NAMM 2018

  • One factor in all this discussion is whatever Kemper roles out, has to make economic sense. Remember that they only make money to pay their employees and bills by selling new products, not making current owners happier. Obviously making current owners happier has an effect on attracting new owners, but it's a means to a necessary end. In a world where mammoth companies that seem to dominate markets one year and are on the fringe of bankruptcy the next, just having a "successful"well-loved product isn't enough.


    There are a few things that could make the Kemper a more complete products, and from an economic standpoint a more sellable product: Only 1, and 2 can likely be done with the current hardware and GUI of the current KPA
    1) an editor,
    2) fancy reverbs
    3) dual profiles
    4) more effect loops
    5) ability to be recording interface.


    If there's plans for a new KPA in the next couple years, developing an editor for the old KPA would be a waste of resources, since a new editor will need to be built from scratch to work with the hardware and GUI of a new KPA. At least development of reverbs would be something that could be incorporated into new products.


    Also, a floorboard version and perhaps a two button pedal that just makes and plays profiles and no effects would target another market and will attract new customers.

  • When I got my Kemper I was totally shocked by two missing features.


    1. It doesn't act as an interface.
    2. It doesn't have an editor.


    If I could just copy profiles and save with multiple different cabs that alone would be very handy.

  • One factor in all this discussion is whatever Kemper roles out, has to make economic sense. Remember that they only make money to pay their employees and bills by selling new products, not making current owners happier. Obviously making current owners happier has an effect on attracting new owners, but it's a means to a necessary end. In a world where mammoth companies that seem to dominate markets one year and are on the fringe of bankruptcy the next, just having a "successful"well-loved product isn't enough.

    I will never understand this. Companies are constantly rolling out new hardware that probably isn't necessary. I would happily pay 10-20 euros for an editor, as I don't need a new unit and still want Kemper to continue support.

    Karl


    Kemper Rack OS 9.0.5 - Mac OS X 12.6.7

    Edited once, last by karlic ().

  • If there's plans for a new KPA in the next couple years, developing an editor for the old KPA would be a waste of resources, since a new editor will need to be built from scratch to work with the hardware and GUI of a new KPA. At least development of reverbs would be something that could be incorporated into new products.

    When they release a Kemper 2, i guess most of the hardware/software architecture will be reused, just improved : more memory, a faster CPU, more features. But it would be very strange for them to start from scratch.

  • About making current users happy : it enable them to continue selling the Kemper 1. With the years passing, we can guess manufacturing cost have decreased, initial development cost have been covered. At the same time, the price of the unit has increased (and not decreased as it is usually the case). I would guess they are making a lot more money selling their product now than five years ago when the unit was brand new.
    As long as the Kemper 1 is selling well, there won't be a Kemper 2 (that could be different for a floorboard version, which can be a parallel release). Releasing major updates and making their current user base happy is what make new user buy the product, reassuring them that this product is here to stay.

  • I just bought and am now returning the Helix. Why did I buy? Marketing and tired of waiting for Kemper to role out an all-in-one unit. The day Kemper releases a floor version, I save up and/or finance it asap. But sell me an editor? Yeah I'd buy it, but how's that going to attract new buyers of the Kemper, how much profit is there for what they can reasonably charge aside from the bad PR selling an editor vs. offering it for free? Some of what makes Kemper better is not all that marketable and not even apparent until you own it, and easy to take for granted when you do. The point is, even the most successful companies have a small profit margin per unit, and can quickly go from making a good profit to losing money if even a small portion of potential customers buy something else. Quite often, profitable companies are the ones that don't make a real high quality product, they cut corners in ways that are less apparent to potential owners in order to sell more volume at a lower cost and make a greater profit margin per unit of sale by the corners they cut. Every improvement Kemper makes to it's current product still butts up to the hardware limitations yet provides current owners less incentive to buy the new product.


    The cheap $1,000 Helix LT is almost the same as the $1500 version. But even the cheap version compared to the Kemper, has an editor, a better display even without the scribble strips of the regular Helix, usable as an audio interface, and two effect loops to the Kemper's one. For $1,000. And it's conveniently in an all-in-one floor controller. You have to believe that Kemper is taking a hit from new potential owners buying the Helix. Not because the Helix is better or even a better deal dollar for dollar; just because it's easier to market and the specs make it seem better than it is.


    Why do I prefer the Kemper?


    1) the auto volume matching when you raise and lower gain. I love this feature, and playing the "is my preset too loud or soft compared to others presets game" is nonexistent on the Kemper.
    2) While Helix Snapshots allow you to do more iwth one preset, preset changes have a noticeable drop off for a half second and zero spillover totally unusable in my opinion. You can only switch presets when you've stopped playing. On the Kemper you have the best preset change time.
    3) Kemper has better delays, pitch effects, noise reductions, and I find its compressor better. I like it's noise reduction better. Kemper's ducking abilities on so many of it's effects means less stomping things on and off during songs.
    4) The simpler signal flow, actually makes it easier to use a make quick changes even without an editor. For example, you can lock blocks and quickly go to a bunch of presets and save the locked block, which is faster that you can make those sorts of changes even with the Helix editor.
    5) The core amp/cab sounds are better than the Helix, though the Helix with the right IR's gets a lot closer to the Kemper.
    6) Even though there's fewer stomp overdrives, the number of available profiles with baked in OD pedals makes the options on the Kemper even greater.


    The only things I prefer about the Helix are more effect loops, which I honestly don't need anyway, it's an all in one, an editor and it can be used as an interface.

  • I know I could be te the only one, but I'm getting to the point of truly being disgusted every time I see another "do it all, master of none" guitar products. How about do one thing and do it really good?


    I wish Kemper would release an update to the eq where you get truly functional tone stacks of famous amps or better yet profile the tone stacks. It's not out of the realm of impossible , Nebula by Acustica has been sampling hardware reverbs and EQs including the bass, treble knobs, etc, for years now the same way Kemper clones amp sans the Tone Stack.


    I would have thought the natural progression for the Kemper would have been to perfect the whole amp cloning but instead they're following the rest turning the KPA into a do it all everything but the kitchen sink type of product, what a shame. :/

  • My point in the beginning was, master your craft, in amp profiling enough is lacking, I don’t care to use external hardware cause the simplistic overdrives even fall short, but master amp modeling to its fullest

  • I know I could be te the only one, but I'm getting to the point of truly being disgusted every time I see another "do it all, master of none" guitar products. How about do one thing and do it really good?


    I wish Kemper would release an update to the eq where you get truly functional tone stacks of famous amps or better yet profile the tone stacks. It's not out of the realm of impossible , Nebula by Acustica has been sampling hardware reverbs and EQs including the bass, treble knobs, etc, for years now the same way Kemper clones amp sans the Tone Stack.


    I would have thought the natural progression for the Kemper would have been to perfect the whole amp cloning but instead they're following the rest turning the KPA into a do it all everything but the kitchen sink type of product, what a shame. :/

    I don't mind them investing time in FX, but I also want focus on raw amp tone, specifically for me distant micing. I have a hard time finding a really satisfactory room reverb ITB, they all sound wrong, too smooth, too pristine, not complex enough. I'd love it if the Kemper added it's own room verb complex "dynamic" convolution like Nebula, captured at the same time as the profile. It's just the sound of so many of my favorite classic rock and garage records.

  • The points raised about "mastering your craft" do have merit imo.


    I'd just extend to this to profiling accuracy to begin with. I'd rather see that improve than anything else really. Or even just adding a new control that targets certain eq "within the profile", just geared to make profile sound less "TS" like.


    Definition can do some of this, but not quite "there"; it changes tone in other ways too.


    It's possible in daw. Not so easy with current kemper eq. It's also a relatively consistent "mod" that makes most profiles more similar to the source tone, which may make this not as hard, relatively, to implement. It'd call it "depth" control.


    Then, for me personally, comes the ability to profile multiple distorting stages. There are cases where such tones just sound and feel better for me.


    I'd put last some kind of a profiling/modelling real tone stacks. Last, just because I'm used to profiling amps, and using these profiles a lot too. I hardly touch kpa eq. I always try to get the profile right to begin with, for differen guitars, pickups, ect.


    But it goes without saying how much flexibility this could add if done right.

    Edited 3 times, last by Dimi84 ().

  • Personally I'd like to see more in depth tutorials to trouble shoot and understand the best approach to ALL these problems based on experience. plus i'd like to see more beer, woman and an editor
    What? :D


    Ash

    Have a beer and don't sneer. -CJ. Two non powered Kempers -Two mission stereo FRFR Cabs - Ditto X4 -TC electronic Mimiq.

  • Would absolutely love to go to NAMM '18! Working on getting an exhibitor pass to make it happen. Quite content with what the Kemper can do right now, and I don't "need" an editor, revamped reverbs or better OD stomps... but I would definitely put them to good use!

  • I think the guessing and hoping is a path to ruin. My recommendation is to play the KPA and enjoy it. If they improve it, cool. If they release a floorboard unit, cool. If they just use the stall at NAMM to increase demand and generate sales, cool. :)