Don't you still have to run this via at least a small tube amp or decent solid state amp for gigs, though? And, do you have to run it only via a clean channel, or not? I was just wondering.
@@jiujitsu94 I see, I was just wondering what you'd run it through, at least live. I mean, I wouldn't invest $1900 in such a thing unless I were playing pro. or live, and at home it's still not worth it unless you run it direct to PC or whatever, or a rec. studio desk, etc. or maybe a small tube amp with some power to it. I've invested in like five smaller amps including a Vox modeling VX50 GTV, but I''m just playing at home for fun, not pro. at all. But lugging heavy tube amps and stacks and cabs. around is never fun, I've helped enough friends out with bands and bar gigs over the years to know that.
@@darrenmuso2621 Beats lugging around a 100-watt Plexi. You can patch into the house PA or use a monitor or a speaker cab. Footswitch allows you to program your set.
@@therealnecro_ It comes with a library of amps, cabs and pedals. There are more profiles for free online but the best ones are studio produced and cost very little.
Some of you people are very rude. So what about his hair this video is about the Kemper not a hair cut. Paul does a better job than most of the demo individuals.
Nah, His hair is stupid. I mean, he does own a mirror I would think. This problem is easier than profiling an amp with the Kemper. All you need is a comb. otherwise, I have no issues.
I would love to have this! It is great for studio work or live shows. If you have a bunch of old vintage amps that you don't want to take to gigs then this thing really comes in handy.
@@thiscorrosion900 Not necessarily. All you would need is a floor monitor or some IEMs to hear yourself. I took my Kemper into a rehearsal room and just heard my guitar through the PA. Found a preset that I liked and turned a couple EQ knobs. Played the set. No prob
Really great review, unlike alot of others ive seen you actually go over the functionality and a bit of a tutorial on how to use it. Gives a really good sense of what its like to use.
While I sometimes miss my tube amps I would still say the Kemper is a fantastic piece of technology. I would never have had the means to try out even a tenth of all the odd and expensive amps it has given me... ❤KPA😎
One thing about these demos is the signal chain: What amp/cab/speaker is he using, what mic, what (if any) signal processing, and then what about your own computer playback signal chain? Hard to get more than a rough idea of how this gear sounds, but thanks.
All these tube amp enthusiast bedroom musicians saying 'I love the tones I get out of my 8 tube amps'. If you ever get a gig you'll soon realize how impossible it is to take the tones you want with you, which is where something like a Kemper with 90% the realism of a tube amp in such a small compact unit with great sounding direct outputs. Things like this are designed for people who have to take their tone with them and don't have the money to tour 5+ road cases just for all your tone. Also take a step back and realize that IN A MIX with a BAND which is where you usually play guitar, the minute tonal differences don't actually matter! But also guitar world made it sound a bit worse than this thing does IRL.
Honestly it depends on the quality of the profile. While we were in the studio recording, the producer wanted the tone from my bandmates amp (EVH 5150) when they first profiled it, it still sounded really close, with no tweaking. They then edited the profile a little bit, and played us the real amp and the Kemper, we literally couldn't tell the difference
The ethics of this are interesting. You can now go to guitar center, buy a kick ass amp, steal the tones, then return the amp! Sort of like Napster back in the day. Thoughts?
My beef with these pieces of shit is that they're overpriced. This thing will be worth $200 bucks after the hoopla dies down. There's nothing new under the sun and digital "modeling" amps, no matter what you call them, will always be inauthentic pieces of shit.
Actually, the Kemper allows and retains the cleaning up of your amp. It works very well and there is no touch sensitivity lost either. I've had the opportunity to try one and as much as I am a tube snob of sorts, I was blown away by the feel, more than anything. Almost indistinguishable. IMO :)
This isn't an amp for the recording guru that has every remarkable vintage amp imaginable, or the high profile rock star that has the option to carry every amp they own to a show. This is a amp for the gigging guitarist that has a limited amount of space, time, and money to set up a show. In that aspect what this product can do is amazing.
Or the studio guru who wants to take a snap shot of a profile and save themselves the time of resetting up the same tone each time the band comes into the studio.
Exactly, like anyone in a bar is going to pick apart a DI sound coming through shitty house monitors. Has anyone here actually ever gigged? I've seen guys walk into a bar and plug in with an old POD and slay. It's just a tool. You're not going to walk into a local joint and bring a dumble. Stupid nerds who never play out love commenting on these gear vids.
I can definitely see how this could be helpful for someone who likes A LOT of different sounds to play with. or a touring musician who's tired of carrying around 10 different amps. one thing I noticed upon checking the kemper website is that the majority of the artists who use them are really high gain metal guys. so when it sits in a mix live with all that gain it probably won't make too much of a difference either way. for me I'm pretty simple, a clean tone with a little breakup on tap and some reverb, compression and tape echo and I'm happy. that's how I've been playing for years and that's what inspires me. and at the end of the day that's what it's all about. for me personally all I really need is one solid tube combo and a few pedals. the kemper solves a problem I really didn't have to begin with, but again, for some people this thing will be a lifesaver.
Thank you for the demo dude. I've never seen or even heard of this amp. Having used 2- JCM2000 TSL 100's over the last 15 years or so with heavy cabs loaded with 16 Celestion GT-75's that sometimes are tough for me to move up/down stairways with my lower back in derangement as well as nerve damage. I moved "down" to a 100 watt VOX VT100X combo amp with loads of built in effects. It's lightweight at 48 pounds Whilst it sounds incredible with it's tube based pre-amp section for great tone potential while it's 100 watt rms potential would give it power for almost any gig. problem the presets don't do a well enough job in controlling volumes for various gain settings even when pre-set volumes were set specific for the venue. when channels are changed via foot switch the volume may or may not stay at the desired pre-set volume which is a serious issue at a live venue. Looking at your demo of this new (new to me) amp it looks like some something relatively light weight for my back as well as having it all in one package. What are you using as a speaker cab & what cab would you recommend for a live venue where loudness may be required ... preferably with a single 12" speaker for lightweight portability ??? Thank you again for the demo & i want to wish you & yours all the best & stay well !!!
Been at Bullet For My Valentine gig yesterday, Kemper sounds fucking amasing. Better than tube amp bands before them. It's not about "tube vs digital", it's all about your hands.
TheAppUnderground they all do but tell that to the guys that sold off all their amps. I have saved and have finally my favorite amp. I did get this and I’m sorry it’s not sounding or feeling like a tube amp. However, if I was a gigging guitarist I would be using this or the Helix for ease of travel etc and add a dirt and or fuzz pedal. The Revival Drive in front of this helps the sound and feel a lot. I’m using it with a traditional guitar cabinet. I also wish I bought the rack just because I like to stick in an amp stand on a slant. But if the guys or girls like it. Great. When I go to sell it I’ll get a decent price. It is a brilliant idea. It may be me that can’t get that spongey feel out of it that I want. I’ve tried but you end up tweaking all day instead of playing.
@@robertwellington2616 have you A/Bed it against a real amp? Rob Chapman was under the same exact impression that he could tell the difference, and that there was something off about the amp. He tried to tell the difference on A/B testing, and he was mistaken in all the 4 guesses he took.
it reacts exactly like a tube amp and cleans up immensly. i have owned one since they have been out and let me tell you that it sounds great live when using your own cab as your stage monitor and go directly into the foh for the pa, every sound man that has had to deal with me has said that my sound is much better than the mic'd cabs.
In addition to what Pascal said, there are a couple videos I've seen where they've rolled back the guitar volume, and it does respond like an amp. I record direct almost exclusively at home because I can't crank an amp up due to the volume, and a more realistic response is something I have been dreaming about. So glad the days of realistic modelers (profilers) has arrived!
maestrojon hey my friend,if you have a few bucks(under a $100) and some very basic woodworking skills you dont need a $3000 modelling/profiling amp.all you need is an iso cabinet,it simply is a wooden box that you put your cabinet in and mic it.you will get a 100x better tone than this kemper. its insulated and has a lid.you crank it up and listen through your head phones and you can get that power tube crunch without blowing the wife and neighbors away.
This might be a dumb question but I'm curious...couldn't you just buy the Kemper, go to your local music store all day, plug into all your favorite amps to profile/save them, then leave the store? Then you would have the built in profiles plus the ones you profiled at the music store to use forever. Is it that easy or am I missing something?
This is a common response from someone who hasn't used one of these. I waited a long time before trying one and it went home with me never to return to the store. It's primarily a swiss army knife for the studio. not everyone has access to high end amps, mic's, cabs, etc so studios who DO and create amazing profiles give the average joe with a kemper THAT tone for recording, practice or running to a PA. make no mistake though, it will never replace my splawn and I'll always use THAT live.
fuck that was my first thought!! I couldn't even focus on anything else. You know your going on for the world to see...and that's what you decide to rock???
Excellently explained. I've only just heard about this piece of kit and I knew nothing, but not now. well done. One thing; does it use aliens to profile amps? What a wicked sound it made when it did
What if I just wanna capture the reference amp's preamp without its cabinet so I can use IR's on it later? Reference amp fx loop send to Kemper return input?
Say you have an old amp that isn't in good enough shape to take on the road - just profile it, take the tone with you, and leave the amp at home. What if you use multiple amps and effects and don't feel like lugging them all around? What if you're flying across country to record in a particular studio and you don't want to take your rig with you?
To Guitar World: The reason why the comments section is dominated by people ragging on your spokesman's hair is because two minutes into the video, he still hasn't played a single note.
Pfffft, what a load of shit. I rag on GW because they usually do a really bad job of micing up, or capturing and presenting the audio of the equipment they're showing off. Usually to the detriment of the equipment. I don't care that the guy is talking, I want to learn about said equipment anyway. I can't just look at a Kemper and know how it works right off the bat. His walkthrough is helpful info.
Just profiled my first amp - a Magnatone Twilighter - a very clean 6V6 with a unique breakup. I’m impressed. The Kemper got +/- 98% of the way there. I will be using it live so, the very minor difference will not make a difference. Mind boggling.
I like the idea of this and have a PODXT. I know that the tech has come along in leaps and bounds but for me I just need a good clean, crunch and drive. with my Pod I only used 3 settings mainly which is why I'm back to analogue.
Question about this profilier amp. I'm tinkering with a combination of things right now for the purpose of getting back into some small to medium range gigs as a solo / One man band performer again. I have a slew of mini disk background tracks already edited and mixed. I'm also considering using a Taylor T5z guitar so I don't have to carry two guitars and different guitar amps for each one. I would be running all this through a Fishman Dual Professional 150 Amp. (for both vocals and guitar). So... Using the Kramer, would I be able to "punch in" the "Stacks" when I need them for electric guitar stuff, and turn off and rely just on the effects for when I want clean acoustic sound through the Fishman Guitar side, without any interference on the vocal side of the Fishman amp. Also would the combination of the two amps cause over load problems? (too much power from one into the other?) Thanks, maybe I'm over thinking all this, but it would be nice to be able to incorporate all of this into an easy to carry small rig for the kind of shows I'm considering doing again. Marty
When you mic an amp the sound drastically changes when you move the mic just 1/16th of an inch. It will also sound different when you record it. Then it sounds different in the mix etc. Im all about high tech but I already have far too many choices and life is getting short as I get old. I just can't justify the cost versus the benefit.
Its a LONG video!! To help people - The coolest tones this thing makes are demonstrated between 11.20 to 12.07. Check them out. I was sceptical but these blew me away!!!
It seems stupid. You need a pre existing amp to profile for it to work anyway. Kinda defeats the point don't you think? It's basically just compacting your amp into this size for gigs. Would rather an Axe FX tbh. 100's of amps in one box.
prototypep4 Like anything else, they will drop in price. Might be worth having if you have a vintage amp but don't want it broken or stolen. It will be interesting to see what happens down the road.
Had one for about a month. It's an Amazing unit. The only dif in tone is so small your either being a D-bag for bitching about it or will get mix'ed and eq'ed out anyways. It's amazing because most digital units don't feel like an amp. This thing does. Every tone sounds and feels different. The interface is great,simple and fast. Effects are plenty and effect presets are awesome for quick comparison. It's built out of hard metal so its tough as shit.
Can you profile two different amps into one preset? That has been my biggest question as to if I might consider doing something like this for when I’m playing live instead of hauling two different heads and cabs
Aliasing, absolutely. Makes you want to play with that and see how much of a problem that is in the entire selection of presets. Or perhaps it's a "feature" (kidding).
There's no way this thing sounds as bad as it does in this particular video. I'm blaming it entirely on Guitar World, as they have a knack for making even the best equipment sound like it came from one of those Walmart starter kits. Keith Merrow uses a Kemper pretty often and it sounds just fine in his hands.
flips220 You can blame it on Paul. He's incompetent as hell. They should have fired his ass years ago. He can't play, he makes the videos awkward as hell and he has no fucking clue as to what constitutes good tone.
Works fine live. Patch switching could do with a little more speed, but, it does actually sound great played live. I prefer FRFR speakers, but, with the right amplifier you can use guitar cabs aswell. The powered versions is mono only in the amplifier-out.
One big problem I have with "digital patches" is volume changing from one patch to the other. Line 6 seemed like you had to deep edit for hours to get unity on 3 or 4 patches. Is this gear any different? Currently am playing jcm800 through a Palmer pdi03 , direct into my mixer. We use in ears so no stage volume. Does the Kemper sound good direct in?
I think this is awesome. Its like having an 18 wheeler of gear in that small package. The profiler is cool because you can do it so fast, can be at a jam session and like a friends amp profile it and tweak it. I cant afford one but youtubes sound compression doesnt do it justice.
The noise suppressor/gate is driving me insane. They need to change the attack and release. It sounds like someone is muting the audio or I'm intermittently losing my hearing. I cant stop noticing it while trying to see a demo of this amp
I have an HD500,and an AxeFx2,the pod is a toy compared to the AxeFx,The downside is the axe costs almost 4 times the amount as the hd 500.But the sound quality is much better on the axe. Hope this helps.
I don't think so, considering there are a bunch to choose from online. This seems like a nice option for someone who only wants to own one amp, that being the Kemper.
Is it possible to profile an amplifier with pedals in the chain? Let's say someone wants to bring a pedal tone on the go like a twin reverb with chorus and delay or a dual rectifier with a ts 9. They can profile that sound right?
+Inigo Gonzalez It won't profile any effects other than the ts9. You'd have to profile the dual rec with the ts9, for example, and use the onboard fx on the Kemper to add the reverbs/delay/modulation as you need it.
Wish I had one when I was really playing music. The only way I could ever get a tone I really liked would be to have 2 amps blended together then have some pedals.. I really am a fan of just plugging straight and so many amps were built for a musician that said the same thing that they like to plug straight in but what works for one person doesn’t for the next guy plus most signature amps aren’t the same that some famous guitarist plays they always have mods. This is a great thing for players to be able to really make tones they want to hear.
I'm I understanding this right, you can play/run any other amp into this one and it will store that amps sound/tone? And after you have whatever amp stored you can later "tweak" the tone of that stored amp just like you were tweaking the real amp? If that is correct how close does it come to sounding like the amp you're coping? Again if this is what it does how many "copied" amp can it store?
Dude, you can also store the tonality of your cabinets and interchange them with previously stored amps to feed them! It's bonkers! My teacher brought in this unit to class and it thoroughly blew my mind
I'm debating buying this unit vs the Axe FX unit, my guy said if you have access to great amps you can grab any tone! I'm in an apartment so maybe axe fx is more my speed
The Kemper power head version is $2K+ and the Axe-Fx II XL+ is also $2K+ new. The benefit of of the Kemper is portability where the Axe FX is for a rack. I don't know anything about the Axe FX but if it can do the same thing as the Kemper and equal price wise I'd take the Kemper just for it's portability.
jdj62464 The FX and programmability on the Fractal unit is way more robust, it sounds great on any source as an external insert. They both have their selling points, I do a lot of location recording so I'm already lugging around a rack with an interface, pre, and compressor.. Good point tho, if you're a gigging or session player and portability is a factor the kemper prolly makes more sense
jdj62464 I'm in agreement with you. But both units have their strengths (from what I hear, I don't own either of them but have researched a lot). The Kemper's strength is its sheer ability to mimic most guitar amplifiers. However, its built-in effects are pretty mediocre. The Axe FX's strength is its effects. It's pretty much an all in one unit that needs nothing else. However, it's tone gets you in the ballpark of the amp, but is easily distinguishable when compared to the real amp (there's this hi-fi noise that most people can't seem to dial out).
This is most likely a studio device. Yeah, it's pretty cool, and yes you could use it live once you've gotten used to all of the controls, but at that price? A good tube amp and a few pedals can do just as much in the right hands IMHO.
hoping someone can answer this question! I was doing live sound for a few rock bands last weekend and one of the bands had 2 guitar players, One had a Mesa Dual Rec and the other had a Kemper Rack. Anyway between songs the(even when the guitarists were not playing there was a huge noise floor coming from the kemper and i had to mute the channell in between songs. Is that a normal thing? does the kemper usually put out a really loud noise floor?
hes using a whammy bar of some sort on a part of the audio! how do you use a tremolo unit on a basic les paul? isnt that a bit misleading? sure your not using some other guitar to make it sound so different?? listen in at the 9:10
Profiling is really a super easy process. The hard part is finding good mic placement. To do an ideal profile - have the amp in another room with the mic, and have headphones connect to the Kemper in another room. That way you can easily do A/B comparisons of the mic'd profile and mic'd amp.
Can I do a profile from an audio file? I want to get a guitar tone which i hear in a song but dont know how to get it. If i cut the part where the guitar is playing some licks without the vocals but with drums and bass would I be able to profile it?
@@wonderwalls3565 The Kemper profiles the sound of an amp not a wave file. The Kemper needs to send signals to the amp to measure. You can't send a signal into a wave file.
Got one for my wife for her birthday. it’s much easier for her to carry this than my marshal half stack when I play a gig.
underrated
You are an angel. Bless you. 😂👍
I bought this, and I no longer haul my Fender Twin Reverb amp around. It literally saved my back because I had a surgery. Highly recommended 👌
Don't you still have to run this via at least a small tube amp or decent solid state amp for gigs, though? And, do you have to run it only via a clean channel, or not?
I was just wondering.
@@thiscorrosion900 Fender Princeton or AC 15 would work fine if you wanted to D.I. through it
@@jiujitsu94 I see, I was just wondering what you'd run it through, at least live. I mean, I wouldn't invest $1900 in such a thing unless I were playing pro. or live, and at home it's still not worth it unless you run it direct to PC or whatever, or a rec. studio desk, etc. or maybe a small tube amp with some power to it. I've invested in like five smaller amps including a Vox modeling VX50 GTV, but I''m just playing at home for fun, not pro. at all. But lugging
heavy tube amps and stacks and cabs.
around is never fun, I've helped enough
friends out with bands and bar gigs
over the years to know that.
@@thiscorrosion900nah straight to Pa and you are golden! If you wanna get stage volume for yourself run it through kemper Kabinet or any FRFR
I'm trying to profile that hairstyle.
is it a reverse mullet? I don’t know what you call that🤷🏻♂️
He had to lose a bet or something!
I think it’s cool! It’s like Ian McCulloch from Echo & The Bunnymen or Jim Reid from The Jesus and Mary Chain. :)
Great Cljps has 50% off on Wednesday’s…😂
😂😂😂
Mine arrived today. Mind sufficiently blown. I may never experience the feeling of the sun shining on my face nor breath fresh air again.
@@darrenmuso2621 Love it. I especially like being able to drop the volume to bedroom levels and not compromise any of the rich saturated tube tone.
@@darrenmuso2621 Beats lugging around a 100-watt Plexi. You can patch into the house PA or use a monitor or a speaker cab. Footswitch allows you to program your set.
@@therealnecro_ It comes with a library of amps, cabs and pedals. There are more profiles for free online but the best ones are studio produced and cost very little.
i bought helix fooor intead of kemper and nearly got one but find it bery pro for me
Some of you people are very rude. So what about his hair this video is about the Kemper not a hair cut. Paul does a better job than most of the demo individuals.
just some moron kids who can't even hold a good note. i would just ignore them.
Nah, His hair is stupid. I mean, he does own a mirror I would think. This problem is easier than profiling an amp with the Kemper. All you need is a comb. otherwise, I have no issues.
All I know for sure is...dude rips on guitar!
Paul’s a legend
It's really not that big of a deal but still...
I would love to have this! It is great for studio work or live shows. If you have a bunch of old vintage amps that you don't want to take to gigs then this thing really comes in handy.
You mean plugging this into a PA? I would think you still have to otherwise have a good amp on hand of some power to make any use of it live.
@@thiscorrosion900 Not necessarily. All you would need is a floor monitor or some IEMs to hear yourself. I took my Kemper into a rehearsal room and just heard my guitar through the PA. Found a preset that I liked and turned a couple EQ knobs. Played the set. No prob
Really great review, unlike alot of others ive seen you actually go over the functionality and a bit of a tutorial on how to use it. Gives a really good sense of what its like to use.
Scientology surely stepped their game up with this new E-meter
While I sometimes miss my tube amps I would still say the Kemper is a fantastic piece of technology. I would never have had the means to try out even a tenth of all the odd and expensive amps it has given me... ❤KPA😎
One thing about these demos is the signal chain: What amp/cab/speaker is he using, what mic, what (if any) signal processing, and then what about your own computer playback signal chain? Hard to get more than a rough idea of how this gear sounds, but thanks.
This is some cool shit I know I'm like 3 years late on this demo but the state of music gear and what is possible now is completely mindblowing
Congrats paul...good explanation, simple and quick... definetly this gear rocks !!!
I must say!!! Marty mcfly knows his stuff!! Me need this amp!!
All these tube amp enthusiast bedroom musicians saying 'I love the tones I get out of my 8 tube amps'. If you ever get a gig you'll soon realize how impossible it is to take the tones you want with you, which is where something like a Kemper with 90% the realism of a tube amp in such a small compact unit with great sounding direct outputs. Things like this are designed for people who have to take their tone with them and don't have the money to tour 5+ road cases just for all your tone.
Also take a step back and realize that IN A MIX with a BAND which is where you usually play guitar, the minute tonal differences don't actually matter!
But also guitar world made it sound a bit worse than this thing does IRL.
umad bro?
Honestly it depends on the quality of the profile. While we were in the studio recording, the producer wanted the tone from my bandmates amp (EVH 5150) when they first profiled it, it still sounded really close, with no tweaking. They then edited the profile a little bit, and played us the real amp and the Kemper, we literally couldn't tell the difference
The ethics of this are interesting. You can now go to guitar center, buy a kick ass amp, steal the tones, then return the amp! Sort of like Napster back in the day. Thoughts?
Great idea, I think I'm buying myself a Kemper
My beef with these pieces of shit is that they're overpriced. This thing will be worth $200 bucks after the hoopla dies down. There's nothing new under the sun and digital "modeling" amps, no matter what you call them, will always be inauthentic pieces of shit.
Actually, the Kemper allows and retains the cleaning up of your amp. It works very well and there is no touch sensitivity lost either. I've had the opportunity to try one and as much as I am a tube snob of sorts, I was blown away by the feel, more than anything. Almost indistinguishable. IMO :)
Skip to 8:01 to save eight minutes of your life.
thanks haha
+Von Prater Appreciated, thumbs up.
.
LOOKS LIKE A 70'S LUNCHBOX
Kaptain Kid Just buy good profiles
This isn't an amp for the recording guru that has every remarkable vintage amp imaginable, or the high profile rock star that has the option to carry every amp they own to a show. This is a amp for the gigging guitarist that has a limited amount of space, time, and money to set up a show. In that aspect what this product can do is amazing.
Trivium are pro's and they use them on stage and recorded the whole last album with the Kemper and no cabs, direct.. :)
Or the studio guru who wants to take a snap shot of a profile and save themselves the time of resetting up the same tone each time the band comes into the studio.
Exactly, like anyone in a bar is going to pick apart a DI sound coming through shitty house monitors. Has anyone here actually ever gigged? I've seen guys walk into a bar and plug in with an old POD and slay. It's just a tool. You're not going to walk into a local joint and bring a dumble. Stupid nerds who never play out love commenting on these gear vids.
@@austntexan last night I heard just that, weak ass plastic distortion live, coming from a kemper. It's a good simulation, but it's not it.
Very cool review, thanks for taking the time to do this.
Line 6 Helix, just ordered mine. Theyre doing an amazing job with these things. Great demo
Nowhere near line 6 sorry. I have a line 6 collecting dust. This thing is amazing.
+Jason Dorne hey men do you have all those units? I mint do you compare the axe fx with kemper? cheers from paraguay
Kemper is the best at replicating because of the convolution process it uses. I think Kemper slays axe. Like to see a comparison video though.
I can definitely see how this could be helpful for someone who likes A LOT of different sounds to play with. or a touring musician who's tired of carrying around 10 different amps.
one thing I noticed upon checking the kemper website is that the majority of the artists who use them are really high gain metal guys. so when it sits in a mix live with all that gain it probably won't make too much of a difference either way.
for me I'm pretty simple, a clean tone with a little breakup on tap and some reverb, compression and tape echo and I'm happy. that's how I've been playing for years and that's what inspires me. and at the end of the day that's what it's all about. for me personally all I really need is one solid tube combo and a few pedals. the kemper solves a problem I really didn't have to begin with, but again, for some people this thing will be a lifesaver.
11:21 I head that exact sound the last time I was abducted by aliens. Weird...
Thank you for the demo dude. I've never seen or even heard of this amp. Having used 2- JCM2000 TSL 100's over the last 15 years or so with heavy cabs loaded with 16 Celestion GT-75's that sometimes are tough for me to move up/down stairways with my lower back in derangement as well as nerve damage. I moved "down" to a 100 watt VOX VT100X combo amp with loads of built in effects. It's lightweight at 48 pounds Whilst it sounds incredible with it's tube based pre-amp section for great tone potential while it's 100 watt rms potential would give it power for almost any gig. problem the presets don't do a well enough job in controlling volumes for various gain settings even when pre-set volumes were set specific for the venue. when channels are changed via foot switch the volume may or may not stay at the desired pre-set volume which is a serious issue at a live venue. Looking at your demo of this new (new to me) amp it looks like some something relatively light weight for my back as well as having it all in one package. What are you using as a speaker cab & what cab would you recommend for a live venue where loudness may be required ... preferably with a single 12" speaker for lightweight portability ??? Thank you again for the demo & i want to wish you & yours all the best & stay well !!!
9:39 the actual amp profiling, he will talk for like forever before this. I died while I was waiting.
Been at Bullet For My Valentine gig yesterday, Kemper sounds fucking amasing. Better than tube amp bands before them. It's not about "tube vs digital", it's all about your hands.
He just has a weird taste in tone people! The Kemper sounds a lot better than this video demonstrates.
For the money, you can get a hell of a great boutique tube amp. Sometimes it's best to stick to the roots.
UmPhishMcDead why buy a boutique tube amp when you can have all of them plus more
Do you need a speaker or has it a speaker inside?
I like this particular review of this particular amp, by this particular guy
This thing sounds like a time machine while it’s profiling
I particularly enjoy this particular comment.
particular
11:48 = sounds like Spock's computer console on the original Star Trek series
So if you where to make an online feature to this thing the last valve amp would be sold?
Rob Chappers and the Capt. Lee did a lengthly video of the Kemper several months agp. Great demo.
The analogy of this is like when we had a lot of fonts and people cannot handle them and now we are mostly back to Arial and Times Roman.
Would have loved to see him A/B between the Kemper and the Blackstar but it sounds pretty close.
Cool Demo. Michael Wagener has a Kemper profile Rok Pak also to compliment this
"Lotta love" sounds unmistakably like a modeling amp.
TheAppUnderground they all do but tell that to the guys that sold off all their amps. I have saved and have finally my favorite amp. I did get this and I’m sorry it’s not sounding or feeling like a tube amp. However, if I was a gigging guitarist I would be using this or the Helix for ease of travel etc and add a dirt and or fuzz pedal. The Revival Drive in front of this helps the sound and feel a lot. I’m using it with a traditional guitar cabinet. I also wish I bought the rack just because I like to stick in an amp stand on a slant. But if the guys or girls like it. Great. When I go to sell it I’ll get a decent price. It is a brilliant idea. It may be me that can’t get that spongey feel out of it that I want. I’ve tried but you end up tweaking all day instead of playing.
@@robertwellington2616 have you A/Bed it against a real amp? Rob Chapman was under the same exact impression that he could tell the difference, and that there was something off about the amp. He tried to tell the difference on A/B testing, and he was mistaken in all the 4 guesses he took.
Does anyone know of a video where someone rolls the volume down on the guitar to see how well the amp sims clean up and how responsive they are?
it reacts exactly like a tube amp and cleans up immensly. i have owned one since they have been out and let me tell you that it sounds great live when using your own cab as your stage monitor and go directly into the foh for the pa, every sound man that has had to deal with me has said that my sound is much better than the mic'd cabs.
In addition to what Pascal said, there are a couple videos I've seen where they've rolled back the guitar volume, and it does respond like an amp. I record direct almost exclusively at home because I can't crank an amp up due to the volume, and a more realistic response is something I have been dreaming about. So glad the days of realistic modelers (profilers) has arrived!
maestrojon hey my friend,if you have a few bucks(under a $100) and some very basic woodworking skills you dont need a $3000 modelling/profiling amp.all you need is an iso cabinet,it simply is a wooden box that you put your cabinet in and mic it.you will get a 100x better tone than this kemper.
its insulated and has a lid.you crank it up and listen through your head phones
and you can get that power tube crunch without blowing the wife and neighbors away.
This might be a dumb question but I'm curious...couldn't you just buy the Kemper, go to your local music store all day, plug into all your favorite amps to profile/save them, then leave the store? Then you would have the built in profiles plus the ones you profiled at the music store to use forever. Is it that easy or am I missing something?
Would you really need to profile your amp if there are thousands of "profiles" available to downlad/purchase?
This is a common response from someone who hasn't used one of these. I waited a long time before trying one and it went home with me never to return to the store. It's primarily a swiss army knife for the studio.
not everyone has access to high end amps, mic's, cabs, etc so studios who DO and create amazing profiles give the average joe with a kemper THAT tone for recording, practice or running to a PA.
make no mistake though, it will never replace my splawn and I'll always use THAT live.
Are you playing this thru a FRFR speaker, or would/could you? Or do you go Kemper to a regular cab? Thanks
Who is your hairdresser?
flock of segulls
the time
We can mock the guy but he gets to play the world's best gear every day before anyone else and people pay him for it.
It's a modified comb over...why do you think Joe Satriani just went full shave?
fuck that was my first thought!! I couldn't even focus on anything else. You know your going on for the world to see...and that's what you decide to rock???
Excellently explained. I've only just heard about this piece of kit and I knew nothing, but not now. well done. One thing; does it use aliens to profile amps? What a wicked sound it made when it did
i nearly get one but find it very professional and last minute changed my mind and bought helix floor ,they about the same price on market
Excellent presentation. Clear and concise! Thumbs up!!!!
What if I just wanna capture the reference amp's preamp without its cabinet so I can use IR's on it later? Reference amp fx loop send to Kemper return input?
Say you have an old amp that isn't in good enough shape to take on the road - just profile it, take the tone with you, and leave the amp at home. What if you use multiple amps and effects and don't feel like lugging them all around? What if you're flying across country to record in a particular studio and you don't want to take your rig with you?
you are the greatest demo guy i have seen so far on you tube you got skills
To Guitar World: The reason why the comments section is dominated by people ragging on your spokesman's hair is because two minutes into the video, he still hasn't played a single note.
Pfffft, what a load of shit. I rag on GW because they usually do a really bad job of micing up, or capturing and presenting the audio of the equipment they're showing off. Usually to the detriment of the equipment. I don't care that the guy is talking, I want to learn about said equipment anyway. I can't just look at a Kemper and know how it works right off the bat. His walkthrough is helpful info.
Just profiled my first amp - a Magnatone Twilighter - a very clean 6V6 with a unique breakup. I’m impressed. The Kemper got +/- 98% of the way there. I will be using it live so, the very minor difference will not make a difference. Mind boggling.
I like the idea of this and have a PODXT. I know that the tech has come along in leaps and bounds but for me I just need a good clean, crunch and drive. with my Pod I only used 3 settings mainly which is why I'm back to analogue.
Question about this profilier amp.
I'm tinkering with a combination of things right now for the purpose of getting back into some small to medium range gigs as a solo / One man band performer again. I have a slew of mini disk background tracks already edited and mixed. I'm also considering using a Taylor T5z guitar so I don't have to carry two guitars and different guitar amps for each one. I would be running all this through a Fishman Dual Professional 150 Amp. (for both vocals and guitar). So...
Using the Kramer, would I be able to "punch in" the "Stacks" when I need them for electric guitar stuff, and turn off and rely just on the effects for when I want clean acoustic sound through the Fishman Guitar side, without any interference on the vocal side of the Fishman amp. Also would the combination of the two amps cause over load problems? (too much power from one into the other?)
Thanks, maybe I'm over thinking all this, but it would be nice to be able to incorporate all of this into an easy to carry small rig for the kind of shows I'm considering doing again.
Marty
When you mic an amp the sound drastically changes when you move the mic just 1/16th of an inch. It will also sound different when you record it. Then it sounds different in the mix etc. Im all about high tech but I already have far too many choices and life is getting short as I get old. I just can't justify the cost versus the benefit.
Its a LONG video!! To help people - The coolest tones this thing makes are demonstrated between 11.20 to 12.07. Check them out. I was sceptical but these blew me away!!!
so, was the output of the kemper a line out recording? or is the amp mic'ed up?
Can you profile a sound from an audio file?
Is this worth bying if you are not gonna profile?
It seems stupid. You need a pre existing amp to profile for it to work anyway. Kinda defeats the point don't you think? It's basically just compacting your amp into this size for gigs. Would rather an Axe FX tbh. 100's of amps in one box.
Of course it is! Tons of profiles are already installed and you can probably find thousands more online.
prototypep4 Like anything else, they will drop in price. Might be worth having if you have a vintage amp but don't want it broken or stolen. It will be interesting to see what happens down the road.
dkyelak
Maybe that might be useful. But it'll never win the versatility prize.
prototypep4
If the Kemper would not win the versatility prize then nothing would. Along with the axe fx it is probably the most versatile preamp.
Had one for about a month. It's an Amazing unit. The only dif in tone is so small your either being a D-bag for bitching about it or will get mix'ed and eq'ed out anyways.
It's amazing because most digital units don't feel like an amp. This thing does. Every tone sounds and feels different. The interface is great,simple and fast. Effects are plenty and effect presets are awesome for quick comparison. It's built out of hard metal so its tough as shit.
Does this replace all guitar effects pedals or units? Is it "all you need" type thing - sufficient? Or do people still use external effects, normally?
5:00 "A very cool thing about this particular thing..."
Classic Paul. :)
Hi from England, I'm a 73yr old guitar player. Too complicated for me. I'm still trying to work out my eventide max.
Can you profile two different amps into one preset? That has been my biggest question as to if I might consider doing something like this for when I’m playing live instead of hauling two different heads and cabs
When will Kemper bring out a floorboard multi effect processor in the market like Ax8????😀😀😀
at 6:26. does anyone else hear digital aliasing?
is this what this sound is? cos my Memory Boy which is supposed to be analog does that as well..
Aliasing, absolutely. Makes you want to play with that and see how much of a problem that is in the entire selection of presets. Or perhaps it's a "feature" (kidding).
There's no way this thing sounds as bad as it does in this particular video. I'm blaming it entirely on Guitar World, as they have a knack for making even the best equipment sound like it came from one of those Walmart starter kits. Keith Merrow uses a Kemper pretty often and it sounds just fine in his hands.
flips220
You can blame it on Paul. He's incompetent as hell. They should have fired his ass years ago. He can't play, he makes the videos awkward as hell and he has no fucking clue as to what constitutes good tone.
Fuck off INF1D3L010. You record a video demo then you mouthy little arse!!
I’m not convinced. It seems to be quite a handful figuring it out. But perhaps it aren’t much different having it in front of you
Could you beef up the signal chain while profiling to get a better profile? Or is it optimized for an SM57 placed directly on the cone?
I've got a shitload of saving up to do. It's really cool.
Works fine live. Patch switching could do with a little more speed, but, it does actually sound great played live. I prefer FRFR speakers, but, with the right amplifier you can use guitar cabs aswell. The powered versions is mono only in the amplifier-out.
I think you should take a look at Andy Sneaps take on this amp, it explains how versatile this thing is. And useful
Do you have to mic another amp for tone???!!!
A gibson with grover tuning pegs ?
One big problem I have with "digital patches" is volume changing from one patch to the other. Line 6 seemed like you had to deep edit for hours to get unity on 3 or 4 patches. Is this gear any different? Currently am playing jcm800 through a Palmer pdi03 , direct into my mixer. We use in ears so no stage volume. Does the Kemper sound good direct in?
how many times does this dope say _basically_ ?
I think this is awesome. Its like having an 18 wheeler of gear in that small package. The profiler is cool because you can do it so fast, can be at a jam session and like a friends amp profile it and tweak it. I cant afford one but youtubes sound compression doesnt do it justice.
So you hook up this to your amp or to a cabinet?
finally a guitar world video where they didn't mess up the tone with over cooked post processing of the microphones, since this is a direct out box!
hows the latency.. at the end its "processing" not like analog chain.. how is it? on faster solos?
The noise suppressor/gate is driving me insane. They need to change the attack and release. It sounds like someone is muting the audio or I'm intermittently losing my hearing. I cant stop noticing it while trying to see a demo of this amp
I love the concept but do someone have any ideas about the sample rate and overs sampling factor of this unit ?
I have an HD500,and an AxeFx2,the pod is a toy compared to the AxeFx,The downside is the axe costs almost 4 times the amount as the hd 500.But the sound quality is much better on the axe. Hope this helps.
what sort of speaker is he combining it with?
Would it be dumb to get this if I don't have a lot of amps to profile?
I don't think so, considering there are a bunch to choose from online. This seems like a nice option for someone who only wants to own one amp, that being the Kemper.
Is it possible to profile an amplifier with pedals in the chain? Let's say someone wants to bring a pedal tone on the go like a twin reverb with chorus and delay or a dual rectifier with a ts 9. They can profile that sound right?
+Inigo Gonzalez It won't profile any effects other than the ts9. You'd have to profile the dual rec with the ts9, for example, and use the onboard fx on the Kemper to add the reverbs/delay/modulation as you need it.
This amp sounds amazing to me, I want one, one day, basically:)
I think that the presets sound really good. Surprisingly good.
Wish I had one when I was really playing music. The only way I could ever get a tone I really liked would be to have 2 amps blended together then have some pedals.. I really am a fan of just plugging straight and so many amps were built for a musician that said the same thing that they like to plug straight in but what works for one person doesn’t for the next guy plus most signature amps aren’t the same that some famous guitarist plays they always have mods. This is a great thing for players to be able to really make tones they want to hear.
can I change amps with the foot remote?
I'm I understanding this right, you can play/run any other amp into this one and it will store that amps sound/tone? And after you have whatever amp stored you can later "tweak" the tone of that stored amp just like you were tweaking the real amp? If that is correct how close does it come to sounding like the amp you're coping? Again if this is what it does how many "copied" amp can it store?
Dude, you can also store the tonality of your cabinets and interchange them with previously stored amps to feed them! It's bonkers! My teacher brought in this unit to class and it thoroughly blew my mind
I'm debating buying this unit vs the Axe FX unit, my guy said if you have access to great amps you can grab any tone! I'm in an apartment so maybe axe fx is more my speed
The Kemper power head version is $2K+ and the Axe-Fx II XL+ is also $2K+ new. The benefit of of the Kemper is portability where the Axe FX is for a rack. I don't know anything about the Axe FX but if it can do the same thing as the Kemper and equal price wise I'd take the Kemper just for it's portability.
jdj62464 The FX and programmability on the Fractal unit is way more robust, it sounds great on any source as an external insert. They both have their selling points, I do a lot of location recording so I'm already lugging around a rack with an interface, pre, and compressor.. Good point tho, if you're a gigging or session player and portability is a factor the kemper prolly makes more sense
jdj62464 I'm in agreement with you. But both units have their strengths (from what I hear, I don't own either of them but have researched a lot).
The Kemper's strength is its sheer ability to mimic most guitar amplifiers. However, its built-in effects are pretty mediocre.
The Axe FX's strength is its effects. It's pretty much an all in one unit that needs nothing else. However, it's tone gets you in the ballpark of the amp, but is easily distinguishable when compared to the real amp (there's this hi-fi noise that most people can't seem to dial out).
There's something romantic about tube amps. However, I'm gonna sell my rig and save up for a Kemper.
This is most likely a studio device. Yeah, it's pretty cool, and yes you could use it live once you've gotten used to all of the controls, but at that price? A good tube amp and a few pedals can do just as much in the right hands IMHO.
hoping someone can answer this question! I was doing live sound for a few rock bands last weekend and one of the bands had 2 guitar players, One had a Mesa Dual Rec and the other had a Kemper Rack. Anyway between songs the(even when the guitarists were not playing there was a huge noise floor coming from the kemper and i had to mute the channell in between songs. Is that a normal thing? does the kemper usually put out a really loud noise floor?
Awesome Paul thanks, hoping to get mine soon
How do people use it live? Can you use footswitches?
465marko yes you can buy one with the amp. It's a fully programmable ground unit with full controls Of everything on the amp
so do you just plug this in to a speaker?
yep
can pedals be used with this amp?
Id definitely take that to Guitar Center and profile all of my favorite amps there haha!!
hes using a whammy bar of some sort on a part of the audio! how do you use a tremolo unit on a basic les paul? isnt that a bit misleading? sure your not using some other guitar to make it sound so different?? listen in at the 9:10
you can also profile pedals so i hear
What cabinet did you use?
Profiling is really a super easy process. The hard part is finding good mic placement. To do an ideal profile - have the amp in another room with the mic, and have headphones connect to the Kemper in another room. That way you can easily do A/B comparisons of the mic'd profile and mic'd amp.
Can I do a profile from an audio file? I want to get a guitar tone which i hear in a song but dont know how to get it. If i cut the part where the guitar is playing some licks without the vocals but with drums and bass would I be able to profile it?
@@wonderwalls3565 The Kemper profiles the sound of an amp not a wave file. The Kemper needs to send signals to the amp to measure. You can't send a signal into a wave file.
@@LarryMar Is there any other thing which can do that?
@@wonderwalls3565 Your ears.