AXE-FX 3 vs Kemper Profiler - Can The Kemper Still Hold Its Own?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ก.ค. 2022
- I have recently bought a Fractal Audio AXE FX 3, For my own sanity I wanted to see how much better the Axe FX is to the Kemper Profiler.
In this video, I compare the Axe fx 3 to its older counterpart the Kemper Profiler.
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Here's a tip from a lot of kemper Guys. If you want to use pedals, 1ST....find a profile with about 25 percent MORE gain than you would want. 2ND...THEN turn the gain down on the profile about that 25 percent to compensate and hit it with the pedal. This way the Kemper already knows what the higher gain would sound like. Give it a try.
Cool tip, cheers.
Do you mean this would this work in terms of a more accurate reproduction of what the pedal does to the source tone? If so, I'm not sure why this would be more accurate than just hitting the profile as it is, with the pedal.
@@Dimiguitar It's been widely known that adjusting the amplifier gain in a Kemper is not recommended. Turning down the gain and adding back the gain with a pedal produces a better sound as well as 'feel'. This method doesn't muddy the sound as much, it keeps lead sounds more clear and realistic instead of just adding more and more gain. Note separation is superior using the method above.
@@eulldog turning down the gain on the Kemper is adjusting the gain, no? If we're talking about increasing gain only, a pedal plus profile as it is, in my experience, gives more realistic results than reducing the gain from a profile and then adding a pedal. I don't mention adjusting the profile gain either way.
Yeah, I think that turning down the gain a Kemper generally works better than adding gain on the profile (via the gain control). But that doesn't mean turning down the gain and adding a pedal will get you more accurate results than ..
... Well.. Just using a profile made at proper gain levels, to begin with, to be boosted by an external pedal.
Maybe I'm missing something, but "Kemper will know how to react to the pedal because the original profile had more gain" doesn't make sense to me. The profile is supposed to react accurately to an input source to begin with. It's a profile; that's what it's intended for.
@@Dimiguitar Yes. turning down the gain is adjusting the gain, but only slightly. What I meant is that you don't adjust the gain very much, and for sure don't turn gain UP to get more gain (add a pedal instead). I'm not talking "realistic" here necessarily, just saying on a Kemper for lead sounds - don't just turn the amp gain up to get more grit. The Kemper sounds better for lead tones with gain slightly down + pedal on front end than just using the amp gain alone.
I own both and Kemper being 12 years old still one of the best amp out there.
@@inspiringminds7284 Its subjective, but, for also being 8 years older or so, it's amazing it still holds it's own and nobody here, in a professional mix or live situation, would be able to tell the difference if they couldn't see the gear and didn't already know what the band was using.
@@inspiringminds7284 not to me. I wouldn't trade it for an AXE FX3 straight across. But there was a learning curve, it sounded great at first, sounded amazing when I got it dialed in. Also, since Kemper updated its effects, they are close to Eventide quality now. Easily on par with AXE FX now. Kemper just has a better 'real amp' feel to me. Also, think about it, Fractal made 3 of these these AXE FX just to catch up with Kemper. Kemper is still 1st generation. That's some bragging rights.
I agree, the difference to me isn't big enough to retire the Kemper yet. I'm focusing more on my playing rather than how perfect the sounds are.
@@realtruenorth doubtful
@@realtruenorth The Kemper released after the axe fx2, so not a good point saying they needed 3 to catch up. I own both and like both. But use the axe fx 2 more with the midi controller it's nice to use live, and i like the amp response. But the sound of the Kemper is great. Both are solid products.
Hi Paul, 2 things to comment: 1: Kemper is not comparable to AXE, because you can really have a special cloned vintage amp that you love, or just some sounds from a friend's amp, you just can’t do that with an AXE…. 2 - As many say here, I use Kemper with a clean-crunch-dirty-Solo… from different amp takes, so I don't even touch the eq, nor the gain, so there is no compression or degradation . YES !, I always prefer a tube amp, but Kemper is still a good option for less heavy weight. AX Fx 3, it's really good, but it's another type of device not comparable. For me, without the computer screen.... AXE, it's very difficult to program, too complicated...
The Kemper is ideal for people like me who dont want to spend hours deep diving and tweaking a tone. Just download a great sounding profile and boom, job done. I dont have the patience for Axe Fx.
Pasa que carecen de educación estos equipos y para algunos se hace complicado llegar a los resultados que necesitas, estaba el axe fx3 y ahora salio la versión turbo y dicen que es lo mismo es lo malo de las marcas que cambia procesador y sacan un equipo nuevo en ves de pensar en algo definitivo que se enfoque solo en actualizaciones.
I agree but you also need to actually FIND and really gel with a great profile. I have spent countless hours going through profiles that I have spent a bunch of money on
I got my Kemper as a Gift from my wife 3 years ago to used it as my amp with my pedals. But lately I had been using only the Kemper with no pedals. And man I heck love it a lot how it sounds. So I have decide storage my pedals for a while.
Kemper made sell all my pedals lol
Lucky man :)
I’m so glad I watched this video. Great explanation between the two. Really appreciate it!
This is an excellent deep dive! I own a Kemper Stage. It’s amazing. That being said, all my profiles have a similar compression on top of them, from the Marshall to Friedman to Bogner,Diezel…I just purchased a100 watt Marshall Silver Jubilee /Weber Speakers and a new 5150, and cant stop smiling when I flip over to my real tube rigs. My ears are toasted, but its worth it. I flip between the Kemper and the real amps, just started using both, through A/B ..line out of Kemper to house board, best of both worlds ✊🏽
For Kemper - you need to profile each sound you want from the amp individually. Don't make the mistake and profile the amp and then try and tweak it to fit the various sounds you want. This is the single biggest issue/mistake I see with people using the Kemper. If you do not have the amp to profile each sound - the best option is to purchase a pack for the specific amp (usually comes w/ 20-50 profiles) - I would recommend ToneJunkie personally.
I wish the AXES FX had as good Cleans as the Kemper. I have never got the kind of "REAL" cleans I need out of any of the AXE FX models . . including the latest AXE FX III
Quite right: the Kemper is best at cleans high-mid and treble registers. On the other hand it leaves its print on all the sounds. I can immediately spot a Kempered processed tone…
For a long time I only use my JVM410H profiles (clean to full drive, about 50 rigs). These sound much better to me than Tone Junkie, MBritt and many others. Others may not like my profiles. My experience with Kemper.
@@frantisca I doubt it since a list producers claim the clean tones are indistinguishable, and those guys have ears. Kemper cleans do sound the most real amp like. And I also prefer the gain tones of the Kemper. But you do have to get it dialed it a bit to go from great to amazing.
I purchased a variety of profiles at a great cost, but in the end still didn't find it to be adequate. To each his own I guess, but I found the Axe to be superior.
The AXE FX 3 is a monster of a modeler. I own myself an FM3 and utilise it with pedals on my studio board... it provided me the best tone I have ever had.
good for you, you found what works for you, I've found the same with my Kemper. Had an FM3 for a week. The great thing about gear is there is something for everybody out there and nothing is "wrong"
I’ve owned every modeler and spent a year with axe 3 + fc12. Selling that shit to buy a tube amp. Fucking trash man. Listen to real amp demos of your favorite amp, then listen to the modeler amp demo. It’s real. Axe is not. No matter how hard you buttfuck your signal chain in axe.
This is a great comparison. Kemper is doing very good for being 12 years old. I love my FM9 Turbo.
Nice review, what was that profile you used? Britt Dirty shirley?... love my Kemper, best purchase I've made with gear
Great comparison. I have the Kemper and I find it to be awesome. However, you made me really want an Axe too.
The Kemper to me sounds a lot warmer and fatter, like the real deal. Although I prefer modeling because I like having the ability to tweak an amp like the real thing, rather than a snapshot in time. I wonder if the latest Fractal amp models are warmer and more life like?
Liquid profiling gives you that tweak-ability now...
I’ve had my Kemper for 6 or so years and love it. I’ve profiled my amps and on recordings where I’ve used both and I can’t tell the difference. I do wish I could run two amps at once. I do wish the profiles worked more like the amps in that I need to make a dozen or so profiles of each amp plus sometimes the profiles come out great and sometimes the suck for no clear reason. If the Axe 4 comes out before the Kemper 2 I’ll probably go with that but I’m excited to see what Kemper does next, assuming there is a next.
Seria lindo um Kemper mais portátil e com um display maior (tipo quad cortex) 😍😍😍
You nailed it - great comparison!
Just found your channel - great stuff and great tips! Question: I have an FM3 and find I have a hard time making my single coil neck pickup stand out. When I strum the amp has some breakup and is clear but single notes are too quiet and muddy.
Thanks for the excellent video, cheers!
One really important point about the Kemper that wasn't really touched on here, is that virtually every pro using these live makes use of multiple 'snapshots/profiles' (patches) of the SAME amp - covering everything from cleans to crunch to lead. This allows the clean patch to be perfectly set up on the real amp before profiling, the same for the crunch and lead settings. The Kemper is a snapshot device, capturing a real amp at a particular setting - the Kemper, itself, should not be used to go from clean/crunch to lead within the SAME patch!! (unless, of course, you're creating something unique).
In this video, (while I understand why you did this) the Kemper gain control was changed significantly - a pro wouldn't do that. Instead, they would re-profile the real amp, set at the required higher gain, and save that as a separate patch.
Interesting comment.
Perfect. Just use a different profile if you want. Much more simple and accurate than turning knobs…..by the way he complained about dynamics all the time. My profiles cleans up easier than the actual amp…just setup the input and the compression parameter…
@@rflessati Exactly. Lack of dynamics is NOT an issue with the Kemper - 11 years(!!) of reviews don't mention this as a problem. Obviously, compared to a real tube amp, the exact same dynamic response when hitting the strings at various levels, and the effect of changing the guitar's volume knob, won't be seen - but that applies to EVERY modeler/profiler/'amp plugin'.
You can go from clean to crunch on the same patch by kicking on an OD or distortion on the Kemper or pedal.
@@chipshenkan7303 This is not about using pedals - virtual or real. Instead, I'm talking about the initial Kemper profile of the real amp. You shouldn't be 'building/trying to emulate' the amp's various primary sounds from a single profile in the Kemper when, instead, you can profile them! If you are profiling a classic amp e.g. a Dumble, you are not going to create a single profile and then stick virtual pedals and various Kemper gain settings on top of that to emulate(!) the amp's different main sounds...what you are going to do is to profile 3-4 (or more) different sounds from the real amp, that is, if you at all want to capture the best likeness.
- If you want a Dumble clean sound - you profile it on a clean setting.
- If you want a Dumble edge of breakup sound - you profile it in in that mode.
- Similarly for higher gain sounds...ditto for any other real amp.
Most commercial Kemper packs include profiles of the same amp at different settings. That's why they sound so good.
Of course, no issue at all modifying in the Kemper afterwards with pedals etc, and absolutely, no issue taking any profile (clean or not) and putting boost etc pedals in front to get some very usable or unique sounds, however, the Kemper is a profiler - it's the profiles that matter #1.
Back to the video here, and unfortunately, there was little/no mention of using separate profiles of the same amp i.e. using the Kemper as a Kemper!
Was expecting for this video !!
Nice one as usual Paul. I"ve had an Axe 2, QC and back to the Axe 3 now. The Fractal stuff is great but i probably use 5% of its capabilities. I"ve been digging the FAS amps alot atm. You"re right about the natural roll off on the Axe, going to a QC for a while it was something i really missed.
Thanks for sharing
I do hope you keep working with the Kemper. I do understand you may not keep both. Considering musicians hear with their eyes and their hearts, both units are great and will work for anyone that’s willing to learn
Your Tele sound amazing! What pickups are you using?
Flawed logic here. If you want more gain on the Kemper, use a profile with more gain! It is not supposed to do what you are asking it to do. That's why good profile packs (Tone Junkie, M Britt etc.) come with several gain settings!
Im guessing you didn't watch the whole video. That was my point, if you are at a gig and need to... lets say increase the gain on a profile, you then have to go through a bunch of profiles until you find one you are happy with as opposed to just turning up the gain.
@@TheStudioRats just get the floor pedal controller for Kemper and it's faster than reaching for a know.
@@TheStudioRats as @realtruenorth mentioned, it is a different way with a Kemper. It is not supposed to worked like a modelled amp that most of the dynamics are there to adjust. There are just to many parameters to tweak in a profiled amp, that to tweak it would not be workable at that current point in time (DSP limitation). You just need to understand the philosophy of Modelling vs Profiling. Though there are now developments on this front like Neural DSP Quad Cortex and the Liquid Profiling in Kemper.
The true Ideals are to be able to Model thru different states of the profiled amplifier hereby combining both worlds. Realistic amp modelling, with the flexibility of tweaking the many different parameters that shape the tone and sound. But that would be like 5-7 years from now (hopefully earlier).
I own both. They’re two different beasts. The AXE FX is a sandbox. You can build whatever sand castle you want - no matter how simple or elaborate. The Kemper is hundreds of basic sandcastles. You just have to narrow down to the sandcastle you want and add a tower here, a tunnel there. Personally, I prefer the AXE for an in the box solution. But the Kemper is definitely no slouch. No one is suffering with these rigs. When you wrap your head around what they are, they’re both amazing. Guitarists have it good right now.
Great review! I've been an Axe FX convert for about 5 years now and it's been an incredible ride of continuous improvement. Fractal never sleeps. The most recent update to the factory presets has meant you can choose to tweak or just leave it alone - they're that good. Industry standard for good reason. Thanks for the video!
Thanks for sharing
The Kemper is the industry standard.
Great video man😊🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻❤️🎸 I am planning to buy the Fm9 aswell. But could you please make a video same like this with Axefx3 and Heiix aswell?
Cuz I feel like I don’t have good dynamic response and tone feel with the Helix
Thanks. Nice and easy to understand
Great work!
A awesome video. I’ve been on the fence so long in regards to getting one of these. There’s something about using plugins that I’m not 100% satisfied with (though very close with Positive Grid) and miking my real amp in my 10x11 studio isn’t quite feasible.
From my own experience, I've found the Kemper to be as dynamic and responsive as a real valve amp. I think the Fractal stuff is amazing, but to my ears, there's always a hint of something artificial going on with their units. I can't describe it, but I can hear it. Maybe it's something that can be dialled out, but there seems to be a certain character that, to a degree, runs through all the amp models. The digital BOSS gear tends to have a similar thing going on, although even slightly more prominent.
Am I the only person to think this?
You're right man. I owned the Axe 3 for some moths and I've never been able to get rid of that artificial sounds. It seems there's too much space between notes...the sound in all the amps is not glued together. Recently I've put my hands on a Quad Cortex and started to mess with captures... wow... no modeler can sound like a good capture. Yes, even a capture can have some kind of limit but this limit in sound is way higher to reach that a modeler in general. I only miss the quality of delays and reverbs inside the Axe but there is no reason to keep a 3000$ piece of gear just for a couple of blocks.
In minute 8:10 regarding dynamics at least for me I found the key, breaking point to go for the AXE FX III. Thanks @The Studio Rats.
There's a lot of people that don't agree with that statement at all including me. Also, this vid is old and Kemper has made leaps and bounds in the FX, dynamics, and now soon to be LIQUID profiles. The people at AXE tried to sue but got their butts handed to em in court.
@@RogerBrenon Interesting, however that leads me to think AXE FX goes many steps ahead about those topics you mention, kemper is pushed to reach, learn from AXE FX and implement the innovation from AXE FX. That's my impression, so I understand why AXe FX sued. I still would go for AXE FX.
@@jaimemonroyofficial lol ok
The Kemper has amp tone. The Axe sounds like a modeler.
Great video
Both amps sound incredible
The notable difference to my ears is that the kemper sounds much warmer than the axe fx
Tough decision on which one to buy
If the Kemper is that much warmer, that's an easy choice, get the Kemper.
Ive gigged 12 times a year the past 8 years using kemper and helix for a while. Now I use a Two rock reverb combo and a Marshall sv20c in dual mono. Wow its so much more fun to play now. Its on another level. Not saying the audience hears it, but the level of enjoyment for myself is amazing. Kept a line6 stomp if I need to go silent.
How do you thin the gt1000 stacks up? Ithink it has superior dynamic range and the xamps sound ss goood as the fractal sruff.... the rest not so much
Hey Paul. Great video as always! We cannot deny the quality of the Kemper and the Ax Fx3 in fact. But in your opinion that you have experience with all these equipments (Kemper, Ax Fx, QC) do you think that the fractal in terms of amp's tones and organic drives, it achieves a feel closer to the real amp than the Kemper and QC? Or maybe captures are unbeatable in today's times? I particularly think that in terms of "effects" I haven't seen any modeler beat fractal to date. As for the organic drives... real amp sound and feel what do you think?
Cheers!
Hi Daniel, the fractal is superior in all ways although it’s not as easy to use
Just bought a Kemper head to my son. Bought some profile from MBritt and TopJimi, my son is loving it !
nice one, im sure he will get many great years out of it. The Michael Britt profiles are awesome.
can you adopt me? :D
I had an Axe II for 8 years and never found a preset that did it for me. It has great effects but it never had the amp feel I had been searching for. I got a Kemper Stage a few years ago and never sounded better. I finally got something with real amp feel, going into a Mesa 2x12 cab
One cannot but want to know how the Neural DSP Quad Cortex stacks up. It is said to have better dynamics tracking of your touch. Easiest to program. It can do the Kemper 'snapshot thing and is the most compact so it is the ideal travel unit. However it does not have a large library of sounds and a track record for reliability however are unknown.
My story: I waited a little over 4 months to get the QC. It's a nice unit but got tired of waiting for the appearance of things they promised us when the unit was released. Over a year later a number of those features promised have still not appeared. Disappointed and out of patience, I sold the QC about 2 months ago. Recently purchased a Kemper Rack and have never looked back!
@@flashbak01 Imagine how all the people on the FM9 wait-list feel.
What do I need to just have one of these at home and use it like I would any other amp?
I consider that you should compare the Axefx3 with its Tone Match, that would pair the situation. Modeling and profiling are far different !! Can you make a video comparing thous features in both units ¡?¡?
I know I’m late to the party here. But the kemper has the dynamic range all the same as a tube amp. You do have to adjust the input gain for the guitar. Just throwing that out there.
Nice video. What are your thoughts on the Kemper and Axe compared to S-Gear?
I've owned the Kemper and loved it but I think S-Gear is amazing for the money, also you don't get fixated and baffled with the millions of choices and complexity of the Axe. S-Gear currently on sale for $99.
@@Pete_Harris I agree. I’ve become primarily a session guy over the the last several years. I still have my Kemper and also use Synergy amps. I also still use S-Gear and Bias Fx 2. I always run a direct for re-amping and for insurance sake. You never know.
I like the AxeFx but I can get the exact from the S-Gear/ BiasFX2/UDA plug-ins.
Was thinking it would be a cool comparison video for Paul to do. ✌️
@@Pete_Harris : For a plugin S-Gear is excellent but not in the same league as both these hardware units.
@@flashbak01 It depends what are your needs. If you compare a normal set-up of Amp/Cabs/Delay/Reverb S Gear quality and feel is on par. if you need complex presets and A LOT of choices + or a really good hardware for live use (especially when match with a Fractal controller) then the Fractal products deliver. It would be nice to compare S Gear Marshall type of amps to Fractal. See if you can achieve very similar sounds with S Gear. Let's say 3 or 4 Fractal amps compare to 3 or 4 settings of the Stealer amp in S gear. Like David against Goliath :-)
@@flashbak01 The Studio Rats very recently did a review of the recently released S-Gear 3. You REALLY need to check that out - the sounds are...stunning, and definitely not inferior to any "hardware unit". Quite the opposite ;)
Thanks for showing the difference. Now I won't have to lose any sleep because I have the AXE FX III but no Kemper.
How do you compare the axe fx vs a real amp plugged in to the UA OX?
What if you don't own a computer? Can you still make good use of these rigs?
Does the fm3 sound like the fxIII? Or is there a difference in the quality?
What do you think about the new processor that is supposed to be one up on the Kemper and is also good at capturing your amps tones. Quad Cortex, that's it.
How to use this at home as amp replacement? Do i need a mixer and large active speakers?
Great video Paul in your opinion are there any plug-ins that can do what these do at this point?
Hi Michael. The best plug-in by far is Scuffham s-gear
@@TheStudioRats I was to say the same. S Gear is the only software modeler that compare in feel and sounds to the Axe FX. I would even say I preferred the feel of S Gear over the Axe 3 before Fractal Cygnus update. Since I do not need many amps and effects nor play live I sold the Axe Fx 3 and kept using S Gear in my home studio. Great Video!
@@jacquesbureau5294 : Sounds like you don't use much high gain since that is where S-Gear is lacking.
@@flashbak01 high gain is for wimps ;)
@@ConstantinoOfficial LOL
If you use the Kemper as it should be used, it‘s simply unmatched.
1. Find a good sounding and feeling cabinet section within the profiles you have or the Rig exchange. These are not too common, so you have to search a litte.
2. Find an Amp section in the Rig Exchange that is as close to the sound you‘re looking for as possible.
3. Put an EQ after the Amp section and only use this as you‘re mode of tweaking the last bits to your preference. Don‘t use the parameters of the amp section.
4. Set the High- and Lowcut to around 80hz and around 8000hz
5. remember that different guitars will need different profiles.
6. Enjoy your musical life
Not true…axe fx 3 doesn’t take analog pedals like kemper. That’s why I sold my fx3.
I've had helix lt, axe fx 2, fm3, QC and a Kemper rack. I like the Kemper most even if its old tech. QC would be the runner up for me personally.
Great review
A friend who has a kemper had the same conclusions, whereby dynamics get suffocated on the kemper compared to a decent valve amp.
He is a 80s/90s rock player, playing van halen is easier on a valve amp than on the kemper.
However kemper a are still great and unlikely audience can tell the difference .
I saw recently that mcfly used the floor kemper on their South American tour.
How do you think the Helix rack unit would compare against the Kemper and Axe-fx?
More tone chasing and comparing 😊
It depends on the profiles you use. The ones i use has a lot of dynamics, no compression at all.
I have some patches that are compressed, some very dynamic and feel amp like, it's possible to have any tone you want just takes a little homework and maybe to studio patches of the amps you like.
@@realtruenorth yes of course, i agree. The difference is that Kemper can have infinite profiles, and some of the new ones are way better than before, that's why i prefer Kemper to Axe. 12 years ago Kemper was not as good as now, so i think it will be better in the next 12 years. 🙂
@@andreamaddalone1683 yeah, the other thing is Kelper is still a first generation machine but they keep updating it, which is good. As old as it is, I still prefers its amp tones to anything else other than my real amps. The Germans did an incredible job engineering it when it comes to sound and feel. Axe took 3 revisions to catch up. Effects is another story. But I cate more about tones than affects.
I have a Kemper Stage. It’s unbelievable! You may have problems with dynamics because some profiles use way too much noise reduction or get crazy with the “sensitivity” controls. If it isn’t responding the way you would like, go in the “input” tab and put everything at zero to see if that helps. Also some profiles have compression in the “AMP” block, not in front of the amp. Personally, I love it because my picking is sloppy, so it smooths out my playing.
Having owned many Dirty Shirly's, I can say without hesitation the Kemper was SOOO much more realistic than the Fractal.....great video as usual!
I bought an Axe-Fx 3 last year. Like a lot of people I wanted an FM9, but bought the full Axe FX when it became obvious that their supply chain just wasn't going to put enough FM9 units on the market. What an amazing piece of gear. I had been a pedal junky for years, but I haven't bought (or even plugged in) a single pedal since I started playing with the Axe FX. If you compare how much I would have spent on trying new pedals to the cost of the Axe FX, it's not expensive at all.
Ok, so now that you have the AxeFX-III.... don't buy another piece of gear ever again. Can you do it? LoL!
Almost did exactly that, but with the last generation (FM3).
Fortunately, when I was about to pull the trigger on the FX3, i got my email from Fractal.
No regrets, it's the single best piece of digital gear I had in my life.
I was thinking about getting an FM9, to have 1 dedicated to my PC and the other to my real amp, just running effects (probl use the FM3 for that since i would need less processing) but I remember that I had to wait more than a year to receive my e-mail, might as well get an FX3 or jsut keep an eye for the used market.
The amazing Keeley Halo, already an option on the Axe FX III - the value is offf the charts and makes Kemper comparisons invalid. It does not even 1/3rd of what the AF does.
@@PaulLembo If you want the sound to be closest to the real thing at the sweetest setting go with the Kemper, AFX3 cannot touch it at that. But if want flexibility of dialing the tones, the the AFX3 wins by a mile. Two totally different approach, so though it would seem quite similar in on aspect, there are still pros and cons. So 1/3 of what AFX3 does, Kemper does it a lot better in terms of the actual capture of the tone, and I would rather have that 1/3. In short if you are only after a few types of amps and want it to sound as much as the original amp go with the Kemper, other than that, AXE FX III. True AXF3 will rip Kemper in its abilities. But for some tone chasers, having a the tone in the Kemper is what they really want. So the comparisons are really invalid.
Why did you turn the gain to 10 on the Kemper and 7 on the AxeFX? 🙂
Sonically, you can't compare them like that. You have to try different profiles of a Dirty Shirley. For example, there are SO many Marshall JCM800s out there for the Kemper - and they are all slightly different. I tend to gravitate to professional profilers I trust.
So every time you want to turn the gain up on the kemper you have to change the profile. And then say you prefer the eq on the previous profile as the amps eq curve changes with gain. You’ll then have to look for another profile.
He can compare it however he wants. The comparison is how it behaves and sounds with one preset and how versatile and amp like that one preset is.
A real amp doesn't need to change a preset to reach different dynamics. Just play harder or turn up the gain.
Not saying Fractal sounds better but this is still a valid comparison
That's the point of the comparison. Snapshot vs modeller and what the shortcomings of the snapshot are.
Twisting a few knobs vs finding the specific profile somewhere on the internet, IF it even exists.
One has infinite possibilities the other has stifling limitations for tweakers.
I'm glad he pointed out this key difference between the two.
@@keith.loves.lasagna Not valid comparison, the Kemper operates on a different way. That is why you can't have it all. The Kemper would sound best on a certain setting for example Mid-gain. In going to a certain level of higher gain, you sort of lose the quality of the tone as it is going away from that 'Profile'. But the AFX3 works differently as it is a model, it can go whatever way. So the advantage in Kemper is, if that is the actual closest tone that you are looking for in an amp, it can do it, much more than the modelled one in AFX3. Though you just need to stay within the tolerable parameters else it would not sound as good anymore. For that you would need to get the next profile for that condition, and you use the pedal for that, not the knob adjustment. If you really understand the philosophy of Profiling, you would know what we mean.
Please do not forget that a Kemper can profile the Axe Fx at all gain steps.
Too much work. Do you want to play your guitar, or fool around with settings and captures all day?
I believe both are outstanding powerful modelers however they're both way over priced in my opinion. Frankly, I don't need 2200 amp sims. The technology is getting better for more affordable modelers coming out like the Nux Trident and Nux is coming out with a MG40 later this year with 2 - powerful DSPs. I just got a MG400 with 2 DSP's, perhaps the audio converters are not as good as FXIII or Kemper but within less than 10 years these up and coming companies like Hotone, Nux and even the Quad Cortex for example because its just easy to dial in tones and it's really all I need for home studio and recording. I don't want to spend hours on end tweaking on a tone I want to spend my valuable time playing.
I like the fact that the fractal is not as compressed as much as the kemp..I am the type of player that plays by feeling in other words I like to control the harshness or the softness by the way I use my picking and strumming technique which I have developed over the years…In a live situation I would never use a compressor on my amp but when Recording I would have to at the final mix down
I love my Kemper no doubt, but it does compress unlike the Axe-fx. But I use it for recording and I like the compression.
That's a parroting internet rumor that's full of shit. It's from people in their basements making crap profiles that don't know what they're doing.
Owning both, its the Best of both worlds then...
I've literally never adjusted the gain/eq of any of the pro kemper profiles I've used. Seems like everyone wants to compare all these features that 95% of people never use anyways. Even on my 8 real amp heads, I have my settings and never change them. Who here is honestly adjusting amp controls and EQ CONSTANTLY? nobody.
The kemper can still FEEL like an amp via snap shot, you mean if you want the processor to REACT like an amp.
I hate they say to profile your amp into the Kemper! Many people who buy the Kemper, do not have tube amps which is why they buy the Kemper or a modeler - to get options and amps they wouldn't have.
So, the biggest piece is to get good profiles from trusted sources.
With Kemper, the quality of the profile also matters. I have my profiles and I can change from a strong crunch to an almost clean sound with just the volume potentiometer on the guitar, and that with one rig, without degrading the sound. You are comparing the incomparable a bit. Each sound needs its own setting, when at the beginning of your sample, each one sounds different. And not everyone can afford to buy a new Axe-Fx every 3 years. In a moment they will be here with FX4 and the price will be a bit higher.
Considering it’s a Michael Britt profile, I would guess it’s a good quality profile.
In fairness a lot of people still use the original axe fx and still sounding great.
@@TheStudioRats For example, I don't like his profiles, neither does Tone Junkie. I have my own JVM410H DI profiles and compared to the head they play quite faithfully, including responding to the volume potentiometer. Their profiles (MBritt, TJ) come to me sonically obscured as if under a blanket. But some people like them, others may not like what I use. Initially I used MBritt, but after profiling my favorite JVM, not anymore. But that doesn't matter. Let everyone play what suits them. For me it's a Kemper, for others it's an Axe-Fx..., and for others it's a real amp. I'm not writing this because I want to impose my opinion on someone, it's just that the comparison videos sometimes seem to me like someone would like to point out the advantages of one, and show the other that it's already out of date. Sure, that probably won't be the case for you, but that's how I feel sometimes. As big a halo as QC was, what a bomb it is, maybe yes, maybe not. And buy a new Axe-Fx number XXX every few years, just because it has a higher capacity? I really can't afford that. If we take it that way, within 15 years, the possibilities of having a quality guitar sound have opened up even for guitarists who would probably never have a proper guitar. And Kemper made it possible to save money, which the same cannot be said about Axe-Fx.
Maybe one more thing, I can put two exactly the same guitar amps next to each other, set them up the same way, and even then each one will be a little different. But as a result, it doesn't even sound like the band in the recording. So it's the same in comparing these devices.
With all the dollars you've spent on profiles, you would already have a fractal👍
Hey Paul, I just recently picked up a used (mint) Kemper Rack about 2 weeks ago and really like it! I previously had the Quad Cortex but sold that about 2 months ago. In my opinion the feel is definitely superior in the Kemper compared to the QC. The technology is indeed older, but Kemper did it right the first time out! Regarding the Axe FX III, no doubt it is an excellent unit, but it's quite a bit more price wise then the Kemper.
Congrats, yeah I completely agree.
its not much more at all. maybe $500 and more than makes up for it...
@@grahambrecke9292 Kemper Head or Rack here in Europe 1.799 €, FAS Axe FMIII turbo 3.399, that´s 89% more. And the FMIII without turbo is sold out.
great video man , I just hear Kemper with more " body " , i need Buy one of these but i'm investing which is better to me
Why not have both?
Axe-fix iii all the way. Way better in my opinion.
So this video makes me want a Friedman 😅. Great tones and breakdown of these units.
dont we all.
Kemper sounds amazing 🙌🏽
I liked the Kemper in a live environment, toured one for a couple of years. I had the power-rack and Kemper footswitch. It just didn’t work for me in the studio… 😟 Cleanish sounds were ok but I tired and tried and I couldn’t get a truly muscular distorted tone that worked in the mix. I shifted back to valve amps and reactive load boxes UA OX the BOSS WAZA TAE and TWO NOTES TORPEDO.
Agree. FYI you should try out the Suhr reactive load. I've tried all 3 of your option plus the Suhr. The TAE is nice for the option to change the load curve, but the Suhr is the clear winner on feel and dynamics. The other two were noticeably sub par in comparison.
Thanks for sharing!
Great video!!!
I would check it out if possible.
As a metal guy I don't really give as much thought of what it sounds like on a stage with IEMs.
Most modern modeling units have at least a few good sounds to chose from and from experience
it doesn't matter if you have million dollar rig if the FOH guy fuck it up in the end and most really don't.
I´m more concerned about if we can get both a playable bass and guitar sound out of it and then traveling with only one unit for the three of us. We're using midi anyway for patch switching etc so if
it is malfunctioning on stage we can have a miced up amps ready to plug in and go anyway.
As a KPA user for many years I've never had issues but have seen a lot of people having trouble with theirs.
I have both and I do no use the Axe-Fx 3 at all - our bass player uses it when visiting. The Kemper reacts like an amp (dynamics, pick attack, volume knob), the Axe is as dynamic as a home organ from the 1970s, really only good for shredding. The Kemper has very detailed settings to adjust the dynamics (definition, clarity, pick, clean and distorted volume), the Axe has a gazillion settings, but none that help (I have been trying for over two years). Effects are subjective, and clearly, the Kemper has less of them. Still to my ear the chorus, phaser, flanger etc. on the Kemper sound miles better as do the drives and fuzzes. The overdrives and fuzzes on the Axe can't even compete with a neural plugin or Helix Native. I would give the Axe a slight win in the delay and reverb department, but not enough to make me use it - it is just too complicated.
I have an HX Stomp but looking for a better modeler and trying to decide between Kemper and Fractal. Since I have a bunch of tube amps, the profile feature on Kemper is quite attractive but I prefer the interface of Fractal over the outdated Kemper user interface.
And, as always. Axe FX does ITS thing.
At half the price the temper is a very valid option....
I used to use Axe Fx and Kemper. I sold both, because they are not even close, to my Plexi, Handwired and Diezel tuned JCM 800 or my beloved Mesa Boogie mkIIc+.
So in other words, they were too complicated for you to operate. LoL!
@@TheCyberMantis so it‘s too complicated for steve vai also, because he use FA only for fx beside his tube amps. Interesting 😂😂😂😂
@@AlBirdy4TD Vai has endorsement deals for all his gear. He could easily use an AxeFX-III to do everything. He has crew people who can program it for him. The fact that he uses it for his effects, tells you how good it is.
@@TheCyberMantis 😂😂😂😂😂😂
10:07 why is this tune familiar? 🤔
I got Bias FX 2 for free, Several (4) Archetypes for $150 and I only paid $99 bucks for PolyChrome DSP. Yeah, you can keep both of your $5k processors, I'm good. :D
Kemper all my life!!
I thought the you connect your amp/amps to the keeper and it reads your amps circuitry. Don’t know where I got that from?
For ease of use in a gig use the Performance mode on the FX3 , you can then asign usual controls to the knobs .. Better stll use an FM3 or an FM9 which is better fro gig use while the FX3 is better fro studio use..
Have the AxeFx3 1+ year now but also own Many tube heads and combos
I’ve posted everywhere because I don’t think the amp profiles sound like the real deal,
Frankly I hate it
And for the price of the spdif digital hookup, Fc12, 2 mission pedals and the Fractal
I could have bought a JP2c or a Marshall 410, Soldano ect.
And who dosnt have scores of stomps if playing for decades
The routing and FX are good with fractal but I use my UA golden, Starlight, Stymon, Digi whammy, freqout, Morley and vox and my old drives like the od-1, Proco rat and some old mxr gear from the 80s through a real deal and into an oxbox
Nothing beats valve amps live
I had high hope’s because of the convenience factor but regardless of what that fractal preamp does I’m still running every model through the same power amp and Genelec monitors in the studio and frfr live (frankly stereo live is a joke)
And we know how much the power amp section and of course cabs types and speakers influences the tone
So I don’t see the point
If your truly looking for lots of amps you gotta get lots of amps
But if your happy with these emulations than I guess your good to go
Just not for me or pretty much every player of note
Very few use the amp sims just some routing, controls and Fx
I always ask for a list of our guitar hero’s and players spit back what fractal lists as their users of note but not what else they use for the actual amp tone that would be Marshall, Carvin, Mesa Boogie, Fender a Dumble or two, Vox ect..
Anyway that’s what I’m seeing on stage and in the rig rundowns
Axe has that line 6 Fizz. I think I’ll go for a Kemper.
I hate that fizz sound. I feel like from my experience the only way to get rid of it is to run at extremely high sample rates. From my research that sound is actually "fold back distortion" and "Aliasing".
@@theblowupdollsmusic You mean that same fizz that you hear on the new 5150 Iconic amps? LoL!
I had a Kemper for about 7 years. Finally sold it as I got tired of the interface. I loved how it sounded. I bought a Fractal FM3 and it seems to be enough thru a Mission GM12 cab. I keep hoping Kemper will put out a newer Kemper Profiler with a better interface and more DSP power , be able to run 2 amps, better flexibility in the signal chain and give Fractal a real run for their money. I stopped using Line 6 modelers a while ago and don't miss them at all.
I could never get good enough Cleans out of any of the AXE FX Models including the AXE FX III . Kind of like the Clean Channel on an overdrive amp. The Overdrive sounds kill, but the cleans are dinky .. ". not good enough." All of the other sounds are killer, just not the cleans or Compressor FX in the AXE FX. I agree the Kemper does feel a little compressed. I wish the AXE FX could do as good cleans ( and a better on board Compressor )as it does Heavy Overdrive amp sounds , but it does not . YO Fractal ! FIX THAT !!!
The chucka sound of the muted strings 8.30 mins in sounds better on the kemper than the axe & the kemper sounds warmer more like the real thing, only imho
I’m Axe fx gang. Let’s goooo
In my opinion, features and options mean nothing if the sound and tone are not up to par.
i had the axe fx (first one) and was not impressed. compressed sounding. cleans were not sparkly. but that was a long time ago. liked how you hit on one the main things i look at which is dynamics. i also like the idea of comparing the amps sims with a very clean tone like a fender twin. anyway thanks. you chose very good areas to focus on.
Been using the Axe FX 2 XL+ since 2021 and it is definitely amazing, you can get it for a decent deal now
Why one should have an headache ....get both ....as I did .... and there you go. Each one has its own peculiarities so try to get the best out of both rather keeping arguing which one is the best. Yes, one is much older but still fuelled by young blood 🙂
Axe Fx rules! Kemper is nice too…
Absolutely
I spent over $100 from tone junkie on premium amps for Kemper and NONE of them sounded anything like his demos (makes me wonder if the recordings are legit or just the real amp we're hearing). I sold that Kemper and bought an Axe FX 3 and havent looked back. The Matchless Chieftain and 59 bassman are great from scratch but can also be tweaked nicely! The Friedman and the Orange also represent the originals well :) I had a real 68 Custom Deluxe for awhile but Strats sound so wimpy on them, so I needed something else for cleans, but not lacking "oomf", hence the Matchless Chieftain Patch ("Matchbox Chiefman") and also the Bassman 59 patch for pure clean.
Surely you just used a different guitar, with different pickups (set at different heights), with a different pick, played different? Or are you saying worlds apart?
@josephbrotherton7578 I played a stock American Professional Series II Stratocaster and all the downloads from tonejunkie were garbage with super high ice picky treble. I think the demos were the real amps and we got fooled but who knows?
I'm a helix user myself, I no the axe fx sounds better but I think the ease of use of the helix makes it better for live use. I also feel the axe is way over priced. I like the sound of the kemper but couldn't see myself buying one
I had a Helix LT for the longest time... I just couldn't make it work for me, even though the software was good. The Kemper felt so much more real in the end, and so much less tweaking. So I sold my Helix and retired my valve (tube) amp finally. I still have it, though!
Maybe this kemper profile has been created using the Master Volume more cranked up, resulting in a more compressed sound.
maybe.
Well as far as I know the amps in the axe fx default to no compression. At least that’s how mine is. You have to go into the menu and set how high compression you want the amp to have, otherwise it’s at zero.
@@lovesource9734 who talked about the axe fx here? My comment is about the Kemper profile Paul is using. It may have been created using an amp with master volume cranked up, resulting in a more compressed sound (less dynamic)
@@davidmultimedia2024 was just putting that out there, just so people don’t think that the kemper is overly compressed when the axe is defaulted to none. I actually liked the sound of the kemper more in this video.
@@lovesource9734 Well the axe fx is a "modeller", so yes it defaults with no compression, and you have to build your own rig, and add a compression pedal if you want it. The Kemper is a "profiler", and profiles will sound the way they have been made. If the master volume was cranked up on the real amp, the profile will sound exactly like that. Even if the person who profiled the amp added a compressor pedal in front of the amp when creating the profile, the sound of that compressor pedal will be burnt into the amp sound of the profile, and you won’t be able to disable it, or even know if it’s there.
I feel better about the the choice I made between the Kemper and the ax effects I went with the ax effects thanks for the video I feel better now lol