Holy sh*t! That Kemper Profiling Amp is for me!

[Armitage]

With a modelling amp your not necessarily sounding like someone else you just have more amps to sound like yourself.

[burningyen]

Here I am using my Kemper to "sound like myself":

Oddly enough, rockstardom didn't immediately ensue! But seriously, any of these devices are more than capable of letting you create sounds that haven't been heard before. The big question is whether you'll find an audience for those sounds. People tend to gravitate towards sound-alike clips because at least it lets people judge how realistic the sounds are relative to common frames of reference. But I do have some crazy ideas brewing that will use the Helix' parallel processing features. I just need to find time to play with those ideas in between my cover band commitments.

[Michael_B]

Nice work, Ben. Thanks for sharing it.

[gorch]

Fantastic playing Ben!

[burningyen]

Thanks, guys!

[Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame]

I abandoned (sold) the Kemper because it was just too much. It was fairly easy to use, but there was so much on there I didn't want to use, and I just didn't want to spend the time necessary to get deep into all the options. (Historical reference, everyone who cares probably already knows this)

After selling the Kemper, I had gone back to playing my ss Crate amp with renewed appreciation, but was still dissatisfied with many aspects of its controls, and some aspects of its tone.

But I recently picked up a Peavey Bandit 112 Transtube (chrome strip) on a whim.

This is really seeming like the answer to my problems. Controls are easy and intuitive. It has absolutely the best clean tone I've heard from any amp. It makes all my guitars sound like an expensive vintage rig. I can get a perfect Surf tone on demand, in seconds, with just a push of a button (if I pre-set the EQ, or within seconds if I'm changing from another clean setting). The distortion sounds good, too. Weakest on the 80s hair band, but good enough. Really good for a Metallica sound. Still haven't tried my best-sounding guitars with it yet, but I expect I'll be very happy once I do.

Spent some time reading reviews this morning, and it turns out that quite a few people love this version of the Peavey Bandit. Many claim it sounds and responds just like a tube amp! The only complaint is that some (about half) think that it can't keep up at gig volumes and starts sounding sub-par, but is still great for rehearsals or playing on your own. Well, that's where I'm at right.

I actually like it better than the Peavey Classic 30 I had previously...many more usable tones, much more intuitive controls...which even seems to be that the EQ tones work more like I think they should, so I seem to intuitively know which band knob to twist to get the sound I want. It may sound stupid, but that isn't always obvious on most amps.

Anyway, I'm very happy for the next several years. I finally have an amp that sounds good in all the obvious settings, and can make almost all the sounds I want, and is easy to switch between sounds easily without having to deal with a bunch of tones I don't ever use. Bliss!

[burningyen]

Here's a comparison of my Kemper and Helix. I'll reveal which is which later today:

https://soundcloud.com/burningyen/sets/kemper-helix-comparo-comfortably-numb

[Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame]

Well, I have no idea how to know which is which, but I like B a little better.

I listened twice to be sure.

[proxmax]

i like the first better...

[PaGator]

Excellent playing and both "tone samples" are very acceptable, however, I prefer the first by a large margin.

[gorch]

Not a preference really. B sounds a bit clearer, but missing a bit on the low end. Equalizing a bit there would make it perfect I think.

[Dasein]

I thought B was warmer, but could use a little EQ - I thought A had a sparkle and presence but slightly lacked the rounded warmth of B

[Michael_B]

B sounds a bit clearer, but missing a bit on the low end.

That's my take, too. Despite the thinner sound, I preferred B because of the greater clarity.

[it's me HHB]

I like a cause you played it slightly better lol. Seriously they both sound like Gilmore, which is cheaper is always my first question!

[Boomerang~Junkie]

Both sounded very good, but if I had to pick one over the other I'd pick "B" by a slight margin.

Both were kick ass playing Ben.

Thanks for taking the time to do this blind comparison.

[BillW]

I liked the first one. the second one was a little "whooly" for me (the delay was a little more obtrusive too), but sticking to the actual tone - the first one sounded more like an actual tube amp to me. I have to admit, though: they did sound remarkably similar

[zenmindbeginner]

Leads high up the neck won't give us enough to tell the difference... jazz chords will give us a sense of the harmonic content and how the resonances of the individual notes of the chords layer on top of each other.

I want to hear palm muting on the lower strings (chugga or chunka) and palm muting across the fretboard. I want to hear pinch harmonics... and I want clean and dirty arpeggiated chords.

Then I will be able to tell the difference.

That said, I detected slightly more presence with the 2nd clip but that was within the margin of error of non-critical listening on computer speakers... I'll give them a shot in my studio monitors and report back.

[The Shark]

On ‎10‎/‎28‎/‎2015 at 9:49 AM, burningyen said:

Here's a comparison of my Kemper and Helix. I'll reveal which is which later today:

https://soundcloud.com/burningyen/sets/kemper-helix-comparo-comfortably-numb

My fifty three year old ears like A best. I'm guessing it's the Kemper.  Errrr, the Helix.  Yeah that's it.

[Feynman]

Ben,

You are certainly in the "can make anything sound good" camp, and your knowledge of the equipment you use is always a key element. You've made me lust for gear I'd never considered (those old RP things), and your tasteful playing always shines through to highlight the strengths of the gear you are using.

I listened to all four clips several times through some very decent audio gear, and I'd be hard pressed to declare a clear winner.

I guess I'm not adding anything here, but that's nothing new.

[burningyen]

Thanks for the kind words, guys. A was the Helix. I think it sounds better but like HHB pointed out, I played it better, and I think I tweaked that patch a little better. I'm confident that the Helix sounds "real" enough for me, so the decision is going to come down to the other factors I mentioned earlier.

[brainkillsbeercells]

i hear a lot more pick attack on B

[Dasein]

Thanks for the kind words, guys. A was the Helix. I think it sounds better but like HHB pointed out, I played it better, and I think I tweaked that patch a little better. I'm confident that the Helix sounds "real" enough for me, so the decision is going to come down to the other factors I mentioned earlier.

I think the takeaway is that they both sound good in this application... but I've just warmed to the Kemper (the idea of it) and having to now consider warming to something called the Helix (which of course makes me think of Helix, the Canadian Metal band with the less than handsome lead singer from the 80's - though let's be fair - the Singer from Anvil was probably the fugliest with the Singer from Venom coming in a close second fugly) ---- one question I'd ask Ben is about product cycles --- Will either of them be making any hardware changes or have a history of shorter product cycles? I know Kemper has firmware updates and a relatively stable/static hardware platform, what's the Helix gonna be? Do you think it will still be The Helix in two years? 4 years?

As always I'm sitting here with my Mark IIC+ in it's case, playing through my interface & PC using GuitarRig Pro5 for most of my recording (neighbours etc) dreaming of a Royer Ribbin Mic that itself costs half as much as the Kemper or Helix --- and damn do these rigs sound good. Such a tough call considering how amazingly fast tech is progressing. Good luck in the decision.

I was going to suggest for the next "test" you re-amp -- or basically go direct into your interface/DAW and then set up a couple of sends for the Two Amps --- eliminate any difference in the performance.

[The Shark]

Thanks for the kind words, guys. A was the Helix. I think it sounds better but like HHB pointed out, I played it better, and I think I tweaked that patch a little better. I'm confident that the Helix sounds "real" enough for me, so the decision is going to come down to the other factors I mentioned earlier.

I was praying that "A" was the Kemper. I've really been on the fence about the Helix. This doesn't help at all! Great stuff.

[Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame]

I liked B better because it broke up a little at the right times, and the overtones swelled in the lower, longer-held notes more, like i associate with a good tube amp. Like i think i hear on professionally-recorded songs.

But for all i know, i may have that exactly backwards.

Still, to me, A was like a wonderfully detailed, full color, 3D digital image, amd B was like the object itself.

[it's me HHB]

Ok here's my follow up ( thanks Sweetwater ) did Ben play it better ( slightly ) because the tone was better or the feel was more happening? Maybe even subconsciously?