Home › Forums › Discuss Your Gear › Kemper Profiler amp
- This topic has 8 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 2 months ago by Canada Moose.
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February 11, 2019 at 2:17 am #124990
Anybody has experience with the Kemper Profiler amp? I saw a video about it the other day and I think this might be a very interesting amp.
Eric
Eric
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February 11, 2019 at 2:31 am #124992
Brian uses a Kemper for his lessons. I think it is an excellent tool, but it depends on the indended use. Only for practising it seems rather expensive.
Dieter
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February 11, 2019 at 10:35 am #125004
Thanks, Dieter. Yes, they are quite expensive, but on the other hand, if you use it on stage as well, you would’nt need any pedals or other effects any more. That’s why I asked. It would be helpful for me to talk to somebody who uses it in that way.
Eric
Eric
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February 11, 2019 at 1:22 pm #125015
I can do the same thing with my iPad and the cheap Amplitube app. And even more with my laptop. Guitar > Scarlett 2i2 > MacBook with Logic Pro. Output comes from Scarlett 2i2 into amp. It’s easy to use Logic Pro in real time for live performance amps and effects. Just set up the various amps and effects on different tracks, and you can switch from one to the other just by clicking on the track. I do it all the time. Check out how Monolink does it:
He’s a new breed of hybrid DJ/live performer. He uses a mix of prerecorded loops and pre-set effects for his guitar, then uses a Novation LaunchControl to bring them in and out. His laptop is barely visible in this video, but in some of his performances, he accesses it quite frequently.
Sunjamr Steve
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February 11, 2019 at 2:09 pm #125019
Thanks Steve, this seems to be a good alternative solution!
Eric
Eric
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February 11, 2019 at 4:49 pm #125024
I believe the Kemper is more about mimicking amps than actual effects pedals. Line Six do a model which acts as a total pedal board replacement if I have got it right. It is the helix LT and that range of kit and it is controlled as a multi programmable foot switch but it too is expensive. I know Brian likes the Kemper. No doubt a lot of what he uses is sponsored to some extent although I don’t know if that is the actual case but I am sure he would tell you about it if you emailed him.
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February 11, 2019 at 9:38 pm #125038
The Kemper takes profiles, which are essentially snapshots, of amps at particular gain states, and then mimics these states. It does this extremely well, to the point that people are easily fooled about whether they are listening to a recording of the original amp or the Kemper. The Kemper has some limited effects options, but these are quite limited compared to other multi-effects units. On its own, it’s pricey, but compared with getting all the amps you can get profiles of, it’s dirt cheap. It also seems to be a fairly mature technology — it has remained fairly stable in its profiling for years, without a lot of updates, and it is still easily competitive with Line 6, Fractal, etc…
The competitors do modeling instead of profiling. With modeling, the companies basically try to digitally mimic the way an amp, or its underlying circuitry behave. The modeling leaders right now are Line 6 Helix, Fractal Axe Fx, Atomic Amplifire, perhaps Headrush and Boss. The modeling units tend to be much more flexible in terms of the pedal configurations they can mimic. They can also sound great in amp modeling, and there are huge debates all over about which solutions sound best, and are the most practical.
In general, to get a sound you are chasing, modelers require a lot more tweaking of the unit itself. With some, the variations available on the unit are seemingly endless. The Kemper doesn’t have much in the way of tweaking. Instead, Kemper users seem to spend a lot of time auditioning profiles to find the ones that they like. Thus, both of them have rabbit holes to lose yourself in.
If you are willing to spend the time learning it, I can’t see being disappointed with one of these units. I will probably by one – Kemper, Fractal, or Helix – sometime this year.
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February 12, 2019 at 11:19 am #125080
Thanks, John and Duffy. I just downloaded the uswr manual. Lot of things to learn…
Eric
Eric
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February 12, 2019 at 11:36 am #125081
Very steep and time-consuming learning curve on all of these, but after a gazillion hours I’m finding great tones in my Fractal Axe FX. I found a used one for $1000 and it’s like having a store full of unlimited amps and pedals, plus hundreds of presets built-in plus hundreds more available on line. So there’s a lot of money and time (and head-scratching) goes into these things, but in the end I’m getting tones I’m pleased with, and that helps me play better. But be prepared for that steep learning curve that takes time away from music practice
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