Kemper owners - How good are the TAF profiles?

[Econ]

I just got my Kemper rack amp last week and have been playing with the profiles that came with the amp. While doing a search on the Internet for more amp profiles I stumble across some commercial profiles from TAF, Michael Britt and TopJimi. I know that the Britt profiles are well regarded, but unlike TAF, you can't purchase the amp profiles individually (by amp). I'm interested in some amp profiles from TAF and wanted to reach out to any TAF profiles owners for their feedback on these.

Your help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Vrad]

I just got my Kemper rack amp last week and have been playing with the profiles that came with the amp. While doing a search on the Internet for more amp profiles I stumble across some commercial profiles from TAF, Michael Britt and TopJimi. I know that the Britt profiles are well regarded, but unlike TAF, you can't purchase the amp profiles individually (by amp). I'm interested in some amp profiles from TAF and wanted to reach out to any TAF profiles owners for their feedback on these.

Your help is greatly appreciated.

They weren't my cup of tea at all. But some folks, especially those that gravitate towards single coils seem to love them.

 

[SkyhighRocks]

I agree. They're good but just not for me. I like a fuller sound. Best bet is to try the free ones and see if you jive with them. Andy does a great job pumping those things out.

 

[JerEvil]

I agree. They're good but just not for me. I like a fuller sound. Best bet is to try the free ones and see if you jive with them. Andy does a great job pumping those things out.

SUPER hit or miss. Some sound excellent but a large portion are a mud fest or super distant.

 

[crankyrayhanky]

I thought I was alone in feeling unimpressed; I have all the free ones and bought the rivera pack
Seems like muffled blanket with my guitars
I like almost every other commercial offering with lots of love for Pete

That being said, I could probably try some more TAF as it seems to get lots of love

 

[JerEvil]

I thought I was alone in feeling unimpressed; I have all the free ones and bought the rivera pack
Seems like muffled blanket with my guitars
I like almost every other commercial offering with lots of love for Pete

That being said, I could probably try some more TAF as it seems to get lots of love

I think the SLO profiles are great as are the Two Rocks. Some stuff is so muffled it's almost hard to believe the same guy did the profiles ...

 

[Econ]

Thanks guys for your feedback. I guess I'll go for the Britt profiles.

 

[VH4_BigRig]

They're better for clean or crunch tones than high gain stuff I've found. I much prefer Pete's profiles for high gain- his profiles done with a ribbon mic seem to be my usual faves, just with some low end scooped out in the post EQ. Cheers!

 

[JerEvil]

Thanks guys for your feedback. I guess I'll go for the Britt profiles.

These need A LOT of EQ as well. I am getting lambasted over at TGP for not following the MBritt herd and sharing my experiences with them. What tones are you looking for and for which type of music?

 

[Econ]

I like to play 80's metal, hard rock and melodic instrumental/fusion music.

 

[smdb]

The Mbritt profiles are best with single coils it seems. Try Top Jimi for some good Marshall profiles.

 

[SkyhighRocks]

I'll hopefully be making some JMP profiles available soon. Good for hard rock and heavier stuff too.

 

[PBGas]

Andy who is TAF is a great guy. I find his mid-gain and crunch profiles to be very good. The higher gain stuff, not so much. If you want to get some great profiles for your KPA....look to the MBritt profiles.

 

[LP Freak]

Like any time when someone asks what others opinions are, you're gonna get a bunch of different ones. Some profiles that guys rave about don't work for me and vice versa. Your best bet is to bite the bullet and try some for yourself.

 

[JimAnsell]

i thought their 6505 profiles were really good. even captured that famous "high end sizzle" they are known for. However there are free ones i've come across that were just as good.

 

[gibson5413]

Andy who is TAF is a great guy. I find his mid-gain and crunch profiles to be very good. The higher gain stuff, not so much. If you want to get some great profiles for your KPA....look to the MBritt profiles.

I agree. I don't like TAF for heavier or metal tones. His clean and low to mid gain profiles are great. In addition, TAF profiles sound better for home recording than they do for live use. I have not been impressed with them live as they sound thin. The MBritt tones sound better in my band context than for recording. I have found a couple of the Britt profiles recently that sound awesome for both home and live. The Top Jimi Marshall tones are killer too. Again, just my opinion.

 

[fritzreiser]

I think the SLO profiles are great...

+1000. By far my favorite Kemper profiles.

 

[SkyhighRocks]

I'm the same way as some here. The low to medium gain TAF profiles are good...for recording IMO. Live they get lost and sound small. The Britt profiles are really boomy but that's what I like for live tone. It's really hard to nail it for live and studio and keep it consistent. I've been going through that myself when profiling. I prefer a live tone because I perform live a lot more than I record so my profiles my stand out as brighter, crisper and have a little more low end on them for guys that are looking for studio tones. But the eq is so good on the Kemper that it's easy to adjust to what you need.

 

[manray03]

If you haven't already, download the Kemper Rig Manager and start auditioning the 1000's of free profiles. Some are great, some are not, but they are free.
If you are a mid-gain Marshall guy I think you will like the TAF Ultimate UK Gold tool kit. Great Marshall sounds!
For more gain Marshall I really dig Pete's Brown sound profiles, especially EWS. It really cleans up well with the volume knob of the guitar.
For more modern sounds Pete's VHT Pittbull 100CL profiles are fantastic.
I use a few mbritt profiles but to me they are not plug and play. I must eq the hell out of them (higher gain profiles), to get rid of the low end boominess.
Just my opinion guys and girls.
Of course guitar and power choice will matter greatly.
I use Suhr's with ML singles and Aldrich Hums in the rear, CLR active monitor and Equator d5s.
I hope this helps.

 

[Anonymous]

Some of them are VERY good. There is a Trainwreck SRV profile that doesn't sound like SRV to me, but it is phenomenal. I also really dig the profiles they did of the Tone King Imperial amp - great medium gain tones. I find all these are best with strat and tele style guitars, especially with a neck single coil, but they sound good with other guitars/pickups as well...

Steve