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Roland VB-99

fokof

fokof

One day ,I'll be in the future
Mar 16, 2007
3,494
1,686
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#1
Got mine yesterday , all I can say is ; :eek:
Very suprised by the tracking of this thing.
The "Synthish" sound are a good start to tweek with , that's why I bought that thing....

Got a lot of gigs next two weeks , I'll be happy to do a more complete report.

For those of you who already have some milleage on it , what do you think so far ?


My only gripe so far;
-The way it's made. Needs a 4 rack space adaptor to be racked.
I can't use the stand alone rack that Roland suggest.
I'm thinking about getting a three space drawer , maybe , we"ll see:confused:
Anybody bought their carrying bag?
 
#6
stflbn said:
You running the VB-99 as Midi or as a normal 1/4" effects unit?
Click to expand...
VB99 is not a "bass to MIDI" , it is a proprietary system from Roland using a GK pickup. You have to get the GK pickup in order to get the full potential of the VB99.
That being said , you can also use it as a standard FX processor , but it would be an insanely expensive way to add a chorus to a bass.:smug:
There is a Pitch to midi included in the unit , but it is not usable with bass , the latency is unplayable. And I don't talk about all the glitches.
I tried that road and it doesn'T work at all. NADA.
That's why I bought the VB99.

To answer your question , I use it as a "bass modeler" only or "COSM" in the roland language.
For bass syntish sounds and to reproduce vintage tones.
I'm not an FX guy per say...... ( I never use chorus , delay and stuff like that )

stflbn said:
Assuming midi as the V-bass is down on the floor also.
Click to expand...
That is a FC300 , it controls the VB99.It's just a floor controller.
It is not MIDI , it is a ( one more time! ) "proprietary system from Roland" called RRC2. It transmits all the info from and to the VB99 , titles , patch number , tuner , etc....
It can also act as a standard MIDI controller with other devices ( PC, CC , etc... )
 
#7
I've owned a Brian Moore guitar and VG-88 previously. I'm familiar with the cables, connectors and such. Been a few years since I had it... just confused the terminology. I'm fairly sure Godin's and Brian Moore's will also work fine with the VB-99, and their jacks are called '13 Pin Midi' :: gasp ::

or in Godin's words "13-pin output jack, allowing the player to connect to a multitude of 13-pin devices and computers via Midi."


Calm down on the drama over the specifics... jeesh.
 
#8
stflbn said:
You running the VB-99 as Midi or as a normal 1/4" effects unit?

Assuming midi as the V-bass is down on the floor also.
Click to expand...

Sorry.

I can't guess your history. With that question , I really thought you knew nothing about those thing.
Anyways , maybe it's gonna answer other people's question.

No offence.

Can you specify your question then ?
Your asking me if I use the GK to MIDI in the VB99 to track other MIDI stuff ?

This answer is ; It's as bad as a GI20 , very bad.....
And yes , you can use Graphtech and RMC pickups.
 
#10
stflbn said:
I Been a few years since I had it... just confused the terminology. I'm fairly sure Godin's and Brian Moore's will also work fine with the VB-99, and their jacks are called '13 Pin Midi' :: gasp ::

or in Godin's words "13-pin output jack, allowing the player to connect to a multitude of 13-pin devices and computers via Midi."
Click to expand...

As you can see in the small pic joined , I don't have a Roland pickup.
I made that bass (Warmoth parts) with a Graphtech kit.
 
#11
Report after a weekend of intense use.

I must say that I used only presets , I didn't have much time tweeking the presets , I got it the day before...
So my impressions are gonna change over time for sure.

I play 98% fretless , but my GK bass is a fretted bass.:spit:

-I don't like the fretless emulations at all.
-The upright sounds are better in a band situation than hearing them alone. ( I also play upright a bit ) I was a bit disapointed at first , but in a band setting , they are OK.
-The bass and amps COSM simulations are very nice in a band situation, suprisingly good.
-It's with the synthish sound that the VG99 got me. They are far from any good software synths BUT the tracking is perfect!
I tried the "ptitch to midi" way and ended up a nightmare in tracking , glitches , and latency. With the VG99 , it's almost perfect.

I'll use this mostly in a cover band setting wich varies from Jazz to Disco , Motown , Top40 etc...
It's gonna cover all my basses. ( no puns intended )

Very happy to have this gadget!
 
#12
One thing I should add;

I like the V-Bass editor. Plugged by the USB port on my Powerbook , I can edit everything.
My only gripe is that the design, look and UI is very "Windoze"

A nice thing is that you can use it as an output device from your computer and on top of that , you can "pass" the audio from the CPU anywhere in the signal chain! :bassist:
Can be very usefull if you want to process a track. ( re-amp or else )

PS;Digital in is USB only.
 
#15
Two weeks of gigs later; I really like this thing.

It's really designed with "live" in mind. The presets are a very good place to start , sounds very good in a band setting.

I'd like to hear about experience of other users.


PS I just ordered another Hexpander kit from Graphtach to fit on my Fretless....
 
#16
fokof said:
Two weeks of gigs later; I really like this thing.

It's really designed with "live" in mind. The presets are a very good place to start , sounds very good in a band setting.

I'd like to hear about experience of other users.


PS I just ordered another Hexpander kit from Graphtach to fit on my Fretless....
Click to expand...

Very cool. You mentioned that one main reason you bought it was for the synth sounds. Have you tried slaving outboard hard/soft synths via the MIDI Out of the VB99 yet? I'm wondering how well it works and if the latency's unbearable.

FYI, I've been mulling over whether or not to get this, as I do play midi bass using an Axon AX50 and my Mac laptop for soft synths. The pitch to midi tracking works very well on bass with the Axon if you string it with piccolo strings, so I was primarily interested in the VB99 to reclaim bass sounds in the proper register, whereby I'd tune down the VB99 patches an octave down. If you are having pitch to midi problems with it, you might want to try the piccolo strings and the tuned down patches.
 
#17
pjmuck said:
Very cool. You mentioned that one main reason you bought it was for the synth sounds. Have you tried slaving outboard hard/soft synths via the MIDI Out of the VB99 yet? I'm wondering how well it works and if the latency's unbearable.
Click to expand...

I tried a bit the MIDI out and it is as bad a an Axon or a GI20.

That's why I'm in heaven now with this , the tracking is Flawless.
The synth sounds are limited though. It's very basic , no Absynth or MX4 there !
But you can tweek basic bass synths sounds and put FX after for further sound tweeking.
It's not a synthesiser at all , but you can have "moogish" sounds , and 80's sounds easily , and all those without latency and glitches !

You have to see it as a"closed" system.
I know that they've updated the firmwares on the VG99 to add Graphteck and RMC kits, so there is hope for some further improvement.
 
#18
fokof said:
VB99 is not a "bass to MIDI" , it is a proprietary system from Roland using a GK pickup. You have to get the GK pickup in order to get the full potential of the VB99...
Click to expand...
O.K., need both the VB-99 & the GK pickup. Anything else, or you're good to go with these two items? Does the GK pickup somehow fit on (sit on to of) any bass or must it be installed in the bass? What are the approximate new prices of the VB-99 & GK? Are you in Europe or is the Roland now available in the USA? Thanks a lot.
 
#19
iualum said:
O.K., need both the VB-99 & the GK pickup. Anything else, or you're good to go with these two items?
Click to expand...
Yep
There is a lot of other goodies around , but basicaly , it's all you need.

iualum said:
Does the GK pickup somehow fit on (sit on to of) any bass or must it be installed in the bass?
Click to expand...
The Roland pickup can be fiitted on almost any bass.
You have to have 10mm between the bridge and the bridge pickup.
Check this photo (pdf)
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
You can also install the kit internally , but it is a lot more work.
I have a Carvin with a piezo bridge , and it was very easy to install the Graphteck kit in it.
http://www.graphtech.com/products.html?CategoryID=2
iualum said:
What are the approximate new prices of the VB-99 & GK? Are you in Europe or is the Roland now available in the USA? Thanks a lot.
Click to expand...
I'm in Canada , I paid 1500$
It's 1395$ in the US with the pickup
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/search.php?s=vb99&go=Go!
 

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