Posts by Gary_W

So the bad news is I'm short on time this weekend.

The good news is that my first impressions are 'absolutely fantastic'. Thank you very much to the team that made this. I've had my Kemper for many years and it's incredible that it's actually still improving each year since the time I had it. This does not happen with most other electronics and I'm very grateful that it's the gift that keeps on giving.

I have been politely asking for an editor for many years and I am over the moon - the layout for doing this stuff on a PC screen vs going through 6+ menus on some of the delays just makes so much more sense to my brain. For the guys that don't want it / need it, no worries. For me, this has given my beloved green box another massive boost in the usability. We are all wired differently and this works for me better than the front panel. Strange but true.

As I use it more over the coming weeks I'll no doubt make some suggestions but so far, so good

One thing - I followed the instructions (latest software via USB and then installed Rig Manager). Reboots, cable fiddles etc did not help me - the Kemper worked, and I could see my local library but the Kemper just would not talk to the PC. I unistalled Rig Manager and re-installed. It then worked without any further problems. Thought I'd share in case this helps someone else.

I appreciate the update and look forward to seeing it when it’s ready

Being able to pull performances together in the editor is one of the main things I’m hoping for. Personally, I am not a massive tweaker who obsesses about the small things - for my own mindset I am hoping for something that makes it easier to make a performance in terms of the fx layout / morphing and then save this as an fx chain that I can easily duplicate elsewhere. It will also be great to see (for example) all of a delay’s parameters on one screen as I am convinced I’m missing some neat tricks simply because I don’t go to the 4th or 5th screen of parameters. There is hidden magic that I’ve been too lazy to find so that will be good too.

I’m hopeful it makes the obsessive tweakers happy too and I’m sure it will - we all want different things out of this box that make sense to our own personal needs and preferences. For me, it’s about simplifying certain aspects of the use.

Looking forward to it whenever it drops and I am grateful the company showed it in January - I know some folks have got upset and for sure I’d have liked it already but, for me, I prefer the excitement of knowing that something is coming as opposed to complete silence. The complaints are changed from ‘can we have one’ to ‘when is it coming’ so I guess Kemper can’t win but, as a customer, I have preferred this 9 months of knowing.

There was social media info last week about CK doing a video with Andertons music. As Andertons is a shop, that will likely be hardware as in the new cabinet for the Kemper Kone.

The editor was shown back in January and the occasional questions on here by mods have still said q3.

My guess is that we’ll see both at the same time so ‘keep hitting refresh on the Andertons Youtube channel’.

The company does not currently have to worry about piracy as they do hardware based modelling.

If they have a sustainable business that makes them happy and they have zero worries about someone stealing their IP then why change? I realise protection can be effective but it can never be 100% and, when it’s gone, it’s gone. You’re then relying on the honesty of customers which isn’t a business plan. They’re obviously making enough money to make the business work and indeed grow with new hardware whilst being able to afford to give free updates to customers who have zero chance of being pirates.

Also, if they were to make a full Kemper plugin it would have to be a fraction of the cost of the hardware. Whilst some folks would ‘need’ the hardware, some potential buyers would be happy with the plugin so you’d see a fall in sales of the hardware. Would this be overtaken by masses of sales of plugins, especially when some folks would inevitably wait for the crack?

They’re a business. If it was do-able with the team they have and the numbers looked favourable they’d do it. Who knows, still might but I’m not holding my breath for the above reasons.

I’d still like to see the plugin that controls the hardware Kemper at some point - it would be another great feature that adds value to their product and gives no risk of lost sales / piracy.

As Nicky says, piracy concerns would make most companies think twice about this.

I would like a vst but purely to control the Kemper - it would be nice if you selected a channel on your DAW with a Kemper Control vst that did not have the ability to be a Kemper but just talked to the hardware Kemper and selected the profile you were using last time. It’d be nice if daw automation worked too, again just to play with parameters on the hardware Kemper.

Thanks for this tip Don - I’ll try it when I’m home. Outside delays / verbs, trem is my most used effect.

I recall prior to the update last year that a tweak to the legacy reverb was suggested as a means to getting a spring reverb sound. The tweak helped but didn’t really get where it needed to be. The actual spring, when it finally came, was awesome and showed that tweaking only gets you so far vs having a better algorithm for the effect in the first place.

I am hopeful that the new rig manager / editor will allow users to share tweaked presets that could help users get ‘as close as possible’ for certain things that they’re struggling to get (such as the harmonic then mentioned here). That’s a quick win all round as both factory and community can, hopefully, do some inspiring things with what is ‘in the box right now’ and tips such as yours above will be shareable in ways other than a description.

In the meantime, I hope that FX such as the trem / other modulations / stomps get the kind of love that the delays and reverbs have had. Delays and reverbs have gone from ‘ok if you tweak them but basic’ to ‘brilliant quality and crammed with creative possibility’. I’ve had a Strymon Flint for years which used to outdo the Kemper for spring and trem. IMO it still outdoes the Kemper for trem but you’ve stolen its crown with the verb update. I am convinced that, if you decided to do it, the trem in the Kemper could outdo the Flint / Mobius for quality and flexibility. Here’s hoping

So my first question for the lucky folks who get their Stage is.....

How’s the new 7.0 browsing and is the acoustic sim in there (it was mentioned at Winter NAMM as ‘coming’ so I believe it’s supposed to be in 7.0)? If so, ‘clips please’

And, of course, any other good things you want to share that might also be in there

I don’t know the answer but I believe the guys for rig manager (editor) might not be the same guys for the KAOS version. So, whilst it was said on here that rig manager would be a while longer, nothing was said about the latest software for the existing units so maybe that is still possible?

Either way, the thing about enjoying the Summer is making sense here as my little room where I play is crazy hot on the rare occasions that we have nice weather so I thank them for allowing me to sweat outside rather than sweat in a small room due to playing with new software..... I’m really looking forward to it all but I’ll survive for a while longer. I’m looking forward to users getting the Stage so they can feed back how the browsing is. Also, I wonder if the Stage will have the acoustic simulator on there that was mentioned at Winter NAMM? If it has 7.0 then I think it’s supposed to be there??

Were I starting from scratch with Kemper it’d be my choice as I’d want floor control plus the core abilities of the unit. The pricing would sway it for me to go the ‘all in one’ route.

As I’m lucky enough to have a toaster and remote, I’m good. Looking forward to seeing other happy folks getting though

I just got a marketing email from Andertons with the Stage on it.

This has been a good social media buzz campaign well done and it’s great that they had partners such as Andertons who could keep quiet despite obviously having known this for a while.

I keep checking this site excitedly for editor / new OS details as I am hopeful that these too are close

My belief on the editor is that it’s imminent.

The editor will need the new OS that gives browsing enhancements on the unit / easier editing on the unit. I don’t think Kemper would release the new Stage hardware with old OS on there that makes editing on the unit no better than we have now - no one knew the Stage was coming out so no reason to release it until it’s 100% ready. So logic says it’s got the new OS on there so therefore the new OS must be ready. If the new OS is ready, the editor is possible. If it’s basically a Toaster and floorboard combined with extra I/O then it makes sense to have a common OS level between it and our existing products.

So I recon the new OS for existing products plus editor is going to be out very soon. Hopefully coinciding with the floorboard but we’ll see. If true, that’s excellent as the folks wanting new hardware for stage use are happy, the people who twiddle knobs on the unit and don’t need an editor will be happy as it’ll be easier and the guys who want an editor will be happy.

Forums will be empty

It’s exciting news for the company and community. Personally, I’ve got a floorboard and toaster so, once the editor is out ‘I’m good’, provided they continue their excellent support and tweaking for the future...... for instance, I’d love it if the rest of the fx get a similar overhaul as we’ve had with the excellent update of delays and reverbs. This ‘I’m ok with the old one’ is astonishing considering it’s digital hardware I’ve had for over 6 years. It’s still a killer product that continues to improve therefore me saying I am unlikely to invest in the new one is not a negative comment about any new product - it’s a positive comment to how right they’ve got the original

Of course, if the new floor unit adds functionality that does not come to the toaster then my decision may change but otherwise I’ll watch with positive interest for others on here who will surely jump on one of these...... I can see why this is a big deal and for sure will attract new users to the brand too. I’d go that way were I new to the brand for sure. I’m looking forward to further news and hopefully editor news too

Quote from jon9max

I know everyone is going to jump to Kemper's defense, but, It's been 7 months. The editor is much needed and the current editor is kind of a joke in 2019. Setting up performances is very clunky and time consuming. Why show a working editor if it is nowhere near ready.

I'm keen to get it as well but they pride themselves on stability.... people gig with the Kemper which is a lot of confidence to have in a digital device. It doesn't take much to dent that confidence. They were getting a lot of comments that an editor is needed (and I am a long term user who is really looking forward to a better version of rig manager for sure) so I am glad they showed 'something'. In that way, I've been able to sit with patient excitement, knowing that I'll be getting something awesome. The alternative is sitting and watching people on the forums make up stories that the Kemper is finished as it's at its limits etc.

Waiting can certainly be frustrating - for me personally, it's easier to wait if I know something good is on its way so I welcome the company showing what is coming as opposed to sitting in the dark

Thank you Per and Nicky - I really appreciate you taking the time to listen and feedback

Per - I have got a version of Melodyne but never really use it - I'll take a look / critical listen - thank you She wasn't 100% happy with her performance...... it was partly a bit of hayfever right now and partly my choice of wording...... Apparently the phrase 'will you stay' is murderous to sing in that register whilst making the words legible so she was beating herself up about the difficulty of hearing the word 'will' come through with clarity. I told her not to worry so much. She also commented that it was probably the most difficult thing she'd had to try and sing which surprised me. She has lessons with an opera singer and regularly does grade 8 classical pieces so I figured I could throw just about anything at her and therefore did That's the thing... in my quest to learn, I am still miles away from fully understanding music theory and consequently I probably trample through the field of no-nos like a heard of elephants (such as sticking in a difficult word that fits the lyrical message I'm wanting without thinking about the poor singer!)

Nicky - Thank you I am amazed how many daft little things that I still discover. Confession time. Until now, I've been recording everything set to stereo. My guitar, voices, you name it. Whether it's a stereo instrument or not. That's how much of the basics I haven't yet got!! So on this one, the guitar in the chorus bits is a mono guitar a fair way left and I've panned a delayed instance of it elsewhere after hearing a tip on this. It worked for me far better than just panning a stereo guitar which is what I was doing before. I know this is probably a face palm moment for lots of people but there we have it. Confession over.

Anyway, thanks again. I had great fun doing this one. I've got a few more on the go but I'm not the fastest worker so it may be a while before I go again....

Hi folks,

My latest song - it’s a vocal led piece (my daughter is singing again on this one) so the guitar is doing a job, not the main event. Profile was from Selah Sounds. Other instruments are various virtual things from NI Komplete and Toontrack Superior Drummer 3.

Most people who have heard it seem to think it’s an unrequited love song but, for me, it’s about getting older and reflecting on the past with honesty. I’m getting better at mixing (I think!) but would welcome constructive feedback

https://doubleyou1.bandcamp.co…i-miss-the-madness-of-you

Quote from mollydyer

Geez Alan, you're not very kind to your friends, eh?

Chiming in here - when I put a performance together, I'm looking for AMP TONES. Not effects. I add the effects after to taste. I honestly don't want to have the effects in the profile at all- because I'm just gonna change them anyway.

Now, if we're talking about being able to save effect settings to the cloud, that's different. I'd be intrigued by that - but not if it's attached to a profile. Nosiree.

I am hoping that we’ll be able to save fx chains within the new software which we can then load onto profiles. In my case, there as some fx I use regularly and it’s a pain to buy a commercial profile pack and go through all 90, changing from their preference to mine. I don’t want these fx on all the time, just loaded in the appropriate slots ready. That I would then save as a new profile / performance or whatever. I’ve also mentioned before a feature request to be able to ‘batch do this’ offline so you can take 100 profiles and swap out the reverb in all of them at once (for instance).

No worries and glad it helped. I'm afraid I don't know the answer regarding the CPU spec - there's already a growing Massive X thread over on the NI forum that might help you.

I also saw someone complain that their beloved Massive patches don't work in Massive X so I think your library there will be in the same boat of needing the original. I've no idea if they'll ever be able to add backwards compatibility but the ethos seems to be 'it is a completely new instrument..... the old one is still brilliant and therefore it's sticking around too'. I get that they wanted to generate excitement by using the Massive name but perhaps a different title would have been a good idea if they're sticking with the story of it being entirely different 😀

Sorry for the slow reply Nicky - timezones plus work

I'll give you my understanding and it is just my understanding so please forgive if I'm getting the wrong end of the stick:-

The original Massive is included if you buy *any* Komplete 12 version from the 'select' version upwards (so regular, ultimate and ultimate collectors all get it). You do not get it if you download the freebie I linked to.

The standard Komplete 12 is discounted heavily in a current promo and allows upgrades from Komplete 2 to 11 for £79 UK which is pretty good if you're on an old version! I'd imagine it'd be Christmas for someone going from version 2 to 12. £159 gets you from your current version of Komplete Ultimate to the latest one. It's a crazy amount of stuff..... I haven't installed everything as there is, for example, a cinematic instrument for making atmospheric jumpy noises for movies. It looks very cool and fun but I don't spend much time making atmospheric weird stuff for movies (read that as 'absolutely no time at all and don't think I'll be starting). So whilst I'm sure it's awesome it's another 30 gig of hard drive space so, for what I do, I'll leave it in the library for now

Regarding Massive X, you get it as a free upgrade from the regular Komplete 12 and upwards. It is *not* given as a freebie to folks who own K12 Select.

https://www.native-instruments…dles/komplete-12/compare/

On my PC, both still show up as separate plugins and they are very different beasts. I'm pretty ignorant with fully understanding all the nuances of different synths so I can't really give a decent comparison other than to say that I like both I've had a quick play through the presets and X sounds very impressive but then I'm still impressed by pretty much every other soft synth I have so I'm probably not the target audience

I know there are folks whinging that Massive X is CPU heavy and it is! My PC is maybe 5 years old and for a typical arrangement I do where I've got plugins on every channel I might hit 50% at mixdown. Massive X has some patches that hit 30% CPU on my system with nothing else running! Obviously it's version one so they might well do a 1.x release at some point soon to cheer that up.

Hope this helps - I'll be happy to answer anything else I'm able to but if you ask me to explain how to use Reaktor then 'I'm out of here' as it loses me completely!

I upgraded to K12 Ultimate earlier in the month and qualified for a free download of Massive X which was released yesterday hence me hanging around their site. Their upgrade policy is pretty good as software companies go..... I hadn’t actually upgraded since version 9 and the price was great value for what it added. It makes these things a lot more cost effective when you can afford to skip 3 or even 4 generations without being hit with a horrific upgrade path.

Consequently the song I’m working on now has me trying my best to score an orchestra. It sounds good to anyone that doesn’t actually know how to score an orchestra - it’s good to stretch yourself but I’m probably doing the equivalent of some midi files whereby you hear two notes on a virtual guitar that wold require the person to have 3 hands