Posts by dougc84

    2 Kempers is really way too expensive for a hobby musician.
    I can always duplicate my recorded tracks and reamp them with different profiles.
    But then i could never have the same sound for live gigs.
    Still i would like someone from Kemper to reply,
    and let us know if the Kemper IS capable of it, in theory.


    @ckemper has stated the DSP is not powerful enough to run two profiles simultaneously.

    Ckemper stated at one point, in regards to, I believe, overdrive pedal profiling, that the Kemper's DSP isn't powerful enough to run two profiles side by side. If it can't do that, it certainly won't be able to do two amps. So, unfortunately, this is an issue for Kemper 2.0, which is probably a long ways off.


    That said, this is how I got my Line 6 X3 sounding good - mixing an AC-15 model with an AC-30 model made it actually sound MORE like an AC-30. Go figure. I'd love to see the possibilities having some great profiles stacked beside one another.

    The rule of thumb is if you bought the original rig, don't upload it. Most paid rigs include a Readme file included, or the issuer has their terms stated on their web page. All of them state that you cannot redistribute the rig. Theoretically, Kemper doesn't have any DRM on the profiles, so you can technically upload whatever you want. But you're screwing over the people that spend lots of time building these great amp profiles by uploading them to the Rig Exchange. I dunno what kind of legal action someone could invoke for this, but better to be safe than sorry.


    If you paid nothing for it, it's nice to leave the original author of the rig listed somewhere, but not mandatory (though a dick move if you don't give them props). However, I'm not sure what the "official" TOS states.

    At the cost of sounding like the smartass of the week, i'll state the following.


    i am sure Kemper don't need further requestes about an editor.
    i am sure they have already decided a related strategy for the future.
    i am sure they have a list of priorities.
    and no, "reminding" them about the editor every 18' won't change the above.


    :)


    As a web developer, if I see a request from a user one time, I ignore it - there are bigger things on the agenda than to satisfy one user out of thousands and thousands. If I see several requests, okay, great - backlog it, we'll put it on the list to do after the "priority" stuff goes out. But, the more a request bubbles up, the more likely it becomes a priority. And that's the thing - people comment about feature requests because they want a particular feature. They're not going to spend hours searching through past history to find that one post for that exact topic. It's a forum, not a feature request/improvement system, so you can only go so far.


    There's absolutely nothing wrong with someone saying "this is my priority, I'm going to make a feature request about it." Guess what? Kemper isn't blind to what's going on here. But thank you for your post, because it just bumped this post higher on this list and gave it one more reply.

    dougc84 you say: ''If it sounds 90% as good as the Kemper...'' but what happen if the 10% missing is the part I prefer? ;)


    BTW, looking at the list of your gears I doubt you would really appreciate this 10% of tone missing. I personnaly wouldn't, especially in the amp tone department.


    Oh, I certainly would miss that 10% now that I jumped ship to Kemper. The primary reason I switched from using a Line 6 X3 Live to a rack setup was purely tone-based. There are things the Kemper misses, sure, but the main thing it's for is amp profiles, and it does it right.


    Line 6 always got me really good sounds, but I stuck to the amp models they did well - primarily clean ones (Vox's, Fenders, etc.), and used real analog pedals to overdrive the signal. I ended up setting the X3 to an AC-15/AC-30 dual path, and just left it there. I only used the X3 for amp modeling, and didn't even change presets. It was basically a huge volume pedal. Again, I got some good sounds, but secondarily to wanting amazing tone was having the flexibility to explore and expand my tonal arsenal. With the Line 6, I was stuck. I couldn't go forward, and I couldn't build out the sounds I needed for particular gigs.


    The Kemper gives me the flexibility to pull up a profile of an amp I would have used a model of on the X3 and get a similar sound to what I had before. The difference is I LOVE the tone I get now. I just really liked it before. It's much more real and interactive, and it feels like I'm playing through a stack, not a $500 all-in-one.. And it gives me the option to explore other amp options that were absolute trash or didn't exist on the Line 6. I can pull up a JCM profile when I want that particular sound, a rare vintage Fender, or a Bogner Shiva, and I'm not disappointed by any of them. And then I can drive it harder with a real overdrive pedal and add the delays and reverbs I've spent so much time crafting to get right.


    If I plugged in my X3 right now and started playing through it, I would definitely have some very usable sounds. But usable and good is not spectacular, and that's what the Kemper gives me - spectacular. So, yes, I would certainly miss than 10% now that I've joined the Kemper bandwagon!

    +1.7 billion. Seriously.


    I customize my Timeline and BigSky's patches on my computer. I customize my controller's settings on my computer. I download sheet music and learn music on my computer. I can download rigs, and, as of the beta (which I refuse to update to until it's a formal, stable release), you can manage performances.


    The missing piece of the puzzle? Editing the rigs. Seriously. I don't need some beautiful UI (though it would be nice to have Rig Manager + whatever this is as an iOS and Android app) - I just need something so I can tweak parameters from my desk and pedalboard, without having to reach up and dig through the front panel.


    You're spot on. The one thing I'd like to add, and it's something that isn't brought up in Kemper circles that much, is that, once you profile an amp, download a profile, buy one, whatever, you can then tweak the hell out of it. You can make your heavily-overdriven Randall Satan sound like a modernized Fender Deluxe. You can overdrive a Vox far past the normal range a Vox AC-30 TB would give you.


    The Line 6 stuff is more "closed gate," where they're trying to provide you an amp that mimics a classic sound. Sometimes they nail it. Sometimes they don't. It just depends on the sound you're after. However, if you want to shape it's sound, output, compression, etc., you have to do so with effects. It's not the same thing, and you don't end up with the same results and quality as you would with the KPA or the AxeFX (yes, I'm bringing that into the circle, because you can do a lot of the same with their amp models). But, this is the nature of Line 6's modeling solution - you get what you get, it's simple, and it's beautiful. Up until the Helix, it was the "good sounding budget option."


    I've said it before and I'll say it again - I'm really interested to see how the Helix performs. They're pricing it as a direct competitor of the Kemper and AxeFX. And, being on the Kemper forums, I'm sure we will all say it sounds the best (because, well, it does!), but it also comes down to how people take it in. If it sounds 90% as good as the Kemper, but it's easier to manage, software is available for patch management and MIDI assignments, etc.... it's going to be hard to convince new users to buy Kemper over the Helix. The AxeFX, as a competitor, is already pretty stiff competition, but if you're already used to using floorboards like the HD500X or the XT Live or X3 Live, and you can get a Helix at your local Guitar Center for $500 less than a rack-mount or head unit with an in-store warranty, why would you even consider the KPA and AxeFX?


    Rant over.

    @dougc84 don't you find the effects in the Kemper useable then? The compressor and wah I find pretty good although I'm still not a fan of the overdrives and prefer to set up a higher gain slot for solos than to add an internal overdrive. Was just surprised you want to add so many effects into the loop. I also use only one expression pedal for wah, volume or whammy effects. :)


    I do like the wahs and the overdrives (mostly) in the Kemper, but I have some issues with it.


    I spent years trying out overdrive pedal after overdrive pedal to drive a Vox AC-15. I like to stack overdrives to create my sound instead of using one "amp" sound, though I will often use a low- or mid-gain amp and drive that further when I need a little "more." I settled on two pedals that, to my ears, cannot be reproduced accurately on the Kemper, and provide exceptionally transparent sounds, so they work whether I'm in my normal setting (typically a worship band, shoegaze, ambient, etc. where I have to create space, particularly when we don't have a keyboardist) or I'm playing heavier gain stuff, a la Dream Theater, Steve Vai, modern metal stuff, etc. I've gotten close with one (6 Degrees FX Sally Drive), but the Addrock Ol' Yeller is rare, hard to find, and produces a very unique sound that I just can't match close enough for comfort with the Kemper. My third overdrive (and quite possibly my favorite overdrive of all time) is a Fulltone Fulldrive 2 MOSFET, but my last one died about a year ago, and I just ordered a new one that will be going on my board next week. There's a tonality to the MOSFET and the vintage mode that I just cannot achieve with anything else.


    Putting 3 OD slots on a rig doesn't give me much pre-amp flexibility (i.e. I have to pick an EQ, compressor, or gate, and forget using a wah, because those have priority). Plus, when I use a wah, I like it before my overdrives, not after, or in the middle. By driving the sound before the Kemper, I have 4 slots to shape the sound however I want, typically with EQ, compressor, and a gate (not necessarily in that order). I could sacrifice one pre-amp stomp slot for a loop without an issue. More than that, and I start running into problems. Having a second available FX loop slot for this stuff would allow me to throw the loop after an EQ and compressor for one setup, before in another, and introduce shapers before the loop for some interesting sounds.


    The compressor in the Kemper certainly meets my needs (I'm not that picky on compressors - do what I want, and I'm happy). I don't have the need for a $250 compressor, or a $200 boost pedal. I can achieve what I need just fine on the Kemper. And some of the overdrive sounds I've gotten out of it sound great as well, and I've stacked those "virtual" overdrives with my own with really nice results. They get me about 80% of the way there, and, for a small gig without a lot of space, I could make due with the Kemper alone, but it would take some work.


    The delay and reverb, IMO, are seriously lacking. I can get some really solid basic delay settings out of the Kemper, and I've gotten a few "in the room" reverb sounds that aren't bad. But, with what I play, I'll often run a delay on my Timeline (in the FX loop in the X slot) that has 10 or 15 repeats on it, and a harmony effect (their Ice algorithm), and that runs into my BigSky, which might have a massive 20 second decay and some interesting reverberation options (I'm a fan of their cloud and chorale algorithms). Sometimes I drop back to simple "amp-like" spring reverb and no delay, or a nice hall with a dotted 8th delay on the Timeline. It's easier for me to interface with the presets I've built on my Timeline and BigSky rather than having my delays and reverbs originate from two different places depending on necessity for a tune. So I leave the Delay and Reverb off 95% of the time on the Kemper.


    So, to summarize, a second FX loop where I could run the Kemper's compressor or an EQ BEFORE my stomps, all while keeping the stereo FX loop running, would be ideal for my setup. I don't expect anything like this to happen any time soon (if at all), especially since a lot of people don't run things in this manner, but it would be cool if it did. As it stands, I currently view my Kemper as a MIDI-controllable super mega head unit, with a multi-effects processor built in. I primarily use the effects for "finishing" my tone, but it's nice to have the ability to add a nice tremolo or flanger from time to time, or do some cool pitch shifting (though it doesn't work well with overdrives before the amp, again, another issue!).

    The FX loops and routing are the only interesting thing for me. If the looper on the Remote was an FX loop, I'd be in heaven.


    To me, it's the one, and only one thing, I truly wish the Kemper hardware had. Instead of utilizing an output for the FX loop, I'd love to see a dedicated stereo loop and a dedicated mono loop, so users could run two simultaneously without interfering with the outputs. A stereo loop run in the stomps section would be summed mono, and a mono loop run in the Mod or X slot would just remain mono, and sum any stereo effects before it.


    I run several overdrives, a wah, and a volume before the amp, and two Strymon pedals in the FX loop. Sometimes I'd like to have the Timeline before the amp. Sometimes I'd like to have a compressor before the overdrives. I've got all the MIDI control functionality already - if I could do this, I would stash everything but the wah and volume in a rack. My pedalboard's too heavy, even with a recent rebuild (still in progress... ugh).

    Digitech Mosaic for making my Telecaster a 12- string.


    Wow, I've not heard that pedal. I'm not usually a 12-string fan, but I just checked out a couple demos, and I really like that sound. It's almost as if it's a Pitch Fork (which sounds AMAZING) in a more constrained box.


    The Seraphim is really nice. I actually like it without a lot of the shimmer (if you turn down the shimmer, you have a WET reverb basically). I used to have a Timeline, but I sold it to buy the Kemper, so even though I am also a delay junkie, I can't afford it!


    That's a nice setup you have in the loop of your Kemper too, you can do a lot with those!


    Yeah, I love my Strymons. I'm not much of a modulation fan so I'll never have the Mobius on my board, but I've debated a second Timeline. Great stuff, and I love the textures I can create with them. The BigSky's still new to me, and my pedalboard's in "rebuild mode," so I'm not using either at the moment, and it makes me sad :

    I notice three things right away from this video:


    1. The amp sounds DO sound really great. I have been a Line 6 user since the AxSys/Ax2 days, and I still have my X3 Live that I've been meaning to profile some great patches I've come up with. This takes it to that next level, and does sound really great, on par with the Fractal or Kemper.
    2. It still has a characteristic "Line 6 Sound." There's something about their products that, while they can sound fantastic, they're just... I dunno, maybe they have a particular resonant peak or something? It still sounds like an amp model by Line 6 for a Line 6 product. That said, Fractals have their own "sound" as well. And, the more I play the Kemper, it has the same thing going for it as well.
    3. Their modeling process is like the Kemper's profiling process, except capturing individual portions of an amp's internals. The big difference on the amp tones here (aside from the "Line 6 Sound") from the Kemper's profiles is that you're leaving the profiling up to some unknown professionals from Line 6. Not that what Line 6 is doing isn't good (because it certainly is!), but the Kemper has thousands upon thousands of available profiles (some good, some bad, so positives and negatives), and more come up nearly daily. If you want you're priceless hand-wired custom-built 18-watt Marshall clone in a box, you can do that with the Kemper in an afternoon. If you want that out of the Helix, you're pretty much SOL.


    It's quite impressive. And, after watching this demo, it's obvious that they're positioning themselves as a competitor to Kemper and Fractal, except providing good-quality "budget" lines as well (Firehawk, POD HD500X, etc.). For thousands upon thousands of players that have used Line 6's equipment in the past successfully and want to upgrade to something higher quality, it seems logical to go for a Helix.


    I want to see this out in the wild for a couple years and hear what people say about it. Right now, I'm locked in with the Kemper. But it is certainly interesting.

    You may want to tweak the title to say "What have you got in your effects loop" for clarity.


    I have (sometimes) a Neunaber Seraphim Reveb in my loop.


    +1 on Grammar.


    Also, the Neunaber Seraphim is absolutely gorgeous. A friend of mine picked up one a couple months ago for his acoustic.


    For me, Strymon Timeline, Strymon BigSky, and I'm debating adding a second delay or an H9. I create a lot of texture with my sounds, and I'm a delay junkie. The Kemper just doesn't give me enough options there.

    Matchless, Bad Cat, and the non-AC Vox amps. There's a trillion AC15 and AC30 profiles out there; those other ones would be really cool.


    That said, my #1 is the Matchless. They're harder to find.

    You can try the Pure Cab functionality in 3.1.2 beta - that might help you out a bit.


    The biggest problem, though, is even the best mic'd Fender amp profile... is still mic'd. A direct profile is going to give you the amp portion of the equation, but the cab, speakers, and all the other influences that hit our ears with a live amp just won't sound quite the same with a different housing and different speakers.


    Another option would be to look into some paid profile companies, like Pete's Profiles, Soundside.de, M. Britt, etc. and see if you can find a Deluxe sound that meets your needs.


    As far as reverb is considered, it certainly adds space and depth to a sound. I personally don't like Fender's reverb tanks, but they're good, and it probably added a degree of "shimmer" to the sound. I don't think that is what made the amp have the tone that you liked, but it probably helped shape the space of the tone.


    Finally, consider your input sense/distortion sense settings. You may have them up too high if you're getting too gainy of a sound.

    The Trace Elliott Velocette. I think there's one profile of this amp in the RigEx. It sounds like a AC-15 with a touch of the top boost volume but dimed out master volume, but... just a little different, maybe a little warmer, and a little more growl. I really like it for carving out a clean sound that meshes well with a Vox but has a slightly different characteristic.


    That said, I almost bought one when I saw one go for sale on Reverb because I liked it so much, but, then, I was like... why?!? Haha.

    Interesting way of "freeing up a slot," but, that begs the question of why wouldn't you use the EQ section to shape your EQ? And, if you need that many slots for effects, it's probably more of a limitation issue of the Kemper that you're running into, and something like a multi-FX unit (FX8 comes to mind) run before the amp and in the loop could solve a lot of issues.


    That said, I'm all for it. There's a thread somewhere on here where you don't even need a second Kemper to profile, but you have to record the "aliens coming to earth" sound and play it back somehow. Search for it and you'll find it.