A usable Rig/Profile management tool (librarian) is needed badly.
The truth might be - that cK&Co. did not forsee a tornado of very usable to great profiles coming at them.
But as a matter of fact - it is what it is!
I have been thinking about uploading the profiles into my DMS system in my office and documenting them there. Any software with revision control capabilities will provide you with that functionality.
Another way would be a DAM software - as long as it is not too focused on photographs and has text search & file name search functions
The pros:
You won't touch the files. All info, commentary, what you used it for, bla bla can be kept away from the file, meanings "almost" no limitations within reasonable boundries.
I could even use check in/check out procedures for the backup files.
Huge search capabilities most as RCSs provide full text search
The cons:
No "editing" of the file tags.
No communication with the KPA (upload/download).
The added information (documentation) will most likely be incompatible to other users profile databases.
You are probably looking at at least one week of documentation, if you wanna do it right.
The alternatives:
flat file folder structures with telltale folder names, complex profile naming "systems", wait for ck&co to come up with a solution.
Looking at what is still missing (full midi, performance mode, external tag editing) and for how long it has been missing I do not see the kemper librarian coming soon. (no critique - only an estimate)
We who like/need/want it already have & use a Kemper. Further product development starting with delivering the missing features and making it a fully competitive product (midi pedal!), maybe even a rack version of the kpa or a dedicated power amp is needed more to keep the money coming and increase sales.
I have been on the other end (developing software) and I know for a fact how time and money consuming that can be, esp. if you want to meet a certain quality standard. Providing a librarian will not boost sales significantly. It's a "nice to have".
Christoph - I would love to receive an honest statement from you as far as if we can expect a profile management software/interface other than the rig-x soon. Please just a yes/no if that is on your list & if "yes" a realistic time frame for when to expect it. Even an honest "NO - not any time soon" would be helpful, because then, people, who are really interested or in need of it could start investing time&effort into alternatives. The uncertainty what to expect is difficult to handle.
Hendrik
