The Kemper Profiling Amp vs. Two-Notes Torpedo Live
The Kemper Profiling Amp vs. Two-Notes Torpedo
Article updated June 23, 2023
The professional studio and home studio revolution have come leaps and bounds in the last few years. Some of the best guitar recording technology you can have in a studio space is digital technology. This wasn’t the case even 5-10 years ago. Back in the day, you could “get away” with using digital technology, but electric guitar amplifiers always sounded better when it came to recording.
What is the Kemper Profiling Amplifier?
The Kemper Profiling Amplifier is a studio and live-use guitar amplifier that allows you to have all the tones of your favorite amplifiers and signal chains in one device. You get the actual sound of your amplifier as it would be mic’d up in a studio situation. Your results will vary drastically depending on your amplifier settings, pedal settings, and microphone placement. One model is a passive rack unit (pictured below); the other is a 400-watt powered head version. The powered version looks more like a 1950s radio/lunchbox than the rack mount model seen below.
How Does the Kemper Profiler Work?
The Kemper “profiles” your signal chain. This works: You set your amplifier up how you like it and run a microphone from the speaker to the Kemper. Once you have the microphone placement and sound how you like it, you can profile the amplifier. The profiling process takes about 40 seconds. At this time, the Kemper is running frequency sweeps through the amplifier, and that is it. You now have the sound of your amplifier on the Kemper.
Changing the microphone type and microphone placement will change your results. Experiment around and see what works best for you. I use Rode M3 microphones in the profiling process. The Rode M3 mics sound fantastic for electric guitar.
You can also run the clean channel of your amplifier with an overdrive going into it. This opens up many opportunities when capturing your favorite tones and gear.
The Kemper software is set up so you can easily save, store, and share profiles, thanks to the Kemper Rig Manager.
What is the Two Notes Torpedo Live?
The Two-Notes Torpedo is very different from the Kemper. It works fairly simply, instead of recording your amplifier with a microphone on the speaker. The Two-Notes torpedo replaces the speaker and microphone. Hooking up the Two-Notes requires you to bypass the speaker on your amplifier and run the amplifier’s load into the unit.
The Two-Notes is not only a speaker and microphone replacement. It is also a load box and can handle up to 100 watts RMS at 8ohms. If your amplifier is 16 ohms, then you are out of luck. It would be best to use an 8ohm speaker output for this unit. You can also use a 4ohm output that will not damage either unit if the watts are in the safe zone.
How Does the Two Notes Torpedo Work?
The Two-Notes Torpedo is a rack unit that can be hooked to a PC or MAC for easier use. Unlike the Kemper, you get a visual user interface that lets you virtually see where you are moving the microphone in the studio space. A huge advantage of the Two-Notes is you are still using your favorite amplifier in conjunction with the unit, so you are getting the “tube experience.”
What are the downsides to a Kemper?
One of the big downsides to the Kemper is the price and the additional footswitch’s cost. Aside from the good things, the costs far outweigh the bad things. The other downside of the Kemper is a slight learning curve. It’s not “too complicated” to the point you’ll even need to read the instructions, but you will probably end up searching online for some answers. I covered the learning curve in more on this article. Another downside for some guitarists might be that the Kemper doesn’t use valves/tubes. Guitarists love their tube amps; the Kemper is a different animal.
Does the Two-Notes or Kemper Profiling Amplifier Sound Better?
They are two different units, and because of this, they sound very different from each other. I use these units in two different ways. The Kemper will be used for tracking guitars on guitar review videos and guitar parts, but I will not use it for pedal reviews. I much prefer the Two-Notes Torpedo live for doing pedal reviews. The reason is I get the response of the tube amplifier, and it feels and responds more like it would on the amplifier with the regular speaker connected.
I think the Kemper kills the Two-Notes torpedo in terms of clean tones. It feels a lot more clean and full sounding for whatever reason. The Two-Notes can do a clean tone, but getting the amplifier to clip is much easier unless you run the clean channel at a lower volume.
As far as distortion goes, both are great. There’s no real advantage to either. I’ve shot hundreds of pedal reviews using the Two-Notes torpedo, and once you have it set up and found a mic and speaker impulse response you like, you’re done. I have also tracked guitars on my last album using the Two-Notes, and the tones were fantastic.
Two Notes Torpedo Tips to Better Tones
A quick tip for making the Two-Notes sound amazing is to choose one of the condenser microphone models. This will make it sound warmer and fuller sounding. You can also use the built-in software EQ in conjunction with these microphone models. The built-in EQ in the Two-Notes Live Software is fantastic. You are in business; notch up the top end a little.
One of the best things about the Two-Notes is you can load first and third-party Impulse Responses from Celestion, for example. This allows you to get the real sound of a particular speaker and drop it into the unit for accurate recordings.
What are the Downsides to a Two-Notes Torpedo Live?
One of the limitations of the Two-Notes is it can only handle up to 100 watts at 8ohms. I would not consider buying a Two-Notes torpedo if you have amplifiers that run at higher ratings. Another downside is that it took me a little while to “work it out” and set it up where it worked best for me. While very visual, the user interfaces are also a bit confusing,g and it will take a little while to understand how it works. Another downside is unlike the Kemper; it doesn’t come with any “guitar effects pedals.”
Direct Bass Recordings
Both units can be used for bass recordings with or without a bass amplifier. The cool thing about the Two-Notes is you can plug your bass into it directly and then fire up the Torpedo Live software and design your ideal bass rig. It’s not the most feature-rich option, but it works great.
The Kemper profiling amplifier can be used for bass recordings. Still, you can also add a compressor or octave/fuzz pedal, or something else at the time of recording. For this reason, again, I will say the Kemper is a better option for bass players. If you buy the 400 watts powered Kemper profiling amplifier, you can use it for gigs.
Onboard effects
If you are looking for an “all in one” device with all the effects under the sun, go for the Kemper Profiling Amplifier—every guitar effect you need, including overdrive, fuzz, distortion, delay, and more. The Two-Notes has none of these types of guitar effects. The Two-Notes does a good job of emulating different valve and tube configurations inside the unit for direct recording (if required). Another advantage of the Kemper is you have controls right on the front of the unit to adjust the delay and reverbs.
Should I buy both the Kemper and Two-Notes Torpedo?
If you own many amplifiers and want direct access to tones, buy the Kemper. I say this because you won’t have to keep setting it up repeatedly on different amplifiers continually. If you only have a couple of amplifiers, then the Two-Notes might be your best option. As mentioned earlier, if you’re a YouTuber doing pedal videos, I feel the Two-Notes is a better experience due to the “real amp” part. The Kemper is a guitarist’s dream in terms of recorded tones, but they don’t handle pedals similarly.
Something about it isn’t quite right to my ear using pedals into the Kemper. Some people swear they love using pedals in the Kemper, and sure, they can be used like this, but the “tube amp” thing is hard to beat.  If you’re a serious studio musician, you might find great value in having both.
Software Updates on the Kemper vs. the Two-Notes Torpedo Live
The Kemper software is updated more regularly than the Two-Notes Torpedo live software. With each Kemper update, there are usually bug fixes and additional features added. I have had ZERO issues with either unit, so this isn’t a big deal for me.
Which is Better for Headphone Users
As expected, the Kemper wins this again too. While the Two-Notes Torpedo sounds amazing as a sound card, the Kemper is the best tool for the job if you want direct headphones. While both units have headphone outputs, the Two-Notes doesn’t sound as good as the Kemper while using headphones. For some reason, the Two-Notes has a harsh sound with the headphone output.
Which is better for Stereo Recordings
If stereo recordings are important for you, then Kemper also wins this. You have 2 XLR outputs on the back, making a stereo echo or stereo effect sound much more legitimate. The Two-Notes is a mono device, so getting the stereo delay, for example, is something you will need to do in post-production with a VST plugin.
Ease of Use between the Two-Notes and Kemper
The Two-Notes and Kemper are easy to “set and forget” once you have a sound you like. The Kemper might give some users “option paralysis” if they like to tinker with things. While the Two-Notes has fewer options, I find myself hardly ever fiddling with it to test new things. I love the sound I get from the Two-Notes, so I leave it as it is.
Alternatives to the Kemper and Two-Notes Torpedo
If you aren’t sure about either, your next best option would be software like Bias or TH3. There are a lot of musicians getting excellent results from software-based amplifier rigs. The most reliable and re-creatable tones come from hardware and not software. Software always works differently depending on your hardware specifications. Sometimes it will work great, and it might not work properly on older computers. The other cheaper options for direct recordings would also be the Hotone Ampero and the Mooer GE-200.
Which is the best value?
In terms of how much you can justify spending on any piece of studio equipment is a subjective thing. For the price, the Two-Notes is a great unit, as is the Kemper. The Kemper is about twice the price of the Two-Notes, but it’s justified because it can do much more. If you only own a few amplifiers, go for the Two-Notes Torpedo Live. If you are tracking many guitar amplifiers, go for the Kemper. Before buying the Two-Notes, check out their IR library and make sure you can find an IR speaker you love. I use the 2×12 Swamp Thang speaker box called the Bayou. I got this from the Two-Notes Torpedo website for around $10.
Please also note that if you plan on using the Kemper in a live situation and want to buy the official Kemper footswitch, it will cost a small fortune. I see both of these as studio tools more than live tools. You can use them live, as many people do, but this is more focused on their work than a home studio setup.
I hope this comparison and overview have been helpful. It was written after 12 months with the Kemper Profiling Amplifier and after four years using the Two-Notes Torpedo Live.
