Tell me why the Kemper sucks

Spaceboy

Spaceboy

Well-known member
I have a handful of great amps that all basically do one thing. I’ve been on a hunt for a 3+ channel amp to cover more ground, and off some of the shit I have sitting around. I just haven’t found the right amp. I’m considering just going with a powered Kemper, direct profiling my amps for comparison and then maybe selling some. I’ll keep a couple certain amps around for recording purposes, but honestly the last two sessions I’ve done I ended up using amps the studios hand in hand instead of what I brought. There are no shows happening due to Covid, but my band has already swapped out to those solid state BluGuitars for practice and that really sounds great and more manageable. I might just jump over to powered Kemper and footswitch to consolidate things. I rarely use effects, just delay reverb and a boost, which I’m sure the Kemper is more than capable. A set only needs 3-4 tones really for me.

I had multiple versions of the Axe FX. It always sounds great but I get lost in tweaking. Heck, I get lost in audition boosts and IRS with my amps as it is. I’m hoping maybe Kemper would let me get a profile, spend less time tweaking and more playing. I can grab profiles of the exact tones we use in studio, and of course find more onlline.

Tell me why the thing sucks, because it’s starting to look far too convenient.
 
Kemper doesn't suck at all! Lot's of people use it and it has proven itself. That being said, I'm simply not a fan of it. I've had several of them over the years beginning when they first came out. I've had my issues with them but for me, I just didn't like using the unit and I hate the whole finding the right profile thing. It's not for everyone.

I've had an Axe III for more then 2.5 years now and honestly still love the unit and how easy it is to get a great tone. I really don't do a heck of a lot of tweaking other then using a few IRs that I really like on top of the amazing amount of items that it comes with in the box. I recently picked up an FM3 as well for a more portable setup whenever we get back to gigging but for now I am using it at rehearsals and it is awesome as well.

The main thing is if you like what you hear from the unit and like working with the editor and on the unit itself. I find it very easy to use. For me, I wanted to take less to a gig and reduce the amount of weight I have to carry. I also wanted a quick and easy setup and a consistent sound and I have that.
 
Spaceboy said:
I have a handful of great amps that all basically do one thing. I’ve been on a hunt for a 3+ channel amp to cover more ground, and off some of the shit I have sitting around. I just haven’t found the right amp. I’m considering just going with a powered Kemper, direct profiling my amps for comparison and then maybe selling some. I’ll keep a couple certain amps around for recording purposes, but honestly the last two sessions I’ve done I ended up using amps the studios hand in hand instead of what I brought. There are no shows happening due to Covid, but my band has already swapped out to those solid state BluGuitars for practice and that really sounds great and more manageable. I might just jump over to powered Kemper and footswitch to consolidate things. I rarely use effects, just delay reverb and a boost, which I’m sure the Kemper is more than capable. A set only needs 3-4 tones really for me.

I had multiple versions of the Axe FX. It always sounds great but I get lost in tweaking. Heck, I get lost in audition boosts and IRS with my amps as it is. I’m hoping maybe Kemper would let me get a profile, spend less time tweaking and more playing. I can grab profiles of the exact tones we use in studio, and of course find more onlline.

Tell me why the thing sucks, because it’s starting to look far too convenient.
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It sucks because it's not a real tube amp.

:oops:

Actually, were I you (and I'm not so YMMV), I'd consider a Kemper Stage or an un-powered Kemper rack/toaster, and a tube power amp like a Power Station (which has other utilities obv, so not a one trick pony), then run into your cab. Or just go the FRFR route.

I'm not on the Kemper wagon, but I run my Helix into my PS-2 and am quite happy with the results. It makes for ease of performing and recording, as I can get the DI and IR output panned hard in each direction for the main outs, while using the "amp in room" for feel and feedback, not to mention not having to wear headphones while tracking. You also have the option to mic your cab.

Similar to you, there are only really a few sounds I need. I've set up a couple of guitar-dependent presets that pretty much get me everything I want, then use snapshots and stomp mode to do all of my changes. It gets me through rehearsals and, again, whenever we play live, this will likely be my rig. It also controls for backlines where venues provide it themselves, so I can just go Helix-->backline amp FX loop return or slave in, and I'm set.

Early on in my Helix experience, I would easily get lost in tweaking rabbit holes, but at this point I've got my standard preset that I copy and adjust levels and maybe a block here or there to more align with whichever style or guitar that I am playing.

The powered Kemper always freaked me out a bit because that's 600W, and I don't want to overpower and fry my cab speakers. I don't have any cabs that go beyond 200W.
 
I've only played a Kemper a couple of times. When I played a powered one through a 4x12 cab it sounded like an amp that was mic'd up through a PA. It didn't sound bad - it was loud and punchy - but something just wasn't jiving for me. Maybe it would have been different through a tube power amp or a different preset, I don't know. They also had a headphone set up with it too. I thought that it sounded much better that way. I've also certainly heard some great direct recorded tones with it. I walked away thinking for my tastes it would be best as a studio tool or running direct than using it to replace a 4x12.
 
A powered Kemper > Kab with remote is a glorious setup. Really quick to setup, light to carry, and packs a whallop of tones.
Also happens to slay in the studio.

The above is right though, sometimes it takes a while to settle into the right profiles. You could also get lost profiling; every tweak on your rig chain makes you want another profile and it gets overwhelming fast. It's fun but can take over your time if you let it. I settled into my own profiles that I made, but there are plenty of pro and free ones that I could use that sound great.
 
It's great if you're happy with 80%. If you're an experienced player, who can feel and hear the difference, that 20% will bug the shit out of you.
 
Had one but couldn't get it to my liking so i sold it. Never felt like the amps i was profiling and never sounded "complete" to my ears. YMMV.
 
I’ve had a Kemper for years.
It’s really great for recording, specifically scrolling through the presets to find the tone that best suits the song.
I usually lay down the main track with an amp and use Kemper for overdubs , solos etc. does sound good and is so fast compared to setting up mics- trying cabs / speakers etc.
I don’t do this for a living, so time is in short supply.

I’ve done a few side by sides with the exact amps I profiled, in the moment I profiled them ( exact same settings / day / cab etc.)
It’s hard to put my finger on the exact difference ,
In a general sense kemper seems slightly more polite and a bit less 3D than a real amp.

Playing out Diezel or Bogner amps are the only tube amps I’ve been happy with for clean/ crunch / lead.
Kemper can do it too but it’s a different thing. I tried it but something was missing ...
So I still use a tube amp and it’s really self indulgent! No one else hears the amp like me.
I do however find myself more inspired to play in the moment/ create in the moment , with a cab pushing air behind me.
It’s just more fun.

If you were happy with the AxeFx , the tones in kemper should be fine.
Just have to resist searching for the next best thing and stick to your profiles!
 
I have never owned a Kemper but have owned every Fractal Audio device since they came out. Gave modelers a break to go back to tube amps. My line up is Friedman BE DLX, Cameron modded and JCM 800 with the Hopkins Pandora mod. I run these out of 2 real 412 cabinets with GB top and V30s bottom all being powered by a Boss Waza TAE. Last year I got back into the modelling game with a AXE FX 3. I have 2 Friedman ASM12 cabinets but must say that I prefer to run the AXE FX with real cabinets as for some reason I never gelled with IR's and I find that with IR's it just adds a ton of extra tweaking. I also run the AXE FX 3 into real cabinets and run IRs into the ASM12s at the same time for even more of a polished tone. The possibilities are endless.

My point is that I feel that a lot of guys are trying to have the modeler do everything in the signal chain. For me the amp sims and effects are spot on to me but the IR side doesn't sit well with me so I use real cabinets instead. I have posted a few clips on GN of a comparison between my real BE DLX and the AXE FX 3 and everyone thought the AXE FX 3 was the real tube amp. To each their own. It is all trial and error and most of the time it is just a parameter change that you stumble across that makes the world of difference in the modelled tone.

These are all tools.
 
I never liked the FRFR thing with the Axe FX. It was great at home and recording, but I ended up doing a power amp into a regular guitar cab with the band. It was kinda ridiculous to carry all of that though, it was actually more bullshit to setup than my amp rig, so I ended up going back to amps and now use loadboxes through studio monitors most of the time at home. The Kemper would basically supplant that. I’ve got seven amps sitting here, the are true keepers and some are redundant. My hope is that the Kemper would let me sell off some things at mostly be a convenience for band use into guitar cabinets. I’m not too concerned about wattage handling, with solid state I’d really have to push the volume to blow a speaker. I’d like to practice with the band through a cab, and take the same rig in one convenient bag home to record with the same direct profiles into IRs or whatever. FRFR isn’t for me outside of recoding at home. I want the modeler to do everything except be the cab, I guess. It was a pain in the ass getting the Axe FX dialed in, I’m hoping that the Kemper powered is a most all-in-one kind of situation.

I was expecting someone to chime in with a “weird mids” or some sort of complaint that I haven’t come across yet.
 
aside said:
It's great if you're happy with 80%. If you're an experienced player, who can feel and hear the difference, that 20% will bug the shit out of you.
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Amen to this... I still have mine for shits and giggles but as for trying to nail my existing amps via profiling? It doesn't... Something about the highs that sound slightly digital to me. It's fun though.
 
You may want to wait a few months. Models and captures.



Nothing wrong with the Kemper though. I agree about the 80% thing although I'd say to my burnt ears it's closer to 90%.
 
Texhex said:
You may want to wait a few months. Models and captures.



Nothing wrong with the Kemper though. I agree about the 80% thing although I'd say to my burnt ears it's closer to 90%.
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Interesting piece. Not sure what this has over the Kemper stage, besides being 1/2 the weight.
I also think the thing that sets Kemper apart is the way it captures air moving during the profiling process. Not sure how this piece does it as they seemed to go direct, which would not capture the air.

Also, for those of you saying Kemper is only 80%...if you go into a control room and mic up your rig and profile, I'm fairly certain the tones compared would be 99% to indistinguishable.

But if you are standing in front of your amp stack in Madison Square Bedroom and then try to replace your tube amp with the Kemper, it will sound ok but will not compare. The Kab makes things a lot better in this area, but I'm thinking the drawbacks I read are probably this application. Studio or live to a house PA and no one will know.

There are certain amps that don't profile as well, but in general you can get 90% amps out there nailed with Kemper.
 
I have little interest in an unproven products like the Neural. I’m not crazy about the couple of their plugins I purchased. I would be waiting at least a couple years for the hype to die down and the inevitable bugs to be worked out before I’d feel comfortable trusting it on gigs. The Kemper has internal power where the Neural doesn’t, which is less to hook up.

Thanks for the input I guess I’ll just order the dang thing with a return policy and start with doing some direct profiles of my amps to compare.
 
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Spaceboy said:
I have little interest in an unproven products like the Neural. I’m not crazy about the couple of their plugins I purchased. I would be waiting at least a couple years for the hype to die down and the inevitable bugs to be worked out before I’d feel comfortable trusting it on gigs. The Kemper has internal power where the Neural doesn’t, which is less to hook up.

Thanks for the input I guess I’ll just order the dang thing with a return policy and start with doing some direct profiles of my amps to compare.
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That’s the way to go...I think these products are great tools to have; ie recording, gigs etc BUT I’d never off a favorite tube amp to get one. I had an AX8 and while it was nice, it fell far short of any of the tube amps I have, no matter how I ran it ...FRFR or through a power amp/cab.
 
IMO it doesn’t.

There’s a learning curve and bunches of little tweaks for Ins/outs/levels and such that help the in-room experience.
The trick is finding those few profiles that get you wet and just play.

I'll add a little different perspective on the 80%-90% thing... the Kemper Stage allowed me the ability to get 80% of some amps that i'll never, ever own. Old Marshall SL68... for one. and it'll get close enough, the crowd will never know, cause you'll be 100% rockin-them-the-fack-out~ :rock:
 
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