Kemper Player - 1st [ Paid for ? ] Update coming very soon ?

[Mongillo19]

What’s GH3?

Guitar Hero 3

I'm joking if it wasn't obvious

 

[MirrorProfiles]

Sigh, now do Kabinet/Kone, morphing, preset spillover, locking blocks, etc.

I mean…. what do you want me to say about Kabinet/Kone? Are many guys using one here? it certainly wasn’t of any interest to me when I was balls deep in Kemper land. Fixes a problem that doesn’t exist for me, and I’m not sure users of other platforms particularly care. Just another Kemper novelty that sort of works but is also a bit crap.

For every nice feature like being able to lock blocks, you have to deal with other goofiness. I’m not sure the benefits outweigh other drawbacks. Amplitube has lots of nice features, but I don’t want to use it.

As I’ve said repeatedly, it’s fine if people are happy with using them. That doesn’t make them any less dated or technically inferior to newer products. People still like using a 3310, I’m not going to say they’re wrong unless they say it can compete with a modern smartphone.

 

[ian_dissonance]

Guitar Hero 3

I'm joking if it wasn't obvious

Is it, though?

The only place I’ve ever seen a Kemper Kone since it debuted (including playing and going to tons of shows) is in the used section of the local GC.

 

[Tanax]

 

[PorcinePicker]

I got tired of this thread for a while, but I’m gratified that some of you are fleshing out what I alluded to earlier. When I bought into the Kemper platform, it was because of its reliability, predictability, and portability. Lately Kemper’s been bolting on odd, and I’d say unwelcome features like liquid profiling, the Kone, and the mobile app, and so on, like mad. They jump to the next thing before the last one is in the ballpark of stable. They just keep adding bugs…and if you dare talk about them, they shout you down with “contact support”.

Maybe they’ll emerge from this never ending beta like a beautiful butterfly….but I wouldn’t put money on it.

 

[TwistedTape]

I see they've updated their comparison chart. If you take effects out of it, level 2 gets you everything there.... then this is what you get for level 3:
View attachment 29837

That does not seem worth £126 to me, and given that there are far superior effects out there, having all of the Kemper effects for £155 also doesn't really come across as good value either.

Also the REQUIREMENT that you already own level 2 in order to use level 3.... that stinks.

I dont own a Kemper, but I would not being cut off from a device's capabilities via a pay wall. If we are talking new software, not as much.

 

[creative360]

A never-ending beta that’s still on exponentially more mission critical stages than any other digital brand combined. Years of folks fooled in listening a/b tests, not in data-waving p*ssing contests that sidestep lists of other less appealing, less pro “limitations” inherent in the many immature competing systems that supposedly do the same thing. Hey, I’m jealous of the nifty deep Fractal editor, but no jealousy or inferiority about the tones themselves, those are great, not better, and it’s still a closed modeling system which holds less appeal for me. But maybe not if I owned it, and the music project was the focus, not the stupid gear. I have a decade of the kinds of issues folks have with CK but about Cliff and sure more recently the QC guy. But I’ve never thought anyone shouldn’t use that stuff because of my feelings. Use what you like. Line 6 has a handful of historical manufacturing gotchas along the way that hurt me early on. But whatever, I love that company too. Incredibly, many of their earliest effects are still embraced and used by superstars. Because they were always great. Line 6 gets dissed for their amps, and I’m not current there, but then Hx sounds smoking in clips, sometimes even clips made by the same people dissing them. Bad tone is inevitably user error, and often those users are even the employees or sound designers creating the patches and sales clips. Shrug. Use what you want. Kemper is fine. If you can’t get tones that’s on you. The butt hurt always reads like hurt feelings, not having to do with a pro music context. Price? Buy what you can afford, or what you can’t but that’s worth it to you. Saying someone should buy something that’s half the price bit that to them is half as appealing…that’s kinda pointless. I’d really like to get a Stomp one of these days. And maybe an FM9 or whatever he replaces it with down the line. Just for sh*ts and giggles and new inspiration. Kinda like plugins. But Kemper really does have me covered. ymmv

 

[Enchilada Jones]

Nothing ruins a good performance more than hearing a good player ripping it up, improvising great lines in the pocket but knowing you have a chart and graph at home that proves his Kemper is putting out 0.27% less accurate Marshall tonez than if he was using a QC!

 

[JCW308]

I'm on Level 3 of the Kemper Player (x2) and can't do anything. The iOS and iPadOS versions don't even recognize the upgrades correctly. It's a complete disaster.

 

[Mongillo19]

I'm on Level 3 of the Kemper Player (x2) and can't do anything. The iOS and iPadOS versions don't even recognize the upgrades correctly. It's a complete disaster.

That's sucks. Can you get your money back?

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

I'm on Level 3 of the Kemper Player (x2) and can't do anything. The iOS and iPadOS versions don't even recognize the upgrades correctly. It's a complete disaster.

Try with the new RM for iOS update 1.8.2

 

[laxu]

Nothing ruins a good performance more than hearing a good player ripping it up, improvising great lines in the pocket but knowing you have a chart and graph at home that proves his Kemper is putting out 0.27% less accurate Marshall tonez than if he was using a QC!

Please, I've enjoyed some busker playing Pink Floyd with a couple of Boss pedals into a little battery powered Crate or something. But I'd never buy a rig like that.

All our gear nitpicking is because we want the best thing for our own enjoyment, preferences and practicalities.

 

[Sascha Franck]

I’m not sure the benefits outweigh other drawbacks.

For live players, they surely do.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

For live players, they surely do.

KIND OF implies that other platforms are lacking in a way that makes a Kemper the only viable option. I don't think thats always the case. But sure, for a lot of bands, compromising on the accuracy of the tone makes no meaningful impact in favour of keeping all their MIDI switching/setlists/presets that they've been using solidly for 10+ years. I think the reality is that the vast majority of users aren't pushing a Kemper (or Axe FX or Helix) anywhere close to its technical limits on that stuff and that most options on the market will suffice for the majority.

But then we're just circling back to the point that the Kemper sounds good enough rather than sounding good. The most telling thing is the number of users who formerly used Kemper's but have switched to other platforms. Compare that to the number of Fractal users who hop between FM3/FM9/AFX3, or Helix users jumping between the different platforms there. Likewise, what proportion of ToneX or QC users were using Kemper's before?

ToneX/NAM, and NDSP's plugins certainly put the nail in the coffin of the Kemper for me.

 

[JCW308]

Try with the new RM for iOS update 1.8.2

Tried it, no go. Same issues.

 

[Sascha Franck]

KIND OF implies that other platforms are lacking in a way that makes a Kemper the only viable option.

Yes, it defenitely implies that. And no, not the only option, but still a very viable one. Because, as easy as that, most companies simply don't care because their target customers are home dwellers.

But sure, for a lot of bands, compromising on the accuracy of the tone makes

You are again making it sound as if accuracy is important for pretty much everyone. Which it simply isn't. A mate of mine has profiled his amps long time ago (a JCM and a modded MkII C, from all I remember), and while he noticed a lack in accuracy, he told me a while ago that he prefers the Kemper iterations by now. Even for recording in his own studio (where he could as well use the real deal). Go figure.
So, lack of accuracy =/= lack of tonal quality.

But then we're just circling back to the point that the Kemper sounds good enough rather than sounding good.

Wrong. See above. It's your opinion, not a "point". My mate's opinion is completely different. Mine as well (even if that is irrelevant due to my very small experiences).

 

[ian_dissonance]

lol, lack of accuracy means just that. It lacks accuracy when compared to other stuff that does similar things. If the goal is to create a snapshot of a real amp, and other devices are more accurate, then one of them is objectively worse at the job they both claim to do. Doesn’t matter who likes what or what’s “good enough”, there is a way to measure which one is better at that part of the job it sets out to do. Just because the Helix fits my workflow better than another device doesn’t mean that it necessarily has the best X feature. It’s not that complicated.

 

[Sascha Franck]

lol, lack of accuracy means just that. It lacks accuracy when compared to other stuff that does similar things. If the goal is to create a snapshot of a real amp, and other devices are more accurate, then one of them is objectively worse at the job they both claim to do. Doesn’t matter who likes what or what’s “good enough”, there is a way to measure which one is better at that part of the job it sets out to do.

Nobody has ever denied that.
Just that it's completely irrelevant for some people.

 

[ian_dissonance]

Nobody has ever denied that.
Just that it's completely irrelevant for some people.

But you keep making that argument when people are just stating whether it is or isn’t, lol. It doesn’t matter if it’s relevant to some people, it’s just a thing that is. And it’s a worthwhile piece of information in discussion about the value of the thing.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

Yes, it defenitely implies that. And no, not the only option, but still a very viable one. Because, as easy as that, most companies simply don't care because their target customers are home dwellers.



You are again making it sound as if accuracy is important for pretty much everyone. Which it simply isn't. A mate of mine has profiled his amps long time ago (a JCM and a modded MkII C, from all I remmember), and while he noticed a lack in accuracy, he told me a while ago that he prefers the Kemper iteration by now. Even for recording in his own studio (where he could as well use the real deal). Go figure.
So, lack of accuracy =/= lack of tonal quality.



Wrong. See above. It's your opinion, not a "point". My mate's opinion is completely different. Mine as well (even if that is irrelevant due to my very small experiences).

basically what @ian_dissonance said. We can go in circles all day long of saying “the kemper is noticeably less accurate” and someone else saying “that doesn’t always matter”.

The fact is, the improvement of other platforms over Kemper DOES matter to many - that’s why there are so many other options available now, and why many people have jumped ship.