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Instrument modelling effects

D

DanSwain

Apr 24, 2007
408
7
Vermont, USA
sarawhitehairband.com
#1
Dear all,

I've recently had the good fortune to join a really good local band, and this has brought up an interest that's been in the back of my mind for a few years: the idea of having a single Bass, yet being able to switch between different instruments quickly.

I've noted the sim1 XT-B, but in a round-about way this week I ended up 'discovering' the Roland V-Bass, VB-99 and GR-55 pedals, along with the GK series of pickups.

After diving into some videos of people playing, the COSM approach to instrument modelling seems to match what I had in mind!

I have a couple of questions, though, and I thought I'd throw them out to the community to see what experienced minds would have to say :)

  1. While a unit like the GR-55 can do a lot in terms of effects, I'm really only looking for instrument and amp models (I have a Zoom B3 and love what it does), so I wonder if I'd be looking at buying 'too much' for what I'd need with the Roland gear. Is that true?
  2. Are there any competitors in the space?
  3. While the GR-55 is the most modern (and currently not discontinued) option from Roland, would the VB-99 be more appropriate?
  4. With relation to question 3, would the original V-Bass suffice for my needs, or is it considered 'too old' at this stage?
I know that there are quite a few 'synthesizer' options that track audio to MIDI, but I'm not really interested in that at the moment, though I'll have fun with that when I'm recording in Logic Pro.

Being a lefty almost instantly excluded me from things like the Variax Bass systems, and some of the threads on here seem to have concluded my interest there :)

I certainly don't mind getting my hands dirty installing one of the GK pickups, and maybe I'd build a Bass (it's been a long time, I don't know if any of my threads are still on here!) around the system!

Thanks for your time! I look forward to getting some sanity on the subject!
 
#3
DanSwain said:
Dear all,

I've recently had the good fortune to join a really good local band, and this has brought up an interest that's been in the back of my mind for a few years: the idea of having a single Bass, yet being able to switch between different instruments quickly.

I've noted the sim1 XT-B, but in a round-about way this week I ended up 'discovering' the Roland V-Bass, VB-99 and GR-55 pedals, along with the GK series of pickups.

After diving into some videos of people playing, the COSM approach to instrument modelling seems to match what I had in mind!

I have a couple of questions, though, and I thought I'd throw them out to the community to see what experienced minds would have to say :)

  1. While a unit like the GR-55 can do a lot in terms of effects, I'm really only looking for instrument and amp models (I have a Zoom B3 and love what it does), so I wonder if I'd be looking at buying 'too much' for what I'd need with the Roland gear. Is that true?
  2. Are there any competitors in the space?
  3. While the GR-55 is the most modern (and currently not discontinued) option from Roland, would the VB-99 be more appropriate?
  4. With relation to question 3, would the original V-Bass suffice for my needs, or is it considered 'too old' at this stage?
I know that there are quite a few 'synthesizer' options that track audio to MIDI, but I'm not really interested in that at the moment, though I'll have fun with that when I'm recording in Logic Pro.

Being a lefty almost instantly excluded me from things like the Variax Bass systems, and some of the threads on here seem to have concluded my interest there :)

I certainly don't mind getting my hands dirty installing one of the GK pickups, and maybe I'd build a Bass (it's been a long time, I don't know if any of my threads are still on here!) around the system!

Thanks for your time! I look forward to getting some sanity on the subject!
Click to expand...
I’ve personally never tried to use solely the modeled instruments from a GK instrument, but: the Boss SY1000 is newer and has the instrument modeling engines of the GR-55 plus far better Amp and FX modeling as well. I own both GR-55 and SY-1000 and for what you describe the SY-1000 is the superior option (also for bass to synth sounds as well IMO), the GP-10 has the same instrument modeling options.

There are some who say the VB/VG boxes are still the best at the instrument modeling sounds and options, I haven’t tried one to comment on that but there were many loved options that the newer stuff doesn’t have- one issue with the VG/VB is that they are each dedicated to only bass or guitar while the GR/SY boxes have guitar and bass modes that can be accessed.

Check out the VGuitar Forums for lots of in-depth talk and comparisons
on all of these devices: VGuitar Forums - Index
 
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