Kemper 2 expectations

    Quote from OneEng1


    One thing that Kemper has done consistently that Fractal has failed horridly at is keeping a consistent platform such that any tone you had before an upgrade, will sound exactly the same after an upgrade.
    Personally, this is an extremely important feature for me which trumps pretty much everything else. I don't know about you guys, but I have TONS of hours of dialing in tones for different songs and sets that I rely on sounding the same after an upgrade.

    I just can’t imagine starting again after crafting so many live patches over 18 months. It would have to be a revolutionary product to make me start again.

    Karl


    Kemper Rack OS 9.0.5 - Mac OS X 12.6.7

    Like 1
    Quote from lightbox

    The fact that must not be overlooked ... Kemper sells all the units they can manufacture in no time. Even after 6 years this device sells like crazy so I wouldn't worry to much about a "need" for a Profiler 2.0 from the business perspective. ;)


    The point I was trying to make was that a floor version of the Kemper is likely to be in even higher demand than the toaster, or rack versions, given the success of the Helix. I wasn’t talking about Kemper needing to release a Kemper 2.0 because the current version is not selling well anymore. Not at all! But I can see how it might’ve read that way :-).

    I reckon there'd be a tidal wave of sales for that, and not just 'cause of the reasons already stated in the thread.


    What strikes me is that at the current price point of the toaster and racks, so many folks couldn't be bothered to arrange (as often must be done due to its scarcity on shop floors) an audition. They figure it'll be too-expensive at any rate, but here's the thing: If they were to try it, many of them would buy it anyway.


    So, a ubiquitous presence "on" shop floors alongside Helixes and the like will see a veritable swathe of otherwise-disinterested customers being stunned by the organic realism of the Kemper engine. Sold! Many of them would logically add (or replace with) a rack or toaster down the track as well, and these are peeps who would never otherwise have auditioned a unit.


    Ka-ching!

    When/If a floor unit is ever available I'll probably keep the rack in the studio and use the floor unit for live gigs, maybe some others would too, so it probably wouldn't take away sales from those, they would probably sell 2 Kempers to lot's of users. :)

    Currently, a live setup for your KPA would be (as a minimum):


    KPA Rack ($1800)
    KPA remote ($500)
    Road Case ($100)


    Total: $2400.00


    Not a cheep system by any measure. Only the very dedicated are going to purchase at this price IMO. Sure, compared to a good tube amp and a bunch of pedals, it might be competitive; however, many will see that price and cringe.


    A foot controller version of the KPA that could be sold for .... lets say $1200.00 instantly puts the product into a completely new marketing category. Cutting the price in half will likely quadruple the sales (depending on the slope of the supply/demand curve for this market).


    Such a device will need to have an excellent remote editor .... preferably a blue tooth to tablet interface IMO allowing anyone with an Android, iPad, or Laptop to have a comprehensive editing capability for the device ..... which should have minimal physical interfaces on it other than stomp switches IMO. To get the cost down, I would suggest either eliminating the ability to profile .... or to offer 2 versions of the foot controller ... one with and one without profiling capabilities. I suppose the device could be edited through USB and only to a PC laptop as a bare minimum though. Very few people are going to be editing rigs on-the-fly at a gig IMO.


    Personally, I really like the setup using my rack and floor pedal because it keeps the cables away from my foot area on stage. A dedicated floor unit would need considerably more things going in and out of it which would clutter my stage area more. For me, live sound setup and tear down are the most important features of the device.

    Quote from DigitalTube

    they would probably sell 2 Kempers to lot's of users. :)


    In any case this would be a very "confusing" issue for a lot of customers who already have a kemper.It would be very difficult to explain why the floor unit would be for example cheaper than a KPA/remote-package..


    For some reason I expect another solution to this floor unit issue..

    If the Kemper released a floor version at a cheaper price....then you may as well just call it a Helix/Axe fx with a Kempers badge. So if a floor version is your tool buy a Helix. Makes common sense.


    I don't understand brand loyalty that a person would wish something was more like something else but won't admit to buying something else because...



    90% of these Kempers 2 expectations are just pointing at what other products already do but cheaper.

    Quote from OneEng1


    Such a device will need to have an excellent remote editor .... preferably a blue tooth to tablet interface IMO allowing anyone with an Android, iPad, or Laptop to have a comprehensive editing capability for the device ..... which should have minimal physical interfaces on it other than stomp switches IMO. To get the cost down, I would suggest either eliminating the ability to profile .... or to offer 2 versions of the foot controller ... one with and one without profiling capabilities. I suppose the device could be edited through USB and only to a PC laptop as a bare minimum though. Very few people are going to be editing rigs on-the-fly at a gig IMO.


    Personally, I really like the setup using my rack and floor pedal because it keeps the cables away from my foot area on stage. A dedicated floor unit would need considerably more things going in and out of it which would clutter my stage area more. For me, live sound setup and tear down are the most important features of the device.


    Editing through a mobile device is not as convenient as it sounds. We have Firehawks at church and they are a nightmare to edit. Sometimes the app loses connection with the device and then you’re screwed. I rather have the controls to edit from the device itself. Way more reliable and faster if done well.


    As for cable management, you could have a company like Proaudio LA (or equivalent in other places of the world) make you a custom snake so you’re just dealing with one cable. They do a great job at making them look nice too! Also, live sound setup is exactly the reason why I bring my Helix to gigs instead of the Kemper. At least in my case, it’s literally grab and go. I’m talking 2 mins tops (and that’s me taking my time).

    Problem is the Helix and others don't sound like the Kemper..not to me anyways, and brand loyalty? not me i'll use whatever sounds good to my ears, in fact just bought a Boss GT 1000.


    That’s because the Kemper is the closest digital device to a real amp. IMO, the other devices, though they are VERY close too, don’t sound/feel as good. Otherwise, I don’t think people would be asking for these requests. At least in my case, it’s not about brand loyalty. It’s about whatever tool works best for my wants/needs, which is why I also use a Helix. But it would be killer to have the Helix functionality with the Kemper tone, IMO.

    They are all sonically equal if you know what you're doing. In terms of feel some say the kemper has the slight edge for now... that could easily change. Through a real cab the top products are all equal in feel and sonics and the only difference is routing and work flow and price.


    The Kempers neat design saves you some tweaking by making it automated that's about it.


    Maybe 5 years ago the Kempers approach had the edge in terms of Sonics and what it really boils down to is routing flexibility and price. Dont be fooled by the hype or conjecture when someone says this is better than that. It could be a bad profile or a bad I.R in either case.

    Respectfully If one is thinking/commenting without partiality then they are scientifically, potentially with the right operator, absolutely sonically equal.


    IF one has the talent to dial the Helix it is equal. I've conducted my own tests scientifia lly and my god.. there are enough blind tests on the web where no discernable difference is heard.

    I see people here saying that anyone that wants a floorboard Kemper should just get a Helix. Have you actually heard the Helix? They sound dreadful. I tried one out before getting my Kemper and it had the same problems that my previous Pod's had. That annoying digital artifact that is almost impossible to dial out. Yeah you could eliminate it in a mix but I like to play the guitar and have it sound good while I play without a ton of tweaking and exploiting to trick the damn thing into not sounding shitty. Line 6 forum is not as open as this community is. I made a post asking about dialing out the noise and my post was pulled down and my account banned within four hours. Not to mention the butthurt fanboy mob that swarmed me.

    I know what a real amplifier sounds like, I have spent most of my life playing 100 W tube amplifiers…
    I have dialled in a helix and spent months with it, and there is no comparison to the ‘real tube amplifier’ tone and feel that is in the Kemper….
    So, I respectfully but strongly disagree…

    Quote from SQUAREHEAD

    I know what a real amplifier sounds like, I have spent most of my life playing 100 W tube amplifiers…
    I have dialled in a helix and spent months with it, and there is no comparison to the ‘real tube amplifier’ tone and feel that is in the Kemper….
    So, I respectfully but strongly disagree…

    You said you disagree but then said that the Helix can't compare to the Kemper which is the same opinion I have.

    Quote from monotone

    Maybe 5 years ago the Kempers approach had the edge in terms of Sonics and what it really boils down to is routing flexibility and price. Dont be fooled by the hype or conjecture when someone says this is better than that. It could be a bad profile or a bad I.R in either case.

    Personally I don't believe any hype and don't make my decisions based on what other say, although i listen to opinions and try out gear sometimes because of all the talk.., I still own the AXE 2, Kemper, and BOSS GT 1000 (hasn't arrived yet), owned a Helix, Headrush etc.. in my opinion of course the closest to an amp sound i've gotten is with the Kemper. Wish I could get there with the Helix, or Headrush because I loved the touch screen; going to try now with the GT 1000, only because of my needs for something very portable, otherwise it would just use the Kemper, it has everything i need, including all effects I need for live use.