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Roland Announces New V-Bass VB-99 !!!

#43
greenboy said:
I gotta say I'm not real happy about 5 rack spaces so if I do get a VB-99 it'll live on top of the rack at gigs and not waste so damned much space.
Click to expand...

With a FC300 , you would not need to touch the actual unit very much, all the controls being at your feet. So the "brain" can be in a drawer....
It can be just a one space unit I think.
 
#46
Greenboy, I am interested in what you said about the original unit, that you slip it inside your rack case at the end of the night. I was a bit annoyed that the base of the unit was about 2cm wider than the ears on a standard rack unit, and assumed as a result that it wouldn't slip into an standard width case. As it happens I have dispensed of my rack altogether now, using JUST the Vbass, but would be interested to hear your view nonetheless.

Cheers
ped
 
#47
I can squeeze the V-Bass into my original-style SKB 4-spacer with the front lid on, one side of the unit against that lid, and the back lid barely goes on against the other side. I have a folded piece of backpacking closed-cell foam that goes over the bottom and top of the unit just before I slide it in, to protect its top and keep the top of my 1-space Peavey DPC-1400X power amp from getting scratched. That still leaves room for cabling and stuff.
 
#51
ped,

Here's what I did to gain more realtime control in a small footprint, for live performances - one thing I wish the VB-99 designers were more concerned with:

Link Removed

I've glued a rubber foot to the MANUAL MODE switch to easily toggle between bank/preset selection and "stomp-box" mode (using footswitches 1/2/3/4).

Then I installed two footswitches that are hardwired to the CTL1 and CTL2 jacks internally. Typically, CTL1 is mapped to more OD/DIST/FUZZ drive and/or/level, and maybe a little more upper mids or treble in the EQ or COSM AMP section. This gives me the chance to have a milder and a more over-the-top distortion within one patch without wasting CTL or the foot-treadle (I'd rathe use them for other purposes).

CTL2 is usually mapped to toggle a change between 75 and 100 on the FV LEVEL - so that I have a louder output for solos or when someone has turned up their guitar amps during a song and is threatening to bury the bass in the mix.
 
#53
I like the idea of not having the unit on the floor.
Mostly when I use my old V-Bass it doesn't get stepped on during performance, but I often miss being able to edit my sounds without having to sit down and reach for the buttons on the floor... so the VB-99 on a stand would suit me perfectly. Also it'll be smaller and lighter to carry.
 
#54
elros said:
I like the idea of not having the unit on the floor.
Mostly when I use my old V-Bass it doesn't get stepped on during performance, but I often miss being able to edit my sounds without having to sit down and reach for the buttons on the floor... so the VB-99 on a stand would suit me perfectly. Also it'll be smaller and lighter to carry.
Click to expand...

I turn stuff on and off during songs enough to never actually touch anything but my bass and the GK controls (often pitch shift layer on the buttons) with my hands during a gig. Simple example being chorused during verses, big distortion layered with clean chorus during chorus. I also use the treadle to change EQ/tone or amp gain or____ or ____. Almost any patch can default to clean tone with some control over upper mids or treble to fit the mix the way the song might demand. I hate programming static sounds - I use all the control assignations in all patches also - changing one control may access several parameters in several sections.

At home when programming the unit sits on an old rack about .6 meters high - my feet slide into the empty space at the bottom and that puts my chair right up to where everything is convenient.
 
#56
Ba55Man1ac said:
Wow greenboy, you actually took a drill to your lovely V-Bass... that must've been a tense moment for you!? :eek: Damn good idea though, i'm going to think about doing it myself. Do you have a pic of the innards?
Click to expand...

Nope, at the time I figured it all out my digital camera was going down all the time. I don't recall every particular but there was at least one circuit board to consider, I think clearance was a factor there. If someone else does this they should probably put the holes in the same place I did. I think I finally chose the internal side of the CTL1/2 jack to wire to after sussing out what was what.

...Just checked to see if the VB-99 manual is up yet. Nope.
 
#60

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