Kemper Profiling Amp

I purchased one from the EU and I should get it within the next few weeks. One of the first amps I'm going to attempt to profile are the various MTS mods, including many of the modded mods. I'll keep ya posted.

I frequently compared my MTS rig to my Axe-fx and while both sound great, I generally prefer the MTS. Should be interesting.

As both an Axe FX II and MTS owner, I am very curious to hear the results of this! Looking forward to your report(s)!

Btw, I'd like to hear your opinions on the differences between your Axe rig and MTS rig, and what you like about each. I haven't really got down to A'B'ing the Axe II and the MTS stuff yet, so it would be cool to hear the experiences of someone who has.

This will be interesting.......

I've been an Axe user since July 2008 and picked up the AxeII last summer. I also own an 11r and pretty much every plugin, modeler and some great amps (nothing "vintage"). I absolutely love the MTS mods, especially Salvation stuff and JF, although my favorite mod is still the stock Plexi - it really has a great "crunch.". The Axe sounds great through the Atomic FR, but when ABing the 11r with my Plexi reissue, I thought the 11r sounded better than the Axe. This just happened this week after thinking I haven't played through the 11R in months and thought to give it another listen.

In all honesty, I'm pretty tired of "tweaking" the Axe, especially after every firmware update - Cliff changes the basic sound of the models, so you have to update 384 patches. He also doesn't really say what he changed, so you have to "use your ears" to reset your old patches to work the new firmware. I'm also tired of hearing how each firmware is "a game changer" and "the best". At this point, I'm not sure how you can even tell what sounds better since there is no easy way to compare firmware versions.

In terms of FX, I still prefer my Line6 M13 to whatever is in the Axe. Yes, the Axe is way more flexible and you can route fx and use controllers, blah, blah, blah. Really, how many people need to do all that? Most pro users are using it either for the Axe's FXs or as a backup to their main rig (Alex Lifeson for example). Not sure how many people replace their tube rigs with an Axe.

Does the Axe sound great, work great. YES, but if you prefer to just play rather than Tweak, the MTS may be a better solution.

I'm very interested to hear the Kemper in person and see whether the amp models sound "like" my amps or Exactly like my amps (indistinguishable). Although I thought the Axe sounded much better than Line6 modelers, such as the Vetta or HD500, as well as Amplitube, GTR, GuitarRig, Revalver, etc, it still isnt exact. There is still a fakeness about it I can't explain, but becomes obvious when you play a real Plexi then switch to the Axe.

It is still an amazing unit and still the best out there.

But let's just say the Kool-aid has worn off on me.

I heard a clip where the kemper was profiling a SLO. While it was close, it wasn't exact. I too am interested in the Kemper.

Count me as interested....

Like some kind of a junkie....

I am interested ,as well. I saw the Kemper demo and while it seemed to reveal a better mousetrap in HOW to model a sound...wether it can turn around and reproduce that sound is still up to evaluation.

I would be grateful for a long long post about what you hear in the Kemper versus MTS, Axe Fx..and, of course, any Gorilla practice amp.


GtrGeorge

I think we all have to remember the KPA is at Firmware 1.01. The Axe FX has had 11 major firmware updates for the Standard/Ultra and now Five for the Axe-II. KPA has a lot of catching up to do and I'm sure future firmware will improve upon the profiling.

I totally understand about all the firmware updates with the Axe (I'm an Axe user since... 2009, I think). Cliff is nothing if not... dedicated hehe. I, too, get a little tired of tweaking on the Axe, but have learned to balance it with being happy with my sound. I generally stick to a couple amp models (right now the Friedman models, mostly) and just make a few patches using those - that way I don't get sucked into the black hole of endless tweaking and reworking patches. I usually just create new patches and go tweak crazy when I'm bored or in the mood for that. The Kempler looks very interesting, and I'm eager to hear peop;e's experiences with it now that they are getting out there in the hands of consumers.

I had an M13 before the Axe (it was what I used with my previous MTS rig), and I just loved it! I am looking at picking another up to use with my RM22 setup for small/medium sized gigs. Sounds like we have had somewhat similar experiences and are of a similar mind (I wouldn't mind letting the Axe II go if I can get my MTS rig satisfying my fairly modest desires).

I'm beyond interested. I want one of those little buggers!!! Granted I would rather wait for at least V2.0 or higher, but I am totally amazed by the demos. I guess you have to try it in person to see if it really "Tubes". So far I haven't played anything that quite does that. I haven't played on an Axe FX yet, but I like the concept of the Kemper more. Sounds like it would be great for gigs. Just get "copies" of your amps and get out to the show. Leaving your nice gear at home to appreciate in value. There is also a lot of cool, fun stuff that could be done. For instance, a model of a famous artists "actual" amps!! That would be fun and once digitized could be shared indefinitely with precise resolution. Every amp is sonically different, even the same models of amp, so the best rigs will still float to the top. It wouldn't interfere with the need for more tube amps because you still need that "Sound". It may just end the influx of cheap *** Chinese made tube amps that are storming the market. (NO offence Mr.Egnater) It would be a great addition to someone that already has a nice collection. I am stoked to see this technology. I am a touch skeptical like many folks, but I am willing to keep an open mind. This aint your grandma's amp, y'all. :wink:

I think in the long run, the KPA will be a benefit to (a) boutique tube amp makers - you will be able to easily "demo" prgfiles of these rare, but expensive amps and decide you like the sound enough to actually buy one, instead of relying on You-Tube clips or mp3s; and (2) recording engineerings - when recording an artist, you can profile their exact rig or sound for each song and easily re-amp or fix parts long after the fact, since you will be able to accurate match the prior sound/patch.