Kemper for AXE FX II?

???

Are you experienced?

Hmmm,

Here in the UK, Kemper non powered is approx £1329 -

To get the Axe Fx II (XL) from an EU retailer (closest one - g66.eu) is £2070 approx.

So, difference 'off the shelf' is already £741.

Let's say s/hand - Kemper is £1100 in great condition, and maybe you could find an Axe II for £1700? Maybe...

That's still asking someone to part with £600....good luck!

Quote from JapsidoOdle

Okay thanks for the pricing information
As I said I'm not 100% sure about this... As I hope Kemper will release some major features like the footsie and maybe a editor on pc? I really like my Kemper but it does not give the feeling about the tone I would like to achieve.. That being said I don't know if I could do with an axe fx

I hope you've checked and checked and checked about seeking that tone you're after. There are a lot of very big artists and studios (like myself) using them on all of their projects with a lot of money behind them.

If it's anything else - I totally get it ... but have a bit of a play before you conclude that it's the Kemper!

I think it sounds pretty decent to be fair! If you are not satisfied with the tone I'd say it's more of a production issue. I've had an Axe Fx myself, both an Ultra and a 2, and they're incredible units, but as far as raw, heavy amp tones go, I don't think they can offer a improvement over the Kemper tones you already have, they may be on par with some tweaking, but you could also improve the Kemper tones with some tweaking/EQ/different profiles.

Listening to,your demo, do,you have bass guitar on there? If so it's really low in the mix! That's where most of the low end reinforcement needs to come from, not the guitars really.

Quote from JapsidoOdle

Hey James
I got my Kemper now for a year or so... and every now and then I get the feeling that I bought the wrong unit.. On it´s own the Kemper sounds nicely and all but I cant really handle this sound in a mix.. in double tracking guitars it does not sound anything strong idk xD (lack of skills i guess :P). I am more into djenty death metal and tried TONS AND TONS of profiles, refined them and so on ... but I never really got the tone I could really say about: "f*ck yeah!!"
Here´s an example: https://soundcloud.com/conrad-m-ckel/fallen (just a demo) I feel like it´s too whimpy ...

I'll have a bit of a listen soon (soundcloud is broken for me at the moment), but without hearing it as a general rule, if it sounds whimpy it's probably in order:

1. Your playing (more accuracy/attitude will result in punchier sounds)
2. Your guitar (pickups/tone settings)
3. Amp sound or settings (Kemper)
4. Mix/production

I really doubt that the Axe will do a better job (not a Kemper v Axe thing), because they're both good units and both are used by big acts. It'd suck to pay the extra money to get the Axe only to find the problem still exists.

If you're still bummed, get in touch with me and I'll give you a basic mix of the stems you provide just to rule it out.

Misha could probably play an acoustic and make it sound like metal

The most influential thing in sounds/tones is the player.

Definitely have a look at the bass guitar issue, I think that's what's missing personally.

As an example here's my band, self produced as well but I think it sounds pretty good. Guitars and bass are 100% Kemper.

http://soundcloud.com/thedeath…syourfault/murder-suicide

Ha, I wouldn't say you suck, it sounds pretty good, it's just knowing what areas you can improve on, I've still got tons of room for improvement for sure!

For bass I find you can get some useable tones using your guitar and the pitch shift/formant shift function in the Kemper. Using this along with a bass rig profile can work wonders if you're lacking a bass guitar.

Quote from JapsidoOdle

I´ll try that, thanks

Can't send you another PM Japsido ... maybe your inbox is full or something?

Maybe check the setting that allows PMs as well - sometimes that turns off.

JapsidoOdle, don't give away the KPA for an Axe FX, especially not for an Ultra.

Not an Ultra in particular because I can tell you out of first hand experience (had an Ultra for 5 years) that it doesn't come even close to the level of credibility of the KPA.
I haven't played an Axe FX II, but:
- hearing it live quite a bunch of time, it feels to me more refined than the Ultra, but still somewhat lifeless (some say that the Axe has the sound, the KPA has the sound AND feel of the amps, and I agree 100% from my experience)
- regardless of which one feels more realistic, which is kind of out of topic, the sounds you're looking for are in KPA. The Axe fx has more effects, but when it comes to sculpting capabilities the KPA has all you need to achieve the superprocessed, surgically shaped djent tone
- finally, mixing is a whole different world than noodling around in your room/rehearsal space. You have to cut and boost frequencies so to complement other intruments, also shaped so that all of them fit tight together, without overloading some ranges which would make the mix messy, or boomy, or harsh, nor "underloading" ranges, which would weaken the mix. So you see, it's really a fine art of balancing, and I am sure if you heard your guitar at the end of that process you would not like it so much. It's a long road to learn to mix well, so take it easy, at the right pace and DON'T make the mistake to blame it on your equipment, cause you'd then end up trading toys rather than making music

My advice: stick to what you have now, i.e. the profiler, and seriously start learning about recording and mixing here: http://www.therecordingrevolution.com

Quote from JapsidoOdle

hey laimon!
thanks for your reply, and yes I know the kemper is a very very nice unit. it just comes down that... you know trying and trying and not reaching anything but minor mix kinda wrecks me^^ I never blamed my equipment I just said that I haven´t achieved the tone I wanted and maybe the axe fx would make it easier in terms of pc editor etc.
And I am aware of that very mixing problem, but i´ve come to a point, where everything I do to make my mix better actually makes it worse (listening to it a day later or so) xD
But thanks for the reply buddy, appreciated that

Also, two side notes:
1) people want the pc editor, and I kind of understand when you have a rack unit placed in some hidden corner of the room far from the computer, but with the toaster - what one can place right in front of himself - I find much easier to deal with physical knobs than with a mouse, much faster and smoother
2) I am not sure, in fact, you'd want to use the KPA to mix. What I'd do is rather: record your guitar tracks with a sound that you like, that you find complete, balanced, and tasty. Then I would start sculpting on the PC from this. I am no recording engineer, and if people think I am talking BS please do tell me but I find this a better approach, if only for the fact that (for instance) eq'ing your final sound leads to very different results than tweakind the amp's eq; the risk I see in that is that you might lose desirable shades of your tone.