So I'm perusing the November 2014 Guitarist magazine that I never finished, and what pops up but a "final report" on the Kemper profiler that the magazine previously gushed over. While the reviewer claims that his love affair with modelers goes on, he says this about taking the Kemper to play through live:
"I can't help but feel that once plugged into a cabinet at rehearsal, the sounds I've become so familiar with in the studio over the last few months now sound like an 'approximation' of the amps they're emulating. Quite different from the 3D realism that I'd experienced up to this point. The overall sound is great, but personally I miss the 'punch' of an old-fashioned head and cab. I'm sure that more time spent tweaking the parameters would get me closer to a realistic amp sound, but I miss that joyously unpredictable swirl of sound I get from my usual live setup, and its absence is accentuated when compared to the almost perfect high definition audio from the FRFR speakers. This may be the sound that many dream of, but it's not for me..."
He goes on to say it's a great studio tool, but his ears want a real amp live. I suppose it's a matter of degree, because I want that same thing from a real amp in the studio! Yes, microphones set up right can capture the energy and swirl and the punch he's missing.
I realize that tastes vary, and that different people want different things. One thing about a box like the Kemper or AxeFX is that bands can save big on transport and cartage costs shipping their rigs, and with name brand bands, that means tens of thousands of dollars at least. But there is a price to be paid!
