Kemper certainly got a lot of things right early on, however, it's the fact it is the most accurate, faithful sounding profiler out there that makes it stand out.
Same. I chose it for the base amp tones. They sound best on Kemper to me. I personally don’t have a need for extensive fx and crazy routing the other modelers offer.
Bought a QC and sold my Kemper 6 months ago, purely for size and convenience setting up/down on gigs. I do miss my Kemper. It has better FX, more parameters to tweak, an actual computer editor and easy ways to get 3rd party sounds, better file management and live mode UI. There's a reason it's lasted so long at the top!
Interesting. I did the same and I was very much blown away by how much quicker I got a great tone out of the QC. And to my surprise I just like amp modeling better, since they are a whole lot more flexible than a profile on a Kemper. Maybe if you have the real amps at home and do your own profiling it might be different.
@kapellekonig6512 amp tone wise, there's not enough difference for me to really notice, at least so far. Another thing is the crappy wifi inside the QC, barely connects, and when I've downloaded stuff it often doesn't appear in any search functions. I like how in the kemper the 'browse' mode has everything and you can sort it, in the QC I don't like the banks of 8 where you can't remember where you saved something. And with the Kemper editor you can audition/tweak profiles before saving them in the Kemper, with the QC you just have to download everything, create a rig then find a quick way to sort through stuff. Hopefully the editor changes that though 🤞
I agree 1000%. The option of Powered Units is the BES!. I tour professionally and all i need is my Power Rack. I can go Direct if needed, I can Go Cab'd if needed, I can go BOTH and Control Either Independently! Also, I enjoy the ability to EQ the Output Signals without having to change the EQ in your Profile. So if I'm using a borrowed cab somewhere and it needs tweaking, I can adjust that in the Output EQ Settings and it will apply to all of my performance patches. Thats HUGE! 🤘🏼😜
Kemper nailed the formula. Great tone, feel and features. People will say QC and Helix have more options, but that's the problem... I like simple. And Kemper keeps it simple.
simple? my 1974x is simple (that is a tube amplifier). one volume one tone. your kemper is a computer, those aren't simple. keep waiting for the next update and pay up sardine.
@@yaniv-nos-tubes In the digital world, I would say Kemper is "relatively" simple. That's compared to Helix, Quad Cortex, etc. I still maintain that nothing beats the real thing. I've had a 67 Bassman, 70 Twin Reverb, 74 Princeton, 68 Dual Showman and a mid 80s JCM 800 2204. Nothing like it, but the Kemper gets real close when playing live or recording. Sure, there's nothing simpler than a couple knobs on an amp, but nothing holds a candle to Kemper in terms of simplicity and capability. No need to upgrade in my mind right now, even though the upgrades are free ; )
I agree. The deep editing functions are the real hidden gems inside the Kemper. They are so powerful and incredibly useful for sculpting the final sound.
I totally agree. I've had people tell me several times "Kemper's value is tanking because . Sell your Kemper before it tanks and buy the shiny new toy" But why would I get rid of something I love? I'm not convinced the new stuff is actually better, just newer.
I own a Stage and a QC. I bought into the hype and semi regret buying th QC. Better effects than the Kemper for sure, but I'm literally thinking of selling the QC to buy a 2nd "tanking" Kemper as the used market is full of them at great prices. You know, just to have a backup, although I've been gigging it for years with zero issues.
@glencruciani3 I remember an interview where Mark Hoppus (bassist for Blink 182) said he bought a backup (because you have to at that level) but it never been used except to profile/level match. Because the Kemper is just so solid.
I’ve been told that as well. Just because QC, fractal, line 6, etc, constantly release new hardware units doesn’t make the Kemper obsolete. If you’re into crazy fx and whatnot there are better options but for base amp tone and feel Kemper is still my favorite by far.
Kemper Rack unit with the Remote and in-ears for monitoring on stage is 👌. If needed an FRFR cab but apart from the guitar I have literally everything I could want and more. Kemper is absolutely still the KING. 🏆
Ask those clowns at access music to support the virus. It’s a shame they can’t take care of 2 product lines simultaneously while korg/Roland/Yamaha can support a lot more. Access needs to hire more people.
I own a stage and recently got a fm9 turbo. Both are great gears but playing kemper feels more like using a real amp. The touch and articulation is almost as close to a real amp compared to fm9. I ended up selling the fm9 as I prefer to spend more of my time playing rather than endless tweaking.
Thank you for all the informative videos and great sounding profiles! I played the Kemper rack for awhile and then bought the Helix and have been using it for two years or so. Then I found your profiles and now I've been using the Kemper again and even got the Stage. Just uploaded a video with your mesa mark 7 profile
all i can say is, after 5 years as a kemper owner and not for second have the need to upgrade to anything else which i cannot say about any of my other gear. not to say im still getting new features that almost like buying a new unit every single time
I've been struggling with my Kemper for eleven years now and we are still not best friends but I have to say that for usability in live situations there is still no competition. I love my tube amps and the feel of them but I am also very particular when it comes to choosing amps. For live use the Kemper is very consistent and offers good enough effects for most situations and that is important because I try to keep everything in one box to minimize latency. The Kemper also offers digital I/O to help with that (I only wish there was more wireless guitar- and IEM systems with digital I/O). On top of my wish list now is faster boot time and two EQ's (integrated pre eq in amp section and integrated post eq in cab section) and them I am good. As for the competition, it doesn't matter how good the units sound if they are too impractical to use live.
3:47 I do exactly what you mention with the helix. I work as a session guitar player more than anything lately. I have always sent the dry guitar (DI), and then a WDW or core tone and stereo wet.
I don’t know if it’s still King, because I don’t have any of the others, but I am still more than happy with everything about my Kemper and I have never had to upgrade to a new MkII or MkIII unit and pay out all that money again just to keep up to date❤🎸😀
Here's another niche one - dedicated knobs for reverb/delay mix (provided your FX are in the right slots)! Profiles made for the studio can sometimes be too reverby for a live gig, but KPA is no problem to adjust on the fly. Side note, I played the Kemper head at a gig last week and someone asked 'what was going on with your amp, it's lit up like a Christmas tree 🎄'. So add most festive modeller to the list pls! 😂
Part 1: I use to roll around with a 16 U rack case of FX units, switchers, pedals and a mesa head on top... then I got old enough and a basement music room, and married, that is became impractical for me to continue hauling massive amounts of gear. My tone was also lacking and I couldn't expand my range the way I wanted to. Then... KEMPER came into my life.. cured my GAS and Excess Gear Syndrom and shrunk my rig to something I could carry in in one trip! (instead of 2 massive road cases and a ramp!) Part 2: I've taken a break from music since Covid, done a lot of personal growth, found myself, blah, blah, etc.. I had sold off a lot of my gear in that early season of my life. I'm looking to get back into an FX unit. Quad Cortex is all the rage and so many are selling their Kempers for it, but I not convinced. I love how simple Kemper is, yet SO DETAILED with how you can dial in on the amp... that's what I LOVE about it. I love the delays and FX built into it and the way I can have my presets and stops available to me at the same time on the floor controller. With the Cortex, sure there is a fancy touch screen, and ins and outs, which might be cool for smaller venue help, but I don't see an easy way of having the "performance" mode with stops easily accessible (correct me below if I'm wrong), I don't see the ability to really dial in the sounds when the controls are limited (asides of achieving it with parallel amps maybe?), I still love a clean rack mount setup, and I think the buttons are too close together to control things quickly on the fly. Also.. only 2 expression pedals? REALLY?! (Meanwhile kemper can have 6! - I use 3) Also, tuner access is so complicated to access as well on the cortex! All that said.. I can't help but come back to my love with the Kemper. I don't want to deal with a learning curve. I have a system backup of my presents ready to go on the computer. I'm ready to rock again! I also don't see the crazy live rigs using Cortex as often. I'm coming back to the Kemper club! There's my $20 with the 2 cents on the topic.
I am also a tube Amp Designer ( as a hobby) and modder. As everybody know humans have only a very short audio memory. So when voicing my amps differently , it’s almost impossible to make component changes and test it by updating it and listening to it 10 minutes later. With the kemper I just profile before and after and can switch between changes on the fly. That’s so helpful. The kemper is the single best gear investment I have made in the last 20 years
I have been a Blackstar HT100 user with my trusty old TC G-System for a long, long time and today, 10/20/23 I got my Kemper Rackmount Profiler that I ordered from Sweetwater . After 10 minutes playing through my interface (Apogee Symphony Mk II ) via SPDIF into my studio monitors (Genelec 8040B) I was totally blown away on how great this sounds and equally important, how it feels! I barely know how to even turn it on, Haha, and I'm already thinking of using it as my live rig with two Kemper Power Kabinets in stereo. I play aggressive Prog Metal and am worried that 200w cabinets may not be loud enough on stage, or what it will sound like in a live setting miked? I watch and enjoy your videos so I thought I would ask you for your recommendations on using it live and if those powered cabs would be enough? I have so much to learn here as i have always been a purist. Thanks so much. Awaiting your reply!
Came here after considering selling my Kemper for a QC and I think you’ve convinced me to hold onto my Kemper for a while longer. Great informative video!
Got my Kemper 2014, and even though I sold and bought quite some tube amps in between, I love to play it to this day. With this I mean in the guitar cab or via studio monitors (Genelecs). I also make sure that whatever favourite sounds I create, I also make a profile.
Direct out and reamping is super easy to do on the Axe Fx as well. Direct out can be done in the global settings (so you’re not doing it for each preset, but also only if recording over usb) and/or sending signal to a different output on the grid takes about 5 seconds. The kemper is still great, and up until recently, I would say it’s the best sounding digital solution (unless you really know what you’re doing with the Axe fx 3) but they’re going to have to release a new unit with more capabilities, better profiling, better effects, and maybe stereo amps soon to keep up with what’s available now.
I found the perfect "cabinet" for HX products... I had the same problem where I need it to be silent on stage but I wanted to be loud when I practiced and "get the feeling"... The answer is a really really really good powered PA speaker. I use a QSC k12.2... when I want to "get the feeling", I do, in spades.
I was also underwhelmed by the Helix Spring Reverb. Their reverbs in general were not quite “there” for me. Couldn’t dial out enough midrange to keep it from overwhelming the base guitar… some of the amp models were really good, but overall-it just lacked dimensionality of feel. I look forward to trying the Kemper Stage! PS-Source Audio Ventris has a great spring reverb! The Boss RV-500 had the other best spring, but the rest of the verbs were not good imo.
I am so late to the Kemper game but not lack of faith. Just kept putting it off from being on amp and using Amplitube for studio work and other amps. Going live I wanted a viable practical piece to get all the amps I use and this thing is nailing them and helping me find great useable others. That TJ everything pack kicks ass.
Im fairly close to getting one but I just keep holding back investing 4 figures into something I know is so old. The battle is when it comes to sound were chasing things that are 60 years old so why should it matter, but I feel a Kemper 2 has to be worth waiting for also....
If that’s your view, you will still be waiting for the next one in ten years time. The latest updates alone show that more can be done with the current units. If anything, I suspect Kemper could bring out a version without the capability to profile an amp.
I had the same thoughts when the Kemper Stage came out. Bit the bullet and can't imagine my rig without it. Play worship for large church but also have a cover band with my son and it rocks man.. Just sayin...
Pull the trigger. I have been changing amps and modelers forever. I was about to buy a 5150 head and bought the kemper instead. Best investment I have ever made. I literally just bought “all the amps”. So many good profiles out there.
I have a question. I am looking to get a Kemper, but I am not sure if I want the head or the stage. Is there anything the head does that the stage does not do? I don't want to get the stage and find out there are things it does not do and miss out. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Totally agree, and I love that after so long I am still getting free updates and they work. As a software guy that is something I always complained about the lack of it. BTW HW, please put those damn knobs I sent you on your toaster!!!!!
I watched the video earlier but had to do a funeral home visit. Watching the video again for the second time and now commenting. I honestly played to 4:15 AM this morning on my NEW stage. A long time Kemper head “lunchbox” user and setting up the new stage and backing up and transferring favorites to my new stage was child’s play easy. The editor is awesome and the liquid profiling is legit. I love tube amps. But l bleed Kemper green. If l had my wishes??? Give me just one more effect block after the amp and cab. I keep wanting to layer delays with some reverb and an EQ block but l need a univibe block. I worked with it in front of the amp last night with sweet results. I also wonder about the comments about need 2 amps. It this really needed? Yea l’m on board that a wet dry 2 amp setup is cool but l feel like l can somewhat get this with the monitor out. Well… l guess. I could also run 2 Kempers now.
I own both a kemper and a quad cortex. I’ve played the kemper probably the last 6-7 years. Kemper has came a long way with the updates. My stage has had issues with some of the switches not working properly. But all in all a great unit. Both have their pros and cons. For my situation the quad cortex seems to be the best. It’s small enough to put in my gig bag, and I can bring it back and forth from home to church easily. I seem to get the best sound out of it as well. I do miss a couple features the kemper has that the quad cortex doesn’t have. Such as tuner automatically coming on when volume pedal is at 0. I never hardly messed with any of the deep menu stuff on the kemper, it got confusing to me, so I do enjoy the simpler controls on the quad cortex, and I hardly ever used the editor, I would rather tweak on the unit itself, so that is much better on the quad cortex. Kemper is miles ahead when it comes to buying patches. HW has gotten a few of my dollars!😊
You know what's even better than having a powered Kemper? Getting the stereo mod!!! I can run true stereo with my guitar cabinets. :) Take THAT Helix and Quad Cortex!!
I have a non-powered rack which I use for basic recording of My own tracks. Cleans, it's fantastic. Overdrive/Distorted... eh. Not so great. There's a lot it can do that either I don't j ow how to use, or don't care to use. I like what I can do with it and would buy it again.
I think the biggest knock is if regular Joe buys one kemper and one guitar - he is not guaranteed to find the sound he wants out of the box. Kemper suffers from the same problem as buying IRs imo. You’re limited to what other people are capable of capturing well, and by what they’re willing to capture. I feel I’ve wasted enough $$ to buy a stomp or something similar digging through private seller packs. It would absolutely rock the competition with a more extensive easy to use market place, or like a TwoNotes approach where they officially work and capture licensed amps (folks are cool with cabs, dunno why they’re not with amps)
I had a kemper for 2 years. Loved it. No complaints but I recently moved to AxeFx3 as my favorite guitarist had jumped ship last year (from kemper to af3). Also the option for dual amps was a big draw for me for a lot of bands I like to play. I still think amp for amp the kemper is the best sounding unit out there but the AF3 is so versatile that it is hard to fight against. I wish Kemper would release a Kemper 2 with dual amp support and way way way way more liquid profiles that incorporate modeling. I would be right back with them if that happened. EDIT: Reason number 3, yeah those controls are literally unmatched. It's great.
Appreciate your balanced view. I liked my AX8 Fractal a lot, but a series of events really soured me on it. While waiting and waiting on the FM3 I got a Kemper and couldn't be happier. I see now their is a Turbo FM3. So grateful Christoph Kemper keeps adding value with free updates and upgrades instead of the industry standard of Fractal, Line 6, etc.. continuously trying to sell me a new box.
Maybe I don't understand it correctly but "liquid profiling" seems like a hybrid between a model and a profile... It's a great idea to include that in a camper, bravo, but If I had a camper the whole point would be to get as close to my own apms as possible, And that seems to be a step away from that, to me
I'll just stick with my amps ! Nothing sounds like a modded Marshall JCM 800 punching you in the back . But with the pushy music a lot of people play I guess it's ok. It's just a computer nerd trying to get the sound I get with my amp! Plus,I have friends that will carry my amps and cabs. How really goofy.
- If Kemper is king why most (big) artists that use modelers choose Fractal? - The UI of the Rig Manager is awful and outdated, it feels like using excel - Liquid profiling seems like a way to play catch up to other modelers who are way more powerful at editing the small details of an amp. - Outdated DSP, has not been upgraded in years - You can't run two amps in parallel in Kemper, you can in Fractal I feel like those arguments are more relevant in my book, if you are looking in to a Kemper unit, may I suggest you give other modelers a try as well?
My opinion is that everyone should play what suits them (Fractal, Line6, QC and others). I've been using Kemper for a long time, and since I profiled my own DI profiles for my favorite amp (JVM410H), I don't use any other profiles, and I have no reason to change. And of course it's the other way around too. Someone prefers Helix, for example, and Kemper is not interesting for them.
i work on live gigs and lately i'm seeing less kempers...guitar players who play solos still work with real tube amps and speakers and the backing players went to the irridium and dream 65, less bullshit and better tones than the kemper.
I agree that all units have their strengths, but my Kemper Stage is STILL my favorite!
Kemper certainly got a lot of things right early on, however, it's the fact it is the most accurate, faithful sounding profiler out there that makes it stand out.
I chose to Kemper based off tone and feel. No other modeler on the market can compare.
even Quad Cortex?
yep. not by a huge margin though. @@BagusWibisono
Same. I chose it for the base amp tones. They sound best on Kemper to me. I personally don’t have a need for extensive fx and crazy routing the other modelers offer.
Bought a QC and sold my Kemper 6 months ago, purely for size and convenience setting up/down on gigs. I do miss my Kemper. It has better FX, more parameters to tweak, an actual computer editor and easy ways to get 3rd party sounds, better file management and live mode UI. There's a reason it's lasted so long at the top!
Interesting. I did the same and I was very much blown away by how much quicker I got a great tone out of the QC. And to my surprise I just like amp modeling better, since they are a whole lot more flexible than a profile on a Kemper. Maybe if you have the real amps at home and do your own profiling it might be different.
@kapellekonig6512 amp tone wise, there's not enough difference for me to really notice, at least so far. Another thing is the crappy wifi inside the QC, barely connects, and when I've downloaded stuff it often doesn't appear in any search functions. I like how in the kemper the 'browse' mode has everything and you can sort it, in the QC I don't like the banks of 8 where you can't remember where you saved something. And with the Kemper editor you can audition/tweak profiles before saving them in the Kemper, with the QC you just have to download everything, create a rig then find a quick way to sort through stuff. Hopefully the editor changes that though 🤞
better file management is what made miles davis so great...good lock in the rabbit hole
Best comment evah!@@yaniv-nos-tubes
the Kemper is the best thing I ever had for my guitar sound... it is amazing
Kemper is absolutely amazing. The software upgrades are cool
But the essence of the main tone is great
And simple too
Kemper rocks! Can't imagine guitar life without it. Great tool...
I agree 1000%. The option of Powered Units is the BES!.
I tour professionally and all i need is my Power Rack. I can go Direct if needed, I can Go Cab'd if needed, I can go BOTH and Control Either Independently!
Also, I enjoy the ability to EQ the Output Signals without having to change the EQ in your Profile. So if I'm using a borrowed cab somewhere and it needs tweaking, I can adjust that in the Output EQ Settings and it will apply to all of my performance patches. Thats HUGE! 🤘🏼😜
Kemper nailed the formula. Great tone, feel and features. People will say QC and Helix have more options, but that's the problem... I like simple. And Kemper keeps it simple.
simple? my 1974x is simple (that is a tube amplifier). one volume one tone. your kemper is a computer, those aren't simple. keep waiting for the next update and pay up sardine.
@@yaniv-nos-tubes In the digital world, I would say Kemper is "relatively" simple. That's compared to Helix, Quad Cortex, etc. I still maintain that nothing beats the real thing. I've had a 67 Bassman, 70 Twin Reverb, 74 Princeton, 68 Dual Showman and a mid 80s JCM 800 2204. Nothing like it, but the Kemper gets real close when playing live or recording. Sure, there's nothing simpler than a couple knobs on an amp, but nothing holds a candle to Kemper in terms of simplicity and capability. No need to upgrade in my mind right now, even though the upgrades are free ; )
@@yaniv-nos-tubesI think you’re in the wrong video dude. The title literally says Kemper and yet you’re here just talking tube amps
omg!!!!!
kemper is always king!!!
I used over 20 different Tone Junkies profiles on my last CD. Still get compliments on the tone. Keep on Rocking HW!
Mind if I ask how to listen to your CD?
I agree. The deep editing functions are the real hidden gems inside the Kemper. They are so powerful and incredibly useful for sculpting the final sound.
I totally agree. I've had people tell me several times "Kemper's value is tanking because . Sell your Kemper before it tanks and buy the shiny new toy"
But why would I get rid of something I love? I'm not convinced the new stuff is actually better, just newer.
I own a Stage and a QC. I bought into the hype and semi regret buying th QC. Better effects than the Kemper for sure, but I'm literally thinking of selling the QC to buy a 2nd "tanking" Kemper as the used market is full of them at great prices. You know, just to have a backup, although I've been gigging it for years with zero issues.
@glencruciani3 I remember an interview where Mark Hoppus (bassist for Blink 182) said he bought a backup (because you have to at that level) but it never been used except to profile/level match. Because the Kemper is just so solid.
I never quite understand that one. You buy gear as a tool, not an investment. There are for beter ways of investing your money
I’ve been told that as well. Just because QC, fractal, line 6, etc, constantly release new hardware units doesn’t make the Kemper obsolete. If you’re into crazy fx and whatnot there are better options but for base amp tone and feel Kemper is still my favorite by far.
Kemper Rack unit with the Remote and in-ears for monitoring on stage is 👌.
If needed an FRFR cab but apart from the guitar I have literally everything I could want and more.
Kemper is absolutely still the KING. 🏆
Kemper is the Kingmper,period
Ask those clowns at access music to support the virus. It’s a shame they can’t take care of 2 product lines simultaneously while korg/Roland/Yamaha can support a lot more. Access needs to hire more people.
Keep ‘‘em coming. Much appreciated videos. You were my coach and I appreciate you.
I own a stage and recently got a fm9 turbo. Both are great gears but playing kemper feels more like using a real amp. The touch and articulation is almost as close to a real amp compared to fm9. I ended up selling the fm9 as I prefer to spend more of my time playing rather than endless tweaking.
Waited 12 years for something better ... finally bit the bullet.. so glad I did! Can't see how it can get any better, but does with each update.
Agreed I’ve tryd them all kemper will always win 🤘
Thank you for all the informative videos and great sounding profiles! I played the Kemper rack for awhile and then bought the Helix and have been using it for two years or so. Then I found your profiles and now I've been using the Kemper again and even got the Stage. Just uploaded a video with your mesa mark 7 profile
all i can say is, after 5 years as a kemper owner and not for second have the need to upgrade to anything else which i cannot say about any of my other gear.
not to say im still getting new features that almost like buying a new unit every single time
Best gear I bought ever…
I've been struggling with my Kemper for eleven years now and we are still not best friends but I have to say that for usability in live situations there is still no competition. I love my tube amps and the feel of them but I am also very particular when it comes to choosing amps. For live use the Kemper is very consistent and offers good enough effects for most situations and that is important because I try to keep everything in one box to minimize latency. The Kemper also offers digital I/O to help with that (I only wish there was more wireless guitar- and IEM systems with digital I/O). On top of my wish list now is faster boot time and two EQ's (integrated pre eq in amp section and integrated post eq in cab section) and them I am good.
As for the competition, it doesn't matter how good the units sound if they are too impractical to use live.
I have similar thoughts about the Kemper. I am curious if you have tried running the Kemper through a tube power amp, such as the Power Station?
3:47 I do exactly what you mention with the helix. I work as a session guitar player more than anything lately. I have always sent the dry guitar (DI), and then a WDW or core tone and stereo wet.
Still love my Kemper.
I don’t know if it’s still King, because I don’t have any of the others, but I am still more than happy with everything about my Kemper and I have never had to upgrade to a new MkII or MkIII unit and pay out all that money again just to keep up to date❤🎸😀
Couldn't agree more, except it is definitely King for me.
Exactly. Fractal is the king of constantly releasing a new hardware unit and convincing their customers to buy it and sell their old one. Haha
Here's another niche one - dedicated knobs for reverb/delay mix (provided your FX are in the right slots)! Profiles made for the studio can sometimes be too reverby for a live gig, but KPA is no problem to adjust on the fly.
Side note, I played the Kemper head at a gig last week and someone asked 'what was going on with your amp, it's lit up like a Christmas tree 🎄'. So add most festive modeller to the list pls! 😂
Part 1:
I use to roll around with a 16 U rack case of FX units, switchers, pedals and a mesa head on top... then I got old enough and a basement music room, and married, that is became impractical for me to continue hauling massive amounts of gear. My tone was also lacking and I couldn't expand my range the way I wanted to. Then... KEMPER came into my life.. cured my GAS and Excess Gear Syndrom and shrunk my rig to something I could carry in in one trip! (instead of 2 massive road cases and a ramp!)
Part 2:
I've taken a break from music since Covid, done a lot of personal growth, found myself, blah, blah, etc.. I had sold off a lot of my gear in that early season of my life. I'm looking to get back into an FX unit. Quad Cortex is all the rage and so many are selling their Kempers for it, but I not convinced. I love how simple Kemper is, yet SO DETAILED with how you can dial in on the amp... that's what I LOVE about it. I love the delays and FX built into it and the way I can have my presets and stops available to me at the same time on the floor controller.
With the Cortex, sure there is a fancy touch screen, and ins and outs, which might be cool for smaller venue help, but I don't see an easy way of having the "performance" mode with stops easily accessible (correct me below if I'm wrong), I don't see the ability to really dial in the sounds when the controls are limited (asides of achieving it with parallel amps maybe?), I still love a clean rack mount setup, and I think the buttons are too close together to control things quickly on the fly. Also.. only 2 expression pedals? REALLY?! (Meanwhile kemper can have 6! - I use 3) Also, tuner access is so complicated to access as well on the cortex!
All that said.. I can't help but come back to my love with the Kemper.
I don't want to deal with a learning curve. I have a system backup of my presents ready to go on the computer. I'm ready to rock again!
I also don't see the crazy live rigs using Cortex as often.
I'm coming back to the Kemper club!
There's my $20 with the 2 cents on the topic.
I am also a tube Amp Designer ( as a hobby) and modder. As everybody know humans have only a very short audio memory. So when voicing my amps differently , it’s almost impossible to make component changes and test it by updating it and listening to it 10 minutes later. With the kemper I just profile before and after and can switch between changes on the fly. That’s so helpful. The kemper is the single best gear investment I have made in the last 20 years
I have been a Blackstar HT100 user with my trusty old TC G-System for a long, long time and today, 10/20/23 I got my Kemper Rackmount Profiler that I ordered from Sweetwater . After 10 minutes playing through my interface (Apogee Symphony Mk II ) via SPDIF into my studio monitors (Genelec 8040B) I was totally blown away on how great this sounds and equally important, how it feels! I barely know how to even turn it on, Haha, and I'm already thinking of using it as my live rig with two Kemper Power Kabinets in stereo. I play aggressive Prog Metal and am worried that 200w cabinets may not be loud enough on stage, or what it will sound like in a live setting miked? I watch and enjoy your videos so I thought I would ask you for your recommendations on using it live and if those powered cabs would be enough? I have so much to learn here as i have always been a purist. Thanks so much. Awaiting your reply!
I have a bunch of Marshalls, and 4x12 cabs but at home I use my Kemper 90% of the time.
Came here after considering selling my Kemper for a QC and I think you’ve convinced me to hold onto my Kemper for a while longer. Great informative video!
No need I have both but I’m getting rid of the QC.
@@yotabirdman thanks for the reassurance!
No problem don’t let the new fancy screen fool you lol kemper rocks
Got my Kemper 2014, and even though I sold and bought quite some tube amps in between, I love to play it to this day. With this I mean in the guitar cab or via studio monitors (Genelecs). I also make sure that whatever favourite sounds I create, I also make a profile.
Where do you buy all your Suhr guitars? I have had my Kemper powered Rack unit for over 7 years and love it.
I try to buy my Suhrs used on Reverb, They used to go for under $2K.... but it's hard to find them at those prices anymore.
Hey for me my kemper I have my favorite amps the kemper effects I can build what ever I need in a very fast amount of time
Yeah I still owner. Kemper ❤
I’ve never seen a white Kemper rack unit before … They used to sell those? When/for how long?
I'd love some more music with backing tracks in the future from you. It sounds great!
ive sold my kemper few months ago and now im looking for one to buy !
I have been fighting with my Kemper for years now......... I slowly make headway day to day..... I have not given' up the fight........
Ok that answers many questions
Direct out and reamping is super easy to do on the Axe Fx as well. Direct out can be done in the global settings (so you’re not doing it for each preset, but also only if recording over usb) and/or sending signal to a different output on the grid takes about 5 seconds.
The kemper is still great, and up until recently, I would say it’s the best sounding digital solution (unless you really know what you’re doing with the Axe fx 3) but they’re going to have to release a new unit with more capabilities, better profiling, better effects, and maybe stereo amps soon to keep up with what’s available now.
Totally agree
HW how does that kemper kab sound to you compared to like a mission gemini? There is so little info online about the kabinet and how they sound
I love me some output controls
Where can I purchase the beautiful front colourful front for my powered Kemper please 🙏❓❓❓
Kemper Is Still Numero Uno!!!!!
I found the perfect "cabinet" for HX products... I had the same problem where I need it to be silent on stage but I wanted to be loud when I practiced and "get the feeling"... The answer is a really really really good powered PA speaker. I use a QSC k12.2... when I want to "get the feeling", I do, in spades.
Tone junkie!!! We need some more Tonex profiles!! Love the Kemper, but need more tonex please?!?!
Marshall Astra is ready to go, working on a tweed DMBL deluxe
@@ToneJunkieTV any chance you could do a Morgan AC20? Also, Victory amps makes an ac style model too..... I'm all in on that! Thanks HW!
Excellent overview.
A rackmount with a white face? How did you get that?
I was also underwhelmed by the Helix Spring Reverb. Their reverbs in general were not quite “there” for me. Couldn’t dial out enough midrange to keep it from overwhelming the base guitar… some of the amp models were really good, but overall-it just lacked dimensionality of feel. I look forward to trying the Kemper Stage! PS-Source Audio Ventris has a great spring reverb! The Boss RV-500 had the other best spring, but the rest of the verbs were not good imo.
I am so late to the Kemper game but not lack of faith. Just kept putting it off from being on amp and using Amplitube for studio work and other amps. Going live I wanted a viable practical piece to get all the amps I use and this thing is nailing them and helping me find great useable others. That TJ everything pack kicks ass.
Im fairly close to getting one but I just keep holding back investing 4 figures into something I know is so old. The battle is when it comes to sound were chasing things that are 60 years old so why should it matter, but I feel a Kemper 2 has to be worth waiting for also....
If that’s your view, you will still be waiting for the next one in ten years time. The latest updates alone show that more can be done with the current units. If anything, I suspect Kemper could bring out a version without the capability to profile an amp.
I had the same thoughts when the Kemper Stage came out. Bit the bullet and can't imagine my rig without it. Play worship for large church but also have a cover band with my son and it rocks man.. Just sayin...
@@jimmcdougall9973exactly you might be right. I dont want to go quad coretex simply because of what ive seen from Christoph himself.
Pull the trigger. I have been changing amps and modelers forever. I was about to buy a 5150 head and bought the kemper instead. Best investment I have ever made. I literally just bought “all the amps”. So many good profiles out there.
Of course it's still King, KEMPER RULES \m/
I have a question. I am looking to get a Kemper, but I am not sure if I want the head or the stage. Is there anything the head does that the stage does not do? I don't want to get the stage and find out there are things it does not do and miss out. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
where did you get the face cover ?
Totally agree, and I love that after so long I am still getting free updates and they work. As a software guy that is something I always complained about the lack of it. BTW HW, please put those damn knobs I sent you on your toaster!!!!!
I watched the video earlier but had to do a funeral home visit. Watching the video again for the second time and now commenting. I honestly played to 4:15 AM this morning on my NEW stage. A long time Kemper head “lunchbox” user and setting up the new stage and backing up and transferring favorites to my new stage was child’s play easy. The editor is awesome and the liquid profiling is legit. I love tube amps. But l bleed Kemper green. If l had my wishes??? Give me just one more effect block after the amp and cab. I keep wanting to layer delays with some reverb and an EQ block but l need a univibe block. I worked with it in front of the amp last night with sweet results. I also wonder about the comments about need 2 amps. It this really needed? Yea l’m on board that a wet dry 2 amp setup is cool but l feel like l can somewhat get this with the monitor out. Well… l guess. I could also run 2 Kempers now.
qhat song is that in the beginning ???????
im about to sell my kemper stage, im changing my mind.. goanna keep it...
What profiles are you using in the demos?
I own both a kemper and a quad cortex. I’ve played the kemper probably the last 6-7 years. Kemper has came a long way with the updates. My stage has had issues with some of the switches not working properly. But all in all a great unit. Both have their pros and cons. For my situation the quad cortex seems to be the best. It’s small enough to put in my gig bag, and I can bring it back and forth from home to church easily. I seem to get the best sound out of it as well. I do miss a couple features the kemper has that the quad cortex doesn’t have. Such as tuner automatically coming on when volume pedal is at 0. I never hardly messed with any of the deep menu stuff on the kemper, it got confusing to me, so I do enjoy the simpler controls on the quad cortex, and I hardly ever used the editor, I would rather tweak on the unit itself, so that is much better on the quad cortex. Kemper is miles ahead when it comes to buying patches. HW has gotten a few of my dollars!😊
You know what's even better than having a powered Kemper? Getting the stereo mod!!! I can run true stereo with my guitar cabinets. :) Take THAT Helix and Quad Cortex!!
Please....
Make the new Tone King Royalist MKIII Liquid Profile!!!
Or better, a Tone King Liquid Pack
I have a non-powered rack which I use for basic recording of My own tracks. Cleans, it's fantastic. Overdrive/Distorted... eh. Not so great. There's a lot it can do that either I don't j ow how to use, or don't care to use. I like what I can do with it and would buy it again.
I think the biggest knock is if regular Joe buys one kemper and one guitar - he is not guaranteed to find the sound he wants out of the box.
Kemper suffers from the same problem as buying IRs imo. You’re limited to what other people are capable of capturing well, and by what they’re willing to capture. I feel I’ve wasted enough $$ to buy a stomp or something similar digging through private seller packs.
It would absolutely rock the competition with a more extensive easy to use market place, or like a TwoNotes approach where they officially work and capture licensed amps (folks are cool with cabs, dunno why they’re not with amps)
I only need support to android.
I had a kemper for 2 years. Loved it. No complaints but I recently moved to AxeFx3 as my favorite guitarist had jumped ship last year (from kemper to af3). Also the option for dual amps was a big draw for me for a lot of bands I like to play.
I still think amp for amp the kemper is the best sounding unit out there but the AF3 is so versatile that it is hard to fight against. I wish Kemper would release a Kemper 2 with dual amp support and way way way way more liquid profiles that incorporate modeling. I would be right back with them if that happened.
EDIT: Reason number 3, yeah those controls are literally unmatched. It's great.
Appreciate your balanced view. I liked my AX8 Fractal a lot, but a series of events really soured me on it. While waiting and waiting on the FM3 I got a Kemper and couldn't be happier. I see now their is a Turbo FM3. So grateful Christoph Kemper keeps adding value with free updates and upgrades instead of the industry standard of Fractal, Line 6, etc.. continuously trying to sell me a new box.
wait a little .... the Bluguitar Amp X is coming
Maybe I don't understand it correctly but "liquid profiling" seems like a hybrid between a model and a profile... It's a great idea to include that in a camper, bravo, but If I had a camper the whole point would be to get as close to my own apms as possible, And that seems to be a step away from that, to me
I'll just stick with my amps ! Nothing sounds like a modded Marshall JCM 800 punching you in the back . But with the pushy music a lot of people play I guess it's ok. It's just a computer nerd trying to get the sound I get with my amp! Plus,I have friends that will carry my amps and cabs. How really goofy.
I'm waiting for a Kemper 2 before trying it out.
You might be waiting a while!
@@greenrivergear Maybe, maybe not. I'm not in a hurry.
All the rest thought inside the box. Kemper thought outside...
Kemper is still King because I need to sell my profiles!
He sells QC Captures, ToneX Captures, Helix Presets, etc etc.
- If Kemper is king why most (big) artists that use modelers choose Fractal?
- The UI of the Rig Manager is awful and outdated, it feels like using excel
- Liquid profiling seems like a way to play catch up to other modelers who are way more powerful at editing the small details of an amp.
- Outdated DSP, has not been upgraded in years
- You can't run two amps in parallel in Kemper, you can in Fractal
I feel like those arguments are more relevant in my book, if you are looking in to a Kemper unit, may I suggest you give other modelers a try as well?
My opinion is that everyone should play what suits them (Fractal, Line6, QC and others). I've been using Kemper for a long time, and since I profiled my own DI profiles for my favorite amp (JVM410H), I don't use any other profiles, and I have no reason to change. And of course it's the other way around too. Someone prefers Helix, for example, and Kemper is not interesting for them.
the new friedman ir x is a kemper killer, kemper will be remembered like multi effects just a stupid phase that lasted too long.
BS
i work on live gigs and lately i'm seeing less kempers...guitar players who play solos still work with real tube amps and speakers and the backing players went to the irridium and dream 65, less bullshit and better tones than the kemper.
😂
In terms of everything it offers, Headrush Prime is a new dimension for all other competitors on the market
It was never the king 🙄
Yes, it's a Deity.
Dude looks like a lady...