I need a new toy for lockdown entertainment and I have the cash for either a guitar or a kemper.
Lots of great options for you future Kemper rig. My preference is powered because I'm into simple and it's also more versatile. Regardless, I'd use the cash on a Kemper and defer the next guitar to a later date. More bang for your buck. Welcome to the forum.
Thanks for all your help and advice guys - very helpful to get experience from people who own the units.
I've just taken the plunge and ordered the powered rack unit.
Should be with me on Friday for high gain fun times.
You really cant go wrong with having the powered unit, if you don't need the power, well you don't have to use it and can actually turn off the power amp in the output menu, but its nice to have it when you need it. These things sound great pushing a regular guitar cab.
I think you made a fine choice. I love having the powered rack even though I don't use my Kabinet all the time at home (just through interface and out to studio monitors). And you can select to have the power amp off or on in the output menu. Not that leaving on makes it hot. Mine is cold to the touch off or on. But it saves you a lot of headache later having that option in the unit.
And I love the Minecraft form factor!
Read up about setting your High Pass and Low Pass filters globally first. Once you do that, it transforms all of the profiles to some really good tones. Good luck!
Hey, ESPete.
Thanks for all your help and advice guys - very helpful to get experience from people who own the units.
I've just taken the plunge and ordered the powered rack unit.
Should be with me on Friday for high gain fun times.
Here's the Welcome Wagon of essential goodies. Taking time with these things is a great investment.
Enjoy.
? Kemper Manuals and Quick Start guides ?
? Rig Manager Download and Documentation ??
? Before you buy Commercial Rigs and Profiles check out the Rig Manager for Rig Packs and Rig Exchange
Cheers,
ST
The thing is as much as I'd be using monitors and DI signals etc to record with, for me I just don't think I could get used to having a recorded sounding guitar tone coming through my monitors for playback. I've always loved the satisfying thump and crunch coming through a tube amp and cab, and I think the transition to full FRFR would be a bit too jarring for me. Plus I'd rather have the power amp and not need it, than need one and not have it, and considering people have mentioned running through a tube amp power section to not be the best way of running the unpowered Kemper, I figured this gives me the best of both worlds.
I can't wait to start getting profiles on the go - I've heard some amazing death metal, classic metal, Iron Maiden, modern metal etc packs on youtube so I'll definitely be grabbing a bunch.
Nice one!
Suggest you start out with the free profiles first and then look at commercial profiles but loads of choice.
Personally, I don’t like the Remote form factor. I much prefer a Head or Rack plus remote but that’s just personal taste. However, even though I don’t like the Stage format I would probably still buy it now instead of my powered head simply due to the cost saving. They should sound EXACTLY the same so there is no sonic reason to choose one over the other. One other plus for the Stage is that it has 2 FX loops while the classic profilers only have one. This isn’t a concern for me as I don’t even use the one my Head has but for some people it might be seen as a major selling point.
Thanks for all your help and advice guys - very helpful to get experience from people who own the units.
I've just taken the plunge and ordered the powered rack unit.
Should be with me on Friday for high gain fun times.
I went the powered toaster route so that I'd have the best of both worlds - power into my cabs (e.g. Marshall 4x12), or just out into my recording stuff and studio monitors. I think you're going to be very happy with that choice. Eventually I added the Yamaha FRFR. Easier to transport, sounds great. So now I have all possible options.
Some things that I learned along the way that you might want to consider as you get started...
First, in another post you mentioned amp in the room versus recorded sound, but it's worth mentioning that a profile is exactly that - the recorded sound that you hear on the album. A profile is the end result of someone dialing in an amp, choosing a mike, choosing the position on the cabinet, etc., just like you do in the recording studio when making a record. When you select a profile, that's what comes out. I find it a very polished, professional sound - without having to book time in a million dollar studio.
That said, "amp in the room" is at least a little subjective. Sounds like you're a metal / high gain guy, and I come from a classic rock background. When you play through a high gain profile and crank up the volume, I promise your amp is going to be in the room (and probably your neighbor's room as well). Also, wherever you are, room acoustics get a vote. That doesn't change with the Kemper, be it cab or FRFR. With that in mind, I've played through my 4x12 (well broken in Vintage 30s) and through the Yamaha FRFR, and they both rock my socks off. Whichever way you go, as long as you find the profiles you like you're going to enjoy it.
Picking the right profiles for you is, of course, the key to the experience. There are a gazillion free ones in Rig Exchange, a bunch included for free with the Kemper, and lots of really great commercial profilers. The way to find what you want is to make sure you keep the genre of music in mind when listening to profiles. My mistake was thinking that a Marshall was a Marshall, but you and I would take the exact same amp and come up with very different tones. I found a profiler who's beloved for his classic rock oriented tones and bought everything he had. They're absolutely awesome - for a classic rock guy. You'll have the best luck by finding guys who are into the same kind of high gain music that you are. They're the only who will have the best feel for the style you enjoy.
Just remember that a Marshall is not a Marshall (so to speak). An amp modeling system like Line 6 or Fractal is all about trying to let you do everything that a given amp will do with all its knobs. That's not what the Kemper does. A profile is a snapshot of a single moment in time, after someone dials in the amp the way he likes it for a given sound, picks a cab, picks a mic, positions it to taste, and presses "profile." So a JCM 800 profile isn't "here's everything a JCM 800 can do." It's, "here's a specific tone I created today with a JCM 800." Those are two very different things. Once you've got a feel for that and set your expectations accordingly, you'll find some absolutely killer profiles for the sort of things that you enjoy.
Have fun!
