I'm wondering the same thing SQUAREHEAD
I heard a rumor about a new Kemper Reverb that compete BIG SKY or IMMERSE type of reverb
- Gforce guitar
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I'm wondering the same thing SQUAREHEAD
Me too... (sigh). I agree with you prsgary,
The reverb is not the entire blurb...
Its the fingles that make the tingles,
Up your spine - yours and mine.
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Agreed!
Arguably, the KPA is equal to or superior to the Axe III Fx (I have played both side by side for 5 hours and this was my personal assessment) in tube sound quality and over-all sound. It does this at a price considerably under that of the Axe III Fx so in the competitive landscape, Kemper is doing pretty well with current product.
It makes much more sense for Kemper to introduce a floor model at a lower price point to compete with the Axe AX8 and Helix.
As long as the processing power still exists to complete the reverbs, and enhance the stomps, the sound quality is definitely already there.
Really, the verb engine is the biggest piece IMO. Not that the current verb is crap, it just isn't top-tier quality like Strymon, or Eventide (but it will soon be).
Using the same processing and modifying the physical portion to accommodate a floor unit is a very very good idea (great bang-for-the-buck). A great side effect is that it is quite likely that such a floor unit would also come with a really good PC or tablet editor to lower the amount of controls needed on the physical unit
Personally, the verbs are where my yearnings lie. While a lower cost floor unit has appeal. To me, it is just more wires around my gigging area. I like just the single Ethernet cable as I have today with my KPA Rack.
I think the Kemper 2 will be an improvement over the Kemper 1 in terms of software/capability more than in design. Given that CK has been able to release new software for delays and reverbs (SOON!!! Fingers crossed!) with firmware updates, I think that the Kemper 2 will expand the innate profiling abilities of the Kemper.
The only thing I think they can improve upon is in truly capturing the full soul of any amp, as opposed to snapshots of it. I'm hoping that the Kemper 2 will be able to profile an amp and that as you change the EQ and volume, and all the other settings on the Kemper for that amp, it will respond in kind. To me, that's really the only other improvement that would make the Kemper 2 worthy of a sequel.
In this way, I thank God that CK/Kemper is an innovator and inventor, not a mass production company like Yamaha/Line 6. He could easily release the same thing that has been repackaged at different price points year after year (*cough* Helix Stomp, Helix FX *cough* [which I have, btw]), but he chooses to disrupt instead of mass produce. It's a unique quality to find in a company today.
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The only thing I think they can improve upon is in truly capturing the full soul of any amp, as opposed to snapshots of it. I'm hoping that the Kemper 2 will be able to profile an amp and that as you change the EQ and volume, and all the other settings on the Kemper for that amp, it will respond in kind. To me, that's really the only other improvement that would make the Kemper 2 worthy of a sequel.
I can’t see ANY way that would be even remotely possible. But then again nobody but thought of the current profiling process until CK came up with it so who knows. Dreams cost nothing
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"The only thing I think they can improve upon is in truly capturing the full soul of any amp, as opposed to snapshots of it. I'm hoping that the Kemper 2 will be able to profile an amp and that as you change the EQ and volume, and all the other settings on the Kemper for that amp, it will respond in kind. To me, that's really the only other improvement that would make the Kemper 2 worthy of a sequel."
The computational power to produce current profiles on the DSP is quite intensive as it is (CK has said this himself on a Tone Junkie video ) and that's with custom hardware. Going forward, to do what you suggest would most likely require a Kemper Version 10 with a quantum processor and given the lifespan of Kemper 1, you may be looking at CK's grand kids releasing it... -
The only thing I think they can improve upon is in truly capturing the full soul of any amp, as opposed to snapshots of it. I'm hoping that the Kemper 2 will be able to profile an amp and that as you change the EQ and volume, and all the other settings on the Kemper for that amp, it will respond in kind. To me, that's really the only other improvement that would make the Kemper 2 worthy of a sequel.
If that is the only thing worth a Kemper 2 then they should stay with the Kemper 1. If i need this ability i will buy the actual amp. But of course the Kemper offer many other amp paramaters that are not available with the original amp.
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Wheresthedug CelticGibson brusky I agree with you all... really, there is no need for a Kemper 2 unless more CPU is required. Of course, it never hurts to have more CPU for future-proofing, but if CK can release a huge array of delays and reverbs without further taxing the existing CPU, then the current Kemper is more than capable. It's perfectly fine as it is!
Although, I would love a Kemper 2 that truly fully stole the souls of amps (at all settings)... And maybe it played the guitar through a telepathic link to my mind and sounded sounded even more amazing than my wildest dreams. Now THAT would be an awesome Kemper 2
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It would be amazing if there was a Kemper update so that guitar pickups could be profiled, similar to the SIM1 XT-1. I imagine the hardware should be up to it CPU wise and the existing profiling algorithms could possibly be adapted to profile pickups.
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How?
The KPA would need to be able to pass audio through them in order to measure their responses.
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How?
The KPA would need to be able to pass audio through them in order to measure their responses.
I would imagine similar to the profiling process used by the XT-1. The guitar is profiled by playing scales. It seems to work accurately from what I have seen on the demos.
Otherwise, I wonder whether it would be possible to make a device that emits a magnetic signal that is held above the guitar pickups that could be used to feed through an audio signal?
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I hear you, mate, but they're different paradigms from the KPA's method, obviously.
Still, you never know as a consumer what's being mulled over in CK and the team's creative minds...
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Wheresthedug CelticGibson brusky I agree with you all... really, there is no need for a Kemper 2 unless more CPU is required. Of course, it never hurts to have more CPU for future-proofing, but if CK can release a huge array of delays and reverbs without further taxing the existing CPU, then the current Kemper is more than capable. It's perfectly fine as it is!
Here’s the thing, after reading an article on the architecture of the Virus synth and the KPA (both invented by Christoph), it’s apparent that the processing concept of both is built on specific DSP chips created for processing audio. There are effects possibilities on these chips that are hardware coded. The CPU probably only deals with file and data handling, as per the basic functions of any operating system. It is my belief that the Kemper Profiling Amp was conceived with the DSP chips and their fully-exploited potential in mind, with the roadmap for FW and feature updates already laid out, limited only by the chips’ processing features, the timescale limited by the programmers’ ability to machine code their way around them. This is why I think we won’t see a Kemper 2 soon. One, because the roadmap of potential features hasn’t been explored to its end, two, because there hasn’t been an upgrade in that line of DSP processors since the KPA’s release. Kemper 2 would have to move away from dedicated DSP processors, which is a whole different skill set as a programmer, and would need raw processing specs akin to the Axe Fx III just to get up to where we are right now.
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... and a fan...
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I remember last time using reverb sometime in 90's ;), so not in a rush.
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I remember last time using reverb sometime in 90's ;), so not in a rush.
That's when I last used reverb too
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Here’s the thing, after reading an article on the architecture of the Virus synth and the KPA (both invented by Christoph), it’s apparent that the processing concept of both is built on specific DSP chips created for processing audio. There are effects possibilities on these chips that are hardware coded. The CPU probably only deals with file and data handling, as per the basic functions of any operating system. It is my belief that the Kemper Profiling Amp was conceived with the DSP chips and their fully-exploited potential in mind, with the roadmap for FW and feature updates already laid out, limited only by the chips’ processing features, the timescale limited by the programmers’ ability to machine code their way around them. This is why I think we won’t see a Kemper 2 soon. One, because the roadmap of potential features hasn’t been explored to its end, two, because there hasn’t been an upgrade in that line of DSP processors since the KPA’s release. Kemper 2 would have to move away from dedicated DSP processors, which is a whole different skill set as a programmer, and would need raw processing specs akin to the Axe Fx III just to get up to where we are right now.
I could easily be mistaken, but it is my understanding that the DSP chip Kemper is using is reaching end of life .
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The DSP is indeed in the EOL stage but won't be discontinued until around 2023 (according to NXP's website which supports the DSP for 15 years after the initial introduction which in the case of this DSP was 2008) which possibly leaves the option of Field Programmable Grid Array chips to try and rebuild custom features of the DSP in new hardware since using something like a SHARC or similar may not cut it without a massive overhaul of the code, which is no easy undertaking. The features of the Motorolla 56k DSP are unique to audio manipulation and solely designed from the ground up for that very purpose so a general CPU may not give the same bang for buck. FPGAs are the next logical step as far as I can see because they can be custom programmed to emulate these special features of the DSP and still (hopefully) keep the heat/performance envelope the same.
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Kemper II ?!
... please, no!
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The DSP is indeed in the EOL stage but won't be discontinued until around 2023 (according to NXP's website which supports the DSP for 15 years after the initial introduction which in the case of this DSP was 2008) which possibly leaves the option of Field Programmable Grid Array chips to try and rebuild custom features of the DSP in new hardware since using something like a SHARC or similar may not cut it without a massive overhaul of the code, which is no easy undertaking. The features of the Motorolla 56k DSP are unique to audio manipulation and solely designed from the ground up for that very purpose so a general CPU may not give the same bang for buck. FPGAs are the next logical step as far as I can see because they can be custom programmed to emulate these special features of the DSP and still (hopefully) keep the heat/performance envelope the same.
The ARM7 is not fast for data manipulation or transfer, but very good for real-time calculation. The problem will be more commercial, maybe this type of processor will no longer be manufactured... or very expensive... but it's not tomorrow
In satellites, there are processors that are not really powerful but very accurate and reliable. as KPA
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Strymon just announced this beauty:
External Content youtu.beContent embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.Now I want the new Kemper Reverbs more than ever :-(.