PLAYER - what were they thinking?

    Did not see that... Thx a lot

    Quote from G String

    If you feel that way, you should invest in a unit which has all that. For instance a Profiler Rack / Head / Stage.

    Any chance of a global EQ on the monitor out being on the roadmap?

    I would use the unit as a compact solution going into returns of whatever amp I run into…without a global EQ I would be delivered to the gods ;-)…

    Call me crazy, but I think this Player would be great for those people that own and prefer the Helix work flow and their vast effect models and have the best of both worlds. You could place this in one of its audio loops and have the Helix change Rigs with midi messages (with no audio gap, which is the Kemper's strength). Each Rig on the player could have the KPA's very musical noise gate set just so.

    Any complex EQ you want to do, you could do in one of the Player's four effect slots; these are all settings you'd want customized to whatever amp/cab and gain settings you are using. Kpa's auto volume compensation when you make gain changes is one of KPA's strengths which you now bring to the Helix workflow.


    This would allow you to have audio-gap free amp changes from Kemper within a single Helix preset (you can do that within a Helix preset with their amp models, but you'd run out of Helix DSP for other things) If you make changes to a particular Rig, whether it's gain, EQ, an effect EQ or noise gate, you make these changes once. If you use that Rig in a number of Helix presets, you don't have to go to each and every preset and make the changes over and over like you would if you were using a Helix amp model. The best part is that all this would be done without taxing the Helix DSP, with the very small DSP dedicate to using an effects loops.


    That said, I personally like the KPA effects and actually prefer their approach of having similar controls across many effect algorithms, in particular the ducking parameter on everything.

    Edited once, last by Grooguit ().

    Like 1

    The "Kemper Rig Player"


    Amazing! I proposed this very similar idea back in February 2022.


    While I understand that my proposal is not the product that's come to market, you have to admit the concept is very close.


    I continue to use my KPA for performances, but would it be too bold of me to ask Kemper to send me a complementary Kemper Player in recognition of my suggestion?


    I'll purchased one regardless. It would be nice to have as a momento of my suggestion.


    Thanks for this beautiful piece of engineering!

    The Kemper profiler .. if you just consider the name itself, means a way to profile these amps that are quickly disappearing. So many awesome amps that are no longer available ... many are unicorns.


    Most of these amps that are profiled were never equipped with effects, compression, pre and post EQ, etc ... they are amps. The tool should reflect this concept.


    It's great to have all the effects and production quality interfaces, but really aren't we wanting to have access to the vast library of amplifiers that are quickly disappearing from the face of the Earth?


    This is the divergence I see from a concept to an all-purpose amp modeler with a line 6, etc. Great machines, but they're not fulfilling a purpose as originally designed with the profiler.


    I just want access to the amps. Many of these amplifiers were not originally equipped with effects loops, or noise Gates, you get the drift.


    There's nothing wrong with wanting all those things, but I prefer to use them as amplifiers instead of a synthesized compressed homogenized poser hybrid.


    Many of the commercial profiles that are available are often indistinguishable. In other words they are not highly representative of the characteristics of these very special amps that are profiled. They're over colored with effects and studio EQ.


    I see a value in having all that in one package, but it's really not maintaining the concept of profiling amplifiers. I want to plug into the amplifier profile and I wanted to sound like the amplifier without any coloration at all. Many profile packs sound virtually indistinguishable. A little gain tweak here, some EQ there, they all sound over compressed and over effected.


    That's just me. I think it serves a valuable purpose though. Once you profile the priceless boutique amp or an old Ampeg Reverber-a-rocket, you've captured that for eternity.


    Then add whatever it is you want to add to shape the tone to your benefit.


    So give me a player that I can dump three or four awesome unadulterated rare amp tones, and let me take it from there.


    The Player has this potential of the gigging musician without all the BS.

    Ha, don’t mean to burst your bubble but people have being asking for this for a decade

    New talent management advice to Laura Cox -


    “Laura want to break the internet? let’s shoot another video of you covering the Nightrain solo in the blue singlet, but this time we’ll crank up the air conditioning”.

    Like 3 Haha 2
    Quote from Kellerblues

    I don't get all the whining....

    Players wanted a full function Kemper in a smaller package for travel. This is not that.

    But the Player serves another function. It now makes Kemper affordable. Kemper is now in a whole new market space. I know if I could get a Player for a decent price, I would have converted to Kemper many years ago. Instead, I never even looked at Kemper because it was way too much money for me ($500 US max). Line 6 making Helixs sell for $1500 made me look at a Kemper.


    This is like giving away crack for free to new drug users. Soon used Players will be for sale everywhere because people will be upgrading to the bigger stuff


    Looks like the perfect unit for its purposes. Kempers designs are always perfection.

    Here in the US it is listing for ~$700 as I understand it. This puts it in direct market competition with the Helix Stomp HX and XL.


    Both the Helix units offer an efx loop and a color LCD screen. The XL offers a more comprehensive set of foot switches as well.


    One can argue that a Helix is not in the same tonal category as the KPA (I certainly feel this is the case); however, I would argue that Helix poses significant competition in this price point.


    Kemper Player Pro's:

    1. Backup to full KPA
    2. Better tube tone
    3. Easier to understand workflow (more tube amp + pedal board standard)

    Helix Pro's:

    1. Color LCD Screen - Better labeling of the patch you are on and its routing/efx (although it is small)
    2. XL version has a more complete set of foot switches for live performance
    3. Effects loop for those that use it

    My personal opinion is that Kemper is going to have to lower the price after a year on this product. I like the product and believe that it will be a very good one indeed; however, my product manager self says that the color LCD is sexy on the helix and will sell. I would not have released a product without the color LCD even if I thought it was functionally irrelevant due to size. In fact, I would have argued that the Kemper Player have a larger color LCD than the Helix and would have touted its readability in a live setting.


    Still, it isn't like the Player is a bad product, I just think it would have been worth the extra cost for the color LCD. Just my 2 cents.

    Quote from OneEng1

    One can argue that a Helix is not in the same tonal category as the KPA (I certainly feel this is the case); however, I would argue that Helix poses significant competition in this price point.

    In Canada the Helix is $2,349.99.

    The Kemper player is $1,025.00.


    You can literally buy 2 Kemper players for the price of a Helix. Just imagine the possibilities.

    Quote from Tony G

    In Canada the Helix is $2,349.99.

    The Kemper player is $1,025.00.


    You can literally buy 2 Kemper players for the price of a Helix. Just imagine the possibilities.

    I think you're looking at the full Helix not the HX Stomp which is £499 here in the UK.


    Quote from OneEng1

    However, my product manager self says that the color LCD is sexy on the helix and will sell. I would not have released a product without the color LCD even if I thought it was functionally irrelevant due to size. In fact, I would have argued that the Kemper Player have a larger color LCD than the Helix and would have touted its readability in a live setting.

    I understand your points and agree that the Helix will be stiff competition but I don't agree about the screen.


    For me the use of space to allow additional physical knobs is a much better trade off. For live use the Player would be a perfect solution for most of my gigs I use a limited number of amps and barely any FX. With such a limited setup I don't need a screen to know where I am but the ability to just reach down and tweak a knob like a real amp is really attractive to me.


    It will be interesting to see how it fares in the market. I liked RosboneMako analogy. I see it as a potential gateway drug to Kemper addiction too 😂

    Those are good points. I have a a Pod Go which recently got the cab updates that Helix got; at least running one amp and cab, it should be tonally identical to the Helix and Stomp. I so wanted to love the thing but I feel there is a digital harshness that I sense even if I dial in a tone I generally like. While this thing will be compared to the Helix stomp and stomp XL, I think Kemper profiles, especially liquid profiles are in a higher class than the Helix amp and cab models. So just as the Kemper Stage has a niche in the market compared to the Helix that has more routing options, there will be a niche for this as well compared to Stomp users.

    Didn't Kemper have a 2-button footswitch that could could assign additional functions for? I don't see it on the website. That might be a simple plug and play way to get a two more footswitch functions out of the player. Those you could use other brands per the Player manual where it mentions the KPA one.

    Quote from Grooguit

    Didn't Kemper have a 2-button footswitch that could could assign additional functions for? I don't see it on the website. That might be a simple plug and play way to get a two more footswitch functions out of the player. Those you could use other brands per the Player manual where it mentions the KPA one.

    It's a bit buried, but it's there:


    Loading | Kemper Amps

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

    Like 1
    Quote from Tony G

    In Canada the Helix is $2,349.99.

    The Kemper player is $1,025.00.


    You can literally buy 2 Kemper players for the price of a Helix. Just imagine the possibilities.

    Another possibility would be to buy the Kemper player AND a Helix Stomp XL for less than the price of either a Stage or Helix. $1450 USD or so. With this set up, you could utilize the Player in the Stomp XL effects loop. Then use the Kemper for its profiles with convenient volume compensation, Noise gate and any pre or post equalizations you want to set for use with a specific profile. (all the stuff you want the dialed the same any time you use that Profile). Then you have the 7 left over effect slots in the Stomp XL to use Line 6's library of effects, whether pre or post amp. You'd still have a slot or two left over in the Kemper player to utilize its effects. and the combined footprint of the two units would take up less space than either the Stage or Helix, plus you could tuck each into a different pocket of a bag or your computer's bag. Best part is that since the Stomp is an all in one unit, you don't lose having the convenience of a headphone output at the end of your signal chain.

    One other point of comparison though between the Stomp/Stomp XL and the Kemper Player. Once again, just like the Kemper vs. Helix, Kemper has a DSP advantage forgotten when comparing Rigs to Presets.


    The Stomp and Stomp XL follow the DSP allocation of their big brother the Helix. When playing through a song you need to remain in the same preset because there is no spillover and a small audio gap between presets. On the Player, you can toggle through the 5 Rigs in a bank an have a smooth transition with spillover of the wet effects. Therefore there is no need to try and place every effect you want for a song in one Rig, as you can get to four others real quick, even if you use an identical profile in each. Whereas in the Line 6 paradigm, you can assign more effect in a single preset, but that's your practical cap for a single song. Now there may be many situations where a small audio gap and lack of spillover don't matter and you can utilize a bank of presets any time you have small gaps where you aren't playing. But trying to organize you sounds in general in the manner is problematic since there are plenty of times where that small gap would matter greatly from song to song.