Kemper floorboard concept

I think it would be cool to have a Kemper Floorboard unit that works with your main Kemper. The floor unit as I see it would not be able to make profiles and instead you would download your rigs into the floorboard unit. The display would be simple and show the patch name and number. The effects are already on the switches. The outputs would be a simple XLR L/R and 1/4" monitor out L mono R stereo. Pedal 1/2,MIDI in/out, aux input, headphone,USB connection for computer or stick. Two expression pedals. Offer one rotary knob and arrow keypad. Add a switch for performance/Browse patch mode. The only onboard edit would be a simple output EQ and volume/gain setting, main/monitor level, head space, pure cab. Then offer the phone/computer app to offer a little bit more editing but the editing is basic bass /mid/ treble/presence.and effects.

To summarize...the floorboard would basically be a Kemper player unit and made for the rigours of the road, is made to be used with or as a stand alone player that you would buy profiles to use if you did not have a Kemper Profiler unit. You would upload rigs from your Kemper Profiler and could just bring the floorboard to gigs. Offer the unit with a soft bag and optional road case.

Nice job (forgot the tuner footswitch though)! And I agree that it doesn't really need an expression pedal.

I'd buy one!

For the last few months I have been using an AX8 because a floorboard unit works a lot better for me. The AX8 is really good but I still prefer the KPA tone. I would buy a floorboard KPA in a heartbeat.

Quote from timowens

For the last few months I have been using an AX8 because a floorboard unit works a lot better for me. The AX8 is really good but I still prefer the KPA tone. I would buy a floorboard KPA in a heartbeat.

I have to agree with this sentiment. The Kemper sounds better for some tones, but the feel is better over all. But the difference is very small. Certainly small enough to not matter to the listener.

A Kemper floor unit would also make it reasonable to run both side by side, and still be compact and portable.

How about just a kemper amp pedal?

Say 9" wide, 5" deep. Has four footswitches so you can have easy access to four profiles. No effects, just the amp stacks and the excellent noise gate. You'd essentially have a four-channel amp, except the flexibility of any four amps and cabinets. Since traditional pedalboard guitarists usually get their gain stages from OD pedals anyway, four instant accessible Amp Blocks would be more than enough. For guitarists that would want all their gain from the Kemper, few guitarists need more than four anyway. Moreover, the four switches could have double functions, when you hold them down, such as hold for tuner, bank up and bank down, giving you access to more amp stacks. Jacks for input, midi in out, send, return, stereo out, monitor out, and headphones. Allows you to directly import Rigs you created on the big Kemper (minus the effects of course)

Many folks that use the Kemper now still use a traditional pedalboard. Then you could simply place this not too big pedal on your board and use it inline with your effects pedals. The way it is now, guitarists that use such a set up need to keep the Kemper behind them perhaps in a rack and run 3 guitar cables, a midi cable, minimum to and from their pedal board, but for what benefit? So they don't have to bend down to adjust? Or try to put all their pedals in a rack with the Kemper and some elaborate and expensive midi system at their feet. In the first case, they still have to bend down to adjust the rest of their pedal board. They also benefit from a significant reduction in set-up time, whether live or just when wanting to practice for a few minutes. For direct-only and FRFR players who don't have a rack of gear but prefer pedals, the only benefit to a backline Kemper is not bending down to adjust- a convenience that requires lugging an extra piece of gear and a longer set up time. No thanks I'd rather bend down and adjust as I'm going to have to do with the rest of my pedals anyway. Yet even this minor inconvenience can be addressed during practice by sitting your pedalboard on a table, I do this all the time.

Plus they'd corner the market. There are few pedals that do amp + cab modeling. The few that do don't have a lot of flexibility, nor have they reached the higher end quality of say Kemper, then aXFX or even Helix.. The only current way to get high-end at your feet is to use one of the all-in-ones like the Helix. But traditional guitarists still prefer to have lot of pedals. At least the Helix gives you four loops, which is still not enough for guitarists that have 8 pedals and want amp to add amp modeling to their pedalboard, besides you'd have a pedal board the size of a surfboard. Currently the only small high end device I know of is the Torpedo cab pedal, which doesnt even give you preamps! You could pair it with one of their Preamp pedals, the LE series, but the torp cab is 7x5 and the LE's are 5X7. That's a lot of pedalboard space, especially since their dimensions don't line up well unless you turn one sideways, and that's 14" x 10" even if you do!

Quote from Grooguit

How about just a kemper amp pedal?

Say 9" wide, 5" deep. Has four footswitches so you can have easy access to four profiles. No effects, just the amp stacks and the excellent noise gate. You'd essentially have a four-channel amp, except the flexibility of any four amps and cabinets. Since traditional pedalboard guitarists usually get their gain stages from OD pedals anyway, four instant accessible Amp Blocks would be more than enough. For guitarists that would want all their gain from the Kemper, few guitarists need more than four anyway. Moreover, the four switches could have double functions, when you hold them down, such as hold for tuner, bank up and bank down, giving you access to more amp stacks. Jacks for input, midi in out, send, return, stereo out, monitor out, and headphones. Allows you to directly import Rigs you created on the big Kemper (minus the effects of course)

Many folks that use the Kemper now still use a traditional pedalboard. Then you could simply place this not too big pedal on your board and use it inline with your effects pedals. The way it is now, guitarists that use such a set up need to keep the Kemper behind them perhaps in a rack and run 3 guitar cables, a midi cable, minimum to and from their pedal board, but for what benefit? So they don't have to bend down to adjust? Or try to put all their pedals in a rack with the Kemper and some elaborate and expensive midi system at their feet. In the first case, they still have to bend down to adjust the rest of their pedal board. They also benefit from a significant reduction in set-up time, whether live or just when wanting to practice for a few minutes. For direct-only and FRFR players who don't have a rack of gear but prefer pedals, the only benefit to a backline Kemper is not bending down to adjust- a convenience that requires lugging an extra piece of gear and a longer set up time. No thanks I'd rather bend down and adjust as I'm going to have to do with the rest of my pedals anyway. Yet even this minor inconvenience can be addressed during practice by sitting your pedalboard on a table, I do this all the time.

Plus they'd corner the market. There are few pedals that do amp + cab modeling. The few that do don't have a lot of flexibility, nor have they reached the higher end quality of say Kemper, then aXFX or even Helix.. The only current way to get high-end at your feet is to use one of the all-in-ones like the Helix. But traditional guitarists still prefer to have lot of pedals. At least the Helix gives you four loops, which is still not enough for guitarists that have 8 pedals and want amp to add amp modeling to their pedalboard, besides you'd have a pedal board the size of a surfboard. Currently the only small high end device I know of is the Torpedo cab pedal, which doesnt even give you preamps! You could pair it with one of their Preamp pedals, the LE series, but the torp cab is 7x5 and the LE's are 5X7. That's a lot of pedalboard space, especially since their dimensions don't line up well unless you turn one sideways, and that's 14" x 10" even if you do!

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Fantastic idea. We already have a Kitchen-Sink Kemper. I think an alternate product should be fundamentally different. I could see something even more stripped down, like a 2-button BB sized enclosure if possible. I suspect that almost all single-Kemper owners would buy a mini Kemper as a backup or for minimalist gigs (shared backline, fly gigs, etc).

Yeah, I think a 2-button version would be cool too: as long as it had midi. Just learned about the atomic amplifier. Wish Kemper would do something like that, with or without effects.

For me, the ultimate would not be another Kemper profiler but instead a Kemper effects profiler. That would be the ultimate combination . Just imagine if we could profile any stomp box out there? Oh to dream...

As a comment on the floorboard, we need a better display. The current Kemper display and the one pictured in the mockup will not be bright enough to view on stage or from a distance.

Yes! I would definitely buy this! Even if it didn't profile and had a few less features, it would be worth it to have a floor version for me.

Quote from drog

For me, the ultimate would not be another Kemper profiler but instead a Kemper effects profiler. That would be the ultimate combination . Just imagine if we could profile any stomp box out there? Oh to dream...

As a comment on the floorboard, we need a better display. The current Kemper display and the one pictured in the mockup will not be bright enough to view on stage or from a distance.

I think the Kemper can do that with overdrive pedals now, if I'm correct. Sadly, I've never tried profiling anything, figuring that any mediocre amp I can get my hands on and tweak will be now better, probably worse than some of the 100 profiles that can be found free or for a small fee for virtually every amp ever made. But since overdrive pedals can be profiled with an amplifier, couldn't you just take a profile of your favorite Od and skip the amp? If so, all you'd need is a second Kemper (a mere $2000 I know) and put all your overdrive profiles in it. Then run the signal out the send and into the second Kemper that's used for amp profiles. But yes, a dedicated stomp box profiler would be a cool, especially if in a pedal format.

Quote from Grooguit

I think the Kemper can do that with overdrive pedals now, if I'm correct. Sadly, I've never tried profiling anything, figuring that any mediocre amp I can get my hands on and tweak will be now better, probably worse than some of the 100 profiles that can be found free or for a small fee for virtually every amp ever made. But since overdrive pedals can be profiled with an amplifier, couldn't you just take a profile of your favorite Od and skip the amp? If so, all you'd need is a second Kemper (a mere $2000 I know) and put all your overdrive profiles in it. Then run the signal out the send and into the second Kemper that's used for amp profiles. But yes, a dedicated stomp box profiler would be a cool, especially if in a pedal format.

This would be even simpler, having a second Kemper. A Kemper is capable of profiling a second Kemper. This means you could fire up your loved rigs, place a pedal of your choice in front of it and profile it with your second Kemper. Afterwards you got your rig with and without the pedal and there would be no need for carrying that second Kemper around.

That's plenty cool, right?

Quote from timowens

For the last few months I have been using an AX8 because a floorboard unit works a lot better for me. The AX8 is really good but I still prefer the KPA tone. I would buy a floorboard KPA in a heartbeat.

Agree on all counts. I'd love to have a KPA floor unit that I could bring to gigs, allowing me to leave my rack unit in the studio.

Quote from Behind

The only downside I see about the floorboard format is the lack of power amp...

Not necessarily. The Bluguitar amp1 comes with a poweramp in floorboard format as well.
http://www.bluguitar.com/AMP1.html

Quote from pauljoy

Great job on the mockup! My Remote is regularly attacked by flying beer and wayward feet so for me having the brains of the Kemper away from the carnage makes a lot more sense but I can see why some people prefer an all on one solution.

similar for me: a bit afraid of having the kpa on the floor but the idea is great let alone the look which is absolutely killer!

Quote from Behind

The BluGuitar seems to have a fan. Cool unit

I see what you did here

This would be a great idea.

Everything is going smaller, lighter etc.

With this you don't need profiler and external controler. Also AXE effects have a kind of floor version off their AXE FX.

I do think however it needs to have all functionalities of the original model and with the possibility off conecting 6 acces switches (like profiler and remote have combined at the moment).
So you can control all your effects slots and also expressions pedals. Must be a complete replacement of Original version and not a downgrade.

Really think this would have immense impact.