Assuming the profiling is top notch - would you buy a Kemper MK2 now?

[OneEng]

Just saw this posted by GW.
I imagine at least some people who have forked out for the V2, might have a little tiny bit of sicky sick in their mouths after reading that last part.


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The update is free (even for MK1 users), but the real question is, how does a V2 profile that is tweaked on MK1 sound compared to the MK2 that made it? If these are very close, then the people that sold their MK1 to buy an MK2 might be pissed for sure.

 

[guitarsandcoffee]

Being an old tube amp (and boutique tube amps at that) purist, I can say that IME, it is WAY easier to get a good mix with Kemper than it ever was with my tube amps.

We switched to playing direct for this reason. For the amps to be heard by us, we had to turn them up so loud that we got severe bleed in the vocal mics, punched the front row in the face with the sound, and literally gave the sound engineer an impossible task of mixing. When the amps are loud on stage, your mix changes literally foot by foot in the audience. Some would tell me they couldn't hear me at all, others said it was way too loud.

By the time we got the amps mic'ed and quiet enough for the mix and sound engineer, we couldn't actually hear them on stage anymore. What's the point?

 

[Dom Mcsweeney]

The update is free (even for MK1 users), but the real question is, how does a V2 profile that is tweaked on MK1 sound compared to the MK2 that made it? If these are very close, then the people that sold their MK1 to buy an MK2 might be pissed for sure.

yeah that's it

it's all just too cringe for me to take seriously at this point

 

[Jarick]

I never had more than a half dozen profiles loaded on my big boy Kemper. I might consider using the player the same way I used my OG Kemper -- locked reverb and delay effects with knobs to control mix and reverb decay; toggle amongst a handful of useful profiles; pedals for everything else.

But I'm kinda done with the profile route, honestly. Even if it winds up being a percent or two more accurate than models.

FYI - effect locking is not available on the Player "because there's not dedicated button for it"...despite not having dedicated buttons for a lot of other things you can do in Rig Manager...

 

[Jarick]

I would (which is surprising to me). I have been very critical of Kemper this year and have gone so far to say I'm done. But, I have tried QC and honestly, the effects are still not near Kemper's. Kemper's reverbs, delays, choruses, etc. are still significantly better than QC and Helix. Yes, this is totally subjective - but having played my Kemper for large venues recently, we always get high praise for the tones we use (and we both use Kemper).

I hate the setup of the Player. Get rid of those rig and tap tempo buttons, put in an OLED display to show me what's going on and the thing would be so much better.

Having used the Stage for years and trying the QC layout, I missed the Stage. Maybe I'm crazy, but that's how I felt. The Stage has morphing which is huge. I can also have 5 presets per performance and each one can have whatever amp and effects I want. It is superior to Scenes on the other devices where you are locked to the rig setup for that patch.

I really wish Kemper had updated the Stage with a bigger screen. I don't give a **** about touch screens. I'm not using a touch screen during a performance, I'm using the footswitches. And the layout of the Stage is perfect for my needs. Which, that's what matters for each of us. These are tools and pick the best one for what you need.

Totally with you...there's something very cool about the Kemper effects. I think if the Mk2 had the same DSP but had an upgraded interface as you describe that was bigger and quicker/easier to use, it would have been a totally different story.

Considering all the pros/cons of each I still think the Stage is the model to buy if you go Kemper. It's practical as an all in one unit, doesn't need a computer outside of loading profiles, but does have wi-fi connectivity which can be helpful.

 

[Orvillain]

Nah, you see it often if you’re paying attention. There are people who own the real deals who will discuss where models/profiles get it right/wrong, but there are far more people reading from the internet script.

 

[RiffDuck]

I tried a couple of 2.0 profiles and you could tell me they were 1.0 and I wouldn't be able to point out why that's not the case. But they weren't amps that I use so I may have to wait to hear something I'm more familiar with.

Reminds me of when the AxeFX has an update and someone goes "this amp sounds so different in the high end!" and Cliff is like "I didn't change anything on that amp"