Is it possible to have a 'Coming Soon' thread from Kemper?

    Hi all,


    A slightly weird request perhaps but it's a well-meaning one.


    There are lots of threads here with feature requests and that is fair enough; we are fortunate to own a box that has grown with us all and, for those of us who have had it a while, it's now a much better box than it was when we got it.


    I don't agree with the company stance of 'don't announce anything until it launches'. Yes, I realise it's their company not mine and that I am entitled to absolutely nothing. It's just my opinion and here is why:-


    Lots of folks are arguing about an editor. Or about reverbs. Or about new effects. The threads go on endlessly and need policing by mods so as they don't go off the rails.


    A simple 'we are currently working on......' thread would, I think, be helpful.


    This will not hand competitive advantage to other companies - telling the world you are making an editor is not going to get the other guys working on editors as they already exist. Ditto with all 'standard' effects - what is the harm in telling the user base? Of course, the company has a habit of bringing out cool things which no-one thought of and, naturally, these should stay secret. But for 'me too' features? I think the time has come to be more open for what is coming.


    I realise there is a risk of users then demanding 'when??' But I think this would be a positive change.


    In this world of information, everyone feels entitled to know what is going on because we are constantly bombarded with soundbytes. This can be unwelcome and too much (think the constant tweeting of a certain president) but the opposite 'complete silence' seems strange in these times.


    Again, I completely realise that it's the exclusive right of the company to be work this way.... 'wait patiently in silence and we'll tell you what we want to tell you, when we want to tell you'. No-one is entitled to anything. Fair enough. But my point is this: there is a global user base for a product that has a history of evolution and an open forum / twitter / website for communication.


    You will not offend those who are patient / fine with silence by giving information so 'no harm there'.


    You will not lose competitive advantage - in fact you may win sales from people who are not jumping on board due to 'feature xyz being missing so 'no harm there.


    You will give a more positive experience to those who, in this modern world 'expect' communication / information. You may believe this second group are not entitled to know anything and you may be right but these people paid their money, same as everyone else. So 'no harm there, in fact it's a big positive'


    Please realise this is not me moaning and saying that Kemper is terrible / I hate everyone / I'm going to buy something else instead etc. I'm a happy user of 5 years who loves it for what it is now, for what it was and for what it will become. I just feel these forums would be much nicer if the company would consider this simple change in communication policy - I quite accept I may be missing something but I think this change should be considered as the positives far outweigh the negatives.


    Thank you


    Gary

    Great idea and I would like to see a coming soon list. However, it might kill quite a bit of activity on the forum and depress some who want certain features that are not scheduled.

    Karl


    Kemper Rack OS 9.0.5 - Mac OS X 12.6.7

    Here's my take on this topic:


    Many companies start off with the good intention to keep their customers updated on internal plans and projects. Yes, it also generates excitement towards the product but mostly it's also a channel for the manufacturer (and team) to show their pride and enthusiasm towards their product. And it's also a good feeling to have your customers feel they're part of the process.


    But sadly at some point reality hits hard. You already mentioned the unavoidable "When?" which can be a pretty heavy gravitational force, especially when combined with inapropriate moaning and ranting if the projected feature(s) aren't being delivered day before yesterday. And then there's the problem with competitors as well. Depending on the planned features (or products), it can be very helpful for a healthy business if they don't disclose early. Well, let's be honest, why should company A give company B bonus time to come up with something similar?


    Long story short, in my opinion Kemper started off as open as they possibly could. And I'm sure it was a good feeling not only for us clients but also for them. But they likely had to learn the hard lesson that being open feels nice while at the same time it harms you in some ways.


    Let's just relax and enjoy what we have ... and enjoy even more when there's surprises coming our way. :)

    Quote from djemass

    I remember the day after Kemper released the pure cab, Fractal released its own version. Coincidence ? To me, not.


    Competition is hard in this sector, so secret is the key. Next feature ? Reverb. When ? Around next NAMM I think


    Perhaps new hardware? I keep thinking that the company will introduce a new firmware revision, but they'll also unveil the next big thing with twice the features. Maybe stereo profiles, ADT and a bunch of other feature requests.


    You'll note that with their Access line of products, they didn't come out with an editor for the first generation product, but someone else sells one commercially. Then they released a new line-up which had "Total Integration", which featured and editor.


    My guess is that when Team Kemper comes out with an editor, it will be integrated with this new hardware and will be a VST, which will offer things like audio over USB, etc.