How good do third party IRs work with studio profiles?

  • Hello,


    i was wondering how good third party IRs would work with studio profiles?

    Would it be "authentic" or not that good?


    I don't want to import the IRs to the Kemper. I just want to use them in my DAW with the cab disabled signal from the Kemper.


    Thanks in advanced.

  • you need to use DI or Merged profiles if you want to use IR`s

    Guitar: Fender Strat HSS<3 Schecter Custom Solo II

    Signal Chain: Kemper->AxeFX 3>Neural QC>Apollo Twin->M-Audio Monitors

    Computer:Mac Studio

    Edited once, last by Ni6htWalker ().

  • They work and give additional options. Whether they sound better or worse is just a matter of personal taste. I have tried a few such as Own Hammer and Two Notes Wall Of Sound but prefer to just stick with Studio Profiles and ignore the IR rabbit hole. Some others swear by using the right IR though.


    Just give it a try and see how you like it.

  • strictly speaking, as soon as you change the CABINET to something other than the amp was profiled with, it's no longer 100% authentic.

    The speaker(s) connected to the power amp have a tonal influence just by being there.

    If you for example change from a 1x12 CABINET (let's say this is the cabinet it was profiled with) to a 4x12, the power amp signature of the PROFILE will still be that of a 1x12 cab.

    Subtle differences for sure, but you asked about authenticity.

    Much more relevant, in my opinion, is that the author of a PROFILE was making decisions about what cabinet to use, which speaker to mic, which mic to use, where to place it etc. all in the context of the tone created by the amp.
    An IR is without context, with many variables (distance, angle etc.) simply being based on a strict pattern (1 inch, 2 inches, 3 inches...)
    IR systems that bundle a bunch of IRs and interpolate between them to give the user the ability to 'move the mic' are IME hardly worth the time they consume (or the $$$) since they do not yield better results. Somewhat different, yes - but that's it.

    YMMV

  • Some sound great. Some sound better than others. And yes, technically you're supposed to use IRs with merged or DI profiles, but you can absolutely use them with studio profiles because Kemper has an algorithm to remove the cabinet from the profile. Is it 100% accurate enough to fool Steve Albini? Probably not. Do I make different versions of my favorite profiles with different Kemper cabs as well as IRs for different flavors? Yes! And it works great.


    For whatever reason, I found that the Ownhammer IRs that I loved on my Helix didn't sound great with Kemper profiles, but 3 Sigma IRs sounded great.


    As with most things, YRMV, so just try it out and see what you think.

  • but you can absolutely use them with studio profiles because Kemper has an algorithm to remove the cabinet from the profile. Is it 100% accurate enough to fool Steve Albini? Probably not. Do I make different versions of my favorite profiles with different Kemper cabs as well as IRs for different flavors? Yes! And it works great.

    This! Same experience here. Kemper's algorithm to subtract the cab is really good. And you can hear differences indeed if you subtract the same cabinet from different profiles. So it's not always the same.


    From time to time I record the stack signal without cab as a second or third track in my DAW (additionally to full stack and dry guitar signal for re-amping). That track can take IRs then in the DAW and often shows interesting results. At least with good IRs.


    Anyways it is really valuable to experiment with different combinations if you feel that this is something you want to do. Finally the old rule always applies: If it sounds good - it is good! :thumbup:8)

  • Spot on and why I enjoy the Kemper more than I did the AxeFX for direct to board tones. I've tried some Ownhammers on the Kemper and didn't find it to be better sounding...worse actually. I wasted time. Funny enough, I was constantly playing with IRs to get the "perfect" AxeFX tone and now it's just playing with the amp parameters a bit on a profile.

  • Spot on and why I enjoy the Kemper more than I did the AxeFX for direct to board tones. I've tried some Ownhammers on the Kemper and didn't find it to be better sounding...worse actually. I wasted time. Funny enough, I was constantly playing with IRs to get the "perfect" AxeFX tone and now it's just playing with the amp parameters a bit on a profile.

    Ugh, I hated the Axe FX IR rabbit hole! I had an FM3 (2 times now), and that was the worst thing about it. When you build a new preset, it defaults to a Pignose 1x4 cab, and when you go to pick a new one it's like "here's 7000 IRs, good luck bud!" I think the Fractal folks are amazing software engineers, but terrible product and industrial designers.


    Anywhoo, what I like to do instead of using 3rd party IRs is to create presets of my favorite Kemper rig cabs, and then swap those out for different flavors. Any time you load up a rig and you like how it sounds, save the cab as a preset. Then try swapping out various cabs with your favorite rigs. You'll be surprised at how many good sounds you can get when you do this. It works best with Merged rigs, but depending on the rig, can work just fine with Studio rigs. And of course, just like anything else Profiler, different rigs sound better or worse for whether they're being use in a live or studio setting.

  • but terrible product and industrial designers.

    that is not true,Fractal devices are pretty good and easy to use,building a preset is super easy,on the Axe Edit i can highlight my favorite amps and IR`S and bingo,you said you hate the IR rabbit hole and you are doing the same on the Kemper,you are saving your favorites cabs

    Guitar: Fender Strat HSS<3 Schecter Custom Solo II

    Signal Chain: Kemper->AxeFX 3>Neural QC>Apollo Twin->M-Audio Monitors

    Computer:Mac Studio

  • that is not true,Fractal devices are pretty good and easy to use,building a preset is super easy,on the Axe Edit i can highlight my favorite amps and IR`S and bingo,you said you hate the IR rabbit hole and you are doing the same on the Kemper,you are saving your favorites cabs

    I disagree. ?‍♂️