If you were going to purchase a Kemper, AXEFX, or Synergy gear…

Fusionbear said:
I tried the synergy. I think the FM9T feels and sounds more authentic and is a simpler rig to to carry. I'm playing a gig today and all I have to show up with is my guitar, IEM's, and the FM9T.

It will sound awesome....
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If I played out I would definitely work with my FM3. Convenience over tone obsessing. At home, I like the excessiveness of obsessing over the small details.
 
tallcoolone said:
I’m still wondering what the Synergy stuff has in common with modelers/profilers :confused:
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Nothing really. Synergy is the modern version of using a tube rack preamp. If you used a Triaxis, JMP-1, CAE, Soldano X88r, etc... then Synergy is the modern version of that. You still need a good power amp and effects.

Modelers model the entire chain. Preamp, poweramp, effects, routing, switching, cab, etc... it is meant to replace everything.
 
tallcoolone said:
I’m still wondering what the Synergy stuff has in common with modelers/profilers :confused:
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Obviously, it doesn't. It is a tube based solution. But in my opinion the voltage rails and op amps used in them can change the feel and tone enough to make them something else than what they are designed after. It's simple physics. You have all these different circuit paths in the modules and then in the head unit that do alter. I'm not saying it's bad. It's just different. But you then have to add your effects on top of it. Before you know it, you've got a pile of stuff to carry...

OTOH, next week I have a gig with my Thrash cover band and I'm going to use my Quickrod, a 4x12, and a small pedalboard. The walls will shake, there will be moshing, and there will be balance in the universe...
 
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I was deep into modelers for several years, and gradually moved back to tube amps. The only modelers I have now are Boss SY-1000 and SY-300, and Mooer Prime S1.

I found software plugins to work / sound better, and much cheaper. I built a small computer rig for guitar around them; PolyChrome DSP McRocklin Suite, Neural Archetypes (Petrucci, Plini, Henson), Neural Mesa IIC suite, Softube Marshall Amp Room, Helix Native.

I use BlueCat Audio's PatchWork that lets me build patches using any of my plugins; it also has utilities like gain, noisegates, etc. so I can balance patches from different VSTs without going into their respective editors. I use a KMI SoftStep2 MIDI controller to switch patches in PatchWork, and I have several patch templates using different PatchWork patches that I can load into the SoftStep2. Works and sounds great.

Here's the link to my computer rig thread:

https://www.rig-talk.com/forum/threads/computer-guitar-rig.280097/
 
Aynirar27 said:
I am still more and more impressed with my Kemper day by day
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I'm very impressed with some of the latest low end modelers, especially the Mooer Prime series.

I got the P1 last January in bundle with their F4 bluetooth floor controller on sale. Early this year they released the Prime P2 with improvements, including slots for User IRs, got it direct from China at half the price it was listed on Amazon; the F4 footswitch works with the P2 as well.

After getting the P1 + F4 last year, I started posting about how it would be great to have everything in the foot controller itself, seems Mooer heard me, and they released the Prime S1 earlier this year, which has the P2 software and hardware but everything is in the S1 floor device...only thing missing is DI out and expression pedal in....maybe the S2 will have those features.

Costs less than many pedals. If I was still playing live, I could actually use this as a backup rig...or for the dive bars around here as my only rig.

https://www.mooeraudio.com/products/201.html
 
I've had them all. The Axefx though a tube poweramp like the KSR PA50 has the best in the room sound IMO. I've also tried it with Fryette and Mesa power amps with great results. If you are playing through your computer and studio monitors its prob gonna be a toss up for what kind of sounds and effects you are looking for. I will so mention I did not get a chance to try the Kemper through a tube poweramp, I had the powered version that comes with its own solid state poweramp. It was ok but prefer the Axefx. Synergy was my least favorite surprisingly, I had high hopes for it.
 
Bram576 said:
Think it’s worth mentioning a lot of times people complain about the sound from the axe fx to power amp to cab not sounding real forget to turn off the IR in the first place lol.
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Literally my first thought when I read this. I’ve never been more impressed with a modeler than with the axe and a killer power amp. And I mean specifically the feel. Coming from the kemper years ago, every amp “felt” the same, ESPECIALLY when using a real power amp and cab. Always that super tight overly compressed bottom end thing going on that was inherent in every profile no matter the gain level. The axe was just like the real amp to me I’ll say it again.
 
rsm said:
I'm very impressed with some of the latest low end modelers, especially the Mooer Prime series.

I got the P1 last January in bundle with their F4 bluetooth floor controller on sale. Early this year they released the Prime P2 with improvements, including slots for User IRs, got it direct from China at half the price it was listed on Amazon; the F4 footswitch works with the P2 as well.

After getting the P1 + F4 last year, I started posting about how it would be great to have everything in the foot controller itself, seems Mooer heard me, and they released the Prime S1 earlier this year, which has the P2 software and hardware but everything is in the S1 floor device...only thing missing is DI out and expression pedal in....maybe the S2 will have those features.

Costs less than many pedals. If I was still playing live, I could actually use this as a backup rig...or for the dive bars around here as my only rig.

https://www.mooeraudio.com/products/201.html
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I guess I should clarify more and say I’m impressed with the Kemper profiles. At this point any piece of hardware can sound fantastic. Kemper has the benefit of being around for a while and having the largest wealth of patches to choose from. 90% of them may sound like garbage, but that 10% is very large and worth the $$ to me.
 
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Aynirar27 said:
I guess I should clarify more and say I’m impressed with the Kemper profiles. At this point any piece of hardware can sound fantastic. Kemper has the benefit of being around for a while and having the largest wealth of patches to choose from. 90% of them may sound like garbage, but that 10% is very large and worth the $$ to me.
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Yes, many of the older modelers are still holding up; the Helix has been out since 2015. My point was that technology is going down market like Mooer, Tonex and others. You can get usable sounds without spending a lot of money.

Curious if we'll see a new hardware update for Helix, 9 years is a long time for digital; Fractal has updated their hardware a few times since 2015, and it sounds like the Kemper, though still working for many, may be due for hardware upgrade too?
 
rsm said:
Yes, many of the older modelers are still holding up; the Helix has been out since 2015. My point was that technology is going down market like Mooer, Tonex and others. You can get usable sounds without spending a lot of money.

Curious if we'll see a new hardware update for Helix, 9 years is a long time for digital; Fractal has updated their hardware a few times since 2015, and it sounds like the Kemper, though still working for many, may be due for hardware upgrade too?
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From what I can tell, the closest thing to a hardware upgrade Kemper has done is with their usb connectivity, adding audio to the USB. It came out about the time I got mine so I never knew life without it, but I could see it being a turn off for some at the time
 
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rsm said:
Yes, many of the older modelers are still holding up; the Helix has been out since 2015. My point was that technology is going down market like Mooer, Tonex and others. You can get usable sounds without spending a lot of money.

Curious if we'll see a new hardware update for Helix, 9 years is a long time for digital; Fractal has updated their hardware a few times since 2015, and it sounds like the Kemper, though still working for many, may be due for hardware upgrade too?
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I really think they really dont need to upgrade the hardware as long as the DSP can still do the math, and the memory doesn't run out of space. Oh, and they still manufacture the parts. That is what killed the Axe-FX II. They quit making the DSPs they used, and the memory ran out of space for firmware.

Honestly, they really dont need to upgrade phones every year either, but the consumerism mindset has them making a new one each year. It really isn't necessary though.
 
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Fusionbear said:
Obviously, it doesn't. It is a tube based solution. But in my opinion the voltage rails and op amps used in them can change the feel and tone enough to make them something else than what they are designed after. It's simple physics. You have all these different circuit paths in the modules and then in the head unit that do alter. I'm not saying it's bad. It's just different. But you then have to add your effects on top of it. Before you know it, you've got a pile of stuff to carry...

OTOH, next week I have a gig with my Thrash cover band and I'm going to use my Quickrod, a 4x12, and a small pedalboard. The walls will shake, there will be moshing, and there will be balance in the universe...
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Hells yes!!!!
 
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