Help required fellow musician nerds!

Tube amp, Kemper power rack or plug-in's via a DAW?

  • Tube amp of some kind

    Votes: 6 66.7%
  • Kemper

    Votes: 2 22.2%
  • DAW plug-in's

    Votes: 1 11.1%

  • Total voters
    9
I'm in a similar situation as you, OP. I live in a townhouse and share 1 wall with a neighbor. We agreed that he would ditch his subwoofer on the entertainment system if I would turn down the amp. It's really only a problem in the basement. Damn drop ceilings. No sound barrier above them between our units but the wood. Anyway, I bought a Kemper for the basement, and love everything about it. Well, sound wise. It could have a PC or Mac/iPad interface. That would be cool. But, as long as you use quality profiles, it's glorious (IMHO....YMMV). It's got so many levels to it, heck you can even dial in how much voltage sag you want. Me, I have yet to dig to deep into it. It's fun to switch amp profiles quickly, and be motivated be something totally different. It works good with cabs, but if you want no change to the sound of the profile, it's FRFR all the way. The downside, it's expensive, and a little complicated.

Now, having said that, I still have an Archon on the 2nd floor, and another tube amp incoming. I can get away with a little more volume up there. Bonus, I work from home, and the neighbors are gone most days (his wife just went back to work). Now I can crank in the middle of the day too!
 
Dusty, I've been thinking about this and if you want in on the "Old Guys Speed Metal" album with Les and I, you are welcome to join in. There's nothing to get that blood flowing like a little shredding. Besides, if Les will let me be in the band with my combination of short hair and lack of skill, I'm sure he'd be OK with you joining in. He did tell me I had to wear a hat though since my hair wasn't "metal enough." But I'm ok with that. I've get a Megadeth "Rust In Peace" baseball cap I'm wearing for the album photo session.
 
No no no no no, I play half as fast, not twice as fast. Think Doom, Dirge, Funereally slow. Have you heard Shape of Despair? It takes them 5 minutes to sing 4 lines...(wanders off to check facts)...6 minutes (track is "Fallen"). That slow. The trick to playing music that slowly is being able to hold a chord. Land in the pocket, and stay there. Don't hold it so tight that you can't maintain your grip.

I could always wear a wig, like Michael McKean -- I saw him put it on once, it was amazing, he went from not looking like David St. Hubbins to being David St. Hubbins.
 
I could always wear a wig, like Michael McKean -- I saw him put it on once, it was amazing, he went from not looking like David St. Hubbins to being David St. Hubbins.

That's the spirit! Now you've got the look part covered. Now all we need is a little speed. Some caffeine (lots) is what I use. Then lots of smoke and mirrors. And then, other than chops, there is another reason I chose Les for this. He knows how to mix things so that my flaws can be hidden If you know what I mean...;).
 
That's the spirit! Now you've got the look part covered. Now all we need is a little speed. Some caffeine (lots) is what I use. Then lots of smoke and mirrors. And then, other than chops, there is another reason I chose Les for this. He knows how to mix things so that my flaws can be hidden If you know what I mean...;).
Nah, you're on your own. I need to cut down on my caffeine intake. Don't want to have a heart attack or a stroke.
 
Nah, you're on your own. I need to cut down on my caffeine intake. Don't want to have a heart attack or a stroke.

Sure ya do! It's fun -- and, it's educational!

Well, if you don't wake up dead. ;)

Hey, Churchill survived at least two heart attacks during WWII. His doctors decided not to frighten him by telling him he'd had them. Doctors did that back then. Spared them all that anxiety, since they had no idea what to do about heart disease anyway.

And with a steady diet of alcohol, the stress of running an empire during a world war, and cigars, the man lived to be what, 90?

"Les, what did you do?"

"I listened to Wagner and told myself I was a Viking."

"What's that got to do with heart surgery?"

"Dude, it's all about attitude."
 
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Hey people,

I decided to reach out to my fellow PRS players for assistance as my wife is surely tired of listening to me blab on about amplifiers etc.

Basically, my dilemma is currently deciding on what the hell to play my PRS through.. I have an EVH 5150iii 1x12 combo on rent right now and its fantastic but it doesn't cover everything I want to do.. plenty of gain in fact its amazing in that regard but absolutely no clean tones.. so I debate returning it.

This leaves me wondering if I should spend the money on a Kemper powered rack unit, purchase logic and a few good plug-ins and play through my iMac (would be super easy for recording purposes this way, or continue to hunt for the proper amplifier and have to mic it up to do any recording. (and buy an attenuator as I live in a condo.)

Any insight would be awesome folks! Anyone have any luck with the Kemper or just using plug-ins through DAWs?
Seriously, take a look at the new Fender Mustang GT100. 100w, single 12" speaker, about 22lbs., balanced xlr line-out for recording or into your P.A., controlled through your iPhone or iPad, and a footswitch that could potentially eliminate pedals.
 
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