Not another "what profile" post?! :)

    Warning - this is a long post about profile recommendations - please only comment if you are being constructive:


    I'm looking to clear off my countless profiles and unused performances from my Kemper.

    I'm just looking for a handful of "core" sounds.


    I hear lots of talk about different cabs/impulses - if completely honest, I just want something that works with the minimum of tweaking. That's why I got a Kemper and not an AxeFx. I want tones that will break through in a band mix and not be unnecessarily over the top- but do the job. The breaking through thing often means less gain I know....but for certain techniques and song styles.....the heaviness is required.....try playing Cowboys from Hell with the wrong sound!


    Live I'll be going straight to FoH and in rehearsal I tend to go into a Yamaha DXR10. (at another band they use an X32 with Yamaha PA)


    For auditioning profiles before that (let's be honest, there's very little time in rehearsal and almost none at sound check to change tones) I'm set up at home with JBL LSR305 monitors.


    I'm looking for a couple of great cleans:


    • A Fender Twin ish, funky/reggae tone
    • A Warm clean - jazzy or the clean on something like Radiohead* Creep intro
    • A great classic crunch - not too fizzy - a la AC/DC*. I'd want to vary the gain to go from stuff like Green Day*, Black Crowes* covers to higher gain stuff like Extreme*, Gun* (Word Up).

    {if I can put a green scream in front of the clean tone or up the gain, or reduce the gain on the crunch tone for that "just breaking up tone" all the better}

    • A high gain tone for modern riffing and leads (Megadeth*, Metallica*, VH* covers).....I've used SinMix stuff for recording (great) but a bit too bright for live use. I tend to morph with a bit more volume and mids, touch of delay for leads.


    *I know all these bands use different amps....I'm not trying to clone their sounds....just having the right ballpark tone to play their stuff...plus I play a lot of originals but my song names won't mean anything to you [Blocked Image: https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/ta5/1.5/16/1f642.png]:) )


    I know there is lots of stuff you can tweak on rigs, particularly definition but my experience is that if you tweak too much with profiles they lose their mojo.


    For the high gain stuff I've been trying some of the Lasse Lambert free profiles in the house - for example LL-ChugChug (EVH 5150 III) which I'm enjoying and I also have LL - German Grease (Diezel Hagen) and LL - Hard Hitter (Kranker Kranker Stone) on the same performance to try playing around with. I've yet to try them live/ in a band rehearsal stituation though.

    I have no problem paying for stuff and have done in the past....I do get fatigued going through hundreds of versions of things though.


    I'd hope to set up 2 or 3 performances (more if I have to) that go from the clean to the high gain and audtion those at rehearsals.


    I'm not snobbish if there's free stuff or rigs that I haven't loaded up from OS upgrades. I'm currently on 6.0.0.14574 and I haven't used the Import All Factor Presets for ages as I have over 700 in there already!


    Anyhow, I know everyone has a different sound in their heads and these questions have been asked a thousand times....but in the ideal world there will be 1 to 3 profile packs that will cover these needs....and I'm happy to pay.


    Cheers,

    Andy

    I know exactly what you mean. I chose Kemper over Axe for pretty much the same reason. I want some great plug’n’play tones without losing myself down a tweaking rabbit hole. The problem with your question is that its one of those “how long’s a piece of string” things. Everyone has different ideas of what sounds good to them.


    My only suggestion would be to find a profile maker whose style you like. As profiles are basically the same as recorded guitar sounds, making a profile is similar to engineering/producing a recording. In the same was as engineers and producers have a certain style to their work, profile makers also have a personal style. If you find a profiler maker whose style sits well with your ears and needs then you should be able to quickly pick a great tone from their range for most things. Although, you may need to use a different provider for really heavy stuff than everything else.


    For me, I tend to use a few MBritt or Tone Junky rigs most of the time. For higher gain classic rock stuff (not metal) the MBritt Marshall packs are awesome as is his Crank’n’Go pack (love the SLO).However, there is a great fender twin in the factory settings and Andy44 Fender Pro Jnr from the factory content is also a killer tone.

    For comparing profiles at rehearsal or sound check (or even at the gig), try putting two profiles that you are trying to decide between next to each other in a performance. Now, this is assuming you don't need 5 profiles / slots for any one song. Be sure the two profiles you are comparing have the same effects settings, levels, etc. (or just lock the stomps and effects). Then, during a song you can easily switch back and forth to compare. If you are not that brave, you could try one profile on a song and then the other profile on the next song.

    What I did, in order to do this, was make two basically identical performances, and then use one as my test bed, swapping out the profiles I wanted to compare in one performance while keeping the other performance ready to switch to if my "experiment" doesn't work out.


    Another suggestion: if you ever have access to full blown PA, spend some time auditioning rigs through it. If there is a rehearsal complex near you, set up the profiles you want to compare in some logical, systematic way, and go rent "the big room" for a few hours and compare away.

    Be Thankful.

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