But before spending money on it i had a chance to really get into depth and use it for a while to see if it was something that i really would like. It requires a significant investment in learning how to program and design patches. Roland gr33, gr55, gi20 and ext synth, or midi guitar. Dive in and create your own intensely intricate patches, or keep it simple and explore the hundreds of builtin tones onboard. Find great deals on ebay for roland gr 55 and roland gr 55 guitar synthesizer. And there is an electronically buffered standard guitar input, to allow any guitar to use the modeling and effects in the roland gr55 or vg99. Roland s gr55 guitar synthesizer, announced at the january 2011 winter namm show in california, is the first product to put both their pcm synthesis and cosm modelling technologies in a single floor unit. I suspect the vg99 is next, and this will become a glorified guitar to midi.
The gr 55 represents roland s latest breakthrough advances in guitar synthesis, offering playability, features, and sound quality that far surpasses the capabilities of. For my own studio and live work, i have a roland gr 33 synthesizer and a vg 99 cosm guitar processor, and though each offers more features in its own specialised area than the gr 55, the advantages of combining both technologies in an easytomanage package are obvious, not least being simplicity of setup. I am looking for in order of importance decent 12 string emulation, alternate tunings capability, and emulation of other guitars e. Will get the gr 55 to replace the gr 33 but my vg99 is here to stay. How to rock out with alternate patches roland canada. They emulate the classic guitar tones from a number of famous songs, and i use them when i demonstrate some of the great sounds that you can get out of the vguitar system. For the critical tests, i plugged a roland ready fender stratocaster into a. When roland designed the gr 55, they totally redeveloped their already leading pitchdetection. The vg 99 and gr 55 have the exact same modeling algorithm for creating acoustic guitar, and they sound great. Please keep in mind that the traditional amp models in the roland devices arent a big deal to me as i have an axefx that. While i have no previous roland gk experience i do have a fair amount of pitch tracking experience with hardware effects such as boss oc2 analog mono octaver, boss se70 synth effects, boss vf1 synth effects, boss gt10b synth effects, sonuus b2m pitchto.
I was keeping a gr 33 for the sounds it has that vg99 did not have. Roland vg 99 acoustic guitar alternate tuning guitar synth. The fundamental difference between vg and gr is that vg is a guitar processor and gr is a guitar synth. I chose the vg 99 based on my own personal priorities. Born in brooklyn, new york, on may 5, 1959, steve stevens first picked up the guitar when he was only seven years old. The roland vg 99 is a guitar system that was really appealing to me. Having used the vg 99 and gr 20 for a few years, i have become an avid of roland products. Trying to decide between vg99 and gr55 the gear page. How to rock out with alternate patches he was interested in buying a gr55 guitar synthesizer but didnt like the factory presets and sent it back to the store hate it when that happens. The gr55 is a guitar synthesizer that includes a wide variety of sounds. The gr55s powerful triplecore engine comprises two pcm synthesizers with over 900 tones powered by the latest roland synthesis technology and cosm guitar modeling, featuring a virtual treasure trove of guitar, bass, amp, and synth models. I spent one afternoon installing the gk3 pickup on an american elite tele and getting some patches together, and the show went without a hitch.
I spent literally months tweaking and creating many soundspatches for the vg99. Here are some sound samples recorded with my roland gr 55. Roland gr 77b for reaktor download a modeled roland gr 77b for native instruments reaktor 5. Roland gr55 guitar synthesizer black with gk3 divided.
Roland s gr 55 guitar synthesizer is a revolutionary new product combining pcm synthesis with digital instrument modeling derived from the respected vg 99 vguitar system. The gr 55 s cosm guitar modeling section is not nearly as comprehensive as as the vg 99 s. Second, im a metheny fan, and wanted to have that gr 300 kind of sound without spending a lot more money on a gr 55 or vg 99. The convenient stompbox format of the grd allows players with traditional setups to experience the incredible sound potential available with gk processing. Its an extremely deep unit, as roland really threw in the proverbial kitchen. Just the look of it seemed like it was something that i could really use. A vg 99 patch stores all the parameter settings that make up a particular sound. Filterbuffer roland pin gr 55 vg 99 guitar synth tracking optimizer and efx. By default, most of the gr55 factory patches do not use the normal output from your guitar. This is the latest driver for connecting the roland vg 99 to microsoftr windows vista and xp. Vg 99 editor a program for editing the parameters for the vg 99 on your computer, and vg 99 librarian a program for patch management for the vg 99 on your computer. Its also the most accurate, thanks to newly developed pitchdetection technology. But where the vg99 stops, the gr55, for about half the price does all of the.
Roland gr 700 blue remake with gr 300 blue finish, new handles, and handsome natural wood end blocks. Hi, im paul hanson, a roland and boss specialist, and these are some of my custom patches for the vg99. Apr 22, 2015 i considered the gr 55, which is a cool unit. Today, there are two roland units that bear the guitar synthesizer badge. The new vg 99 gr 300 has more creative options, along with the bells and whistles of modern technology. Both vg99 and gr55 perform both cosm modelling and midi. Hi, im paul hanson, a roland and boss specialist, and these are some of my custom patches for the vg 99.
The vg 99 allows you to use two simultaneous modeled guitars, making possible such things as 12 string sims with altered tunings. Rolands gr55 guitar synthesizer, announced at the january 2011 winter namm show. Roland gr55 guitar synth with gk3 pickup sweetwater. I played one for about 90 minutes at guitar center on a roland ready strat. While both the gr55 and the sy300 have the guitar synthesizer name, in actual fact, they couldnt be more different. Like the vg99, the gr55 functions as an audiomidi interface. Be sure to refer to the readme document as this download contains two separate updates depending on the current operating system being used. It was much better than the gk3 pickup i installed on my old kramer. The grd vguitar distortion joins rolands acclaimed vguitar family, which also includes the gr55 guitar synthesizer and vg99 vguitar system. Having said that, seeing how much roland was able to put into gr 55 i can only imagine what they will be able to do when they are ready to release vg99s successor. Page 1 owners manual thank you, and congratulations on your choice of the roland vg99. Oct, 2008 when roland claimed to completely emulate a gr 300 in the vg 99, they were serious. In this booklet, we show you how to select, save, and manage your patches in the vg 99.
Roland vg99 advanced dual engine cosm modeling synthesizer. Innovative hybrid cajon with builtin electronic sounds. Not only does it feature a good selection of synthesizer sounds, the onboard cosm effect modeling gives it the ability to create some sounds similar to vguitar systems like the vg88, but it isnt a full vguitar system. I think it tracks great but depending on the patch you get some ghost notes. Youtube kraft music roland gr 55 guitar synth demo with gundy keller namm 2011 high quality. Unlike the more recent roland gr55, the vg99 does not offer pcm synthesis, such as the ability to reproduce drums, piano, etc. Unfollow roland vg99 to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. Trying to decide between vg 99 and gr 55 discussion in. If youre the kind of person who digs into your roland boss gear, odds are you go way. There are four footswitches, three of which may be used to select patches or to operate. Unlike the more recent roland gr 55, the vg 99 does not offer pcm synthesis, such as the ability to reproduce drums, piano, etc. Save roland vg 99 to get email alerts and updates on your ebay feed. Roland gr55 and vg99 acoustic guitars martin, guild. A version check will be necessary to distinguish which update should be used.
You can separate them as a processor like boss, digitech or line 6 and a keyboard. Youtube kraft music roland gr55 guitar synth demo with gundy keller namm 2011 high quality. Pg200 updated nos newoldstock photos of the roland pg700, programmer for the roland gr 700. Mar 23, 2011 roland unequivocally states that this is the fastest and most responsive guitar synthesizer they have ever made. They are the astounding roland gr55, and the amazingly innovative boss sy300. For some patches i noticed a distinct latency, but it was not anything that i could not adjust to. In addition to its own internal synthesizer voices, the gr 55 also offers the cosm guitar modeling technology featured in its groundbreaking vg 99 product along with cosm amplifiers and multieffects. I gotta say, if you already have a roland ready guitar or pickup, my gr 55 has been a pleasure for what i needbasic guitar tones are fine imo best direct cleans i ever had. Gkexpander roland gr55 vg99 gk3 guitar synthesizer. It is not uncommon for players to want to program their own sounds, as the factory presets are suggestions that show extreme uses of the gr55 and. Roland also claim that the gr55 has significantly faster and more accurate pitchtracking than their previous gr synths. In this clip you can hear the same parts played on both a vg 99 and gr 55, with edits. The roland gr55 is a revolution in guitar synthesis, with features never before available in any guitar processor.
These sections provide important information concerning the proper operation of the unit. With decades of experience developing the industrys hottest guitar synths, roland s gr 55 guitar synth and effects processor gives you more incredible tones and features than ever before, making laggy and inaccurate tracking a thing of the past. Vg99 and vg strat basically, i am interested the capability of a vg strat, but i am hoping i can get that with a vg88, as i already have a guitar with a roland gk2a synth pickup. The sound of the vg 99, like the classic roland gr 300, is closely derived from the guitar strings, resulting in faster and more accurate tracking than any synthesizer on the market. Honing his craft while playing in manhattan, stevens recorded an unreleased album with his band, fine malibus, and also played as a session guitarist. Usb and coaxial digital outputs, and more effects than an entire eighties studio.