Last week Kemper orchestrated one of the most confusing new product annoucements in music gear history. They officially unveiled an MK 2 Series of Kemper Profilers, but they failed to adequately explain what has changed exactly (see the video below; it explains nothing).
Buried under multiple layers of marketing speak, it turns out hardly anything has changed from a hardware or design standpoint. The biggest improvement is supposed to be coming in the form of new profiling technology, but they aren’t releasing that until later this summer—an exact date hasn’t been given yet. So why are they selling the new MK 2 units now with the older profiling tech? Yeah, that’s a bit of a head-scratcher.
One of the biggest news items that Kemper didn’t explain at all is the fact that the Kemper Profiler Player will be getting the ability to create profiles. It sounds like it will require using a computer along with Rig Manager, but that’s a big development either way.
Kemper says the Player’s hardware is already on the same level as the new MK 2 units, and it will support the new advanced profiling tech, but they don’t specifically state anywhere that it can be used to create profiles so it’s still not 100% clear. The way it’s written in the press release it can be interpreted in different ways.
However, a number of people on the Kemper forum are saying it will get profiling capabilities when the software update for Profiling 2 gets released. Some have reached out to Kemper support to clarify and this response makes it clear the Player will be getting profiling capabilities:
The existing Profiler Players (they are all MK 2 already) will get the same Profiling 2 as a free software update for LVL 1, 2 and 3, that is, for every single Profiler Player device out there.
As the Profiler Player only features one input, it will be used as the return input as well. So some re-plugging is necessary during the Profiling procedure. However, we have done some tests already, and the whole process is easier and more robust than we thought.
I purchased a Kemper Player Profiler after it first came out, and it was one of the most disappointing music gear experiences ever. First off, it says “Profiler” right on the unit. Yet, it wasn’t capable of making profiles itself; it could only play profiles created with other Kemper products. Yeah, that makes sense. So unless you own one of the more expensive Kempers too you’re 100% reliant on other people to create tones for you. That’s insane.
I tried a bunch of free high gain profiles and thought they all pretty much sucked, except for a single rectifier profile that I liked. I had no interest in buying other people’s tones so I sent the Player Profiler back.
At least it looks like they’re finally going to give the Player profiling ability so users can create profiles of their own amps and not have to rely on other people for literally everything. The fact that Kemper hasn’t definitively said the Player will be able to create profiles is a bit unsettling, but it sounds like they’re at least trying to make that happen. As long as it doesn’t require a paid upgrade…
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