GR-55 - My Guide to the GR-55 (now with Audio samples link)

Started by pajsh, September 21, 2017, 08:15:46 AM

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pajsh

Hiya everyone,

I'm selling my GR-55 (finishes on Ebay this Saturday (UK) along with my Gk3 loaded USA Strat and Alto 112 speaker) and have put together a few notes from my experience to go in the box.

Shameless plug :-) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222647096257?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

I've had it pretty much since they came out and used it to great effect and enjoyment in a covers band up till about 18 months ago when I had to pack in or get divorced :(. I started with a GR-20 slave to a GT-8 (so already a convert) so the GR-55 was to me a (mostly) perfect synthesis of the two and I've loved every minute of owning, exploring and using it.

Anyway, I learned a lot over the years and thought my musings may be of interest or help to other noobies or people considering buying a GR-55 as whilst I know I only used a small percentage of what it does, I eventually knew it very well and loved it to bits.

Feel free to use or not, I may buy another one some day, but for the forseable future it's sitting idle so it's on it's way.

I could probably upload my back up patches file if anyone is interested.

Cheers and hope to be back soon.

Paul


admin

QuoteHi, thanks for buying my GR-55, it's an awesome box of tricks and I will sadly miss it.
If you know all about it then excuse my writing but, if not it may give you a head start into getting the best
from it. It is a very powerful tool, but with power comes complexity and it does take a bit of trial and error to
learn.
So here is my hit list for making the most of the GR-55.
Firstly, I've left it as I gigged with it and it took me a long time to set up and tweak things, so don't wipe it clean
just yet! There is some great stuff in there.
Secondly, download the "free" library/driver software from https://sourceforge.net/projects/grfloorboard/
and set it up on your PC with the USB lead. In addition to being able to jam along to stuff from your computer,
you can now back the unit up so you have all the presets you may need later plus download and test any new
ones. It really puts Roland to shame with their pitiful effort and from a supposed "tech" company too! After
looking through them you can reset the machine, but personally I'd try and get your head round it before you
do.
In terms of set up, if you have not used a synth before, setting the GK-3a pick-up is vital and takes a little time.
It's mostly in the manual, but if you join https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/ you'll find lots of advice with
people having differing ideas on either high output/low sensitivity or low output/high sensitivity and after
reading you can tweak the parameters till you are happy with them. There's loads of help on the above forum,
so it's well worth joining and reading the "stickies" when you can. Mine (yours) is set up for two guitars (both
Strats) so you could use them as a starting point but it's likely you'll need to change the parameters to get the
best results.
With your guitar now set up you may already know this, but playing synth guitar is different and you need to
be precise to avoid miss-triggers. Sloppy playing just won't do. You have to learn how to mute unwanted
strings (or turn them off in the settings) and ensure your guitar including strings, intonation and set-up are
good and even your pick is in the best condition. You'll also have to find where the best place to play stuff is,
as some stuff like strings/synths etc. work great over barre chords, but single note instruments like sax/flute
seem to work best around the 7-12th fret where the tone is strong and stable. In terms of performance it's also
helpful to think differently, as when you play piano you want to play "like a piano player would" not like a
guitarist. It takes time to learn but anything that is worthwhile is not easy is it?
Finally, before we make any noise, we need something to make that noise and I would recommend a powered
speaker like the Alto 112 I have for sale.
I originally (I started with a GT-8 and GR-20) used a powered mixed
and 15" cab live and it worked OK, but there are better solutions like the Alto and possibly Roland KC amps.
Again, the "Vguitar" forum is a good place for advice, but you I believe you DO want a full range amp as a
guitar amp (especially valve) just won't do. Great for guitar but they colour the sound too much and are not
full range enough for the synth.
And so finally to the presets and making some fun sounds.
Bad news first is, whilst, the factory presets are worth scrolling through for ideas and possibilities, realistically
they are pretty unusable. Most buyers (including myself) find this disappointing and it's a shame Roland
screwed up on this, but in realty you'll need to create your own anyway and if you're playing live, you'll need
to know your way around the menus on the fly and you'll only learn this by setting stuff up "off stage". I would
even abandon the "Floorboard" software on this one, as it's essential to learn your way around.
Like most "digital modellers" there is a massive library of stuff on the net and people are always asking "has
anyone got this or that", but you can waste a lot of time trying other people's versions for the "Solo in
Comfortably Numb" and I always found I needed to do it myself for my rig and my ears. Another reason you
need to know your way around. The good news is that (if you are using a full range PA) you can get pretty
close through headphones and so do this late at night or without pissing people off at loud volumes playing
the same stuff over and over again. The patches will (most likely) need tweaking when played live in a band or
rehearsal setting, but that's OK because you know your way around the menus now.....don't you?
The only exceptions I made to the above, regarding library patches, are some that are loaded on to my (your)
GR-55 and I'll mention them as I describe my current set-up. BTW, if you have ignored my advice and wiped
the box clean I have back-up files if you want to email me .
The main set of patches at the front are the ones I gigged with. I set them one per song and every bank to
keep them well apart and because really you don't want to switch patch during a song. There is a small lag
when switching patches which is annoying, so it's best to manage in one patch with the switches and pedals
in the box. The options are still great though and my favourite example of this is my "Comfortably Numb"
patch which starts with the synth in the verse (using CTL to "hold" the synth), then adds acoustic guitar and
strings (Exp) and then finally switches to distorted guitar & choir (Exp On) to back up the lead player in the
solo. Bloody awesome it was used live!!
Anyway, I digress....
So, the first set are my gigging patches and they worked well and I was pretty pleased with them (the names
tell you the songs they are for). Try them out and fiddle with the EXP/CTL pedals/switches as usually they do
something. On this topic, I always just used the "Assigns" as if you use the preset "CTL/EXP" switches it can
end up with conflicts and much head scratching. There are plenty of "Assigns" to cover most switching needed
and understanding how to use them is essential.
Further on in the list are my development patches for songs we tried and either never got good enough or
binned off. An interesting one here is "Iris" (by GooGoo Dolls) where I set-up the acoustic tuning DBDDDD
used in the original (try tuning you best Martin to that one!!) and layered strings (EXP) over the top and a
synth (CTL) for the solo. Worked OK and we gigged it twice, but we never got it good enough to keep it in. Real
shame as it's great patch and took a lot of work learning the fingering and solo. It's not an easy song to get
right but did/does show the awesome power of the GR-55.
Next along I think are "Sounds of the heros" which are patches I downloaded from V-Guitar and give some
idea of other's interpretations of famous guitarists. I never used them, but there are some good ones in there
like "Keef" Richards open G with no low E string and I like the Green Day patch too. Well worth keeping on for
reference.
Finally, at the back are a few odd development patches and the downloads from the great "GR-55 plays pop"
video on Youtube by James a Roland demonstrator. It's cleverly made to look like some "average Joe" in his
bedsit flat, don't underestimate the skill required to achieve this performance. These are some great patches
that Roland agreed for him to release though. Well worth a watch!
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=gr+55+plays+pop
So, that's about it I think. I could bore you more but really it's now time for you to roll up your sleeves, dig in
and get your hands dirty. I hope you enjoy it as I have. I've loved it and our audiences loved it too. It really
does make a big difference covering popular songs in a more complete way for when you haven't got a keys
player and the best bit is the "amazed" look from the punters when suddenly there are violins and horns
everywhere and they can't work out where they are coming from. Priceless!
As I close I'm regretting selling it already and will probably buy another one day ☹. Enjoy.

admin

#2
If only we could disable the GR-55's default "sloppy playing Test Mode" ;)

But I would point GR-55 owners to the worlds largest GR-55 patch repository here:
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?board=67.0

HecticArt

Great write-up Paul.
Good luck with your sale.

Hopefully at some point your wife decides that she wants you to get out of the house for a night or two each week, and encourages you to get back into a band again.

concordal

Quote from: pajsh on September 21, 2017, 08:15:46 AM
I could probably upload my back up patches file if anyone is interested.

Paul

pajsh: Many thanks for including your write-up here.

Yes by all means please post your backup patches.   Very often I look at a forum patch and say "So that's how you do that!" and promptly use the technique in one of my patches.  A given patch may not necessarily be used exactly as is, but the thinking behind the patch can be very useful to others.


pajsh

OK here is a final back-up of my GR-55 just before packing it up.

I also sold my Strat c/w GK-3a and Alto TS112A so I'm a fully analogue guitarist now :-(.

I do have an old VGA-3 (tried to sell that but it's not worth anything and a great little standby amp) but I have no GK-3a so can't use the modelling side of it.

I loved the GR-55 so I expect I'll be back one day.

pajsh

To add to the patch file I loaded above, I previously recorded a few sound clips to help sell the GR-55 but never got round to mastering them as I didn't think the playing was good enough. It's been 18 months since I played these live so I was working from a fairly sketchy memory. They are also probably played too fast but then I had no drums or bass.

I recorded them as a one takes (mistakes a plenty) DI from the headphone socket into a Boss Micro BR-80 and then mastered to .mp3 in the Micro BR. I had to keep bending down to stop/start the recorder so there are a few rouge noises here an there.

Can someone advise the best way of loading them up. The file is about 250MB and 24 minutes long and I don't really fancy having to split them up in to 10MB bits and adding over loads of posts.

I'm not that savvy on this sort of thing. I tried Youtube but it wanted me convert to a video and I am on SoundCloud but could not see how I upload. Any help appreciated.

Makes quite a fun "name that tune" if nothing else :-).

Paul

Mrchevy

#7
Go to your sound cloud web page with the mp3's on it then save that page in your bookmarks of your browser. Then come here to add a post reply.  once you have opened the post reply window, go to the bookmarks in your browser, find the sound cloud link, right click it, left click COPY, go back to your posting box here,  left click in the text box, then right click, select PASTE with a left click. this should add the link to your sound cloud page to your post. Basically Copy and Paste the link in your post. just make sure that the sound cloud page is not a page that requires a login. in other words, don't login then bookmark it, find it through general access.
Gibson Les Paul Custom
Epi Les Paul Standard
Gibson SG 50's prototype
Squire classic vibe 60's
Epi LP Modern
Epi SG Custom
Martin acoustic

Princeton chorus 210

GT100
GR-55
Helix LT
Waza Air Headphones
Boomerang III

And, a lot of stuff I DON'T need

pajsh


pajsh

OK here is the Wav file. Again, apologies for any mistakes it was on the fly and I wasn't originally going to use it.

https://soundcloud.com/paul-stubbs-3/gr-55-sampleswav

Cheers all and will be back soon :-).