User Manual Update with a very serious deep dive and rewrite

I have the Kemper Stage Version 1. I have had it since late 2019. Which over 2020 I went through the full manual. Page by page, exploring all the features and having a lot of fun. I mastered Midi, and Morphs and really unlocked a lot of the power of using a Kemper.

So things have changed and updated over the last 6-7 years. Now Pedals, new features, things moved. Rig Enhancements. Rig Manager itself has had so many different updates. So I went through a pretty deep dive again through the manual. There are things missing, stuff I can see in rig manager that is no where in the manual. No surprise, the manual hasn't been updated since December. There are are settings on effects that are just undocumented or no explanation how the Kemper handles them or if there is, I can not find it. The other problem is you download a 199 page PDF and trying to go through it or find just what you need is difficult. It is not always clear what exactly applies to the Stage Version 1 or Stage Version 2. I am guessing it is the same between the Head Versions and the rack and then the player, at all different levels of subscription.

So my suggestion or request is create a more modern online manual that stays up to date. Basically the user goes to the online manual Selects what profiler they have and what version or the profiler software with the latest being default. You can even have this all done in the users preferred language. Then they have quick access to everything they need. I do get the download the PDF version as well. Which is fine, there could be a link right on the side that says download. Most modern PDF software can build PDF's on the fly, you could easily build a single encompassing PDF every time there is a new version. I wouldn't go back and retrofit this with all the versions before that might be a hard task, but I would love to see it be maintained and updated going forward. You really only have to update the help section for what changed everything else carries forward. Especially since many of these overlap. Keep the documentation up to date should be easier as when there are changes, you update the documentation for that feature or features that are updated and select what profilers it applies to. Build the documentation pulling everything forward that didn't change. The actual building of the documentation and keeping it updated should be really easy as you are only modifying the section that changed with the updates.

I am thinking something similar to Microsoft Documentation files on their software for example. Here is a link to a simple PowerShell command. It auto detects the user language, but you can change that if you want, Notice in the upper left corner you can select what version of PowerShell you want to see the documentation for in this command.

Get-ChildItem (Microsoft.PowerShell.Management) - PowerShell

The Get-ChildItem cmdlet gets the items in one or more specified locations. If the item is a container, it gets the items inside the container, known as child…

learn.microsoft.com

Why this would be valuable is when you think about people doing actual updates. Think about how you interact with updates. Every single time your browser gets an update, do you stop and pause and read what was updated and explore and master the changes. You don't because a lot of time, you busy you really opened the browser to get something done. Sure there are times you might read it, say ok that feature doesn't interest me now but maybe later it does. This is the same with Kemper updates. Every time I get an update I am sitting down to play guitar. Sometimes it is because I am sitting down to practice on my own. Sometimes, I really need to modify a rig because my band is performing out. Sometimes I am trying to learn a new song. I get these updates. If I am getting ready for a show. I do not Update in case something goes wrong. When I later have time to explore and make sure there are no breaking changes. I install it. Sometimes I just update it, sometimes I read the changes. However, unless it really applies to be I often forget what those changes are. So here I am Rig Manager 14.1.2.66277, a Manual for Version 14.0.0 and there have been enough changes I see them and want to explore more but can't find anything.

Quote from Burkhard

I'm really wondering which manual you are referring to, which has not been updated since December and has 199 pages!?

We are at OS 14 and there is a corresponding manual set 14 including Addendum and Main Manual in several languages, which has been published together with OS 14 early March. The English Main Manual has for example 417 pages.

You are not referring to the Quick Start manual, or are you?

So When I refer to the Manual Not Updated and has 199 pages.

From Kemper Amps Main Page

Kemper Amps

Kemper Amps

www.kemper-amps.com

Main Menu
Support > Downloads

Filter to Latest Edition then User Manuals. This shows it has not been updated since December 16, 2025 and says it is 4.03. I can confirm however on disk after I downloaded it 8445 kb.

I honestly do not remember how I got the 199 pages. Not sure if I was stuck there in the app and couldn't go further, I have long since closed and reopened I can confirm the manual I was reading is 417 pages.

Quote from Burkhard

Please give a concrete example for "settings of effects that are just undocumented". Perhaps I can direct you to the pages.

Anyway, so A lot of this I was going through effects in No particular order, just notes I made where Wonder what this does. There were things I didn't make note of because I wasn't sure I would use it now.

Page 289 Reverb
"Stereo" is on every reverb, it is not here on the main reverb section as controls. It is not on each one individually. Which the reason I want to know is also Page 269 Gives extremely detailed information on how Stereo affects Delay. But there is nothing I see at least in the reverb section how it affects the Reverb, I am left Assuming it will work like delay, but I am not sure.

Page 280 Pitch Shifter Delay
Whole reason I started going back rereading the manual
First off these images on these and the Images on Delays are beautiful they really help explain it and what it does.
However, so many parameters above and beyond the similar delays and i use similar loosely. How do they affect things? Unless I am missing something not a single parameter is defined or documented on these.

Page 230 Stereo Widener
This control has a ducking control. This is the only "Widener" that has Ducking So Why? What's it do? Most of the time ducking has an effect increase from the playing dynamics. However not all of them, some affect certain parameters, So what's this one do?

Page 241 Micropitch
What's the Crossover Parameter do? Every Chorus defines the Crossover Parameter, it works a little different in each one. Nothing mentioned about it here, but it exists.

There were a lot of other things, again I can't specifically go back and find them. If you guys are willing to pay me to proof read the manual. You bet. But there are places where it says you can only change this setting on the profiler. Which no you can change it in Rig Manager now. There are also parameters I found documented on effects that do not exist. They might, sometime you need to turn something else on for them to appear but my trial and error of flicking around controls never had them appear. Again I can not tell you exactly what they were.

Then again my suggestion for how to set up the help section like Microsoft, again you have to think about how people really reference help. This was one of the painful parts for me. Say I want to set up a pedal. A delay, I want to look at a help file specifically for that one single delay and answer the question What's these knobs do. Where a lot of the effects has you finding the effect, then scrolling up to the main effect category description, then scrolling back down, then back up. Trying to make sense of what it is doing.

Quote from Burkhard

Regarding Stage MK1 and MK2 most items apply to both. If items just apply to MK2, the Main Manual indicates that like this:

PROFILER MK 1 models don’t support any Fixed FX

Please provide a concrete example including page #, where something not clear if it applies to MK1, MK 2 or both.

Something that was totally unclear to me and I skipped thinking it didn't apply to me until you says that it should be specifically called out. Is Page 303. So again this is something I see a dedicated Delay Reverb and I think that's the new Mark 2. I guess I live in the era of thing you can stick any pedal anywhere. I still do, if I do not have need for a delay but I need Chorus and Flanger they go in those slots. Works just fine. Kind of how the Kemper was originally done. I would have to back and check old manuals somewhere but always been my mindset. So you even add to the confusion because you just said MK1 Doesn't support any Fixed Effects.

Anyway, anytime now I see a Dedicated call out to a Delay Slot or Reverb Slot or Noise gate Slot. My Head instantly goes ahh new profiler. Until I read your reply and then went back and looked at this section again. I thought all that didn't apply to me. Hence, why I said it would be great if I could go to a spot and say Ok, this is my Kemper, then these are my features. Because this section right here specifically calls out Delay and Reverb slots. Well if the MK1 doesn't support fixed effects. These being specifically called out as Delay and Reverb slots I think of them as Fixed effects. Then are these fixed effects? This shows a Fixed Delay Slot and a Fixed reverb Slot. when in reality as you said the MK1 doesn't have fixed effect slots. So What happens if I put other stereo effects in these slots and use this control to adjust stereo?

You replied to me in another thread asking about the Burn button. Again totally news to me that Liquid profiles are supported on all new Kempers. I am not sure if these came out around the same time but I remember all the news and things when the MK2 released and for what ever reason Liquid profiles in my head are a MK2 thing only. So I am going to have to experiment with that. Again had I a specific manual for me. then I seen that, I would have taken notice. Maybe Color the MK2 specific things a different way at least. Because it is not easy to differentiate.

Quote from Burkhard

Generally, items are building on each other in such a manual. If you just pick any piece of information skipping the context information and substitute this making your own assumtpions instead, you could be mislead.

Generally I would agree with you. But now stop and take a minute and seriously think about this. Your sitting there setting up a Performance for a show in 2 days. You go What's the this setting do on this effect again. You seriously expect people to go through and read the entire manual again to try to figure out one single setting on an effect? I mean Really? Seriously? When you Update or make changes to the Kemper, You expect people to sit down and read 400+ pages again? Especially when there are mistakes and parts missing. Which yes I gave you concrete examples.

Quote from Burkhard

The parameter Stereo is common to many effects and therefore explained at the beginning of the Effects Section together with other common parameters in order to reduce redundencies. And this rationalization approach is also explained upfront.

I would agree with this. However did you not read what I said? "Stereo" is on every reverb, it is not here on the main reverb section. It is not on Any Reverb section, It is completely missing on how Stereo works on Reverb Pedals.

Just so we are clear
Page 289 Starts Reverb and the common Controls.
Mix
Mix Location
Decay Time
High Decay
Low Decay
Low Decay and High Decay Combinations
High Cut
Freeze
Ducking
Ducking Pre/Post

Do you see Stereo in that list? I am not trying to be rude here. But You asked for Concrete examples. I gave you concrete examples and you sit there and tell me stereo is in the beginning of the effects sections because it is common. Stereo is not there in Reverb. It is Missing along with all those other parameters I listed, and there are more.

Quote from Burkhard

The Pitch Delays are just a combination of pitch and delay effects explained earlier in this manual including their parameters.
At the very beginning the manual explains the signal chain, and that only the Fixed FX are specific to MK2 models. So the statements around DLY and REV modules are common to all models and series except Players, which have their own manual set.

Yeah, I get it, I understand what your saying. However, I am on a laptop 14 inch screen, or a tablet 11' in a bar or in band practice. Trying to adjust a parameter or 2 on a Pitch Shifted delay. I pull up the Manual, hit the index, then click on the Pitch Delay I got a nice pretty picture explaining how it works, but Now I have jump around the document from delays and Pitch shifter oh and Now the main category too because the pitch delays have crystals, Pitch delays and pitch shifters do not have that. So in order to look at the all the settings on a Pitch Delay your telling me you expect me to scroll back and forth all over from page 251, Pitch Shifters Page 263 Delays, and as far as Page 288 depending on the one I use just to figure out what the controls do. I am trying to play guitar sound good have fun, not launch the space shuttle.

I don't think I am asking for much, when I am trying to figure out a tone or a sound. I do not want to go through the whole manual again. I mean it's one thing if working on a Kemper is your job. Sure you read the manual, You see things from multiple customers and various context day in and day out. This is what you do 8 hours a day every day.

Quote from Burkhard

We are considering other vehicles to share information. Not sure if these can deliver the right amount of context, and not more than needed for any specific user. It's at least not what I experience.

I gave you one simple example. Tech companies have already solved this. Entire computer languages are documented this way. You can have multiples of the same information repeated. Unless you print it out it is electronic bits and bytes

So what started this whole thread. As I said I have had a Kemper for 7+ years. I program MIDI, and use it live. I use it for practice. The Kemper is a part of my guitar life. However, the most frustrating thing is finding the right information to get the sound I want or do what I want on the Kemper. A long time ago. I got sick and tired of scrolling all over the manual to try to figure out what MIDI parameter and what to send where, this was before your midi supplemental manual. I have never read that, maybe that fixes it. Finally I went and built a Excel Spreadsheet that I can just plug in Performance 63, Slot 1 I now know Bank 2 Then 54. I do not have to dig around in Manuals. I mean I get it i read how and why you do certain things in Midi what i need is a quick way to find what I really need.

So I joined a new band which uses a lot of different effects. I had my old handy staples that I used for years. However, I needed to use more Flangers, Chorus, and so on. So I hit the manual and then rapidly grew frustrated. There is so much cool stuff on the Kemper. I use maybe 30% of it. So I decided to sit down with the manual again going over effects. I literally spent 3 weeks of my free time putting all the effects and all the setting in a spreadsheet. This way I can choose a category, See all the effects in there, I see the description of the effect. Then choose an Effect and then see all the settings. I instantly see what they do what the range is, etc. I do not want to go read through the manual every single time.

I started this first by going through the manual. This is when I found settings listed in the manual that when I went and applied the effect to my Kemper they were missing. Yes there are settings in the manual under effects pedals that do not exist, I didn't document these, I made a usable sheet for me so I can get the information I need quickly. So then I decided to go through every single effect and then document the settings that actually exist there. I then went to the manual and went sections by section got every single common description then pedal by pedal went and documented each effect in my spreadsheet. This is how I know the settings I told you that are missing are missing. Like Stereo from all the reverb pedals. Yes there are more that are missing. I gave you a few concrete examples. I am not going to go give you every single one. That's not my job. I even uploaded the manual into an AI engine and said you have any idea what this setting does. It would come back and tell me no it was quite frustrating. After fighting with the poor layout and format of the manual for 3 weeks I have songs to learn. I love my Kemper, its an amazing device. However, he manual is both great and frustrating. The Manual is great when you want to sit down and do a deep dive. I highly recommend it. When you just are looking for something quick because you need to make an adjustment its the most useless frustrating thing ever.

Quote from AleFretMaster

Some time ago I posted this feature request that I think would also help if I correctly understood the case..

Thread

Parameter description in Rig Manager with "Enable Tooltips"

Hi everybody,

I have the Player lever III with access to all the effects. During these days I am going again through the main manual to increase my knowledge on all the parameters that can be tweeked, but there are some more specific/esotic that I will for sure forget again. I think it would be incredibly beneficial if when the "Enable Tooltips" is active in the Rig Manager Preferences, a description of the parameter (like the one in the manual) shows up when pointed but not clicked with the…

AleFretMaster

January 28, 2025 at 10:19 PM

You totally get what I am talking about with the parameters. But there are other things in the manual that just need refinement. This would be fantastic in addition though for the quick refences. Especially for people new to it. You know what would help more is in the tool tip if there was a link to a web page with more information. One that takes you directly to the pedal. That gives you all the information on that pedal along with deep dive information on that specific pedal. I would enable tool tips by default and allow users that don't want them an option to turn them off.

Again lust like I linked to the Microsoft documentation. Again like the tech manufacturer have already solved.

Again for reference only just 1 single random command

Get-ChildItem (Microsoft.PowerShell.Management) - PowerShell

The Get-ChildItem cmdlet gets the items in one or more specified locations. If the item is a container, it gets the items inside the container, known as child…

learn.microsoft.com

You look on the right side there are quick link sections a link to Example, Imagine finding several ready to use preset to get started. There is a was this page useful? If you click thumbs down report what's wrong. Basically the people the information want quick. Allow people to submit their own presets and things.