I'm done with it

  • Tonight I went to rehearsal with my band. I turned on the KPA and it got stuck on the boot up screen. Frozen again! I've had this at least ten times now (with different FW)! I'm on FW 1.08 now and everthing was stable untill tonight. Yesterday I imported some new profiles and no problems. Untill tonight. I've spent 15 minutes to reboot (yes I know the Armin procedure), got it workin again but after installing the back up it was frozen again! I'm done with it. It's too instable to play live. I've took my tube amp and that felt good. I've decided to use the KPA no longer live or for rehearsal. If there's FW that's stable soon than perhaps I'll keep the KPA for studio use. But when it keeps freezing I might sell it no matter how much I like the sound quality. It's too frustrating.......... :(

  • I had the same problem.
    This did the trick for me:


    Erase the internal flash memory


    Note: ALL the rigs will be erased during this procedure!!

    • Switch the main knob to off
    • Hold the left/top soft-key above the LCD
    • while still holding this key - switch KPA to tuner
    • Maintenance Module will be started
    • In the 'Maintenance' menu goto 'Memory'
    • Use Memory FormatFlash and InitFlash
    • Check if the KPA works (booting, tuner)
    • Resinstall your rigs - I recommend to just install the stock rigs - in case you have corruped rigs on your USB stick
    • Load additional rigs - check if all rigs work
    • Check all the KPA settings
  • Very sorry to hear this, both for you and all KPA users - not really sure why this has to be at this stage of development... ?( Kinda makes you wonder if this project should be handed to a larger software team to get it in 'fighting shape' (and spec) quickly?

    All modelers known to man 8o

  • I suspect there's an issue held in memory or a corrupted profile rig. You might seriously consider getting with Kemper support and let them work with you to assure some corrupt file isn't the culprit.

  • And I suspect this is too little too late for Roland - can you blame him? If I was having the same problems, I would bail as well. There seems to be a basic redo of the software needed to achieve basic stability and noise standards as compared to most other $500 units available today.

    All modelers known to man 8o

  • Kinda makes you wonder if this project should be handed to a larger software team to get it in 'fighting shape' (and spec) quickly?


    Radley --- let me assure you from years of experience, that would make the situation worse. Far worse.

  • OK - I must ask the obvious question: What is so different about the Kemper software code that prevents it from being as robust as many other modeling units that sell for a small fraction of it's price? (Boss, Digitech, Line6, Fender, Zoom, etc) Pray tell...

    All modelers known to man 8o

  • Do a search for *any* amp or modelling product - heck, Axe Fx. Look up frozen or dead on google. I'll be here when you're done. :) I bet you find some that had issues.


    I really don't think that Kemper is the only company that has some software glitches. Line 6 products did/do too, I had a Vetta and there were several issues with it that they fixed with an update that took a year to come out. And some that never were. Plus remember we're on a board where people are going to come with issues. You can't look at the number of people on a board that have an issue and interpolate that into the unit as a whole.


    I've gigged over 1/2 dozen times with mine, used it for jamming around the house, several rehearsals, moved it all over the place with no bag - I just put it in the floorboard area of my Challenger's backseat and go. I've even left the thing on over the weekend accidentally - no show stopping issues that I couldn't resolve fairly quickly. I've never had it crater/die on me either EVER or lock up.


    It's a software product, people should think of it in those terms. If you want the most bug free solution from ANY modelling / profiling type amp, don't get one the first year or so it's out. It's hard for a small QA team to find every issue that all the users are going to find.Then again I work for a software company so maybe I'm just used to the development cycle. :)


    Just my opinion.


    Pete

  • Mine has just done the same, all I did was to create a wah pedal set , then when I switched on the following day
    Mine frozze at boot, had to reformat flash, reloaded from back up all ok,
    Then created wah pedal again , and same thing happened, seems strange,
    I have also noticed the self calibration of the pedals seems erratic , which makes the volume
    Jump about and wah, when it works, still see various settings creeping if the data wheels are slightly of point
    To stop creep have to move the effected data wheel slightly,
    All in all a lot of work is needed, I also feel the whole job seemed rushed out on the market possibly to soon.
    I support it because it's so innovative , but like some have said I would not use live under any circumstance
    At least until it's proved it's stability in the test room,
    I think Radley was correct when he said it needs a bigger software team on the development side,,
    Keep up the great work CK,
    But I can understand the frustrations


    Be hAppy lives To sHort


    :P

    Steve
    Mainly my own built valve amps and Kemper


  • Yep it's a software product and few weeks back I used to think exactly the way you do now.However I had the DSP board broken after only 3 months though. It's now hard for me to think of other similar products on the market as unreliable as the Kemper. Probably it's just me being upset but that's my opinion at the moment.

  • OK - I must ask the obvious question: What is so different about the Kemper software code that prevents it from being as robust as many other modeling units that sell for a small fraction of it's price? (Boss, Digitech, Line6, Fender, Zoom, etc) Pray tell...

    I've got a feeling that Kemper was pushed to the market too early. Now we owners have to struggle with too many and too serious bugs. Eventually, as the time goes on, it will improve and get more robust.


    Personally, I don't have any major issues, other than crashing if I use volume pedal with my midi foot controller. So, I have disable the volume pedal. Oh, and I have occasional issues with USB port, reading profiles or firmware from a memory card.


    But based on what I have seen and what I have heard, I'm not going to take Kemper to a gig, it stays in the studio.


  • I think Radley was correct when he said it needs a bigger software team on the development side,,
    Keep up the great work CK,


    Have you tried all the noted resolutions for your issues?


    The problem with just throwing out the comment that "it needs a bigger software team to fix it" is that it's based on a fallacy that software development is like bricklaying. It's not. You can't just throw more resources at development and expect a dramatic increase in bug fixes/new developments. Maybe you just expect the best developer to be cloned and add another 20 of him to solve the problem - but it never works like that. Why not? For the same reason that most people on here play guitar better/worse that you and me - because we are human.


    Kemper are better off if they have a small but focused and very knowledgeable team. Trust me.


    It's a radical new product and we knew this when we bought the machine.



    .

  • I feel for the OP, this is not directed at him. It sound like he has a real issue that need to be addressed.


    We all signed on to be early adopters, we knew what that meant.
    So far I have not had one problem that I could not trace back to user error. I have not crashed once.
    I am not saying it does not happen, I know it does.
    It is the nature of all software based products to have these kind of problems from time to time especially in the early stages.


    It is not that long ago that people were complaining that the Kemper was Vapor Ware. If Kemper waited longer to release people would bitch about that.
    I use the Kemper along with all the other tools at my studio, my amps, S-Gear ect.
    The Kemper is a fully working product for me that will just get better. I am fine with it.
    I have never had a digital amp solution that works better for me, that includes eleven rack and the Axe Fx ultra.
    I think both of those are great but the Kemper just work better for me.

  • And I suspect this is too little too late for Roland - can you blame him? If I was having the same problems, I would bail as well. There seems to be a basic redo of the software needed to achieve basic stability and noise standards as compared to most other $500 units available today.


    I don't think "blame" is involved. I have minimal patience for something which doesn't perform as expected. We all have our "screw this" level and when it's reached, it's reached. If everyone's units were cratering, including mine, I be p.o.'ed and expect some action, and quite insistant for the manufacturer to get with the resolution.


    I'd at least run it past the support folks to help resolve, PARTICULARLY if other folk's unit's are functioning on a far more regular basis than mine is. That's just me though. Frustrations with products are a real issue, and I wouldn't wish them on anyone.


    As far as why Kemper released the KPA with beta software? I suspect that was with good reason, whether I am privy or not. I'm recording and gigging with mine, so the regular updates to the software are encouraging, it sound good, and I have confidence the stability for every possible situation will come.


    Regarding why other lower priced units seem to be more universally stable? I really don't care, I don't like they way they sound. I don't spend much time with rhetorical questions when they are "academic" at best. Other units don't suit me, so, in my instance, other units have a deal breaker flaw they have yet to correct...


    Roland will do what he feels is the best thing for Roland. I just wish his KPA was making him happy to have bought it. :(

  • You should try to walk in the same shoes the OP is wearing at moment.
    Not everybody here has the luck of having his/her Mummy buying the KPA for his/her birthday. For some people it's an investment . It's a tool. And it's natural to compare how it performs in terms of reliability with other (even crap-sounding) devices.
    I'm realising that 90% of the posts are against Radley !Actually I think what he's trying to say it's absolutely resonable .Not sure whay people get so weird about it. I really hope that Chris will keep an eye on those type of unpleasant threads and will improve the QC of both hardware and software of its products.

  • Well thanks for all your comments so far. I have done the init and memory flash reboot procedure several times. I've bought the KPA early januari and I know and accept to some level that it's a new radical product. But after 4 months I expect that the reboot bugs are gone. I don't talk about the extras like more effects etc. How is it possible people telling me I have downloaded corrupt profiles? Can they tell me how I can see they are corrupt? I only download them from rig exchange. But this way it's not save for me to use it live. I still think it's a remarkable product and the profiles sound very very good! And perhaps I'll keep it for studio work.


    I've reported earlier bugs and the reply was that they are working on it and the new FW should solve the bugs. That was on FW 1.04, Now I'm on FW 1.08! I've reported this bug once again (and for the last time) and I've included 2 back up files (one before the freeze problems and one after). I hope they solve this problem soon. I'll give it some time but not too much......