Andy Sneap talks about the Kemper Profiling Amp

So yeah, the first half of the clip I posted is the Kemper the second half is the actual amp. I think the difference is in the low mids where the actual amp is bigger sounding and more vibrant whereas the Kemper seems slightly compressed. But really, we are talking TINY differences here, like having used a thinner pick or having tweaked the Amp Settings slightly. Across a complete album with the usual post eq and processing done I think the difference between the two would vanish even more. I am with Crillemannn who said it's like 95% there, the character definitely stays intact. I could have tweaked the profile more to get it a little closer to the amp by adding a little bit more bass (I boosted like 0.5 db on the bass and cut like 0.5 in the presence) on the tonestack of the Kemper or giving it a slight boost in the low mids with an eq but I didn't want to go to anal.
Anyway, like Andy said in the video the workflow improvement is so huge with Kemper that I certainly can live with the ever so slight alteration of the tone. Strangely I had some profiles that were really like 100% others are more like 90-95% there - I didn't figure out yet what makes the difference to the profiling success.
Remember these are all just tools and what works for one guy doesn't mean it'll work for the next.
 
Do you have any clips of those 100% profiles? Despite hearing people say it can be identical, I've yet to hear a single instance of it being the case.

I'd been trying to get a unit to do some comparisons of my own months back, but the Kemper rep was less than forthcoming and expedient with communication.
 
Unfortunately I don't have any of those 100% Profiles as A/B Clips with the real amp. One of the very first profiles I did was of my Marshall 800 with a Soldano Hotmod and that was eerie similiar to the amp if not the same. I think the Kemper profiles Amps that are pretty "unfizzy" like the 800 more easily than say a Recto...but it could be miking as well. Like I said, I haven't yet figured out what makes a 100% profile. Some times it happens, sometimes it needs a little bit of more tweaking/refining. Also, in this example I profiled with an OD in front of the amp. Maybe if I had just profiled the Amp without a boost in front it would have been even more similiar. But as said, it's close enough for me...
 
Capitancambarro said:
I think the difference is in the low mids where the actual amp is bigger sounding and more vibrant whereas the Kemper seems slightly compressed. But really, we are talking TINY differences here, like having used a thinner pick or having tweaked the Amp Settings slightly.
Click to expand...

The difference was pretty obvious to me to be fair. When the Kemper's tone sounds like the difference of reamping vs. tracking straight into an amp (which is surely noticeable due to minute high-end loss on a solo'd track, but for all intensive purposes invisible in a mix), I'm sold. I'm not doubting the possibility of it being "identical," but I need experience with a Kemper before I will make any claims other than, "I haven't heard it replace an amp yet." I'm glad Andy is getting such great use out of it. I'm under the assumption people's recording environments and gear can have a huge influence on these profiles... I'm curious to see how far people take this box.
 
drawnacrol said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSrk2PcWevQ

At the 5:28 minute mark there are some comparison clips, sounds spot in.
Click to expand...

It does sound very close, but I don't know how much we can trust the youtube audio in this vid. Even at 720p, you can hear some pretty nasty "sci-fi computer" compression artifacts.

Obviously the KPA is perfectly capable of copying tones with a high degree of accuracy. But what I, and a lot of people still want to know.......how well can Kemper'ed tracks handle some heavy-handed EQing?
 
Ben Johnson said:
Even at 720p, you can hear some pretty nasty "sci-fi computer" compression artifacts.
Click to expand...
Whoa maybe you can see even the binary code here? It's all about pre installation in your mind I think

And here:
tell me where on the album we punched in with the kemper and I'll send you the kemper as a prize, bet you can't tell!
Click to expand...
Like someone said here;)
 
@fearcomplex: did you also try using a real tubescreamer in front?

one of the main flaws with the kemper for metal is that the tubescreamer model just doesn't sound the same as the real thing. it's quite close, but it somehow messes with the pick attack and has less low-mid punch.

otherwise, i agree with you. when comparing ABing kemper to profiles of my VH4 or Hotrod 50 through my isocab it's definitely easy to tell which is which. especially when you AB the amp through the same interface as the kemper without going through the kemper (as in profiling mode). monitoring through the kemper adds coloration and has a slight latency, which makes it harder to make out differences while playing for yourself.

some amp profile better than others, though. the VH4 is a good example for this. the compressed and choked pick attack simply cannot be profiled correctly using the kemper. my hotrod 50 on the other hand, is dead close.

if you're extremely picky about AB comparisons, you'll find differences with the kemper. does it sound good enough, though? fuck yes

i'm sure that by hearing tracks recorded with the kemper alone, you won't be able to tell it's not an amp.
 
Studio related, maybe it's not 100% yet...but in most live situations, I'm pretty sure it will beat a miced amp!
Still waiting for a rack unit.
 
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