KPA as a stompbox

    Would anyone else like a stripped-down KPA as a pedal? I think it would be great, and a real money-maker for Kemper.


    I'm thinking roughly the size of the Eventide stompboxes.
    No effects other than profiling.
    A bare minimum of I/O (in, out, profiling loop, midi, usb). Mono only.
    Very simplified UI.


    I think this form factor would be very appealing to the guitarist who just wants to bring a pedal-board to a gig.


    cheers

    I don't believe you can shrink it down to that form factor....more than happy to be wrong if is the case. Processor, converters, board, memory ....would need to be the same, as well as the price (roughly)...that would be the most expensive pedal of the history... (out of some collector item..)

    "Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" Serghei Rachmaninoff


    This idea keeps popping up, so it's obviously got potential sales value, but it's always beaten back as being just as costly as the full unit ... :huh:

    Go for it now. The future is promised to no one. - Wayne Dyer

    Well, in order to run the same software it will need roughly the same hardware, and a couple of knobs and a smaller chassis are not a significant saving...IMHO

    "Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" Serghei Rachmaninoff


    Bah, naysayers! :P


    There are plenty of stomp-boxes with DSPs in them that are affordable. This is just a question of whether the KPA modeling algorithm could be made to run on an affordable DSP.


    Also, if the profiling analysis phase is computationally heavy, it could be offloaded to a computer connected via USB.


    Don't assume that just because you paid a lot for the KPA, that the profiling can't be done on much cheaper hardware! Some products are low-volume, high-margin.


    That said, even if the Kemper stompbox couldn't be made much cheaper, I still think it would be a good product.

    It's not just a supposition, since this idea has been discussed already.
    Some of us purposed a profile loader as a stomp, but we received the same answer.
    Consider that it's not just a DSP question as others stated.
    By the way i don't think that Eventide stomps have the same sounds and the same core features you can find in eventide rack stuff.

    Quote from Jimmyno

    Consider that it's not just a DSP question as others stated.


    How is it not? Other stomps have all the necessary I/O (with the exception of a mic preamp... no biggie) and a similar enough UI. The only question mark is the DSP.


    By the way, where was this previously discussed? I can't find the thread.

    Well, i can't find it too, even if I clearly remember that someone asked for it.
    When i say that it's not just DSP I mean that the KPA has unbelievable dynamics and headroom, so there should be space (and money) for top notch converters and top quality analog path. I don't know if you have tried a KPA, but when i tried it I couldn't believe how dynamic it is compared to my Ultra.
    They should re-design a small hardware and let it fit in a 25X15 cm stomp.
    Would you pay it 900 euros? Because a completely new design and hardware research cost money, top quality hardware costs money, and I can't imagine CK selling those at 200 euros while they have a 1400 € product with the same core feature.


    And i'm not that sure that it would be a good move: think about the AM4 from Line6. They sold TONS of Pods 2.0, thousands of DM4, MM4 and FM4 but they sold just a few AM4.
    I don't know why, probably it's just a public preference. Probably people who like pedals generally don't love modelers (althought the KPA is not a modeler), or maybe because they want to save the money for the gym by carrying 50kg amps :D


    I think that it's easier to see a "full optional" floorboard version.

    You make some good points, Jimmyo. I do have a KPA and I think its great.


    I also have compact pedals which claim to have high quality converters (t-rex replica for example), and my apogee duet is pretty small too, so it seems like stuff can be made compact. I also have an Access Virus TI Snow, which is pretty compact and since its also made by Kemper, hopefully has nice components :)


    Quote

    people who like pedals generally don't love modelers (althought the KPA is not a modeler)


    And because its not just a modeler like the AM4, I think it would be more successful. The KPA allows you to start with an amp you like (your own) and go from there, rather than hoping a model fits your tastes. Because the KPA is a high-end product, I'm guessing pretty much everyone buying it already has various other effects in pedal form and so all the other effects included in the KPA are somewhat redundant (certainly this is the case for me).


    Consider the Eventide stuff. They already had fancy rack processors that did all kinds of stuff but cost a fortune. They put some of the most popular effects from those in pedal form and had successful products (I'm just guessing they've been successful since they have made 4 different models over time). They could have made cheaper rack units, but recognized that most guitarists prefer pedals.


    I really like my KPA, but I have to admit its form factor has been kinda odd for gigging. Even a rack version would make more sense because I could protect it with a case. There's the question of where to put the thing, and sometimes it ends up just sitting on stage and I worry about it getting kicked.


    Anyway, I think when designing a product its important to focus on its core feature(s) that differentiate it (i.e. profiling) and don't try to include every possible feature. Make it small, elegant, and polished. That's the Apple model.

    yeah, just don't forget to invent some fancy new cables & connectors, which are in no way compatible with the entire rest of your pedals...
    (TRS?! we gave you thunder, lightning, and now: wildfire, the new standard, which is about half a mm thinner, but white!!! georgeous!!!)
    don't forget to charge double price just for people to recognise it's appeal, restrict the sounds to factory presets, skip editting to own needs, change your incompatible connectors every once a while, and then offer some clumsy adaptors just for the cause of it. a new operating system skipping older features would be handy, too. maybe at a little charge?


    i'm sure with a some more brainstorming we'll find even more unique approaches...


    then, you have an apple model.