FM3 Vs Kemper Stage

ak301

ak301

Power User
Not sure if this has been already posted but this popped up on YouTube.

Thought it was a good comparison of the respective units features, though I wasn't enamoured with the tones he got - the FM3 being the best

 
I guess it is just me, but I am amazed at how many peeps can listen to stuff that is layered with delay after delay, and they actually like that kinda thing. To each their own, but I literally cannot tell how the guitar and amp tone is, when it is masked by all the delays. Give me a fairly raw amp/cab.... with a teeny smidgeon of reverb. hehhehhhehhe Then I can hear the guitar / amp / cab tone.

I had the Kemper Toaster and tbh didn`t gel with it. Hated the form factor. It just wasn`t a good fit for me. Liking what I see more with the FM 3. Plus the FM 3 has all the Amp Models I dig.
 
Coincidentally, I’ve got both sitting in front of me right now. I’ve also got Helix Native and an Axe I/O from IK Multimedia, so I will include my thoughts about the big three as if I was speaking about the Helix floor (I’ve had the Helix hardware and with a good interface there is no discernible difference between Native and the hardware).
Ive had the Kemper Stage long enough to have chased the “right” profiler for me and have landed on Rhett Shull’s, which captures and EQ profile that my ears like. Spent a few hundred or more in the process but eventually was able to stop. The Kemper Stage sounds and feels fantastic. Effects are high quality and it thumps like an amp should. Foot switching and user interfacing is super easy to get a handle on.

All in all, I really enjoy it. It’s inspiring, fun, looks cool as heck, and met my expectations.

However, it pales in comparison to the FM3 and the Axe Fx III (had one but didn’t need all that power) when it comes to modelling a real amp in the real world. In fact, it pales in comparison to the Helix stuff when it comes to the true nature of amp behaviour.

To know what I mean, load up a Tweed Deluxe model with the IR of your choice. Crank up the input gain as you should with Tweed amps:). Sounds great if that’s your thing. You can get the same thing out of the Kemper once you find the right profile with an EQ curve that suits your ears like I noted before. Next step, throw a boost in front of it a la Neil Young. Check out his recent Le Noise record he did with Lanois to hear what I mean. The Fractal stuff knows what to do when you boost it. It’s been modelled damn near perfectly. The Helix will do this as well, just not as well as the Fractal stuff. The Kemper will not and I actually think it CANNOT do this. It doesn’t know how to.

Take this idea and apply it to every other amp in each of the products and it applies. This is the biggest shortcoming of the Kemper and the strength of the Fractal units. Fractal units have the brains (programming and programmer) of a real amp. Kemper does not.

Add in the price difference, continuing improvement of the actual amp tones through updates, routing capabilities, size, tweakability like a real amp, and you’ve got yourself the clear winner.

That’s my take. Been down the modelling rabbit hole for years and have no doubts that the Fractal ecosystem is the runaway winner.
 
After having had both, I have found it really comes down to personal taste more than anything. Some people prefer and swear by Honda, and some prefer and swear by Toyota. Are they both great cars? Yes, and what is better to you comes down to personal preference

I have seen too many live acts use both the Kemper or AXE and sound great, and having used both, I cannot tell a difference in quality of sound.

It is also like the DAW argument: which is better, Protools, Logic, Cubase, or whatever? It comes down to which layout you like
 
Shai`tan said:
I guess it is just me, but I am amazed at how many peeps can listen to stuff that is layered with delay after delay, and they actually like that kinda thing. To each their own, but I literally cannot tell how the guitar and amp tone is, when it is masked by all the delays. Give me a fairly raw amp/cab.... with a teeny smidgeon of reverb. hehhehhhehhe Then I can hear the guitar / amp / cab tone.

I had the Kemper Toaster and tbh didn`t gel with it. Hated the form factor. It just wasn`t a good fit for me. Liking what I see more with the FM 3. Plus the FM 3 has all the Amp Models I dig.
Click to expand...

Nope, it's not just you. I agree 100%....................Way too many FX to actually hear the guitar tone, etc, etc, etc!
 
I have both the Stage and the FM3. I find the Stage's 4 effects buttons to be very limiting. With the combination of the FM3's 3 programable buttons and 8 scenes, there are no combination of effects on or off I can't execute.
 
PdotCdot said:
Coincidentally, I’ve got both sitting in front of me right now. I’ve also got Helix Native and an Axe I/O from IK Multimedia, so I will include my thoughts about the big three as if I was speaking about the Helix floor (I’ve had the Helix hardware and with a good interface there is no discernible difference between Native and the hardware).
Ive had the Kemper Stage long enough to have chased the “right” profiler for me and have landed on Rhett Shull’s, which captures and EQ profile that my ears like. Spent a few hundred or more in the process but eventually was able to stop. The Kemper Stage sounds and feels fantastic. Effects are high quality and it thumps like an amp should. Foot switching and user interfacing is super easy to get a handle on.

All in all, I really enjoy it. It’s inspiring, fun, looks cool as heck, and met my expectations.

However, it pales in comparison to the FM3 and the Axe Fx III (had one but didn’t need all that power) when it comes to modelling a real amp in the real world. In fact, it pales in comparison to the Helix stuff when it comes to the true nature of amp behaviour.

To know what I mean, load up a Tweed Deluxe model with the IR of your choice. Crank up the input gain as you should with Tweed amps:). Sounds great if that’s your thing. You can get the same thing out of the Kemper once you find the right profile with an EQ curve that suits your ears like I noted before. Next step, throw a boost in front of it a la Neil Young. Check out his recent Le Noise record he did with Lanois to hear what I mean. The Fractal stuff knows what to do when you boost it. It’s been modelled damn near perfectly. The Helix will do this as well, just not as well as the Fractal stuff. The Kemper will not and I actually think it CANNOT do this. It doesn’t know how to.

Take this idea and apply it to every other amp in each of the products and it applies. This is the biggest shortcoming of the Kemper and the strength of the Fractal units. Fractal units have the brains (programming and programmer) of a real amp. Kemper does not.

Add in the price difference, continuing improvement of the actual amp tones through updates, routing capabilities, size, tweakability like a real amp, and you’ve got yourself the clear winner.

That’s my take. Been down the modelling rabbit hole for years and have no doubts that the Fractal ecosystem is the runaway winner.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your contribution P.C. I’m looking for a FM9 (in Brazil it ends up to $3K, once available) but I was wondering about the modeling. There are quite good offers for models extracted from known amps. I don’t see that with Fractal - and I haven’t search much as well. I’m glad I do not feel the need since I read your post. Thank you.
 
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