Getting my Kemper today - which profile should I go after first?

There are a lot of very cool rigs included in the KPA. But if I was limited to one, it would be Soundside's UKGold 1959 HW (Plexi).

This is not just one rig, it's 2 or 3 dozen. Profiled wide open, it includes volumes from .5 to 10 on the bright channel, normal channel and jumper. Also a bunch with different tone settings at different volume settings. LOTS of different tones there without tweaking. Then you can add tons more with tweaking,

Do yourself a favour and check out the AGL SOME MARSHALL A from the RigExchange.
He has a professional pack, too.

I would say, and this is only my opinion, check out the free TAF JCM800 that's awesome and if you like that the one in the Marshall pack is even better

Quote from Raoul23

I would say, and this is only my opinion, check out the free TAF JCM800 that's awesome and if you like that the one in the Marshall pack is even better

This is sage advice!

For Friedman, search the forum for Tim Owens' HAWP threads (Have Amps, Will Profile). There are literally HUNDREDS of great Friedman BE, HBE and DS tones to be had in those threads. Some, of course, will work better than others, depending on your taste and application, but there're so many, you're bound to find some keepers.

Getting loads of mileage out of the Marshall Golub Crunch, which was free on the Rig Exchange. I've got loads of commercial profiles, lots of which are of a fantastic standard, but I keep coming back to the Golub

Quote from OhG

I'm showing my "noob-ness" here. I know TAF stands for The Amp Factory. But where is this JCM800 profile found? I looked on their website under "Free" but didn't see anything there. Is one that's already in the Kemper as a factory installed profile?

On the Kemper website there are some rig packs you can download it will be in one of them, Off the top of my head I can't remember which one sorry

Since you don't have the DXR yet, how will you be giving it your first listen?

Studio Monitors or quality headphones may be your best bet, but they will not have the same impact as stage volume.

search mental in the rig exchange and have a bash

Remember, even after you have read those manuals, "Ctrl+F = Find" is your friend, when you are looking for something in them

The Profiler (and the rigs you load and play) are VERY sensitive to the actual guitar you play. It's an amazing experience waiting for you, I'm sure. But the fact that we pretty much all play different guitars makes it very difficult to suggest THE best rig for your purpose. Don't be shy to try other amps, the Profiler gives you the platform to try amps you've never believed you would ever play. And there's big surprises coming your way.

When I got my Profiler a couple of years ago, this beast surprised me every day with wonderful tones (and still does). But it took me a year or 1.5 years and many many profiles to find MY amp. And it turned out to be an amp I didn't have on my radar ever before because the real thing is damn hard to get and it would cost more than I'd get for the kidneys of my family, hehe. It's the 1968 Orange Matamp from TAF. Once you've played a couple of JCM800 profiles, do yourself a favour and get this small pack. It was a revelation for me how open it sounds, how dynamic it is, how it easily gets from buttersweet to angry, how well it takes pedals. When I switch back to any JCM profile I own, it sounds dull and through a blanket ... or completely thin and frequency cut. And I own many.

What I'm trying to say:
Enjoy the huge versatility the Profiler offers you. Don't stick with one specific amp just because you had it and got used to it. You didn't have a chance to try the whole range of tube amps before you got this neat digital monster.

Please don't pay attention to the (non-existant) playing. Just pay attention to the super-obvious differences in sound.
Comparing the Orange Matamp to a couple of Marshall rigs (JCM800 and Golub Crunch)

No post-processing, all played on a Gibson Les Paul with Burstbucker Pro pickups, bridge pickup, volume & tone @ 10.

Working fine for me

Quote from OhG

I understand this will be a very subjective thread, but I finally bought a Kemper and I'm picking it up tonight. It's the non-powered rack version, with the Kemper controller. I've also ordered a Yamaha DXR10 to use with it. I may also test a Friedman ASM12, but for now, it's the Yamaha.

As I've mentioned before, I'm CRAZY skeptical the Kemper will be able to deliver the distorted tones I'm expecting. I'm going into this expecting it to sound very digital, stale and totally lack that tube warmth kind of feel. But I'm going to give it a go and hope to be pleasantly proven wrong.

So here's my question. I play in a cover band that does all modern and classic rock (i.e. Shinedown, Van Halen, Stone Temple Pilots, Journey, etc.), and need some tones/profiles that can accurately replicate the amps those bands used (among others). So with that in mind, what specific profiles would you suggest that I download/buy to give me what you all consider the best tones available for the Kemper? Basically, if you had to impress someone with the sound of the Kemper, using only ONE profile, what would it be? I'm mainly looking for a good Marshall plexi tone, Friedman BE100 to start with, and maybe a nice heavier sounding one for the modern rock stuff (not metal or death metal). But in general, just a nice, distorted, warm, tube oriented, medium to high gain sound to begin with.

I know I'll have to sit with this and tweak it for a while. But I want to get off on the best start possible. I don't want my first impression to be based of the factory presents/profiles because I'm assuming while they may be good, they aren't the top of the line stuff. And if I dive too far into those presets and hear nothing but disappointing preset after disappointing preset, I'll be even less likely to keep the Kemper. And I REALLY want to like it enough to keep it and have it replace my current tube amp rig for live shows.

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Congrats on your purchase - hope your skepticism will be eradicated

I want to quickly address a couple of your points here.

I don't think you necessarily have to sit with it and tweak it for a while - for many of us, tweaking is more trying out different profiles - not editing them. Of course, if you find something you like the general sound of, then play with the tone and gain controls. And of course, some profiles have loads of effects loaded, which may or may not be suitable for what you want. You can switch off all stomps with one button and all post-stack effects with another.

Keep in mind that these are not "presets", they're "profiles". It is a major distinction in my opinion. Each profile is a capture of a specific amp at a specific setting, with a specific cab and a specific mic and mic placement. Now, I'm not saying that you can't change the sound radically, because you can. All I'm saying is that the starting point of a profile is an actual real world rig - not something that has been "artificially constructed" by tweaking a bunch of settings.

Having said that, it's probably a good idea to just PLAY with how different you can get a single profile to sound by tweaking the deeper parameters (which can be found in the amp and cab sections). Take it as an experiment and a learning experiment.

The factory profiles cover A LOT of ground, and I wouldn't say that they're not top of the line - it's all down to taste. it's highly unlikely that you will find EVERY profile to your liking, but that's no different from the profiles from commercial sellers. Just give them a whirl, move quickly through them, and favourite the ones you like. Maybe play with the "regular" controls (tone, gain), and try turning off the stomps and/or effects - sometimes an awesome profile is obscured by a lot of effects.

If you have the option, try some profiles out with different headphones (if that's how you're gonna listen to them for now), to see how much that can change the sound. Just to understand that sometimes a great profile is obscured by the particular headphones.

Later on, learn how to switch cabs from different profiles - that particular "tweak" often has a huge impact, and you might find yourself gravitating to some specific cabinets.

Finally: Can't tell you how much I commend your approach regarding the manuals