Is the Mk I now a little outdated?

[Jason Scott]

For me though, there is a huge gulf between a 'feature request' and littering the forum with your discontent.

The only feature I've seen users express discontent over was the lack of an editor, and it took a massive show of discontent (and interest) over a period of years for Kemper to begin developing one. That said, I've been a regular on the Kemper forum for half a decade and I don't see a lot of discontent over a lack of features littering the forum. I do see certain features, such as dual amps, discussed here and there.

It is not the job of Fractal/Kemper/Line6 to match a product to your specific requirements

On the contrary, the only reason companies like Fractal Audio, Kemper, and Line 6 are able to stay in business is because they supply a product with features that consumers want, and all of those companies show an interest in user feedback to a degree.

Even you used the word 'virtually' in regard to the editor, so it's common in practice, but it's not to be assumed.

I used the word 'virtually' because there are exceptions, but the vast majority of modeling companies have/had an editor. How many top modelers can you name that don't have an editor? Even the POD XT, which predates the Kemper by quite a few years, had an editor. The Headrush doesn't have one and neither does the Quad Cortex, but Neural's plan has always been to create an editor for the QC.

As someone who records and played live as a guitarist (when I owned the Kemper) I can safely say for me the Kemper did not need an editor.

That's fine, but if polls on the Kemper forum and social media are any indication, there were far more users who wanted a Kemper editor than not.

Sorry I misrepresented my point and I fully agree with what you are saying. My point was more about processing power versus the need and the ability to run complex setups. Agreed that all needs are different, but I do wonder how many people who requested dual amps, for example, would actually use that feature or just wanted it because the guitarist they love runs a Vox and a Demester live?

I can only assume you don't hang out on The Gear Page or other modeling related forums, because quite a few users do use dual amps and cabs, and also appreciate extremely flexible routing options. However, with regard to the Kemper, it's not even possible to do simple stuff like use dual cabs.

It was the same with the "why does the Kemper not have a soundcard function? The Axe and Helix have that feature" posts. I agreed with Kemper that it's a professional device meant for studio use so most people will have a multi in/out audio interface already so why push up costs?

It's about supply and demand. Personally, I don't want or need the Axe-Fx or Kemper to function as an interface, but I recognize that a lot of people do. It's a selling point. If you spend any time browsing posts on this forum, you'll see people commonly use the Axe-Fx as an interface.

I was more refering to people who primarily use there product live so fair point on me not considering the studio peeps. That's where I was saying the Kemper has a distinct advantage in that the front panel is so simple to use.

In my opinion, the KPA's front panel UI is probably one of the most intuitive and simple to use, but that's independent of whether it's less efficient than tweaking the unit via the editor, which it is, in my opinion. Further, for people who do record, it's not always practical or convenient to place the Kemper within arms reach, so an editor can be essential. There are also a number of people who've reported difficulty viewing the screen due to poor vision. The bottom line is, anyone who doesn't want or need an editor doesn't have to use it, but there are plenty of people who have very good reasons for wanting/needing one.

Here I have to disagree to a certain extent. The editor for the Axe is spectacular, and it makes a very complex system easy to use. But there is a reason I own a Faderport 16, and that's because when controlling post effects or modulation, it is far more creative to have physical controls I can multi move than having to use a mouse and go through a host of menus turning one knob at a time......I suppose I only partly disagree as it depends very much on the individual and the application.

When tweaking a preset while recording, it's infinitely faster to select an effect from a drop-down menu with a mouse than to twist a knob 9 or 10 times in order to select said effect. In my experience, it's much more efficient to type in a specific EQ value in a data field than it is to try and dial that value in precisely using a knob on the front panel.

If a person has hundreds of profiles on their Kemper, which method is faster when searching for a specific profile?

A) Twisting a knob on the front panel and scrolling through all of the profiles on the unit

or

B) Typing the name of a profile into the search field using a keyboard

 

[GLiDE BPM]

Fractal pumps out more upgrades/feature upgrades over firmware in 2 years than Line 6 and Kemper do over the course of several years, too!

I could technically still be content with a MkI Axe 3. I'm MkII but not going Turbo anytime soon.

 

[Tannhauser]

Fractal pumps out more upgrades/feature upgrades over firmware in 2 years than Line 6 and Kemper do over the course of several years, too!

I bought an Axe FX3 because I thought and continue to think it's the best thing on the market.

With that said, I don't think, aside from the addition of more amps and effects that I could say with any confidence what the software updates have done for the quality of the sound.

 

[mischa.sera]

What the world really needs is an Axe-FX III Mark II ...C+

 

[Jason Scott]

I bought an Axe FX3 because I thought and continue to think it's the best thing on the market.

With that said, I don't think, aside from the addition of more amps and effects that I could say with any confidence what the software updates have done for the quality of the sound.

That video was made nearly a year and a half ago, and there have been significant changes to the modeling (ie. Cygnus) since then. Having said that, I can hear notable differences between some of the clips.

 

[mr_fender]

Yeah, I've got both a II running Aries and a III and I can say without a doubt that the difference in clarity, feel, and dynamics between them with Cygnus is quite apparent. The II still sounds fantastic, but Cygnus takes the III to a new level for sure.

 

[Mystik]

I agree. Cygnus has changed a lot. It is impossible not to hear it.

 

[Tannhauser]

That video was made nearly a year and a half ago, and there have been significant changes to the modeling (ie. Cygnus) since then. Having said that, I can hear notable differences between some of the clips.

Yeah, I've got both a II running Aries and a III and I can say without a doubt that the difference in clarity, feel, and dynamics between them with Cygnus is quite apparent. The II still sounds fantastic, but Cygnus takes the III to a new level for sure.

I agree. Cygnus has changed a lot. It is impossible not to hear it.

Interesting, Fractal ought to put out some samples so people can hear the difference, it'd be good marketing. I've not updated mine past v15.

I saw a video recently of someone judging modeling based on an Ultra, it'd be good to show how far things have come.

 

[jin1995x]

In a mix or recorded audio, all well crafted tones can sound good.

but when you play a note on your guitar in your room or whatever and feel it pop out and hit your heart.

Thats where cygnus really strikes. We may or may not hear that in a mix as there are too many things.

But you can definitely feel it when you playing with it and for once its not placebo.