Kemper 2 expectations

    Quote from flyingheelhook

    What I am trying to say, probably unsuccessfully, is that its possible that doing things somewhat differently might result in better customer satisfaction, which in turn, would reflect in increased sales, both directly or indirectly - based upon trends I am observing in other markets. Probably a moot point.

    What seems pretty clear to me is that you would want Kemper to communicate your concerns and problems on this platform to you in a different way.
    I think that is legitimate and that should be allowed to be expressed.

    Quote from flyingheelhook

    I respectfully disagree that it doesn't make sense for them to engage in meaningful, transparent and honest dialogue with their customers. In fact, quite the opposite is now a growing, strong philosophical movement in certain factions of the U.S. enterprise-level IT sector. (User-centered development; customer engagement; product ownership and management) That doesn't mean sharing trade-secrets, BTW. But, when you engage your customer in an honest, two-way dialogue about what their needs are and how you are attempting to meet them, it has been proven that it builds trust and loyalty.Its clear that the Kemper does enjoy a (sometimes blindly as in my personal case) loyal customer base but the level of discourse and discord over some subjects makes it clear that many folks are either opening, or keeping their eyes open as to what is really going on and what their real alternatives are. (I guess you might call that 'common-sense consumerism' or something?)


    Telling me when you attempt to try and meet my needs and why it failed and you can't accomplish something - or that you are not going to do something - goes a lot further than radio silence letting me wonder if you ever did try to do something, or if you ever plan on trying to do something. I suppose the Kemper approach IS working since this is somewhat of a proprietary, niche technology, but it certainly flies in the face of some current norms and trends that are prevalent in larger circles. In a large sense they appear to be relying on 'word-of-mouth' to get their word out but right now, as is in my case, the number of critics appears to be growing.


    YMMV


    IT trends are another story - like most trends, engaging with customers and companies recognizing that is not new, only the mediums to enable them to do it. I don't think anyone here suggests Kemper should not listen.


    The challenge with any organization is where to focus efforts. Kemper is a commercial organization and so sales will always be a the overriding factor, otherwise they will not last.
    The challenge with any organization to to try and understand what people want. Simple you would think, but this forum represents and very small minority of users with a fairly polarized view of what is most important.


    Market trends are one factor, not the only factor determining success (following vs leading). I just hope whatever comes next adds to the Kemper high performance capabilities we already have, whatever that might be.


    Not openly stating the direction is not necessarily discounting what users want as most upgrades have been in response to many people asking ( delays,sample rates etc). They have also done things not thought about e.g. Morphing...I find the silence frustrating but also I like the nice surprises :)


    However, like most on here, I have no insight into the Kemper organization so I am assuming they are applying this logic.


    Personally I'm dying to know what is coming next and hope it makes my guitar world better but hey ho..if not, the current is still shockingly good.

    Well, it’s not so much about IT trends as it is about truly delivering the ultimate product. If you cannot understand how the core functionality is not delivering the ultimate user experience, all of the neat features in the world will not solve those issues that arise because you chose to ignore that need. That’s my point.


    But, it’s moot. I am moving on.

    No, not getting rid of my Kemper yet. But, I won't be devoting any further efforts at getting it set up to meet how I currently envision my rig needs to be - I have beat that horse to death. For certain gigs I may pull it out in the future but for now, its much easier to shelve it and use a simpler rig and devote my time to the music instead of the technology.

    I guess it depends on your exact needs, but I now find the Kemper my simplest rig and live solution. Going back to another rack or amp head would be a nightmare to setup.


    Of course, there were months of deliberating and the nudging of settings will never end, but we are always in search of the perfect tone.

    Karl


    Kemper Rack OS 9.0.5 - Mac OS X 12.6.7

    I think the level of discussion on this thread will definitely illustrate to Kemper Amps the financial logic of building a "Kemper 2".


    How many old users do you think will make the switch? Probably a sizeable number.


    That means big money for the company. They've already got the profiling technology. Just soup up the processor and run dual profiles, extended FX chains et al.


    I'm betting they'll do it sometime. When is a big question. Probably when they realise they have milked the existing platform for all its worth and they need a new "best in class" device.

    They already have a "best in class" device at a significantly lower price target than their nearest competitor.


    I am with the guys that are talking about a floor version. Get the price point down even further and take some of the AX8 and Helix market share away from them.


    Please note, any floor version of the KPA would absolutely require a full featured PC editor. You can get away with minimal and clunky device controls to keep the price down, but you really need an editor for such a product.


    I wouldn't hold my breath on a "new and improved" KPA. Just imagine if such a beast was made and it was indistinguishable from the original in tone? This is NOT that big a stretch either since the current KPA is indistinguishable from a real amp in the lions share of cases. How much "better" can the sound really be made?


    Take it from a guy who does product planning and business development for a living. A new product is all about gaining market share and making money. To the customer, it is all about price/performance ration and price/features.


    Kemper is doing quite well in the high end, live sound market. At $2K you can get yourself into a really nice rig. I think that a $1K device would really sell at a much higher volume though.


    My bet is on a floor model as the "next kemper".


    Yes, a floor-based Kemper would make sense, but I am not too keen on the idea of not being able to tweak easily. There are touch-screen options available now that are easier to tweak then the Kemper, they should make use of those technologies.


    Also, if it's not able to profile, will it still be a Profiler? :P


    With a touch screen, even the current Kemper could be made smaller dimension-wise. And I really do think the option to have dual profiles at least merits consideration.


    Note that many big acts use more than one amp at the same time. For example, Joe Bonamassa uses two at any given time.

    You CAN profile your dual amp set up as a single profile.
    You just can’t adjust the differences or balance between them later.


    Personally, I LIKE the more amp like, multi knob, interface
    It makes it more intuitive

    nightlight said:

    Quote

    Just soup up the processor and run dual profiles, extended FX chains et al.



    wwittman said:

    Quote


    You CAN profile your dual amp set up as a single profile.
    You just can’t adjust the differences or balance between them later.


    You can do both with two Kempers. You just need a good controller like a RJM Mastermind GT to control them properly.

    A line 6 Helix/AX8 with the sound of the Kemper would be my dream. I don't even care if it isn't able to profile amps as long as it can load profiles. One integrated expression pedal or even without it is fine, but I've never liked the fact that you may need more than one expression pedal with the Kemper, totally dumb.


    I would be very happy with a Kemper floor version, then maybe dual profiles or stereo profiles, more pedals or the ability to profile pedals (a dream come true), parametric eq, better/more efx ecc...

    Quote from wwittman

    You CAN profile your dual amp set up as a single profile.
    You just can’t adjust the differences or balance between them later.


    Personally, I LIKE the more amp like, multi knob, interface
    It makes it more intuitive


    I've done some hybrid profiles that are on the rig exchange. But it becomes more like one profiled amp, not two amps. Sort of like a summed profile, not two distinct sounds. That's the nature of the profiling method.

    Not looking to stir a pot here but can someone tell me the logic behind needing dual amps?


    Surely not needed for recording as reamping/mulitrack sorts that.


    So presumably for live? Is the expectation to output to 2 cabs/stereo FOH and blend? Or is it to just make the mono sound more rich ( presumably balancing a relatively clean with a relatively dirty amp? Can you not get the same effect with judicious eq ?


    Most dual amp set ups are to switch between dedicated clean and dedicated dirty rather than blend?


    What am I missing? I've already got too much tonal choice, more will just confuse this simple guitarist :)


    As I said genuine question...

    Probably a Kemper 2 with all the expectations people have here here would cost more than the current model, with R&D and production costs being higher. The traditional route of buying 2 amps (a second Kemper) to do the job would be a solution.


    As V8 said, there is not much advantage in the studio and live it would debatable how much the average punter would notice through a PA in the mix.

    Karl


    Kemper Rack OS 9.0.5 - Mac OS X 12.6.7

    Like 1

    You are thinking in one dimension, as in blending two similar sounds. Dual profiles are a must if you’re wanting to blend two completely different sounds, like a clean profile with an overdriven one. You can further shape the sound of each profile by adding its own set of effects. Another example would be combining a synth sound with a traditional guitar tone, which other modelers are currently able to do. Would be nice if the Kemper had these features, IMO.