Just Liquid Profiled the NDSP Plini Plugin

[Jarick]

Sounds friggin killer. Now I can run the Plini with a whole bunch of effects and no computer. Sounds awesome with a little stereo chorus after the amp and a Klon out front.

I honestly haven't found many good profiles for the higher gain (think 80's-90's hard rock, not metal). MBritt profiles are dark and stuffy, other stuff can be fingernails on chalkboard. So I was playing around with the Plini plugin this morning and figured...why not?

Never did a profile before but it worked on the second try. First time around Kemper figured out I didn't turn off the noise gate, which was clever!

Next up, going to figure out how to do merged profiles. Then going to profile some more NDSP like the TK Imperial, Tim Hensen (Matchless and JCM 800), and others.

 

[GTR37]

Sounds friggin killer. Now I can run the Plini with a whole bunch of effects and no computer. Sounds awesome with a little stereo chorus after the amp and a Klon out front.

I honestly haven't found many good profiles for the higher gain (think 80's-90's hard rock, not metal). MBritt profiles are dark and stuffy, other stuff can be fingernails on chalkboard. So I was playing around with the Plini plugin this morning and figured...why not?

Never did a profile before but it worked on the second try. First time around Kemper figured out I didn't turn off the noise gate, which was clever!

Next up, going to figure out how to do merged profiles. Then going to profile some more NDSP like the TK Imperial, Tim Hensen (Matchless and JCM 800), and others.

Had you tried the Top Jimmy Bogner his XTC clips always sounded pretty good to me but I have not played them

 

[Warmart]

Sounds friggin killer. Now I can run the Plini with a whole bunch of effects and no computer. Sounds awesome with a little stereo chorus after the amp and a Klon out front.

I honestly haven't found many good profiles for the higher gain (think 80's-90's hard rock, not metal). MBritt profiles are dark and stuffy, other stuff can be fingernails on chalkboard. So I was playing around with the Plini plugin this morning and figured...why not?

Never did a profile before but it worked on the second try. First time around Kemper figured out I didn't turn off the noise gate, which was clever!

Next up, going to figure out how to do merged profiles. Then going to profile some more NDSP like the TK Imperial, Tim Hensen (Matchless and JCM 800), and others.

Have you uploaded to Rig Exchange? I'd love to try, I'll actually look for them now!

 

[mikah912]

Had you tried the Top Jimmy Bogner his XTC clips always sounded pretty good to me but I have not played them

Ugggh. Never have I had a greater disconnect between the sweet-sounding Top Jimi Kemper YouTube clips and me actually playing them and hearing nothing but thin, reedy garbage coming out of my speakers.

Cannot recommend staying away strongly enough....

 

[Jarick]

Had you tried the Top Jimmy Bogner his XTC clips always sounded pretty good to me but I have not played them

I have some of the Top Jimi stuff but as @mikah912 said it's hit or miss coming out of my speakers. Not sure why.

Biggest issue I have with the Kemper is that the high gain profiles are very often screwy in the mids/highs. It's not the Kemper's fault, it's the profiles. I haven't found a profiler who can shoot high gain amps and get really good tone with thick lows and clear highs.

Have you uploaded to Rig Exchange? I'd love to try, I'll actually look for them now!

No but I'll give it a shot!

 

[texhex]

Sounds friggin killer. Now I can run the Plini with a whole bunch of effects and no computer. Sounds awesome with a little stereo chorus after the amp and a Klon out front.

I honestly haven't found many good profiles for the higher gain (think 80's-90's hard rock, not metal). MBritt profiles are dark and stuffy, other stuff can be fingernails on chalkboard. So I was playing around with the Plini plugin this morning and figured...why not?

Never did a profile before but it worked on the second try. First time around Kemper figured out I didn't turn off the noise gate, which was clever!

Next up, going to figure out how to do merged profiles. Then going to profile some more NDSP like the TK Imperial, Tim Hensen (Matchless and JCM 800), and others.

Welcome to my world.

I’ve got Kemper Profiling of Tonex captures down to a science now. I’m even using the Tonex capture signal tones to refine the Kemper Profiles.

My (5th ugh!) Kemper Rack and Foot Controller show up tomorrow (too good of a deal to pass up, literally less than half the price of new and it still has warranty left) and I’ve got Friday off.

 

[ejecta]

Welcome to my world.

I’ve got Kemper Profiling of Tonex captures down to a science now. I’m even using the Tonex capture signal tones to refine the Kemper Profiles.

My (5th ugh!) Kemper Rack and Foot Controller show up tomorrow (too good of a deal to pass up, literally less than half the price of new and it still has warranty left) and I’ve got Friday off.

So do you prefer the profiling of the ToneX over the Kemper?

 

[texhex]

So do you prefer the profiling of the ToneX over the Kemper?

Totally.

The Tonex captures are always closer to the actual amp than the Kemper profiles, but I absolutely hate the Tonex software. I got such a good deal on this Rack, Controller and Mission pedal that I decided to get another Kemper, even if the Profiles frustrate me sometimes. I love everything else about it, which is crazy because the Profiles are supposed to be the main draw.

Sold a Kemper Stage and Mission pedal and tried out the Synergy gear which is awesome but too risky to my wallet with $250-$300 used modules floating around. Next thing you know I’d be too deep into that stuff and have the modules collecting dust.

Sold the Synergy stuff and snatched up this Kemper. I had a Rack in the past and moved it for that Stage and had the Stage for a good 3 years. I really, really like the Rig Manager software and Reverbs and Delays. The Rack (and I’m assuming head) have much better grounding than the Stage which was the first thing I noticed moving from the Rack to the Stage.

I run all of this crap into an AXE III for the drives, cab block and effects and use the Tonex or Kemper amp block for the amp.

I have proven that I can Profile Tonex captures 1:1 into the Kemper. What will be interesting is turning one of those Tonex captures into a Liquid Profile and then comparing it to the actual Amp. There is a Kemper Liquid EQ for a Friedman BE and I’ve got a BE100 so that’s going to be my first shot.

It’s fuking nuts that I would have to (or want to) do this but it is what it is.

It’s a hobby…

 

[norminal]

 

[Achilles]

 

[ejecta]

Totally.

The Tonex captures are always closer to the actual amp than the Kemper profiles, but I absolutely hate the Tonex software. I got such a good deal on this Rack, Controller and Mission pedal that I decided to get another Kemper, even if the Profiles frustrate me sometimes. I love everything else about it, which is crazy because the Profiles are supposed to be the main draw.

Sold a Kemper Stage and Mission pedal and tried out the Synergy gear which is awesome but too risky to my wallet with $250-$300 used modules floating around. Next thing you know I’d be too deep into that stuff and have the modules collecting dust.

Sold the Synergy stuff and snatched up this Kemper. I had a Rack in the past and moved it for that Stage and had the Stage for a good 3 years. I really, really like the Rig Manager software and Reverbs and Delays. The Rack (and I’m assuming head) have much better grounding than the Stage which was the first thing I noticed moving from the Rack to the Stage.

I run all of this crap into an AXE III for the drives, cab block and effects and use the Tonex or Kemper amp block for the amp.

I have proven that I can Profile Tonex captures 1:1 into the Kemper. What will be interesting is turning one of those Tonex captures into a Liquid Profile and then comparing it to the actual Amp. There is a Kemper Liquid EQ for a Friedman BE and I’ve got a BE100 so that’s going to be my first shot.

It’s fuking nuts that I would have to (or want to) do this but it is what it is.

It’s a hobby…

Thanks for the detailed feedback! I’m still wanting to start leaving my Helix at home and stop taking it out to my gig I go direct. I prefer its functionality and sound at home.

So I have a pedal board with some drives and effects for my gig and I’m looking for something small and can be digital to run that board into. A Stomp would work but kinda redundant. Tried the QC and was cool but not happy with other things related to it. So I thought a Kemper Stage which I haven’t had in long time or the ToneX. I don’t need a ton of amp options. Heck… good profiles of my SLO30 channels would make me very happy but any cool edge of break up that cleans up well with volume knob is all I need for the gig.

Funny you mentioned Synergy because I did that gig with the Syn1 direct with a board and it sounded nice and sat well in the mix. I’ve thought about getting another with the SLO or Powerball module. It’s just it would be cool to put whatever I run into on a board or the floor. Synergy doesn’t work there.

 

[Jarick]

Okay now I'm getting real nutty and capturing the Plini cab as impulse responses in my Axe FX 3.

And now I know why I like the Plini tone so much...the cab sounds super close to the Ownhammer GNR which is my favorite IR cab! In fact it sounds kind of like the Ownhammers with a little EQ applied already, rolled off highs and lows and a little boost in the mids.

Anyways, I profiled the Henson yesterday and will try the Soldano and Tone King today.

 

[Mongillo19]

And I thought I was crazy

Honest question, what's the point of LP a plugin that you don't know the base amp? I guess you could combine different tone stacks?

 

[mikah912]

Okay now I'm getting real nutty and capturing the Plini cab as impulse responses in my Axe FX 3.

And now I know why I like the Plini tone so much...the cab sounds super close to the Ownhammer GNR which is my favorite IR cab! In fact it sounds kind of like the Ownhammers with a little EQ applied already, rolled off highs and lows and a little boost in the mids.

Anyways, I profiled the Henson yesterday and will try the Soldano and Tone King today.

Reminds me of when I first got a QC, and I went on a binge not only capturing FM3 amps/cabs, but also NDSP plugins. The results were mixed for me (Fractal stuff came out great, but captures of NDSP always sounded off from the original, no matter the gain staging).

Ultimately, I found it more worthwhile to tweak stuff native to the device rather than crossing the streams, so to speak, at all costs. Glad your results are proving more rewarding for you, though....

 

[Jarick]

And I thought I was crazy

Honest question, what's the point of LP a plugin that you don't know the base amp? I guess you could combine different tone stacks?

Most everyone says it's a 5150. I tried it with both 5150 and HBE tone stacks and it works well either way. The 5150 has a bright cap so you can dial that up or down as needed. Really useful, kind of like the Axe FX 3.

Honest to god I feel I cracked a code or something. I've been playing all morning now and haven't been so happy with the sound of the Axe in a long time and I'm not touching any of the amp settings outside gain and level. It sounds awesome to me not only with things like the 5153 or Friedman but also with a clean Fender or vintage Marshall or whatever.

 

[Jarick]

Reminds me of when I first got a QC, and I went on a binge not only capturing FM3 amps/cabs, but also NDSP plugins. The results were mixed for me (Fractal stuff came out great, but captures of NDSP always sounded off from the original, no matter the gain staging).

Ultimately, I found it more worthwhile to tweak stuff native to the device rather than crossing the streams, so to speak, at all costs. Glad your results are proving more rewarding for you, though....

I honestly think it comes down to the cab to be honest.

Kemper I really dig the cleans, but the higher gains I never find the right profiles. MBritt too dark, Tone Junkie too bright, etc. That's what pushes me back to the Fractal.

Then in the Fractal, I really like all the effects and having the cab, but it needs the right IR otherwise it's got too much high and low end and not enough midrange.

NDSP can sound awesome out of the gate without fuss, but you are locked into whatever effects they decide to give you, unless you stack them. So I would end up with these dumb chains of using like the Soldano amp into the Plini cab into the Petrucci effects section and it's a pain in the butt.

Now capturing the NDSP tone in the Kemper, I can get more or less the same sound but add in all kinds of other effects like chorus and stereo delays that aren't ping pong and room reverb. I can also capture the Soldano amp using the Plini cab and have that as one standalone thing.

Same thing with the Fractal, capturing that IR with the baked in EQ seems to solve a lot of the tonal issues I struggled with. Plus I can use all the effects and different amp models and all the power of that unit.

I tried last year running multiple modelers together and didn't enjoy it. Was fun for a minute to use the Iridium for amps and HX Stomp for effects and some analog pedals out front and what not, but it's expensive and not that flexible. Always end up going back into one modeling unit.

 

[mikah912]

I honestly think it comes down to the cab to be honest.

Kemper I really dig the cleans, but the higher gains I never find the right profiles. MBritt too dark, Tone Junkie too bright, etc. That's what pushes me back to the Fractal.

Then in the Fractal, I really like all the effects and having the cab, but it needs the right IR otherwise it's got too much high and low end and not enough midrange.

NDSP can sound awesome out of the gate without fuss, but you are locked into whatever effects they decide to give you, unless you stack them. So I would end up with these dumb chains of using like the Soldano amp into the Plini cab into the Petrucci effects section and it's a pain in the butt.

Now capturing the NDSP tone in the Kemper, I can get more or less the same sound but add in all kinds of other effects like chorus and stereo delays that aren't ping pong and room reverb. I can also capture the Soldano amp using the Plini cab and have that as one standalone thing.

Same thing with the Fractal, capturing that IR with the baked in EQ seems to solve a lot of the tonal issues I struggled with. Plus I can use all the effects and different amp models and all the power of that unit.

I tried last year running multiple modelers together and didn't enjoy it. Was fun for a minute to use the Iridium for amps and HX Stomp for effects and some analog pedals out front and what not, but it's expensive and not that flexible. Always end up going back into one modeling unit.

Great post. I cannot do the modular thing anymore either. I gotta have it all in one unit or I just can't these days. I usually can't even be bothered to bring and plug up volume/expression pedals to hook up to my FM9 for jamming/gigging these days.

 

[Jarick]

Great post. I cannot do the modular thing anymore either. I gotta have it all in one unit or I just can't these days. I usually can't even be bothered to bring and plug up volume/expression pedals to hook up to my FM9 for jamming/gigging these days.

My ideal is to just have one device I use for everything because it's just at home for me. And have it dialed in so I can quickly get into and stay in creative/playing mode and not tweaking.

I've gone down a lot of rabbit holes but I think I'm actually solving things and moving on. For example, getting my monitoring situation sorted.

 

[mikah912]

My ideal is to just have one device I use for everything because it's just at home for me. And have it dialed in so I can quickly get into and stay in creative/playing mode and not tweaking.

I've gone down a lot of rabbit holes but I think I'm actually solving things and moving on. For example, getting my monitoring situation sorted.

Amen, brother. I'm so tweak-adverse now, I haven't even really given the latest FM9 firmware with the Revv models and Dynacabs a shot. I mean, I installed it....then went right back to playing the tiny handful of custom presets I made, along with my favorite factory presets.

 

[madmarcus1960]

Do you use Tonex SW or the pedal to profile into the KPA? I have both and would love to try it.