Posts by mtmartin71

I've got a project coming up that I'm trying to put together focused on the music of the Stones & Black Crowes. I'll be handling some of the guitar duties. In the past, I'm mostly played my Kemper straight into the board. The other guitar player is going to use a tube amp+cab with pedal board. I have a Matrix GT1600FX power amp in a head enclosure that I can pop on top of a Port City 2x12 OS Vertical. But...I have the toaster version of the Kemper so that means sticking that somewhere behind the cab and using the remote plus a cable run for the guitar (if I'm not wireless). The cleanest set up would be a device that has the guts up in the pedal board and then I can just run to the GT1600FX head with one cable and I'm good. I won't be able to do that with the Kemper. I'm contemplating adding a Helix to do this. Actually, I've been contemplating buying a Dr Z Remedy head but that has no effects loop and I'd be back to a pedal board, etc. but I have this jones to hear a real amp again.

For those who have compared the Kemper vs. Helix in a preamp only mode, what did you find in terms of tones and feel? Were the differences evident between the two?

I think we digital amp dudes are tinkerers and perfectionists by nature. We're also stubbornly conservative at times. The differences (in my opinion) are subtle in the heat of a live gig and I guarantee that the audience will not know if you used a studio profile or merged profile going to a cab or vice versa. My approach? I'm 98+% FRFR so I'm mostly using MBritt profiles and going right to the board. When I'm playing live guitar, it's typically in a variety cover band at what I would call mixed-use venues (in the US). That means one thing if you want to get invited back or get good reviews...volume control. I also figure out what the rest of the band is going to use (amp/cab or direct) and match up to that so that I don't get an offset of one guy dominating because of a combo of amp/stage volume and PA. For the times I do need an amp/cab approach (which I haven't in years), I'll likely use the Top Jimi merged Marshall profiles and call it good mostly so I can use some of what I bought. I'd be just as happy to use my MBritt stuff for this application. Or, if I'm playing bass on stage it's likely to be an originals project and I'll use the MBritt Ampeg 8x10 to my 4x10 cab and send the other to the board. I don't even know if it's Studio or Merged. I don't really care on bass though. The net is, it's not too hard to cover all the bases and have a profile/rig set up to meet any need you may come across...and don't sweat it too much!

Quote from lonestargtr

Interesting about the ribbon mics. The Fathead does, to my ears, have less high end and midrange and just fills in the bottom more. The Royer seems to do more than just the bottom and I feel like I can blend a little more in smoothly without it getting boomy. And I'm sure my ears have changed as I've gotten feedback about the low end and made many more profiles. I try to be conscious of making things sound "even" (I don't ever want to use the word 'flat'). When I find a particularly nice mic placement I try to keep it set up that way for a bit and just make minor changes, which is probably why the 101 has been on many of the new ones. I just thought they sounded good to my ears.

Now, I do notice that some of my earliest profiles have a different tonality that I like but I think they were done on an older firmware version and that was before Kemper made some changes to the profiling process that adjusted the way the low end was handled, somewhere just before v 2.5 or v 3.0 I think.

When I try a couple of my old favorite gain rigs from Pack 1, I think they sound a bit veiled on the bottom with my current rig setup but a buddy of mine uses them and they sound fantastic on his rig and I always ask him what he's using and I'm like, "they don't sound like that on my rig." Too many variables in the world.

Very true! Could be any number of variables. I hadn't considered that. Probably one of my favorites that might seem obscure to most is that 70 Marshall IMP combo, the amp that Peter Frampton used. It just has a swirliness to it and a tone that sits right. Right amount of bass, right amount of treble, right amount of vintage Marshall...just an awesome 2 or 3 profiles. I also really like the Silver Jubilee from the Heavy pack. I did keep the JCM900 profile so that's probably my favorite of the Sweet 16.

Definitely dig your stuff though. It's all I use when I'm playing out...which I haven't done in too long now.

Quote from mDan

Vintage Profiles always sound better, the modern stuff has way to little soul and mojo ... !
I like the newer ones better (and the Heritage Pack... if that counts as new) because of the brighter character

Sorry...just to clarify. I mean the older profile packs which include vintage and modern amps. The Colonial was done with the 57+Fathead mix. But yeah, there are profiles that are brighter even with that combo and the Heritage is one of them. Actually the 65 Vox was done with the 57+Fathead too and that one is bright for sure. I think he just started using the Royer 101 beginning with the 5150 and then also on the Sweet 16

Quote from flyingheelhook

I haven't noticed it myself but I also haven't been straying much beyond my 'standard' performances to really be able to make an educated opinion statement.

With that said, I do know that Mike has suffered not a small amount of criticism for his profiles being 'too dark' and its possible he may have made this change to accommodate those of that opinion. (I wasn't one of them)

I think you may be right. I think at volume though, they sound perfect (the older ones).

Was interested in the feedback from fellow MBritt profile users...

I have found I'm still gravitating towards the older MBritt profiles as they have a certain sound that my ears seem to like. I think I may have figured out why that is the case. Starting with the 5150 pack, it looks like Michael switched out the Cascade Fathead II for the Royer 101 in terms of the blend mic with the SM57. What I notice about the newer profiles in comparing them to the old is they have a little more treble content and a little less bass content. I think the old 57+Fathead II has more character and "swirl" to it...for my ears. Is a Fathead closer to a R121 than a R101? I'm guessing the answer to that might be yes. I've always like recordings and IRs with that blend of SM57+R121 over anything else. Anyhow, here's my wish or plug for bringing back the Fathead II for the next profile pack, or even a R121.

What do you guys think? Do you notice the same?

I've tried a ton of commercial profiles and really MBritt profiles have become the sound of the Kemper to me. I always gravitate back to them. My second favorite are probably the Top Jimi stuff. I'm a fan of vintage and modded Marshalls along with Vox for break up and cleanish stuff.

I'd certainly like an editor for putting together performances easier. The current method is sub optimal in that I load up rigs and then have to go through loading stomp presets and effects presets. Making those presets is painful in terms of saving the names or editing them. It all works, but it's painful. Thankfully I cut down to 3 total performances with 5 rigs each. Before I had one performance per guitar. Either way, performance editing is a weak spot to edit manually. Granted, this is a live use case and probably not as a big an issue for those who are recording.

Quote from pamplemousse

funny martin, I own some of mbritt packs and were looking for top jimi's super leads but the free samples sound weak to me despite the overall good returns on his profiles. I also own some celestion IRs (G12M and G12H) which I consider a good deal, better than most kemper cabs I've tried (maybe I'm not lucky) and TJ superleads sound way better to me with these. I haven't tried swapping cabs on mbritts cause they are studio and he dials better than anyone but as of today I haven't reached a SL tone that fully satisfies me

so I second your point and request for mbritt to profile a 100W SL through G12M

note: my best tone is andy's trainwreck, a true hot plexi beast. all profiles of the pack are huge and the price is like nothing.

I think you and I are in a similar place in terms of tone search. Do you have the 69 Marshall pack? That is pretty damn close. It just leans a bit more raspy/crisp. I've actually never owned a real Marshall plexi. I owned a 2061x but too loud and didn't get where I wanted without total volume blast. I also owned a 6100LM but that's a whole different thing. What I did find with my AxeFX is I mostly fell back to one of the two Marshall 100W Plexi models through an Ownhammer Marshall 4x12 with GBs. I'd EQ it around 5ish on the gain and run the bass at 2-3, mids around 7, and treble and presence around 6+ depending on the guitar. The MBritt 69 Marshall kind of sounds like that. The 72 50W Marshall is good too...just not enough profiles to cover all the bases. I would love to hear that one through a 4x12 but probably too much crossover with the 69 pack. The 70 100W Marshall is great too but it feels like the bass was dialed up higher than I would choose and it could use a touch more bite, which it would probably get from a 4x12 with M25s.

I just typically use studio profiles as is...with the amp/cab capture that they were created with.

You can use the cab of a profile on another profile by just changing it to one from another rig loaded in your Kemper. Or you can import outside IRs but I tried using Ownhammers I had already bought for the AxeFX and didn't like the sound.

I like the sound of MBritt profiles the best for live use. I also really dig his approach to dialing in amp sounds. However, I like the profiling approach and focus on vintage Marshalls that Top Jimi does in terms of taking one amp and shooting profiles through the whole range of clean to mean. They just don't sound as big in direct comparison. Based on how I'm approaching gigging with this device now, I'm just going to use one amp in a night and go clean to various levels of mean with two lead slots (EQ focus). With MBritt, I actually prefer his 4x12 GB IRs more than the darker/smoother 2x12 CL80 IRs. Probably my favorite set of profiles is his 69 50W Marshall w/ the 4x12 GB as the cab. In trying the Top Jimi 68 and 74 Marshall profiles with the MBritt 69 Marshall 4x12 GB IRs (which come from studio profiles) in place of the stock Top Jimi cabs, it sill doesn't sound as thick as the unaltered 69 Marshall. I didn't expect it would because of the whole magic of the single studio profile. I'm just trying to avoid field testing time if someone has already given this a shot in the heat of battle. It's one thing to evaluate the sound sitting there at home. It's another thing to evaluate the sound in a gig with multiple guitar players.

I think what I REALLY need for Michael to reshoot that 1970 Marshall 100W Super Lead using his 4x12 GB cab like he did the 69 50W Marshall. I'd buy that pack in a heartbeat!

I made this exact same switch last year. Here are my thoughts based on last year when I switched up to now:

• In terms of sounds, I think you can get the clean to pushed sounds faster with the Kemper. I really liked the hot rodded Marshall and high gain stuff on the AxeFX...maybe slightly better than the Kemper. However, that's not necessarily your thing so the Kemper is in your sweet spot for sure.
• I've not had the best success in trying to create my own profiles. Mostly because I don't have my own gear or a space to really open up the amps. I also don't have a lot of experience getting great recorded tones out of amps. I've based my live sound on the MBritt profiles. I've bought some others. Just know that you could end up spending more money to find your sounds if you follow the commercial profile path. You could also spend a lot of money on the AxeFX with cab IRs which leads me to...
• I am a tweaker by nature. I still tweak with the Kemper but if you find a platform of profiles you like, the process can be easier. I don't chase IRs anymore but I do swap in and out profiles for my different guitars in the performances. The performances section and how you edit is clunky...in my opinion. It can consume more time and can't be done in the editor effective...in my opinion. With the the Axe Edit program, I could really whiz through patch edits and the the scenes. So the net is, you can edit and work with the AxeFX much faster than the Kemper, due to the AxeEdit program, but I find I do less overall changing and editing than I did with the AxeFX. The MBritt stuff is mostly the same cab with different amp options. Of note, on stage I am not a tweaker and prefer set and forget and the Kemper works well here if you've done the work up front.
• The AxeFX controller is more expensive and larger than the Kemper Remote, but I feel it's better. It is much more versatile in terms of control. You could use a larger controller with the Kemper but you'd have to set it up manually vs native integration. As a smaller controller though, the Kemper Remote packs a lot of punch and is easy to program.
• The AxeFX "FX" sound better to me on the whole but I am not an effects guy per se. The Kemper covers this ground just fine for me.
• I have a lunch box version of the Kemper. On the whole, I think it's easier to get off the floor and handle on stage than a piece of rack gear that needs a rack case. I don't use other rack gear though.

Based on what you described, I don't think you'd be disappointed in the Kemper.

Definitely a 2-for-1 amp pack. If you want a nice hot-rodded Marshall-type tone to fit a rock or hard rock set list, the 3P cab is perfectly voiced for that. I really dig the Crunch profiles with the 3P and they sit nice with a humbucker and no tweaks. If you want more of a thrash or metal sound with that bite and sizzle, the 4x12 Peavey would be perfect. Not my cup of tea tonally, but it's a good tone for that type of music.

The blues and soul paradigm is predominantly about simplicity. And, if you are someone trying to live the blues/soul lifestyle and make money, you are "living" the blues so you probably aren't making a lot of money to spend on gadgets like the Kemper! I also think most blues and soul musicians are very conservative and traditional. They want a certain combo amp with a pedal or two and that's it. Kempers (and Line6 and AxeFX) are the perfect dream rigs for semi-pros around the world. They can and are being used professionally, but the sweet spot for this type of gear is for the guy or girl who is in a cover band one night, a tribute band another night, or an originals project on the 3rd night. Or it's the perfect box for the weekend warrior cover band guy...like myself...who makes a good living in high tech but feeds my soul with music when I can. I guess I don't really worry about what type of musicians are or aren't using my gear. I worry more about whether I like what I can get out it. I was an AxeFX user for years and changed over to a Kemper this past year. It's been a great move. No more IR rat race and strong tones available through the spectrum of clean to heavy. The AxeFX (at the time) did the Marshall grind on up very well but the tweener pushed and clean sounds were not as strong. Anyhow, the Kemper has it all there.

Don't know if it was mentioned but the MBritt profiles have plenty of tasty blues & soul amps/tones on tap. For live performance, I've not heard better fitting sounds from any other profiles out there.

@LiamThompson Interesting...it could be the topology of the 2061x made it more difficult to grab the mojo for whatever reason although I think I came out with a pretty good profile. It's modified a bit by me, but I kind of followed a similar MBritt profile in terms of amp parameters and of course my ear. It's out there on Rig Exchange.

I'm not sure about doing my own profiles now. Two issues. First, I've now spent too much money twice to get it done. I've tried buying low and selling higher but in the end, my net loss with fees was more than it would cost to buy the professional profiles that are out there. And, it's a really loud process to make a studio profile. Even at my friend's house (who has a studio in his basement), then sound of the profiling was so loud his wife said it sounded like a spaceship landing on the house because it shook it so bad. Certainly not something you can do unless the circumstances are right! I'd have to borrow an amp and book studio time to make one the way I want. Still is going to cost more than buying profiles.

Luckily I think the MBritt template is close enough for me. I would have liked if he did more profiles of different cabs because I think the sound gets homogenized between all the different amps by using just that one cab, but I do like it. I had hoped to like the TopJimi stuff but while it's easy to dial out the harshness, there isn't really a good way to make those profiles sound fuller for live use.

Thanks to everyone on the tips.

Thanks guys. I tried again tonight at a friends house and did a studio profile. We hooked up the 2061x to his Marshall 1936 2x12 and I miced it with an E609. It was better...but...definition still at 0. If I bring the definition up to 5 though it sounds really good. I tweaked it a bit and have something I can use out of this now...I think. Maybe the profiler didn't like this one. It only has Volume and Tone on each channel. I had the volume around 8 which I'm sure it pushing the PI and power amp. Anyhow. I got one profile out of it. It's an experience I guess! It does make me want to just do studio profiles though.

Thoughts? Anything I could be missing?

I've been trying to capture some profiles of a Marshall 2061x head. I passed it on to a fellow Kemper forum member for some feedback and he made some good points. It sounds very thin vs other direct profiles out there...and the two profiles I took with humbuckers came out dark. I did one profile of single coils with jumpered channels and a couple with humbuckers. I boosted the tone knob for the humbuckers to around 9 and single coils were at around 6 on the tone. Gain was full on to 9. I did one with just the lead channel. Anyway, my chain went like this:

Guitar --> Kemper Front Input --> Marshall input (coming from Direct Output) --> Kemper DI box (from Marshall speaker out at 8 ohm setting) --> split with speaker cable to 2x12 Port City Vertical OS w/ Scumback M75/H75 combo...and...XLR from DI box back to Kemper Return Input.

I set the return level to match up the Kemper and Reference. It was around -5db. I also did use the refining process hitting it hard with both low end and high end chords and some single notes on both ends. Monitor Cab Off is checked and No Cabinet checked on the second page of the profiling process. When I'm profiling, I point the cab into the carpeted floor due to noise. Since I'm not profiling the cab in any way and it's only used as a load, I felt this wouldn't impact it. Maybe it does though? Are there any other gotchas?

In comparing my 2061 profiles going through my Matrix/2x12 Port City combo to a couple of very similar amps tonally from MBritt (the Clampet and London Left Channel), the MBritt profiles sound fuller and have proper bite (keeping in mind these are not direct/merged profiles).

One other odd thing worth mentioning...check out the default definition settings that my amp profiling kicked out. Two are "0" and the one that has a value is 0.8 which seems way low. Obviously I could manipulate those up to solve some of the darkeness but that combined with the lack of fullness makes me think I'm missing something here. I did do one other direct profile in the past. It was an Orange OR50 which is a darker amp and that profiled with 5.6 definition. I believe I made this one the exact same way including pointing the cab into the floor/carpet. Look forward to some feedback

Frank...I'm at [email protected]. Send me an email and I'll respond with some profiles. Again, these will be direct-only profiles but they're made using the Kemper DI box. Also, I've owned this amp before and in using it now, it doesn't have the distortion at full bore like other Marshall Plexis do. I'm just going to redo them anyway because it's a simple amp without too many parameters to cover. Let me know if you have any preference in settings of amp or pickup type to hear. The load being used is a Port City 2x12 Vertical OS cab with a M75/H75 config.

For what it's worth, I picked a used one up to profile. I have a Kemper DI box and do direct profiles. I just pair existing MBritt IRs to it. I've done a few profiles and would welcome some feedback on them before posting. It doesn't distort like a 100W or 50W. It's a cleaner amp and it actually profiled at "0" definition when cranked. I've tweaked it a little to taste.

Let me know if you'd like me to email you one for some feedback.