Should I become a new user? Give me a rundown.

  • Career musician. My first rig lasted over 2 decades. My current rig is a modeler, I've had it for 7 years - it is not giving me problems. It does not need replaced. In fact, due to my travel routine, I have multiple of the same units (both rack and floor) stashed across the country. My patches are on a stick / in the cloud, all I need is a computer to transfer them. It does what I need and I had no intentions of getting rid of it.


    However, I have a guitar for sale, and someone is offering me a Kemper (profiler. head. no power) for trade.


    My current rig is not fully compatible with Windows 10 (or the newest Mac updates, but I don't use Apple). It doesn't work at all with mobile devices. Does not work with memory sticks. It doesn't work with the 'lesser' Microsoft/Windows products (such as Windows CE) found on netbooks. I need full versions of Windows, and as I said it has to be XP thru 7.

    I can run two inputs at the same time (such as mic and guitar with their own separate paths). I have stereo output. I can run 8 fx (not limited to 4 pre and 4 post like the Kemper does), 2 simultaneous amp models, an fx loop and a sampler/looper. I have 512 available slots for tones, which are grouped in 8 lists. I can record via USB or audio jacks.

    Oh, also, I have the pedalboard, which allows 2 expression pedals which can control any parameter on the unit (in other words, not limited to a wah or volume pedal). And if I do need to travel with it, the floor unit fits nicely in my overhead suitcase.




    The question -

    Knowing the compatibility issues I face. Do I take the opportunity to switch? (particularly with the CoVid restrictions which would allow me time to learn and tweak the unit before I need it). What is the Kemper computer stuff like?

    What am I gaining. What am I losing.

    I can't see myself 'profiling' much. But, I can see its usefulness. I would probably do as I have always done, which is, take what is available and twist knobs until I have the tone I need.


    etc etc

    I don't own a Kemper but was here investigating. If I answer a post, it is based on general knowledge - not on Kemper experience.

  • Welcome! Take the guitar your selling and one of your favorites over to that person's place with the Kemper (or have them come to yours) and try it out. You can hear it through their amp/cabinet of choice with different rigs. Won't take you long to decide that it'll be worth the upgrade from your older equipment. Good Luck!!

  • Welcome nunya123. As you have everything working for yo ATM I understand your hesitate, but you also underlined a few issues with your current Rig.... Ideally you give it a test ride (a music store nearby?) first and make sure it's what you want/need. Zapman gave you a very good alternative option.

  • From a purely financial perspective (and as a career musician.....you already know this concept), a used Profiler currently trends between $1,300 and $1,400 on Reverb as an average. If the trade is even or in your favor, sure....why not?

    Even if it isn't, perhaps it's worth what you 'lose' in living with it for a while to know for sure.

    If you're used to a modeler, the one thing you need to recognize is that the approach to creating an amp tone is entirely different than a modeler. Some of what you 'know' will transfer into getting good sounds. But at least an equal amount will not. That's not good or bad...just is.

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

  • To expand a bit on what Ruefus said, and to speak to the "what do I gain, what do I lose" question, here's a little about the different philosophies.


    An amp modeler, e.g. Line 6, Fractal, etc. gives you widgets designed to emulate the real thing. For example, you might bring up a Marshall JCM800 head with all the knobs, and the goal of the modeler is to reproduce what happens when you turn the knobs compared to the real thing. In other words, you have the same virtually unlimited combinations of knob twisting with the model that you do with an actual Marshall.


    In the Kemper world, a JCM800 profile is not a model, and is not intended to give you all the things that a real Marshall would do. Instead, it's a snapshot of a single moment in time. A guy decides on a speaker cabinet, plugs it in, and then dials in a tone with his JCM800. Then he decides on one or more mics, and where / how to position them. If this sounds like you're in a recording studio, you're exactly right. When the amp is "profiled," what you get is the miked up sound of that amp / cab just like on the albums you listen to. And - importantly - it's one and only one tone. This is a key difference.


    Commercial profilers might create a JCM800 pack with a couple dozen profiles, from clean to crunch to Eddie melting glass. However, this does not represent the sum total of what a JCM800 can do. It's just a couple dozen tones that the guy doing the profiling liked, and thought others might enjoy.


    There's lots of knobs to twist on the Kemper. You can add all sorts of effects and reverb, and you can do a fair amount of fiddling with a given profile, so it's not like you don't have the ability to tweak. It is, nonetheless, all in the context of that one tone that a guy dialed in, miked up, and profiled.


    With that in mind, it's also important to consider genre when listening to profiles (like all the free ones on Rig Exchange). I'm a classic rock guy. If I dial in a tone on a JCM800 that's great for a Bad Company gig and you're a metal guy, it will be useless to you - even though it was still a JCM800. As long as you understand that, and find profiles that focus on the styles of music that you play, you'll be able to get good results.


    I listened to the Axe FX when I was considering the Kemper. Honestly, they both sound excellent. What sold me was the fact that I didn't have to twiddle knobs. I almost never alter a profile. If it's not doing it for me, I just move on to the next one.


    I don't know if any of this is useful to you or not, but if you do get the Kemper then knowing what to expect out of it will help you enjoy the experience.

    Kemper remote -> Powered toaster -> Yamaha DXR-10

  • Hi nunya123,

    welcome, like the others said the best in my opinion is that you try and test the Kemper in a musicstore before to look if it suits

    for you. But remember even all that great known bands and musicians using a Kemper. They can´t be wrong ;)

    Kemper Head - Kemper Remote - Palmer Box with Kemper Kone - TC Electronic BAM200 - Laney LFR 112

  • Welcom nunya123,

    I would not agree to an exchange deal. One has little to do with the other. Also consider the warranty issue; sell the guitar to someone who can afford it. Check independently whether a Kemper or another solution is suitable for you and then disembowel.

    Be the force with you ;)

  • Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner.

    That is the kind of information I needed to see.


    I don't think this is the route for me.

    It may have been a good choice when I worked for [evil corporation], or that "variety act" I was in. But not really what I need in my day to day routine.

    I don't own a Kemper but was here investigating. If I answer a post, it is based on general knowledge - not on Kemper experience.

    Edited once, last by nunya123 ().

  • This exactly!!

    I'll make small changes. Definition pretty regularly, but not big swings. Compression (if already active in amp). I almost *never* touch Bass, Treble, Mid or Presence. and use EQ stomps for specific reasons. Not to fix or alter overall tone.

    I have found that lowering Gain can be very effective. There's a Soldano profile that compresses too much, but lowering the gain opened it up a LOT. :)

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

    Edited once, last by Ruefus ().

  • Well, wait....

    I have seen videos of guys who take an amp and then twist the knob to adjust gain, going from clean to crunch to dirty to metal.


    If a 'profile' is not a model, how did they do that?

    I don't own a Kemper but was here investigating. If I answer a post, it is based on general knowledge - not on Kemper experience.

  • I can't help you much because my opinions have become totally biased. I needed two amps, and EVH and a Fender. I took a chance on one Kemper, and am I ever glad I did. Now I have a EVH, Fender, Mesa, Plexi, ENGL, Vox, Orange, yada yada, and even some amps that are so expensive it make me loose pennies to write the names down.


    Best decision I ever made including taking 3 ladies on a date at the same time.

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.

  • I'd I read the OP correctly, you have to run Win xp or 7?


    This is going to give you problems. You need windows 8 or higher.

    Oh, I forgot there was a Windows 8. I honestly don't know if it works on 8 or not.

    But I was only talking about the current gear, not future gear - my current rig isn't fully compatible with Windows 10. Which means I can't buy a new computer and expect it to work.

    I don't own a Kemper but was here investigating. If I answer a post, it is based on general knowledge - not on Kemper experience.

  • To try and summerise:


    What are you losing -

    You know your rig, if its good, why change ( except the PC issues)

    The Kemper only has 1 input

    The computer compatibility is ok (functionally) but not as strong as other gear


    What would you gain

    Amazing sounds that emulate great amps

    Easy to get up and running but with enough deep parameters to refine your sound

    The ability to "clone" your current sound


    I would also suggest that trying one isn't always the best idea either because its all in the set up. The profiler can sound amazing or awful depending on the profile used.


    Unfortunately, as in the software world, its down to your requirements. What problem are you trying to solve. I have no doubt sound wise the KPA will blow away your current rig, but it will require time and investment to get there and only you can decide that.


    Profiling vs modelling - a profile is created by physically putting a mic in front of an amp ( or via a DI box) to take a snapshot of that exact sound. A model is made up by a software engineer. With both the parameters can be changed. With a profile, the changes may not be the same as the amp. For example, you can take a profile of an AC30 and increase the gain beyond that of a real AC30. However the sound is less like an AC30 at that point....but it doesn't mean it doesn't sound bad.


    The advantage of profiling is you can profile a specific amp - so 1 Marshall Plexi could sound better than another. There are hundreds of Plexi profiles available and you are not restricted to those or to profiling your own/a friends. With a modeller you are limited to what is programmed in. This doesn't mean you need to profile, but you have a broader access to sounds so less limitations.


    Hope that helps...

    Edited once, last by V8guitar ().

  • Oh, I forgot there was a Windows 8. I honestly don't know if it works on 8 or not.

    But I was only talking about the current gear, not future gear - my current rig isn't fully compatible with Windows 10. Which means I can't buy a new computer and expect it to work.

    Rig Manager runs on Win 8 and up.


    What isn't compatible with Win 10 in your rig?

  • What is your "current rig"?

    The discussion is too hypothetical for me.

    What should the solution look like if you don't know what the current solution is?

    I'm sorry to say that, but the whole thing looks a bit like trolling to me.

    Be the force with you ;)

  • Well, wait....

    I have seen videos of guys who take an amp and then twist the knob to adjust gain, going from clean to crunch to dirty to metal.


    If a 'profile' is not a model, how did they do that?


    Welcome!

    The Kemper is as well as the AxeFx (and others) a digital amp simulation.


    The main difference is that others offer many amp-models which can be tweaked a lot - and the Kemper has a 'universal amp model' which can automatically learn to set it's internal parameters by profiling a real amp. After this you can tweak only a few (but powerful) parameters.

    Check out the demo files of all the different profile sellers to get an overview of what can be done.

    (All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with soundside.de)


    Great Profiles --> soundside.de