Posts by Grooguit

    If the doubling makes one side seem louder, are you finding it noticeable in situations other than headphones? Headphones tend to exaggerate panning, as each ear is 100% isolated from hearing what is coming out of the other earphone. This is opposed to the standard speaker placement for stereo monitors or the mains in a PA system, where each ear still hears a decent amount of the opposite speaker. It might be non-existent or at least much less noticeable when playing through properly placed speakers.

    To each their own.


    I don't necessarily agree with burning the X slot for a graphic eq to stand out in a mix or for solo boost. At least for me - I *never* use 5 slots in one performance. If I need a solo boost, I create a slot specifically for that purpose. Morph can be used for something else and no matter what slot I'm on - my solo sound is one button press away.


    On stage - you have no idea what the audience does or doesn't hear. EQ'ing from the stage doesn't work (at least it never has for me). Balancing a FOH mix is the sound engineer's job. He or she is in a far better position with better tools to adjust on the fly.

    I do something similar, having go to rigs for leads. When playing lead I’d never need 4 post amp effect slots, certainly not at the same time, so the EQ volume works in my case. I like being able to see, for example that the rig has the eq volume set above zero a certain number of tics, which if zero would make the rig otherwise match the volume with the others. Adjusting rig Volume would achieve the same thing though.


    However the more rigs I need to use, the less number of effects I probably need to keep in a single rig. My guess is that the guitarists that struggle with volume issues the most are the guitarists that have the most rigs. On the other hand, when I run out of effects slots, it’s a symptom of trying to cram more than necessary into a single rig.

    Since I like delays and verbs in the dedicated blocks, I use up the five rigs in a performance first. If I need added versatility, I press the rig’s footswitch again for a morphed version. Since almost all the effects have a mix knob, I can effectively use morph to toggle any effect via the mix setting. This gives me 10 combinations within no more than two presses of a front row switch. If more versatility is needed, only then do I bother assigning effect toggles to the second row foot switches.

    I also like to use some amp block compression. If it’s a rig that I may use my guitar volume knob to clean up and I don’t want to lose volume when I clean up, I’ll set this knob at 3 or so.

    Also the KPA is the only digital unit I’m aware of that has volume compensation automatically adjusted when you change the gain, provided that clean sens is set appropriately. Every other unit out there if you make a gain adjustment, then you have to go back and compare the inevitable volume change to another preset to see if the volume still matches.

    1) learn what clean sens does as others have mentioned. Second, figure out, write down, or remember the ideal clean sens setting for each guitar you use, mindful that this may be a compromise if you have, for example a neck single coil and bridge humbucker. Until this is set correctly, it is a waste of time and counterproductive to try to balance all your rigs.

    2) utilize performance mode. The beauty of the default "crunch" rig that loads by default in a new performance is that you can volume balance all the Rigs you bring into this performance to this reference. This avoids the "telephone game" effect. (You balance rig 2 to rig 1 , a week later rig 3 to 2, then rig 4 to 3, then Rig 5 to 4 and so on. Then you realize that Rig 5 and 1 don't match.) By always balancing new Rig to the same default rig, minor inconsistencies in how perfectly you match will be minimal.

    3) Make necessary adjustments to the amp volume not Rig volume. If you discover you needed to lower the volume of the amp, (say from 5 to 4.6) save it. Then go to browser mode, find that Rig and save the amp volume there to 4.6 as well. That way, if later you'd like to create a new performance that uses that Rig or just the amp again, you can bring it in to that performance and it will already match the reference crunch Rig, and therefore all the other rigs you've balanced to it. The benefit of adjusting the amp volume as opposed to Rig volume (and saving the browse mode version this way) is that should you have a Rig in performance mode where you have dialed in a bunch of effects just so for a particular song, but then decide the amp doesn't suit it well, you can replace the amp in the existing Rig. If your replacement amp was volume balanced already, it will be volume balanced when you plop it into a new Rig.

    *Make such volume adjustments in step 3 when playing alone. Do this with every Rig you will use prior to a gig. The way you cut in a mix will vary on the situation, balance for that in the next step.

    4) Place a graphic EQ effect in the X slot of the Rigs you perform live with. Since your levels area already balanced when playing alone, develop an ear for which EQ adjustments affect how you cut in the mix as you will have less time to make these changes during a sound check. If particular Rigs aren't as loud as others you probably need a bump up in the high mids. Since these rigs already match when playing alone, use the EQ to fix the ones that seem to disappear in a mix.

    5) solo boosts. Most guitarists only have a need for different volumes when soloing. Having an EQ in the X slot is again beneficial. Since it has its own volume control, you can make that adjustment here when you want a solo boost, which also gives you the option to toggle to volume boost. Should you also want to engage an overdrive or boost before the amp section (which tends to just color or increase distortion not perceived volume) you can set it up so one press will toggle both the pre boost and the post volume boost from the EQ.

    6) Delete old performance mode Rigs. If you have a bunch of Rigs made of the same profiles, but which weren't organized or volume balanced, why have them? If it's because they contain specially dialed in effects, then consider saving the effects as presets. If there's a combo of effects you want to keep saved as a single unit, then it's worth taking the time to volume balance its profile to the default Crunch. If you hate losing things permanently, save them to the local folder in Rig manager and delete from the KPA itself. Consider re-naming Rigs you have volume matched with a special character at the end so you can stay organized.

    7) Limit the number of profiles you use in a gig, regardless of how many performances you create using those profiles with song-specific effects. Your core tone, the profile and overdrives pushing them shouldn't be different for every song. Have a set of profiles that give you the gain stages you need. Maybe have a second set you like better for a different guitar you may use. Maybe even have a couple others that do whatever special thing you need for a specific song. But it's hard for the sound tech, the band and even yourself to constantly have your core tone changing.

    This isn’t a direct solution but a feature that makes my life easier: I like to utilize the ducking feature on delay set to about 1.0. Part of the need for different delays or control with an expression pedal is the amount of mix desired varies constantly. With the ducking it’s much easier for one delay mix setting to work throughout a song. At least for me it tends to respond to my playing the way I’d want to do manually with an expression pedal.

    Obviously this provides less control, but it’s a control I don’t miss.

    I’d have to check, but I believe spillover occurs in any slot if it’s set to post, but ONLY if you just switch off the delay without changing rigs. To get spillover between rigs you have to set it to post AND be using either the delay or reverb slot.

    It remains stereo depending on whether it’s placed before or after the amp section. Placed post amp, it’s only mono if you purposefully tweak the stereo controls to center.

    I used a QC for a couple months a year ago. I’ll add to your list less ergonomic foot switches.

    The ability of KpA to adjust gain and not need to compensate volume is a huge time saver.

    Given the almost identical structure of the stage and head/rack, having identical OS versions made sense. I wonder in what sense OS versions for the Player will be in sync as there's a lot they don't have in common. Given that they player, even if it works of the original OS to some extent, must be adapted to limit it's physical limitations. Thus otherwise it has the features of 10. whatever, minus what it doesn't by nature have access to. Logically, then, it would have a 10.whatever name with a number higher than the most recent OS to designate it as a tweak to that.


    But in any case, it makes sense for Kemper to show their new product at Namm, as it's only a month old at this point, whether or not there is something else to announce.

    Updating effects to the stage/rack/head seems like something they'd role out at some point. However, it might be counterprodutive if new features they are announcing aren't going to be immediately available for the stage.

    I would think that the best option for people who really want Dual Amps would be to put the Player in Stomp B on the main KPA and enable Parallel Path. This would give a Mono player signal alongside a Stereo signal. In fact it may be possible to set the Player to Stack and the main KPA to Dly/Rev as the output source for a Wet/Dry/Wet signal from a single device. I haven’t tried it myself as I mainly run mono and don’t care about dual amps but it might be worth experimenting with for those that dig that sort of stuff.

    Interesting idea. I never thought of that. But perhaps that would work?


    If we want to speculate what KP was thinking, let's look the product from that customer's point of view.
    It looks like the KP Player buying persona is the premium pro/semi-pro pedalboard guy, who is used to pedals with no screen. The same pedal player that never liked FX processor units effects and is willing to pay above $349 for dedicated single FX Strymon pedals or $399 for a Universal Audio '68 Super Lead "authentic" amp pedal. Now, with the Player, for US$300 more that customer gets, not only tons of authentic '68 SLs, but unlimited authentic amps sounds, additionally it offers a true amp backup or a second amp in the floor. No brainer.


    1. If we use the Player in the Kemper's FX loop, pre/post stack, we get the second amp in the path and additional pre/post FX slots that some were asking for, right?

    At first, the thought of no screen bothered me. But I hardly worry about my stage screen now, especially live. I'd have a few banks of Rigs meant to go together that I'm familiar won't need tweaking and need only the visual cue that I'm in the correct bank, which the Player gives me. Any deeper editing, or if I got a new bank of Rigs I haven't used live before, I'm either going to use my old banks of rigs that day if the new one's aren't cutting it, or if I have the time I'd connect to my phone and use the app. I can't remember the last time I got on the floor and tweaked my Stage beyond setting the global output level.


    1. I believe you could do something like that with the Player in the Stage's effects loop. Stereo and mono would come into play though to where you'd want the Player to be in the X slot to utilize its stereo effect slots. In this set up you could make profiles of overdrive pedals and place them in your Stage/Head/Rack's amp section with Cab bypassed. Then with the Player in its X slot, place and amp/cab profiles on the Player. You'd then have 2 additional mono effects in the Player to place after the Stage's overdrive profile, along with 2 stereo effects on the Player after its amp and cab section. Since you'd be using up the X slot on the Stage for the effects loops, you'd have a total of 5 stereo effects, 4 of which would have spillover.

    Conversely you could place the Player in a mono effects loop in the A,B,C or D slots on the Stage/Head/Rack. In this case you could load the Player with profiles taken of overdrive pedals and have a total of 7 mono effect slots prior to the amp section (some before and some after the overdrive profiles depending on which slot you place the effects loop)


    On the other hand, Dual amps in parallel is what many of those that want dual profiles are looking to do. This would only be possible with the Stage because of it's stereo out then stereo back in effects loop; the head and rack can only do mono out and stereo back in. But even this would require a firmware update for the Stage that allows its amp and cab section to only be applied to the left or right and for the effects loop to only be applied to left or right. Then in theory you could have parallel amps.

    CK seems to have just confirmed in another post that the Player uses the same processor as its big brothers so I don’t think DSP power is the issue but rather a conscious decision to limit the capabilities. He has also stated in other posts that there may be paid upgrades available in future so I would expect the full range of FX to be part of any such upgrade.

    Wow, that’s quite revealing I hadn’t seen that. That’s certainly good news for those who really want those features.

    I’ll be curious to see how this unfolds overtime. I doubt it would cost as much as the stage because with the stage you’re not just paying for all the features you’re also paying for the fact that it has a screen and 14 foot switches as well as an effect loop and jacks for many expression pedals.

    What’s also interesting is that if it is in fact, the same processing then there’s no reason that future updates couldn’t expand to allow four effects before, and four effects afterwards.

    Like a number of others on here I had my own proposals for a mini Kemper. My thought was make it identical to the bigger kempers, minus some of the buttons, and of course the number of foot switches. I would’ve also included the ability to profile because in my opinion, how much money would you save not giving it that capability if you weren’t otherwise, cutting costs on dsp anyway?

    From a business standpoint, it comes down to whether you’ll make more money charging for upgrades, or more people buying your unit because it’s more of a bargain with more features included for free.

    But that’s not the only math. Decisions like this also affect the used market. If lots of stages, heads and racks hit the used market because current owners can get the same functionality minus the foot switches in a $700 unit, that directly affects the number of sales of new heads, racks, and stages. And the availability of those also may even affect player sales, as people who care less about the size, might opt to buy a used head or stage over the smaller player.

    But if the player can’t do everything, the big boys can do current owners of those bigger units have more reason to not sell them and keep both

    In general, the KpA effects are underrated. But the Kemper drive and Kemper fuzz are in my opinion unmatched, and id add them to a pedal board as well if I wanted to have a more trad board. There are other multi effect units that give you a bunch of fuzz models, but none that organize them in such a logical way. I’d put their delays and reverbs up with any others, having owned a H9 for a while. No doubt some units including the H9 offer certain unique complexities and quirks, but the best part of the KpA effects is that there is a certain logic and uniformity that runs through them; For example the controls and features share by all the delays, the ducking feature in almost all effects.


    As for the pay-for-premium plug-in's model? I would actually be OK with this .... especially if they lowered the base price. Then I could pay ONLY for the things that are most important to me. Natural reverb, and some of the fancier delays. I don't use morph (although I may some day as I can see how cool this feature can be) or MOST of the efx that are missing on the Play.


    Almost all of the newer digital mixers are moving to this model. They charge extra for their premium plug-in algorithms.


    I think that most of us would accept such a model ESPECIALLY if it gave us a continuously improving set of features and functions that could be paid for to update our KPA with for the next 20 years. This would also give Kemper new revenue to support the work needed to develop these features. I promise you guys, firmware developers, validation and release management are NOT cheap.

    Have they hinted at such a thing? My guess is that if that this Player is physically capable of providing the advanced effects, they have every incentive to do so for free. Sure some guitarists would be willing to shell out dough for that, but the long term PR when other direct all in one competitors don’t do this might offset any short term revenue. Especially for a company with a hard earned reputation for a decade of free updates.

    The lack of these advanced effects is giving many potential customers pause. This includes Stage owners that love kempers advanced effects and would be willing to shell out money for a Player if they didn’t have to lose their favorite effects. If the advanced effects could be implemented, they stand to gain more customers, including many existing customers of the head/rack/stage who have otherwise been sitting back and getting free updates for years.


    The idea that such advancements of the player would make their big brothers less of a value is a stretch. Having 4 more effects slots and a 14 dedicated foot switches instead of 3, an effects loops, and a screen is no small difference in functionality. This is true even if some would view the Player as the best value.

    Many guitarists that wants a no compromise premium KpA still have an incentive to buy a Stage or head/rack with remote, even if he agrees that the Player would be the best value. (The line 6 stomp XL is the best value for line 6, but that doesn’t antiquate the Helix) in fact I suspect that many new Kemper users whose first Kemper purchase is this new player will eventually what to upgrade to a Stage when they get a taste of kempers general workflow.

    Maybe this is a stupid request. Take with a grain of salt for a guy that probably won’t buy one because he owns a stage anyway. The biggest complaints seem to be that not all the effects and morph are available in the new Player. Though most seem to accept that certain dsp trade offs are neccesary for a particular price point.

    One of the things I like about my Stage is the smooth transition between Rigs and spillover of wet effects and the Player does this too. Yet this MUST require a significant dedication of DSP. ( line 6 recently updated the Helix to give this feature, but it requires you to give up HALF of its Dsp!!!).


    Point being, if the Player had mode with no spillover, this would provide significantly more dsp to allocate having all the effects including the advanced delays and reverbs. so if you turn this mode off, and any of the advanced effects in rigs would be grayed out and bypassed. But if you turn this mode on, then you could use the greater library of effects.

    Or maybe just have the caveat that the advanced reverbs delays don’t spill over when you change rigs, and only the shortlist of simpler effects that are currently in the player do spill over?!


    Perhaps this wouldn’t even be possible whether or not, it’s feasible to implement?

    One other point of comparison though between the Stomp/Stomp XL and the Kemper Player. Once again, just like the Kemper vs. Helix, Kemper has a DSP advantage forgotten when comparing Rigs to Presets.


    The Stomp and Stomp XL follow the DSP allocation of their big brother the Helix. When playing through a song you need to remain in the same preset because there is no spillover and a small audio gap between presets. On the Player, you can toggle through the 5 Rigs in a bank an have a smooth transition with spillover of the wet effects. Therefore there is no need to try and place every effect you want for a song in one Rig, as you can get to four others real quick, even if you use an identical profile in each. Whereas in the Line 6 paradigm, you can assign more effect in a single preset, but that's your practical cap for a single song. Now there may be many situations where a small audio gap and lack of spillover don't matter and you can utilize a bank of presets any time you have small gaps where you aren't playing. But trying to organize you sounds in general in the manner is problematic since there are plenty of times where that small gap would matter greatly from song to song.

    In Canada the Helix is $2,349.99.

    The Kemper player is $1,025.00.


    You can literally buy 2 Kemper players for the price of a Helix. Just imagine the possibilities.

    Another possibility would be to buy the Kemper player AND a Helix Stomp XL for less than the price of either a Stage or Helix. $1450 USD or so. With this set up, you could utilize the Player in the Stomp XL effects loop. Then use the Kemper for its profiles with convenient volume compensation, Noise gate and any pre or post equalizations you want to set for use with a specific profile. (all the stuff you want the dialed the same any time you use that Profile). Then you have the 7 left over effect slots in the Stomp XL to use Line 6's library of effects, whether pre or post amp. You'd still have a slot or two left over in the Kemper player to utilize its effects. and the combined footprint of the two units would take up less space than either the Stage or Helix, plus you could tuck each into a different pocket of a bag or your computer's bag. Best part is that since the Stomp is an all in one unit, you don't lose having the convenience of a headphone output at the end of your signal chain.

    Didn't Kemper have a 2-button footswitch that could could assign additional functions for? I don't see it on the website. That might be a simple plug and play way to get a two more footswitch functions out of the player. Those you could use other brands per the Player manual where it mentions the KPA one.

    This ist what the manual says:


    The Stack, with its Amplifier and Cabinet modules, is fully compatible, and all types of PROFILEs can be used. The effects in modules A, B, DLY and REV are migrated, if the effect types are available in the Player. Otherwise, modules are set to “Empty”. Exception: Natural Reverb gets replaced by Easy Reverb.

    I think that's a really innovative and convenient idea, converting the natural reverb to easy reverb; I bet it gets you in the ballpark of what you had set in Natural. I use the Natural quite a bit on my Stage. Most of the time though, i think the settings I'm using that aren't all that intense and could be approximated with the Easy. There's certainly no lack of quality in the Easy algorithm.