Timestamps where Rabea plays the same thing: 32:53 K (Pos 4 hairier) 32:57 QC 28:19 K (cocked wah) 28:16 QC 27:01 K 27:04 QC 27:06 K (excessive/woofy bottom end) 27:16 K 27:20 QC 27:24 K 27:40 K 27:36 QC 22:35 K (clean) 22:23 QC 22:54 K 22:47 QC --- The Quad Cortex sounds more accurate to me than the Kemper, which is what you want when profiling your own amps The lower end wooliness and cocked wah are pretty noticeable once you hear it The feel is important too I own a Kemper, but my QC arrives in a couple of days This video was one that sold me on it Thanks Rabea! I have some great profiles on the Kemper so I'll probably keep it as well unless I can replicate everything and it becomes redundant
I've followed Bea for around 8 years going back to the ChasinJade times. I've been lucky enough to meet him a few times too. He's the most down-to-earth bloke you can meet and throughout the hundreds of reviews he has done, has never been biased when reviewing a product. His opinions are made very clear in all videos and nothing is ever fabricated. It's an absolute credit to the man to have re-filmed and edited a 45-minute comparison which is free for everyone to watch. I think it's easy to take for granted how much effort goes into these types of videos. Fair play to the lad.
Completely reshooting a video and re-editing? Yeah. Absolutely. Some people would have said, "tough shit. If you don't like how I did it, do your own video comparison." This dude says, "You know, you might be right, let try to get the most accurate comparison out to you. Sorry about that." Fucking stand up dude, and to me says a lot about his character.
I really enjoy Bea's demos, and I've been following him for years. He usually provides quality information, and the production value is great - and because I know what types of sounds he goes for and how his setup sounds, it's easy for me to get a good idea about whether a product is something I might enjoy. However, Bea doesn't make reviews - he demos stuff and is paid to do so by the manufacturer or distributor of said product, and that by default means that he is biased towards them and their interests. And I think he's usually really good a the balancing act of providing quality information to his audience, while also promoting products - many RUclipsrs fail at this task. And the reason he had to do this video again, is that when you're paid by Neural to make a video, and then compare it against one of their main competitors then you really have to make sure that you cover all the bases, otherwise his opinion is worthless. It doesn't matter what the truth is (i personally doubt that he was scheming against Kemper), but the second there's even a whiff of that going on, and he can be suspected of doing it - the whole thing falls apart. He obviously realised this and decided to be transparent and do it again.
How can anyone dislike this? The guy went back to do it “right” and peeps still came to the video just to dislike, wild. Keep up the good work man don’t let haters get you down or waste your time.
I have the utmost respect for why he did this but I actually think the first approach made more sense. He compared the raw tones that have been digitally created. The QC was incredibly close to the real thing already. The Kemper just wasnt (to my ear). Yes you can fine tune the result. But for me the real value of the product lies in the things it just does for you without you fine tuning the end result. Just my two cents.
@@metalpuppet5798 fine tunig is part of the profiling of the amp, so if you don't do it it's like doing only half the work, not fair for the Kemper. But the QC still wins this one IMO.
If I want to hear how a pedal or an amp sounds I'm checking your channel first. Simply because your playing is outstanding, the riffs are amazing, songwriting is stellar and your comments are always spot on. I don't really get all the fuzz about the last upload, but I guess you're in a similar spot as other tech youtubers with apple vs android. I thought this comparision was more than fair!
Those are stupid people trying to get world's validation for their purchase..simple as that. They close their minds when someone has a different opinion about their stuff.
As a Kemper owner I have to say it's a good review. The QC sounds good, but I am still satisfied with my Kemper. In the end it's just a tool to make music, no reason to get upset about it, I don't do that either when there is a new overdrive pedal
i took the dive and purchased a Kemper last year (never regretted it for a second) i absolutely love it. But this Quad Cortex sounds amazing, seemed to capture a more authentic / sharp sound. Not enough to justify getting rid of the kemper but its really cool to see the tech progressing. Cool vid as always
I'm a Kemper user too and totally agree. I notice the slight 'wooly' tone especially whilst recording with the Kemper. Nothing to lose any sleep over but its there. It can of course be ironed out with a bit of tweaking and then some eq in post but that Cortex did sound better and more amp like. Good vid!
This is the kind of mature and chilled out response the world needs more of, not the defensive bile that the net has in abundance. Good luck to you sir.
I am also a kpa user and love it, the cortex sounds more realistic, but at this time my kpa will stay. In fact it is so i took a lot work to make the profiles so that they sounds right to me, i m happy with it. There comes always new gear, it is a rabbithole. If you bought an old marshall it has its own character, you will not sell it, cause theres a new one. Summary each gear has its own character, its the player who has to become a better player not the gear.😊
But I have to say watching a ton of these types of videos, f this was a Kemper promo video they would do the profiling, then play the Kemper profile back and it would sound amazing.
Were people insinuating that because the kemper struggles with profiling Victory amps, it wasn’t a fair test? Surely if we are focusing on which is the better profiler, and one product cannot profile certain brands well whilst the other can, that’s indicative of one product just being better, not indicative of the test itself being unfair.
Who knows man! I just wanted to make sure all bases were covered, and so I saw that comment about victory amps, and so I figured I’d just go one further and make sure to do another amp
@@RabeaMassaad Well certainly now, no one could accuse you of bias! I think it’s a testament to your integrity that you put in the effort and remade the video.
@@TobyJBall To my ear I didn't get the feel that the Kemper was struggling with the Victory amp. But the QC is sounding nice a close to all the original amps Bea tested. If I had a Kemper, would it be enough to make me switch? Nah, probably not. But as someone who doesn't own either I think the reviews out there make the QC the clear choice. Also, that Mayones....damn I want one.
No. People were saying the first video wasn’t a fair test because Rabea did not go through the refine portion of the profiling process. As Rebel says in this video, going through that process did make a difference.
@@DavidEidelberg Yes I understand that, but it also seems as if people had complaints he was profiling the Super Kraken because it’s a PCB amp. That seems like a poor excuse to me.
Great video, I'm glad I found this before I bought a Kemper - unlike some of the other "reviews" I've seen on popular channels that highlight problems with the Quad Cortex I think are actually user issues, it's so useful to see someone who really has a command of the technology (and can really play!). I can hear the difference, the Quad Cortex sounds more 3D, and I can imagine how that translates with the feel. It reminds me of when I played my Vibro King handwired amp next to a Blues Deville, both sounded good but there's a depth to the handwired amp which is part of the feel/sag etc. This video has cost me £1500 - thanks!!
It's a fair point, to say that the Kemper's process should include the refine feature, but to attack your integrity is a foul reaction. You shouldn't have to defend yourself when giving an honest opinion based on subjective analysis. IMO, the Kemper DOES sound good, too, but I've watched a bunch of comparisons now, and all say the same three things against the Kemper that made me choose the QC over it... 1. Low end sounds slightly muddier or muffled 2. It has slightly more gain, or distortion applied to the profile, and 3. It doesn't have quite the same "feel" as the Reference or the QC. Add those reasons to the fact that the QC is a modern design, smaller, better UI and menu (making it far more intuitive and simple to use), easier ways of storing and sharing tones, and being able to capture pedals... I've made the choice to go with the QC. The one downside I've heard about the QC, is that the onboard effects are not quite as good as the Kemper, but this can all be updated with patches later on (another thing that is easier with the QC), so I'm all in. I really hope you (Bea), Martin Kid (of Victory Amplification), and Michael Britt get into making Captures for sale soon, too. Because I've got cash to spend on delicious tones!
HEY Rabea! Don't worry! Thing is that people have expectations when viewing reviews, and they'd mainly like this or that type of sounds or textures demoed, or this or that feature. And there is no way that any reviewer can run through ALL what such modern and complex devices are able to process. So, in the end, we all need to check BY OURSELVES, and that's it. Just a question of personal taste.
Sad to say I'm embarrassed by my fellow human beings who seemed to make you feel that you needed to redo your video, and particularly that some feel justified in making personal comments, rather than non-personal observations on the sounds. Credit to you Bea for the way you've handled it - I do hope that as you say, you don't let the inappropriate opinions impact you in any way.
Hi Rabea, long time subscriber, first time commenter here. I have immense respect for your professionalism and integrity in these videos, they are second only to your playing, which is an inspiration to me (especially when you play strats and tele's! ). I'm sure everyone else viewing feels the same. All the best from Australia!
Didn’t see the last video but think this was 100% fair comparison. I love my Kemper and can’t see me changing it out anytime soon but definitely think that the Quad Cortex did a better job in capturing the amps natural sound. It was damn close. Good job Rabea and don’t let the haters get you down!
@@joshshultz1250 totally agree. How can you possibly think that tech that was created 10 years ago isn’t going to have good competition! If you like your Kemper then that’s cool, if you prefer the QC there’s no big deal. People prefer different tube amps and it’s no big deal!
Totally agree. Keeper users should be more than happy that their 10 years old product still get free features updates, and sound that good compared to the latest and greatest.
Great video dude. As a Kemper owner I must admit the QC sounds clearer and cleaner. Just a tiny bit. The whole "what sounds exactly like the amp" thing to me isn't that important. I just want an usable great sounding different range of tones to play and record. Both of them can give me that. There wasn't a single tone that I wouldn't use to record. All sounded great. We had this war when the Helix was released, I'm pretty sure this kemper Vs QC thing won't last that long. KEMPER is 10 years old. Still sounds great, but QC is superior in terms of technology and capabilities. Do I need one to replace my Kemper? Hell no!! Great job dude, this is a great video.
1. Don't think you're a shill. 2. Great scientific approach. 3. Playstation analogy was bang on. 4. Appreciate your willingness to dot all the i's and cross all the t's. 5. Your drive to do the comparison right was illustrated when you threw out the hand wired amp. SOLID WORK
I own a kemper and it does have a natural compression. My ear has grown accustomed to it. The QC defiant sounds awesome. Pick what you want and enjoy the riffage! 🤘🏾
Nothing against your integrity Bea but I'm really glad you redid the test, it helps to really draw a confident conclusion: the Captures are just better. I have a kemper, love its sounds, don't plan to sell it, but I've seen several of these now and it's clear Neural has Kemper beat on the basic technology. Software still has a ways to go, effects and UX stuff, but I think it's fair to say the Cortex sets the new standard.
I agree very much and also won't be selling mine anytime soon. While the QC is great, it still has a lot of potential to improve - most noticeable the audio dropouts when switching presets and effect quality (see Paul Davids video). But the good thing is it will certainly push Kemper to improve, too. So in the end with a competitive market everybody wins anyways lol.
Don’t listen to the negative comments man you’ve always came across as an honest down to earth person I’m not a gear junkie I just love hearing you play . You’re proof that gear isn’t everything, what’s most important is playing and mastering the instrument. Cheers stay safe
You don’t have to explain yourself or justify what you do, to anyone but yourself. This channel is a fantastic and inspiring resource. Period, end of story.
Amen brother! Keep enjoying what you are doing and making great music and content. There will always be haters and that means you are doing something right!
You obviously care that you’re being as fair as possible Bea, just know this, you will have fans that will support you no matter what. I’m a fan for life.
I literally love you Rabea. Seriously. One of the best youtubers out there. Listening to the community, re-recording a whole video, fair comparisons. I can not thank you enough for all the great content you put out in the world
Hey Rabea, thank you for the newly made comparison and the obvious extensive work that went into it! I think surely no one can complain now and it's more than fair between the two units. Few more notes to round this off: Generally Kemper doesn't have a problem with Victory Amps - my guess is that the official victory profiles don't work for some people, which is why they may have said that in the comments. There are great Kraken profiles around. That said, it would be great if you could make your Profiles / Captures from this video available for download. These are massive tones! Overall what I take away from this video: Both units sound exceptional and I see no reason to make the switch from my Kemper anytime soon, which works perfectly for my needs. For people who are looking to get a unit I'd say it's about 50/50 depending on their specific needs and pros and cons. Soundwise, they are easily within 2% and could be made indistinguishable with a simple touch of EQ. Also what people tend to forget, new tech doesn't make the gear you have any worse! Competition is good for the market and the consumer, because it'll push all companies to improve and innovate. No need to spread hate! Thank you for your honesty here, Cheers
Very nice video. Appreciate the extra effort and assessment of how comparing baselines between different equipment is extremely complex - I think you did what most people would to compare in their own setups if they had both devices. Given that the Quad Cortex is brand new, in its infancy as far as software updates, and took a single attempt to capture, I am definitely impressed with how close the sound is the the amps (via RUclips audio, of course).
As someone who didn't see the original comparison: I think it's admirable that you took the criticism, re-did the comparison, and made it the best you possibly could.
Yes bro! A man wiser than me taught me never to wrestle with pigs. You get dirty and the pig likes it. Those who appreciate your hard work and honesty trust you and will support you.
Rabea, I watched the first video as well as this re-shoot. Not only is this video more thorough, it's better than any other QC vs KPA comparison I've seen to-date. People have reported a color or character that the KPA imparts to the sound in certain situations, but because the KPA is so excellent, these characteristics are often subtle and difficult to describe. I am so impressed with how you went the extra mile in this re-shoot to translate these sonic characteristics of the KPA into words for us. Also, your integrity is undeniable--thanks for actually taking a stance and giving us your opinion, rather than saying, "everything is the same and it just depends on the use case." You turned a challenging situation into an outstanding production. BRAVO, and thank you!
They look to be the same price pretty much at Andertons and Thomann.. I hadn't really looked into the Quad Cortex much yet, so had just had it passing through my mind with osmosis.. I was thinking of it favourably.. thinking it must be half the price of the Kemper or so.. bit surprised to see the price
Rabea, I believe you are a man of integrity, don't let the nay-sayers get you down. The video you took down was very useful to me and convinced me even more why I have the QC on pre-order. This redo was very well done and reinforced my decision even further. I thought the Kemper sounded good, but the QC just seemed better all around. I especially liked your comments on the feel of the QC. That is as important as the sound imo.
its about the way the user interface and the quality of the captures that makes it feel good playing it that matter to us. not a brand, just what the people at the helm of the brand can deliver for us.
Hey buddy! Don’t pay attention to the jerks ! You are doing great job, and always stays honest! Will be nice to hear an effects comparaison with your pedalboard to see how Cortex efx stays to real deals! And hope to see you again in Paris but this time with Cortex ;)
Great comparison Bea, I must say the Quad Cortex sounds a lot clearer, the Kemper sounds a bit woofy. Great attention to detail mate, this must of been a long day filming this.
Rabea , your videos are some of the best out there. They are very in-depth and straight forward. This is why I have been following your videos. Not to mention your playing is some of the best out there and very soulful !! Keep kicking ass !! Cheers from across the pond !!
I bought a used Kemper for my band and for what has accidentally turned into my home studio. Couldn't be happier with it, really. It's offered so much flexibility and allowed for so much experimentation a real amp just wouldn't and that it can stand up this well to technology a decade later is a testament to how well made it was. Then again, I never cared for how accurately it captured a specific amp, just that I found sounds I liked. The Quad Cortex sounds great and sure does seem to surpass it, but not by as much as I perhaps expected from something so much more modern. So if anybody made it through that block of text, I do have a question. My kemper can run a real cab, does the Quad Cortex have built-in power and capability to do that?
I'm sure there will be. There's no Poweramp in it but nowadays no one needs one in modeles. Just go through the FX loop of your amp or buy a cheap ass solidstate Poweramp for like $100.
Rabea this vid is awesome. Thanks for doing it and don't let the haters get you down. It is cool that someone pointed out the refine change and you took it to heart and reshot the whole vid. What I'm hearing in the high gain I believe could be matched with a touch of EQ but most importantly the "pick" function on the Kemper will get that attack you are getting out of the QC. I own Kemper. Both units sound great. A QC will be a consideration in the future. Partially I like the ease for gigging. Either that or a Kemper Stage. It is fascinating how on the clean tone you seemed to have more saturation on the QC and less on the Kemper and it sounds to be the opposite on the high gain. More saturation on the Kemper and less on the QC. Nice comparison vid and many thanks for going the extra mile.
Rabea mate, you shouldn't need to apologise to the people who think you're "fake" whatsoever. If they can't get that across in their heads that you're (A) Extremely humble and honest about these things, I've met you myself and can confirm haha and (B) Extremely knowledgeable too, I've watched pretty much every single video since you started your own channel and even as a bassist, I've learnt a metric shit-tonne that I've been able to put into my own musicianship and my band... If they can't see it, then that's their problem dude! Fuck em and crack on with the sick vids and sick tones!😂👌🏻🔥
Rabea is an absolute dude and being so close to NDSP and the QC he's in an impossible situation here. To be fair though, £1500 is a LOT of money so it is understandable that people are trying to weed out hype and marketing, of which there has been a ton, from honest opinion. For example, do you think if Rabea had done this comparison and Kemper was still beating the QC on certain amps/tones that those would make it into this video? What I don't get is the animosity towards guys like Rabea who contribute so much to the community whilst also having to make a living. I think questioning the context to some of these videos is valid, especially when so much money is at stake but the aggressive nature of the comments is just pathetic. As you say, fuck em!
Your gear reviews and tutorials have really helped me figure out how to find my favorite tones and express better with the tools I have. Thank you so much for all of your efforts and entertainment over the years!
Very interesting! Thx! Was listening to this on my monitors and to me (as a lucky kemper user) the K definitely won the race. to me the "refining"-option holds the secret. if you do good refining, the kemper can capture (idc about brand terms - it does capture a sound) a lot more information. f.e. when I do my high gain profiles I chug every fret up to the 12th, play single notes, pinchharmonics, turn the volume poti down and do more of a funky strumming, and possibly ANY technique I would use when I play. even tremeolo squeals and what not. to me, this seems to bring best results when profiling. the QC seems to try to solve the capture-refining with simulated "playing". as far as I can tell by just watching this video. nevertheless, these are white noise, pink noise and sine waves, and not an actual string vibration of a real string. you always capture the entire signal chain. to me the QC sounded a bit scooped compared to the reference amp. maybe just 0,5 dB in the mids but that´s just my view on this. thanks man! very enlightening! keep up the good work!
There will always be naysayers. I've seen so many of your videos over the years, and never once have I thought you are a shill or that your biases prevent you from being objective when dealing with whatever the piece of gear is. You're doing amazing work, and really helping a lot of us navigate the massive amounts of new gear coming out. Thank you.
Man every video I watch makes me more and more happy I've pre-ordered the cortex. Thank you for every video of it. I know swapping cables and listening to tones for hours can get mind numbing, but we all appreciate it so much! Keep uploading! I would love to see more bluesy type stuff and demo's on built in effects. Most importantly I need to hear some tests switching settings in scene or stomp mode and presets to show the cutout, if any, in a live situation.
Insanely good video. Mad respect for redoing it. I know the time and effort is insane. I'm sorry people make awful assumptions in the comments. If there's one channel I trust to be unbiased. It's this one. Great job!
Mad props for redoing this video in response to your comments! I didn't see the original but based on all your other content I'm sure it was great. Keep doing you! FWIW I think you do amazing demos and reviews and you never come off as biased or trying to sell stuff beyond your honest feelings !
They both sound pretty fantastic, and as a Kemper user, I’ve definitely noticed many of the things you’re hearing (especially the compression/feel characteristics the Kemper imparts). It’s why I prefer Axe-FX/FM3. Very excited to get the QC in and make some tones. One thing I like about KPA is its ability to really tweak a profile using things like Definition, Clarity, etc. Do you feel the QC offers these kinds of parameters via things like EQ’s or other types of effects blocks? Thanks Rabea!
Thanks for preserving and remaining enthusiastic! Must have been disheartening to see a backlash. We could all learn from your positive attitude. Huge respect.
Just a general comment to everyone: If you're chasing tones and you're after new gear - and can afford it - then that's fine! If you're already the owner of some older gear and it still works - and you already found your tone be happy - why change? Get the next, newest, bestest thing when you need to. Either way - can I have your old thing please?
Nice informative video Rabea that also displays your integrity with doing it! I've had my QC on order for a few months now and anxiously awaiting its arrival! Thanks for doing this!
To me it sounds like the Kemper takes away a little bit top end and adds a little bit of gain, wich adds some natural compression, i guess. I actually liked the Quad Cortexmore more, because it sounded closer to the reference amps to me, plus: i like the concept of the Quad Cortex. I mean there's a neural network programming the profile simulation, wich is cool. That doesn't mean it's better or worse than anything else, i just like to see new technology in action. So yeah tone wise it's the quad cortex for me.
Great video man. I've had my Kemper for around 10 years now and hearing still how close these two are, it's really a testament to how far ahead Kemper's tech was back in the day. I've yet to make a profile that I didn't end up tweaking here and there with the EQ to truly perfect. Those inconsistencies between the amp and the kemper are usually pretty quick to line up with a little EQ'ing so while I don't want to say it's a moot point when comparing vs the QC, it narrows the "this vs that" gap but props to Neural though. They've delivered an amazing little box of power. I definitely will be picking one up but I'm probably going to wait until the inevitable rack unit comes out and I want to see what sort of software they end up delivering to manage the unit as well. It'll also be interesting to see (if they do bring out a rack version) if they follow Kemper's lead and build a dedicated foot controller for it as well. That thing has made the kemper an amazing plug and play gig rig
Thank you so much Rabea for taking all that time to go put each through their paces! I used the Kemper when I headlined the Melbourne Guitar Show last year, playing the first Van Halen record from start to finish.. and the profiles I bought and then 'massaged' for the show came out very good indeed (the show video is on my channel if you're curious to hear the sounds).. but I think that Quad Cortex has an articulation and transparency that make the Kemper feel slightly more 2 dimensional and dull. thanks for all your hard work on your Channel, it's really great! best, Simon
Not sure. To me the Kemper was better, no harsh frequencies. We’ll see if guys like Rabea or other get rid of their Kemper and go for the QC. Had serious private conversation with one of those YT dude who said that it wasn’t that good and had that tiring ear effect after playing on it. To him Kemper was better but they need to earn their money. Aliasing is inherent to neural network profiling.
@@NO-TALK-GuitarPlugin Aliasing is tied to the internal sampling rate. That of Kemper's is around 700 kHz with a dsp that is 5 times less powerfull than the Neural's... Don't know if we can find the Neural's spec somewhere, but I doubt it's less than the Kemper's.
I was just about to buy a Kemper Profiler power head and pedal and you've seriously made me have a rethink about what I am going to do in terms of my new live rig
@@DeltaLimaBR must be nice living in a bubble where you think every country (or most countries) has an income that can cover a $2000 piece of gear. Imagine being that dumbass
I'm really hoping you wear a RipnDip shirt (which almost always features a cat giving the finger) as a small gesture to the haters haha. Besides that, thanks a lot for this concise comparison! I'm on the verge of buying one of the modelers, so it's nice to see this kind of head to head comparison which hasn't really been done that much yet. Although I definitely hear differences, to me it feels more like a taste/preference comparison. You can't really go wrong with any of them, as far as I'm concerned. So I end up buying stuff more based on the UI, workflow etc. I feel the same about the analogue synthesizer market at the moment. Guess I'm just happy with the insane amount of (sort of) affordable stuff that's available nowadays :)
Well i really think Quad Cortex wins this one and that seems to be the case in other youtube comparison videos too. Nice to see technology getting better and better. Still happy with my kemper though. There is alot of absolutely great profiles out there :)
Respect to you Rabea for redoing this comparison. This demonstrates your integrity. I have neither of these units. I have an Eleven Rack that I am sure does not compare to its current day equivalents. I have preordered the QC way back last year and am now excited to think that I may get one in my hands some time soon. Peace and love!
People who hate on paid reviewers are hilarious. Theres a reason why every review we see these days is positive and it aint because they're faking it. It's because tech these days is all do bloody good!
The thing is the videos on quad cortex where it stands “includes paid promotion” etc they say it’s awesome but the videos where it doesn’t stand that they are pretty negative about the qc, (the videos I have watched) I may be wrong but I think I will go for the Kenner rack instead of the qc
So you are saying you trust a guy who do a paid review equally as with a guy who reviews the same product, but gets no money / gear / benefits from the manufacturer?
@@elguitarTom no I say that I don’t really trust the paid promotion video as much as the other who don’t get paid because the paid promotion is like a ad, they want to get the product sold to help the manufacture, with no paid promotion they will be more straight up with the negatives and if it’s worth etc.
Rabea, you ARE the real deal. I’ve watched you from the early days of Andertons and the amount you have improved is astounding! Just keep doing what you do best and that’s music.. Peace brother
About the profiling yeah but kemper isnt bad at all. But the feeling i get from a Kemper is more my taste. At the end the people need to test both and then decide
I don't like and comment on many videos but this video was so well done I just have to. This is what a gear review should be! The fact that you took the time to redo the test to ensure each product was most accurately represented says a lot about how much you care about the gear community. This video will become the go to video for a true comparison of the capture/profile quality of each of these two flagship products. As a fellow Kemper owner who for a long time thought "how can you improve upon perfection" the QC answerers that question. It isn't by making it sound better or adding more functionality but by making it easier to get great results faster. I know the Kemper is capable of getting perfect profiles because it has been done many many times. The QC seems to be able to get the same results but with a lot less tweaking. The Kemper is designed to be a SINGLE amp with some effects just like you would use a classic tube amp. The QC is designed to be a WHOLE RIG witch can include multiple amps in stereo setups. The QC is the more capable device. Last idea just for fun... Kemper profiles QC... QC captures Kemper..... Same reference amp capture/profile on each Who profiles/captures who best? lol
What I love about the Kemper is performance mode. Dialling in a performance on a powered Kemper with the Kemper Kones is so much fun. I have stored my valve amps as the Kemper, footswitch and Kones are more portable and consistant for me. Loud and as tough as old boots. Great that the Quad has come out though. The low sounds and woolliness mentioned is taken away when used with Kones, but that is my own opinion. That is why I love these vids. Now for more playing!
@@dvaoa there is a difference between getting an amp exactly...and getting a good sound. The Kemper always sounds good, even if it's a little bit off in comparison. Moreover, Kemper is probably more robust and has better effects..German made...etc..
fantastic video rabea, thanks for all the time and effort, this was a really rad video - thanks for explaining everything as you went. I haven't pulled the trigger on a profiler yet so it was nice to see what the process is like
Interesting, the QC basically saved the mezzabarber, it was virtually unusable with that hum, but the QC capture sounded pretty close and it was a usable tone. Meanwhile the kemper couldn’t do it.
Great comparison. Great work Bea .. as always. I have owned my kemper for 6 yrs. When I bought it there really wasn't anything else like it or anything else that could do as good a job capturing profiles of amps. There was the AxeFx so that was the big rivalry... and those two groups of people would argue back and forth. I think arguing about which is better is silly. I'm glad the Quad Cortex sounds and feels so good ! And I'm glad it has more features.The algorithm that Kemper uses to profile NEEDS to be updated and refined AND the Kemper's features need to be updated as well. I'm glad the QC exists because maybe it will light a fire under Kemper's butt to make some updates. I have ALWAYS felt that Kempers should be able to run 2 different amps at once (stereo). Since the 1980's I have been running my guitar thru 2 different kind of amps to get that really big sound.... so why shouldn't Kemper be able to do the same ? I'm not threatened or angry by a competitive piece of gear .. .I welcome it ! It's what drives innovation. Anyone bashing on Bea needs to chill. Bea has always been fair and impartial. It's all about sound, feel, and features. The label is meaningless !
Hey Rabea, your "wooly" and "cloudy" observations with the Kemper is something I have brought up for years too. It's like the Kemper doesn't quite respond to palm-mutes in the same way as a real amp. The QC sounds much closer and "real" than the Kemper. I love my Kemper still though! Hopefully Kemper can do a firmware update in the future that fixes this. I'd love that because I'm not mad keen on the form factor of the Quad Cortex.
absolutely agree. palm mutes and chugs have never been right with the Kemper and for some reason they don't acknowledge it. And it's a huge part of my playing so it's very frustrating. The only way to deal with it is high pass filtering which goes some way to making it tighter but not the feel. Looking forward to receiving the QC as Neural seem to get that part right in their plugins
@@wingee Yes I agree it's been a long-standing issue, and for metal and rock it's obviously a big deal. Many profiles do not sound "bad" per-se, but they don't sound accurate to what was going into the amp at the time. Which is why I've never really purchased profile packs - I don't trust that I'm getting what I am paying for. I've made custom profiles of all of my amps, and have spent a long time with pre and post EQ to minimize the effect of the palm-mute inaccuracies, but there is only so far that this will get you. QC looks great. I'm not a fanboi. I'll use whatever works best! I own a Helix and a Kemper and 5 great valve amps. I will eventually add a QC to my list.
There’s always haters Rabea, you always come across as totally honest to me, if they don’t like what you’re doing then f#%k ‘em... they should watch someone else. The last time I checked you could watch who you please. Carry on the great work dude there are a lot of us that enjoy your channel.
Cheers for redoing the comparison. It's great to hear both units fairly compared to the best of their capturing capabilities. I've been a long term kemper user and it's nice to see the technology evolve. Your video has certainly pushed me towards the QC, the benefits of a generally better capture and better flexibility in my rig makes so much sense.
I saw Between The Buried and Me in 2021 and they were using Kempers (i think the powered rack mount versions)…and I was blown away. I’ve never been more impressed with a bands live guitar tone and clarity. It was absolutely flawless and insane. Those guys are phenomenal players but their tone was crystal clear through all of their different presets and if you know that band….they have a lot.
Dude, I’ve learned more on gear from watching your videos and Anderton’s then I ever knew on my own. Every piece of gear I own was demonstrated by you, Pete, or Rob. Thanks for the informative videos and great inspiration! Keep doing you bro!!
Regarding the "flexibility" thing, the QC might win when talking about the flexibility of everything BESIDES the CAPTURES lol. JUST talking about amp models effects and overall routing capabilities. The only flexibility the Captures have "after the fact" are being able to be stacked on top of each other. So you can Capture pedals and stuff and run a bunch of Captures together, which is truly sick as hell! lol But aside from that, they're much less flexible than Kemper Profiles. There's only a 3 band EQ and Gain to tweak Captures. And if you're working with the QC Captures' equivalent of a Kemper "Studio Profile" (an Amp+Cab Capture), then you can't change the Cab section or use a different IR and you're limited to a 3 band EQ and Gain. And the Cab makes the biggest changes to your tone when swapped. So that limitation along with only having a 3 band EQ, makes Captures much less flexible and less tweakable than Profiles in a really inconvenient way. The Kemper Amp section for a Profile gives you a good number of parameters to tweak the fundamental tone of the Profile in ways that EQ can't. And that coupled with less flexibility with the Cabs as well, gives the Kemper the win for flexibility when talking just about Captures and Profiles in my opinion. And the quality about Kemper Profiles that you described as "woofy" , I hear as fullness that the QC doesn't have in the high gain scenario. And when going back and comparing the Kemper and Captures to the original High Gain amp tone earlier in the vid, the Kemper sounds closer to the real fullness even though there's a tiny bit extra low end, and the Capture sounds clearer and brighter but has less punch and less depth to the tone. And that fullness in Profiles is what feels more like a real amp mic'd up while it's pushing air and cranked. And it's the exact quality that makes the Kemper feel richer and fuller in comparison to amp models that sound more hifi. And even if a Profile's fundamental tone comes out not exactly matching the reference amp, you can tweak a ton of parameters that affect the fundamental tone of the Profile in a way that just EQ can't-in order to get the Profile to match the reference amp tone exactly. If the QC Capture doesn't come out perfect, you have to restart the Capture process because you can't refine, or hope that the 3 band EQ and Gain can get the Capture tweaked enough to match the reference amp exactly. But when it comes to the routing capabilities, features, and UI, the QC is a clear and strong winner! Some of the best features of the Headrush and the really fun UI that the Headrush had. But with better amp modeling and better effects, and more routing capabilities, and more I/O!! And although not very flexible aside from stacking them , the Capture feature is really cool and sounds great. So each unit has it's positives and negatives. The QC has so much potential to be the best but I see a lot of drawbacks right now at launch. But they're all things that seem like they can be improved. So I have extremely high hopes for the QC and look forward to what it's pushing forward in the industry! I'm stoked to check one out when I can! I hope as it improves, that you keep showing the improvements and I hope it reaches it's potential. Based on what I've seen so far, it's already a heavyweight contender that's hitting hard like the big boy modelers and Kemper and that in itself is huge this early on. I can't wait to see where it goes with the QC, and I can't wait to try one out as soon as I get the chance 😀 Thanks for such sick tones in the vid! Regardless, the video was sick and the content overall is great and I watched it a few times already just for the tones and the shredding! hahaha😀
You don’t have anything to apologize for, man! Those of us that are really here to experience the gear love your playing, your stylistic approach, and your obvious unbiased honesty. Even when you don’t like a feature or product, you don’t trash it, you objectively explain what it is that you don’t like. The people that don’t understand that or just immature, end it is not you who need to issue an apology… It’s them. Keep on doing what you are doing!
@@eliasklemetz5718don’t need to answer you. If you don’t own any of them your opinion means nothing. Did you understand that?! Did you FEEL the difference with your eyes closed too? The feel is there with the quad. The Kemper needs help with feel and sound. That’s exactly correct what Rabea said re the cocked wah sound.
Imo, if the Kemper struggles with certain amps, that's kinda its own problem. It's completely to fair to compare same amps and if the other one doesn't work well with them, that's just a con to add to the list.
Thank you for this, Bea. Amazing comparison, hugely informative and very well produced - not to mention the integrity displayed by redoing the entire thing. Much love =)
Timestamps where Rabea plays the same thing:
32:53 K (Pos 4 hairier)
32:57 QC
28:19 K (cocked wah)
28:16 QC
27:01 K
27:04 QC
27:06 K (excessive/woofy bottom end)
27:16 K
27:20 QC
27:24 K
27:40 K
27:36 QC
22:35 K (clean)
22:23 QC
22:54 K
22:47 QC
---
The Quad Cortex sounds more accurate to me than the Kemper, which is what you want when profiling your own amps
The lower end wooliness and cocked wah are pretty noticeable once you hear it
The feel is important too
I own a Kemper, but my QC arrives in a couple of days
This video was one that sold me on it
Thanks Rabea!
I have some great profiles on the Kemper so I'll probably keep it as well unless I can replicate everything and it becomes redundant
i dont now buy kemper or QC. kemper play dual delays or reverb? sorry bad english.
How's the Kemper stacking up against your quad cortex?
You should do a video review and comparison with the two units.
How is it 😁😁
I've followed Bea for around 8 years going back to the ChasinJade times. I've been lucky enough to meet him a few times too. He's the most down-to-earth bloke you can meet and throughout the hundreds of reviews he has done, has never been biased when reviewing a product. His opinions are made very clear in all videos and nothing is ever fabricated. It's an absolute credit to the man to have re-filmed and edited a 45-minute comparison which is free for everyone to watch. I think it's easy to take for granted how much effort goes into these types of videos. Fair play to the lad.
Completely reshooting a video and re-editing? Yeah. Absolutely. Some people would have said, "tough shit. If you don't like how I did it, do your own video comparison." This dude says, "You know, you might be right, let try to get the most accurate comparison out to you. Sorry about that." Fucking stand up dude, and to me says a lot about his character.
I really enjoy Bea's demos, and I've been following him for years. He usually provides quality information, and the production value is great - and because I know what types of sounds he goes for and how his setup sounds, it's easy for me to get a good idea about whether a product is something I might enjoy. However, Bea doesn't make reviews - he demos stuff and is paid to do so by the manufacturer or distributor of said product, and that by default means that he is biased towards them and their interests.
And I think he's usually really good a the balancing act of providing quality information to his audience, while also promoting products - many RUclipsrs fail at this task.
And the reason he had to do this video again, is that when you're paid by Neural to make a video, and then compare it against one of their main competitors then you really have to make sure that you cover all the bases, otherwise his opinion is worthless. It doesn't matter what the truth is (i personally doubt that he was scheming against Kemper), but the second there's even a whiff of that going on, and he can be suspected of doing it - the whole thing falls apart. He obviously realised this and decided to be transparent and do it again.
How can anyone dislike this? The guy went back to do it “right” and peeps still came to the video just to dislike, wild. Keep up the good work man don’t let haters get you down or waste your time.
Rabea respect stats going up... Listening to the comments and redoing the whole video, very cool!
Especially when he didn’t need to.
Yeah, this proves how a nice guy he is 😁
I have the utmost respect for why he did this but I actually think the first approach made more sense. He compared the raw tones that have been digitally created. The QC was incredibly close to the real thing already. The Kemper just wasnt (to my ear). Yes you can fine tune the result. But for me the real value of the product lies in the things it just does for you without you fine tuning the end result. Just my two cents.
Total Chad
@@metalpuppet5798 fine tunig is part of the profiling of the amp, so if you don't do it it's like doing only half the work, not fair for the Kemper. But the QC still wins this one IMO.
The Kemper sounds amazing! The Quad Cortex sounds amazinger!
The capture quality of the Quad Cortex is really impressive, damn
„No reverb to start with“ - The Captain left the chat
That was a beautiful thing you did there man. Respect.
If I want to hear how a pedal or an amp sounds I'm checking your channel first. Simply because your playing is outstanding, the riffs are amazing, songwriting is stellar and your comments are always spot on. I don't really get all the fuzz about the last upload, but I guess you're in a similar spot as other tech youtubers with apple vs android. I thought this comparision was more than fair!
Those are stupid people trying to get world's validation for their purchase..simple as that.
They close their minds when someone has a different opinion about their stuff.
There's an Andertons video with Rabea doing just that. You might look there.
I like how he mixes traditional chord shapes with more progressive style leads.
As a Kemper owner I have to say it's a good review.
The QC sounds good, but I am still satisfied with my Kemper.
In the end it's just a tool to make music, no reason to get upset about it, I don't do that either when there is a new overdrive pedal
i took the dive and purchased a Kemper last year (never regretted it for a second) i absolutely love it. But this Quad Cortex sounds amazing, seemed to capture a more authentic / sharp sound. Not enough to justify getting rid of the kemper but its really cool to see the tech progressing. Cool vid as always
Awesome man. This is how a thinking person responds to new tech in the industry.
I'm a Kemper user too and totally agree. I notice the slight 'wooly' tone especially whilst recording with the Kemper. Nothing to lose any sleep over but its there. It can of course be ironed out with a bit of tweaking and then some eq in post but that Cortex did sound better and more amp like. Good vid!
This is the kind of mature and chilled out response the world needs more of, not the defensive bile that the net has in abundance. Good luck to you sir.
I am also a kpa user and love it, the cortex sounds more realistic, but at this time my kpa will stay. In fact it is so i took a lot work to make the profiles so that they sounds right to me, i m happy with it. There comes always new gear, it is a rabbithole. If you bought an old marshall it has its own character, you will not sell it, cause theres a new one. Summary each gear has its own character, its the player who has to become a better player not the gear.😊
But I have to say watching a ton of these types of videos, f this was a Kemper promo video they would do the profiling, then play the Kemper profile back and it would sound amazing.
Rabea, you are a credit to the industry. I wish you nothing but success.
Were people insinuating that because the kemper struggles with profiling Victory amps, it wasn’t a fair test? Surely if we are focusing on which is the better profiler, and one product cannot profile certain brands well whilst the other can, that’s indicative of one product just being better, not indicative of the test itself being unfair.
Who knows man! I just wanted to make sure all bases were covered, and so I saw that comment about victory amps, and so I figured I’d just go one further and make sure to do another amp
@@RabeaMassaad Well certainly now, no one could accuse you of bias! I think it’s a testament to your integrity that you put in the effort and remade the video.
@@TobyJBall To my ear I didn't get the feel that the Kemper was struggling with the Victory amp. But the QC is sounding nice a close to all the original amps Bea tested. If I had a Kemper, would it be enough to make me switch? Nah, probably not. But as someone who doesn't own either I think the reviews out there make the QC the clear choice. Also, that Mayones....damn I want one.
No. People were saying the first video wasn’t a fair test because Rabea did not go through the refine portion of the profiling process. As Rebel says in this video, going through that process did make a difference.
@@DavidEidelberg Yes I understand that, but it also seems as if people had complaints he was profiling the Super Kraken because it’s a PCB amp. That seems like a poor excuse to me.
Great video, I'm glad I found this before I bought a Kemper - unlike some of the other "reviews" I've seen on popular channels that highlight problems with the Quad Cortex I think are actually user issues, it's so useful to see someone who really has a command of the technology (and can really play!). I can hear the difference, the Quad Cortex sounds more 3D, and I can imagine how that translates with the feel. It reminds me of when I played my Vibro King handwired amp next to a Blues Deville, both sounded good but there's a depth to the handwired amp which is part of the feel/sag etc. This video has cost me £1500 - thanks!!
It's a fair point, to say that the Kemper's process should include the refine feature, but to attack your integrity is a foul reaction.
You shouldn't have to defend yourself when giving an honest opinion based on subjective analysis.
IMO, the Kemper DOES sound good, too, but I've watched a bunch of comparisons now, and all say the same three things against the Kemper that made me choose the QC over it...
1. Low end sounds slightly muddier or muffled
2. It has slightly more gain, or distortion applied to the profile, and
3. It doesn't have quite the same "feel" as the Reference or the QC.
Add those reasons to the fact that the QC is a modern design, smaller, better UI and menu (making it far more intuitive and simple to use), easier ways of storing and sharing tones, and being able to capture pedals... I've made the choice to go with the QC. The one downside I've heard about the QC, is that the onboard effects are not quite as good as the Kemper, but this can all be updated with patches later on (another thing that is easier with the QC), so I'm all in.
I really hope you (Bea), Martin Kid (of Victory Amplification), and Michael Britt get into making Captures for sale soon, too. Because I've got cash to spend on delicious tones!
Back in 2013 when I got my Kemper the FX weren’t good either. So I think you made the right choice. Sooner or later I’ll get a QC as well.
@@robjobse8860 absolutely. I think this is where the qc has the most potenital
😂
Here are the profiles guys (See the notes in the folder)
www.dropbox.com/sh/nobcgcu5loi9kl2/AABEHWeU3xF7EBdy1LAIOjGna?dl=0
Thanks!
What a G. Love you, man!
HEY Rabea! Don't worry! Thing is that people have expectations when viewing reviews, and they'd mainly like this or that type of sounds or textures demoed, or this or that feature. And there is no way that any reviewer can run through ALL what such modern and complex devices are able to process. So, in the end, we all need to check BY OURSELVES, and that's it. Just a question of personal taste.
much love.. haters gotta hate, bro.. your awesome, not sure I could tell any difference..
Thanks Rabea for sharing these! Oh man... now I want the QuadCortex even more, just to play with the presets!! XD
Sad to say I'm embarrassed by my fellow human beings who seemed to make you feel that you needed to redo your video, and particularly that some feel justified in making personal comments, rather than non-personal observations on the sounds. Credit to you Bea for the way you've handled it - I do hope that as you say, you don't let the inappropriate opinions impact you in any way.
Toxic folks gonna toxic. So much trash in the world.
Hi Rabea, long time subscriber, first time commenter here. I have immense respect for your professionalism and integrity in these videos, they are second only to your playing, which is an inspiration to me (especially when you play strats and tele's! ). I'm sure everyone else viewing feels the same. All the best from Australia!
Didn’t see the last video but think this was 100% fair comparison. I love my Kemper and can’t see me changing it out anytime soon but definitely think that the Quad Cortex did a better job in capturing the amps natural sound. It was damn close. Good job Rabea and don’t let the haters get you down!
Damn, those riffhard guys are everywhere, right ? 😁
@@christo4249 like a bad smell dude
Some of the Kemper crowd I think are finding it hard to just admit these are both good products.
@@joshshultz1250 totally agree. How can you possibly think that tech that was created 10 years ago isn’t going to have good competition! If you like your Kemper then that’s cool, if you prefer the QC there’s no big deal. People prefer different tube amps and it’s no big deal!
Totally agree. Keeper users should be more than happy that their 10 years old product still get free features updates, and sound that good compared to the latest and greatest.
awesome comparison! Very honest and insighfull! Keep on the good work!
Great video dude. As a Kemper owner I must admit the QC sounds clearer and cleaner. Just a tiny bit. The whole "what sounds exactly like the amp" thing to me isn't that important. I just want an usable great sounding different range of tones to play and record. Both of them can give me that.
There wasn't a single tone that I wouldn't use to record. All sounded great. We had this war when the Helix was released, I'm pretty sure this kemper Vs QC thing won't last that long.
KEMPER is 10 years old. Still sounds great, but QC is superior in terms of technology and capabilities. Do I need one to replace my Kemper? Hell no!!
Great job dude, this is a great video.
Holy moly! Not just once, but TWICE you made these profilings!! Thank’s for doing this Rabea 👍🤟❤️
1. Don't think you're a shill.
2. Great scientific approach.
3. Playstation analogy was bang on.
4. Appreciate your willingness to dot all the i's and cross all the t's.
5. Your drive to do the comparison right was illustrated when you threw out the hand wired amp.
SOLID WORK
I own a kemper and it does have a natural compression. My ear has grown accustomed to it. The QC defiant sounds awesome. Pick what you want and enjoy the riffage! 🤘🏾
Nothing against your integrity Bea but I'm really glad you redid the test, it helps to really draw a confident conclusion: the Captures are just better. I have a kemper, love its sounds, don't plan to sell it, but I've seen several of these now and it's clear Neural has Kemper beat on the basic technology. Software still has a ways to go, effects and UX stuff, but I think it's fair to say the Cortex sets the new standard.
I agree very much and also won't be selling mine anytime soon. While the QC is great, it still has a lot of potential to improve - most noticeable the audio dropouts when switching presets and effect quality (see Paul Davids video). But the good thing is it will certainly push Kemper to improve, too. So in the end with a competitive market everybody wins anyways lol.
The SLO comparison was incredible. Really made me happy that i just purchased a QC
Don’t listen to the negative comments man you’ve always came across as an honest down to earth person I’m not a gear junkie I just love hearing you play . You’re proof that gear isn’t everything, what’s most important is playing and mastering the instrument. Cheers stay safe
I mean, he's a salesman. This channel is mostly ads. It's not really debatable.
You don’t have to explain yourself or justify what you do, to anyone but yourself. This channel is a fantastic and inspiring resource. Period, end of story.
Amen brother! Keep enjoying what you are doing and making great music and content. There will always be haters and that means you are doing something right!
You obviously care that you’re being as fair as possible Bea, just know this, you will have fans that will support you no matter what. I’m a fan for life.
I literally love you Rabea. Seriously. One of the best youtubers out there.
Listening to the community, re-recording a whole video, fair comparisons.
I can not thank you enough for all the great content you put out in the world
I love your reviews and find a ton of value in them. Thank you for sharing your gear enthusiasm and your awesome axe-slinging skills!!
Hey Rabea, thank you for the newly made comparison and the obvious extensive work that went into it! I think surely no one can complain now and it's more than fair between the two units. Few more notes to round this off:
Generally Kemper doesn't have a problem with Victory Amps - my guess is that the official victory profiles don't work for some people, which is why they may have said that in the comments. There are great Kraken profiles around.
That said, it would be great if you could make your Profiles / Captures from this video available for download. These are massive tones!
Overall what I take away from this video: Both units sound exceptional and I see no reason to make the switch from my Kemper anytime soon, which works perfectly for my needs. For people who are looking to get a unit I'd say it's about 50/50 depending on their specific needs and pros and cons. Soundwise, they are easily within 2% and could be made indistinguishable with a simple touch of EQ.
Also what people tend to forget, new tech doesn't make the gear you have any worse! Competition is good for the market and the consumer, because it'll push all companies to improve and innovate. No need to spread hate!
Thank you for your honesty here,
Cheers
Yeah, i would love to have the opportunity to test these Kemper Profiles on my own :)
Very nice video. Appreciate the extra effort and assessment of how comparing baselines between different equipment is extremely complex - I think you did what most people would to compare in their own setups if they had both devices. Given that the Quad Cortex is brand new, in its infancy as far as software updates, and took a single attempt to capture, I am definitely impressed with how close the sound is the the amps (via RUclips audio, of course).
As someone who didn't see the original comparison: I think it's admirable that you took the criticism, re-did the comparison, and made it the best you possibly could.
I saw the first one...it was very fair in my opinion but Bea is Bea and he made it even better.
You deserve much praise and recognition for your integrity Rabea. Nice one
Very interesting experiment! Thanks for share!
Yes bro! A man wiser than me taught me never to wrestle with pigs. You get dirty and the pig likes it. Those who appreciate your hard work and honesty trust you and will support you.
Rabea, I watched the first video as well as this re-shoot. Not only is this video more thorough, it's better than any other QC vs KPA comparison I've seen to-date. People have reported a color or character that the KPA imparts to the sound in certain situations, but because the KPA is so excellent, these characteristics are often subtle and difficult to describe. I am so impressed with how you went the extra mile in this re-shoot to translate these sonic characteristics of the KPA into words for us. Also, your integrity is undeniable--thanks for actually taking a stance and giving us your opinion, rather than saying, "everything is the same and it just depends on the use case." You turned a challenging situation into an outstanding production. BRAVO, and thank you!
QC nailed it
My son will be glad to get my Kemper
I will be also glad to get your Kemper
Keep being a legend mate. Both sounded brilliant, but now I’m really excited about the Quad!
Keep in mind the Kemper has been out for 10 years now! Nice to see some other gear finally catching up.
Also keep in mind that the Kemper is more expensive, so no real reason to buy it if you can find a Quad Cortex.
They look to be the same price pretty much at Andertons and Thomann..
I hadn't really looked into the Quad Cortex much yet, so had just had it passing through my mind with osmosis.. I was thinking of it favourably.. thinking it must be half the price of the Kemper or so.. bit surprised to see the price
@@jttech44 Look which is pricier now.
@@SSVplus yeah, cheap to pick one up used if you're patient.
@@jttech44 . I agree.
Rabea, I believe you are a man of integrity, don't let the nay-sayers get you down. The video you took down was very useful to me and convinced me even more why I have the QC on pre-order. This redo was very well done and reinforced my decision even further.
I thought the Kemper sounded good, but the QC just seemed better all around. I especially liked your comments on the feel of the QC. That is as important as the sound imo.
Some people just get too attached to brands. Kemper, Neural. Playstation, xBox. Intel, AMD. Nothing can stay the best forever.
'Murica is #1 forever fella!
its about the way the user interface and the quality of the captures that makes it feel good playing it that matter to us. not a brand, just what the people at the helm of the brand can deliver for us.
Hey buddy! Don’t pay attention to the jerks ! You are doing great job, and always stays honest! Will be nice to hear an effects comparaison with your pedalboard to see how Cortex efx stays to real deals! And hope to see you again in Paris but this time with Cortex ;)
Great comparison Bea, I must say the Quad Cortex sounds a lot clearer, the Kemper sounds a bit woofy. Great attention to detail mate, this must of been a long day filming this.
Rabea , your videos are some of the best out there. They are very in-depth and straight forward. This is why I have been following your videos. Not to mention your playing is some of the best out there and very soulful !! Keep kicking ass !!
Cheers from across the pond !!
I bought a used Kemper for my band and for what has accidentally turned into my home studio. Couldn't be happier with it, really. It's offered so much flexibility and allowed for so much experimentation a real amp just wouldn't and that it can stand up this well to technology a decade later is a testament to how well made it was. Then again, I never cared for how accurately it captured a specific amp, just that I found sounds I liked. The Quad Cortex sounds great and sure does seem to surpass it, but not by as much as I perhaps expected from something so much more modern.
So if anybody made it through that block of text, I do have a question. My kemper can run a real cab, does the Quad Cortex have built-in power and capability to do that?
I'm sure there will be. There's no Poweramp in it but nowadays no one needs one in modeles. Just go through the FX loop of your amp or buy a cheap ass solidstate Poweramp for like $100.
Rabea this vid is awesome. Thanks for doing it and don't let the haters get you down. It is cool that someone pointed out the refine change and you took it to heart and reshot the whole vid. What I'm hearing in the high gain I believe could be matched with a touch of EQ but most importantly the "pick" function on the Kemper will get that attack you are getting out of the QC. I own Kemper. Both units sound great. A QC will be a consideration in the future. Partially I like the ease for gigging. Either that or a Kemper Stage. It is fascinating how on the clean tone you seemed to have more saturation on the QC and less on the Kemper and it sounds to be the opposite on the high gain. More saturation on the Kemper and less on the QC. Nice comparison vid and many thanks for going the extra mile.
The quad cortex does sound a lot closer. It's impressive how well you know the sound and feel of your amps
"coctoire" took me a sec- but now that's my new faux-french term for that particular tone. Brilliant work as always
Rabea mate, you shouldn't need to apologise to the people who think you're "fake" whatsoever. If they can't get that across in their heads that you're (A) Extremely humble and honest about these things, I've met you myself and can confirm haha and (B) Extremely knowledgeable too, I've watched pretty much every single video since you started your own channel and even as a bassist, I've learnt a metric shit-tonne that I've been able to put into my own musicianship and my band... If they can't see it, then that's their problem dude! Fuck em and crack on with the sick vids and sick tones!😂👌🏻🔥
Rabea is an absolute dude and being so close to NDSP and the QC he's in an impossible situation here. To be fair though, £1500 is a LOT of money so it is understandable that people are trying to weed out hype and marketing, of which there has been a ton, from honest opinion. For example, do you think if Rabea had done this comparison and Kemper was still beating the QC on certain amps/tones that those would make it into this video? What I don't get is the animosity towards guys like Rabea who contribute so much to the community whilst also having to make a living. I think questioning the context to some of these videos is valid, especially when so much money is at stake but the aggressive nature of the comments is just pathetic. As you say, fuck em!
It's a polite to way to say "if you think I'm fake you are a fucking idiot".
Your gear reviews and tutorials have really helped me figure out how to find my favorite tones and express better with the tools I have. Thank you so much for all of your efforts and entertainment over the years!
Very interesting! Thx! Was listening to this on my monitors and to me (as a lucky kemper user) the K definitely won the race.
to me the "refining"-option holds the secret.
if you do good refining, the kemper can capture (idc about brand terms - it does capture a sound) a lot more information.
f.e. when I do my high gain profiles I chug every fret up to the 12th, play single notes, pinchharmonics, turn the volume poti down and do more of a funky strumming, and possibly ANY technique I would use when I play. even tremeolo squeals and what not.
to me, this seems to bring best results when profiling.
the QC seems to try to solve the capture-refining with simulated "playing". as far as I can tell by just watching this video.
nevertheless, these are white noise, pink noise and sine waves, and not an actual string vibration of a real string.
you always capture the entire signal chain.
to me the QC sounded a bit scooped compared to the reference amp.
maybe just 0,5 dB in the mids
but that´s just my view on this.
thanks man!
very enlightening!
keep up the good work!
There will always be naysayers. I've seen so many of your videos over the years, and never once have I thought you are a shill or that your biases prevent you from being objective when dealing with whatever the piece of gear is. You're doing amazing work, and really helping a lot of us navigate the massive amounts of new gear coming out. Thank you.
I hope everyone who sees this has a good day :)
You too!
You too man!
Great post man. Thanks a lot & a great weekend.
Same!!!
You too!
Man every video I watch makes me more and more happy I've pre-ordered the cortex. Thank you for every video of it. I know swapping cables and listening to tones for hours can get mind numbing, but we all appreciate it so much! Keep uploading! I would love to see more bluesy type stuff and demo's on built in effects. Most importantly I need to hear some tests switching settings in scene or stomp mode and presets to show the cutout, if any, in a live situation.
Insanely good video. Mad respect for redoing it. I know the time and effort is insane.
I'm sorry people make awful assumptions in the comments. If there's one channel I trust to be unbiased. It's this one. Great job!
Mad props for redoing this video in response to your comments! I didn't see the original but based on all your other content I'm sure it was great. Keep doing you! FWIW I think you do amazing demos and reviews and you never come off as biased or trying to sell stuff beyond your honest feelings !
They both sound pretty fantastic, and as a Kemper user, I’ve definitely noticed many of the things you’re hearing (especially the compression/feel characteristics the Kemper imparts). It’s why I prefer Axe-FX/FM3.
Very excited to get the QC in and make some tones.
One thing I like about KPA is its ability to really tweak a profile using things like Definition, Clarity, etc. Do you feel the QC offers these kinds of parameters via things like EQ’s or other types of effects blocks?
Thanks Rabea!
Hey. Hurry up and get this thing! I need all my WT patches!
I promise I won’t pirate them and sell them on Facebook!!
I just got an Axe Fx 3 mk2 a couple weeks ago and it's great.
At ruclips.net/video/wIWcHVknyqg/видео.html Rebea talks about the algorithms being newer. I think there's a lot to that. Ditto on can't wait!
Thanks for preserving and remaining enthusiastic! Must have been disheartening to see a backlash. We could all learn from your positive attitude. Huge respect.
Just a general comment to everyone:
If you're chasing tones and you're after new gear - and can afford it - then that's fine!
If you're already the owner of some older gear and it still works - and you already found your tone be happy - why change? Get the next, newest, bestest thing when you need to.
Either way - can I have your old thing please?
Your hard work is greatly appreciated! Thats an immense undertaking, especially twice. Thank you Rabea! Inspiring stuff.
I like them both, hopefully, this will give Kemper incentive to make a KPA2.
Nice informative video Rabea that also displays your integrity with doing it! I've had my QC on order for a few months now and anxiously awaiting its arrival! Thanks for doing this!
To me it sounds like the Kemper takes away a little bit top end and adds a little bit of gain, wich adds some natural compression, i guess. I actually liked the Quad Cortexmore more, because it sounded closer to the reference amps to me, plus: i like the concept of the Quad Cortex. I mean there's a neural network programming the profile simulation, wich is cool. That doesn't mean it's better or worse than anything else, i just like to see new technology in action. So yeah tone wise it's the quad cortex for me.
Great video man. I've had my Kemper for around 10 years now and hearing still how close these two are, it's really a testament to how far ahead Kemper's tech was back in the day. I've yet to make a profile that I didn't end up tweaking here and there with the EQ to truly perfect. Those inconsistencies between the amp and the kemper are usually pretty quick to line up with a little EQ'ing so while I don't want to say it's a moot point when comparing vs the QC, it narrows the "this vs that" gap but props to Neural though. They've delivered an amazing little box of power.
I definitely will be picking one up but I'm probably going to wait until the inevitable rack unit comes out and I want to see what sort of software they end up delivering to manage the unit as well. It'll also be interesting to see (if they do bring out a rack version) if they follow Kemper's lead and build a dedicated foot controller for it as well. That thing has made the kemper an amazing plug and play gig rig
It's evolution baby....
Thank you so much Rabea for taking all that time to go put each through their paces! I used the Kemper when I headlined the Melbourne Guitar Show last year, playing the first Van Halen record from start to finish.. and the profiles I bought and then 'massaged' for the show came out very good indeed (the show video is on my channel if you're curious to hear the sounds).. but I think that Quad Cortex has an articulation and transparency that make the Kemper feel slightly more 2 dimensional and dull. thanks for all your hard work on your Channel, it's really great! best, Simon
Neural just sounds better. is what it is.
REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Not sure. To me the Kemper was better, no harsh frequencies. We’ll see if guys like Rabea or other get rid of their Kemper and go for the QC. Had serious private conversation with one of those YT dude who said that it wasn’t that good and had that tiring ear effect after playing on it. To him Kemper was better but they need to earn their money. Aliasing is inherent to neural network profiling.
@@NO-TALK-GuitarPlugin Fair enough. Agree to disagree.
@@NO-TALK-GuitarPlugin Aliasing is tied to the internal sampling rate. That of Kemper's is around 700 kHz with a dsp that is 5 times less powerfull than the Neural's... Don't know if we can find the Neural's spec somewhere, but I doubt it's less than the Kemper's.
And it's cheaper.
I was just about to buy a Kemper Profiler power head and pedal and you've seriously made me have a rethink about what I am going to do in terms of my new live rig
honestly I only watch the video because of Rabea. I don't care about Kemper and quad cortex, I will nerver be able to afford them
Ya you will.
Same here 😂 I pretty much just watch these cuz he's such an amazing guitarist and an overall cool dude.
Try to get a job, it helps a lot
@@DeltaLimaBR Thanks for the wisdom Einstein!
@@DeltaLimaBR must be nice living in a bubble where you think every country (or most countries) has an income that can cover a $2000 piece of gear. Imagine being that dumbass
I'm really hoping you wear a RipnDip shirt (which almost always features a cat giving the finger) as a small gesture to the haters haha.
Besides that, thanks a lot for this concise comparison! I'm on the verge of buying one of the modelers, so it's nice to see this kind of head to head comparison which hasn't really been done that much yet.
Although I definitely hear differences, to me it feels more like a taste/preference comparison. You can't really go wrong with any of them, as far as I'm concerned. So I end up buying stuff more based on the UI, workflow etc. I feel the same about the analogue synthesizer market at the moment. Guess I'm just happy with the insane amount of (sort of) affordable stuff that's available nowadays :)
Well i really think Quad Cortex wins this one and that seems to be the case in other youtube comparison videos too. Nice to see technology getting better and better. Still happy with my kemper though. There is alot of absolutely great profiles out there :)
I'd agree and I'm a Kemper user too.
Respect to you Rabea for redoing this comparison. This demonstrates your integrity. I have neither of these units. I have an Eleven Rack that I am sure does not compare to its current day equivalents. I have preordered the QC way back last year and am now excited to think that I may get one in my hands some time soon. Peace and love!
People who hate on paid reviewers are hilarious. Theres a reason why every review we see these days is positive and it aint because they're faking it. It's because tech these days is all do bloody good!
and by the way, not even EVERY review *cough cough* Koloss *cough cough*
The thing is the videos on quad cortex where it stands “includes paid promotion” etc they say it’s awesome but the videos where it doesn’t stand that they are pretty negative about the qc, (the videos I have watched) I may be wrong but I think I will go for the Kenner rack instead of the qc
So you are saying you trust a guy who do a paid review equally as with a guy who reviews the same product, but gets no money / gear / benefits from the manufacturer?
@@elguitarTom no I say that I don’t really trust the paid promotion video as much as the other who don’t get paid because the paid promotion is like a ad, they want to get the product sold to help the manufacture, with no paid promotion they will be more straight up with the negatives and if it’s worth etc.
@@viktorsonnergren8645 that is true - that being said a lot of the "negatives" being mentioned are either subjective or incredibly nit picky.
Rabea, you ARE the real deal. I’ve watched you from the early days of Andertons and the amount you have improved is astounding! Just keep doing what you do best and that’s music.. Peace brother
The Quad Cortex eats the Kemper for breakfast
About the profiling yeah but kemper isnt bad at all. But the feeling i get from a Kemper is more my taste. At the end the people need to test both and then decide
I don't like and comment on many videos but this video was so well done I just have to. This is what a gear review should be!
The fact that you took the time to redo the test to ensure each product was most accurately represented says a lot about how much you care about the gear community. This video will become the go to video for a true comparison of the capture/profile quality of each of these two flagship products.
As a fellow Kemper owner who for a long time thought "how can you improve upon perfection" the QC answerers that question. It isn't by making it sound better or adding more functionality but by making it easier to get great results faster.
I know the Kemper is capable of getting perfect profiles because it has been done many many times. The QC seems to be able to get the same results but with a lot less tweaking.
The Kemper is designed to be a SINGLE amp with some effects just like you would use a classic tube amp. The QC is designed to be a WHOLE RIG witch can include multiple amps in stereo setups. The QC is the more capable device.
Last idea just for fun... Kemper profiles QC... QC captures Kemper..... Same reference amp capture/profile on each
Who profiles/captures who best? lol
This must have taken forever to put together. Thanks for sharing . Great time to be a guitarist if you have the $$ to spare.
What I love about the Kemper is performance mode. Dialling in a performance on a powered Kemper with the Kemper Kones is so much fun. I have stored my valve amps as the Kemper, footswitch and Kones are more portable and consistant for me. Loud and as tough as old boots. Great that the Quad has come out though. The low sounds and woolliness mentioned is taken away when used with Kones, but that is my own opinion. That is why I love these vids. Now for more playing!
I'm baffled with how close the Neural sounds to the real amp after one take.
And how finnicky the Kemper is compared to the QC when profiling "difficult" amps.
@@dvaoa there is a difference between getting an amp exactly...and getting a good sound. The Kemper always sounds good, even if it's a little bit off in comparison. Moreover, Kemper is probably more robust and has better effects..German made...etc..
fantastic video rabea, thanks for all the time and effort, this was a really rad video - thanks for explaining everything as you went. I haven't pulled the trigger on a profiler yet so it was nice to see what the process is like
Interesting, the QC basically saved the mezzabarber, it was virtually unusable with that hum, but the QC capture sounded pretty close and it was a usable tone. Meanwhile the kemper couldn’t do it.
Great comparison. Great work Bea .. as always. I have owned my kemper for 6 yrs. When I bought it there really wasn't anything else like it or anything else that could do as good a job capturing profiles of amps. There was the AxeFx so that was the big rivalry... and those two groups of people would argue back and forth. I think arguing about which is better is silly. I'm glad the Quad Cortex sounds and feels so good ! And I'm glad it has more features.The algorithm that Kemper uses to profile NEEDS to be updated and refined AND the Kemper's features need to be updated as well. I'm glad the QC exists because maybe it will light a fire under Kemper's butt to make some updates. I have ALWAYS felt that Kempers should be able to run 2 different amps at once (stereo). Since the 1980's I have been running my guitar thru 2 different kind of amps to get that really big sound.... so why shouldn't Kemper be able to do the same ? I'm not threatened or angry by a competitive piece of gear .. .I welcome it ! It's what drives innovation. Anyone bashing on Bea needs to chill. Bea has always been fair and impartial. It's all about sound, feel, and features. The label is meaningless !
Hey Rabea, your "wooly" and "cloudy" observations with the Kemper is something I have brought up for years too. It's like the Kemper doesn't quite respond to palm-mutes in the same way as a real amp. The QC sounds much closer and "real" than the Kemper. I love my Kemper still though! Hopefully Kemper can do a firmware update in the future that fixes this. I'd love that because I'm not mad keen on the form factor of the Quad Cortex.
Agree. Also the cocked wah sound.
absolutely agree. palm mutes and chugs have never been right with the Kemper and for some reason they don't acknowledge it. And it's a huge part of my playing so it's very frustrating. The only way to deal with it is high pass filtering which goes some way to making it tighter but not the feel. Looking forward to receiving the QC as Neural seem to get that part right in their plugins
@@wingee Yes I agree it's been a long-standing issue, and for metal and rock it's obviously a big deal. Many profiles do not sound "bad" per-se, but they don't sound accurate to what was going into the amp at the time. Which is why I've never really purchased profile packs - I don't trust that I'm getting what I am paying for.
I've made custom profiles of all of my amps, and have spent a long time with pre and post EQ to minimize the effect of the palm-mute inaccuracies, but there is only so far that this will get you.
QC looks great. I'm not a fanboi. I'll use whatever works best! I own a Helix and a Kemper and 5 great valve amps. I will eventually add a QC to my list.
You just don’t know how to use the kemper
Simple as that
From my side of RUclips, with decent headphones etc., I think the QC sounds much more accurate across the board. Great unbiased post!
There’s always haters Rabea, you always come across as totally honest to me, if they don’t like what you’re doing then f#%k ‘em... they should watch someone else.
The last time I checked you could watch who you please.
Carry on the great work dude there are a lot of us that enjoy your channel.
Cheers for redoing the comparison. It's great to hear both units fairly compared to the best of their capturing capabilities. I've been a long term kemper user and it's nice to see the technology evolve. Your video has certainly pushed me towards the QC, the benefits of a generally better capture and better flexibility in my rig makes so much sense.
I saw Between The Buried and Me in 2021 and they were using Kempers (i think the powered rack mount versions)…and I was blown away. I’ve never been more impressed with a bands live guitar tone and clarity. It was absolutely flawless and insane. Those guys are phenomenal players but their tone was crystal clear through all of their different presets and if you know that band….they have a lot.
Dude, I’ve learned more on gear from watching your videos and Anderton’s then I ever knew on my own. Every piece of gear I own was demonstrated by you, Pete, or Rob. Thanks for the informative videos and great inspiration! Keep doing you bro!!
Regarding the "flexibility" thing, the QC might win when talking about the flexibility of everything BESIDES the CAPTURES lol. JUST talking about amp models effects and overall routing capabilities.
The only flexibility the Captures have "after the fact" are being able to be stacked on top of each other. So you can Capture pedals and stuff and run a bunch of Captures together, which is truly sick as hell! lol But aside from that, they're much less flexible than Kemper Profiles.
There's only a 3 band EQ and Gain to tweak Captures. And if you're working with the QC Captures' equivalent of a Kemper "Studio Profile" (an Amp+Cab Capture), then you can't change the Cab section or use a different IR and you're limited to a 3 band EQ and Gain. And the Cab makes the biggest changes to your tone when swapped. So that limitation along with only having a 3 band EQ, makes Captures much less flexible and less tweakable than Profiles in a really inconvenient way.
The Kemper Amp section for a Profile gives you a good number of parameters to tweak the fundamental tone of the Profile in ways that EQ can't. And that coupled with less flexibility with the Cabs as well, gives the Kemper the win for flexibility when talking just about Captures and Profiles in my opinion.
And the quality about Kemper Profiles that you described as "woofy" , I hear as fullness that the QC doesn't have in the high gain scenario. And when going back and comparing the Kemper and Captures to the original High Gain amp tone earlier in the vid, the Kemper sounds closer to the real fullness even though there's a tiny bit extra low end, and the Capture sounds clearer and brighter but has less punch and less depth to the tone. And that fullness in Profiles is what feels more like a real amp mic'd up while it's pushing air and cranked. And it's the exact quality that makes the Kemper feel richer and fuller in comparison to amp models that sound more hifi.
And even if a Profile's fundamental tone comes out not exactly matching the reference amp, you can tweak a ton of parameters that affect the fundamental tone of the Profile in a way that just EQ can't-in order to get the Profile to match the reference amp tone exactly. If the QC Capture doesn't come out perfect, you have to restart the Capture process because you can't refine, or hope that the 3 band EQ and Gain can get the Capture tweaked enough to match the reference amp exactly.
But when it comes to the routing capabilities, features, and UI, the QC is a clear and strong winner!
Some of the best features of the Headrush and the really fun UI that the Headrush had. But with better amp modeling and better effects, and more routing capabilities, and more I/O!!
And although not very flexible aside from stacking them , the Capture feature is really cool and sounds great.
So each unit has it's positives and negatives. The QC has so much potential to be the best but I see a lot of drawbacks right now at launch. But they're all things that seem like they can be improved.
So I have extremely high hopes for the QC and look forward to what it's pushing forward in the industry! I'm stoked to check one out when I can!
I hope as it improves, that you keep showing the improvements and I hope it reaches it's potential. Based on what I've seen so far, it's already a heavyweight contender that's hitting hard like the big boy modelers and Kemper and that in itself is huge this early on. I can't wait to see where it goes with the QC, and I can't wait to try one out as soon as I get the chance 😀
Thanks for such sick tones in the vid! Regardless, the video was sick and the content overall is great and I watched it a few times already just for the tones and the shredding! hahaha😀
Amazing reply to an amazing video
You don’t have anything to apologize for, man! Those of us that are really here to experience the gear love your playing, your stylistic approach, and your obvious unbiased honesty. Even when you don’t like a feature or product, you don’t trash it, you objectively explain what it is that you don’t like.
The people that don’t understand that or just immature, end it is not you who need to issue an apology… It’s them. Keep on doing what you are doing!
6:02 "Stay awhile and listen"
Good choice of guitars for this video, it's mesmerizingly gorgeous! Appreciate the transparency in your discussions, much respect to you.
Kemper sound like a genuine amp when my eyes are closed, quad cortex sounds like one when my eyes are open.
Best description
@@Utube-s8m did you understand what the comment said?
@@eliasklemetz5718don’t need to answer you. If you don’t own any of them your opinion means nothing. Did you understand that?! Did you FEEL the difference with your eyes closed too? The feel is there with the quad. The Kemper needs help with feel and sound. That’s exactly correct what Rabea said re the cocked wah sound.
Do you own any of those units?
I know you were trying to be clever, but that comment makes absolutely no sense
I really respect how much efforts you put in this video! You are the man 💪
Imo, if the Kemper struggles with certain amps, that's kinda its own problem. It's completely to fair to compare same amps and if the other one doesn't work well with them, that's just a con to add to the list.
iirc, The manual even says that it doesn't do Marshall-like distortion
@@jtn191 Exactly. If the Cortex does, that's another Win for it over the Kemper, that's just how it should go in my opinion
Thank you for this, Bea. Amazing comparison, hugely informative and very well produced - not to mention the integrity displayed by redoing the entire thing. Much love =)
Was anyone else instantly transported back to Tristram when he hit the first chord?
Some people are just plain ignorant . Thanks for taking the time for this video. I love my Kemper, but also will love the QC when I can afford one...