You guys are sorely missing out if you’ve never tried any of the Universal Audio stuff. It is eons above everything else I’ve got (Waves, Overloud, Neural).
I couldn't agree more.
I have evangelized use of a Kemper with UA plugins here before. There is a synergy when these two
are combined that is remarkable. Remember, the guitar, amp, and stomps are not the only path to great
guitar sound recordings. The complete path includes the mic(s) chosen with their placement on the speaker cab,
the console's channel strip and even tape can have a huge effect on the overall recording. That is where the UAD
plugins really shine.
Also, UAD plugins provide some really unique abilities not available on any other platform.
Here are some examples:
1. Sound Machine Woodworks. This plugin takes the piezo electric pickup from a guitar and makes it sound
much more like that of an acoustic guitar without a piezo pickup. If you like playing your acoustic or electric's
piezo output through the Kemper, you should consider this one.
2. The Townsend Labs Sphere L2 modeling mic software has native version of its included mic models. But if
you want the Bill Putnam Collection or the Ocean Way mic collection for the Sphere, these are only available
on the UAD platform.
3. Speaking of Ocean Way Studios, check out the OWS plugin's re-miking capability. Not to be confused with the
mic collection for the Townsend Sphere, OWS is a completely different plugin. It allows you to place the audio
into one of the rooms of the famed studio, choose from some amazing vintage mics and place them as you like.
It is similar to the Abbey Road Studios plugin from Waves, but the re-miking feature is amazing.
4. Capitol Chambers is a reverb plugin to die for, and unique to UAD.
There are so many others, too. These UAD plugins cover studio effects that range from compressors like the Manley Variable MU, EL Labs Distressor, DBX 160, to time based effects like the Korg SDD-3000, Dytronics Tri-Stereo Chorus, A/DA Flanger, tape emulations like the Studer A800 and Ampex ATR-102, and unique processors like the OTTO Biscuit 8-bit effects, Softube Vocoder and even the Moog Multi-mode filter.
Since the UAD plugins are hosted by the UA Apollo's DSP, you are looking at sub 2ms RTL. In essence, an Apollo can be used as an outboard effects processor for the Kemper.
And that doesn't include the Apollo platform's Unison technology that combines hardware and software to more accurately emulate the loading and gain staging of the models being utilized in your recordings.
Since most users here would use the Kemper for the tone stack, I haven't mentioned the guitar amp sims available on UAD. But it is important to note that many of these amp sims also have the ability to turn of the preamp, power amp and cab sim sections. So when placed in the correct order, the UAD and Kemper preamp, power amp and cabs can be combined with one another.
So you could, for example use the cabs from the UAD plugin of the Fuchs ODS 50 amp sim with a Kemper profile whose cab section was off. And you might decide to drop a Lexicon 480L reverb plugin before the Fuchs cab.
WRT the arguments on this thread, it is interesting that Kemper has issues with customers clamoring for an editor and UA has customers clamoring for plugin and Console 2 app MIDI implementation.
Yet the real point is that both companies have so many customers because their products are top quality as they are produced right now. Could providing these upgrades vastly improve their products? Absolutely!
But until the upgrades are made, you are "sorely missing out" if you don't try the Kemper and the UA
interface / plugin universe together.