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Roland VB-99
- Thread starter fokof
- Start date
Invalid Link Removed
Also try "contact cleaner" in Google
Those cables/plug are fragile , you have to be carefull with them.
I made two bass for the VB99 and both have a 45° angled plug to avoid these things.See it there
Also try "contact cleaner" in Google
Those cables/plug are fragile , you have to be carefull with them.
I made two bass for the VB99 and both have a 45° angled plug to avoid these things.See it there
Thanks a lot, man!
How often do you spray contact cleaner on those 13 pins?
Sounds like the cable is fragile,should I buy another GK cable just in case?
How often do you spray contact cleaner on those 13 pins?
Sounds like the cable is fragile,should I buy another GK cable just in case?
Never in two years.
I never had the problems mentioned , I'm very carefull with these.
I always carry one just in case.
I've been a V-Bass user since they first came out. I currently have 3 of them, and more 13 pin basses than I care to count. But, I can't bring myself to go to the VB 99 because of the new design. I like one cord out of my bass to the floor pedal and then one to the amp. I control everything from that tank like V-Bass pedal and I love it. That's why I've equipped so many basses with 13 pin. Unless the new design provided better pitch to midi than a GI-20 (your post said it doesn't), or it gave so much superior models (like a better upright), then I can't see switching. I see we have a lot in common, I've used RMC, Ghost and Roland pickups as well. So I respect your opinions, Can you convince me it's worth the cash and not a lot more hassle at the gig? check my latest creation here http://ohioweddingmusic.com/gear/basses/YamRBXA25.html
After two years , my opinions kinda changed a bit.
As opposed to what what I've said before , the presets are not very good. It's when you dig the beast that it's real potential comes out. Now I start from a blank preset wich have all my controllers preseted ( there is a LOT on the VB99 )and build from there.
I had the chance to try an VBass V1 , how can I compare .....
.....
I have a 2010 MacbookPro , it's like if I go work on a G3 ......
I only tried the COSM bass on the V1 but I'll go general ,maybe for other people who might be interested , if you have specific question , feel free....Others who tried both might join in.
Everything is better on the VB99. Lot more controller , and you can control almost everything. The integration with the FC300 is AMAZING for Live control.
The COSM bass are a lot better , the upright simulation are usable on the VB99 , it was not on the VBass. I still have the same perception about this , it's very much good enough to use in a band setting , in the whole mix , it sounds like an upright , but playing solo , it's not quite there yet.
With my real upright , i've been through the quest of finding a good pickup , I tried a lot of solutions , some good some bad , so I can say that the VB99 upright emulation played with a fretless sounds better than a real upright with a bad pickup !!!
Or that it sounds more like an upright than some EUB.
All the COSM bass emulations are very good. Blindfolded , in a Live situation , no one would be able to tell the real from the modeling.
I haven't had the chance to dig the synths of the V1 but I'm VERY satified with the VB99. I've tried the "analogue/pedal" and pitch to MIDI way and it is by 100 miles the best way to get where I wanted. Like I said earlier in this thread, the synth part is limited but what it does is "perfectly".
-The GR is very cool and flexible .
-The Wave synth (square and saw) is very nice too.
-The OSC is my favorite . It's a syb5 that actually works !!
I have a SYB5 ( I had lots of pedals before the VB99) and it is a SYB5 that have good tracking and more control.
From what I've read , it's the only synth that is not COSM , it's a convertion of some sort , someone might chime in on that , and the tracking is somehow different than the other COSM synths, it doesn't behave like the other synths , it behaves a bit more like the pitch to MIDI but with a better tracking and almost no latency.Check this thread about latency of the VB99
I say almost because every digital processing unit (FX, converter , wireless) will induce latency.
-The Filter synth is my second favorite , very "Moogish" like.
-Bowed doesn't sound like strings at all. They should have gave them different name. With programming , you can get a "stringish" type of sound that will be more like a Mellotron. Very cool , but not if you buy that and think you'll have string per say you'll be unhappy.
-Pipe ; same thing , they should have give it another name.
It's another type of sound.
-Crystal ; to have weird type of sound. Very "ring modulator" type of sounds.
-Organ; It's OK , with some work you can get a Deep Purple'ish organ type of sound. Good stuff to add personality to a rock bass sound me thinks.
FX section;
there is a lot of choice , in general there is a perfect integration with a tap tempo and syncing in general and ALL the presets are controllable. Sky is the limit.
In total you can have 6 different chorus at once , 7 different delay at once.
My favorite are the 2X2 chorus in the MultiFX section , it's a X-over chorus , differnt setting for high and low and the Xover frequency is adjustable. Magic !
The MutronIII emulation; I have a Musitronics MuTronIII (not for sale sorry!) and I prefer the VB's.
With some programming (again) you can get an as good a sound WITHOUT the noise of the original and without changing the level.
The secret is to add a bit of grit to get the original sound.
The multi-band compressor is very usefull , gives a different type of EQ'ing.
You can EQ your signal at 10 different spots. Major flexibility at this.
Can't talk much about the amp section as I'm not into amps , it's always off. They look good enough if your into this.
I have a real B15 and the emulation is very good , again without the noise.
I haven't dig much of the Pitch to MIDI section as I've been burnt a bit in the past. The VB99 kind of fill all my needs for synth sound (for now) that I haven't checked out much of the Pitch to MIDI yet. From what I remember of my ex GI20 , it is on par and I had the impression that it is a bit better since the 1.02 update. One thing that is missing is the opportunity to On/Off the Pitch to MIDI with a controller.
Something I noticed is that with Pitch to MIDI you have to set the GK sensibility differently to have better results . You can make 10 different GK specific input level and assign them to different patchs.
The Editor and librarian are very nice .The USB integration is cool , you can Route the signal almost where you want , like send COSM bass A to the CPU and back to the FX while engine B goes out to the SPDIF and back to it's amp. Whatever. very flexible. And all this routing can be saved in each patch.
what else .... The way it's made , it kind of bugged me when I got it but not anymore. The fact that you put it on a stand will protect it and the FC300 is plugged with a single RJ45 cable.
Go for it. The best bass processor ever.
It replaces a Jazz bass , a precision , a MusicMan , an Hofner , a rick , a thunderbird , 5 or 6 synths , an upright , 4 multi FX , a reverb , a preamp , a SVT , a B15 , a 360 , a TE , a Fender Bassman , a USB interface and a Pitch to MIDI interface. SO for I $2000 with the pickup and the FC300 and a case , it's very cheap !!!!
As opposed to what what I've said before , the presets are not very good. It's when you dig the beast that it's real potential comes out. Now I start from a blank preset wich have all my controllers preseted ( there is a LOT on the VB99 )and build from there.
I had the chance to try an VBass V1 , how can I compare .....
..... I have a 2010 MacbookPro , it's like if I go work on a G3 ......
I only tried the COSM bass on the V1 but I'll go general ,maybe for other people who might be interested , if you have specific question , feel free....Others who tried both might join in.
Everything is better on the VB99. Lot more controller , and you can control almost everything. The integration with the FC300 is AMAZING for Live control.
The COSM bass are a lot better , the upright simulation are usable on the VB99 , it was not on the VBass. I still have the same perception about this , it's very much good enough to use in a band setting , in the whole mix , it sounds like an upright , but playing solo , it's not quite there yet.
With my real upright , i've been through the quest of finding a good pickup , I tried a lot of solutions , some good some bad , so I can say that the VB99 upright emulation played with a fretless sounds better than a real upright with a bad pickup !!!
Or that it sounds more like an upright than some EUB.
All the COSM bass emulations are very good. Blindfolded , in a Live situation , no one would be able to tell the real from the modeling.
I haven't had the chance to dig the synths of the V1 but I'm VERY satified with the VB99. I've tried the "analogue/pedal" and pitch to MIDI way and it is by 100 miles the best way to get where I wanted. Like I said earlier in this thread, the synth part is limited but what it does is "perfectly".
-The GR is very cool and flexible .
-The Wave synth (square and saw) is very nice too.
-The OSC is my favorite . It's a syb5 that actually works !!
I have a SYB5 ( I had lots of pedals before the VB99) and it is a SYB5 that have good tracking and more control.
From what I've read , it's the only synth that is not COSM , it's a convertion of some sort , someone might chime in on that , and the tracking is somehow different than the other COSM synths, it doesn't behave like the other synths , it behaves a bit more like the pitch to MIDI but with a better tracking and almost no latency.Check this thread about latency of the VB99
I say almost because every digital processing unit (FX, converter , wireless) will induce latency.
-The Filter synth is my second favorite , very "Moogish" like.
-Bowed doesn't sound like strings at all. They should have gave them different name. With programming , you can get a "stringish" type of sound that will be more like a Mellotron. Very cool , but not if you buy that and think you'll have string per say you'll be unhappy.
-Pipe ; same thing , they should have give it another name.
It's another type of sound.
-Crystal ; to have weird type of sound. Very "ring modulator" type of sounds.
-Organ; It's OK , with some work you can get a Deep Purple'ish organ type of sound. Good stuff to add personality to a rock bass sound me thinks.
FX section;
there is a lot of choice , in general there is a perfect integration with a tap tempo and syncing in general and ALL the presets are controllable. Sky is the limit.
In total you can have 6 different chorus at once , 7 different delay at once.
My favorite are the 2X2 chorus in the MultiFX section , it's a X-over chorus , differnt setting for high and low and the Xover frequency is adjustable. Magic !
The MutronIII emulation; I have a Musitronics MuTronIII (not for sale sorry!) and I prefer the VB's.
With some programming (again) you can get an as good a sound WITHOUT the noise of the original and without changing the level.
The secret is to add a bit of grit to get the original sound.
The multi-band compressor is very usefull , gives a different type of EQ'ing.
You can EQ your signal at 10 different spots. Major flexibility at this.
Can't talk much about the amp section as I'm not into amps , it's always off. They look good enough if your into this.
I have a real B15 and the emulation is very good , again without the noise.
I haven't dig much of the Pitch to MIDI section as I've been burnt a bit in the past. The VB99 kind of fill all my needs for synth sound (for now) that I haven't checked out much of the Pitch to MIDI yet. From what I remember of my ex GI20 , it is on par and I had the impression that it is a bit better since the 1.02 update. One thing that is missing is the opportunity to On/Off the Pitch to MIDI with a controller.
Something I noticed is that with Pitch to MIDI you have to set the GK sensibility differently to have better results . You can make 10 different GK specific input level and assign them to different patchs.
The Editor and librarian are very nice .The USB integration is cool , you can Route the signal almost where you want , like send COSM bass A to the CPU and back to the FX while engine B goes out to the SPDIF and back to it's amp. Whatever. very flexible. And all this routing can be saved in each patch.
what else .... The way it's made , it kind of bugged me when I got it but not anymore. The fact that you put it on a stand will protect it and the FC300 is plugged with a single RJ45 cable.
Go for it. The best bass processor ever.
It replaces a Jazz bass , a precision , a MusicMan , an Hofner , a rick , a thunderbird , 5 or 6 synths , an upright , 4 multi FX , a reverb , a preamp , a SVT , a B15 , a 360 , a TE , a Fender Bassman , a USB interface and a Pitch to MIDI interface. SO for I $2000 with the pickup and the FC300 and a case , it's very cheap !!!!
Oh I forgot to talk about two things:
The Poly FX ;
Having the ability to compress each strings differently can seem over the top but it is usefull.
The Poly distortion takes bass disto to a whole new level. It really doesn't sound the same as a distortion for all the strings , very nice.
The Poly octaver is perfect. Perfect tracking even on the low B as long as you hold the note.
The String emulator is cool , there is two : Black Nylon and flat wound
There is a Poly ring modulator. I haven't digged that yet but it looks like a lot of possibilities.
The Octavers in general:
There is a multiple way to do octavers on the VB99 , on the COSM instruments , in the POLY FX ,and 4 different type in the 4 different Multi Fx.
Personaly I use the COSM bass as it sounds and trcks perfectly and leaves the Poly FX for other duties.
The Poly FX ;
Having the ability to compress each strings differently can seem over the top but it is usefull.
The Poly distortion takes bass disto to a whole new level. It really doesn't sound the same as a distortion for all the strings , very nice.
The Poly octaver is perfect. Perfect tracking even on the low B as long as you hold the note.
The String emulator is cool , there is two : Black Nylon and flat wound
There is a Poly ring modulator. I haven't digged that yet but it looks like a lot of possibilities.
The Octavers in general:
There is a multiple way to do octavers on the VB99 , on the COSM instruments , in the POLY FX ,and 4 different type in the 4 different Multi Fx.
Personaly I use the COSM bass as it sounds and trcks perfectly and leaves the Poly FX for other duties.
I bought the Input filter from RMC , it's called a V9SF-B.
It replaces the input jack in the VB99 and is a HPF for each strings. The frequency is 1/2 an octave below the fundamental of each strings.
Great results if you have a piezo based system , cleans up the unwanted hand noise , particularly on synth patches.
It is not so much an added feature with a GK3 pickup. Sounds like there is already a filter in the GK3B or that the GK3B gives a lot less fundamental , and below...
It also helps in the pitch to MIDI departement , the "cleaning up" helps with better tracking , it still suc* , but suc* a little less.
If your like me and use extensively your VB99 , it's a very nice added feature , go for it.
You have to email Richard to ask for this , he offers a top notch service.
And BTW , you can't have a "reverse" pickup with this filter , if you do , the lowB filter is applied to the hi-C etc....
It replaces the input jack in the VB99 and is a HPF for each strings. The frequency is 1/2 an octave below the fundamental of each strings.
Great results if you have a piezo based system , cleans up the unwanted hand noise , particularly on synth patches.
It is not so much an added feature with a GK3 pickup. Sounds like there is already a filter in the GK3B or that the GK3B gives a lot less fundamental , and below...
It also helps in the pitch to MIDI departement , the "cleaning up" helps with better tracking , it still suc* , but suc* a little less.
If your like me and use extensively your VB99 , it's a very nice added feature , go for it.
You have to email Richard to ask for this , he offers a top notch service.
And BTW , you can't have a "reverse" pickup with this filter , if you do , the lowB filter is applied to the hi-C etc....
Hi!
I'm thinking about buying me the VB-99, but I want to know if there is this sound possible ...
I hope you can help me.
I'm thinking about buying me the VB-99, but I want to know if there is this sound possible ...
I hope you can help me.
After 6 months with this amp setup and 2 years with my VB99 , my quest for the perfect setup is over.
Weight/size being an issue for me (back problems) I was looking for an amp that is full range ,
the amp is an active sub + an active top , 1350watts , weights 86 pounds (39 kilos).
The top with the pole is at my ears height & I have very good low end with that sub.
With the VB99 , I can do upright sound , 10 different basses , amps , synths , bass synths , FX 'till the moon .....
This setup covers all the type of tones I've ever needed.
The beauty is that it's a one trip from the car even with two basses !!!!!
Just perfect !
Weight/size being an issue for me (back problems) I was looking for an amp that is full range ,
the amp is an active sub + an active top , 1350watts , weights 86 pounds (39 kilos).
The top with the pole is at my ears height & I have very good low end with that sub.
With the VB99 , I can do upright sound , 10 different basses , amps , synths , bass synths , FX 'till the moon .....
This setup covers all the type of tones I've ever needed.
The beauty is that it's a one trip from the car even with two basses !!!!!
Just perfect !
I'm a VB-99 user. A user, not a programmer. I haven't gotten much beyond the presets and that one dowloadable and midi importable collection of patches named after bass greats. I play cafe gigs and the like. I'm no commercial threat. So I'm wondering whether any of you more skilled programmers would be willing to share some of your patches with me/us. I'd love to see what you've come up with. I use the GK3. I had some Conklin 7s with RMC's and maybe lacking some mods, I found the piezos less colorful sounding the GK.
I was going to recommend there . as well, until i saw the cupboard was bare.Check there . Not much poster appart from me.
I'll post some later this week when I'll have a little time.
Seems to be a bass player thing? no-one posts patches, even if there are 10% bass players using FX compared to the 90% guitarists, but only 1% patches posted.
Thank you folkof, very helpful. I'm grateful that you were willing to put them up for download.
