What don't you like about your KPA?

  • For me, I love the Kemper but the biggest frustration (to me) is the documentation. To learn/understand even some of the simplest features, I have to:

    • Check the Basic Manual
    • Check the Reference Manual
    • Check the wiki
    • Search the forum
    • Look on YouTube

    I know there's probably 70-80% of features that I don't use (or don't even know about), simply because it is too difficult to find an easy-to-understand reference guide somewhere.


    Couldn't agree more. I haven't fully embraced the "sound" of the Kemper yet, and I'm still not convinced it's going to be able to live up to my expectations and replace my tube amp rig for live gigs. But, what sounds good and what doesn't is all subjective. So that may be more on me than it is the Kemper.


    But the manual, is AWFUL. It basically tells you all about the things that are in the Kemper and what it can do, without telling you HOW to go about doing them. And why can't everything just be in ONE manual instead of having a basic manual, a reference manual, a profiling guide, a rig manager manual, a foot controller manual, etc.

  • The only thing I don't LIKE (or even love) is the price of the foot controller.


    As far as things I would like to see improved (even though I find the current product perfectly acceptable as a gig rig) is more delay options (which is coming) and perhaps a few new verbs (as already mentioned .... and also coming soon).


    There really isn't much I have found NOT to like about the Kemper. I have been playing guitar through every imaginable rig since I was 7 years old and the Kemper is absolutely the best piece of guitar equipment I have ever owned.


    Now back to playing my Kemper since I have given my fingers a long enough break now :)

  • The best way to find out what the KPA doesn't do ( and if any of it matters to you) is to look at the "Feature Requests" forum.


    +1 for the feature request list.
    And as always, every gear is a compromise and can't have all the features and everything users want, that's impossible.
    Accepting that fact makes life easier.
    No guitar gear will ever replace all hardware effects or plugins, so keep the favorites and don't wait for a product that will include it all.


    The kemper is best at so many things, it's revolutionary gear.
    But why doesn't it have built in radio (when it looks like one), mp3 player, wireless connections, built in DAW recording, battery operation with tropical mode for playing in hot sauna...
    :)

  • For me, I love the Kemper but the biggest frustration (to me) is the documentation. To learn/understand even some of the simplest features, I have to:

    • Check the Basic Manual
    • Check the Reference Manual
    • Check the wiki
    • Search the forum
    • Look on YouTube

    I know there's probably 70-80% of features that I don't use (or don't even know about), simply because it is too difficult to find an easy-to-understand reference guide somewhere.



    This for me too.

    No Gain - No Pain.... :D

  • What I don't like (and didn't like since day 1) are the flaws of the on-board logistics for rigs, presets, cabs, merged rigs, merged cabs management.
    IMO the Profiler would require the logistics to be rethought from scratch, not just patched up. It's a pain to see how slowly things are adjusted... I realize this might be just me, but I would build more solid foundations rather than adding functionalities.

  • No, kemper is the best music-related thing I have bought :) Hell maybe simply the best object I have ever had :D


    It's been the best bit of guitar gear I've ever bought by far, and I have a self recognized gear buying problem :)


    There really isn't much I have found NOT to like about the Kemper. I have been playing guitar through every imaginable rig since I was 7 years old and the Kemper is absolutely the best piece of guitar equipment I have ever owned.


    The kemper is best at so many things, it's revolutionary gear.


    Seems my comments would be entirely redundant. :D

  • To build on the " manual too complicated" and " too many features", many people buying a KPA are moving from a simple valve amp so somethign to reduce this initial shock.


    I'd like some generic switching ( that you can then modify in detail) that globaly sets the KPA up for "in the room"/normal guitar amp, dual running ( on stage and through PA) or studio, for example. A little more "plug and play" than detailed setting.


    Its so flexible that you can get lost in these settings, particularly if you move between different uses.


    Having said that, considering how versatile it is, its VERY intuative.

  • Kemper is a great piece of gear and it has really revolutionized my playing experience, both live and in studio. But I think there is always room for improvement and I hope that some of my issues with the KPA will be addressed in future firmware upgrades or in KPA MKII when the day comes:


    In addition to what @viabcroce said, my wishes and gripes with the KPA are:


    External:


    The Remote connection on the back panel of KPA should definitely be an Ethercon instead of the regular fragile CAT connector. Also, the connection should provide enough power to use longer Remote cables without using a PoE. This is a professional equipment after all and it is being used on huge stages.


    The display isn't very good by today's standards, meaning both KPA and the Remote.


    There should be protective handles on the front panel similar to the Axe Fx or Line6 Helix Rack. I have solved this problem with my Rack KPA by having done a rack which front rails are recessed, so that the fragile encoders on the front panel of KPA aren't the first ones to take the hit, if something should happen. The handles would still be more elegant solution IMO.


    The monitor out should be stereo as are the main outs.


    Internal:


    There should an editor and KPA should have an audio interface.


    The ability to load IRs. I miss using my favourite IRs with the Kemper. The Cab Maker doesn't quite work IMO and if I make a Merged Profile with an IR, the resulting Cab Profile is lacking something from the original IR. In result I often play and record with a DI profile and use an IR loader in my DAW, but this of course doesn't work in a live situation.


    The firmware should be able to update via the USB cable instead of the memory stick.


    It would be very handy if the Studio EQ could be placed in the Cab section, since there are many Cab profiles that are almost there, and I wish I could use the EQ to adjust them to my liking without affecting the sound going to the guitar cab.


    The profiling works well but I sometimes think that there is something lacking. For example, my Profiles of Mesa Rectifier seem to lack a little bit or the "roar" (for the lack of a better word) of the real amp and the profiles also seems to be more refined or smooth than the original amp.
    I think Christoph Kemper said himself that KPA isn't very good at profiling a distortion that is happening also in the power section, so that is also one thing that I hope will be addressed one day.

  • The Remote connection on the back panel of KPA should definitely be an Ethercon instead of the regular fragile CAT connector.


    I think this is the only thing I'd call a design flaw, altough only a few have reported problems due to the fragility of the CAT5 connector on the Profiler.

  • Can you guys please list any negatives or things you don't like about your KPA?


    Is is it anything that made you regret your purchase?


    No, you won't regret it.
    I find smaller dials with notches (Type/Browse) extremely flimsy and feeling poor quality and these are most used. I had to replace my Kemper once because of this (had another issue and replacement came in with really loose dials so I had to replace it again). Lcd could be better, mine has very uneven brightness.


    Lately, I find it very annoying and unprofessional that they advertise features which don't exist, like rig morphing. So called firmware 4.0 announced 2 months ago is classic vapourware.


    Having said that there is no competition when ti comes to quality of baseline sound and feel. it's order of magnitude above closest contender.

  • There is nothing I don't like about my KPA.


    Personally I think the folks at Kemper have done a great job of balancing feature set with cost. The more features you attempt to jam into this thing, the more corners that need to be cut to get the price to a point where people would be willing to buy the darn thing.


    I can live without a built in interface - that's not what it was designed for, and there are dozens of high quality interfaces on the market. The effects in the KPA are adequate for my personal needs. To be fair I only use the Kemper for recording so any effects I "need" can be added with plugins.


    The KPA is light weight, reliable, and sounds bloody fantastic. Dialing in awesome tone is a breeze. And I am getting more compliments on my home-recorded tone now than I did when I was using tube amps in commercial studios. There is something to be said for that.

    Husband, Father, Pajama Enthusiast

  • I think this is the only thing I'd call a design flaw, altough only a few have reported problems due to the fragility of the CAT5 connector on the Profiler.


    I think the reason that an Ethercon isn't there is because the Remote was still in the distant future when KPA was released.

  • I think the reason that an Ethercon isn't there is because the Remote was still in the distant future when KPA was released.


    At first I thought it should be Ethercon also, but after some thought I can guess why its not. If it was Ethercon and you tripped/snagged the cable while playing you'd either pull the KPA to the ground or possibly destroy the cable. Having the standard "weak" cat5 plug atleast allows it to break free without causing major damage. That said, it is how the little cat5 tab broke off on my cable. Didnt break the KPA or the cable though!


    Maybe?

  • I've only been using the Kemper for a little over a month now, but here are my gripes. And honestly, this is me nitpicking simply for the sake of answering the OP's question. NONE of these issues would be reason for me to not recommend the Kemper to anyone else, and I certainly don't regret buying it. The more I spend time with it, the more I see how truly awesome this thing is. It's not perfect. But given the amazing variety of what this thing packs inside, there isn't anything else out there even close to being as good as the KPA. Not to mention, it keeps getting better with FREE firmware updates that actually provide new features and upgrades, rather than just firmware updates that fix bugs like most other companies do.

    • The manual is garbage. If you're using Rig Manager and the footswitch, there are literally 5 different manuals. And none of them do a stellar job of actually explaining HOW to do things, as opposed to just telling you what the Kemper can do.
    • My biggest design complaint is not having the ability to use an XLR/balanced cable out of the Monitor Output like you can with the Main Outputs. The ability to use balanced connections whenever possible is a HUGE bonus IMO, and not allowing that option, considering so many people use FRFR monitors with their Monitor Out, is something I'm not fond of. But, CK is a lot smarter than I am when it comes to this stuff, so I can only assume there is a reason for not providing this option, whether it be space limitations or something else.
    • I think it would have been great to be able to have incorporated FX loop access from the controller as opposed to just in the back of the Kemper. And incorporating switchable loops in the system would have been nice (the G-System did both of these things and it was nice because you could use many external stomps all controlled with the press of one button, and they could all be on your pedalboard rather than having to run long cable runs from the back of your rack down to the pedalboard). I do understand that this again would have caused the controller to be larger and likely more expensive, so I'm fine with not having it. I've found that most of the KPA onboard effects are good enough to the point where I won't need much of my external stomps anyway.
    • I think the communication between Rig Manager and the KPA could be a little more user friendly. For example, creating performances shouldn't be such a complicated process. And editing rigs in performance mode creates a copy of the rig as opposed to editing the main rig in Browser mode. So it can get confusing if all you're trying to do is edit one particular rig to be stored in all places.
    • As others have mentioned, the displays (especially the display on the controller) are not great, the connector for the KPA and the Controller is flimsy.
    • I have also noticed that occasionally when I'm switching between rigs, there is sometimes a brief noise (almost like static or bad distortion). I play for a second and it goes away. Hopefully that isn't something that will happen too often.