I am not a fan of complex machines as you know. I believe having X possible pedals or CC's controlling Y possible parameters and managing this by a list is very geeky. It might apply to some, but might be troublesome for many.
- It is only complex if you look at the total of it. Each player will pick up the few things he needs. I for example use only one rig at all, a profile of my all time favourite Michael Bender amp. Combined with a volume pedal (at the end) and another one for Gain, it can do so many things. Both connected to the back of the KPA, no MIDI needed. Isn't that simple? This said: direct access to the Gain parameter (without the Wah-Pedal-Booster) would be much less complex and certainly great for many other players too, I think.
- Complexity is one of the real assets of digital amps. A 5E3 might be simple, but for every single little modding you have to see a tubeampdoctor. On a digital amp you can do the mods yourself. This can be heaven or hell - but if each player finds a way how to set it up to achive the sound he personally needs, it is certainly a big advantage of digital amps. In other words: when a digital amp sounds exactly the same as the original reference amp, then it will sound better than the reference amp because the player has more options to adapt it to his personal needs. The drawback is: this inevitably needs a certain ammount of complexity.
- It might certainly change in the future but for now: most of us users of digital amps are in fact geeks somehow, aren't we? I don't think Nigel Tufnel would be happy with a KPA.
(Well - he would if someone else would load him the golub and pencil an "eleven" on the frontpanel.
) - Once you found your sound it is never complex. You have it stored and never touch all the other parameters.
