Posts by OneEng1

Backing up now

Verbs, Verbs, Verbs! You guys are so one dimensional. What about Nouns, Adjectives, etc? When will Kemper be releasing updates to these?

There will absolutely be a Kemper 2. Eventually the parts in the design will be too expensive to purchase for Kemper. As a Chief Engineer, I can tell you that these days, parts suppliers may well tell you the part will be "supported" for some length of time; however, what gets you in trouble is price and availability.

I have looked around and haven't found much technical information about the DSP in the KPA. The processing chip NXP LPC2468FBD208 doesn't appear to be a DSP chip at all. If CK is managing to to real time convolutions and EFX processing inside of this chip, then it is impressive programming indeed.

My gut tells me there must be a true DSP chip somewhere inside the KPA. I am too lazy to open mine up and look though Pretty pathetic eh?

Quote from prsgary

Personally I'm fine with the verbs as they are, don't use them a ton. I don't know what all the head-banging is all about over this issue. I'd prefer better OD stomps and FX management, as I've previously alluded to, but the damn thing is great - why all the negativism over some reverbs? In live gig situations (which is mostly what I do), reverb is only to be used in moderation, and we've got great verbs already for them.

Too many complainers here, not enough appreciators imho.

Just my opinion.

Love the KPA. No doubt.

For someone who uses very little verb, of course, a new verb engine is unnecessary.

The KPA is, in fact, a high end guitar processing solutions though. It is not unusual for the kinds of people that gravitate to this level of a device to desire top-tier effects.

Even without top-tier verbs, the KPA would be used by these people simply because of the great guitar tone it produces. Despite this, many will still use top-tier external verbs with it today.

For those who do use or desire this level of verbs, the new verb engine eliminates external pedals making their work much easier.

Quote from vjau75

I think we will see a floorboard model based on Kemper 1 long before a Kemper 2. As long as products from the Kemper 1 line are selling well, there is no reason to introduce a #2.

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.

Winter NAMM is Jan 24-27.

Anyone expecting that we will see the new verbs then? If not then, any other guesses? Summer NAMM seems like quite a while to wait.

Quote from whippinpost91850

Can't wait to try this. Will do tommorow

I look forward to the critique Perhaps we can tweak this as a group and get a really good "Streets" rig.

Most of them I have ever seen don't have the slap or the 2nd 524mSec delay in parallel to the main delay.... just the 350mSec main delay .... which is certainly the base of the rig, but without the nuances .... it just doesn't quite hit the mark.

I think this could be done with tap delay timing as well, but I wasn't sure how to get the 9/32. The main delay is a dotted eighth (3/16ths) which is easy to get.

No I haven't. I did note that Edge used it as his slap delay and preamp prior to the break out to stereo into the TC 2290'S that then ran into a pair of VOX AC30's.

From the videos I have seen and pictures, it looks like he close mics the cabs with an SM58 which is a cardioid pattern microphone which will pickup quite a bit from the sides. The side pickup of the other amp gives you a little wash between the delays.

There is a really nice write up on it here: http://www.amnesta.net/edge_delay/index.html

I found the theory in the article to be sound, but the clips were not that well done as the amp was too clean (as is mine for that matter. I might add a bit of grit to both the delay and the gain on the Vox to get a little dirt too).

Let me know how it sounds to you if you have a chance.

All,

I have long wanted to have a good (really honestly good) replication of the sound Edge gets on "Streets Have No Name".

I have tried several of the rigs on rig manager and never really got that sound I hear so well on the song..... so I decided to do some research and work to get it right.

You can all find the results up on the rig manager under the label "U2 Streets".

Details:

I started with a rig from rig manager from Ryan Baker which is called "U2 Still Haven't Found". This had a pretty good VOX AC 30 (no cab). I turned the cab on.

From the research I did, here is what is needed to get this sound (which I think is pretty well replicated in this rig).

The song is played with a single coil strat using the bridge and center pickups (2nd position on the PUP selector) into a VOX AC 30.

A compressor is placed first in the chain.

The way Edge did this was to first go into a slap delay. The output of the slap delay was sent to 2 different delay engines. I used a delay time of 100ms with 50% mix for this using the single delay module.

For the 2 delay's, I utilized a dual delay in the KPA. The first delay was set to 524mSec, and the 2nd delay was set to 350mSec (this is the primary delay). The mix between these two delay's was set heavily in favor of the primary delay, and the feedback was higher on the primary delay than on the secondary delay (33% vs 6%) and the mix between the 2 delays was set to (31.6%) so that the longer delay was pretty much just a single slap after each strum while the primary delay echoed out about 3 times.

Finally, a hall reverb was added at the end of this chain with a predelay of 160, time 4.2 Sec. Mix was set at 25.5%

Please give it a try and let me know what you think. I spent a couple of days coming up with this recipe. Hopefully it works for more than just my ears

I kind of look at this from a different standpoint.

While I have heard of quite a few Fractal users that have moved to Kemper, I have rarely ever heard of anyone that gave up their Kemper for a Fractal Axe.

In all honesty, I have heard of more people who have both though.

I think that you can get a great high gain sound from either setup. Getting the less driven sounds from the Axe seems to be more of a problem than it is for the Kemper.

The routing and editing capabilities of the Axe are unsurpassed though, so if tweaking (especially on the computer) is your thing, the Axe might be better.

As for professionals using these devices, look to a little lower class of musician .... ones that don't get endorsement money. Go take a walk downtown Nashville. I see lots of Kempers.... not a single Axe FX.

Yep. NAMM sounds like a pretty good bet to me as well.

It was more poetic to talk about the "delay of the new delays"

I tend to agree that announcing the verbs when they did, then releasing video of how good they sound, is resulting is some noise about when they will .... or should have been ... be released.

Still, is this a bad thing? "Any press is good press" does get people thinking and talking about the product .... which is, after all, a very good product without any real viable competition at its price point (unless you want to consider used Axe II Fx rigs).

Quote from Nikos

It is digital,it has software,it is at the first sight also "not the real thing" and not that different "from the digital rest"but after you look twice it is the first device which brings us back again from the digital world into the "analog side of things".And I mean not only the product itself but the whole thing.Product,philosophy,marketing...and last but not least:Sound.Feeling.Approach.The whole kemper company folloes this path.The boss,the employees,the marketing.Good.Fukc the editor.Use real buttons!

I completely agree. Kemper has targeted "tube purists" like you and myself who have lugged decades of heavy tube amps and cabs to the stage. For me, this is a home run in functionality and capability.

I would say that I strongly feel that there is a market that Kemper is missing out on with their current product. A floor-board model of the KPA with a tablet app and PC app for setup and modifications would bring the tone of the current KPA to a price point around $1000-$1500 (like the competing products Helix and AX8). A Kemper engine compared to either of these products would give Kemper tone at a lower price point (realistically, a gigging rig with a Kemper is at least $2200 with a foot controller).

The new verb engine will be a big boost to the "premium all-in-one solution" aspect of the Kemper. I know that several users on this forum are using premium reverb solutions with their Kemper today. I think that having a premium verb inside the KPA is a great move IMO. Certainly one that I have been rooting for

I agree with some others here that the distortion stomps might be a good upgrade for the future. Again, I know a few people that are still using external stomps with their KPA. While I understand that there are many here who are asking for an editor from Kemper, I feel that new stomps would be more important now ..... especially since a very good 3rd party editor is now available.

Twas the night before Christmas,

and all through the net

Kemper owners were dreaming

of what they might get.

Sorry guys .... just couldn't help myself

FarleyUK,

Man, you are just plain mean! I think that everyone that read that was just seconds away from rushing off to the downloads page

Merry Christmas everyone.

Hi Preacher,

Thanks for the well thought-out reply.

Kemper isn't restricting their communications with regards to features, only the timeline (afaik). I agree with your assessment that the likely advantages of communications outweigh the negatives. After all, how many of us are there on this forum compared to the total number of Kemper users?

Personally, I feel like the KPA is rapidly approaching a point where no further updates should be required. Will the community still want more? Sure. Always do. The question is, does the KPA need many more updates in order to maintain its position in the market? I am personally thinking it doesn't, but that is purely my opinion.

For my purposes (live gigging and practicing at home), the KPA is already the best solution on the market at a price point well below its closest competitor.

There may be other use cases where the KPA lags (like the editor); however, I seriously doubt that the KPA will ever rival the Axe with respect to the editor.

The KPA was designed from the ground up to be a tube amp purist replacement. The Axe was designed as a digital replacement for said amplifier with configuration capability front-and-center as its Unique Sales Propositions (USP's).

It is hard to imagine the KPA attempting to morph itself into an Axe. It really goes against the very fiber of the design goals of the device. It is equally impossible to see the Axe becoming as easy to use as the KPA.

This left turn in discussion is only an example of why I feel that the updates for the KPA may well be slowing and stopping soon.... since I know there are many who yearn for a comprehensive editor from Kemper (although I think the Toast ME is quite good as it is).

Verbs, Navigation, maybe some better drive stomps are all I can see as "bang for the buck" improvements to the device. With this next release, nearly all of those will be done

.... which is why I am so looking forward to those rich new verbs and improved navigation (I don't use the stomps much myself)

I agree.

Quote from Chris Duncan

Thanks, guys. In the interest of full disclosure, the marketing / programmer conversation was paraphrased from a similar story in my first book (it was for programmers) and most of my readers at the time also recognized that scenario as a familiar one.

If you haven't guessed, as a pro developer I am thus far very much a fan of the Kemper team, both coders and management. They take the flak from users anxious for the next release in stride (which is, after all, a compliment) and seem to be intent on spending whatever time it takes to release good stuff. I'm sure you both know how rare that is in this biz.

There is very little benefit to a company disclosing information prior to a product release, and lots of negative reasons for them not to.

Yes, a year is quite some time to wait from an announced "we are working on it"; however, I think most companies wouldn't even say "we are working on it" to begin with.

Just to make my point, the fact that everyone is up-in-arms that we don't have it yet clearly illustrates one of the major negatives of a company providing ANY information on what they are doing ..... people get upset they don't have it NOW.

Kemper has decided to give us an idea of what they are working toward to keep us informed about the product enhancements. They are pretty diligent in not giving specific release dates (which in IMHO is a really good idea).

There are many many things I like about Kemper. The product is well supported. It is continually updated, updates don't mess with my tone from any rig on my unit, and it is rock solid.

As for marketing people ..... it is a shame to waste perfectly good air on them ;).

I am the Chief Engineer at our company and spend an inordinate amount of my time fending off marketing and sales managers and their people from their incessant need to sell the impossible to the unwilling at a price below cost

Note, I did say "frequently"

While I have had a different experience than you (ie, guitar->cable->amp being preferred), the "one thing" KPA had that made me give up my floorboard and boutique amp (and cabs), was that it sounded good with raw amp tone .... especially through the FOH .... which is all that matters to me when gigging (we use IEMs).

I simply came to a different conclusion than you did and felt that the KPA sounded better out front than my tube amp rig with a microphone.

I have been impressed with the quality of the internal efx .... even felt they were more than adequate for gigging ..... but never felt the delay's and verbs (the bread and butter of efx I use) were at the same level as top-of-the-line industry stomps out there today.

The new delays have brought that efx engine up to par with even the best delay stomps out there IMO. Once the verbs are brought to that level, I think that the KPA will be on-par (or above) with any rig at any price.

Yes, the AXE is a routing monster. I spent a couple of weekends ago with a friend of mine which has the new (and quite impressive looking) Axe III Fx.

With the exception of getting a better U2 delay than I am able to achieve (due to the complex routing capabilities), I found that the KPA was much easier to get a good tone out of (at least tones I use for most cover songs). This was after 5 hours of tweaking.

I am sure that there are others that utilize quite a bit more efx than I do, or desire more of a workstation tool vs live gigging than I do, and for them, other things than verbs and delays are more important. For me, great tube amp tone, then verb, then delay are my 1, 2, then 3 priorities .... so the verbs are a big deal to me

I do apologize to those who were rooting for something else in the next big update ..... but I am selfishly glad that my needs were taken care of first

Quote from prsgary

I find plenty of fine, very useful reverb options on the Kemper as it currently is. I'm not a huge reverb nut, so I don't see the excitement personally... but I know plenty of you are just dying for the new ones, so for your sakes I hope it is worth the wait.

The KPA is an outstanding piece of gear as-is .... no argument.

Unfortunately, the kinds of people who are willing to purchase a $2500.00 guitar rig, are the same people who are frequently used to the top-of-the-line reverbs and delays.

The ONLY things that the nearest competitor (Fractal) has in its favor are better EFX and a very cool editor. Of these 2 things, the EFX is the only one that effects sound quality.

The idea of having the superior amp tone capabilities of the KPA combined with an improved efx engine having "big sky" level of performance is really impressive. Hard to imagine the KPA not gaining market share with such an offering. I am sure that is the thinking at Kemper.

I also agree with others that have said that the KPA has squeezed out a HUGE amount of improvements with the existing DSP. This is a testament to the efficient architecture of the KPA.

Well done Kemper engineering.

Small group vs public beta

I am hoping for a public beta for Christmas!

Quote from riggles

I wouldn't hold my breath for anytime before NAMM.

End of January eh?

Man, I hope you are wrong; however, I think you are right.

I work for a German company. They have quite a liberal holiday policy through the year. They also have some serious labor laws that prevent excessive overtime.... so getting a really big crunch time program through in Germany is ..... difficult to do legally.

I have nearly all my Christmas shopping done now. Thought I would look back on this thread to see if my present from @CK is out there yet

I guess I can wait until Christmas morning to open all my gifts (hint hint)

Man .... those natural verbs just make me melt.

I am really looking forward to this release.