will the Player work for me????

Hey Adam! Welcome to the Party!

There should not be any tonal differences from the larger units to the Player. I don't own a Player but I think it may have fewer performance slots than the larger units so that's something definitely to check into.

Here is an overview on compatible MIDI controllers;

The Kemper Profiler Player works with nearly any class-compliant MIDI controller, including compact options like the M-Vave Chocolate and Midi Baby 3, and advanced options like the Midi Captain, Voes MX series, and Nektar Pacer.

Nice songs.

When you want the same functionality you need to pay additional for player upgrade level 2 (and maybe 3).

I have a rack version and also a player. I barely use the rack... The rack is better to use when editing in the unit itself...but the player can do the same things and I can edit from my phone or tablet.

I love the player and I'm using it with MIDI CAPTAIN PYSWITCH, no extra power supply, no problems at all...just connect and play live don't miss anything.

There is just one small thing, I can't have block effects when making a preset. This annoys me a lot, in this situation I use my rack version to find the perfect amp for certain effects chain...

Quote from nero1983

I have a rack version and also a player. I barely use the rack... The rack is better to use when editing in the unit itself...but the player can do the same things and I can edit from my phone or tablet.

I love the player and I'm using it with MIDI CAPTAIN PYSWITCH, no extra power supply, no problems at all...just connect and play live don't miss anything.

There is just one small thing, I can't have block effects when making a preset. This annoys me a lot, in this situation I use my rack version to find the perfect amp for certain effects chain...

Sorry I feel the opposite.

The player sounds EXACTLY the same so no concerns about the sound at all, but i find it a bit clunkier to use if coming from a regular Kemper.

First there is no browse or performance mode, its just slots.

Second any external switch is not a perfectly integrated as the remote/stage set up. For example, I use a midi captain and can;t get morph to work on it, so got a workaround that morph is triggered by one of the player buttons.

In short, it requires a bit of work to "translate" your rigs from rack to player. You do it 1 rig at a time as there are no performances to move across. Then you have to check if the effects have migrated as you have less effects and slots.

Finally I miss the display from my remote and so I can get a bit lost.

Don;t get me wrong, the player itself is excellent, but coming from the luxury of the full blown Kemper, you have to orientate yourself with it. Recently my main rig failed, I went to the player and totally forgot how I set it up and spent most of the gig with the wrong sounds. All the sounds were in there, I'd forgotten how they were arranged. Partially my fault, but also its not as "obvious".

Having gone through the same thought process to downsize, I went for a Stage and the player stays as an emergency backup.

In summary, its a fab unit but requires sometime invested in it to get it set up properly....Oh and I've never got my expression pedal to work via my midi switch yet...highly suspect its user error but...

Quote from V8guitar

Sorry I feel the opposite.

The player sounds EXACTLY the same so no concerns about the sound at all, but i find it a bit clunkier to use if coming from a regular Kemper.

First there is no browse or performance mode, its just slots.

Second any external switch is not a perfectly integrated as the remote/stage set up. For example, I use a midi captain and can;t get morph to work on it, so got a workaround that morph is triggered by one of the player buttons.

In short, it requires a bit of work to "translate" your rigs from rack to player. You do it 1 rig at a time as there are no performances to move across. Then you have to check if the effects have migrated as you have less effects and slots.

Finally I miss the display from my remote and so I can get a bit lost.

Don;t get me wrong, the player itself is excellent, but coming from the luxury of the full blown Kemper, you have to orientate yourself with it. Recently my main rig failed, I went to the player and totally forgot how I set it up and spent most of the gig with the wrong sounds. All the sounds were in there, I'd forgotten how they were arranged. Partially my fault, but also its not as "obvious".

Having gone through the same thought process to downsize, I went for a Stage and the player stays as an emergency backup.

In summary, its a fab unit but requires sometime invested in it to get it set up properly....Oh and I've never got my expression pedal to work via my midi switch yet...highly suspect its user error but...

Display More

Well, I have morph, I have 3 expression pedal inputs, I have individual effects slots on and off, I have names and colored switches, I have the combined FX I, II, III and IIII...I have tuner, I have FX 1 and FX 2...and I have a great loss of weight...and I have a colored LCD with preset names and effects that are turned on and off.

Honestly, I think you'll need to apply a bit more effort with that MIDI CAPTAIN. I know, the rack and the official controller is way more solid...but I prefer lightweight, and I don't miss anything with this setup.

I understand that Kemper rack is better in some ways, but not enough for me... I'm keeping the rack and I love the rack, but use the player more...it's easier to take it to rehearsal every week...

Very nice tunes! Good to hear vocals as well

Quote from nero1983

Well, I have morph, I have 3 expression pedal inputs, I have individual effects slots on and off, I have names and colored switches, I have the combined FX I, II, III and IIII...I have tuner, I have FX 1 and FX 2...and I have a great loss of weight...and I have a colored LCD with preset names and effects that are turned on and off.

Honestly, I think you'll need to apply a bit more effort with that MIDI CAPTAIN. I know, the rack and the official controller is way more solid...but I prefer lightweight, and I don't miss anything with this setup.

I understand that Kemper rack is better in some ways, but not enough for me... I'm keeping the rack and I love the rack, but use the player more...it's easier to take it to rehearsal every week...

I agree, my point is its not as plug and play as the rack. I agree with the compact approach, hence I've already shifted to the Stage..

Quote from V8guitar

I agree, my point is its not as plug and play as the rack. I agree with the compact approach, hence I've already shifted to the Stage..

I agree that the stage is much more solid situation...but I think that even getting a stage I'll keep that at home and keep this setup...but, that's me. I'm sure that a stage is always the best solution. A rack version is cool too have in the studio...

And I prefer to have the rack at home and the player to take everywhere...because the player is just like a Kemper always in performance mode, it's great just to performance, and that's it...

1. If you like to work in Perfomances don't go with the Player.
The Player's Bank of 5 may seem a lot like a like a Performance at first and you can import Performance Slots into a group of 5, but you can't do it the other way around, which ends up to be very time consuming when you're aiming at synchronizing your rigs.

2. Block locking is missing completely on the Player, even for the Input Section.

3. You might save a little money with the Player but you will invest a lot of time migrating your current perfomance setup to the Player and getting additional hardware to run to be show ready. Plus there always hassle with programming and compatibility issues between the devices.

Getting a Player to work with a bigger foot controller and maybe an USB attached display is way more hassle than getting a Stage.

4.The Stage has more analog in/outputs, a display that doesn't need any additional configuration, real time status and colours on all Rig/FX Buttons

So IMHO you should rather get a stage if you're coming from the bigger Kemper devices.

.... like I did a few weeks ago after returning the Player.

Quote from nero1983

...because the player is just like a Kemper always in performance mode, it's great just to performance, and that's it...

The Player is FAR from being in Performance mode.

A Performance ties 5 Rigs together under a given Performance name with a Performance tempo.

On the Player, try shuffling a 30 song set around before a gig where each song has its own dedicated Performance with up to 5 Rigs used for that particular song.

I have 5 Kempers. Classic Mk1 and Mk2. Two Stage Mk1’s. And a Player.

Tried and wanted to make my fully upgraded Player work as a fly rig.

Have it all mounted on a Pedaltrain Metro 16 with a Shure GLX-D receiver, Kemper dual switch, Pedalpower 3 (to replace the wall wart with a more professional IEC mains inlet).
Finished off with a Retrovison USB display so you can actually see what Rig you are on without the cryptic multi coloured nightmare that is impossible to memorise for all those banks.
But, for me, it’s too ‘Kompromised’ when I can just fly with one of my Stage units….. which is what I do.

I don’t think I will get rid of my Player. I am sure I will find a use for it. Maybe as a quick mobile setup with all my own profiled amps when I visit someone else’s studio.

For me, that would be great…. but I may have overlooked something that I would greatly miss whilst recording with my Kemper Classic, Kemper remote and Mission expression pedal that I would normally take with me to do that.

As long as you don't need an effects loop and an expression pedal, I'd say yes probably.

If you need to add a dedicated expression pedal to the Player and upgrade to level 3, I guess it makes sense money wise to start to look at the Stage.

IMHO, the big selling point for the Player is the form factor, which is really a big plus if you want to integrate it to a pedalboard and use other pedals.

The five slots thing is really three out of the box accessible directly via a dedicated footswitch, but add morph to that and it becomes six.

Quote from Vinny Burns

The Player is FAR from being in Performance mode.

A Performance ties 5 Rigs together under a given Performance name with a Performance tempo.

On the Player, try shuffling a 30 song set around before a gig where each song has its own dedicated Performance with up to 5 Rigs used for that particular song.

I have 5 Kempers. Classic Mk1 and Mk2. Two Stage Mk1’s. And a Player.

Tried and wanted to make my fully upgraded Player work as a fly rig.

Have it all mounted on a Pedaltrain Metro 16 with a Shure GLX-D receiver, Kemper dual switch, Pedalpower 3 (to replace the wall wart with a more professional IEC mains inlet).
Finished off with a Retrovison USB display so you can actually see what Rig you are on without the cryptic multi coloured nightmare that is impossible to memorise for all those banks.
But, for me, it’s too ‘Kompromised’ when I can just fly with one of my Stage units….. which is what I do.

I don’t think I will get rid of my Player. I am sure I will find a use for it. Maybe as a quick mobile setup with all my own profiled amps when I visit someone else’s studio.

For me, that would be great…. but I may have overlooked something that I would greatly miss whilst recording with my Kemper Classic, Kemper remote and Mission expression pedal that I would normally take with me to do that.

Display More

Totally agree Vinny!

The player is fantastic value for money but I feel very spoiled by the rack ( and now I've got a stage). I really miss a screen, so I find it near impossible to use without a 3rd party screen and switch.

I will also keep my player, as emergency backup in the boot of my car.

If you upgrade to Player level 3 everything will be the same. All of my rigs sound the same and same functionality from my Rack.

Sorry, double post …

Interesting discussion. I sold my Rack Mk I and Remote due to the fact that I am only using 5 sounds in a live situation. Currently I use the Player at Lvl III with a MIDI Captain 6. All information is on the display and I arranged standard switching with the PySwitch software (General boost, Pitch, Phaser, Tremolo, Delay, Morph). All rigs are switched by the Player. 3 main rigs with a single button and two more by the combo-switches. Not much to remember. All fx-switches are color coded.

I use one EXP-Pedal directly into the Player.

Well there are minor draw backs considering that naming of the banks is currently not possible. All other things I am able to do.