Kemper clip - Crazy Train

[javert]

That's it alright!

[tomanyjacksons]

I saw these a little while back. The theory seems sound as long as you have access to all the amps you want to capture, correct? Is it set up when you get it with a lot of amps?

[roodyrocker]

I don't have a Kemper. But I still have my Axe Fx Ultra AND I have my Randall MTS stuff including the modules you modded for me Pete. Good stuff indeed good to see you back on here Pete!

[Twisteramps]

I saw these a little while back. The theory seems sound as long as you have access to all the amps you want to capture, correct? Is it set up when you get it with a lot of amps?

Yep, comes with dozens of amps, and you can download or share new ones. Of course, the quality varies... I prefer the ones I create over ones that are available for the most part. I just know what I like my stuff to sound like - basically if you can get a tone you like with a miked amp, you can feed that into the kemper and recall it at will. And even alter it - can clean up the gain, change the EQ, add fx, add more gain, change speaker cabs, etc.

[emperor_black]

This is one piece of gear which I couldn't get past my wife by saying 'what this? I've had it for years!' If she's been paying any attention to all the star trek episodes I made her watch, she'll recognize that this is from the Enterprise!

Is this the thing you speak of? Line level digital preamp?

[roodyrocker]

This is one piece of gear which I couldn't get past my wife by saying 'what this? I've had it for years!' If she's been paying any attention to all the star trek episodes I made her watch, she'll recognize that this is from the Enterprise!

Now that is brilliant! Yes, its from the USS Enterprise

[xenophobe]

Yeah, that was my first thought too... it looks like a piece of equipment from TNG. lol

Yep, comes with dozens of amps, and you can download or share new ones. Of course, the quality varies... I prefer the ones I create over ones that are available for the most part. I just know what I like my stuff to sound like - basically if you can get a tone you like with a miked amp, you can feed that into the kemper and recall it at will. And even alter it - can clean up the gain, change the EQ, add fx, add more gain, change speaker cabs, etc.

So how does this compare... or rather, what's different about this and an Axe FX, for example?

Sorry, I'm a bit clueless about high-end modeling stuff... but I just bought a Matrix GT1000FX, so I'm looking into something to plug into it.

[emperor_black]

So, I've been reading a little about this vs the AXE FX...this one does almost everything as the AXE FX, but is not rack-mountable. The AXE has better effects than this. This one profiles amps but to get your dream tone, you still need to tweak it. But with the AXE-FX II's tone-matching, you give it a clip and it programs the exact tone. Some of the youtube vids are unreal !!

it might sound cool that you can "load" several amps into it like some boutique amps, but it seems the range of sounds an actual amp can put out, this one cannot. On the other hand, with this you can get more gain out of an amp that the actual amp could have without using a pedal. Again, these are just some things I have read. Pete can give much better info. I just have the Axe Ultra.

[Mazrim]

I might be picking one up this week. I already have an Ultra but I dont need 97% of what it can do and I think the Kemper does a better job of real world amp tones.
Its more sophisticated than simple tone (EQ) matching. It captures a lot of the gain and distortion characteristics (plus dynamics) of a real amp and if Andy Sneap swears by it then thats good enough for me. A lot of the Youtube vids I've seen are insane.
I was going to get an Axe II (I still might) but I'm going to check one of these out first.

[Shawn Lutz]

pretty damn cool! what amp profile were you using? Sound a tad buzzy and top heavy but that was Randy on Blizzard

I have a few of those backing tracks w/o any guitars on it and they are fun ans hell to play along with. Almost like you are jamming with Lee, Bob, Don and Ozzy!

[Twisteramps]

I owned an Axe FX rig from 2008 - 2012. This is my opinion only, your mileage may vary, etc. BTW I also had a friend bring over an axe II and we both preferred the Kemper tone wise.

1) the axe is a lot deeper as far as options. If you are the type of guy who will spend weeks deciding on what preamp tube to put into V2, or size of speaker wire in your cab - go axe fx. the Kemper is much more instantly gratifying.

2) fx are better on the axe fx. Fx on the kemper are good, but nowhere near the depth. Axe can parallel route fx, run two amps at once, eight tube screamers in a row, whatever. Again, not important for me because I like the sound of the amp foremost, fx are icing on the cake. If you need to stack a ton of fx to get your tone, axe fx is your box.

3) to match an amp with the kemper, you need that amp and a microphone. Whatever you feed into the kemper with the microphone is what you're going to get, then you can add fx, eq it, change cabs, etc. Axe can't do this.

4) axe EQ match takes an already existing sound file of a guitar on it's own, and changes the eq within the axe to match. BUT you have to start with a similar amp and go from there. You can't take a Fender Twin axe preset, and tone match a metallica crunch rhythm. Depending on what you start with, you may be closer or further away. The Kemper can do this, but you need to have a program on your PC that matches EQ and run it inline with the microphone when you profile the amp. That's how I did the Randy Rhoads clip.

5) Axe is rack mount, which is nice... Kemper however is much easier to tweak quickly. Most of the menus are only a few clicks away if even that, many are on the front panel.

BTW, ran a profile of one of my vintage Marshalls (a '72 super lead) into a matrix GT1000FX, then into the cab I profiles (matching '72) and A/B'd it with the original head. In the room it was DAMNED close. You couldn't tell a difference IMHO playing or soundwise. Only downfall to running a rig this way is that you lose the different cab sounds that go with the profiles, meaning that a lot of your tones will have a lot in common... just like if you took different amp heads and plugged them into the same cab. hope that makes sense.

Yeah, that was my first thought too... it looks like a piece of equipment from TNG. lol




So how does this compare... or rather, what's different about this and an Axe FX, for example?

Sorry, I'm a bit clueless about high-end modeling stuff... but I just bought a Matrix GT1000FX, so I'm looking into something to plug into it.

[Twisteramps]

Actually took my bogner blue channel, ran a matching EQ between mic and kemper and profiled it like that. I can now pull up Randy-approved tone at will.

pretty damn cool! what amp profile were you using? Sound a tad buzzy and top heavy but that was Randy on Blizzard

I have a few of those backing tracks w/o any guitars on it and they are fun ans hell to play along with. Almost like you are jamming with Lee, Bob, Don and Ozzy!

[Twisteramps]

Effects are much better on the axe. On the Kemper though, you get four slots for pedals (everything from wah, overdrives, EQs, choruses, flangers, etc) then an 'x' slot for anything that is post amp, then a modulation slot that anything can go into, then a delay only slot and a reverb slot. Also has an effects loop 'effect' you can place instead of a pedal or the x or mod slot.

I have mine set up in general like this:

first pedal - overdrive
second - chorus
third flange
fourth wah
then the amp
'X' is set up for a volume boost for leads.
Mod is either a chorus, flange (effecting the tone much more than before the amp) or an Eventide pitchfactor in the loop for crazy stuff
delay
reverb

So you're not really missing out on effects, but you lose a lot of flexibility the axe has. I never used the stuff the axe had, most of the guys when I was doing it were running exciters and eq's pre and post and basically doing every thing they could at the time to bandaid the tone. Not necessary with the axe II, but the option load was staggering for me. After a point I got tired of tweaking and wanted to play more. The Kemper does this much better IMHO.

As far as actual range of amp tones - the kemper does that very well. If you can capture it with a mic, it can be put into the kemper. You can add or take away gain, change the eq, effects, change speaker cab, etc... can totally morph that original tone far beyond what you pulled, OR get an exact copy for use later.

You might prefer your axe, I'm sold on the kemper.

So, I've been reading a little about this vs the AXE FX...this one does almost everything as the AXE FX, but is not rack-mountable. The AXE has better effects than this. This one profiles amps but to get your dream tone, you still need to tweak it. But with the AXE-FX II's tone-matching, you give it a clip and it programs the exact tone. Some of the youtube vids are unreal !!

it might sound cool that you can "load" several amps into it like some boutique amps, but it seems the range of sounds an actual amp can put out, this one cannot. On the other hand, with this you can get more gain out of an amp that the actual amp could have without using a pedal. Again, these are just some things I have read. Pete can give much better info. I just have the Axe Ultra.

[Mazrim]

The Kemper does sound great and you rock yours to fuck, but in the end I went with an Axe Fx II. In fact I pick it up in a few hours.
Hopefully, the haulage Orcs have left enough of it to use.

I'm also going to run it through FRFR (QSC K10s) so I'll feel like a bit of a fag without a stack behind me (habit) but the times they are a changin'.

[Twisteramps]

The Kemper does sound great and you rock yours to fuck, but in the end I went with an Axe Fx II. In fact I pick it up in a few hours.
Hopefully, the haulage Orcs have left enough of it to use.

I'm also going to run it through FRFR (QSC K10s) so I'll feel like a bit of a fag without a stack behind me (habit) but the times they are a changin'.

Congrats, I A/B'd an axe FX II with the kemper (friend had one, he sold it and bought a kemper) but either piece of gear could make someone really happy. It's apples and oranges at that point.