Kemper has played what it hopes will be its trump card in the fierce battle of the amp modelers by launching the Kemper Profiler MK 2 Series – a wholesale, top-to-bottom upgrade that rings in a suite of updates.
“More power, more flexibility, and more of everything you love from the Profiler” is the aim with the new-and-improved multi-effect amp modelers, with the Profiler Head, Rack, Stage, Player, and cab-friendly powered versions all receiving an extensive overhaul.
It's one of the biggest product announcements so far this year, but what exactly does it all mean for players – and what does it mean for the rest of the digital guitar gear landscape?
For the MK 2 series itself, a greatly improved processing engine results in faster performance. It can now go from off to riff-ready in seconds – a rather dramatic change of pace. Beyond that, a “host of new features expand the boundaries of what a modern guitar or bass rig can do”.
In news that will excite shoegaze and effects-favoring enthusiasts, the Kemper can now run 20 effects blocks simultaneously. That’s a generous increase of seven, and preset changes now promise to run with zero latency.
Tone-changing additions include a second noise gate, which is joined by a new Compressor, Pure Booster, Wah Wah, Vintage Chorus, Air Chorus, and Double Tracker. The latter is likely to rival Neural DSP’s nifty Doubler feature, which makes one guitar signal sound like two.
The firm has always hung its hat on the profiling element of the Kemper. Beyond its baked-in amp models, it can tonally replicate (read: Profile) physical amps and place them within the unit. In Kemper's own words, “More than 100,000 individual frequency points meticulously analyzed for the most precise amp recreation ever achieved.” There’s also the promise of turning “a single profile into a fully dynamic, living amplifier”.
It’s not just the amps that are getting some technological TLC, though, with Profiler cab sims also getting a functional glow-up for more adjustable dynamics and “the most complex Impulse Responses in the industry”.
Elsewhere, the MK 2 units have been made with new lightweight aluminum components, which promise to make them far more transportable (something that encouraged many players, this writer included, to pivot to other units such as the Quad Cortex).
There’s also native eight-channel USB audio support for seamless multitrack recording and re-amping directly into a DAW. Its integrated looper has also been given a shot in the arm. It now offers up to two minutes of recording time.
Kempers are no stranger to the stage, with everyone from Norwegian prog heroes Leprous to Paul Gilbert, Tony Iommi, and Alex Skolnick championing the Profilers. But it’s also proven itself to be a worthy studio companion – and these updates will certainly do no harm to its reputation with producers.
Visually, the designs are still recognizable, albeit with a slightly sleeker feel. However, the screen sizes have shrunk and they are no longer in color, which is a crying shame – I, like many other Kemper users, really benefited from the color coding of different effects. Perhaps that was a necessary sacrifice for such a speedy operation.
“The new Profiler MK 2-Series makes the Profilers feel more like a complete rig than ever before,” says Kemper, Founder & CEO, Christoph Kemper. “With instant access to essential FX, full USB audio integration, and improved playability, we’re giving our users a platform that adapts and grows with them.”
The Kemper was first introduced in 2011 when competition was scarce. Now, with the rise of the Quad Cortex, the Fender Tone Master Pro, and the ToneX One – which outsold every other modeler in 2024 – to name but a few, means the Kemper has to adapt to survive. The new upgrade ushers in some choice improvements, which puts the ball firmly back in the court of Kemper's closest rivals.
Prices generally range from $1,300 to $1,800, while the Profiler Remote floor unit is affordably priced at $469.
The Mini Kemper Profile Player will receive a software update but doesn’t get a swish new unit like its stablemates. The new units are expected this summer.
Head to Kemper for more.
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