#16
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Sounds like a good reason for some a/b blind testing to see if we can really hear the difference.
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#17
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I'm not criticising the sound quality - it's undeniably good - but this is a very specific tool. All it does is capture a sound at specific amp settings. It cannot sample the rich interactivity of a tube amp. For example, you could profile a crunchy Tweed Deluxe tone with the Kemper but you'll never be able to profile the way the amp responds to its famously interactive controls.
That for me is a big part of music: learning how to dial in a sound and exploring what your gear can do. A lot of songs have been written after someone fiddled with some knobs and was inspired by a cool new sound. Not much scope for originality or innovation if everyone is simply working with the same list of presets. That's why I want a Kemper law to outlaw the loading of sounds which weren't profiled on the same box. There's another potential problem with presets and workflow. Suppose you have half-a-dozen different guitar sounds in mind for a track - like this Dr Z Maz 18 video. If you know your gear you can dial them in quickly by twiddling a few knobs or plugging in a pedal (incidentally the Kemper won't react to pedals like the amp it's profiled..). With the Kemper you'll have to search for the right preset and if you've ever hunted through a large sample library you'll know what a long and tedious process that can be. An amp is a more evolved interface for controlling sound. So I don't think the Kemper could replace a real amp as a creative tool. It may have other uses, performance for example: but would the audience feel they're being short-changed if the band couldn't be bothered to bring their real amps? |
#18
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I mentioned Scuffham's S-Gear earlier as an example of where I think this process might be heading. It is, after all, still physics, including the moving speaker cone, etc. It's just that most modeling software that is available is still far too simplistic...but it's getting better very quickly. By the way, nice video...the Maz is on a short list of possible "real" amps that may yet win the day in my own tone quest, though lately I'm wrestling more between something like the Ceriatone OTS, Mesa Lonestar Special, or others along those lines.
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~ Music is the cup which holds the wine of silence. ~ Robert Fripp '98 Martin HD-28VR, '98 Bourgeois Martin Simpson European, '98 Collings CJmha |
#19
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i play a lot of extreme death metal and having all that tube saturation just gets in my way so i'm all for solid state but tubes do serve their purpose. i had an old ampeg v4 stack for years and years. it had vintage tubes when it was built. very hard to find and very expensive tubes -and lot's of them. it had a 4 tube power section with 6l6gc's and a solid state rectifier. an accutronics reverb tank with lock out and a shock mounted chassis -linden new jersey's finest. 4 nos power tubes and biasing cost me nearly $400 back in the early 90's. i found myself using a line 6 in the studio more and more and when i had the chance i bought one for myself. sold the v4 and haven't looked back. i think only the musicians can hear the difference between tube, soild state, and modeling. out in the crowd ime, the audience just really wants to get slammed in the face with 30,000 watts coming from the pa columns. for them it's about experiencing their favorite songs live. Last edited by arie; 05-16-2014 at 09:24 AM. |
#20
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That's not an amp. It's a computer.
This is an analog transistor amp: Most can afford it. The guy (Tim Lerch) says it is about equal in power with a Deluxe Reverb.
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Breedlove, Landola, a couple of electrics, and a guitar-shaped-object |
#21
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I like to build my own amps and at the moment I'm trying to figure out a separate dual EL84 power amp design which will work with a range of discrete preamps: Matchless Spitfire, Lightning, Goldtone GA-15 and a Lonestar (if I can figure out the complex relay switching..). That should do it. |
#22
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Listen to today's popular music. It all sounds the same more or less. There is actually software the record companies use that "predict" whether a song will be a hit using a database of millions of songs and analyzing chord progressions, tempo, time, etc... Modeling and profiling will only get better, and it won't be long before every nuance of an amp's circuitry is emulated. It's done with computer technology and old video games. |
#23
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I'm working my way up to an amp build to...the reason I mentioned the Ceriatone. But, recognizing there are only so many hours in the day, days in the year, and (at this point) years left in my life, I may just end up jumping that step...dunno. I have a really good go-to, electronic's guy to help me and I'm in the middle of reading Merlin Blencoe's book (alas, Chapter I for the third time ), but not sure I'm up to the challenge yet...we'll see just how steep the learning curve might prove to be. Regardless, I am increasingly convinced that a Dumble style amp will suit me best. I'd really love to spend some time with all of the usual candidates, but lately I'm really tempted to just pull the trigger on a Lonestar. The problem is that I've done that before and ended up disappointed to one extent or another...and that would be a real step-up in price. For what it's worth, that's one of the reasons I'm so surprised that a $99 plug-in like Scuffham's S-Gear has been so supremely satisfying. If you've not had the chance to try it, I seriously recommend it. He offers a free 15 day trial. I did that and it ate me up when it expired...waited two weeks and couldn't stand it anymore...had to buy it, ha, ha. For now, it will tide me over while the "real amp" search continues. Cheers
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~ Music is the cup which holds the wine of silence. ~ Robert Fripp '98 Martin HD-28VR, '98 Bourgeois Martin Simpson European, '98 Collings CJmha |
#24
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If you know how to solder, and if you've got good instructions, anyone can assemble an amp kit - even without a friendly electronics guy at hand. Take the time to do good solder work and it should work first time.
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#25
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Electronic drums sound good to some people, they mimic well also, they're solid state.
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#26
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For what it's worth that's almost a verbatim quote from what my electronics guru has told me...thanks for the encouragement.
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~ Music is the cup which holds the wine of silence. ~ Robert Fripp '98 Martin HD-28VR, '98 Bourgeois Martin Simpson European, '98 Collings CJmha |