Good products - The Kemper Profiler
A quick blog post to talk about one of my favourite pieces of music gear: the Kemper Profiling amplifier.
Why do I consider among my favourites? Obviously because it sounds good, at least to my ears. But also because Kemper Amps defied the odds by being one of the few companies that keep releasing free software updates to improve their existing products, instead of deprecating them and forcing customers to buy a new unit.
I look at the Kemper as if it were a good bottle of wine, getting better as it ages. The constant software updates substantially improved the amp, to the point that if I were to compare it to the same unit as I purchased in 2019 (OS version 4 or 5 if I recall correctly), I would almost say it’s a different product.
Thinking back about the major features that were introduced throughout the years:
- Improved and redesigned all effects. Also new ones keep getting added to the unit every once in a while (latest drop was earlier in 2024).
- Version 9.0 added the ability to use the Kemper as an audio interface when connected to a computer via USB. It got even better this year since they started providing ASIO drivers. It’d be nice if they allowed us to change the sampling rate, but it’s a small nitpick since most DAWs can work with audio tracks at different sampling rates.
- Rig manager allows complete remote control of the unit! A boon for someone like me who mainly uses the Kemper wired up to a computer.
- Liquid profiles.
In a market where companies are prone to abandon their older hardware, it’s refreshing to see that there’s still some who offer better support to their existing customer base.