Profiler MK 2 Discussion (unorganized long thread with loads of off topic remarks)

    Quote from csc_100

    Does this mean that I no longer need to waste one of my customizable effect slots on a noise gate or compressor?

    After some demo by my self. Yes and no. The Fixed Effects IMO should be labeled like Quick Effects.

    They are fixed yes, but also simplified or even alternative versions of current effects.

    • Double tracker has only one knob vs three in the main effect. Same for chorus, and does the job.
    • Trapose sounds slightly different (better?) than the main effect.
    • Booster is like Pure Booster

    • Compressor is amazing and transparent. Simple, easy and effective!

      Definitely a nice addition!

    Quote from Casuso

    After some demo by my self. Yes and no. The Fixed Effects IMO should be labeled like Quick Effects.

    They are fixed yes, but also simplified or even alternative versions of current effects.

    • Double tracker has only one knob vs three in the main effect. Same for chorus, and does the job.
    • Trapose sounds slightly different (better?) than the main effect.
    • Booster is like Pure Booster

    • Compressor is amazing and transparent. Simple, easy and effective!

      Definitely a nice addition!

    same impressions here. I actually hated the doubler, I'd rather my TC Mimiq all day long.

    The chorus in the first fixed fx block is really great.

    Really the crucial thing for me eill be if i can place a pure booster after the X slot (as per the diagram), and if i can midicontrol the boost value, on/off stage and if i can lock it.

    And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.

    Quote from Kim_Olesen

    Really the crucial thing for me eill be if i can place a pure booster after the X slot (as per the diagram), and if i can midicontrol the boost value, on/off stage and if i can lock it.

    You can still do all the stuff you did before. The only difference is that the two fixed effects blocks add basic versions of some of the existing effects that are locked in place. All the original effects can still be used in all the other blocks as we're used to.

    According to feedback from some KPP users, the following improvements have been widely observed after upgrading to OS13:

    1. Optimization of string response: The response to plucking force is more delicate, especially the transition from weak (p) to strong (f) is more natural
    2. Improved dynamic linearity: A smoother volume curve during continuous playing, reducing the previous "stepped" sensation.
    3. Reduced latency: Some users noted a decrease in note-triggering delay

    This is also my own feeling. I don't know what you think?

    Edited 2 times, last by AppleTreeChen (May 30, 2025 at 5:14 AM).

    Quote from AppleTreeChen

    According to feedback from some KPP users, the following improvements have been widely observed after upgrading to OS13:

    1. Enhanced string response: More nuanced sensitivity to plucking dynamics, particularly in smoother transitions from piano (p) to forte (f).
    2. Improved dynamic linearity: A smoother volume curve during continuous playing, reducing the previous "stepped" sensation.
    3. Reduced latency: Some users noted a decrease in note-triggering delay by 10-15ms.

    This is also my own feeling. I don't know what you think?

    Interesting. Feels exactly the same to me.

    What do you mean by latency here? Latency > 15 ms. would be unplayable.

    Quote from waraba

    Gimme the audio demos of the new profiling & cab possibilities please !!! My actual benchmark is NAM , I really wonder if the mark2 can do better ?

    Well ... according to the Website - it will outdo everything - including NAM ... and I quote:-

    " More than 100,000 individual frequency points meticulously analyzed for the most precise amp recreation ever achieved "

    This is an absolute statement ..... there are no disclaimers or ifs or buts or maybe's or qualifications etc... ..... they are clearly stating it will be better than everything else ... period ..... they have taken the ball themselves and put it in their own side of the court.

    Once the new MK2 Profiling drops, I expect numerous comparative MK2 vs NAM vs Tonex Null tests to be all over Y/T - so it will be either a "yes it is" -or- "no it isn't"

    If they don't deliver on this, its not going to do their credibility / reputation / product claims any good.

    Edited 2 times, last by benifin (May 30, 2025 at 6:56 AM).

    Quote from benifin

    Well ... according to the Website - it will outdo everything - including NAM ... and I quote:-

    " More than 100,000 individual frequency points meticulously analyzed for the most precise amp recreation ever achieved "

    This is an absolute statement ..... there are no disclaimers or ifs or buts or maybe's or qualifications etc... ..... they are clearly stating it will be better than everything else ... period ..... they have taken the ball themselves and put it in their own side of the court.

    Once the new MK2 Profiling drops, I expect numerous comparative MK2 vs NAM vs Tonex Null tests to be all over Y/T - so it will be either a "yes it is" -or- "no it isn't"

    If they don't deliver on this, its not going to do their credibility / reputation / product claims any good.

    In my experience they always deliver what they say. I'm really excited about this.

    Another thing I have been wondering about is a statement in the recent “Kemper 2” thread that CK noted in some interview that the current DSP does not allow for more than one profile to be processed at a time. Maybe it’s wishful thinking but, now that we have received some under the hood improvements, which already enable a host of new functionalities, I wonder whether there will be an update in the future that enables dual amps, or similar. It’s not something they would announce now but, given how the old unit improved over time, I would not want to rule it out.

    On a similar note, as probably most Player users, I have zero interest in profiling amps and enabling that feature for amps seems cumbersome. However, if one could (eventually) prodile something like a pedal, that would be much more attractive! So with the added processing power, could this open the door to things like pedal profiles? I believe the QC can already do that.

    Separately, has noone done a teardown of the KPP to compare the board layout and reveal any differences in chips used? I am so surprised nobody realized that the Player already included so much more tech.

    Quote from Finally

    In my experience they always deliver what they say. I'm really excited about this.

    I'm wanting / hoping to agree with you as C.K / Kemper tend very much towards under-promising and over delivering.

    However given we all - including C.K - know just how accurate and good NAM Software Capturing is, their publicly expressed statements about the MK2 Profiling being " .... the most precise amp recreation ever achieved ..." is an awfully BIG call with NO room for disclaimers / ifs / buts etc.....

    Its a MASSIVE claim to make and then, for whatever reason -not- deliver on (?)

    Guess we will know in a month or to ?

    I find this more of a facelift than a comprehensive upgrade. It looks more like something rushed out to be able to continue production. 15 years is a long time in the digital era, and parts obsolesence could have made continued production of the original model complicated. For a premium device it is peculiar that physical weaknesses that were pointed out from release have not been addressed, such as the flimsy and exposed LCD contrast-pot on the KPA remote, the flimsy RJ45 without EtherCON for the remote and circuit-mounted controls in general. Premium devices intended for touring should be prepared for heavy handling and be designed with chassis-mounted controls and external connections. Other obvious features that competitors have introduced over the last 5-10 years have been missed, such as separate Ethernet for external connection, WiFi, Bluetooth etc. While I personally prefer to keep things simple for performance and would be happy doing all editing on an external device of my choice I would at least have opted for OLED displays, not just for colour, but which could be easier to read in difficult light. And I would have designed some kind of improved protection for screen and controls on the remote and the stage model. I've been very happy with my mk1 head for 13 years. I'm holding out for a while unless something breaks or tests should indicate that mk2 is vastly superior, cause I believe the competition will force a more comprehensive Kemper-2 redesign within a few years. Many recent comparisons indicate that Kemper still is heading the field in terms of audio quality, but the competitors are catching up rapidly, while also offering features of convenience for setup, rehearsal and preparation that Kemper does not address with this facelift.

    Edited once, last by heldal (May 30, 2025 at 9:54 AM).

    I am going to pull the trigger on the MKII. I’ve had my green/black toaster since it was released (since 2013?). So it’s about time for me to get a fresh new Kemper and support the new line of units.

    1) Kemper has never (to me) disappointed regarding value for money.

    2) No one knows what the updates of this thing will look like. Perhaps something crazy in a few years. So maybe it opens up for cool stuff eventually.

    3) A new profiling method.

    It’s all good for me. Thanx Kemper <3

    Wanna throw this in -

    I was skeptical myself so reached out to Kemper regarding whether the Player will be able to make profiles, and this is the response I got:

    Hello,

    Here is some information for you:

    The Profiling 2 will come as a free software update for all Profiler MK 2 devices.
    Expected to come in sommer. There is still some work and tests to do.

    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.

    Fascinating to me and more people might find it interesting, so I'm forwarding it here! Yes, the KPP doesn't have the inputs to profile like we used to, but looks like they're getting around it with a process with several steps and reusing the input.

    (In any case, that's all the confirmation I need - I just wish they made it clearer in the original announcement :D)

    The fact that this discussion about the MK2 is calm without the "hysteria" of the past,without hype,with reasonable questions about the new product etc etc shows very clearly that we all have come a long way ie modeling and digital technology in the slow moving guitar world.

    The MK2 will be a great product for all the customers who have no modelers yet but thinking about to make finally the step away from recording and performing with their tube rigs..something which becomes more and more difficult as the years pass by.

    For me personally..this is the main "message" I get from Christoph and his team about the MK2:

    Like the og KPA it is still the main option if you come from the tube rigs and you're a "justwannaplay" type of guy.

    A tool which is tailored around good sound and functionality. Stability. Reliability. For sure the MK2 will continue exactly where the og KPA ends.

    With all the "useful modern stuff" which became available during the kast decade ie connectivity and core power.

    Many people will not understand that Kemper also has to stay with their "philosophy" and the things they believe are important and crucial for the working musician.

    The MK2 will sound amazing,it keeps the proven philosophy/dogma and workflow of the og KPA which was a Revolution not only because of its profiling technology but most if all because it made the leap from our beloved tube rigs more easy than "the rest" of the modelers years ago.

    "Pure tweakers" and tech-freaks will choose another modeler anyway.With all the fancy stuff. Or at least they should imo. Kemper is "for the players".

    I'm now wondering if this is all about SPEAKER modeling (not amp profiling itself) :
    Precise analysis of over 100,000 frequency points: the most accurate speaker simulation in history

    • Dynamic Box Resonance Capture: The industry's longest and most complex impulse response technology is used to restore the real dynamics
    • Liquid Timbre Simulation Technology: Seamlessly integrates the gain and timbre control of the original speaker, so that a single timbre file can be transformed into a fully dynamic "live speaker".
    • Hybrid Modeling Technology: Combines deterministic analog measurement with AI intelligent analysis to achieve an unparalleled playing feel
    Quote from Nikos

    "Pure tweakers" and tech-freaks will choose another modeler anyway.With all the fancy stuff. Or at least they should imo. Kemper is "for the players".

    The Kemper offers endless tweaking capabilities as well though. With other modelers you have a basic amp model that you can then configure and tweak and yes there's a lot of options playing around with mic positions and things like that. With Kemper you have hundreds of profiles of the same amp with subtle differences that could be your starting point. Pairing those with different IR's is a long process with really endless possibilities. Auditioning large numbers of profile + IR combinations with your particular preferences definition and clarity and with studio EQ in front and behind the amp stack takes time. So if you don't really like tweaking, one should stick to physical amps IMO. I suppose Kemper is a little different in that you don't have to tweak things. You can audition even the standard profiles that come with the device and find something decent very easily.