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Roland VB-99

#41
billta said:
Can the VB-99 be used with a fretless bass, or will it not be able to track it? Is anybody using it with a fretless, and, if so, how do they like it?

billta.
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Yep
I just installed a Graphteck kit in my Carvin, check that thread;
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Tracking is as perfect as with a Fretted bass.

Gives the upright sound a little more "natural-ness" :smug:

I'll try to upload sounds if I have the time...

boomski said:
Here is live clip with me playing lead bass on a jam using the VB-99 . The other bassist is playing a fretless 5 through the non-GK input o
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Nice solo man !
Is that an F bass ?
 
#45
Your question made me think of something ;

Is there someone who has basses with different "TYPE" of pickup ?

I have two basses , both with Graphteck Ghost kit , but the setup between PiezoG and Piezo sounds very different.
I know I should choose PiezoG but Piezo sounds better to me.
I'm wondering if there is a difference between the sounds tracked from a Piezo equipped bass and a GK pickup equipped bass.
:confused:
EDIT; I'm wondering if you take a GK3b bass and a Graphteck bass , are the patches gonna sound the same?
I have two Graphteck equipped bass ,both sounds different , what's the reference then?


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#46
So, I own a Deep Impact, Korg G5, Meatball and Mutron. I am looking at some of the other features of the VB99 and thinking about pulling the trigger. I live in the DC area and I haven't found one in stock to try yet. What do you VB99 owners think of the synth and filter sounds? I have read that this thing tracks very well but what about the synth and filter sounds? I haven't heard any samples or read a discussion on that yet.

If I can even get close to the sounds of the gear I have I will pull the trigger. It would be great to not have to lug all that heavy gear to gigs. The other problem is that jackasses always get to close to me and start spilling beer so I have a hard time enjoying the gig because I usually end up in front of or standing over the board to keep the liquids away. On the other hand, if something got spilled on an FC300 controller, it would suck but wouldn't ruin the VB99.

Your thoughts / opinions on the synth/filter sounds?
 
#47
The presets are a very good place to start with.
I bought this thing Mainly to emulate '80 music synth bass sounds , and Minimoog type of sounds and I am not disapointed.
It is not as flexible as a good soft synth , or won't sound as good as a real Minimoog , but you'll have a lot more flexibility than with your pedals. I wanted to use it only when my band played specific songs but now it's always plugged ! :)

Check this thread , answer #146 , a guy passed through all the presets , it can give you an idea.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=481588&page=8

Also check on this Roland site;
http://media.roland.com/en/IT/VB-99_IT/index.html
go there and click "sound check" on top of the page

And by the way , the FC300 is built like a tank......
 
#48
There is alot of stuff to learn with the VB-99. I got it almost 2 weeks ago. I'm really kinda overwhelmed right now. Hopefully I can come back with a better and more focused posting in the near future. My main job now is to level out the sound output between patches.
 
#49
I bought the VB-99 about two months ago. Was eager enough that I actually ordered it from the UK before it was here. I'm very much loving it, and am impressed by the presets. I've noticed that there's a lot of variability in how good it sounds with my different basses, string and GK configuraitons, and so far I haven't been able to make much sense of why. It sounds best with as old Oak Fodera Monarch I have. It also sounds great with a new Ibanez 6-string, but only with the strings that came with it. I changed to Fat Beams and was thoroughly unimpressed.

One thing I do know is that the RMK Piezos really don't sound great with it. I have two conklin 7 strings (fretted and fretless) that I had very elaborately set up with RMK pickups and even though the VB-99 has a setting specifically for that brand of pickup it simply doesn't capture much of the color. I think I'm confirmed in this by Richard Bona who I saw live about month ago. He had a gorgeous Fodera bass, he's a tone connoisseur, and yet he had a GK3B integrated into the bass--not piezos, which he certainly could have afforded. The integration looked interesting. There was no bass-wart with the controls on it. The wire came out of the bass to the pickup, the 13 pin came out of the wood and the dials seemed to be part of the bass. I wonder how you do that.

I'm interested in the Warmoth you designed. I like the VB-99 fine without the use of Magnetic pickups and I think sooner or later someone should start making dedicated V-basses. I was thinking of making a prototype. Did you learn anything from making yours.

Great to find a community of people into this thing. It's a major breakthrough IMHO and I'm eager to share and hear what others are doing with it.
 
#51
taowin said:
One thing I do know is that the RMK Piezos really don't sound great with it. ...... I though the VB-99 has a setting specifically for that brand of pickup it simply doesn't capture much of the color.
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I'm still questioning that aspect too. Both my bass have Graphtech pickups and I learned that initial the setup of your bass changes the whole tone a lot.
All the presets were made with a GK3B , that's for sure , so I was thinking of getting a GK3B for a few days and put it on my fretlless just to see if the Graphtech is close , tone wise.
Even if I I have graphtech on both instruments , the patches sounds different from one another. Woods , shape , etc....

My fretless setup now; piezo type "G" with lows +2 and highs at -5
My fretted setup ; piezo type "G" with lows +4 and highs -5

taowin said:
..... and yet he had a GK3B integrated into the bass--not piezos, which he certainly could have afforded. The integration looked interesting....
Click to expand...
Probably these ; http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GKKitBG/

taowin said:
I'm interested in the Warmoth you designed. I like the VB-99 fine without the use of Magnetic pickups and I think sooner or later someone should start making dedicated V-basses. I was thinking of making a prototype. Did you learn anything from making yours.
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Yeah!
-I should have put the angled GK plug a little farther from the bridge because of the guitar stands. I found one that is OK , but still....

-The graphtech kit has a "dark" switch , wich is an EQ bypass.
So it's either a smilly curved EQ sound or full mid "piezo" sound , I really wanted something in between. That's why I added an EMG EQ.
It was a bit of a pain to have the EQ effective in both the GK output and the 1/4" output. I had to use imagination..... ;) (I'll spare the details)

-The Warmoth neck is a little on the "big" side. I'm really at home with a Carvin neck if you've tried one. When I'll have time to spare ( something rare!) I'll sand it down a bit.

taowin said:
Great to find a community of people into this thing. It's a major breakthrough IMHO and I'm eager to share and hear what others are doing with it.
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It would be nice to share patches and tips.
I asked the mod at the VG99 board if he could start a VB99 section for us bass players , lots of usefull info overthere ; http://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php

If you guys could ask them too , to open a VB99 section?
 
#52
I am trying to program some of my custom patches from my first-generation V-bass over to my VB-99 and so far I am not getting the exact results transferred over to the VB-99. I understand that many of the algorithms and parameters are exactly the same, with the exception being that the VB-99 has quite a few more parameters for advanced tweakability. It would seem that there should have been an import feature for the software to upload patches from the old unit into the new unit. I am still A/B'ing both units before I sell my Original V-bass that I've had for about ten years. The VB-99 seems like its worth the investment, but for those not familiar with the parameters will have to really sit down with the manual and go thru each variable before really getting it to sound like something you would want to use all the time let alone record with. The original unit came the same way with stock presets that were a little (or a lot) lifeless and unusable until you go inside and tweak every parameter that you personally need to achieve your desired result. Now it seems like I am starting over but it shouldn't take too long to re-create some nice patches that I have used on my old box (I hope).
 
#54
I have the original V-bass and even using it to tune down a half-step dos'nt sound very good. I was wondering if anybody out there could try.....say a regular 4 string bass and use the VB to tune down to "D" on the fly......how does it sound?

I would also like to hear someone switch between string type models using the same preset.

Any help would be great.....it will be a big move financially to upgrade. I want to make sure it's worth it.

Thanks

John
 
#55
I've never tried the original V-Bass but the VB99 sounds very good with this. I'd say below a 4th you can hear a slight difference , but tuning down 1/2 step or whole tone , it's VERY hard to tell the difference.
Important to say that there is no latency.

Bring your bass to a store a try it before buying it. Just be sure to set it up correctly with the type of pickup you have beforehand .
The setup does a BIG difference.
 
#58
What kind of amplification are you guys using with this live? I was thinking of using my VGA-7 guitar amp (for the synth/cosm sounds and my bass rig for the dry bass sound) as it has a broader range and gets a more Hi-fi sound, rather than use DI, a keyboard amp or through my bass rig.
 
#59
I use a RCF ART310A wich is a full range active monitor.
I want something as flat as possible to be able to reproduce the VB99.
I don't need a bass amp to color the bass amp simulations ;)
I also sometimes mix My vocal in it , something hard to do with a "normal" bass amp

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#60
fokof said:
I use a RCF ART310A wich is a full range active monitor.
I want something as flat as possible to be able to reproduce the VB99.
I don't need a bass amp to color the bass amp simulations ;)
I also sometimes mix My vocal in it , something hard to do with a "normal" bass amp

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Click to expand...

I don't own a VB99 (yet), but I also play guitar and I have a 100% digital setup now. I use the Boss GT Pro as my guitar processor/amp simulator and I run it through an Atomic AR112-50. (they make a 2x12/50 as well). I also run certain patches through the PA. It's a great organic sounding setup. I have to believe the Atomic amp would work with a bass amp simulator as well.
 

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