Quality of effects v line 6, and ability to play an unmic'd sound

  • The kemper looks like everything I've wanted, but always thought could only exist in a realm of black magics! Two queries I have before I sell off gear to fund it are:
    1. How do the effects compare to a line 6 m13? This is one of the things id sell to fund it. I'm mainly concerned with reverb, delay, and wah(can the kemper do wah at the moment)
    2. Profiling a sound obviously profiles a miced up sound. but from memory the amp has the option to select an emulated cab sound. (cant easily confirm right now as I'm on my phone). If you are able to alter the stack/signal chain, is it possible to play a dry, unmiced sound?


    Hopes this makes sense and is in the correct section! Ill hopefully repay others patience with matchless profiles in the near future :D
    Cheers, james


  • 1. How do the effects compare to a line 6 m13? This is one of the things id sell to fund it. I'm mainly concerned with reverb, delay, and wah(can the kemper do wah at the moment)
    2. Profiling a sound obviously profiles a miced up sound. but from memory the amp has the option to select an emulated cab sound. (cant easily confirm right now as I'm on my phone). If you are able to alter the stack/signal chain, is it possible to play a dry, unmiced sound?

    1. I am no expert on line6 products. But the effect quality is very good. Perhaps it still lacks some things as a pitch shifter but standard stuff as Modulation, Reverb and Delay sounds totally satisfying to me. There is a wah and i really like it, i would even say it is the first digital wah i really use. Some other users do not like it as much, but it also depends on the parameter settings.


    2. You can profile and use DI profiles and apply cab sections afterwards. Many users who do not have the possibility to mic up a cab use this option with great results.

  • I don't use reverb live and don't record w/it from the box, so I couldn't help you there (it def doesn't have some of the unique reverb effects that the M13 will give you).


    Haven't used the Kemper's wah. I have used the M13/9's Weeper model and it was fine for my uses (provided that I set it to where it wouldn't "open up" all the way).


    Of the modulation effects that interest me (namely tremolo and rotary), I prefer them on the Kemper. There is no Univibe on the Kemper, but the M13/9's Univibe is also the worst effect in the entire unit.


    The delays on the Kemper are fine, though I'd take the M13's over them for most sounds. Fwiw, it's popular to diss the Line 6 DL4 because (supposedly) it's become obsolete or whatnot (fwiw, a modded one is absolutely necessary). Well, the DL4's Memory Man model (the "modulated delay") is noticeably fatter than (and not as irreparably-bright as) the M13's version of the same effect. For that matter, you can't even come close to that sound with the Kemper. There is a single knob on the Kemper for modulation in the repeats (no separate depth and rate control), and it's just not to my liking. Who knows... maybe that will change sometime. But for now I'd take the DL4 over both of them for delays, but between the M13 and Kemper's delays, the M13 can do what the Kemper does just as well and some that the Kemper can't do (though if you kinda want bread-and-butter delays, you'll be happy with the Kemper).


    Obviously the M13 can do plenty of crazy filters and unique stuff (from all categories) that the Kemper doesn't have.


    Now, all that said, if FOR ME it were between keeping my M13 or selling it and thereby being able to grab a Kemper (not sure where the rest of the money will come from, so that could affect my decision), I'd bail on the M13 and grab the Kemper. The Kemper is really really really really really really really really cool. I've gigged with it since the day I got it. Loved every minute of it.


    Really cool.

  • I had an M13 and sold it when I bought the Kemper. I didn't use the M13 for distortion, but for Reverb, Delay and Modulation since I didn't like the distortion EFX of the M13. I hate when you have to step through large menus and sub-menus to create a sound, so this was actually the reason I bought the M13. Finally I was able to adjust sounds quickly at a rehearsal or even live.


    Then the Kemper KPA came.


    I really like the reverb section of the KPA. I think it's a lot better than the reverbs of the M13. I didn't like the reverbs of the M13 so much.
    Like posted above there are not as many modulation or synth effects, nor as many delays but the effects that are implemented are of good quality. And their number will surely rise with the next versions of the Kemper OS. By the way, a wah effect exists, also.
    The standard modulation effects that I sometimes use are included (like phaser, flanger, tremolo) and these special EFX and synths of the M13 I didn't use anyway.


    And the usability of the KPA is at least as good if not better. You can adjust the main parameters of Modulation, Reverb and Delay directly without going into any menu. For detailed adjustments just hit the button of the effect and you have 5 big LED collar knobs to adjust all the parameters. Perfect!

    So for me it was an easy decision to ditch the M13.

  • Yes, just download the KPA Reference Manual. It lists and explains all the stomps and effects that are available on the KPA.


    In summary the stomps and effects are:


    Wah effects:
    Wah Wah
    Wah vowel
    Wah phaser
    wah comb filter


    EQ
    Compressor
    Booster
    (Lead Boost, Treble Boost etc.)
    Distortion stomps (Fuzz, Muffin, Green etc.)
    Delay (Tap, Analog and Free Delay)
    Reverb (Hall, Ambience, Room)


    Modulation effects:
    Chorus
    Flanger
    Phaser
    Vibrato
    Rotary Speaker