Kemper w/ Matrix Q12's

[billsbigego]

G'damn I love this thing. Matrix Q12's

This is gonna keep me busy

I know a lot of you cats are tube amp purists, but all I do is sit and chug metal riffs and make tones, while my hillbilly band does nothing, so to me, this is the best God Damn thing I've ever purchased. The Matrix Q12's are ASTOUNDING. I like them worlds better than the Atomic CLR's. The CLR sounded way too high fi and sizzly in the treble section. The Q12 is much better balanced in my opinion and gives a more cab like feel for a FRFR speaker.

I got 2 hours on the damn thing and I'm loving it. I'm fighting tooth and nail for every second I can spend with it.

 

[cardinal]

Awesome man! I just got a Q12A (literally spent 2 minutes with it so far) and plug my iPhone with Bias into it. It sounds HUGE. Now I want two. Hahaha.

Congrats man!

 

[billsbigego]

Hehe, I'm contemplating a 3rd Q12 to use with my amplifire. But that's probably going to be collecting dust with my Amplifi 150. I'm having a blast with the two Q12's. The ping pong delay and chorus in stereo is mind boggling.

 

[cardinal]

Oddly the Q12 sounds better to me up off the floor? Maybe I'm just use to slant cabs blasting me in the face, but it sounds more natural if it's up around my waste/chest. Curious if you hear the same thing?

 

[billsbigego]

I'm not sure. Haven't had them off the floor. But I have to dial back the bass on the rigs I use. I have them sitting on the floor as in the pic and I sit on a fucking bean bag because I'm a lazy fuck. I stand while I work all day. Sitting at the computer for years has toasted my back, so I stand all day and at night I sit on my ass.

I probably should stand because since I fired that thing up my ears are ringing fucking hard. I have the speakers blasting right at my ears. I like to sit in the middle to hear the stereo effect. So much different than running a single cab.

 

[HilltopExplosion]

Do you record Direct or still use mic's.... yes, I'm old. And do you have any other clips?

 

[Steinmetzify]

Glad you're digging it man. Fuckin tech is great anymore, isn't it? You ever think you'd hear a modeler that sounds like that, especially after the Line6 shit years ago?

 

[jjcor]

Im seriously considering getting a couple of these as well. Do you run them with the cab sim on or off?

 

[cardinal]

I'm not sure. Haven't had them off the floor. But I have to dial back the bass on the rigs I use. I have them sitting on the floor as in the pic and I sit on a fucking bean bag because I'm a lazy fuck. I stand while I work all day. Sitting at the computer for years has toasted my back, so I stand all day and at night I sit on my ass.

I probably should stand because since I fired that thing up my ears are ringing fucking hard. I have the speakers blasting right at my ears. I like to sit in the middle to hear the stereo effect. So much different than running a single cab.

Yeah there's a crazy amount of bass coming out of such a small enclosure. I think it has more thump than my 4x12.

Oh, and I'd use the cab sims. This is intended to be a FRFR-type cabinet.

 

[billsbigego]

Do you record Direct or still use mic's.... yes, I'm old. And do you have any other clips?

I have to fight for every second I get with the thing. I have everything there is to record. I'm just fucking lazy. I will get around to it at some point. I'd do an iphone recording, but I don't know how to get it to sound decent. Like how far you put the phone from the speakers, etc....

I wish that technology would improve, it's 2015 and phone recordings still sound like shit. Worse than DV Cam / tape recordings in the 90's IMO.

 

[billsbigego]

Glad you're digging it man. Fuckin tech is great anymore, isn't it? You ever think you'd hear a modeler that sounds like that, especially after the Line6 shit years ago?

I haven't tried a Helix, so I wont bash that. But I do have an Amplifi 150 and the thing sucks, as bad as all the POD and L6 Rack shit I've had in the past.

Yeah the Kemper is great. I printed out 3 manuals into nice books @ staples as I hate reading PDF's. It's great because I love a challenge and there's a ton of shit to learn. But I also get pissed as I expect to know everything there is to know about it immediately. I'm just a retard like that. If I am not proficient at something inside and out it eats at me.

 

[billsbigego]

Im seriously considering getting a couple of these as well. Do you run them with the cab sim on or off?

You can run it through a power amp and regular cab with cab profiles off, or through a FRFR speaker like an Atomic CLR or Matrix FRFR like the Q12.

Cabinets is a whole subrealm with the Kemper. There's now menu options for "in the room feel" vs. "mic'd cab" and a ton of other options. I have enough to do for 2 years before I have this thing mastered. It's good for a schlump like me because I go bat shit crazy in the Winter with nothing to do.

 

[PBGas]

Very nicely done! That setup looks like it could do some damage!
Wish those were around when I had my Kemper...may have changed my mind.

 

[billsbigego]

It's doing damage alright. My ears are ringing HARD since I got it. I got a dB meter on my phone. Trying to keep it < 90.
I've never heard a MK II C+ in person.
If the profiles of the MK-II C+ sound anything like the real thing then holy shit, now I know why everyone goes ape shit over teh MK-II C+ heads.

 

[Racerxrated]

It's doing damage alright. My ears are ringing HARD since I got it. I got a dB meter on my phone. Trying to keep it < 90.
I've never heard a MK II C+ in person.
If the profiles of the MK-II C+ sound anything like the real thing then holy shit, now I know why everyone goes ape shit over teh MK-II C+ heads.

Yeah Mark 2C+ is the real deal. Find a combo and run it through a 4X12. Same tone. Or buy a headshell and stick someone for waay too much cash. Congrats on the Kemper! I've heard they just don't take the place of a good tube amp, and then I've heard they do. Who knows. I guess until I try one......

 

[billsbigego]

I'm pretty fussy when it comes to tone. I've had a recto and have had/have Mark V's/ 6505+ and all sorts of other high gain amps.
I've had every L6 modeling product save for the Helix. I was pretty sure modeling was not for me because if the Line 6 stuff. I hate to bash them and say they suck, well they suck. But I can't speak for the Helix.

This thing is astounding. All the little subtle nuances of the pick attack are there. The percussiveness of the pick attack is there. You can hear everything. There's no mud. The clarity between notes is unreal. It just looks kind of wonky. That's my only complaint with it. I would have got the rack version, but I'm sort of sick of bulky rack shit. This thing fits nicely in the box I got from Thomman. Completely stoked.

 

[Bishop5150]

Congrats! Picked up the rack version myself a few months ago. Haven't had much time to play with it though. I have an Axe-Fx XL as well and both are amazing tech. I give the edge to the Kemper for tone and the Axe for FX. Both are killer though. I've been using 2 XiTone wedges. I'm curious about the Matrix cabs. I've heard good thins about them. I'm still using my tube amps for live gigs though. Not quite ready to take that next step yet I guess. Enjoy the new rig.