Ideas for a Kemper 2 in the future.

  • We already have units that do all the routing etc and the main complaint against them is complexity and difficulty to use on stage. The Kemper sacrifice some of the flexibility for simplicity and easy of use. There are room for both options and users can decide which suits their needs best. For me it is the Kemper simplicity by a mile.

    I assume that CKemper gets rid of unecessary stuffs (less than 1% of cases) and purposes only a design he thinks that is optimum for us (and i agree with him).

    I can take the example of parallel Amp/Cab.... Some wants to have it in another Kemper version....:/

    I've played with my former Helix LT and tried every possible things. Honestly, when do you use another Amp/cab in parallel ? To have a wet/dry/wet with a clean amp and a gainy one on the other side ? You mix a JC120 with a Fender Twin to have a clean sound ?

    The choices of mic models, positionings already bring an important changing in the sound result....

    At the end, i always came back to the fundamentals ; one amp, the good settings (the ones i like ^^;)) and a simple FX chain....

  • I assume that CKemper gets rid of unecessary stuffs (less than 1% of cases) and purposes only a design he thinks that is optimum for us (and i agree with him).

    I can take the example of parallel Amp/Cab.... Some wants to have it in another Kemper version....:/

    I've played with my former Helix LT and tried every possible things. Honestly, when do you use another Amp/cab in parallel ? To have a wet/dry/wet with a clean amp and a gainy one on the other side ? You mix a JC120 with a Fender Twin to have a clean sound ?

    The choices of mic models, positionings already bring an important changing in the sound result....

    At the end, i always came back to the fundamentals ; one amp, the good settings (the ones i like ^^;)) and a simple FX chain....

    Totally agree.


    I feel like the KPA was approached as an amp replacement first, with added effects. Many other units to me are effects units, with amp stages in the mix.

    Hence the:

    1) Easy tone controls

    2) Built in power amp - still a massive win for me

    3) front panel layout showing the signal chain.

  • After spending enough time with a Quad Cortex to know that 1) It doesn’t suck. Not even close, and 2) it just doesn’t ‘fit’ for me, I recognized a great feature of the Profiler.


    The Kemper-only amp controls. Definition, Clarity, Direct Mix, etc.


    Minor changes to these can have a huge impact on results. I don’t think that gets talked about enough.

    Absolutely!


    I generally start with these in parallel with EQ changes to account for the different voicing of pickups/guitar to the one used in the original profile (and also to account for the difference in the ears of the beholder ;) ).


    I tend to gravitate toward more clear sound. For those of us here, this next statement will make sense. To anyone else it is complexly an oxymoron: "A Clear Distortion" :).


    Too much mud on a guitar keeps it from punching through the mix in a live situation IME.

  • Clarity and Direct Mix. One or both of those is my best friend when I'm looking for more 'clean' distortion.


    Let's also not forget the age-old trick many cry "INFIDEL" when its mentioned.....

    Turn. The. Amp. Gain. Down. *gasp*

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

  • We already have units that do all the routing etc and the main complaint against them is complexity and difficulty to use on stage.

    The complexity only shines in the studio. I never play out, so I like the complexity. But if I was on stage, the Kemper would be my go-to most likely. And I think that was its main design goal, pro level stage work. Nailed it!

  • Clarity and Direct Mix. One or both of those is my best friend when I'm looking for more 'clean' distortion.


    Let's also not forget the age-old trick many cry "INFIDEL" when its mentioned.....

    Turn. The. Amp. Gain. Down. *gasp*

    LOL. Yes! This! ......... especially live.