New Kemper user - after a few pointers for Rockerverb, JCM800 & Fender Twin/Princeton profile packs

  • Have been getting to know my new Kemper over the last week by searching through the factory content & profile packs on rig manager (and rig exchange) - found tons of good stuff, and am very impressed with the overall sound and feel of the Kemper - in a totally different league to the software modelers I've used up till now for recording. As I was advise before buying, it does feel like playing thru a mic'd up tube amp in another room, as opposed to actually having an amp in the room and hence being able to interact with feedback etc. - but that's fine, recording is primarily what I'll be using it for, and the main thing is it DOES feel/sound like a real amp! So as I'll definitely be keeping it, figure I may as well start investing in a few rig packs...


    My favourite amps have always been Marshalls (for overdriven 80's/90's rock/metal tones), Fenders (for cleans & funk), and more recently discovered how good Oranges are for super-smooth thick distortion (great for Drop-D tuning riffery, but I also really like the Orange sound for funk-rock leads). I've found some great examples of all of these via rig manager, but would like to expand my collection of sounds for these amps as I'm not sure I've favourited many real "go-to" profiles yet.


    I'm mainly after suggestions for Orange Rockerverb profiles as I've haven't found so many of these, and a lot of the ones I've found seem to focus more on ultra-heavy/doom settings as opposed to the smoother heavy-rock sounds I'm after - however I've bookmarked Guidorist, TAF, and Deadlight Studios - has anyone tried any of these Rockerverb profiles, or are there any other good ones I should check out?


    I've found tons of good Marshalls - in particular some great sounding JVM410HJS profiles, currently trying to decide between Top Jimi, Katzbach, Soundside, Deadlight Studios and TAF's offerings here! However I'd also like some more JCM 800 profiles, and here the problem is there are just too many... Any suggestions where to start?


    As for Fenders, I'd like a good set of Princeton & Twin Reverb profiles (ideally with some convincing Ted Nugent style tones from the Twin, as well as some sparkling cleans and more gently-driven tones suitable for funk rhythm playing) - I think the best sounding I've found so far are Tone Junkie's for these amps - but again, are there any others I should check out?


    I know I probably can't go wrong with any of the above-mentioned profile-makers, and over time I'm sure I'll end up building up a collection and figuring out whose sounds work the best for what I'm after. But as I'm new to this, would welcome a few suggestions of where to start to get a good collection of go-to sounds for mainly distorted-blues/funk-rock/heavy-rock sounds. Will be mainly using humbucker pickups by the way (DiMarzio Mo Joe & Paf Joe).


    Thanks in advance, and apologies for the long post, but hopefully enough details there to give a good idea of what I'm after!

  • I know I probably can't go wrong with any of the above-mentioned profile-makers

    Indeed, that's what I would say as well. All good ones. Still they have there different styles and different vibe here and there.


    Not to make it complicated but I would add one. Michael Britt. I like his 69' Marshall profiles a lot. Alltime favourites for Marshall sound in my ears. But he has a 800 pack as well and on the page a lot of sound samples from it. Look here:

    MBritt 800 pack

  • Indeed, that's what I would say as well. All good ones. Still they have there different styles and different vibe here and there.


    Not to make it complicated but I would add one. Michael Britt. I like his 69' Marshall profiles a lot. Alltime favourites for Marshall sound in my ears. But he has a 800 pack as well and on the page a lot of sound samples from it. Look here:

    MBritt 800 pack

    I've actually got that one (the '69 Marshall) bookmarked too! Seen it recommended in a number of places now, and demos sound very "alive". Also got Top Jimi's Paul Gilbert owned Lee Jackson marked as another JCM 800 alternative. There do seem to be a lot of good choices for the types of amps/sounds I'm after, though I'm trying to avoid buying everything all at once...


    search the Rig Exchange for Fender Amps there are a lot

    of great Profiles on RE

    As for the rig exchange, I will definitely spend more time browsing that, but so far I've found it very hit and miss - definitely found some gems on there, but quality (and, annoyingly, volume levels) are all over the place... So far I'm searching for specific amps, then ordering by number of reviews, then rating, but let me know if there are any other tips to track down the best stuff.

  • For Marshall’s, Top Jimi is my go-to. Just stunning profiles. I have the ‘68 Plexi, Hendrix SLP, Gilbert/Jackson, and YJM Plexi. They’re all excellent, and are mainstays on my KPA.


    I haven’t bought too many Orange packs, even though they’re among my favourite amps, but one not to be overlooked is MattFigg (aka MotorCity Mods). His profiles of preamps based on Orange amps are great and as good as the real thing. I have his OR pack and it’s just gorgeous! I think the Rockerverb pack is called the ‘Stonerverb’.


    Can’t help you with Fender mate, but I’ve always heard Tone Junkie is great for cleans.

    Kemper KPA / Mooer Baby Bomb / Marshall MX212AR

  • For Marshall’s, Top Jimi is my go-to. Just stunning profiles. I have the ‘68 Plexi, Hendrix SLP, Gilbert/Jackson, and YJM Plexi. They’re all excellent, and are mainstays on my KPA.


    I haven’t bought too many Orange packs, even though they’re among my favourite amps, but one not to be overlooked is MattFigg (aka MotorCity Mods). His profiles of preamps based on Orange amps are great and as good as the real thing. I have his OR pack and it’s just gorgeous! I think the Rockerverb pack is called the ‘Stonerverb’.


    Can’t help you with Fender mate, but I’ve always heard Tone Junkie is great for cleans.

    Those MattFig OR100 profiles sound amazing, perfect for that COC riff in the first video - thanks for the recommendation, hadn't spotted these before! Will almost certainly purchase these at some point. His Stonerverb seems to be an actual modded Rockerverb pre-amp though, not a Kemper pack?


    Definitely planning to buy some Top Jimi packs too, these are some of the best sounding to my ears on the demos, just can't decide which pack to start with! Possibly the 410HJS (of which there don't seem to be that many profile packs available), or his JCM800 or Lee Jackson... Only thing is, I'm not liking the profiles in his free pack on Rig Manager so much, not sure why - but then, most of these aren't from the packs I'm interested in - anyway, will probably buy one of the Top Jimi packs I mentioned, then if they work for me, invest in a few more. I'm tempted to buy the whole Katzbach collection of Marshalls too... These have a very different sound though, rawer, less "produced" somehow - not sure if they might take a bit more work to make sit in a mix? But they are more instantly "punchy" (and their free JCM800KK profile is one of the nicest I've played thru so far).


    btw, on the issue of how different the various profile-maker's packs of the same amps sound, I'm presuming it's a lot down to mic placement? e.g. to my ears the Katzbach ones have a very SM57-near-the-centre-of-the-cone sound, while Top Jimi's I suspect might have the mics further away and mix in more condenser mic? Or maybe it's more the Definition settings etc within the Kemper?? Anyway, I guess people's preferences for one profile maker over another comes down largely to which style of mic-ing best suits their production style. Going to try some of the free profiles in a few mixes today and see if this helps decide...

  • Just to report back - after spending FAR too long browsing thru profile-makers' websites (there's just too much choice!!) I've bought a few Marshall packs from TAF, and Guidorist's Rockerverb - all of which I'm very happy with! Also found some good Fenders in Tone Junkie's free packs, so feel like I've now got a good base of sounds to get started with.


    However I'll definitely be expanding on this collection once I've got a bit more familiar with my Kemper. TAF's UK Gold Toolkit looks like one of the best Marshall collections out there, and I've bookmarked a whole bunch of other great sounding Marshall's e.g. M Britt, Nick K, Choptones, Katzbach, BHP etc. I've also now found a bunch of great sounding Oranges (the OR100 mentioned above, and livereadysound's Rockerverb, various AD30's and TT's etc). Just trying to resist buying everything at once... but it's good to know all this great stuff is out there for when I do want to expand my collections. It's a fantastic thing this Kemper :)


    One thing I will say is it's a lot easier to narrow down choices when companies make a few free sample profiles available. Everyone's audio demos sound impressive, but once I started trying out the sample profiles in actual mixes, it became clear that some just instantly worked better with my production style than others - e.g. TAF's stuff all fit right in with very little tweaking, whereas Top Jimi's - which were initially some of my favourites - just sounded a bit too "vintage" in the context of what I'm currently working on. This has made me cautious of buying from places where I can't demo a few patches first. I can understand people don't want to give away stuff for free, but as some of these packs can get quite pricey, and there's just so much choice, it's REALLY useful to be able to try before you buy.

  • Everyone's audio demos sound impressive, but once I started trying out the sample profiles in actual mixes, it became clear that some just instantly worked better with my production style than others - e.g. TAF's stuff all fit right in with very little tweaking, whereas Top Jimi's - which were initially some of my favourites - just sounded a bit too "vintage" in the context of what I'm currently working on.

    Good thoughts and same here. Indeed a sound which works on its own and is impressive for practicing, song writing etc. is not automatically the go to sound in a production and in the mix. And I like those ones most which can do both so I already have a good idea of how it will sound later in the band context etc.


    Your approach sounds very well to me alligatorlizard . Enjoy and have fun with it :thumbup:8)

  • While my fingers are recovering (from almost 24/7 guitar playing since getting a Kemper...) thought I'd finish this thread up with a few reviews of what I ended up buying, hopefully will be helpful to anyone looking for similar sounds.


    One comment on paid profiles vs free (i.e. Rig Exchange ones) - while there are definitely gems on RE, it's quite a bit of work sifting these out... plus, while you can generally find a good profile or two of each amp, that's usually about it - whereas commercial rig packs give you a whole range of settings/tones for each amp, which is especially useful if you're using Kemper primarily for recording - makes it much easier to find the right profile for a certain production. And the quality generally is higher... There's a whole art to micing up an amp, and I think this - not just dialling in good amp settings - is where the pros excel. That said, some well regarded profile-makers just didn't do it for me - I guess this is down to both personal taste and pickups - so always find or request some free sample profiles before buying, as it's often hard to tell from audio demos alone. Rig Managers free Rig Packs are also very useful in getting an idea of what's out there of course.


    You'll notice I'm mainly sticking to Marshall's & Oranges - these are amps I know well (i.e. the "real life" versions of) so seemed like a good place to start. I have got a number of suggestions from a facebook group re. similar-sounding alternative amps to try out at some point - e.g. Bogner XTC, Splawn etc. - but to be honest I've yet to find any of these boutique amps that (to my ears anyway ) improves on the tone of a Marshall or a Rockerverb (for rock/leads), or a Fender for sparkly-cleans.


    Anyway, here's what I've got so far...:


    1) Guidorist - Rockerverb - very nice, only a small pack, but ideal for a modern/bold/heavy-rock sound


    2) LRS - Rockerverb & Plexi - both great, loads of profiles with tons of different mic/cab combos to cover a lot of tones - e.g. a lot of Rockerverb sounds that aren't covered in Guido's smaller pack. These profiles "feel" great under the fingers, and fit into mixes well.


    3) Choptones - Funk Pack - only ten profiles, but all great, nicely set-up effects with these, should cover all my funk rhythm requirements!


    5) Nick K - JMP - really nice, retro amp but modern-sounding profiles if that makes sense - I like the way these are set up with rhythm and lead versions of each profile, they don't need much tweaking to be ready to go


    4) TAF - 410HJS, JCM800 (from pack 10) & UK Gold pack - all really solid profiles (tons of great stuff in their free packs too) - the UK Gold pack's one of the pricier ones I've bought tho and tbh have slightly mixed feelings - all the amps in it are incredibly dynamic to play and some of the most realistic "feeling" under the fingers - however they're mic'd up very differently to the "single" TAF packs I'd bought previously, with many profiles a bit too dark, and overly "boomy" to my ears - nonetheless, this contains the best "classic rock" Marshall tones I've found so far. It's just that, considering the price, I was disappointed it didn't quite give me all the Marshall sounds I was after, particularly JCM800-wise... however, I managed to fill that gap perfectly when I found:


    6) Marco Fanton - JCM 800 - last but not least - finally found my ideal JCM800 lead sound! 10 profiles, all with seemingly very similar (if not identical?) gain settings, but exactly how I'd set an 800 as a platform for the type of Satriani-esque rock/funk leads I naturally gravitate to - lovely profiles on their own, but also perfectly set up to add various dist pedals/effects to give a whole range of lead tones.


    Will definitely add to this collection in the future - all the profile makers above have other packs I've got my eyes on, and at some point intend to try out stuff from BHP, Top Jimi, Tone Junkies etc. - but for now I've definitely got all my main bases covered, and my Kemper loaded up with some of the best guitar sounds I've ever heard :)

  • Hi all, I tried the GLS rockerverb and found it really good, something like « right in the target ». It’s very dynamic and very versatile. When I’d test these profiles with a Duesenberg in a cheap mix table at the rehearsal studio, all the dudes didn’t believe their little ears (cause they are tube addict and old school anti numeric amps), it just bluff them !

    What I like the most it’s that I can play Deftones, Gun’s, Black Sab, Kyuss, QOTSA, Smashing Pumkings and even turn it 5 or 7 steps down (I especially use the « Studio 5 »profil to do it) to play stoner or death metal or doom.

    You can try it from the rig exchange « GLS-ORockV RE ». It’s a mid gain profile but if you like it, you will love the crunch, the gain and hi gain rigs.

    "La théorie, c'est quand on sait tout et que rien ne fonctionne. La pratique, c'est quand tout fonctionne et que personne ne sait pourquoi. Ici, nous avons réuni théorie et pratique : Rien ne fonctionne... et personne ne sait pourquoi !" - Albert E.

  • Just thought I'd report back now I've had my Kemper for several months, and bought profile packs from a dozen or so different profile-makers.


    Firstly, I definitely have found all the tones I was originally after, and more (e.g. never really liked Vox before, but the AC30 is now one of my favs)


    However it's not without spending a LOT of time researching/demo-ing etc (Kemper facebook groups are also very useful for advice btw), and a fair bit of money spent on profile packs...


    Also spent a lot of time delving into the Kemper's various parameters to tweak the profiles - though I've concluded if a profile doesn't sound right to begin with, there's only so much you can do - however if it does sound good straight away, it can probably be tweaked to perfection with the amp and cab parameters and a bit of eq.


    Anyway, here's what's ultimately made it into my favourites folder:


    Live Ready Sounds (covers all styles & gain ranges really, can't say enough good things about their profiles)

    Top Jimi (like his medium/low gain stuff the best, more vintage tones)

    SinMix (metal!)


    There a few other profiles from here and there that I use occasionally, but the ones from the above three profile-makers are hands down the most realistic/detailed/dynamic/well-mic'd profiles I've found. All these "feel" great to play as well, alive and responsive/expressive under the fingers.