The Kemper thread

goldtop

@chrishill901 I haven't read up much on liquid profiling yet. But I did see a lot of YT videos pop up about it, which is one of the reasons it popped back up on my radar.

The only other modeller I have now is the THR30 as a sofa-side play-along amp, and the Kemper will go into my little studio setup.

nero1701

I have the kemper and a poweramp, its a recent addition, replacing my FM3...I'm still not 100% sure it was a positive move.

I have not gigged it yet, but will be picking up a zilla 2x12 this week, so will use it on a couple of practices.

I have a few profiles, which I am happy to share @goldtop if you want to drop me a PM

goldtop

Thanks @nero1701 - I have just received it and need to work my way through the profiles left on the machine by the previous owner. Just skiving off work now and giving it a quick spin.

(Er... I'd forgotten about the Kemper's boot time! Wonder if that's a factor of the number of profiles stored on it?)

drwiddly

(Er... I'd forgotten about the Kemper's boot time! Wonder if that's a factor of the number of profiles stored on it?)

It definitely is. They say you can store up to 1000 profiles on the unit but that will extend the boot time considerably. I keep about 50 on mine and it boots quite quickly but nowhere near as quick as a Fractal or Helix.

susbemol

Still faster than most valve amps warming up.

goldtop

drwiddly said:

(Er... I'd forgotten about the Kemper's boot time! Wonder if that's a factor of the number of profiles stored on it?)

It definitely is. They say you can store up to 1000 profiles on the unit but that will extend the boot time considerably. I keep about 50 on mine and it boots quite quickly but nowhere near as quick as a Fractal or Helix.

Aha. This one, being a second-hand one, may be packed with all sorts. I will get Rig Manager on my Mac so I can more easily browse/archive/delete.

Thanks.

goldtop

If anyone's interested, my toaster-style Kemper came with a rather nice Zilla head cabinet that I don't need. Now listed in the Classifieds.

goldtop

Had a run-through with headphones last night. Sounds great, but I really need to spend some time reprogramming my brain about the interface.

Also - Rig Manager shows that this KPA has 271 profiles loaded. Which may explain that excessive boot time. Backed up via Rig Manager now and I suppose I could/should audition them all and remove the profiles that I don't need.

I hadn't planned on leaving my Kemper attached to the Mac, but I now see that the OS lets it works as a USB audio interface. It would even let me use the two mono inputs on the back for recording other sources. So I could rejig things here. Decisions, decisions...

goldtop

Tangent question: anyone know if the Kemper acts as a MIDI interface when connected over USB to a PC/Mac?

(I suppose the MIDI interface was originally there for the editor, controller compatibility when it was designed, but it would be quite handy if the audio interface firmware also allowed MIDI data to go to/from keyboards, etc).

drwiddly

Yes it does but only with the latest firmware update.

Musicwolf

goldtop said:

Tangent question: anyone know if the Kemper acts as a MIDI interface when connected over USB to a PC/Mac?

(I suppose the MIDI interface was originally there for the editor, controller compatibility when it was designed, but it would be quite handy if the audio interface firmware also allowed MIDI data to go to/from keyboards, etc).

I'm 99.9% certain that the answer is - no.  I've got my Kemper connected to my music computer via USB and the Kemper does not show up on the list of MIDI devices in Cubase.  I know that people have requested MIDI via USB since the Kemper was launched but the fact that this has never been implemented in any update suggests that it won't happen in the future either.

A pity as it would be nice to have.  I use a Helix live and I switch patches and snapshots using MIDI commands via USB.  If I wanted to use the Kemper I'd need to add a USB - MIDI interface to the chain.

goldtop

A brief sortie under the desk, swearing at USB and other cables, seems to show that @Musicwolf is right - there are no MIDI ports viewable in a DAW nor in the Audio/MIDI setup utility.

@drwiddly - did I explain what I was after in a confusing way? I'm on firmware 9.0.5.4something, downloaded at the end of last week.

I do have other options, but it would have been quite useful. Oh well...

drwiddly

@goldtop - Might be my bad mate, apologies if so. I haven't updated my Kemper for a little while but they did announce recently that it would be updated so it could be used as a usb audio interface. I then read something the other day saying that this had been implemented in a recent update. It may be a beta firmware?

goldtop

^ Yes, it works as a USB audio interface (I did a quick check earlier today, too)

It's just that the Kemper's MIDI ports are not presented to the DAW as MIDI sources or destinations (as they are for all normal audio interfaces). Which is a bit of a shame/oversight.

No worries.

drwiddly

Hmmm, a tiny bit pointless then?

goldtop

drwiddly said:

Hmmm, a tiny bit pointless then?

Well, I suppose I can understand that recording ease is probably more important for more guitarists than hooking up synths. Although Kemper was the boss of Access, so you'd have hoped it might be on his radar. 

jaytmon

The Kemper must have some MIDI functionality as I’m sure I’ve seen a Michael Britt YouTube video explaining how he switches in effects loops using a MIDI controller and the morph function…be damned if I can find that vid again though. Also appreciate this isn’t the same as being able to see the Kemper as a MIDI device in a DAW. Wonder if it could be a future update…

goldtop

^ Yes, I think you are right. That MIDI functionality was there from the get-go, so people with (say) an FCB-1010 could switch Kemper patches without needing the full Kemper Remote. 

I suppose I could RToriginalFM to see how Kemper described the use of the 3 MIDI ports.

Musicwolf

jaytmon said:

The Kemper must have some MIDI functionality as I’m sure I’ve seen a Michael Britt YouTube video explaining how he switches in effects loops using a MIDI controller and the morph function…be damned if I can find that vid again though. Also appreciate this isn’t the same as being able to see the Kemper as a MIDI device in a DAW. Wonder if it could be a future update…

You can certainly switch / control via MIDI, but only using a 5 pin DIN MIDI connection.  MIDI over USB, as is available on say a Helix, is something that Kemper users have been requesting since the launch.  The fact that it hasn't happened despite all of the other significant free updates would suggest that it isn't something that Kemper are able to do for whatever reason.

That said, a simple USB to MIDI cable and a couple of MIDI leads isn't going to break the bank.

jaytmon

Musicwolf said:

jaytmon said:

The Kemper must have some MIDI functionality as I’m sure I’ve seen a Michael Britt YouTube video explaining how he switches in effects loops using a MIDI controller and the morph function…be damned if I can find that vid again though. Also appreciate this isn’t the same as being able to see the Kemper as a MIDI device in a DAW. Wonder if it could be a future update…

You can certainly switch / control via MIDI, but only using a 5 pin DIN MIDI connection.  MIDI over USB, as is available on say a Helix, is something that Kemper users have been requesting since the launch.  The fact that it hasn't happened despite all of the other significant free updates would suggest that it isn't something that Kemper are able to do for whatever reason.

That said, a simple USB to MIDI cable and a couple of MIDI leads isn't going to break the bank.

Ah, I see, makes sense. Be interesting to try with a MIDI > USB converter, see if it produced satisfactory results.