Here's a recent (5/15/2014) review of the Kemper I just found online. It's lengthy, well-written and honest - from the reviewer's perspective. But I also feel like it misses the boat. Thoughts?
(Full disclosure: I know Andy and consider him to be a good chap, but addressing his concerns and walking him through the issues he was having wasn't enough. He returned the amp after only a few days. 
)
http://www.dinosaurrockguitar.com/new/
-djh
I would say that the author simply didn´t spent enough time with the KPA. Though the KPA is quite simple to operate, creating good profiles requires the same skills as recording a good amp tone in a studio. The more experienced you are, the faster you get there. Even absolute beginners did already create fantastic sounding profiles on the rig exchange. It just takes some dedication.
That latency ranting is complete nonsense though. If you really think you can feel the KPA´s own latency, you should rather check your signal chain for any A/D or D/A conversions. Each of those add 1 to 2ms of latency...
I hesitate to guess what may or may mot have been advice to give the gent regarding profiling his own amp to his satisfaction. While I agree that there are a number of folks that get results that work for themselves and others, I can't guess that micing the amp was necessarily the problem. There are other possibilities.
I have been a playing professional for a vey long time, I have also been an engineer for some studio work and a lot of work doing FOH duties for major acts. My experience has been that many musicians who do not record much often do not know what their amps truly sound like at the speaker, and subsequently, the microphone. If one plays off axis from their speaker/speakers, they usually [ but not always ] are dialing more mid/treble/presence than they would if they were hearing the results on the axis of the speaker/s. The speaker choice, in and of itself, can be producing just what someone love to hear if it's pointed at knee level and never directly monitored. Again, people can go for years not know what their amp speaker truly sound like. When they get into a studio or live where there is floor Some mic choices will only magnify the issue or mitigate the issue. IMO, the KPA is quite faithful to what you send to it. The settings of the amp matter, as does the speaker, as does the mic and how it is aimed...
Much is often made that the KPA [ and other devices that are not traditional amp/speaker setups ] don't sound like they "are in the room". There's a good reason for that... They aren't in the room the way a tradition rig is. The rise in the popularity of close micing for recording and live lead to the popularity and market for alternative ambience devices such as reverbs and delays... It's true that a great room still sounds great for some things, not so good for others, and alternative ambience can allow putting something in the room of your choice. Lots of things stopped sounding like they were in the room a long time ago unless you recorded in the right room or had the right reverb to enhance otherwise.
It's really unfortunate when someone spends money and is disappointed with what it bought. Some thing are like airplanes. A crash is often pilot error. Sometimes not.
It is good when someone tries to help someone else get the satisfaction they have from a piece of gear. 
I know the KPA is the best investment I can make for something to plug a guitar I'm playing through.
It's really unfortunate when someone spends money and is disappointed with what it bought. Some thing are like airplanes. A crash is often pilot error. Sometimes not.
I'm in total agreement with you, 1fastdog and it just goes to show how even experienced people can make mistakes. I'm willing to reserve judgement on whether or not Andy's tonal critiques are on point (namely - pick squeals & string noise not coming out authentically) but here are some of the user problems he was having because his first instinct was to return the amp immediately, which is when I jumped in.
1) Monitoring Issues #1: Latency. The reviewer's setup is a Marshall going line-out direct into a RME Fireface and being DAW-monitored through the Recabinet plugin. He wasn't even aware that zero-latency hardware monitoring on his audio interface was a possibility, because like a lot of people he used the simplest/most primitive DAW monitoring method, it worked, and never questioned it. I measured a few Kemper patches out of curiosity and found their latency to be under 6mS, which is well under the "threshold of gestalt" which hovers around 20mS. We're both of the opinion that the tiny Kemper latency -plus- all the drag from his DAW software chain is what pushed things over the edge for him, and thankfully lesson learned there. This problem would have been noticeable with any digital amp, but he wasn't aware so the Kemper got blamed.
2) Monitoring Issues #2: Off-axis "in the room" cab monitoring. It's not clear from the review, but he actually liked the Kemper's sound "in the room" through a real guitar cab - it's the direct cabinet emulation he didn't like. That's a whole can of worms right there, as I explained - but it still left the problem of him not liking the Kemper's direct cab emu sound vis-a-vis his Recabinet impulses. I suggested he try other cabs or port his favorite impulses over, but that's like telling Bones to upgrade his tricorder - I don't think he had the patience to try because... (see #5)
3) Monitoring Issues #3: Just plain bad monitoring. I asked him what he thought of the brief demo from the upcoming Michael Wagener pack and he thought it was overly bright. Which led to tracking down the fact that his Genelec monitor tilt switches weren't set properly, and he'd been compensating for this by mixing his own stuff with dark tones and not being aware of this.
4) Gain staging issues: Initially he was running the Kemper's master outs well into the red and didn't realize the significance of this. KPA Inputs, KPA Outputs, Clean Sens, mic pre levels - these things all required hand holding, but done.
5) Unrealistic expectations. The reviewer had heard so many superlatives about the amp from people he respected that he was expecting instant gratification right out of the box. This is a burden that no real-world amp would have to bear, I hope - the "Pick of Destiny" thing.
So there's kind of a teachable moment here - Line 6 does a really good job of hand-holding their users with Quick Start guides and practical advice written in musicianese that tries to head off (some of) these kinds of problems at the pass. A half-hour's worth of free phone technical support wouldn't have hurt either, particularly for a device at this price point. Andy's a well-read and experienced guy with a discerning ear; if these kinds of problems can happen to him, they could happen to anyone who is a non-tech. 
-djh
That is the worst website I've ever had to read. It's left lines in my vision, fuck me.
May be harsh, but the line that said he couldn't get a good sound out of his real Marshall recorded sort of dismisses everything he has to say for me.
Also he needs to work on his technique if string handling noise is an issue.
I might actually contact him and talk to him about the conclusions he drew from his own user errors.
everyone is entitled to their opinion, but publishing false info as facts (high latency) is not o.k., I think.
Line 6 does a really good job of hand-holding their users with Quick Start guides and practical advice written in musicianese that tries to head off (some of) these kinds of problems at the pass.
And Line 6s phone Tech Support is wonderful as well. Ditto for Focusrite.
I might actually contact him and talk to him about the conclusions he drew from his own user errors.
everyone is entitled to their opinion, but publishing false info as facts (high latency) is not o.k., I think.
Yup Indeed, but let me explain a thing or two about this.
The Kemper is evermore a good amp replacement for the studio, but a lot of folks we have installed Kempers too (about 30 studios now) have literally no clue whatsoever about I/O - they affix it to the system, in/out of the daw, desk, H/W whatever, but generally mixers/engineers have there DAW set at a stable latency, mostly due to memory problems.
They sit, and play, and are disapointed about the lag, of course, anyone would be at say 1024 ms! - soon as you turn it down to 32 or 64 (to be safer) then its good times there on after!..
So, yes.. and the point of my story, is that "Amp" recordists are dim!.. lol : ) (all except those on this forum though) they are used to plugin in directly to an amp, now they are plugin into a desk (kemper) then into I/O/DAW. most folk want it direct due to increasing Conversions.. so that sums up that! : )
Another great topic for a video tutorial to educate a crucial piece of info when learning to use the Kemper.
The key to loving to use a piece of equipment is familiarity and comfort. A short tut on this subject could provide knowledge that will avoid lots of folks having a bad experiences and writing off the Kemper as flawed.
Its not enough to make a great piece of equipment these days. You must help customers have the best experience with it by giving them crucial information on its use. And not just a manual. Video tutorials really are great ways to communicate info, when done correctly. 
One good example is the simple "how to" video done by the Eureka Prom 2 developers on how to install and use their chip with the Kemper. Simple yet detailed. Short and to the point. Really enhanced my appreciation of their product!
I might actually contact him and talk to him about the conclusions he drew from his own user errors.
everyone is entitled to their opinion, but publishing false info as facts (high latency) is not o.k., I think.
dunno about that.. it's "just" his opinion... everybody' got one. if you address it... it makes his opinion more important.. leave it be, it's just another opinion; nobody really cares.
from the reading, my first thought is that it appears his lack of technical ability causes him to fall short on getting what he want out of the Profiler. Clearly if one spends a little time with the unit they'll find something that works... and then it gets better... and better.. so even if you're a 30 year guitarist, you still may not have technical savvy.
There's much to extrapolate from his post of value, both positive and negative that can be used for improvement, should the k-team consider. las makes a good point of simple youtube training videos but also, I think the k-team does a great job of wing interactive in the threads and the community provides a wonderful bank of knowledge.
I think the k-team does a great job of wing interactive in the threads and the community provides a wonderful bank of knowledge.
I heartily agree. The wiki is another great repository of knowledge. But for me, sometimes SEEING a process allows me to comprehend quicker and with deeper understanding. Again, when the video is done correctly.
I was thinking "does he have the same unit I have?". Ok, it's an opinion, a personal review, but there are things he says that seem factually wrong, and are very different from my experience with a live Marshall, Kemper aside.
This is what struck me right away:
1. Latency. I think the KPA has 2ms of latency. Not 6ms. Most latency is Audio Interface->DAW->Plugin->Audio Interface. There are correct and incorrect ways to monitor in real time to avoid hearing latency with your DAW, assuming your Interface is decent and you know what you are doing. He needs to learn how to use his DAW and Audio Interface for recording to avoid monitoring latency issues. In short, he is confusing a non-KPA related issue as being a KPA problem. i.e. Factually Incorrect
2. Attenuator. Is he talking about a THD Hotplate or Brake Lite, etc or does this mean something else? There is always a compromise using one. I can't imagine an unattenuated Marshall from Pete or TAF sounding worse than an attenuated live Marshall, ever. That is user setup error. But I would NEVER in public say I think an attenuated Marshall is what I'm trying to match. I'd be too embarrassed. I'd always say it's because the "baby is sleeping".
3. A VST speaker emulation on a computer in front of a live marshall sounds better than the KPA? What?!? If you said Marshall->Live Cabinet, that's your ears and I can't argue with you. But you lose me the second you say "VST" much less "Speaker Emulation". Wow.
4. He claims the KPA uses just Impulse Responses? I remember reading that this isn't true. Sounds factually incorrect. He should have done better research or asked Kemper before saying this.
5. He has a "Sound Quality: 4" but didn't say out of what? 5 or 10?
6. Andy's Bluesbreaker. My LP. Beano. Exactly Beano. Not "close" or "near" or "compromise". EXACT. No tweaking required. One of the Best distortion profiles. Pete (okstrat) recently gave me a Sabbath profile. I hardly can tell it from Iommi, except that Iommi has damaged fingers and plays 1000x better than I never will, ha ha. (my left handed hero) The KPA can get exacting tube amp distortion. That IS the unit's bread and butter. When you say it can't, thats like saying an LP just doesn't "distort well" or some other ludicrous claim.
7. He should mention that the Mac editor is on the way. Everyone knows that. Leaving it out smells of something fishy if it was a serious review.
8. He asks why spend $2k (I spent $1.6k) to "just" replicate your sound? Uh, because it can replicate EVERYONE else's sound? Cause you can FIX your sound and have it never change if you gig, or need to go back and re-record parts? Cause maybe if you owned more than 1 amp, it would be cheaper to have them all in one unit? This list is a long list of superb "why's". Why replicate? Cause I can't afford a Dumble? Cause I don't own a 1952 or 1957 Fender Deluxe? (thanks, Armin)
When a reviewer gets facts wrong, they lose me right away. When they don't qualify their ratings, the Scientist in me starts dismissing them as shoddy.
All in all, this review is a waste of time beyond "Had it for a few days. Didn't work for me. Sent it back".
Pretending to quasi-qualify the opinion seems like he's reaching too much, which indicates an agenda or a blowhard personality (takes one to know one, right? ha ha)
I wrote on TGP all the CONS someone could possibly have about buying a KPA (I did it to play devil's advocate to myself)
I can be entirely honest about what the unit lacks and what it could have to make it better.
But I got 99 Audio problems, and the KPA isn't one of them. Peace. Dee-Z
All in all, this review is a waste of time beyond "Had it for a few days. Didn't work for me. Sent it back".
Amen.. right on!... I'm feelin' ya!!! and ditto on every item you addressed.
The wiki is another great repository of knowledge. But for me, sometimes SEEING a process allows me to comprehend quicker and with deeper understanding. Again, when the video is done correctly.
yeah.. the wiki is great! Hey las.. have you thought about doing a short take video for youtube experiment kinda thang?? 
seems it might be right up your alley!!
There is definitely a shortage of decent KPA videos out there, something a bit more than the funny sounds of profiling...
yeah.. the wiki is great! Hey las.. have you thought about doing a short take video for youtube experiment kinda thang??
Thanks, but being a newbie my knowledge is limited.
I think the videos that Michael Elsner did are great examples of what can be done.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?…=UU4Hhg45THp8l6zkih-Wo19g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?…=UU4Hhg45THp8l6zkih-Wo19g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?…=UU4Hhg45THp8l6zkih-Wo19g
What are needed are just additional ones to address more issues like signal flow or using the RM or...
dunno about that.. it's "just" his opinion... everybody' got one. if you address it... it makes his opinion more important.. leave it be, it's just another opinion; nobody really cares.
Publishing an opinion based on incorrect facts is pretty stupid, but now it's out there for people to link to or find on Google. Imagine if someone interested in a KPA stumbled on his review and decided it's a piece of shit even though most of his criticisms stem from using the equipment wrong.
Publishing an opinion based on incorrect facts is pretty stupid, but now it's out there for people to link to or find on Google. Imagine if someone interested in a KPA stumbled on his review and decided it's a piece of shit even though most of his criticisms stem from using the equipment wrong.
yeah but... they probably found 20 plus more opinions that were positive and from reputable resources... so I'm still of the opinion that you just leave it alone..especially someone representing Kemper.
yeah but... they probably found 20 plus more opinions that were positive and from reputable resources... so I'm still of the opinion that you just leave it alone..especially someone representing Kemper.
Agree.
Also, since I AM a new Kemper user (and an engineer), I would like to make a few comments on both the review, and the rebuttals here.
First, I play live. I do some multi-track recording live for demo's, but live is what I do. Lets say for a moment that there is a difference between a real tube amp (I am a VHT Pittbull owner, so I DO know what a good tube amp sounds like), once I mic it and put it through the channel eq .... and put a few efx on it, even my VHT tube amp is "processed" pretty completely. That processing gets the sound that I want out front. For ME (YMMV), it isn't that important that my KPA be able to exactly duplicate the sound I was getting from my VHT 4x12 (and 2x12) cab and head. It is important that I be able to create as pleasing of an end result ..... through the KPA and the channel processing of my X32 mixer..... and I can (I am well on my way to having a very nice stage setup for my KPA).
Latency .... hmm. Lets see here. Any processing you do introduces latency.... in fact, reverb specifically introduces all kinds of latency to achieve a pleasing sound. I think it highly unlikely that the KPA latency can be heard. I am pretty sure I could make a test setup to see it with a scope, but fortunately for me, I have yet to have anyone in the audience bring a multi-channel oscilloscope to one of my gigs
Now what I would say is that the KPA does appear to be a bit immature in its development. As the author points out, this is a very complex piece of gear; one of the most complex pieces of gear ever created for this purpose in my professional opinion. It should have a good PC editing software program. I am in product development. I have found that many hardware companies have trouble realizing that they are ..... in fact ..... a software company that needs a piece of hardware to make their software a product.
The KPA is ALL about software. Mr Kemper is most obviously an engineer (or he has some pretty good ones working for him). All we geek EE's were taught about system response curves, Nyquist sampling criteria, etc. KPA really shines as a new product in my mind. If I were designing amps, this is how I would go about it as well. This is a fantastic architecture (my hats off guys in engineering). All gushing aside, this hardware needs to have a software support structure surrounding it. Remember, the iPod wasn't the first MP3 player. It was the first to come with a software infrastructure that made the hardware a great product offering (and not even a very good software infrastructure IMHO).
There DOES need to be several startup guides and videos IMHO. I recently moved from an analog mixer to a digital X32. One of the key decision criteria for me was that I could see a very mature internet support structure for the product with lots of video on how to make the mixer do what I needed to do.
The KPA has tons of video and sound samples of people showing off their rigs and profiles. There are quite a few people showing HOW to do a profile. There are VERY few videos showing how to setup the KPA for your guitar and system to get the sound you want.
Example:
I own an American Strat. I want a good 80's crunch for "Jessies Girl" cover type tone. How do I get it? What are my options? How can I narrow down even the installed standard rigs to get a set that might fit the bill? Is there any global settings I need to be looking at BEFORE I start auditioning the standard rigs? Is there a good method of testing out a rig for a specific purpose? What tools do I have to get the tone I want from a rig?
These are all the kinds of questions any new KPA owner is going to find himself asking (although I am sure not many of them are going so hot on playing "Jessie's Girl" ). A good set of tutorials on how to get up and running with the tone you want and the setups you need would be great.
While the KPA doesn't have its own dedicated foot controller, there are quite a few good 3rd party solutions. Personally, I have found the information on how to get myself up to "gig ready" scattered and incomplete.
The fine folks on these forums have been fantastic, but I do think it should have been easier to get where I am.
Finally, I have played lots of rigs in my time with lots of guitars in many different settings. If you can't get a great sound out of the KPA ...... dude .... bad news ..... it isn't the equipment!
