Posts by ST

  • Why did you get your first Kemper Profiler?

    Why did you get your first Kemper Profiler?

    I was probably the worst candidate to get a Profiler.

    I wasn't an amp aficionado or a purist. When people asked how I got my sound, I used to joke, “I hit the strings, and if a sound comes out, I'm ready to go.”

    I had been using Bose L1 gear for my personal rig and bands since 2004. I had tried a bunch of things between the guitar and the L1 (Line 6, Boss, Roland VG99, TC Helicon, and so on), but my favourite was the McIntyre Bluesmaker Mk II. That was my holy grail amp. I found it in 1999, gathering dust in a tiny mom-and-pop music store. It was designed as a recording amp, just 3 watts RMS, with a speaker sim line out. Very few were ever made.

    I eventually tracked down the distributor and followed the chain back far enough to find a second McIntyre, also gathering dust in a warehouse. I wanted one for the road and one for the studio. You know, for convenience and backup. I contacted John McIntyre to thank him for making these amps. He offered to tweak them for me, so I shipped them off, and they came back with his special blessing. Because they were irreplaceable, I never wanted to risk gigging with them, but I did.

    In 2015, I came across a Kemper Profiler (white-faced toaster) and bought it. Here's why:

    Profiling
    Profiling meant I could capture the sound and behaviour of my irreplaceable amp and leave the originals safely at home.

    Rig Exchange
    Rig Exchange meant that people could upload their profiles and share them with anyone. Philosophically, this was a perfect fit with my worldview.
    I did not need hundreds of profiles. At the time, I do not think Rig Exchange had even reached a thousand yet. All I needed were the profiles I made of my own amp. But I loved the idea that Kemper had created a platform where people could share their profiles. You can search Rig Exchange for McIntyre to find mine.

    My approach has always been, “It is not what you know, it is what you share.” Rig Exchange really resonated with me.

    That is how I ended up with my first Kemper.

    How about you?

  • What Amp Model (Liquid Profile) for McIntyre Blues Maker II

    Thanks, Don,

    I don't have a favourite among the models. It's been so long since I've played through another amp, I doubt I actually recall how they sound or feel.

    In terms of experimentation and Profiling 2.0
    Do I have to select the amp model at the time I create the profile, or can I select Kemper Generic, and then swap in different models later, in Rig Manager?

    Thanks.

  • What Amp Model (Liquid Profile) for McIntyre Blues Maker II

    Quote from paults

    From the below description, there may not be a current Amp Model that will give you better results than Kemper Generic. But, you can also experiment with the Bassman and JTM.

    The Bluesmaker circuit takes elements from the '91 Fender Tweed Bassman reissue / early tweed Bassman / JTM45 Marshall circuits. The input signal is fed to two preamp stages in parallel - like using a patch lead between the inputs - one input stage has increased gain while the other stays clean and bright, and there is a blend circuit. Then to a classic Fender tweed / Marshall cathode follower, and a driver/ phase splitter that is a tweaked Blackface with looser damping, using a 12AX7 for a looser, more vintage overdrive.

    Thanks for reading through the information about the amp. I didn't know how to apply that information to the amp model concept. Thanks for your suggestions. I'll give them a try when the time comes.

    Cheers!

  • What Amp Model (Liquid Profile) for McIntyre Blues Maker II

    Here's the question
    What Amp Model should I select when profiling my McIntyre Blues Maker II?
    When Profiling 2.0 is available, I'd like to build a Liquid Profile of my amp, but I don't know what Amp Model to choose.


    Back story
    Looking for some help from a true amp aficionado. I don't know anything about amps, and I have played only my holy grail amp, a McIntyre Blues Maker II, since I got it 26 years ago. Well, that and my McIntyre profiles.

    It was built by John McIntyre. I don't know enough about amps to choose an appropriate Amp Model.

    Everything I know about this amp is at this link: McIntyre Blues Maker II

    I profiled it in 2015 when I got my first Profiler. I made several profiles and have been using those ever since. I've bought lots of commercial profiles too, over the years, but I keep coming back to the ones I made eleven years ago.

    The names of the Amp Profiles (screenshot below) don't mean much to me in terms of matching one to my amp.

    Can you help me out? Which Amp Model would you use with my amp?

    Thanks

    Quote

    Liquid Profiling

    How does the Liquid Profiling work?

    Well, it works basically exactly like the "former" PROFILING process. Just add the step selecting the target amp model from the menu. Then profile "that" amp head through your trusted 4 x 12" with your favorite microphones and preamps. Done! Compared to your regular Profiles the Liquid Profile now features the exact authentic tone stack and authentic "gain-behaviour". The limits of the snapshots are a thing of the past.




  • Portable speaker for Player

    This is my minimalist setup with

    1. Kemper Profiler Player (Level III)
    2. Battery pack with a USB-C to 2.1 mm (negative center adapter)
    3. Bose S1 Pro+ (note: the newer S1 Pro+ has built-in wireless receivers)
    4. Bose Wireless instrument transmitter
    5. Bose S1 Pro Backpack, which can easily carry everything shown, plus a microphone and a Bose Wireless XLR/Mic transmitter

    Here are the details.
    When using the Bose Wireless Transmitters, the wired 1/4 inch input becomes an insert loop. You can connect an Insert cable (1/4 inch tip-ring-sleeve to two 1/4 inch tip-sleeve) to the 1/4-inch input on the Bose S1 Pro+.

    1. Connect the Bose Wireless Transmitter to the Guitar
    2. Connect the Kemper Profiler Player to the insert loop with an insert cable


  • Show your latest guitar

    Just out of storage (after having given up on this in the 90s). I found myself looking seriously at a 7-string bass (3 strings fretless, 4 fretted). I'm not a bass player, although I just picked up a Geddy Lee for fun. Anyway, when I caught myself contemplating yet another instrument to challenge my sense of reality, I remembered that I had this Chapman Stick.

    I was amazed when I pulled it out of storage and found that with a minor adjustment to the neck tension rod, it seemed to be working. I gave up on it shortly after I first got it. I hung it as wall art, and it's been in its case for, I don't know - decades?

    Seems like I've saved some money, as this should keep me busy for now.

  • Show your latest guitar

    I was playing this today, and couldn't remember if I'd shared a photo of it with you.

    If you look closely, you'll see that this guitar has a bound headstock. This tiny detail sets it apart from the stock versions of this guitar.

    I got my Hamer Sunburst Studio GATC in 1990-ish, and played it a lot. Unfortunately, it got damaged, so I shipped it back to Hamer Guitars for repair. About four months later, I got a phone call from none other than Jol Dantzig. He was very apologetic because, somehow, someone had misinterpreted the damage as a factory blemish. Hamer didn't sell "B" stock. Their practice was to crush substandard guitars. He was calling to tell me that my guitar had been crushed. He said that he had inspected the neck and could see that I had loved and played that guitar a lot. He offered to make me a new one and asked if there were any special features that I'd like. The only thing I wanted was a bound headstock to go with the body and neck binding.


    Jol said he would go down to the wood room and pick something special for me. He warned me it would take a while to make the new guitar because they were a small factory making handmade instruments, but promised me it would be worth the wait. It took over a year, but this stunning guitar was everything Jol said it would be. As a tribute to the first one, Jol stamped it with the original serial number.

    Hamer Studio Custom GATC - Bose Portable PA Encyclopedia

  • Player morph visual feedback

    If you set Morph to one of the footswitches, then the corresponding (right) LED will light up when Morph is engaged.

    I set up my footswitches like this:
    1. Morph
    2. Effect (depends on the rig)
    3. Effect (depends on the rig)
    Combo1+2. Rig Down
    Combo2+3, Rig Up

  • Show your latest guitar

    I haven't owned a bass in 10 years, but I picked up this one over the weekend.

    I don't play bass because when I do, I just sound and look like a guitarist holding a bass. My last one was a gorgeous fretless Musicman Stingray, and for me, it was a lost cause. Maybe this one will be a keeper. I'm loving the neck.

    This is the first Fender instrument I've had in 10 or 15 years.

    Now, it's time to explore bass profiles.

  • Player Syncing Presets takes a minute

    I hope this helps.

    I just tried...

    Mac Studio M4 (cold start)

    1. Start/Booting the player (connected to the Mac)
    2. Start the Rig Manager
    3. Rig Manager recognized KPP (0 rigs)
    4. 3 minutes later still no rigs recognized
    5. Disconnect and reconnect USB cable
    6. Rig Manager recognized and synced KPP (625 rigs) immediately

    Second try

    1. Exit Rig Manager
    2. Power down/up KPP
    3. Restart Rig Manager
    4. Rig Manager recognizes and syncs to the KPP (625 rigs) immediately

    Third try

    1. Power down KPP
    2. Rig Manager - KPP disappears
    3. Power up KPP
    4. Rig Manager recognizes and syncs to the KPP (625 rigs) immediately - as soon as KPP finishes startup


    I get the same results with a USB-C connection directly to the Mac or through a Thunderbolt 4 docking station.

    Details

    MacOS Tahoe 26.0.1

    Rig Manager 3.10.13

    KAOS 13.0.5.61289 Profiler Player Level II & III

    Rig Manager was already synced to Rig Exchange before connecting the KPP.

  • Player an Digitech Trio+ how to incorporate

    Quote from Stefan D

    Hi ST

    An idea to "disable cab sim in Trio" may be to use Amp Out and and FX return for the player.
    (Sorry , but I currently have not Trio+ in my hands for trying by myself)

    You could use the Trio+ Amp Out to a separate channel on a mixer. You'd use another channel for the Trio+ Mixer Out.



    There's only one input on the KPP (no FX return on the KPP).

    Or perhaps I misunderstood you.

  • Player an Digitech Trio+ how to incorporate

    This is how I connected the Trio+ with the Kemper Stage. I haven't tried it with the Profiler Player yet, but I expect it would work just as well. This is from the Trio+ Owner's Manual, page 14, with modifications in green.

    https://digitech.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/DigiTech_TrioPlus_Manual.pdf


    Notes:

    1. The Kemper Profiler Player (KPP) connections
      1. Trio+ FX SEND (Trio+ top left) goes to KPP Input
      2. KPP Monitor Out (with KPP Output Monitor Source set to Master Mono) goes to Trio+ FX RETURN (Trio+ top right). It doesn't matter which output you connect to (Left or Right).
    2. Note: The Mixer Output mix will add cabinet emulation to the guitar signal. Turn off the Cabinet in the KPP if you don't like the sound. I haven't found a way to disable the cabinet emulation in the Trio+.

    Here's a detailed explanation: Kemper Profiler Player with Digitech Trio+ - Bose Portable PA Encyclopedia

    EDIT
    I just wired it up as shown above. The speaker cabinet emulation isn't too intrusive, so I just left the KPP Cab enabled.

    I had forgotten how much fun the Trio+ can be, so thanks for giving me a reason to explore it again.

  • Rig Manager on IOS 26.0.1 stopped connecting to Profiler Player

    This was working fine, but tonight, I cannot connect my iPad Pro 13" M4 to my Profiler Player running iPadOS 26.0.1 using Home Network Mode and Access Point Mode.

    Both were working fine a couple of weeks ago. I didn't notice sooner because I usually run Rig Manager on my Android devices (which are both working fine)

    The only thing that (might have changed) was an update from iPadOS 26.0.0 to iPadOS 26.0.1. I don't recall if I've tried to run Rig Manager on the iPad since that update.

    Player is upgraded to Level 3.

    Versions - Rig Manager

    Android 13.0.5.61298
    and

    iPadOS 13.0.5.61298

    I tried uninstalling Rig Manager on the iPad and then reinstalling it. This made no difference. Neither has restarting the iPad (power down/up).

    I also cleared the wireless settings on the Profiler Player (Long long press on the WiFi button).

    A second question. (when everything was working on iPad and Android)
    In the Home Network Mode, I can only connect using a 2.4 GHz home network, not 5.0. I didn't see any mention of this in the documentation.

    Thanks for any suggestions.

    I've also submitted a message to Kemper Support.

  • Player Lost upgrades!

    Quote from Burkhard

    As far as I see your Player hardware had been exchanged. The replacement unit had not been upgraded. Error 401 means the upgrade code has already been consumed for another serial number. Our support team needed to downgrade the original unit, free up the upgrade code, so that you could reuse it.

    Thanks for this explanation. It suggests to me that my upgrades (2 and 3) are secure if anything bad happens to my Profiler Player. That is, even if my Profiler Player had to be replaced, your service department can transfer the upgrades to the new device.

    Quote from Burkhard

    Important to note: The upgrades did not get lost during a software update! No Player lost its upgrades!

    Whew. That's good news.