I am a kemper owner still with in about 2 solid weeks. Previous player of only Tube Stuff ie...Mesa Boogie Heads and Pre Amps and even their Power Amps, mostly geared towards high gain stuff.
I am no expert but would comment the "FEEL" is there at like 90% it just depends on how the profile is setup as it was mentioned.
Ive Also played Positive Grids Bias Software through Ipads and Desktops for the last 3-4 years and its at a point where the feel thing is pretty seamless between them all.
Having hundreds of amps at your finger tips is the most satisfying thing for my own Nerdy Amp hoarding brain.
As per your questions the Guys at Tone Junkie do an amazing job breaking down how things are designed and their response.
2) Your correct as the nobs don't specifically act as an real amps Mids or Presence when tweaked.
When moving the eq nobs imagine those ranges' moving up and down in just volume. So a set value basically.
Alternatively You can set an Eq in the signal chain to further punch in specific spots if your looking for something particular.
3) To Reference Tone Junkie again. Think of everything like this:
When a profile is created, the funny noises its making...Its basically going to steal the WHOLE Signal Chains Soul from ground up. So completely silent up to where the signal chain ends. Any changes below those values the Kemper will know how to respond in a more "realistic" to tube sound. However If you dime the gain to a profile that's set at half gain, its not going to know how those frequencies react. Of course its going to attempt its best but your mileage may very.
Reducing things you might have a more intact/pure Profile if you want to look at it that way. Ultimately it comes down to your preference on what your ears like to hear.
For my experience...I will preview a profile and evaluate with out changing anything with in the first minute ill know if its close or what I want to hear... if its close I tweak the nobs to further emphasize what I want and call it a day. I haven't gotten to the point of getting nerdy with Eqs and boosts to further shape things just yet but at that point treat it like a true signal chain once your in a happy place...It maybe known to the veteran users that most profiles shouldn't need a lot of tweaking?...they can comment but again the beauty is you have a world of options to get what you want to hear.
Things to consider that I did not consider in the very beginning. How are you going to be playing the kemper.
I personally am still kinda stuck in the purest mindset but its cracking as I get used to these new things.
I thought playing through a cab with a power amp would be the way to get that "real sound." But when using a real cab, the simulation option goes away... So from profile to profile there is a similar sound and vibe coming out of your cab thats not as extreme as you would find between a 1x12 to 4x12 profile. Which makes sense your just getting the preamp values as apposed to whole signal.
If you listen through headphones or recording you get the whole beauty.
So I made the change to get a Full Range Cabinet to operate through so I can get the full signal, that comes tomorrow so im excited.
