What I did when I first started is a search by amp and then filtered by rating. I downloaded and tried out the profiles of amps I was interested that had a decent rating (say, 4 and above).
Now, I check the exchange daily and download and try out anything of interest as new additions will take a while to gather some ratings.
Unfortunately, both the Axe and Kemper have their limitations. You basically have to choose what's most important for your own needs.
For me, the raw amp tone of the Kemper is better than the Axe and that's always been my top priority. My second priority is ease of use. I'm tired of tweaking the Axe. I've owned it for a year and a half and it seems like I never hit my destination. I'm always telling myself "what if I tweak that or try I different IR, etc." and never stop tweaking. Perhaps, I just don't have the confidence in creating tones from the ground up like you have to do with the Axe. I'd rather just load up a professionally done profile and start playing. I perform small tweaks to profiles with the Kemper but nothing major. When I do tweak, I find the Kemper's interface much easier to manage and I get things done a lot faster.
I'd love to have a librarian too but don't assume that everything is a piece of cake with the Axe. For example, loading user cabs to the Axe currently is time-consuming and a pain (this will likely change in a future update). Also, I prefer the "presets" idea with the Kemper for storing effects presets rather than using "global blocks" in the Axe.
So far, there's not a whole lot I'm missing from the Axe. I still have it but am considering selling it. I just may not be able to justify keeping both units.
The Amp Factory profiles are really, really good. I seem to prefer them to most of the free ones (both factory and on the exchange).
I'd recommend buying a single amp set from TAF (pick your favorite). A/B it against other free profiles. That will give you a good idea what TAF will deliver.
It may be a product of what you are hearing it through is my point, so let's start there and work backwards. (in other words, what is the WHOLE chain of your setup)
Are you hearing a boomy low end through Headphones, or studio Monitors, or through a guitar Cabinet?
Explain to us how you are hearing the Kemper first.
I'm not saying all profiles are sounding boomy on my system. In fact, most are not. It's just that occasionally I come across one that is and I'd like to know the typical ways that more advanced users solve the problem.
I'm just running the Kemper into studio monitors and headphones.
Thanks everyone for the warm welcomes!
Got home from work yesterday and the Kemper sat there in my living room waiting for me. So far, I've only had one night to play with it so I've barely scratched the surface in terms of what it can do but I'm extremely happy with it so far.
First thing I did was install the latest firmware and then I imported some rigs that I've been acquiring over the last few days. I dialed up some Lasse, Ola, Merrow, and Amp Factory rigs and was just blown away! Those Amp Factory rigs, especially, are just insanely good. I bet a guy could just stick to strictly Amp Factory rigs and be totally happy. I tried a few rigs off the exchange and was impressed by them as well.
Coming from the Axe Fx, I find it really amazing that you can basically just plug in and get sweet tones straight out of the box. With the Axe, I found most factory presets unusable. There were a few that were ok and served as a foundation to build on but my problem was that I'd end up tweaking/trying different IRs for hours to get where I wanted to be.
It seems to be dependent on what profile you're using, but to me the tones from the Kemper just sound more "real" and three dimensional to me. They sound more like a real amp. Within minutes I was able to achieve that saturated, chewy 5150/6505 high gain tone that I've never fully been able to get with the Axe.
One issue I had while auditioning some profiles is finding ways to control the low end. Sometimes I'd load up a profile and think "man, that's got great potential if I could just make the low end tighter and less boomy." I briefly played with the bass control and studio EQs, but I'm wondering what are your "go-to" methods in this type of situation?, I'm sure once I dig into it more/fully read the manuals, etc. I'll understand my options better, but it would be nice to hear your opinions as well. Is there a high pass filter available in the Kemper at all? What about a "low cut" control (for example, let's say you want to cut lows below 125hz before the signal hits the amp)?
Looking forward to digging in deeper this weekend!
i would be happy with either one, but i find the kemper feels more like the real thing. the axe (I or II) sounds somwhat flat / one-dimensional. i think it is due to the IR/cab section
As an Axe II owner for the last year and a half, I completely agree. The IR/cab section is the Axe's weakest point. The quality of your overall tone and feel is greatly dependent on the IR. Many just aren't up to par.
To answer the OP's original question, I think the "feel" of the Kemper is approximately equal to the Axe. However, I agree with the above as I also think the Axe seems more flat and one dimensional. I attribute that more to the tone, but sometimes it's tough to tell whether your impressions are being influenced by tone, feel, or a combination of both.
Welcome, You should have no problem with high gain sounds on the Kemper. What specific style of metal are you going for?
I'm a fan of many different types of metal tones, not necessarily any in particular. I'm hoping to cover all the bases. The genres I listen to most are melodic death, technical death, and progressive.
Probably my all time favorite tone is a 5150 or 6505 going into a V30 cab, which I also happen to own. I'm looking forward to profiling it.
Seems there's no shortage of rigs out there, both free and commercial for modern metal tones so I'm sure I'll be good to go with the Kemper.
I'm really excited (and somewhat nervous 
) as I have a Kemper on the way! Should be delivered tomorrow. This will be a good weekend!
I've owned an Axe FX II for about a year and a half. I've always been fairly happy with it but over the last few months I've really been impressed by clips and videos in which I've heard the Kemper in action. I've already read the manuals and downloaded a lot of rigs from the exchange, as well as a few commercial ones including the Amp Factory. I think I'm ready to dig in.
My main complaint with the Axe is that I just spend too much time tweaking, which can be fun, but at other times it can be incredibly frustrating. I'm sick of tweaking and want more time to play. One of the big negatives about the Axe is dependence on IRs. I've never felt that the stock cabs in the Axe were that great. There's only a handful that really work for me and I find they require a lot of EQing to sound decent in a recording. I've spent way too much time trying out various IRs (both free and commercial) only to be disappointed, generally speaking.
I really like the idea that a rig is a combination of an amp, cab, mics, etc. These elements are specifically chosen by the creator of the rig to arrive at the intended tone. For the most part, I figure that I'll audition rigs and if I like 'em...good. If not, I'll move onto a different one. I'm not against tweaking to a certain extent but I've had it with spending hours starting from scratch with the Axe trying to "build" a tone from the ground up. I think the modeling in the Axe is awesome but it's the cab (IR) that makes up a huge chunk of your tone and that's always the stumbling block with the Axe. In the end, the Axe with all its complexity and massive feature list, ends up being limited by IRs.
Don't get me wrong, I've gotten some great tones from the Axe and it has some features that I really like. But, if I can get results easier with the Kemper I'll be a happy camper.
By the way, I'm mainly a high-gain metal/hard rock type of player, though I do enjoy playing a little blues and jazz fusion as well. I found it fairly easy to get a good 80s metal tone with the Axe, but for modern high gain sounds it was a different story. Not only did the dependence on IRs make things too limiting, I've always felt that there's always been something lacking with most of the super high gain amps in the Axe. They seem to have too much of a "stiff and artificial" feel. I'm hoping the Kemper will be different in this regard as well.
Anyway, looking forward to trying it out and being an active member of the forum. I'll be sure to offer my thoughts after I've had a chance to work with it a while.
