Is the Kemper headed for the same tech graveyard as the Virus?

IMHO did you buy the gear (Virus or Kemper) 'as it is' - during your initial purchase.

It's great to get (free !) updates from time to time - but it's not a promise - and for sure not a promise that it will be updated until the end of days.

The Virus (I used to own a Virus B) was great years ago - in the meantime there are other options and a lot of software options as well.

Kemper is a small company and has to make priorities - they have to earn money and pay bills for all employees after all.

And I think that the Kemper creates a lot of money - the Virus not so much - so it's clear they have to put their resources into the Kemper.

Yes, of course, when ever another company will bring a 'better' Profiler or software profilers start to be available - then this all can change again.

The Kemper is great as it is - and I am sure there will be more (major) updates in the next time - but as with all technical gear - it will have a limited life cycle and some (far) day in the future there will be no more new Kempers (at least not the ones we know now).

Quote from Armin

It's great to get (free !) updates from time to time - but it's not a promise - and for sure not a promise that it will be updated until the end of days.

"Free Feature Updates"

Wouldn’t it be great to beam a couple of new tubes from the 50s straight into your amp? Or for a couple of new stomps to magically appear in your gig bag? In software, you can already do this, and we make extended use of it. Providing free feature additions via firmware updates is a proud tradition at KEMPER. This way, your purchase becomes even more valuable over time."

https://www.kemper-amps.com/profiler/overview

Quote from Jerberge

It hasn't had an update since early October of 2017!

Look at other products from other manufacturers and how many updates they receive 10, 12, 15, 20 years into the product life.

Quote from Jerberge

Trying to keep Virus running in Logic Pro today is something of a high-wire balancing act

The functionality of the actual instrument keeps running just the same for years to come. What you refer to is not the instrument but the instrument-DAW interface (VST, editor).

Quote from Jerberge

Now, what if that was to happen to the Kemper?

See why Kemper isn't very keen to jump into the "editor" ballgame? Nothing like that could ever "happen" to the Kemper if it was considered a standalone unit. It's the users themselves asking for trouble in the long run by requesting an editor.

It gets me the best sounds I have ever had live and see it as an amp. If something considerably better came along, I'm sure most of us would jump ship, but it hasn't happened yet for me.

Isn't this the same impossible question for any line of tech?

Not sure what conclusions you attempt to draw from this?

As I see it:

• Kemper want to stay in business/generate revenue. Updates to address concerns from users have been done in the past and seem to continue. At some point in the future, the hardware will require updating. No one knows when that point is
• The current unit will remain viable for quite some time as it works as well as 50 year old tech.

Quote from Jerberge

Is it that future proof? Should I be looking for some other company who is hungry enough to take better care of their users?

I don't know a company which has released and supported a similar product for a longer time than Kemper has done it these days. If you can name one feel free to share out with us.

I can think of lots of tube amps that had shorter life cycles than the Kemper

I'm not very fond of this kind of speculation. No one knows what will happen eventually in the future. Nothing lasts forever. Gadgets comes and goes and no one knows if a company will survive or not. There are no garantees. So I just enjoy what I have today. What happens tomorrow happens. There's no garantee I live tomorrow. Hey there are no garantees non one here lives tomorrow either. So why worry for things we can't prevent?

abandoned? come on now.. lol

you can't compare a device with another device. Kemper has something many don't - that is a community, rig sharing and professional profiling. As long this goes, the kpa goes. If the community ceases, so will maybe the device. And if you change gear too often, like line6, you cant establish a broad community. I think they do it right and gave enough room for development. It already makes more than i can use, so i do hope to get some usability updates (better undo control as example) but i yet have to master it.

THE BETTER QUESTION IS; will a majority of Kemper owners be lured away by the next shiney amp thingy that sounds good? Answer...yes. You can't stop progress or completely satisfy a guitarist.

c mon guys don't be so pessimistic

what thread

People really don't buy a product like this as-is out of the box. We know what digital products are and we know where they have room to expand, so we know updates are part of the purchase. People come here and do research, see they've added features, buy, then come here asking when we expect X, Y, Z to be included. The "Feature Request" section is at no shortage of requests, so those people clearly know improvements are part of the package. If they didn't, a decent chunk would probably sell their devices when it doesn't meet their needs, which costs Kemper 2 customers (the unlikely return of the dissatisfied owner, and a new customer that buys an existing device instead of new).

Even when Kemper first came out, they promised many updates, like the performance mode. Nobody purchased it "as is", they purchased with an expectation that the product would come with residual gains. And by the way, those aren't "free", you have to fork out the cash to buy a KPA to get access to those updates and features; features that make the device more valuable to new consumers, not less.

This isn't to say Kemper owes anybody anything, but the suggestion that you only buy updatable devices without any anticipation for expansion isn't true at all. Some, like in the case of a desktop editor, are industry standard expectations, hence why so many have been clamoring for one for so long.

A good video on the Virus that mirrors a lot of things when it comes to the KPA and its slowed updates.

Welcome back, Dylan!

Great to see you, man.

Pin a tail on my bum and call me a Donkey!!...Dylan is back!!!

I see he is as positive as ever like always hehehe

Ash

Yes, the KPA got updates - since it was not ready when it came to market. Not even all knobs had features.

Yes, we’ll get more updates in rhe next time - but not forever.

Its like with all other companies or products (Pod, AxeFx, Virus, ...) at some point a new generation will come and updates for the old ones stop.

Nobody (from us) knows when this happens.

Thats why I recommend to buy gear “as it is” and not hope for the addition of features later.

Quote from MementoMori

People really don't buy a product like this as-is out of the box. We know what digital products are and we know where they have room to expand, so we know updates are part of the purchase.

I'm sorry but I totally disagree. Some people may do, I did not and I don;t think I'm alone.

I bought the KPA as an amp solution based upon its current features and capability. Whilst people say its expensive, its no more expensive then a high end amp ( check out prices for a boogie Mkv), with all its benefits above a regular amp...

Agree that updates are needed to address gaps and make improvements, to hopefully keep people associated to it longer term, but that's an added ( and welcome) bonus as I see it.

Our other guitarist in the band has just bought one...he didn't ask what the product roadmap was, he asked what the current product does before he purchased.

I bought a Fender Vibrolux, I bought it because I heard what it sounds like when I tested it

the same way I bought the Kemper because of the Sound he is capable to deliver in the Moment I bought it

all other things which happens after I bought it are goodies for which im very happy

but mainly i see my Kemper as an Amp

maybe old school, but thats the way im happy with my stuff and I dont have to wait for updates to make my life happy again

im happy in the moment

Quote from MementoMori

Nobody purchased it "as is"

I did.

I buy all digital products with the assumption that five minutes after the check clears the bank the company will drop the product line or go out of business and there will never be another update. So, if I like what it does today, I buy it. If I don't, then I either buy something else or wait until the alleged updates become a physical (or at least digital) reality. Then I buy it "as is" at that particular moment.

With no disrespect intended toward any who see it differently, I personally feel that buying a software / digital product based on what kind of updates you expect to get in the future is about the most foolish purchase a person could make. The software business is more in need of adult supervision than any industry on the planet. If you bet the farm on what might happen in the future, you've either got a crystal ball or not enough battle scars with technology.

Marketing teams frequently tout all the great new features that are "just around the corner," so go ahead and buy today! In the software biz, the technical term for this is "vaporware." Anyone who buys into this, whether promoted by a company or just assumed by the customer, is setting themselves up for heartbreak and frustration. In the tech world, the future never arrives as quickly as you think, nor shows up the way you thought it would. I'd rather play the lottery. The odds are better.

And for the record, the Kemper does exactly what I expected it would do. If there's never another update, I'm a happy camper because what I paid for is what I got.