I switched to fractal from kemper and will never look back. I’d say try a fractal. Fractal and modeling is a different approach than kemper profiling. With the modeling, you can think of the amp model as a blank slate and you can EQ it like you normally would an amp. With kemper profiles, you’re getting a specific snapshot of how that persons amp was setup and if you go to EQ it, you’re changing the EQ of that snapshot and not of the actual amp. Not to say I didn’t like kemper. I found some great sounding profiles and gigged it just fine, but fractal was better
I was using studio speakers. I think what carranoj25 says has hit the nail on the head, it’s a profiler and not a modeller so you’re working with the profile which I found was really difficult because I’m used to modelling.
I’ve actually started using something Tom Gilroy recommended earlier on called S-Gear, it sounds great with the actual pre-sets that come with it. I’m really impressed and think I’ll be using this from now on.
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S-Gear sounds fantastic.
I have two Cornford amplifiers (Hellcat and Carrera) and thousands of £/€/$ worth of expensive/boutique pedals and a fancy pedal switching and power system. I barely use any of it anymore.
Instead, I just plug into my audio interface and load up S-Gear. It’s just so much more convenient. It sounds great, has stereo effects and it doesn’t bother anybody else in the house.
I still love the experience of playing through my real amps, and I do miss using some of my favourite pedals (AnalogMan NKT-275 Sunface, Yamaha UD-Stomp and the “Ice” machine on my Strymon TimeLine).
I’ve been studying Steve Vai’s phrasing and melody playing again after seeing him perform in June. I decided to buy a wah pedal recently, as I didn’t own one and S-Gear just can’t do that. Before that, I hadn’t bought a pedal in at least 3 years.
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Yes, modeling has come a long way. In my opinion, nothing tops a tube amp and guitar cabinet turned up loud. But I’ll never be able to do that. Or I should I say I can but it’ll never be convenient as just carrying my modeler in a bag to a gig. I think they’re all really so close now that the only things that set them apart would be workflow and UI subjective to what the user likes or prefers.
Hey @Muso1981,
I recently got a Simplifier DLX, it’s a parallel Amp and Cab simulator. The critical thing here is it’s all analog, including the cab sim! Zero latency, terrific dynamics and very good sounds. It’s not perfect but I think the fun factor of feel and playing it is as good as a real amp. It has a digital reverb that’s very very good. Check it out, to me it’s a godsend, less travel anxiety, I think it’s a pretty no compromise solution, finally.
I find my self practicing a lot more these days with it, it definitely got me playing again.
I use it like I use my real amp, my pedal board into it, drive mainly coming from a pedal, just like goosing a real amp ( with drive not volume as such., if you have any questions feel free to ask.
How much effort was it to dial in a sound you liked?
Really easy Joe, it’s very straight forward, the routing options are numerous though, very versatile. I think I know what I want by now, and it’s gets me there, the cleans are superb too. It does the plexi thing with is perfect, since I run my amp with a drive in front and the amp’s setup almost near max on the vol 1. This thing behaves the same. It’s almost too good to be true, it has it’s limitations but nothing that gets in the way, and there’s nothing at all like it.
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…short sample of the simplifier DLX, for YJM style tones.
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If you don’t want to have to tweak too much, the Kemper is an excellent option. As has already been stated, tweaking the EQ of a capture is not the same as the real amp, due to the nature of profile capturing an amp in a particular moment in time, including the EQ settings.
I’ve heard a couple of Kempers and, while they’ve sounded great, they just don’t suit my personal needs and haven’t blown me away. Plus the front panel interface looks like a hideous unintuitive nightmare to me (though this is just down to lack of user experience—the same argument could be made for most modellers).
I’ve been a Fractal guy for 10 years and just get on well with the interface. You will get good at dialling in any modeller, but you just have to start with the one that makes the most sense to you to begin with, and gain further experience over time.
I would also say don’t overlook the Helix. I’ve been guilty of it, just because it is so much more affordable than most of the major competition. However, I got to try a friend’s Helix Stomp XL fairly recently and was really impressed (even after I had recently invested in an Axe FX III Turbo!).
The cab side of modelling is extremely important if you’re using it direct through studio monitors recording or a powered speaker for live use. For direct use I spend quite a bit of time emulating some of the “in the room” ambience, as this really is “make or break” for me as far as the playing feel of any modeller, as well as smoothing out some of the hardness I find with using close mic IRs.
Anyway just a few rambling thoughts there.
Bottom line is all modern modellers can sound fantastic, I just feel it is down to the user and what they prefer to work with.
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I bought Aurora DSP’s Rhino for like $50 and love it as a less conventional modeller. I like that it isn’t trying to profile any existing amp and kind of embraces that it’s digital. More generally, you can always buy VSTs and individual modelers to play with them, usually way cheaper than any of the other options.
I also bought a used AxeFx standard a while back, and love that for what it is, at some point I’m sure I’ll upgrade - probably to a newer AxeFx.
If you know exactly what tone you want and it’s a classic tone, then I’d say get that analog rig that the player with your favorite tone uses. And yeah get the clones, they hold up well. I have a Bugera that’s basically a Peavy 5150 and it’s great.
If you want endless range of options and are interested in creating a wide range of sounds I’d pick up a used AxeFx or helix and just mess around with it for a while, or get a bunch of VSTs to play with.
Very true, especially with fender and Marshall clones, they are most often better built than the originals and truer to the originals than reissues.
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