To Kemper or wait?

[BatmansRigTalk]

So because of discounts, I may get a Kemper earlier than I have been holding out. I have a small amp farm and Two Notes Torpedo Live into a Headrush FRFR 112.

What’s holding me back for this long is that Kemper is what 2013? and it’s 2019. They seem to have not updated their hardware much. Then there is Fractal Audio and is on AXE III at the moment. If I was to get the Kemper now and they release a new version in 2020, that would be a bit of a kick in teeth for how much money is being laid out here.

I am thinking about the rack without the poweramp to go with my rack gear but maybe getting the head would be better as it has more controls on the front on it as opposed to having to program those in?

Also what about the remote? I can get this bundled in this discount but I am wondering how much more it makes the Kemper accessible? I guess you can actually turn on and off pedals this way and go from clean to dirt so maybe that might actually be more of a must than a maybe?

A big thing for me is my Wah pedal. I love my wah with my tube amps. How does the Kemper handle wah pedals? Just as good as tubes or not so well handled?

Then there is my Two Notes Torpedo Live. I know the Kemper does IRs but the Torpedo Live is the best at emulating cabs I have heard so far. I was wondering if it’s possible to go from the Kemper to the Torpedo and use the Torpedo’s IRs instead of the Kemper. How would you do that?

 

[ClintN667]

you can turn off the cab so you should be able to use a two notes but dont take my word as an authority on it. As far as the footswitch if you are going to use the kemper the footswitch is a no brainer. Besides switching profile, you can turn on/off effects, has a built in tuner and looper. Not to mention the Morph function. If you can get a deal on buying both you should do it. I ended up selling my Kemper. Besides tweaking profiles constantly I found that that since I used the same external cab most amps sounded pretty much the same. Amps I thought I would love I felt "meh" but I know if I played the real amp I would love it.

 

[ElMuchoDingo]

I've done the kemper two notes thing before, works well with direct profiles. you can do it a few ways, put the two notes in a loop so the delay and verb are after it. output from the kemper in master mono, or take the direct out to the inout of the two notes. it works really well actually in my opinion. i also used it that way with a helix, which i like better as i have more control over the amp settings. i even used the kemper/helix/twonotes combo live once, sounded pretty good

 

[the rossness]

So because of discounts, I may get a Kemper earlier than I have been holding out. I have a small amp farm and Two Notes Torpedo Live into a Headrush FRFR 112.

What’s holding me back for this long is that Kemper is what 2013? and it’s 2019. They seem to have not updated their hardware much. Then there is Fractal Audio and is on AXE III at the moment. If I was to get the Kemper now and they release a new version in 2020, that would be a bit of a kick in teeth for how much money is being laid out here.

"if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

 

[Monkey Man]

Exactly.

What’s holding me back for this long is that Kemper is what 2013? and it’s 2019. They seem to have not updated their hardware much. Then there is Fractal Audio and is on AXE III at the moment. If I was to get the Kemper now and they release a new version in 2020, that would be a bit of a kick in teeth for how much money is being laid out here.

Actually, it was late 2011/January 2012.

There's been no need to update the hardware yet. Software improvements in terms of functionality and effects continue to drop, and the remote editor's coming soon.

Even if a newer Kemper version comes out, within a year or two Fractal will update the Axe anyway, so you'd "lose" that game either way.

IMHO the healthiest way to look at it is to ask yourself, "does the unit do everything I need it to do?". If the answer's "yes", the initial outlay will never have been in vain.

I am thinking about the rack without the poweramp to go with my rack gear but maybe getting the head would be better as it has more controls on the front on it as opposed to having to program those in?

Nobody has felt he was missing out on anything by getting the rack, believe me. I prefer the rack myself anyway 'cause I'm a rack guy.

You can mount it into a small road-case-style enclosure or even a custom-retro "shell" to rest on your cab for gigging and it looks cool and won't be easily knocked over as the case may be with the "toaster".

Also what about the remote? I can get this bundled in this discount but I am wondering how much more it makes the Kemper accessible? I guess you can actually turn on and off pedals this way and go from clean to dirt so maybe that might actually be more of a must than a maybe?

Yes, it's typical for it to be bundled if you want both products; there'll always be a saving that way.

For gigging folks say it's a must. Lots of super-cool functionality in there and programming it's the easiest I've ever seen on a board.

A big thing for me is my Wah pedal. I love my wah with my tube amps. How does the Kemper handle wah pedals? Just as good as tubes or not so well handled?

Handles all drives and wahs like a champ. Many users have said they cannot tell any difference when goosing the input with various drives and whatnot compared to the same pedals into their own amps that they've used for many years and then Profiled.

Also, I have a thread at the forum where I've collected all the best wah presets and offer them as a downloadable zip file and PDF outlining all settings and background. Folks seem to love 'em. IIRC there're about 27 there. Most have been programmed by one of the Kemper staff where he matched the characteristics exhibited by white-noise files users have passed through their wahs at home and sent to him.

Bottom line is even the stock wah presets smash all other modellers' wahs that I've tried (and that's many since the early '90s) to smithereens. Typically for me modelled wahs sound harsh. The Kemper's don't.

Then there is my Two Notes Torpedo Live. I know the Kemper does IRs but the Torpedo Live is the best at emulating cabs I have heard so far. I was wondering if it’s possible to go from the Kemper to the Torpedo and use the Torpedo’s IRs instead of the Kemper. How would you do that?

Pbfoot covered this a couple of posts earlier, but I'd say this:

Don't underestimate the cabs already in the Rigs (Profile+cab+mic etc.) on the Kemper. You can swap the current Rig's cab with that of any other Rig residing in the unit, or choose from converted (imported) IR's from your collection if you like.

I've seen many a dude spend months messing around with IR's and then return to the Kemper's Profiled cabs. To my ears they're "more-alive" and react more-naturally than static IR's.

HTH mate, and if you take the plunge be sure to come say hi at the forum.

 

[xzyryabx]

In the same boat as you.
Been waiting for years and every extra year makes it harder to take the plunge cause based on my experience with stocks the second I buy it the new one will drop.
For what it's worth, think of the number of times the axe-fx has been upgraded and the fact that it's still 50/50 if you'll like the axe or the kemper. Anyways in the mix they are both indistinguishable from real amps and both sound superb.
I say just buy it and be done with it.

 

[thrashinbatman]

Because of the difference in approach to tone crafting and the way each operates, the Axe-FX can justify upgrading every few years because it's a lot more CPU heavy than the Kemper. According to the Kemper dudes, they actually still haven't hit the ceiling in regard to the technology yet, because the Kemper, while it does a lot, only needs to do a few things at a time. It'll probably be a few years yet before they move on to the Kemper II, and even then I imagine a new Kemper will focus more on improved I/O as opposed to upgraded tech.

 

[vultures]

So because of discounts, I may get a Kemper earlier than I have been holding out. I have a small amp farm and Two Notes Torpedo Live into a Headrush FRFR 112.

What’s holding me back for this long is that Kemper is what 2013? and it’s 2019. They seem to have not updated their hardware much. Then there is Fractal Audio and is on AXE III at the moment. If I was to get the Kemper now and they release a new version in 2020, that would be a bit of a kick in teeth for how much money is being laid out here.

I waited a while to get a Kemper, but since I've had mine the AxeFx Ax8, Axe FXIII, Helix, HX Stomp, countless plugins/"Kemper Killers" and now the Fractal FM3 have come out. They look cool, but not a single one has ever made me think of selling my Kemper. Even if a Kemper II came out, the original Kemper has an unbelievable amount of versatility, more than I'll ever use or really need.

I am thinking about the rack without the poweramp to go with my rack gear but maybe getting the head would be better as it has more controls on the front on it as opposed to having to program those in?

The only benefit of the Powered version is being able to go out to a Cab or unpowered PA. It's only 1 output. If you need more than 1 Cab/Speaker go unpowered and get a nice power amp for it. If you're using Powered Speakers/PA or the venue's stuff, you don't need any power. I have a powered rack, and I've been thinking about getting a patch bay for the front so I can access all my inputs/outputs through the front. If you plan on running through a power conditioner, have a Kemper Remote and bring lots of cables with you, the rack is the easiest way to go.

Also what about the remote? I can get this bundled in this discount but I am wondering how much more it makes the Kemper accessible? I guess you can actually turn on and off pedals this way and go from clean to dirt so maybe that might actually be more of a must than a maybe?

If you're playing live, the Remote is the only way to go. You can turn off one or multiple effects with specific switches. Also if you plan to ever use more than 1 profile while gigging, you'll need it. I went for years without it and struggled. The performance mode you can

A big thing for me is my Wah pedal. I love my wah with my tube amps. How does the Kemper handle wah pedals? Just as good as tubes or not so well handled?

The Kemper built in Wah is pretty dang good. You can hook up an expression pedal to the remote and set it for different things. It can be wah, volume, or morph whatever effects you want. You can set the Kemper's Wah (and every other effect) to front of the amp, pre or post, or in the loop. You can also hook up a regular Wah Pedal to the Kemper like you would a regular amp, right up front or there's an actual FX Loop in the back of the Kemper you can physically plug a pedal into. From that physical FX loop you can choose if the pedal plugged in goes in front of the amp (pre or post) or in the actual FX Loop. Really versatile. I currently have a Precision Drive physically plugged into the FX Loop, but it's going in front of the amp pre.

Here's a pic of my remote with a DOD Mini Expression pedal. It's mounted so that I can store it magnetically on my rack lid for travel:

Then there is my Two Notes Torpedo Live. I know the Kemper does IRs but the Torpedo Live is the best at emulating cabs I have heard so far. I was wondering if it’s possible to go from the Kemper to the Torpedo and use the Torpedo’s IRs instead of the Kemper. How would you do that?

No experience there at all, but I've been using a Mesa 4x12 for years with the Kemper and the sound was good. It wasn't until I recently bought a Electro-Voice EKX-12 Passive PA speaker, the Kemper sounds like a brand new amp. Hearing the profiles more accurately is honestly mind blowing to me. I've since sold my Mesa 4x12. Don't underestimate the Kemper's IRs like I did. I might grab a Headrush FRFR 1x12, but I kinda liked the fact that the EV EKX-12 has a wood enclosure like an actual amp cabinet and not plastic.

 

[glassjaw7]

I'm in the same boat. Ready to stop buying amps, at least for awhile (ha) and try a Kemper. My hesitation is due to wanting to use it with regular guitar cabs and it seems there are more cons than pros when using it this way.

I know it can be done with merged profiles but it seems pretty inconsistent as far as accuracy and I just get tired of playing through PA speakers or studio monitors. I like the sound of guitar cabs/speakers. I wonder if there's a way to get closer to accurately nailing that "amp in the room" sound. Maybe that will be a goal with the next gen hardware.

 

[ClintN667]

I'm in the same boat. Ready to stop buying amps, at least for awhile (ha) and try a Kemper. My hesitation is due to wanting to use it with regular guitar cabs and it seems there are more cons than pros when using it this way.

I know it can be done with merged profiles but it seems pretty inconsistent as far as accuracy and I just get tired of playing through PA speakers or studio monitors. I like the sound of guitar cabs/speakers. I wonder if there's a way to get closer to accurately nailing that "amp in the room" sound. Maybe that will be a goal with the next gen hardware.

when using it with a cab a lot of amps are going to sound a very similar. I would rather have 3-4 good amps covering the main style of amps(Marshall type, Mesa, Peavey, Orange) than going back to Kemper. It's a damn cool device. I absolutely loved the wah's and the rest of the effects suited me just fine even though most people say thats the weak point. My personality just doesnt click with these type of devices. Too many options. I found myself switching profiles and tweaking settings more than playing. It did teach me that there are only a couple amps that I really would want and that I dont need 100 effects. The Kemper is 99.5% close to an amp but for me that 0.5% means a lot. I do recommend if you go with a Kemper and cab grab a Tube Power amp. It adds some warmth to it. I ended up buying a Kemper, a tube power amp, a rack case, Kemper remote, and a shit load of commercial profiles. I wish I would have just kept my 6505+ and got something like a Splawn or Friedman, an Orange OR15, and a used Mark IV. I would have came out cheaper and been happier.

Again this is just my experience with them. I know a lot of people that got one and never looked back but personally I didnt jive with it.

 

[WarHed]

when using it with a cab a lot of amps are going to sound a very similar. I would rather have 3-4 good amps covering the main style of amps(Marshall type, Mesa, Peavey, Orange) than going back to Kemper. It's a damn cool device. I absolutely loved the wah's and the rest of the effects suited me just fine even though most people say thats the weak point. My personality just doesnt click with these type of devices. Too many options. I found myself switching profiles and tweaking settings more than playing. It did teach me that there are only a couple amps that I really would want and that I dont need 100 effects. The Kemper is 99.5% close to an amp but for me that 0.5% means a lot. I do recommend if you go with a Kemper and cab grab a Tube Power amp. It adds some warmth to it. I ended up buying a Kemper, a tube power amp, a rack case, Kemper remote, and a shit load of commercial profiles. I wish I would have just kept my 6505+ and got something like a Splawn or Friedman, an Orange OR15, and a used Mark IV. I would have came out cheaper and been happier.

Again this is just my experience with them. I know a lot of people that got one and never looked back but personally I didnt jive with it.

I find this comment interesting as it's pretty much exactly what I did and ended up. Played moddlers for years, helix, kemper etc. Then ultimately realised I really only need three good amps (I have up to 14 at times). I ended up with a Friedman, SLO and Mark III. Those pretty much cover everything I ever want to do and sound better than I ever got my moddlers to sound. But, i'm not gigging and the practicality of a kemper or whatever is a major factor in that.

 

[ClintN667]

I have a KSR Orthos but I want to add a Friedman Butterslax or JJ this year and maybe a Mark IV. That would really cover pretty much everything I would want but maybe a small Orange amp to for when I feel like some Doom/Stoner metal.

 

[thrashinbatman]

Nowadays I find the Kemper to be a much more useful tool live than the studio. It's probably just me, but I prefer dialing in an amp and micing up a cab to record. Not really because it feels more real than the Kemper, I buy into the hype of it 100%, but more because I prefer creating a tone as opposed to using one someone else made.

However, nothing beats the versatility and flexibility of the Kemper live. I can bring both my Engl Savage and modded Marshall with all of the effects I need in a small 4U case that weighs about 30 pounds, versus having to lug just one of those big bastards around with a pedalboard that I have to wire up every single show.

Even though I agree that with the Kemper I've learned I like a small selection of amps (all I have left to get in order to cover all my tastes would be a 5150 III, a Mesa Mark, and maybe a Friedman), the ability to pack up a selection of my favorite tones from all of them in a much smaller package is too good to pass up.

 

[peterc52]

I had the same thought not long ago when I bought my Kemper. Bought it 4 months ago. I’m happy with it

 

[BatmansRigTalk]

Thanks, everyone. This is good feedback.

Now having said that, I think I will just wait the year until 2020, maybe purely for financial reasons even with the discount, but I'll wait the extra year with a little more patients.

I know it might not make a fraction of a difference but I will tell you this... I won't be buying another amp in the meantime. The next purchase will likely be a Kemper.

This thread is going to be bookmarked.

Thanks, everyone. Really great feedback.

 

[racerevlon]

Please don’t crucify me over this...

Is the Kemper targeted at players doing mostly cover gigs? I mean, for my original music I typically want “my” tone. I don’t know of many artists doing original music approaching it like, “on song ‘A’ I want a Marshall-type tone but on song ‘B’ I want a more Orange-type tone.” Am I wrong? Please educate me, and thanks in advance.

 

[thrashinbatman]

Please don’t crucify me over this...

Is the Kemper targeted at players doing mostly cover gigs? I mean, for my original music I typically want “my” tone. I don’t know of many artists doing original music approaching it like, “on song ‘A’ I want a Marshall-type tone but on song ‘B’ I want a more Orange-type tone.” Am I wrong? Please educate me, and thanks in advance.

Given the amount of original artists using Kempers, I'd say so. Not necessarily in the studio, more live though. The benefit of the Kemper is that live I can take "my" tone while having a much smaller rig. There's some Rig Rundown where a deathcore band, IDK which one, talk through their rig and they do exactly what you say. Nuts to me, but whatevers suits them.

 

[Monkey Man]

Well, it's no different from having a roomful of amps to choose from IMHO racerevion.

You might love the sound of a Colonial, Marshall or Friedman for hard rock, an AC30, Matchless or Morgan for cleans and a Bassman for edge-of-breakup blues tones. With the Kemper you can have 'em all and programme Performances (5 tones per bank of 5 switches - one Performance per song, for instance) on a per-song basis.

So, instead of having to rely on channel switching or rolling your guitar-volume pot back and getting essentially just variations in drive of the same basic tone, you can mix and match what to your ears are the best of the best clean, edge-of-breakup, crunch and heavily-driven tones from a ridiculously-huge array of amps across the verse, bridge, chorus and lead break of any given song.

Obviously in a recording situation this versatility is gold too.

 

[thisguy]

 

[crankyrayhanky]

Please don’t crucify me over this...

Is the Kemper targeted at players doing mostly cover gigs? I mean, for my original music I typically want “my” tone. I don’t know of many artists doing original music approaching it like, “on song ‘A’ I want a Marshall-type tone but on song ‘B’ I want a more Orange-type tone.” Am I wrong? Please educate me, and thanks in advance.

It depends on how diverse your band is. For all my high gain drop C and dropA stuff, I tend to use my Revv ch3 & 4 profiles. Maybe I switch it up to Cobra on some days. We have a few blusier rock tunes that I use either the Revv ch2 or sometimes my OR100 or DMoll ch 1 or 2 profiles for something a bit darker and juicier. ...and now we have a new mellow Pink Floyd-ish tune- I'm getting awesome tones as is, but I may snag a HiWatt and see how that goes. So I could get by with all Revv profiles (there's 4 diverse channels on that amp), but I could mix it up a bit.

FWIW, I bought the Kemper when it came out (2012ish?). A year goes by and my friend is saying the same things I hear here- "I don't want kemper II to come out and screw me". Eventually he snagged one and loves it. I think a Kemper II is still years away, but even if it came out tomorrow, this versions is AMAZING.