Kemper or the Axe FX II? Few questions before I buy

    Quote from ClassicMetal

    With KPA firmware updates, does it overwrite changes you've made, presets you've tweaked or created, etc.? When Fractal updates the firmware and provided new presets, installing them overwrites all the painstaking tweaking you've done, creating a lot of rework.


    I have a lot of research to do on this forum and elsewhere, but thought I'd go ahead and ask this question:


    With KPA firmware updates, does it overwrite changes you've made, presets you've tweaked or created, etc.? When Fractal updates the firmware and provided new presets, installing them overwrites all the painstaking tweaking you've done, creating a lot of rework.


    No, the FW updates don't affect the sound of the profiles at all.
    That why I sold my Axe-FX..... couldn't stand the constant tweaking and was never fully happy with the way it sounded.

    Quote from ClassicMetal

    Woo-hoo! Numerous hours saved right there.


    This is the very reason I decided on the KPA over 2 years ago. My name had just come up on the Fractal list. I debated a bit, and finally decided that I have had enough of the "update the firmware change the sound" game with Line6. I hated it and had gotten to the point where I wasn't updating any more, no matter how cool the latest features were supposed to be, because I had to spend hours just getting my base sounds back.


    The Kemper has been everything I had expected the digital solution to be.... But never was.

    Quote from Spid

    3-) The KPA doesn't look reliable enough to me for Live and Touring. Even without talking about the Rack, the booting time by itself is killing everything for me and would make me use the KPA in Studio only while I'm looking for a tools for both Studio & Stage.

    Funny arguments here.... I just used the KPA (toaster) on a long big venue-tour (60 shows) and I didn't have one single problem. I had a 2nd one for spare, but I never needed it. The 2nd guitar-player also played the whole tour with a KPA, no problems at all.


    He played in Browser-mode, I played in Performance-mode, he used a Boss GT-10 for foot-control, I had a FCB with UnO4K, eveything very reliable and without any problems.


    By the way: why should the booting time be a problem? My KPA was booted before soundcheck and switched off after the 3-hours-show. ;)

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    first name: Guenter / family name: Haas / www.guenterhaas.de

    Quote from Dlaut

    This is the very reason I decided on the KPA over 2 years ago. My name had just come up on the Fractal list. I debated a bit, and finally decided that I have had enough of the "update the firmware change the sound" game with Line6. I hated it and had gotten to the point where I wasn't updating any more, no matter how cool the latest features were supposed to be, because I had to spend hours just getting my base sounds back.


    The Kemper has been everything I had expected the digital solution to be.... But never was.


    I skip most updates for this reason. (Although you can update the firmware without installing the presets.)


    Regarding the live use posts, I could use the KPA and carry the Axe as a backup. :)

    The KPA is so real and so close to every original amp that it doesn't need update on the core sound module. That's why they don't need changes on the sound in the various firmware updates.


    This is a killing feature versus the kpa over ALL the others digital devices and the core sound is so good that I believe also for a Kemper II in the future they will touch only the effects part and maybe improve the processor to have parallel profiling modules ... who knows !!!


    By now every update added just new features and effects without touching any rig tweaked before!

    Yes, while I like the deep editing features and love the effects routing matrix and options of the AxeFx's - I always hated the sound changes after each update.


    This is the biggest point in the KPA concept for me (no sound changes or "improvements").


    I'll hope for some more effect types and options in future KPA updates too.

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    Quote from guenterhaas

    3-) The KPA doesn't look reliable enough to me for Live and Touring. Even without talking about the Rack, the booting time by itself is killing everything for me and would make me use the KPA in Studio only while I'm looking for a tools for both Studio & Stage.

    I do not understand the argument about the booting time, too.
    I take about a minute, and I did not experienced the show situation when I did not have this time.
    If we can let our equipment on the stage before the show, I can let it on, if we play with other bands and we change the equipment,
    we have at least 5-10 minutes to prepare us.

    Regarding the boot time, I use a cheap battery backup power supply with my KPA, which eliminates the possibility of a short power outage causing a reboot mid-performance.

    Go for it now. The future is promised to no one. - Wayne Dyer

    Quote from Zappledan

    Regarding the boot time, I use a cheap battery backup power supply with my KPA, which eliminates the possibility of a short power outage causing a reboot mid-performance.

    I would think that for any serious touring musician this would be a very sensible option regardless of it you had a KPA, Axe or some other option. What battery backup you using?

    Quote from SwAn1

    I would think that for any serious touring musician this would be a very sensible option regardless of it you had a KPA, Axe or some other option. What battery backup you using?


    I use an APC Back-UPS 350 http://www.amazon.com/APC-BE35…keywords=apc+back+ups+350 , but I imagine most any similar product would serve the purpose.


    And not just for touring musicians. I just play small local gigs. Regardless of your venue, rebooting mid-song is no fun.

    Go for it now. The future is promised to no one. - Wayne Dyer


    Good point. I was trying to distinguish between serious musicians vs posers like me :) (I look and listen to the samples people post and I am awed by the talent and time that people have put in to be so good).