Kemper Profiler Stage

review
KEMPER PROFILER STAGE
114
GUITARIST MARCH 2020
Your imagination is
the only limit to what
you can create, and
the vast editing scope
makes the Kemper
a tweaker’s paradise
Sounds
The Profiler Stage’s software takes around
20 seconds to load, after which the lights
and display screen come to life. Straight out
of the box, this isn’t really a ‘plug in and go’
preamp. A read of the quick-start manual is
recommended, as the main manual covers
every feature and runs to 300 pages! Even
then, a supplementary manual covers MIDI
programming; the Profiler easily exceeds
the 128-parameter limit of normal MIDI,
with more than 400 addressable functions
available through NRPN (Non-Registered
Parameter Numbers).
Kemper’s latest OS7 software has really
come of age, offering an impressive array of
onboard effects including wahs, distortions,
delays, choruses and modulations, with
3. There is a fully featured
built-in looper as well
as an automatic tuner
with a highly accurate
strobe-display option
4. You get dedicated
knobs for gain and
master volume, while
the smaller knobs in
between can function
as bass, mid, treble and
presence but have other
functions as well
all kinds of tempting extras lurking in the
menus. It’s complemented by Kemper’s
Rig Manager app that syncs online Rig
Exchange and local patches, as well as
managing firmware updates, which are
reassuringly easy to apply. Currently Rig
Manager is only available for Windows
and Mac desktops, with connection to the
Profiler solely via USB. There’s no mobile
or wireless option.
Kemper’s main claim to fame is, of
course, profiling: the ability to create a
faithful replica of any guitar amp’s tone
from a recorded sample. On the Stage, the
Profiling Assistant opens when you press
down the Browser and Perform buttons
simultaneously, after which you’re taken
through the process. As you might expect,
the quality of the resulting profile is very
dependent on how well your sample is
recorded. Browsing through the 16,000
or so online rigs available through Rig
Manager and the 280-odd that come pre-
loaded, it’s quite easy to pick out those that
have been recorded professionally from
those that haven’t. With the best profiles, it’s
possible to strip away the effects and hear
an impressive recreation of an original amp,
while others are quite heavily dependent on
3
4
THE RIVALS
Line 6’s Helix Floor (£1,199) is very
popular. For good reason: at the last count
it featured 45 amps, 30 cabs, 16 mics and
70 effects models, accessed from a high-
definition colour display, making editing a
pleasure. It has assignable colour-coded
footswitches, programmable scribble
strips and an integral expression pedal.
For those on a tighter budget, the
HeadRush Pedalboard (£774), like the
Helix, features a big seven-inch full-colour
touchscreen display, making for fast,
intuitive drag-and-drop editing through
what must be one of the best user
interfaces in this class. The latest software
adds extra amps, cabs, impulse responses
and effects to rival the competition, with
quad processor-powered realism and a
mad looper that can record samples up
to 20 minutes long.
Boss pedals are so abundant it’s worth
remembering the floor multi-effects
concept really belongs to them, too, going
all the way back to the ME-5 in 1988. The
current flagship GT-1000 (£869) leaves
good old COSM behind, replacing it with
Boss’s next-generation AIRD (Augmented
Impulse Response Dynamics), providing
highly responsive amp and cab models,
wireless Bluetooth editing and a host of
effects few manufacturers can match.
The unit’s signal chain is represented by
a series of 12 illuminated push-buttons to
the right of the display, featuring an input
section followed by four effects choices
in front of the virtual amp and four more
effects after the virtual speaker cabinets,
ending with an output section. Button
switches over the display handle various
parameter select and editing functions,
while under the display you’ll see that
there are some more familiar-looking
knobs for gain and master volume, with
smaller assignable ones in between
handling bass, mid, treble and presence as
well as other parameters. Other controls
include useful browse and type select
knobs for quickly locating and auditioning
rigs and effects.
The Profiler Stage’s rear panel has a
single guitar input jack, two mono send/
stereo return effects loops, main outputs
on XLR and jack, and a secondary pair
of monitor outputs. Other connections
include S/PDIF digital in and out, no less
than four expression pedal jacks, MIDI
in and out, USB and headphones. Overall,
the Profiler Stage is ready for life on the
road, with robust construction, classy
looks and impeccable styling.
GIT456.rev_kemper.indd 114 22/01/2020 22:19