this at gig volume, so what I then bring to practice is what I expect.

  • Thanks D.


    I am still trying to figure out how best to manage my workflow with this. So far, I am thinking it may be best to tweak the rigs and FX in BROWSE mode and then drop them into PERFORMANCES with slight tweaking for overall levels and EQ for that performance. I haven't decided yet if I will build performances per song or per guitar or both. I go through 2-3 guitars per gig ranging from Les Pauls with buckers and P90s, Strats, Teles and a PRS, so having performances for each would be convenient. I am finding with the Kemper that many of the things I have done over the years as habit with my vintage amps were compromises that I no longer have to accept. The Kemper does make you rethink your approach to music!


    I spent tonight looking for existing rigs that will sound the part for the tunes we are doing. I keep finding a ton of options. And I haven't even started to profile my amps! I guess at some point I will have to stop tweaking and start playing. ;)

  • I am using a Santana 25th Anniversary with Bare Knuckle pups and push-pull pots to split the coils. I like this particular PRS because it has a big, fat, chunky neck like a 50s Gibson and 10.5" radius. I don't get along with the wide flat PRS profile necks. This feels good and lets me get good bucker tones with convincing single coil sounds when split.


    As for my guitar swapping, I usually arrange the sets so it is easy to do a few tunes on one guitar then swap to another. In my last band, I primarily swapped between Strats and Les Pauls as it was a blues act looking for authentic, old-school tones. In this band, the old-school authenticity is not required so I am hoping the PRS will be versatile enough to cover that ground and I will just bring a Tele as a backup/change of pace.


    [Blocked Image: https://i.imgur.com/DG7wDCb.jpg]

  • Welcome and I'm sure that performances coupled with your new remote will suit you just fine. Check out the Clean Sens setting, which can be saved as input presets, for your PRS and Strats.

  • Welcome to The Kemper Family!
    As others have said, set up a few performances, use your remote to switch between them and go with it.


    If you need to add in a stomp or some other FX, this is done so easily that you should have no problem. Just remember, pressing and holding the remote FX switch (second row) and then pressing desired FX switch on the Kemper itself, will assign that effect to that remote switch.
    These are colour coded for the first two FX assigned to any of the four FX switches.
    Good luck
    Pre-Amp