2014/10/29 13:41:57
Rain
Monkey23
A shame that BIAS has geared their demos to the shredder market, because while I like to "shred" from time to time when no one is looking, my ideal sound is that clean/slight breakup type sound. BIAS is great for that.



I love metal, but I often feel like it would be awesome if people who make software didn't let their musical preferences dictate their decisions and broadened their horizons. There's a lot of products that I like but can't use for anything unless I'm working on some kind of metal, and with a very specific type of sound.
 
Even amp models and drums samples which are supposedly designed for other genres - they're just so obviously designed to satisfy the hear of a certain genre of metal fan. They're like a metalhead's vision of blues rock or jazz or whatever.
 
2014/10/29 18:06:21
Jim Roseberry
I like BIAS.
Especially the ability to get in and tweak the number/type of tubes used in a model...
This allows you to change the distortion/character and touch response of the model (like a real amp).
The resultant "crunch" and "heavy crunch" sounds are (IMO) among of the best sounding/responding of current generation amp-sims.
 
That said, the tone matching feature is nowhere close to a Kemper.  
Don't expect to create accurate sounding/responding clones of your favorite tube amps.
 
 
2014/10/29 22:04:09
cclarry
Jim Roseberry
I like BIAS.
Especially the ability to get in and tweak the number/type of tubes used in a model...
This allows you to change the distortion/character and touch response of the model (like a real amp).
The resultant "crunch" and "heavy crunch" sounds are (IMO) among of the best sounding/responding of current generation amp-sims.
 
That said, the tone matching feature is nowhere close to a Kemper.  
Don't expect to create accurate sounding/responding clones of your favorite tube amps.
 
 



This AGAIN confirms my contention that HARDWARE will ALWAYS supersede Software...

you simply CANNOT get software to replicate what happens with HEAT in a circuit.....
I don't care WHAT you do...it's NOT going to happen.  You can create an "algorithmic approximation" but 
you CANNOT do what a console or REAL hardware does...

A "Sim" will NEVER sound EXACTLY like HARDWARE....it won't happen...CHAOS THEORY prohibits it....
Software is "confined" to an algorithm...REALITY is not...a console "emulation" will NEVER sound like 
THE console...it may get close...but it WILL NOT EXACTLY replicate it...

BUT, that's just MY OPINION (based on sound reasoning and logic and physics =P) YMMV
2014/10/29 23:14:55
clintmartin
Good to see ya Larry! I agree with what you said, but I think software has the potential to go places hardware can't...at least within my budget. I have no interest in using "real" amps to record. It's just not practical here. They are loud and expensive and I'm having a blast just playing around with all the choices I have. Of course playing live isn't something I have to do anymore. So I don't have to worry about that at all.
I haven't had a chance to give my Bias Demo a proper run through so I won't even pretend to have an opinion yet, But my mind and ears are wide open for anything new out there. I don't care if it sounds like a Fender or Marshall or whatever. I think with software we may be able to improve on the classic "amp" if they will quit trying to emulate and switch the focus to innovation. Anyway just thinking out loud.
2014/10/29 23:23:05
stevec
I'm with you on this one, Clint.   I'm not really looking for an exact match to any particular amp model, I'm just looking for something that both sounds good and feels good to play, since I also don't have the option to use real amps for recording.
 
2014/10/30 05:26:01
cclarry
I agree...I can't practice with an Amp here either...I have to practice with my sims
and headphones...so I'm not looking for "exact" either....I'm just saying that
the idea that someone is going to eventually "nail" it just isn't sound (pardon the pun)

Amp sims are GREAT, and many are VERY VERY close...but still don't sound exactly like a "REAL mic in front of a REAL amp"...
2014/10/30 09:27:51
SteveStrummerUK
 
 
Fascinating thread chaps.
 
I have to say I'm a bit biased (no pun intended) here, but I absolutely adore my Kemper.
 
I would say that where the Kemper really seems to score in the tone-mapping department is that it doesn't try to model a 'complete' amp. Rather it simply sets out to capture and emulate a 'snapshot' of the settings on the amp when it's profiled.
 
You are advised, when profiling, to set the Kemper's Gain and EQ at approximately the same position as they are on the amp that's being profiled. This is so that when you are playing the saved profile, any change you make in those settings will theoretically mimic the changes in the tone that would happen if you changed the respective dials on the amp.
 
However, in practice, once you start to drift away from the 'stored' settings, especially the drive, the results, although usable, progressively become less faithful to the tone from the 'real' amp if it were being tweaked correspondingly.
 
To these ends, most rigs available to download, especially commercial profiles, do not just come with one single 'amp profile'. A specific amp would typically be profiled with a range of settings from each of its channels. Some of the better profilers even supply their bundles with profiles taken using different cabinets and microphone combinations (and even with different positioning of the mic with respect to the loudspeaker).
 
Obviously the more variables to the combination of amp settings/cab/mic you add, the more profiles you will need to take. On the other hand, if there are just a couple of 'sweet spot' tones from your rig that you tend to use most of the time, then these will be the only profiles you need to make.
 
In conclusion I'd say, that in my opinion, the 'accuracy' of the snapshot profiles is never compromised by the Kemper trying to be a jack-of-all-trades. It does what it does extremely well, and doesn't pretend to be able to be able to create a faithful emulation of a 'complete' amp.
 
Some might view this lack of versatility as a weakness in the way the Kemper works, but when you take into account how good the snapshot profiles are, the extra effort to capture a variety of tones is easily justified.
 
 
 
 
 
 
2014/10/30 10:53:53
Jim Roseberry
cclarry
 
This AGAIN confirms my contention that HARDWARE will ALWAYS supersede Software...

you simply CANNOT get software to replicate what happens with HEAT in a circuit.....
I don't care WHAT you do...it's NOT going to happen.  You can create an "algorithmic approximation" but 
you CANNOT do what a console or REAL hardware does...

A "Sim" will NEVER sound EXACTLY like HARDWARE....it won't happen...CHAOS THEORY prohibits it....
Software is "confined" to an algorithm...REALITY is not...a console "emulation" will NEVER sound like 
THE console...it may get close...but it WILL NOT EXACTLY replicate it...



If you're really picky (or in a position to be picky ), nothing will ever beat the "real thing".
Doesn't matter whether you're talking mics, drums, guitars, amps, etc.
 
That's not to negate good emulations (we all make use of them to a greater or lesser extent)... and we've certainly come a long way the last 20 years.
But there's nothing like playing a fine instrument... or using a great classic piece of gear.
 
 
 
 
 
2014/10/30 11:19:41
The Maillard Reaction
I've have had a Holland 2x10 here for a few weeks. It has a Fender Bassman circa 1959 circuit driving one speaker and the second speaker is driven by a small dedicated, Champ like, power amp that handles the onboard spring reverb return. You blend the reverb out in the air by balancing the two speaker output levels.
 
It was custom made for the owner back in the late 1990's. It seems to be a 2x10 version of the Holland Gibb Droll 4x10 model. It's wicked cool and it's been a lot of fun to explore how the knobs tweaks make it speak.
 
I fixed it the first day it got here, by diagnosing that the electrolytic capacitors just needed some exercise and a potentiometer needed to be cleaned by using it. The owner hasn't called to see if it's ready to pick up so I'm just playing the daylights out of it. 
 
Good times.
2014/10/30 11:33:12
bapu
Rain
I'll have to check that out on my monitors. On the laptop, I'd have have ranked BIAS first, then Axe FX then Kemper...


Same rating here Krist.
 
But rememberer we are rating only one set of presets per unit.
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