Posts by Nikos

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But Kemper users have been able to profile whatever amp in the world that they want (for the most part) since day one. So the Kemper has actually involved zero waiting since day one, compared to the other devices. You can thank him later. But multiply Tim Pierce by pretty much every other top guitarist and top recording studio: the Kemper is being used more than ever to archive amp collections and album tones for use on the road and on other recording sessions. In other words, as the only device that does this, it’s still being used at the top echelons of popular music for the exact purpose it was invented.

The fact that most serious musicians will automatically choose the most serious tool is a simple fact,a matter of logic.

As is that serious musicians(professional or not) will choose ALWAYS the greatest sounding tool.Sounds first.This is top priority and not sheer specs.As is that serious musicians will always try to replicate their bulk of heavy equipment (like tons of tube amps,cabs,drums,analog synths or whatever..) into a handy tool with a good and usefull UI.Something they can pay for without to stay awake at night in doubts about the money they just spent while they dont have the means to pay for the living-costs of the next days. .Nothing will change that.Everything else is just twisting reality.All the talk about fx,routing and "better UI" like an editor is good and usefull but it is just this..by no means essential..and in this aspect indeed I am already saying "thank you" to @CK and his team.Not because I am a fanboy but because these guys are all about serious buinsess.

A Kemper2 will only make sense and repeat the great success of the current one when its keep this serious approach always with the potential customers(tube guys) in sight,this "one & only" approach which will make it more than just a subject to GAS.

It is good that there are so many people out there who still have the money to spend 3000$ on a modeler every few years because it has such fine UI & FX and whatever..I am very happy about this.It just dont applies to me neither to other musicians who struggle their daily fights to keep continuing to do what they do.

Quote from ColdFrixion

Do you know what it means to add effects in post?

Classical example of how a person does not want to understand the other person..anyway..

Quote from ColdFrixion

Most of my presets aren't this extreme, and a lot of engineers prefer to add effects in post because there's no flexibility once they're baked into the recording, however I really like the flavor of the Axe and KPA effects, thus an obvious solution is simply to record the DI for reamping later if need be.

A "lot of angineers";You mean you know some engineesr who "prefer" to mix a guitar drowned in effects;

Quote from ColdFrixion

In the example I cited, all of the effects and dynamics reside exclusively in the Axe FX and KPA. None of them are added later (post recording via plugins) in the mix.

I would be curious to hear what something like this sounds like..no negative feelings here it is just much against my way to record guitar.But in the end it is all about how good it sounds.If this what you descibe makes "tonal sense" all is good.Nevertheless you must admit that it is rather unusual.

Quote from scratch17

Hi Nikos. I should clarify. I want flexibility. Not more quantity. I did not mean I would use 8 effects simultaneously. I would like to be able to connect multiple devices and use them selectively without constantly re-patching. I want to save my aching back, yet be able to place almost any device in any position in my guitar's signal chain.

Okay.Thank you for make this clear..

The main purpose of a tool in my eyes is that you use it for what you really need in the situations you need certain things most.As much as I understand the wish for "having absolutely everything" in just one device it is nevertheless not possible.There will be always some guys who need "something else" or just "more"..and there are tools out there to fullfill these wishes and "needs"..no need to list them here..
There are enough other companies which offer exactly this:"everything" and "more"..with all the consequences ie time and R&D spent for the core issues(in our case sound and most of all "feel").

This is what we are talking about.Different philosophies.

The musicians we call (for whatever reasons) "professionals" do prefer the kpa for the reason that its philosophy is first of all to "sound & feel great" like their beloved tube rigs without to miss some-just the most essential-very,very important advantages of digital processing,UI and whatever..A guy who uses a tool like the profiler will love the idea that what he hears and most of all what he "feels" is the concentrated "pure" effort to achieve first of all a core/great sounding tube rig tone without any compromises and gadgets,or time and R&D spent on things which could have any negative consequence on the core tone/feel.And we still dont even talked about money yet.More hardware,more brutal and sheer processing power cost more than most musicians can afford.Dont forget this.

It is NOT about "lets look what everyone wants" or even what "everyone thinks he needs" but a developer who knows what a serious musician really does in his daily life as a guitar player in various studio & live situations.And ofcourse how much money this musician can spend on his tool.

This all is based on the personal experience this developer has made with "serious" or call it "professional" musicians in decades of his professional life as a developer.

THIS is a very different philosophy from any other developer out there ie guitar modelling.

Has the developer the right (or even "the duty) to make his philosophy clear to be understood by everyone out there with out leaving the slightest doubt(One example for this could be the controversy about the editor);;;

In my book he has.

Any Kemper2 in the future I would like to see should give me the ability to do the "next step" (whatever this could be I will leave this to the developer since this is his job) like the Kemper1 gives me the ability to do serious recording & livegigs with so many different tube rigs sims plus fx in a single tool with digital UI.
This is where I would love to see all the time,workhours and R&D going into..not more of something I either dont really need (like a dozen fx for recording or live) or dont want (like carrying extra devices to achieve doubtfull results).

@ColdFrixion

If I understand you right you record guitar with (roughly) a dozen fx,three dynamics(lets just pretend the multi-comp is one tool) ALREADY in the chain and none of these afterwards in the mix;

Quote from scratch17

1. I want two dedicated profile paths for recording purposes. Two paths would not just give me stereo amps, but also stereo effect chains. With two profile paths you could also have the same profile on both paths but with different cabs. By doubling the DSP, the Kemper would be able to have lots of different possible configurations.

....

Speaking of digital in/out, why is there a single stereo digital input/output? I need more!

For recording there should be at least 2 stereo digital inputs/outputs. I want to be able to digitally connect to my audio interface and also to at least one outboard digital effects unit. A S/PDIF coaxial port and an optical port configurable as ADAT or S/PDIF would be ideal. See below for how I'd use the ADAT port.

Flexibility with the digital input/output routing is really important.

I want to be able to connect my UA Apollo via S/PDIF before the input of the Kemper. I want this capability so that I can connect my Roland VG-99 to create alternate tunings in front of my Kemper without having to use an analog connection, and the subsequent redundant D/A and A/D conversion steps.

I also want to connect my guitar through my Apollo 8's Hi Z input and use one of the UA Unison effects like the Pro Co Rat (RAW), EHX Big Muff (Bermuda Triangle), the Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer (TS), or the Korg SDD-3000 in front of the Kemper without redundant D/A and A/D conversion.

If you had this routing capability, you would also be able to send a dry signal on the left channel of the S/PDIF with a wet signal on the right channel. Or you could have two effects in parallel in front of the Kemper. A stereo to mono mix at this point would be nice. However with two paths, regardless of whether you were using one or two profiles, you could proceed into the Kemper in stereo.

I'd like to see digital in/out for an external effects loop. This would allow me to use other digital devices' effects with my Kemper.

For example, I want to use my realtime UAD plugins as effects with my Kemper. No matter how well the Kemper team does with its internal effects, they cannot match the range of awesome UAD effect emulations. I own a ton of classic guitar-oriented UAD effect emulations such as Roland's Space Echo, EMT 140 and 250 reverbs, Lexicon's 224 reverb, Eventide's H910 Harmonizer, the Cooper Time Cube delay, the Ampex ATR-102 mastering tape recorder, and many others. Not to mention compressors, limiters, EQs and even channel strips from UA, Elysia, Pultec, Teletronix, Neve, API, Manley, etc.

Sure I can use the analog send and return jacks on the Kemper to connect to my Apollo. That is the only way to do this with the current model. But why can't I connect the two devices digitally? Why must I live with an extra A/D and D/A conversion step on both ends?

BTW, this capability is also germane to anyone with a Helix, a Fractal FX, or any other digital device. And if you own two other digital devices that you want to connect to the Kemper, the word clock / slave capability will make your life a heck of a lot easier.

As I said above, I also want an ADAT input/output port on my Kemper. Why? ADAT input/output would give me multiple channels of digital input/output with my Kemper. It would let me add UAD effects in front of the Kemper as well as in the effects loop, given sufficient routing flexibility.

3. I want more effects slots. The limit of four is really restrictive. I want at least eight slots. Why eight? I want to be able to add four UAD plugins, one per slot, connected to Apollo via ADAT. With 8 slots, I could add my analog pedal(s) in other slot(s) and still retain some slots for internal Kemper effects. Kemper could leave front access to only the current four slots, implementing a bank system for additional slots. Then a switch (or MIDI) could change the current bank.

I know that I won't get most (if not all) of these features even if there is a KPA V2 released. I also am aware that many other members here think that many of these features don't fit their needs. But this is my list of desired features.And I hope Kemper is listening.

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I really dont want to "troll" or "flame" you..I just would like to hear how all this sounds..how does a guitar sound like with all this above with 8(!!!!) effects,multiple dynamics tools (compressors,limiters etc) and still added external fx-hardware...what is the acoustical end result of such a thing as descibed in your above post;More so since 90% of what you like to see in the Kemper2 is already available in much better quality (than any guitar modeler can ever deliever) in form of top class plug-in bundles for your DAW which for sure cost much less together with a Kemper1 than than what you would pay for a Kemper2 to include all this^^^^ above.

@ColdFrixion

You should definitly upgrade upgrade your reverb-/and delay plug ins.This is all I can say.Specially if you record also other stuff than guitar (and specially vocals)..

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What are you referring to specifically? If suggesting features is akin to projecting, Kemper has an entire section set up on the forum for users to project their needs on to other players. It's called Feature Requests.

Right..feature requests..not feature demand..

I am sure you know the difference.Others obviously do not.

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I use effects plugins, but I don't use software amp sims, namely because I'm not satisfied with the quality of them, otherwise I wouldn't have bought a Kemper and Axe FX for recording.

Actually I never mentioned amp sim plug ins..ofcourse I talked only about fx-plug ins and how most of us-comming from the tube amp world-used to do our recordings.

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If the developers were committed to insuring the KPA conformed to features only found in tube amps, they wouldn't have released Rig Manager. And reject what basic knowledge? The only similarities between tube amps and the KPA are the knobs on the front of the unit and its tone. That's about it. How many tube amps have LCD screens and allow users to save settings or morph between them? How many have an IR loader or provide access to parameters such as Tube Shape, Tube Bias, Clarity, High Shift, Low Shift, Clean Sense, Distortion Sense, etc.? The list goes on and on. Built-in multi-effects? Effects presets? Interface with a computer to load rigs? And then there's the profiling technology itself, which is completely foreign to tube amps. How many tube amps are able to clone the sound of practically any amp at the push of a button?

Reading all this I come to the conclusion that there is almost no common ground to find a way to communicate.Maybe it is my fault.If so,sorry for that.But I miss from your side the will to understand me.What you say about the rig manager and the Kempers LCD screen and buttons makes no sense at all to me.I never said that the profiler is no digital tool.Did I;

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In my opinion, the primary reason people buy the KPA is because it sounds great. If it weren't for that, do you honestly think the KPA would be considered a premium product? Yes, a lot of people like the KPA's plug and playability and the fact it requires very little tweaking, but if it didn't sound as authentic as it does, would that really amount to much? It'd just be another modeler, in my opinion.

Actually all this what you say above is what I try to say since a long time.I even asked people to go to the homepages of fractal,Line6 and Kemper to take a look what they say in their URL..FRactal Audio systems.com.Line6com..and in our case Kemper AMPS(!!!) com.I would love to keep things simple but obviously this is not possible anymore.

Anyway..with all due respect dear @ColdFrixion..lets agree to disagree..on the way we communicate..

Dear ColdFrixion..

I will not start the next Fractal/Kemper discussion here,I hope you understand...I will just say that (take a look at this huge "new screen" and the buttons of the AF3) that even these guys over there will not deny that it is all about what each customer needs and "where he comes from" ie tube rig or other digital device..

Anyway..I would like to ask you a few questions since we talk since months now about the always same things.Maybe it is time to respect (as @Netheravon put it very nicely) that every player has his own needs and it is not the best idea to project our needs into the other players needs;

So here some questions:

Do you use a DAW;
Do you use the plug ins of this DAW;
How much fx do you need for your live gigs;
How would dual amp help you during live gigs and jams;

I guess you understand why I ask you these questions.It is more than clear anyway..

In real world most (if not all..at least I dont know a single one without) guitar players/musicians have their own means for recording in form of a powerfull pc/mac,a very good DAW,tons of plug ins which grow in numbers and also in quality.Even the "free plug ins" today are so great that you will not need to spend much money on fx-plug ins anymore(and I will not talk about all the available cracked stuff ofcourse)

I guess we will agree on this.

Ofcourse you know where I want to go..

In reality even more fx and more routing and more of things you can do with your computer you will not look for in a standalone device.At least I will not.

More so since most of the kpa-customers(like me) come from the tube rig world and for sure most of are far beyond of recording with tons of fx.Most of us will use a rather dry tone and add fx later on.

This for recording.For playing live things are even more complicated.Will we agree at least on these simple facts;

Tell me please why should a developer reject this basic knowledge;More so since this developer obviously have made his decision of which kind of customer he would like to attract to buy his product;
Clearly the kpa is the attempt to draw tube guys making the "next step" taking away the traumatic experiences most of us did with "other modelers" and digital simulation of the past.

I am not looking for specs.Actually most guys like me will not.More fx,more tweaking,more of whatever is maybe not the reason why someone would choose the kpa.

That being said..like I bought the kpa because its sounds and its tube "feel" are revolutionary I also would get me a Kemper2 if it would be as revolutionary as the 1 in giving me "new tones".May it be really good synth stuff or (as I am dreaming about) the abilty to profile/model any kind of string instrument.Other would for sure wish to be able to profile their pedals..who knows..

These kind of things I would indeed love to see in a Kemper2.

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How would things like dual profiles, an editor, more simultaneous effects or improved routing detract from the core product?

You dont know how much work hours & manpower things like this would need,do you;

You have here a small company and not a industry giant with endless capacity and financial means.

What some people here are trying to say is that they are quite happy with the things got done till yet.This is not "fanboyism" but just the feel to have a really serious & well thought tool in your hands.

@Netheravon

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Things like a floor board version just arent ‘needed’ again, my opinion of course.

I agree with everything you say but I would love to have a floor-tool for jams,small coffeehouse gigs and rehearsals..where I live finding a place to park your car is an act of war ,no matter if day or night..I just would love to take my guitar and a bag to take the subway or the bus,this would indeed save me a lot of taxi-money...just dreamin´..

A floorboard-model of the kpa is indeed something I would not recommend as idea but maybe there are also other ways to achieve great things.A remote-style "profile player"(including smartphone app for tweaking main parameters) only available for kpa-owners for example would be indeed a great thing in my eyes.

Quote from V8guitar

1 - More internal (software) and external (hardware) routing capabilities. - to do what ?

Umm...wait...good question..

Thinking about my only reaction (acting like an orang utan throwing things to the poor guys.. ) to these kind of "discussion" in the past maybe I should have just asked this question..maybe I will do so in the future..

Going straight into the third year with the kpa my biggest fear when I bought this device was that the developer (in this case @ck) would follow all the other developers ie modeling..upgrades (for free and ofcourse charged) every few weeks and months,follow up models of the same device every (very)few years (making your just ordered device more or less obsolete) and so on..

I really had the big (very big) fear that I would be "lost" more in attempts understanding the new software & upgrades than playing my guitar at home,on stage and in the studio.I also wanted a device which is easy to handle despite being a digital tool.
The experience I made after I bought the kpa with the "real buttons" which are not to different than tweaking a real tube amp is today something I would never like to miss again.

Saying all this..I am one of those who came from the tube amp world to the kpa and not from any other competiting modeler which all their "superior UI" and other gadgets (but less good sounding amp sims).

Now..do I belong to the main pool of "potential customers" of the kpa;Who knows..

ps

Instead of a more expensive Kemper2 with "dual amp" and whatever gadgets I will for sure prefer to get me a second kpa.As for fx..while recording I always will go with the top class plug ins of my DAW while playing live the fx of the kpa were good enough even before the new delays.Instead of dreaming about how to spend money you mabye dont have ( I dont have it for sure) think more about what you really(really,really) need..and not what you want because it is technically possible.I am happy that @CK obviously follows this philosophy and does not what a greedy, & opportunistic developer would do(no pun intended..).

greetings

According to the guys in the fractal forum it is not sure if the synth block of the AF3 will be polyphonic..

This about "specs & horsepower"..

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No, I don't think it's weird at all. In fact, I wish more developers were as attentive with respect to improving their product. I'm exceedingly thankful that the the developers are so committed to improvement. For anyone who doesn't appreciate the frequency of updates they have the option of not updating. It's that simple. No one's forcing anyone to download and install the latest firmware. Don't want to update? Don't.

Ofcourse I will not upgrade.I will not even buy.But this is not the point..

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Certainly there are artists who prefer to use amps in conjunction with the Axe FX's effects. There are also artists like Metallica and Devin Townsend who use it as their entire rig(ie. amps, cabs and effects).

Really I will not depend my decision to spend close to 3000 euros for a modeller on what any famous artist says and does with gear..again,this was not my point..

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I never said 'your reality'. I said, "the suggestion that the Axe FX is primarily church gear doesn't really conform to reality". There are plenty of opinions from people who "know their stuff" and don't view the Axe FX as primarily church gear. I certainly don't. Of all the people who participate in many of the forums I frequent, the number of players who use an Axe FX at their church makes up a fairly small percentage in my experience.

I am also quite sure about that.I just wanted to give one opinion out there which is similiar to mine ie who will prefer what tool.I said it already.This "tweakers vs plug & play" seems like a plausible "pattern" (if you like) to me to explain why should one go with which product.Nothing else.

So:AxeFx for tweakers and KPA for guys who line it "more simple" would be a thesis I would support.It should maybe not to difficult to agree on this..

@ColdFrixion

Man,really..let us go "straight" here..

You really think that the update policy (which is unique ie "speed") is not somewhat weird;I mean..I always feel quilty of sounding like a "fanboy" but let us be honest here.Look at the time period of "updates"..why so many and why so fast;

For me (and many others I would like to claim) it is "just to much"..and now we see Fractal coming closer to the "quick tweak" kind of things with their biger display and the knowbs..what else to say;

Again.Me personally thinks that the Fractal stuff is very good.Nevertheless most pros in the "artist list" I like use the Fractal stuff solely as effects board.I guess you will no deny that simple fact (Vai,Satriani,Petrucci etc) but again there are few guys which really use it as amp-sim(Lifeson,Fripp and Dweezil ofcourse) but these guys also are very,very "experimental" so using top class FX is essential for them.

Again:I still think the Fractal stuff is great and the only reason I mentioned my buddy in the states was to describe what I think about gear and the opinions from guys who also "know their stuff" from their world around them which has nothing to do with "my reality"..
Anyway..regards

@ColdFrixion

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I'm not really sure what you're trying to say.

Why not;I just said that I dont like Fractals policies and that there are many,many people who dont like them either and for that reason sold their AFs..I have difficulties to understand why this is not easy to comprehend..

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I don't base my buying decisions on the personality of owner(s) / developer(s).

Who said you do;

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As far as updates are concerned and how they affect the sound of presets, this was originally solved by providing a firmware version parameter in the Amp block, however Cliff eventually removed it because it required too much memory from the MK I/II models to maintain a repository of previous firmware versions, the end result of which would've ultimately forced him to stop providing updates for those models. Based on a huge outcry from the community, he ultimately decided it was better to remove the feature and continue providing firmware updates than to keep it and effectively discontinue firmware support for MK I/II users.

Thanks for the insight.Nevertheless it does not change the fact that the Factals "updates" are a lot,following each in a short period of time and also affecting a lots of work done by the customers in the time between each "update".Which ofcourse is not a bad thing if their customers obviously love this "update policy"..I just said that for me personally (and maybe a lot of other people) this policy is not what I am looking for.I believe that this is something everyone can understand and respect.For me personally..I believe that this policy has more to do of what I described above with the guru and his disciples than anything else.Allthough I mean this with a healthy (at least I hope so and nobody is insulted) dose of humour but nevertheless for me this kind of "updatepolicy" has nothing to do with "making seriously music" using tools which are "safe to use everywhere and anytime"..I would not like to update my tool becazuse all my rigs "have changed" again while I got the call for any kind of job.

I understand that for you it is "good to have both" products..actually I have thought about to do the same as you more than a couple of times.Guess what,.this "update policy" is the only reason I did not.And the option "just dont upgrade" is none.Not in my book.

Anyway..I am not one of those who says that Fractal products are "not good"..it is just that I beleieve that this is not for me.Or people "like me"..

Btw,I have a friend who makes music at the east coast and is all his life active with the afroamerican community there (knows all the big names,religious guy,involved a lot with R&B VIPs & the harlem gospel singers etc) and some months ago he told me very interesting things about the "gear used" in his area..he said that the Fractal is "church gear" and used mostly by guys who play every sunday in the church.People with money (he told me something like "top line PRS & AxeFx") while most live musicians and also "any size of producers" use more of the KPA lately.At least for me this wouold "fit" into the impression I have for what to use the different products and most of all what "kind of characters" choose which product to be happy.Some "tweaking vs plug & play" kind of thing.Fine.

All good.

Quote from ColdFrixion

True for some. I can hear differences between early firmware releases and the current version.

As much as I respect Fractal products for their quality but I can understand competely that there are many guys who just cant get along with their policies.

It is definitly "weird" how they handle their "updates"..it is something..well..you cant say it is just "unusual" because it affects everything.In many hours crafted and tweaked presets to use for your live-gigs,studio work..every Fractal customer has to live in Cliffs rythm..this is not much different than a guru and his "disciples"..and has nothing to do with "serious behaviour".I dont have any issue with weird people (being myself everything else than an "easy person") and if all the Fractal customers are happy depending soundwise on the moods of a talented but obviousoy unsteady and hyperactive developer..so be it..good for them.Have fun.What we call "music industry" (better said whatever is left of this) was always and will be always nothing else than comedy..in the best case.Some say "monkey buisness" I call it "circus" and all talk about "industry standards" and even "professionalism" in this job cant be taken really serious..anyway..

In the end this whole issue depends on the personality of each and single customer who decides to go for a certain product.Do you like to create "from the scratch" and tweak for hours or are you the "fire & forget" & "plug and play" type of guy comming directly and after decades from the tube rig world..choose your product.I actually like this.Good times to have GAS..maybe the best ever.

After reading some threads about the AF3 in their forums it becomes more clear that even Cliff does not even want to hide that the ampmodels will sound more or less the same as in the AF2xl whatever and only the "specs" side of things will be increased with a lots of room for "future updates"..so everything will stay the same.Cliff will continue to realease every two weeks barrages of "more real sounding updates" which will devastate a lots of work have being done by their customers at home/rehearsal room/studio while the core of their cutomers will continue to rave about it..perfectly fine for me.I am very happy for these guys.As long as both adults (or as many as involved adults) agree on what to do with eachother and really,really like it I will not say a word..

But personally I am a different type of guy...

Quote from PETERFR

I know what our keyborder woud say if I play other sounds than guitar

I know what I have told any keyboarder who tried to tell me how to sound on my guitar..

These guys have a word on many instruments beyond their universe (piano,organ etc)..like Wind(always within limits ofcourse),orchestral strings/atmosoheres..ofcourse bass stuff (specially moog sounds..) but indeed I never met a keys player who really "got it" to play a lead with a string simulation like guitar..their attempts to emulate for example violin or sitar stuff ended always in a tragedy as far as I can remember..