Biaeothanata-Bassist Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Hey guys and gals. Recently i've been seriously considering ditching all my gear, keeping the money back and saving up for a Kemper Profiler rack unit as the results I've heard from them are absolutely phenomenal. Main thing that made me aware of them was the band Trivium as all 3 members now use 1 of those each (okay, 2 each, one for Europe and one for USA but are stored separately yadda yadda) on tour purely alongside a wireless system and each control them with a single Behringer FCB1010 midi footswitch (the one with 2 assignable expression pedals) which I think is a pretty cool idea. Literally all Trivium's touring stuff fits in to a 12u flight case. I was reading/watching a couple of interviews with bassist Paolo Gregoletto who said he now uses the Kemper as it's got all the profiles he wants on it and switches instantly with out any delay. Means he can have the tones he needs for the different Trivium albums live and his lead/wah patches all at the press of 1 button. Then reading more in to it, he says that ever since there was a "bass" update, it's not been losing any low end or compromising any of the frequencies he would usually of got out of the amps he was last using (which was a Peavey Tour 600 with matching cab as far as I remember). I;m guessing there would be a bit of live EQing going on on the sound desk to pump up the low end a bit more but all in all, seems pretty solid and very usable. I know it's not the same profiler, but I've seen John Myung of Dream Theater uses a Fractal Axe FX II now instead of head and cab as it does what Paolo mentioned in having all his tones there at the push of a single button (added note: Paolo said in one interview he found there was a bit of a delay on the Axe FX II which caused a bit of a pop changing tones over) so it's not like it's a one off thing to see a bassist using profilers. So yeah, back to my original question, have any of you bassists out there used one at all? If so, how have you found it? Was it what you wanted sound wise or did you find it lacking in any way? I know there's a lot of head and cab/meat and 2 veg purists out there which I kind of am but i'm not going to lie, i'm really being tempted to break tradition after hearing some of the results of these new profiler amps. I'm quite interested to hear some of your opinions on them too. Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime_BASS Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Save your money and check out Tayste's iOS for the gigging bassist thread in the effects section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooks79 Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 [quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1394961157' post='2397016'] Save your money and check out Tayste's iOS for the gigging bassist thread in the effects section. [/quote] +1, dip your toe in the water with jamup and bias, and see how it goes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biaeothanata-Bassist Posted March 16, 2014 Author Share Posted March 16, 2014 Really? That much love for the BIAS then? I did hear it's a very good piece of software to be fair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sk8 Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 [quote name='Biaeothanata-Bassist' timestamp='1394969745' post='2397146'] Really? That much love for the BIAS then? I did hear it's a very good piece of software to be fair. [/quote] Agree with the others a cheaper option and bias is very good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime_BASS Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 There was a Kemper at the studio we recorded at from what I can remember it was good but for me not 1500gbps good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I think the Kempler has its place but only in a studio situation where very precise profiles of amps and their dynamics can really be appreciated. There are plenty of cheaper alternatives that can provide ready made amp profiles that will do the job live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 The one thing you have to bear in mind with these things is that the people using these rigs you mention have a monstrous PA behind them. Is the Kemper going to sound as good through a small PA at the dog and duck? You'll probably need a fairly decent cab or Power Amp/Dedicated Monitor in order to do it justice. [quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1395129463' post='2398901'] There are plenty of cheaper alternatives that can provide ready made amp profiles that will do the job live. [/quote] But that's one of the beautiful things about the Kemper, you can make your own profiles! [quote name='Biaeothanata-Bassist' timestamp='1394931043' post='2396920'] So yeah, back to my original question, have any of you bassists out there used one at all? [/quote] If I remember correctly I think Winterfire here is using a Kemper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterfire666 Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I have one, i mainly use it for studio work and honestly it the best piece of gear i own by far. remember it will only sound as good as the profiles in it and there are a proper mixed bag of bass profiles to download online, with the right profiles for you its can be the best sounding most versatile rig possible (without a massive rack) the only reason i dont use it live is that i got one before the power rack versions were available and so i would need a seperate power amp, that bieng said it sounds awesome with my tc rh750 flat into a barefaced super 12t, just as good as in the studio. the new bass updates are very good but i havent had much of a play yet as i have been busy recently, although the dual signal path hing works amazingly well. in brief, sound quality is top notch, patch changing is flawless with no noticable delay. it certainly is not lacking in any way, if i had the powered version i wouldnt hesitate on geting rid of my tc amp (which i love) i did post a review some time ago in the gear reviews section. i will update it with the newer features when i get a chance. if you have any specific questions just ask and i will be happy to try to answer, its a shame you dont live closer you could have popped in for a play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 [quote name='charic' timestamp='1395131953' post='2398930'] But that's one of the beautiful things about the Kemper, you can make your own profiles! [/quote] While it is an amazing thing, the point I'm making is that for live gigs...so what? The difference between a Kempler SVT profile and a NI or iOS SVT profile is unlikely to be meaningful on stage. It's like a well known amp manufacturer releasing a super hi-fi studio quality bass amp in a stack format for live use. Complete overkill for the situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Ah I see your point! Luckily I like overkill Although being able to switch between SVT, Orange and Mesa in the duration of one song is pretty appealing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterfire666 Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 a properly made profile really does sound like the source too, it may be overkill if you only use 1 main sound live but it is worth its price in the studio, i have used it on guitars/bass and vocals too with some great vocal channel strip profiles applied to the tracks after recording. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Overkill? Huh? Playing a Ritter bass down the Dog and Duck is overkill - but people still do it. No harm in playing through gear that you love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tayste_2000 Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 I have to admit my utter gas for an axefx and kemper that made me look at what was possible with iOS modelling (since I was already using it for looping) I'd defo start of small before grabbing a kemper or axe mainly because it looses a lot of value if you're not using it in a studio and live you're still lugging round a power amp and cab. If you can survive with the PAs available, you have IEMs or you're mainly in the studio then go for it. I personally have a lot of experience of getting my sound from a Di pedal etc, but nothing even now can beat the sound of a good valve amp behind you, and my iOS rig is the compromise of tone (of a big valve amp) over portability, it certainly sounds better than the modern amps I've tried and is effectively tiny. A sansamp is a good starting point, if you can be happy with that then you'll be ecstatic with a Kemper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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