Kemper vs. Real Amp Test - Cameron CCV

    The Direct signal is the sound of your amp... if you don't care if that is spot on then i will not be spot on with the cab ...

    Quote from ColdFrixion

    Would you judge a picture that's only half finished?

    sure that is what a artist makes after every stroke with a pen ... he judges every step in the process ... or do you expect that these differences magically disappear after you put a cab on it ?


    it is the core of the sound, if this sounds of you can hide the difference in the mix or with a cab but it always will be there :D

    Another way to maybe characterize what I'm struggling with, what I think the OP's samples are portraying, is more of a two dimensional result n some regards. The real amp sounds more three dimensional. I can only imagine the flaming those comments may get, but to me, that's another way to potentially describe the subtle difference. These kinds of things are always difficult to describe. To me, there's a certain clarity/glassiness combined with a tight low-end depth (in the low/low-mids) that I find missing.


    I keep tweaking away and found the Clarity knob really helps solve a lot of the issue on the upper end, however when you start dialing up that knob it messes with the gain (or perception thereof). If you try to compensate you then introduce new frequencies (such as low end) that has to be dialed back out. By the time you are done trying to compensate you've managed to twist the tone just enough that the end result sounds less natural.


    I'm also still learning the "refining" impacts, that's been a real interesting experience so far to say the least. I've had horrid reproductions that came into focus rather well using the refining process. While other times the initial profile sounded quite close but was worsened by the refining process. Learning what to play and how it impacts the refining process seems to be an art in itself.

    Quote from Bommel

    sure that is what a artist makes after every stroke with a pen ... he judges every step in the process ... or do you expect that these differences magically disappear after you put a cab on it ?
    it is the core of the sound, if this sounds of you can hide the difference in the mix or with a cab but it always will be there :D


    If you were trying to duplicate a painting, you wouldn't judge the final result based on a half-finished work in progress. That doesn't mean I don't think comparing the direct portion of the profile to the amp absent the cab doesn't have merit, but the gap closes significantly when you listen to the profile as a whole rather than in part, and to me the final result is what counts.

    sure but my intention was to show what i mean and by leaving the cab on the sound you could hear the difference not as good ...
    i hear the difference through the cab but yeah it is easier for demonstration purposes AND if you plug your powered kemper into a gutiar cab it is very important that the direct sound is spot on

    Quote from Bommel

    sure but my intention was to show what i mean and by leaving the cab on the sound you could hear the difference not as good ...
    i hear the difference through the cab but yeah it is easier for demonstration purposes AND if you plug your powered kemper into a gutiar cab it is very important that the direct sound is spot on

    It's common knowledge that some amps are more difficult to profile than others due to the gain staging, and that may explain why some direct profiles don't sound as close as others.

    if difficult would be the thing i would not comment here, the difference is in every profile -> less saturation and "cream" at the area around 120hz ...


    adding a real boost an overdrive in front of the kemper helps a lot but that is a lame for live

    Quote from Bommel

    if difficult would be the thing i would not comment here, the difference is in every profile -> less saturation and "cream" at the area around 120hz ...


    adding a real boost an overdrive in front of the kemper helps a lot but that is a lame for live

    And you've profiled how many amps?

    in my sound samples is on example of a amp setting that the kemper can not reproduce and the other example with a normal setting
    which is almost spot on except the midrange and lowmid area

    over 200 now


    Quote from ColdFrixion

    And you've profiled how many amps?

    i made over 200 profiles now of more then 61 amps, to be exact

    well i give it a try, thanks! ... but i hear that difference also in all comparison videos.Like the "can kemper save chappers" videos and what not ...
    i don't want to say that they sound bad overall, in some occasions or for some people it sound better.


    but for me since i like the saturation in that area and fuzzy sounds it is very hard getting the soudn i want ... i always have to add real pedals or boost the kemper with a eq and so on ... it doesn't sound much like the source them but better to my ears ...

    Quote from Bommel

    well i give it a try, thanks! ... but i hear that difference also in all comparison videos.Like the "can kemper save chappers" videos and what not ...
    i don't want to say that they sound bad overall, in some occasions or for some people it sound better.


    but for me since i like the saturation in that area and fuzzy sounds it is very hard getting the soudn i want ... i always have to add real pedals or boost the kemper with a eq and so on ... it doesn't sound much like the source them but better to my ears ...


    I'm not a good judge of fuzzy tones because I'm not particularly crazy about them and never use any. As far as traditional high-gain tones, there are some comparisons I've heard that sound practically indistinguishable to my ears, like the 5150 profiling video from Sarky, for instance.

    nah same thing in this video, what monitors or headphones do you use? ... listen closely to the mids and lower mids the sound overall sounds ultra close but it does not have that thickness