A pet peeve and gripe...

  • The Kemper is such and amazing piece of gear, it really captures the essence of an amps tone... real amp tone. Why do people insist on profiling the modelers? When I go through the rig exchange I'd like to be able to know that what I'm getting is a real amp profile not somebody's interpretation of that amp. Okay rant/gripe done.

  • Because a good sound is a good sound? One of the best profiles on the exchange is Vox Boutique OD by guitarj. It's actually a Dumble model from a cheap VOX Valvetronix AD50VT, and the info is in the tags. FAS CAMERON CCV CH2 by Chris O is another good profile, and it's of an Axe-FX (hence FAS in the title).


    The way I look at it, you're getting a digital reinterpretation whether it's the KPA, Axe-FX, Helix, Valvetronix, or whatever. The Kemper's methodology is really cool and unique, but it's not perfect. At the end of the day, you either like the sound or you don't. I don't see the point in counting purism points, whether it's profiles of traditional amps or modelers.


    Best policy is to listen with your ears, not your eyes.

  • Okay, let me say it this way. If I'd wanted sounds from the Helix, I would have bought one. If I'd wanted the sounds from an Axe Fx I'd have bought one... the profiles of those modelers IMHO trashes up the rig exchange.

  • Not sure I follow your logic, which seems to be ( by inference so apologies if I got it wrong) profiles from modellers are crap, profiles from real amps are good?


    This isn;t correct and a good sound is a good sound. For me I don;t care if its a real amp OR of a particular amp. I don't like an amp sound because its a Dumble.


    I think your question should be, how do you reduce the number of poor profiles on RE? Problem with that is different people have different views on what is good and bad...


    The rating system and recommendations seems to remain the best method...

  • The reason you find those is because, say someone has a sound they've used and like out of the Axe-FX, but also has a sound they use and like out of their amp and cab. The Kemper allows you to have profiles of both.

    the profiles of those modelers IMHO trashes up the rig exchange

    It no more "trashes" up the exchange than profiles of real amps done terribly, which I would say is the vast majority of profiles. I wouldn't get hung up on the source, I'd judge it by sound. Again, listen with your ears not your eyes.

  • I've owned a Kemper since 2012, shortly after they were released, back then I remember the rig exchange being a great place to find decent profiles without having to buy a professional studio profile pack. Now it just seems that the rig exchange is cluttered. I agree guys that taste is subjective, I suppose I'm just frustrated that there isn't a better way to filter the rig exchange. Profiles of real amps, Profiles of modelers, profiles of stompboxes, and presets... Okay I'll hush now about it I guess

  • The problem with sorting in a universal way is that Kemper would likely be getting into sticky territory with trademarks. If Kemper labeled profiles based on company names and amp models, it opens up a litigation window because the company is using them without permission. Not doing so allows for the consumer to label things in any way they like, the drawback being uniformity is impossible.


    Kemper has grown to the point that there are so many profiles and profile sellers. For Kemper this is a good thing since it's the customer who is actually adding value to the product and doing the legwork, so to speak. Its methodology allows for so many variables, so the possibilities of unique profiles are seemingly endless. The downside of that is you're going to get a ton of garbage with it.

  • The problem with sorting in a universal way is that Kemper would likely be getting into sticky territory with trademarks. If Kemper labeled profiles based on company names and amp models, it opens up a litigation window because the company is using them without permission. Not doing so allows for the consumer to label things in any way they like, the drawback being uniformity is impossible.


    Kemper has grown to the point that there are so many profiles and profile sellers. For Kemper this is a good thing since it's the customer who is actually adding value to the product and doing the legwork, so to speak. Its methodology allows for so many variables, so the possibilities of unique profiles are seemingly endless. The downside of that is you're going to get a ton of garbage with it.

    That's the problem, too much garbage. Most of the profiles on the rig exchange are mediocre at best. Some are just downright bad. I'm not sure why, I've profiled quite a few amps including my own and have been able get relatively good results and in the case of my Uberschall profiles excellent results.

  • That's the problem, too much garbage. Most of the profiles on the rig exchange are mediocre at best. Some are just downright bad. I'm not sure why, I've profiled quite a few amps including my own and have been able get relatively good results and in the case of my Uberschall profiles excellent results.

    Not everyone has the same tastes and same monitoring. Also bear in mind that most people doing these at home are probably listening to the profile back through their cab or with headphones (right next to their cab and getting plenty of bleed), which is a far cry from when you play it on flatter monitors with cab emulation on.


    In my experience making profiles, given my own limitations, something may sound ok through my Mission FRFR cab in the room, but on monitors is unusable. It's forced me to shoot lots of profiles with different mic positions and settings to assess later. It's very time consuming to do it this way, though, and I've burned entire days profiling only to end up deleting everything. Judging by what's on the exchange, I highly doubt as many people are putting in the same time and effort.


    Also, judging by how many people hear comparisons with clear differences between source and profile and then talk about how exact it is, I don't have much faith in your average guitarist's ears.

  • I hear you. I've done the same thing, but I've kept the profiles and stored them away to listen to what I did wrong I guess. Funny thing is that for instance my Uberschall profiles... My best ones are my last ones, but if I rated the 2nd best, that would be my first ones.


    I'm curious about you saying you hear a difference, because the profiles I've made are indistinguishable from the original during the process. That's using studio monitors, studio headphones, and mics on the guitar cab in another room. The Kemper for me captures the soul of the amp with the settings and other variables at that particular moment. No change anything on the Kemper including the EQ and all bets are off. But zeroed as it was profiled, I hear no difference. What's more is I've analyzed the noise print/sound match data using Izotope Ozone 8 and RX7 and they're an exact match there too.

  • It's been brought up and discussed many times, including marathon threads. I'd rather not dive into the issue again because it sets off an avalanche of people who take it too personally and constantly move the goalposts.


    I will say that some are much closer than others, but the ones where differences are apparent, you get a ton of guys who simply can't hear it, won't acknowledge it, or are unwilling to have biases confronted. At this point, it's not worth the time and energy.