Posts by NotScott

    I have been gigging my powered Kemper through a conventional guitar cab. I have tried it through various FRFRs and never bonded with that tone. What I have noticed with the powered Kemper is that the response is very linear no matter the volume. With my tube amps, as I turn them up and/or as the night wears on and the amp gets hotter, the high end tends to soften a bit and the amp compresses a bit more. The powered Kemper remains the same as it turns up. This isn't exactly a bad thing, but it did take some playing adjustments by me to compensate. Now that I have adjusted to the differences, I probably prefer the more linear Kemper response. It's not a good thing nor a bad thing. It's just different.

    Several years ago, I was in a hurry to set up an account and every username that I could think of with my real name, Scott, were taken. I finally got pissed off and entered NotScott, and it worked! So I use it on several forums now to save aggravation.


    My avatar is Scott but it is not from several years ago.

    Ben, the Carol-Ann is pretty unique. It is not Dumble and it's not Marshall. It has the sustain and low-mid warmth of a Dumble but it has enough of that upper mid bite and reacts much like an old Marshall. My current gig does not really do any of the tunes I did with my old act so, I don't feel a need to have the CA profiled yet. I will get to it after the holidays when my travel schedule slows down.


    For now, Michael Britt's Dumble profile gets me in the ballpark with some tweaking.

    To be clear the powered version does exactly the same as unpowered but you have the option to drive a mono cab or FRFR speaker. So you can run stereo out of the main outs to FOH.


    I went powered because I'm not bothered about stereo live and didn't want a separate amp for driving guitar cabs.


    This is exactly why I went with a powered head.

    Welcome on board! :thumbup:


    You are prolly one of the few, who owns the sought-after-amps and sounds.
    Last time I played a real AC30 or a Twin was in the early 80s... :S:D:D:D

    Thanks D!


    It was primarily my old Vox and Tweeds that turned me to the Kemper. Those tones in my Kemper sound and feel right to me. I tried those models in my AmpliFire and they were nothing recognizable to my ears. Then I started digging into some presets for AmpliFire and other modelers to see if they could really cop the vibe of those old amps and I kept seeing blocks of compressors and parametric EQs added to the signal chain to try and recreate what those old amps are about (assuming they were actually modeling a real JMI Vox or Fender Tweed). The only device my vintage amps need to sound right is a cord from the guitar. If you have to add all that electronic duct tape to your amp models, I think your models may need some more work.

    I can officially take the plastic off the screens now! The Kemper passed the live test brilliantly. It sounded and felt right to me and my bandmates liked it. Aside from a few tweaks to the bass and gain settings, everything sounded as I expected and reacted as I hoped it would. I am used to tweaking my guitar controls and ride the volume and tone knobs all night for different tones. I was curious to see if the Kemper would react well to those adjustments and it did just fine. As for any setting changes I made, it was very easy to store them in the performance. I am also glad I went with the toaster and its LED rings around controls. Those LEDs made adjustments VERY easy to see and dial in without having to squint reading tiny print on a screen.


    Now that I have been assimilated into the "hive", time to check out the other sections here. 8)

    Thanks D. I have been beating on the unit the past few days at gig levels through my favorite small guitar cab and I am pretty impressed with how it sounds so far. The cab I have it dialed in for now is a small pine cabinet the size of a Fender Deluxe extension cab loaded with an EVM 12S. The EVM is a pretty neutral sounding speaker so it doesn't color the profiles as much as a more assertive (i.e. Vintage 30) speaker would. Also the open pine box adds a natural reverb and airiness to the sound that I love. Plus, it is extremely light weight, even with the EVM, so my entire rig is now smaller, lighter and even more portable :thumbup: . Once I finish dialing in the cabinet sounds, I will work on the output EQ to try and warm up the mains feed.


    I am expecting it to take a few live outings to fine tune everything and lock it in but, I can already tell this isn't going to be the shrinking violet on stage that my AmpliFire was.

    Hopefully you are tweaking the tone of your performances while listening at gig volume for tomorrow night, otherwise you may be less than impressed. Good luck!!

    Thanks for the well wishes and of course I test everything at gig levels, exactly as I have been doing in analog world for the past several years. 8)

    Thanks, but 2.1.19.13125 is the correct and current version of RigManager for Windows. I am using Windows 10 Pro 64-bit on my laptop that I use to connect. It may be a USB issue. I know some devices once originally connected to a specific USB port only want to work when connected to that same port. Fortunately, much like anything in the digital world, there are more than one way to get you where you need to be.

    Thanks for the welcome everyone!


    After a few days, I like what I am hearing and how it feels through one of my smaller guitar cabinets. I tried it through my studio monitors and was less than impressed though. It just sounded to cold and sterile. However, there is still a lot of tweaking to be done and I have yet to profile my own amps so the jury is still out. I just finished assembling a few performances and plan on taking the unit with me to practice tomorrow night. If it sounds good in a live setting, I will be sold.

    I edited the bad preset on the profiler and now it works properly and everything shows up as it should. Odd that the slot names would not appear on the remote until I edited some other function in that slot. I would like to know how to create and load performances from Rig Manager. It should be a lot easier than scrolling through those rotary encoders on the profiler.

    Newbie here, so be gente. ;)


    I am trying to use Rig Manager to make my first performance. Here are the steps I took:


    1) On my Profiler (OS 5.3.1.13085), I used a blank performance to load multiple rigs as a way to easily AB audition rigs that I wanted to choose from.
    2) After I completed my auditions and decided what rigs to place in what slots, I rebooted the profiler and connected my computer and opened Rig Manager.
    3) Rig Manager asked me to update so I did. The current version is now 2.1.19.13125.
    4) I restarted the profiler and reconnected the computer after the profiler was fully booted.
    5) I created a new performance with a new performance name, loaded my slots with my selected rigs and named my slots.
    6) When I went to Performance mode on the profiler, the name of my performance was correct but the slots had the rigs from my last audition and no slot names at all.
    7) I deleted the performance from Rig Manager but it is still on the profiler after rebooting a few times.


    I was going to try to delete the performance and start over but, I cannot find any way to delete a performance using the profiler controls. Is there such a way? Also, should not the profiler screen and footcontroller screen show my names for each slot?


    Basically, my questions are:


    1) How do you delete performances via the profiler and via Rig Manager?
    2) What is the "idiot's guide to creating and loading performances via Rig Manager"?


    Thanks in advance for your help!

    I am using a Santana 25th Anniversary with Bare Knuckle pups and push-pull pots to split the coils. I like this particular PRS because it has a big, fat, chunky neck like a 50s Gibson and 10.5" radius. I don't get along with the wide flat PRS profile necks. This feels good and lets me get good bucker tones with convincing single coil sounds when split.


    As for my guitar swapping, I usually arrange the sets so it is easy to do a few tunes on one guitar then swap to another. In my last band, I primarily swapped between Strats and Les Pauls as it was a blues act looking for authentic, old-school tones. In this band, the old-school authenticity is not required so I am hoping the PRS will be versatile enough to cover that ground and I will just bring a Tele as a backup/change of pace.


    [Blocked Image: https://i.imgur.com/DG7wDCb.jpg]

    Thanks D.


    I am still trying to figure out how best to manage my workflow with this. So far, I am thinking it may be best to tweak the rigs and FX in BROWSE mode and then drop them into PERFORMANCES with slight tweaking for overall levels and EQ for that performance. I haven't decided yet if I will build performances per song or per guitar or both. I go through 2-3 guitars per gig ranging from Les Pauls with buckers and P90s, Strats, Teles and a PRS, so having performances for each would be convenient. I am finding with the Kemper that many of the things I have done over the years as habit with my vintage amps were compromises that I no longer have to accept. The Kemper does make you rethink your approach to music!


    I spent tonight looking for existing rigs that will sound the part for the tunes we are doing. I keep finding a ton of options. And I haven't even started to profile my amps! I guess at some point I will have to stop tweaking and start playing. ;)

    Hello All!


    I am pretty much a hard-core, tube amp nut that has been looking for a more compact and more versatile rig for my gigs but without sacrificing my tone. I own many of the amps that modelers try to emulate: 1959 Bassman, 1960 Deluxe, 1964 AC30, 1965 AC10SRT, 1973 Super Lead and a 1988 Boogie Mark III Simulclass. I still gig these amps from time to time but my main gig rig has been a Carol-Ann Tucana 3r through multiple cabs or a RedPlate RP40 combo for smaller jobs. I like the channel switching capabilities of these modern amps that allow them to deliver the goods at reasonable volumes without resorting to stompboxes which I dislike. And besides, these amps just sound so damn good!


    I started my search into digital with the obligatory POD. Granted, I knew I was buying it only for a late-night practice tool, so I was not expecting it to compare to my tube amps. I finally decided to try a more modern modeler and bought and AmpliFire based upon the reports that it sounded and felt like a real tube amp. It sounds great through headphones on about 3 models if I use aftermarket IRs and tweak the hell out of them. However, when I tried it live at a rehearsal with one of my bands, it just sounded too flat and too processed to be useful for me. The other thing that I didn't like about the AmpliFire is that its Fender Tweed tones and Vox ACxx tones sound NOTHING like the real thing, and this is a shortcoming I have heard in other modelers as well. I still use the AmpliFire as my late-night, headphone practice tool and as long as I don't stray from the few models it does well, it is fine for that application. But I won't use it live.


    I then looked at some more expensive modeler options but it seems that all of the fans of that technology always mention the effects and routing capabilities as their primary concern. I use minimal effects. I just want something that sounds, feels and reacts like my tube amps.


    I then started researching the Kemper and after watching some pretty convincing YouTube videos showing profiled tweeds and ACs that even I had a tough time determining the vintage amp from the profile, it caught my interest. As I learned more about the capabilities of the Kemper and watched Michael Wagener's and other producers' interviews regarding the Kemper, it appeared to be the best solution for my needs.


    To make my long story short, my powered Kemper with foot controller arrived today. I have only played around with it a bit through headphones and one of my guitar cabinets. It passed the ACxx test with flying colors through my heaphones so I am hopeful for the rest. Tomorrow l will try it through my studio monitors.


    I have a rehearsal with a new band on Thursday and I would like to try out the Kemper then but, I could use some help on the following before I feel comfortable dragging it out with me:


    1) What are the differences between BROWSER MODE and PERFORM MODE?
    2) I am bit unclear about the differences between rigs, performances, and presets and how they are created, stored and recalled.
    3) If you were in an AOR cover act and wanted to have 3-4 core amps with a few effects available, how would you best go about storing them so that they could easily be recalled through the foot controller?


    I am not the patient type when it comes to reading manuals so I am hoping some of you experts can get me up to speed ASAP. I am sure I will have more questions as I start profiling my own amps and dig deeper into the unit's capabilities but so far, I am excited by the challenge. Thanks for listening and I look forward to your comments.