We miss you Bill Ruppert!

Started by Radley, July 12, 2013, 05:32:48 PM

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Bill Ruppert

Just a side note on how the VG-99 saved my ass yesterday.
I showed up om a session with an Ibanez guitar with the floating bridge.
They play the track sound they wanted and all the guitars were tuned down to C!
I started sweating...
I COULD NEVER get that guitar down to C with out it taking a 2 hour set up and change of strings.
All it took was the VG alt tune to drop to C and straight into the Kemper.

I NEVER leave the house with out a VG-99.

Elantric

Bill,  do you feed VG-99 SPDIF out to KPA SPDIF In?

Bill Ruppert

No that's a great idea.
Yesterday had to be fast and I just used 1/4 inch.

I do want to take some time and make some presets on the vg with optimum settings for this kind of thing.

A2theT

Quote from: kmaus10 on July 12, 2013, 07:31:41 PM
Most of us VG99 users have 'settled in' and understand we won't be getting any firmware updates.

+1
I've exhausted my hours with the VG and have recently been putting all my efforts into the AxeFX and my own playing.   I'll still continue to contribute here in different waves.  My latest contribution will soon include my experience and patch programming with regards to integrating my VG with my AxeFX.   Both great units in their own rights.   My GR has seen very few hours lately and I should probably sell it but I love gear and I use it a few times a year on recordings for different things.  The reality is we often have too much gear and too little time.  While I'm typing this, my toys are being neglected :)
HEAVY on the METAL
Axe-Fx II, Roland VG-99 + FC-300, Roland GR-55, Digitech Jamman Stereo, Ibanez/ESP/Jackson Guitars

aliensporebomb

And I'm not even close to exhausting the VG-99:

I literally stumbled (by accident of course) into a major improvement in my VG distortion/overdrive type sounds so much so that I'm going to be modifying about 25-30 existing patches in the "new paradigm" so they'll all be improved in the same way.

Now I have all the benefits of the same sounds as my big analog rig but VG quiet. 

I still want a Kemper but I just spent some major dough on a looper so that will have to wait a bit.

My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.

Elantric

QuoteI literally stumbled (by accident of course) into a major improvement in my VG distortion/overdrive type sounds so much so that I'm going to be modifying about 25-30 existing patches in the "new paradigm" so they'll all be improved in the same way.

Just curious what you discovered?

rcknrllmn


musicman65

Same here...care to reveal your discovery?

bd

Bill Ruppert

#33
You want the amp trick???
Here it is.
And I say this as the box is ending its production.


Clean use the cln twin with a advanced comp and two eq's.
For a med gain its a clean twin amp model with the natural od in front.
Use the custom speaker option in the amp. Use eq to taste...dont be afraid to use several eq's as it adds phase notching like a speaker
Marshall amp...use the MS1959(1) with the boost overdrive in front.
Here USE two eq's.
Metal sound...what do you think?
Hint its what you think.


The rest of the amps...eh

aliensporebomb

#34
Yep - Two EQs!

I had a chain like this: Les Paul with humbuckers with compression (set to limit), the amp model, then the eq, then another eq, then three options that could go on or off depending on mood: a tiny bit of pitch shift (I didn't use that too much), delay and reverb (all of the last three were switchable on or off).   

The first EQ took care of shaping the contour on the high end and the other one took care of taming the mids.  This gave a nice mid push without being overbearing and the high notes sang nicely.  With just one EQ you would not achieve the same aural effect.

I also did an experiment where I took "good favorite" settings before and randomly switched to amp models I hadn't played with much to see what it would do to the sound.

I found that the metal lead amp model that I'd never really used much before (or found a use for) had an unexpectedly nice sweet singing sound set to medium gain settings using the first third or so of the knob travel (so, gain switch to medium and all knobs set to in the 30-40% area except presence and level - presence set to around 11 (any higher and it was too trebly/shrieky) and level set as needed). 

Speaker was set to "original" with mic type set to CND87 and mic was set to on mic about 5mm with level and 100 and direct level was accidentally set to 0 but it worked.  That was just one sound.

Any other questions?  I've found the production used on 1970s/1980s rock albums helped me a lot in coming up with sounds on the VG-99.

My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.

A2theT

On many of my patches you'll find guitar EQ, rack EQ, and Master Mixer EQ all in use.
One of the reasons for this......  Lack of a graphic EQ which I needed when trying to sculpt a sound.  This is one thing I really love (aside from the Tone Matching block) about the Axe FX.  VG+Axe FX = "almost" guitar utopia.
HEAVY on the METAL
Axe-Fx II, Roland VG-99 + FC-300, Roland GR-55, Digitech Jamman Stereo, Ibanez/ESP/Jackson Guitars

alexmcginness

Thanks to you guys for this, especially Bill Rupert and aliensporebomb and of course A to the T ( as well as everyone else ) for sharing stuff here. I understand why Bill doesnt post a lot of patches, but what hes put up here on the forum plus the hints of how he does what he does have been a great compass for me in looking at the 99 in an "outside the box" direction. This double eq has been a godsend in getting the 99 to sound less digital and the fact that Bill uses this regularily on sessions, has been for me, a sort of confidence boost to just go ahead and use it on my own recordings without that doubt that its not gonna be real enuff.
   One thing Ive noticed is that the electric patches seem to work better with a GK pickup and the acoustic patches seem to sound more authentic with the piezo PU on my Godin LGXT especially the nylon. Might be something for folks to experiment with. Just my 2 cents. Anyways I just wanted to say thanks.
VG-88V2, GR-50, GR-55, 4 X VG-99s,2 X FC-300,  2 X GP-10 AXON AX 100 MKII, FISHMAN TRIPLE PLAY,MIDX-10, MIDX-20, AVID 11 RACK, BEHRINGER FCB 1010, LIVID GUITAR WING, ROLAND US-20, 3 X GUYATONE TO-2. MARSHALL BLUESBREAKER, SERBIAN ELIMINATOR AMP. GR-33.

aliensporebomb

I've said this before and it might be down to the wood makeup of my guitar but it appears my GK2A has more of a rounded sound suitable for overdrive/distortion tones whereas my GK3 equipped guitar seems to be better for clean/shimmer/synthy patches. 

It's a subtle distinction but you would notice it instantly.  My GK3 equipped guitar might be better for the NuMetal style as it comes across as a harsher beast under overdrive/distortion. 
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.

alexmcginness

Ive definately noticed that the guitar is a factor in the tone. Ive got GKs on 4 guitars and they all have different responses. Maybe its the subtle variation in the distance from the strings, gauge of strings, but theres a difference.
VG-88V2, GR-50, GR-55, 4 X VG-99s,2 X FC-300,  2 X GP-10 AXON AX 100 MKII, FISHMAN TRIPLE PLAY,MIDX-10, MIDX-20, AVID 11 RACK, BEHRINGER FCB 1010, LIVID GUITAR WING, ROLAND US-20, 3 X GUYATONE TO-2. MARSHALL BLUESBREAKER, SERBIAN ELIMINATOR AMP. GR-33.

Radley

Wow - I've been very sick the last week :-[ so I haven't been here for a bit... *So glad* to see that this thread is still active, and that Bill R. has chimed in! Bill - It's important that you realize that your love/faith in the VG-99 is a huge reason people like myself committed to this 'machine'... the fact that you put the work in and then posted the sonic results was *huge* for those of us who felt the factory sounds were simply unusable.  If you ever write a detailed book about getting the most out of the VG-99, I will be the first in line to buy it.

FWIW: Don't feel bad if you feel dissed by Roland - I have used Roland units on tour with Neil Diamond for many years, and they have always been very unresponsive when I've contacted them with problems while touring (some of the problems were major). I believe Roland needs to lose the superior attitude, and come down to earth & talk to the serious musicians who use their gear.

guitarnstuff

Quote from: alexmcginness on August 03, 2013, 07:48:59 AM

.... One thing Ive noticed is that the electric patches seem to work better with a GK pickup and the acoustic patches seem to sound more authentic with the piezo PU on my Godin LGXT especially the nylon. Might be something for folks to experiment with. Just my 2 cents. Anyways I just wanted to say thanks.

The info about the piezo's impact to reduce "rubber band" attack of strings and comments about the guitar's subtle impact on the tone  got me thinking.  I have a GK kit on a carvin that has mags and piezo. So I picked on of the Ruppert AC patches on here and mixed in the guitar's own piezo sound with the COSM sound of the GK with and got an awesome result.  Best of both worlds. .. I now have the full body of a COSM acoustic with the natural attack of the guitar's piezo. Like a Reeces peanut butter cup!

Sent from my mind using a telepathically enabled smartphone and Tapatalk 2

Elantric

QuoteIt is also very sad that the numerous VG-99 demos that Bill posted are no longer available online - did anyone save them to disk while they were still up?

Find them here
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=2239.msg93134#msg93134


Elantric

#43
Oh well -"snooze you loose"


suggest watch this one before its gone too.


Smash

Quote from: GovernorSilver on November 17, 2014, 12:26:26 PM
"Video has been removed by the user"  :'(

Seriously, what was the point of that? It's not hard to set up 101 different Youtube usernames if you really want to post something  ???

Elantric

#45
Update

I did meet up with Bill Ruppert at 2017 Winter NAMM at EHX Booth.

Hes been very busy and extends his best wishes to eveyone here at VGuitarForums



The excellent EHX Mel9 won an award too

https://www.facebook.com/ElectroHarmonix/photos/a.251070815853.144265.35663190853/10155057471595854/?type=3&theater