Another Kemper vs. Axe Fx II thread...

[TrueTone500]

"The Kemper is the way to go if you want to capture existing tones. The Axe Fx II is best for creating new sounds..."
Mike G @ Sweetwater

Would most agree with this statement? I have 2 hours to decide which system is best.

 

[bonedarrell]

How are going to utilize one?

 

[chrisrocksusa]

The kemper makes the axe fx look like a toy.

 

[ejecta]

I have experience with both (for the Axe zealots, yes the latest firmware, which will be better in version 12 I'm sure ) and while I agree to a degree with that guy.... for my tastes in amp tones and feel, the Kemper suited me the most. The Kemper to me was better at dynamics and got closer to the real rig than the AxeFX. IMHO I think uniqueness in tone comes more from the player much more so than the gear. I think you could tailor your sound with either unit.

All that said I'm looking at the Two Notes plus pedals and or head for all my direct guitar needs instead of going back to either unit.

 

[dsquared]

"The Kemper is the way to go if you want to capture existing tones. The Axe Fx II is best for creating new sounds..."
Mike G @ Sweetwater

Would most agree with this statement? I have 2 hours to decide which system is best.

Basically, I agree. I owned an AxeFx Ultra, and I own a Kemper.

 

[bonedarrell]

All that said I'm looking at the Two Notes plus pedals and or head for all my direct guitar needs instead of going back to either unit.

+1111

 

[animal]

"The Kemper is the way to go if you want to capture existing tones. The Axe Fx II is best for creating new sounds..."
Mike G @ Sweetwater

Would most agree with this statement? I have 2 hours to decide which system is best.

I agree if creating new sounds means tweaking patches and only having to tweak them again on the next FW update.....
Not to mention adding more parameters each update...

In a week I had more workable tones in the Kemper than any of the Axe gear...kemper all the way

 

[TrueTone500]

Kemper it is!

 

[university81]

having discussed this at length with a friend in the same predicament, here's what we got to:

the axe fx 2 has everything in the box, all the tools at your disposal but the amps available are set in stone by the firmware , crazy amounts of effects

kemper has more limited effects, but it's more open source, in that anyone can profile actual amps/rigs and upload them somewhere, you can buy some awesome profiles from various places of some amazing amps, and the actual feel/sound is very impressive

each kemper profile is essentially already dialed in, add some effects to taste and maybe change the EQ a bit if needs be

axe fx has a lot more tweakable variables which is good but can be a bit offputting if you're a compulsive tweaker like me

//

he'll probably be buying a kemper =0

 

[lessthanone]

I went with the axe fx II a few months ago and couldn't be happier. I went axe bc I liked the fact that it modelled each amp right down to the eq taper etc. I can set the controls on the model the same as the real world amp and have it almost on par. The kemper just profiles the one sound it captures and guesses with the eq taper, gain taper etc. Granted it does it really good the axe just seemed like the better buy to me.
I also didnt listen to all the buzz about the founder being a dick bc quite honestly, who really cares? The guy has continuously improved his product and releases new firmware for free all the time.

 

[BYTOR]

I own them both, plus some great tube amps. I win......lol

 

[animal]

I went with the axe fx II a few months ago and couldn't be happier. I went axe bc I liked the fact that it modelled each amp right down to the eq taper etc. I can set the controls on the model the same as the real world amp and have it almost on par.

Not close at all IMO especially with gain

 

[stratotone]

Correct EQ taper on a model is great, but vintage Marshalls tended to have crappy EQ sections anyways. I'll take a good parametric EQ over that any day. The bass/mid/treble/presence control on the kemper works fine, and you can still adjust gain and several other parameters.

I have four marshalls of fairly close age (68 clone, 70, 72 and 74 super leads) - and they all sound completely different. And compress differently. and sustain... you get the picture. If I had an axe II, I'd have to do an EQ match which is not the same thing a kemper does, or deep dive into parameters to adjust an existing amp model provided by fractal to match what I have.

Was a no brainer for me. Plus I have some amps profiled that are fairly rare - like the Cameron I recently sold. And the Fortin Marshall I have.

Plus the way the kemper works and the tones were there from the start. FW upgrades have included bug fixes and new effects, but they haven't changed the TONE of the box or how it works one bit. Which I prefer instead of being told that this latest firmware is the most realest ever and the last one that was the most realest is now not. My Kemper sounds just like the amps I profile, and that's good enough for me.

 

[lessthanone]

I went with the axe fx II a few months ago and couldn't be happier. I went axe bc I liked the fact that it modelled each amp right down to the eq taper etc. I can set the controls on the model the same as the real world amp and have it almost on par.

Not close at all IMO especially with gain

It was good enough that a few friends couldnt tell it apart from my 5150 with the same settings.

 

[BYTOR]

Not close at all IMO especially with gain

I own a real BE100 & I can dial in the Axe-II model using the same knob settings & get the same sound. This has been the case since Cliff introduced his "MIMIC" modeling in firmware 10.

I own both the KPA & Axe II, but I have yet to hear a KPA profile of a BE100 sound even close to what I can get from the Axe in 2 minutes. With the Axe you can turn on/off the sat switch plus adjust the knobs just like on the real deal. Pete Thorn fooled Dave Friedman in a comparison clip!

With all that said, I love owning both units & think they each bring their own unique thing to the table.....

I also love owning some of the best tube amps out there..........It's not an either/or world for this fella..

 

[JimmyBlind]

Just to throw my two cents in, I traded my first VH4 for an AxeFX Ultra & Matrix power amp.
I'd stopped playing in a band & couldn't justify having a stadium-worthy amplifier in my flat anymore, incapable of taking it out of first gear.

I thought the AxeFX would solve all of my tone problems forever. I loved the AxeFX for a couple of months and then started to really regret my decision to move away from a valve rig.
I read a lot of posts on the net about the AxeFX being 'better' than a valve amp and, yes, there are benefits aplenty. Transportation, recording, DI etc and its housing of hundreds of thousands of £££$$$s worth of closely synthesized amps.
Fundamentally though, it is an amp modelling device & by definition, it can never sound & respond 'better' or more like a tube amplifier than a real tube amplifier.

Call it purism, but knowing that it wasn't a box of burning hot tubes, but a processor computing algorithms making my sound, I found that pretty uninspiring. I will always embrace music technology, but there is a point where the medium by which we create art & music becomes inorganic. There is something deeper, more artistic and humanised in putting paint to canvas than operating a mouse with adobe photoshop. Both are mediums for creating great art however.

The AxeFX has its place & I think it belongs in the studio. It sounds excellent. I'd almost say it's a must-have studio companion if you intend to write & record guitar tracks over a variety of genres.
However, as with anything in life where less is more, we find ourselves regressing back to fundamentals. Electric guitar tone was born from overdriving tube amplifiers & introducing stomp effects. This is where great electric guitar tone comes from.

I digress of course. I've not used the Kemper, but most of the people I know who have owned both the Kemper & AxeFX have preferred the Kemper.

 

[animal]

Not close at all IMO especially with gain

I own a real BE100 & I can dial in the Axe-II model using the same knob settings & get the same sound. This has been the case since Cliff introduced his "MIMIC" modeling in firmware 10.

..

Like I said compared to the amp's I've tried/owned not close ...eq maybe...gain levels not even
I'm yet to see/build a preset that doesn't need a boost to get close to the gain levels on most of the high gain models IRL.

Not to get in a pissing match but I've used the fractal gear extensively and IMO the kemper wipes the floor with the amp models
Axe has better more effects and internalrouting options....I'd give it to the kemper on the external (monitor/DI/spdif etc)

 

[Ventura]

I've got both.

I've enjoyed the A2 with the CLRs, no doubt about it. But it's not a simple device - that said - I'm not a simple guy. But I'm happy with its tech, and wizardry, and overall performance - it's an incredible gizmo, and it's definitely "there" in terms of tone. I think the weakest link in my perceived chain is "me", and I'll admit it. People like Billy Howerdel and Devin and Dweezil and Tosin, these cats have got reams of experience in sound-shaping, studio tech, and production/processing. I used to own a recording studio - great - but that was then, this is now. I feel it's a complex device - the A2 - and therefore, can be at times overly complex to work with. That said, best money I've spent on gear in years for covering an amazing amount of ground, and also offering the benefits of headphones out, DI recording, and massive breadth with options of IRs and the like. It's a technology that will continue to evolve and get betterer, this I am sure about.

Flipside is - I can't see myself dumping my tube heads and 4x12s. The reason I HAVE these rigs is because they give me chills of stoke when I play 'em and crank 'em. They're NOT what a mic'd cab/amp sound like - no - they are what real, fire-breathing amps through wickedly made 4x12s sound like - sorry, that's not easy to duplicate.

I've toyed with the Kemper. For my purposes, I prefer the technology and constant betterment of the Fractal product, but it's not a "100% happy all the time" scenario - it is still love/hate. Whereas my amps? It's always love/like, never hate.

All that said I'm looking at the Two Notes plus pedals and or head for all my direct guitar needs instead of going back to either unit.

JUST pulled the trigger on a TwoNotes Torpedo Live. I can't resist - c'mon - I own about 30 boutique pedals, a small army of analog/tube heads, several 4x12s, and all I wanna do is RTFO ("r" for "rock"), but hey, can't always dime 'em to get 'em to breathe the way they're meant to - so alas - Torpedo Live.

Interestingly enough, as an observation, whilst there's constant debate betwixt the Axe and the Kemper, I've not heard/read/seen ANY post purchase dissonance/regret/criticism of the TNTL.

I'm in

Peace Gents,
Mo

 

[blackba]

What has kept me away from the axe fx besides the cost, is that I just don't think I have the time to devote to dialing it in. Even with my keyboards I am more of a plug and play guy, a little tweaking is fine, but i dont want to go too deep. I was leaning toward a kemper, but with the two note torpedo, that for me really feels like the best option.

For me anyway, learning how to get classic tones, helps me in Learning how to get newer tones.

At the end of the day, all 3 units have their advantages and disadvantages.

 

[animal]

not familiar with the two notes...I thought it was just a load box? I'm guessing you use this with a head and DI it to front of house? Or for silent recording?

Why would you use it with the axe or the kemper (when they already have IR's or there own profiling?)