VG-99 - Real Acoustic Sound

Started by dannybagpipes, August 13, 2013, 08:20:02 PM

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dannybagpipes

Has anyone ever made an acoustic actually sound like an acoustic?  None of the patches I've downloaded sound like a real steel string acoustic.  I love the VG99 but I'm losing hope for something that sounds like a real acoustic.  Thanks to anyone for reading and especially trying to help!  Has Roland given up on trying to simulate acoustics?  Is there another product that works better?

aliensporebomb

#1
What is your guitar?
What pickup system is in place on it?
What patches have you tried?

Have you tried Germanicus' "Branded Guitar"?  Many felt this was credible:
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=724.0

Many feel also that piezo produces a better overall result than a GK pickup.  Your mileage may vary.

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

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

Kevin M

There is nothing I've heard (Variax or Roland) that really does it for me for acoustic models. I think you might get something that passes in a live setting with something like the Branded guitar patch that Aliensporebomb mentioned, but you won't really fool anyone.

rolandvg99

It is very difficult to capture an acoustic in the room feeling. Mainly because the VG tries to recreate either piezo bridge or soundhole micing which has less bottom and roundness than a players "view". A Martin D35 strung with 009s and a plain 3rd might bring the same disapointment. ;)
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Jim Williams

Have you ever herd a modeled, sampled or synth acoustic guitar that sounds like a real acoustic guitar? probably not. but there are some tricks with the VG-99 to help it get better. Firstly you should make a GK setting slot for acoustics. Your guitar settings may not help when you are going for that sound, the string sensitivities may be too hot to get a good acoustic tone. So make there sensitivities much lower and try a different pickup choice. If you have a GK-3 select one of the piezzo types and turn the highs up a bit more. this will give some more crispy sound on the lower strings and you will have some more play with the other settings for that model. The next thing you can try is playing a loop of that modeled acoustic in through the normal guitar input and you can play with the EQ and effects while the loop is playing. You can also get in the deep editing of the guitar modeling to really bring out a more natural tone. you can use Guitar A and Guitar B together on all 6 strings or split the tones to mix 2 different models together and never be content with any default settings, vary the string volumes of each string. Remember, the patch you make will sound completely different in your bedroom opposed to playing live.... shoot for what will sound good live.
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Everything from modeling to the real deal, my house looks like a music store.

rolandvg99

The VG-99 is sure capable of acoustic sounding sounds. To say it's 100% would be lying, but I guess it'll fool a vast majority of listeners when put in a context. Everything in the following example is played using the VG-99.


Synthcoustic
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Elantric

There are several VG-99 Acoustic Patches that are much better than the factory ones here
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?board=29.0

Kevin M

One thing that I've really noticed with the acoustic models is that they tend to sound more accurate when the strings are plucked vs strummed.

dannybagpipes

Wow wow wow, I tried Branded Guitar and honestly thought it sucked..............but hold your horses, I switched to piezo and it's awesome!  How do I make the GK setting switch with each patch?

musicman65

Its in System settings in the GK area, I think. There should be a Global/Patch selection. Global makes the GK setting stay put. Patch allows any of the 10 stored sets of GK settings to be specified per patch.

I'm going by memory since my gear is in my car from jamming last night. 8)

bd

alexmcginness

Ive tried most of the acoustic patches and the VG IMO doesnt do them well at all. Im using a Traveller Escape MKII steel with a GK on it. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/traveler-guitar-escape-mk-ii-steel-string-acoustic-electric-travel-guitar   I use the onboard Pickup for acoustic and the GK for all the electrics. Ive never been able to get a passable acoustic sound outta the 99 but Im not a quitter. The JT variax acoustic sounds closer to the real thing from the demos Ive heard on youtube than the 99. I bought an acoustic patch from http://www.vg-99patches.com/patches/newly_added?page=3 the "stairay acoustic patch. Its "OK" but its not real enough for my tastes. Ive noticed that the acoustic models sound more real if I use the piezo on my Godin LGXT instead of a GK-3.
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.

Athelstan12

I guess you will never achieve the authentic acoustic guitar sound, using ANY modelling device,but, for me anyway, both the VG-99 and the GR-55 come perilously close, the 12-string acoustic settings (acoustic), are some that I utilise frequently,though there is some 'tweaking' required, the one effect that never ceases to blow me off my guitar -stool when I select it: is the Rickenbacker 12- string, getting that sound from a Mexican Strat,with a GK -3 pickup stuck on its tail,never fails to bring a smile to my face, I love both my Roland Synths-wouldn't be without them.

rolandvg99

It all depends on what one consider "real". A top notch acoustic can sound fabulous when mic'ed the right way and terrible when not. Piezo mic's seldom do a solid top guitar justice. An acoustic that sounds fantastic soloed more often than not drowns bass, kick drums, low tuned percussion, vocals, pianos i.a. when perceived loud enough for the mix. Remove some bottom and it sits good, solo it and it sounds thin and spongy. The VG-99 is made to deliver the "end product" not the "raw material".


I've seen/heard more than enough people mistake the VG-99 for a real acoustic instrument when played in context and the average listener couldn't tell the difference. My motto: If it works: Use it!


Don't let nitpicking destroy the creative flow. I've wasted too much time trying to learn something new instead of using what I have to create something usefull (I'm still caught in that loop  ;) )
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Athelstan12

Ditto- both these units "do what it says on the tin" -while we all strive to attain in our different musical directions, varying degrees of perfection, personally, being an old fart, I was brought up on a diet of 50's and 60's rock 'n roll, where the sound was quite raw/gutsy, -not much subtlety -just getting the musical- message across, though I appreciate greatly the sounds you can produce using the GR-55 and the VG-99, I always find myself smiling at what Hendrix did with just a Marshall Stack and a Fender Strat, and a Dunlop wah-wah, -but then, after Jimi was made,they 'broke the mould'- never gonna be anyone like him again.....

alexmcginness

Plug in any acoustic guitar with a piezo under the bridge and the VG-99 acoustic model...any acoustic model in the 99,  using either the mic setting or piezo setting. I have an old 86 Takamine big box single cutaway 12 string strung as a six string. The unbelievably wide gulf between any acoustic Ive tried and the VG-99 acoustics is one that I believe is impossible to bridge. Theyre not even in the ballpark. I can make the strat in the 99 sound so close to my real strat using Har-Bal and the eqs in the 99 that ive a/b d them to my guitar playing friends that they were completely fooled, but its impossible to begin to  replicate an authentic acoustic emulation of a real acoustic using the 99.
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.

montyrivers

#15
I've given up on an "authentic acoustic" sound.  I have made some other string instruments, like Oud and other spacey middle eastern effects.  Using the pitch bend effect and freezing the flanger in different manual position also lets you achieve varying results.  The only thing I can't really emulate is the high end gliss that comes from strumming an actual, mic'd up instrument.  At most I can dull it down to get rid of the compression boom or use a piezo saddled guitar to get something that brings me fairly close, but still has too much of a high end sizzle; like the artifact/distortion you get when recording brass using a crappy tube microphone.

aliensporebomb

Or you could try to get in the neighborhood.  The famous example that has gone missing was the trick of creating a patch with
the following specs: "The Vari body type is Flat and the pickup type is Mic + I use the JC Clean FULL RANGE COSM amp with the Flat Mic to warm it up a bit."

Then play with about 30% less finger pressure.
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

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

rolandvg99

Another cool thing to try besides flanging  and pitch shifting is zero depth chorus adjusting the delay within the 0.5-10 ms band.
To V or not to V: That is the question.

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