Mark on new DION album Stomping ground

[dustyvalentino]

This is a brilliant track, I don't know Dion, but I enjoyed this. I play guitar, and I couldn't care less what amp Mark uses live or studio, what matters is his fingers, and how he uses them on the fretboard, I remember someone said about David Gilmour, "Give him a mandolin and he will make it sound like a Stradivarius" the same applies to Mark Knopfler. It is not lazy using a Kemper, it is just something different, and if he likes it, great, if he thinks it's a good idea, great, he can choose any guitar or amp out there, he has the money, talent, and influence, I like that he is willing to try something different. This video is clearly because of COVID, Mark couldn't travel, so this is the next best thing. Let's celebrate the song and Dion and Mark's performance, the guitar is wonderful, and the song sounds like Communique era Dire Straits, so I think Mark was the best choice for it.

Even with no COVID, I don’t believe MK would have travelled to the states to film a video for Dion.

Still a lot of effort for MK, I’m sure when it came time to film the video he could not remember what he played, or what takes they used, so he would have had to relearn it.

[qjamesfloyd]

I agree, I don't think he would either, but the point is, it really doesn't matter.

[quizzaciously]

This is a brilliant track, I don't know Dion, but I enjoyed this. I play guitar, and I couldn't care less what amp Mark uses live or studio, what matters is his fingers, and how he uses them on the fretboard, I remember someone said about David Gilmour, "Give him a mandolin and he will make it sound like a Stradivarius" the same applies to Mark Knopfler. It is not lazy using a Kemper, it is just something different, and if he likes it, great, if he thinks it's a good idea, great, he can choose any guitar or amp out there, he has the money, talent, and influence, I like that he is willing to try something different. This video is clearly because of COVID, Mark couldn't travel, so this is the next best thing. Let's celebrate the song and Dion and Mark's performance, the guitar is wonderful, and the song sounds like Communique era Dire Straits, so I think Mark was the best choice for it.

Even with no COVID, I don’t believe MK would have travelled to the states to film a video for Dion.

Still a lot of effort for MK, I’m sure when it came time to film the video he could not remember what he played, or what takes they used, so he would have had to relearn it.

I believe Mark recorded actual takes and since all the solos were edited from different takes, like they usually are, they ended up just fading from one clip to another all the time. I know this because I tried to record multiple takes like this on camera and it looks terrible... I did that in my "Jam Man" Chet Atkins cover since I wanted to drop this video really fast, but you get the idea.

[PensaGhost]

A Kemper could make sense for a tour because it avoid you to have to transport many amps, some of them really expensive and delicate, but in a recording studio of your own, where you have all your stuff, you have to be really lazy to use a Kemper instead of the real hings...

A friend of mine who is a guitar player says it sounds like he used the tone king. I trust his ears, mine are shit, as I thought he was playing a Les Paul, lol

Sure, let's save $1000 to have a crap sound the whole tour, I think Gilmour would kill himself rather than doing it

[PensaGhost]

I don't know about Kemper, but I'd bet he used it and, as always, not a single soul care (apart from PensaGhost!).

Every guitarist that contacted me after knowing MK uses the kemper asked me the same question
which is 'Is he an idiot ?'

Even Marcus Cliffe, the guy who showed the Kemper to Mark for the first time, publicly revealed he advised MK not to use it

If you don't care about a Kemper or not it's because you are an amateur who can't hear the difference of quality,
which is HUGE, especially on distorted sounds.

and btw there's nothing wrong about being an amateur, 95% of the people don't know if MK is using a Gibson or a Fender or any guitar during a concert, let alone a kemper or not, and most of them don't even know the name of the songs

[dustyvalentino]

You’re pretty much the only person who thought he had bad sound on the tour.

[PensaGhost]

You’re pretty much the only person who thought he had bad sound on the tour.

Speak for yourself and behave in a civilized manner, you have no idea who thought he had a bad sound

In my Milan 2019 review I wrote 8.5/10 compared to the usual 10/10, which isn't necessarily bad, it's very bad compared to the usual 10/10

If you can't hear any difference between a real amp and a kemper I am sorry for you, or actually I am happy for you,
the ones who don't even know the name of the songs probably enjoy the concert at 101%

[quizzaciously]

You’re pretty much the only person who thought he had bad sound on the tour.

In my Milan 2019 review I wrote 8.5/10 compared to the usual 10/10, which isn't necessarily bad, it's very bad compared to the usual 10/10

If you can't hear any difference between a real amp and a kemper I am sorry for you, or actually I am happy for you,
the ones who don't even know the name of the songs probably enjoy the concert at 101%

I think jbaent also said something about it. I think this topic is pretty dead-ended, firstly because everybody will stay with their opinion and a die-hard old-school guy will never accept Kemper as even an emergency replacement for a real amp and those who are able to move along with technology will do just that... Second, there's no definitive answer at all. While yes, digital will never replace old-school, at the end of the day, it serves the purpose of sharing and enjoying the music, and I think this is more important than gear. I'd rather have great music with questionable gear than mediocrity played on a state-of-the-art gear.

Personally, I'm a huge fan of technology and have been using emulating amps since the mid-2000s and witnessed a long way it went from absolute garbage to usable and good sounding technology. I think a lot of people are biased the same way people were against mp3 when it came out, and with time it improved to the point of sounding exactly as a source in 320 kbps, but people remembered how it used to sound. Same with modulating amps, I still remember those being VERY bad... You could barely use it for practice, let alone touring and recording.

[dustyvalentino]

Yes, the new stuff is getting better all the time.

I have a Quilter as a backup and it’s great.

[PensaGhost]

You’re pretty much the only person who thought he had bad sound on the tour.

In my Milan 2019 review I wrote 8.5/10 compared to the usual 10/10, which isn't necessarily bad, it's very bad compared to the usual 10/10

If you can't hear any difference between a real amp and a kemper I am sorry for you, or actually I am happy for you,
the ones who don't even know the name of the songs probably enjoy the concert at 101%

I think jbaent also said something about it. I think this topic is pretty dead-ended, firstly because everybody will stay with their opinion and a die-hard old-school guy will never accept Kemper as even an emergency replacement for a real amp and those who are able to move along with technology will do just that... Second, there's no definitive answer at all. While yes, digital will never replace old-school, at the end of the day, it serves the purpose of sharing and enjoying the music, and I think this is more important than gear. I'd rather have great music with questionable gear than mediocrity played on a state-of-the-art gear.

Personally, I'm a huge fan of technology and have been using emulating amps since the mid-2000s and witnessed a long way it went from absolute garbage to usable and good sounding technology. I think a lot of people are biased the same way people were against mp3 when it came out, and with time it improved to the point of sounding exactly as a source in 320 kbps, but people remembered how it used to sound. Same with modulating amps, I still remember those being VERY bad... You could barely use it for practice, let alone touring and recording.

If I was alive and could play just 10 minutes without pain, I would surely buy a Kemper or a Fractal AxeFX 3 the same day, they have excellent sound and it's great to have many sounds and many amps in just 1 machine,
but they do NOT have a 10/10 sound of a great real amp,

a guitar god who tours with a kemper vs a real amp is just ridiculous imo, that's the point, don't tell me he doesn't have the money or the crew to have a real amp for god's sake

[quizzaciously]

I'd buy it too if I'd have enough money! Your main point is that artists of Mark's calibre shouldn't use modulating amps, and I agree. It's like, I don't know, Steven Spielberg would go out and start shooting movies on iPhone. But the funny thing is that he actually can do it! And it will even look great. This is great thing about technology, sometimes it gets to the point when like Clarke's third rule says, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.".

You just plug in a guitar in a box and it sounds like a million amps in one? That's magic! You just take a phone that with you everywhere you go and shoot a great looking HDR video in 4K and ProRes after hitting just 1 button? And then edit it right on a phone? That's magic! And people love magic and love to embrace that. Mark, going on tour with Kemper, sets the stage for this and other companies to improve and make their products even better. Imagine Mark going everywhere and telling Kemper sucks. That wouldn't be good for both parties...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarke%27s_three_laws

[dustyvalentino]

I'd buy it too if I'd have enough money! Your main point is that artists of Mark's calibre shouldn't use modulating amps, and I agree. It's like, I don't know, Steven Spielberg would go out and start shooting movies on iPhone. But the funny thing is that he actually can do it! And it will even look great. This is great thing about technology, sometimes it gets to the point when like Clarke's third rule says, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.".

You just plug in a guitar in a box and it sounds like a million amps in one? That's magic! You just take a phone that with you everywhere you go and shoot a great looking HDR video in 4K and ProRes after hitting just 1 button? And then edit it right on a phone? That's magic! And people love magic and love to embrace that. Mark, going on tour with Kemper, sets the stage for this and other companies to improve and make their products even better. Imagine Mark going everywhere and telling Kemper sucks. That wouldn't be good for both parties...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarke%27s_three_laws

Steven Soderberg makes films on iPhones…


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[PensaGhost]

I'd buy it too if I'd have enough money! Your main point is that artists of Mark's calibre shouldn't use modulating amps, and I agree.

Yes, that's my only point

[dustyvalentino]

I'd buy it too if I'd have enough money! Your main point is that artists of Mark's calibre shouldn't use modulating amps, and I agree.

Yes, that's my only point

Which shows did you see on the 2019 tour?

[PensaGhost]

I'd buy it too if I'd have enough money! Your main point is that artists of Mark's calibre shouldn't use modulating amps, and I agree.

Yes, that's my only point

Which shows did you see on the 2019 tour?

Milan + Verona