Posts by joshriggs

    I just trust my ears and EQ the what sounds I like. I don't care too much about to how it sounds compared to the real amp because there are just too many variables. My starting point, as you say, is how it sounds right there to my ears. With all due respect, it seems like you're overcomplicating it. Turn it on. Pick a profile that sounds good to you. EQ it more to taste, add boosts, effects, etc. If it sounds good, it sounds good.

    Couple of random thoughts:

    • You shouldn't need to cut low and high if you're running the Kemper into a guitar cab. Guitar speakers already have natural low and high cut. This is really only relevant for going straight into a PA or an FRFR.
    • Why keep the tone of the amp flat? This is some weird advice I keep seeing on this forum that makes no sense to me. Don't be afraid to adjust it. It wouldn't be there if it wasn't meant to be used. ?

    I personally would guess that there isn't a strong enough business case for them to do that. It would most likely require them to rewrite the OS to work on a Mac and PC, which means hiring more software engineers and support staff. And then comes the tricky part of price. They would probably need to charge $300 or more per license, which would have a hard time competing against plugins already out there that are more specialized and cheaper.

    Need more blocks? Do a sound really need that much? More is better? Honestly if you can't the sound you like with 4 at the most I doubt your ears.

    I think that's a gross oversimplification. Maybe for classic rock or blues, where you can use one rig and a couple of pedals for a live show and call it a day. I play in a progressive instrumental metal band, and 4 blocks won't even cut it for my basic rhythm tone (noise gate, boost, amp, cab, reverb). Once I start building washy ambient clean tones, I've got multiple delays, reverbs, a compressor, and a poly octave. So then by your standards, I don't have good ears?


    This is a reasonable request to put in a forum that's specifically for feature requests. Just because it's not your preference doesn't mean it's not a reasonable use case. I think double tracker is pointless for me, but obviously enough people like it that they made it a feature. Don't be so quick to judge people because they have different needs than you do.

    Thinking more about this - maybe a better question to ask yourself is can the Kemper sound as good with its own flavor as your pedals. Can you get it to sound exactly the same in a blind listening test? Probably not. But does what you gain in convenience and ease of use outweigh any advantages the pedals might have? I would say it's a good chance you'll think so.

    I'm an effects junky, especially delay and reverb. I also use a lot of POG like high/low octave to make my leads and such sound organ-like. For me, Kemper nails delay, reverb, and octave. I'm more of an amp distortion person, but I think their green scream drive is an excellent boost.


    Another thing you can do with the Kemper that you can't with single pedals is stack them and put them in different orders per preset. So maybe if you want a real lush ambient wash, you can have a delay and reverb before your amp, and another delay and reverb after. Or maybe you wanna stack 2 different types drives before your amp, but have one footswitch to turn them both on at the same time.


    I'll put their delay and reverb up against the best boutique pedals any day. To me, the Kemper delays and verbs have lots of unique character that I didn't find with the a Fractal FM3 I owned (I owned 2 actually).


    If anything could use some improvement, maybe it's the fuzzes? But maybe I'm just not a fuzz person. The Kemper fuzzes tend to lean more vintage which isn't my jam.


    My advice would be to buy one from somewhere with a good return policy. Check it out, experiment with the effects, and don't be afraid to really really tweak things to see what happens. If you don't like it, return it and keep the pedals.


    Or....


    Buy one, use it with the built in effects you like, and keep some of your pedals to use with it.

    Something I've learned from mixing (self taught, have mixed 3 albums so far): most guitarists don't realize how much their recorded tone is altered in a final mix. So while some players might be able to discern a mic'd tube amp from a modeler by listening to a single isolated, unprocessed track, they probably can't when listening to a final mix. I would venture to guess the same goes for a proper live mix.

    GGD? You tried the Zilla or Cali cabs with the Kemper and wasnt happy with these?

    I have Zilla plugin. I did a bunch of a/b tests where I compared my favorite merged profiles with the cabs on, to the same profile with the cab disabled and using Zilla for the cab. Zilla certainly sounded good, but to me the Kemper cabs sounded better. They were somehow beefier and cut more.


    I also have the GGD Gains Kemper pack, which uses Nolly's Zilla and Cali (Mesa) cabs, so I figured I didn't need to get the Cali plugin. I kinda already have it.

    I can relate - the vast majority of IR sellers seem to be pretty good on the systematic side of things - this speaker with this mic at this distance and this angle - and go through all the permutations, but they don't have very good ears - or don't trust them.

    I wouldn't go that far. In other amp sims / modelers / etc., the pro IRs can sound fantastic. I just think that within the Kemper ecosystem, kemper cabs have the slight edge to my ears.

    I have exactly the same experience, I bought a specific OwnHammer IR's, even the free worst-sounding profile started to sound professional.

    My advice is, don't waste your money on paid profiles, invest in good IR's and combine with free profiles.

    Interesting. I've had the opposite experience. I have tons of good IRs from Ownhammer, 3sigma, GGD etc., and I nearly always prefer a proper profiled Kemper cab.

    I have small collection of Kemper cabs that I have as presets to mix and match. Yeah, you can definitely get some great results. Basically any time you play a rig that sounds really good to you, save the cab as a preset. There's a good chance that goodness you liked so much came from the cab.

    I think there are 2 things to consider here:


    1. Headphones just won't ever sound the same as listing through studio monitors, or playing through a cabinet in the room. (at least my experience, I don't have super expensive mega professional headphones). You lose room ambience, which has a huge effect on many things. So knowing that, adding Space to taste, and adjusting low and high cut until it sounds as good as possible is your best bet. The best way to learn how the different frequencies work is to just start adjusting things and listening to the difference. You can always revert the profile preset.


    2. Adjust your expectations for headphones. Know that they won't ever sound as satisfying as playing through your monitors, or through a real cab. If they are a "silent practice" tool, then get 'em sounding the best they can, but don't beat yourself up trying to make them sound as good as your monitors because it just won't happen. It's kinda like having the expectation that your live profiles and recording profiles should sound the same - they shouldn't, at all. But after a while, you get used to how a good recorded tone should sound, and then you're good and happy.

    Curious..


    what about a mission engineering 1x12 cab?

    The have powered and non..

    You have the Duncan so could get a non powered 1x12 or a monitor…depending on the look you want?

    I tried a passive Mission Gemini 1x12 that belonged to a previous guitarist in my band, and I didn't like it at all. Maybe there was some setting that I just didn't have right, but it actually sounded worse than going direct into one of our Alto powered 12" PA speakers (which I think Headrush FRFRs are based on). And I was using a Helix at the time. But compared to going into my PS170 and v30 cab, it sounded awful. (yes, I had the cab block on the Helix enabled when I tried the Gemini, and disabled when going through my real cab. I know someone would ask if I didn't say it ?)