My ultimate question as a new Kemper owner.

  • Just got my first Kemper.


    A very Interesting NGD for me and I am unsure what to think yet. It had a few basic profiles installed from the previous owner, I used it at band practice and damn it sounded great, pleasantly surprised it actually sounds like an amp. I chose the best random profile and it actually sounded better than my 6505+ (let the other guitarist use mine while his is in the shop) the bass was just so much deeper and tighter. Sounded pretty damn good for a plug and play. Now I have some college courses to take to learn this thing.


    So anyway the ultimate question/observation. To all the long time Kemper pros......Does every single profile sound the same? To me, so far they do. I got some (Cameron/Bogner) profiles that are supposed to be legit and IDK. I DO like the Kemper and it sounds good but I was expecting a bit of a difference between profiles.


    What I mean specifically here is the voicing. They just all sound the same. Different EQ sure but the same core tone every time. Is this user error? Or is this Kemper?


    I am using the Powered Head into a 4x12 guitar cab and (I think) I am turning off the CAB sim by simply pressing the Cabinet button. (kind of sounds the same with it on or off anyway)and I go straight for the high gain metal tones.

  • I’ve been using my profiler for about a month and I’ve just started to hear minor differences in the high gain stuff. I think your guitar and cab are gonna give a similar sound to each one. I’m running mine into a PowerCab and using the speaker normally, no fr mode, and I’ve noticed differences in the amps, it’s subtle but it’s there. My thought is most amps are modeled after modded boosted Marshall’s so they’ll all kinda sound the same anyways ??‍♂️

  • The cabinet or IR is a big part of the total sound, so as long as you are running into a 4x12, it's going to sound like a head running into that 4x12.


    To really hear the range of sounds available from the KPA, get a powered monitor cabinet (PA-style) and use that instead. By putting the cab sim back into the loop, you'll hear the difference between the 4x12 and, say, an open-back 1x12 combo. This changes the overall character of the sound more than you might expect.

  • The speakers are a big part of the sound and since you're using the same 4x12 for all profiles it's taking away the variation. This is why I use FRFR always now - so I get the speaker sound from the original amp.

    A Fender Princeton profile won't sound much like the original with a 4x12. It'll sound very good, but more "Marshall".

  • If you were to audition a lot of high gain amps through the same cabinet, they largely sound the same. The cab is a lot more than half the tone.

    Karl


    Kemper Rack OS 9.0.5 - Mac OS X 12.6.7

  • If you were to audition a lot of high gain amps through the same cabinet, they largely sound the same. The cab is a lot more than half the tone.


    And your playing is a big portion of the other half. Often surprising how much great guitar players sound like the sound even when they change their gear over time :)

    Agree to an extent.


    I have owned several high gain amps - Bogner, VHT, Peavey, PRS, and more. They all have their own voicing where as I am finding many of the profiles I have tried (only a dozen or so thus far) do not. Just wasn't sure if I was doing something wrong.

  • Same type of amps into the exact same cabinet are going to sound a lot alike.

    Speakers are way important to overall tone and character than anything else.

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

  • And your playing is a big portion of the other half. Often surprising how much great guitar players sound like the sound even when they change their gear over time :)

    I think you are right. Every time I get a new piece of gear, the aim seems to be to get the same sound as the last one:-)


    There are a couple of videos online comparing many amps through the same cab. If you listen carefully there are small variations, but generally you wouldn't notice in a band or mix.

    Karl


    Kemper Rack OS 9.0.5 - Mac OS X 12.6.7

  • Press the Output Button.

    Set Monitor Cab OFF

  • Agree to an extent.


    I have owned several high gain amps - Bogner, VHT, Peavey, PRS, and more. They all have their own voicing where as I am finding many of the profiles I have tried (only a dozen or so thus far) do not. Just wasn't sure if I was doing something wrong.

    Certainly different amps sound different. Even into the same speaker; however, it is surprising how much tone and color does come from the cab.


    I had a VHT rig with a 4x12 and 2x12 fat bottom. Still have the fat bottom. If I play into an amp and into the fat bottom, most of the differences between higher gain amps goes away.


    Play the same profiles through my DSR112 FRFR speaker .... and the difference comes back. No doubt about it.


    I really do need to sell the 2x12. I will never use it again and it is a classic VHT cab with the vintage VHT P90's in it.

  • Just curious, how much? Those are good cabs.