[FREE] Kemper Live Monitor – A clear stage display showing the Bank name and the sounds in its individual Slots.
Support
Hi everyone,
I use a Kemper Profiler Stage for my guitar playing. The device's display shows basic information about the currently selected Bank and the Slots within it (I organize my sounds so that each Bank corresponds to a song, and each Slot holds a sound needed for a specific part of that song—Verse, Chorus, Solo, etc.). The sequence of sounds isn't the same for every song, and given the size of our repertoire (about 40–50 songs), I can't memorize them all; I need to be able to read or be reminded of the sound order on the display while playing.
However, the Kemper Stage's built-in display is too small—and the Slot/sound names are even smaller. To make matters worse, the full text of the Slot names gets truncated, cutting off characters—making it impossible for me to read the display from a standing position (I have to bend all the way down to the unit on the floor) while playing.
I was looking for a solution that would help me... switch the Bank/song to the next one in the setlist during the pause between tracks, while also seeing in advance—in a way that was convenient, detailed, clear, and—most importantly—timely—exactly which sounds were contained in the Bank I had just selected.
I browsed various forums (including this one) where users were discussing similar issues—some resorting to rather desperate measures, like placing a Fresnel lens in front of a phone or tablet (definitely not for me). I even contacted Kemper-amps to ask if they could add a dedicated "live performance" screen or window to their excellent Rig Manager software. The standard Rig Manager views display all the necessary data and parameters for individual components and effects—details I don't actually need to see while performing—whereas I wanted a view showing only the current Bank and its Slot names. However, I received no response.
So, I decided to design and build a solution myself.
That is why I created Kemper Live Monitor—a lightweight, standalone desktop application designed specifically for live monitoring of the currently active Bank and its Slots.
The application runs on a PC (I use a Lenovo laptop) with Windows (I use Windows 11), and the Kemper unit connects to the PC via a standard USB cable. App capabilities:
- Layouts: Full-screen display (switch to windowed mode via F11—allowing for changes to the default window size and desktop position) showing the name of the current Bank/track and its Slots, with selectable Slot layout views (BLOCKS / GRID / LIST).
- Color themes: Data display in several high-contrast color schemes – DARK / CONTRAST / AMBER / NEON.
- Bank and Slot database in CSV format: Due to the unavailability of free MIDI commands (for commercial reasons) for communicating with the Kemper, I bypass the (feedback) communication from the Kemper to the PC. Instead, for navigation and displaying names, I use a "*.csv" file exported from Rig Manager via "Tools/Export Tags to CSV File..." (it takes just a few seconds; there is no need to generate a new CSV file unless the name of a Bank or Slot changes). The application includes a functional button to load this file.
The active Slot (on the Kemper) is indicated by a highlighted border around the block on the PC screen; this border updates in real-time when switching slots on the Kemper unit itself.
- Bank switching can be performed either on the PC (by clicking the PREV/NEXT buttons or using the left/right arrow keys) or directly on the Kemper (the application automatically synchronizes with the Kemper to display the current Bank and its Slots).
- .. sometimes, the production situation requires an unplanned song change .. for this, I use the "search field," which I access by clicking the mouse or pressing Ctrl+F. .. I type part of the search text into the field ... if a match is found, the results appear.
If there is a single match, pressing ENTER switches both the application and the Kemper to the desired song and Slot 1.
If there are multiple results, a scrolling list of matches appears, and I select the song using the arrow keys and ENTER. - the Kemper's USB connection is monitored, with status indicated by text at the bottom of the screen.
- the application includes a "System Monitor" window (which can be toggled on or off) displaying system information; this helps pinpoint the source or root cause of any issues that may arise.
- .. I designed the application in Slovak, but it can be switched to English (Bank and Slot names appear exactly as they do on the Kemper itself; the translation applies only to the application interface).
.. does anyone else struggle with navigating the Kemper while playing? .. what are your experiences with live performance? .. would anyone be interested in a solution like this? ..
