SY-300 - not sure why I bought it?

Started by howarddavidp, September 07, 2017, 07:20:49 PM

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howarddavidp

Hello,

I was considering a GR-55, but instead spend $500 on the SY, figuring it would make all the GR sounds sans a hex pickup...

I did not sell my GR-33, thankfully.

I have 45 days (now 43 actually) to go back and trade it for a refund thanks to GC.  I am not sure I will do this, I am wanting to see if it will be something I use or not, and I have the software and I have been downloading patches.

I play at home mostly, do some recording, and also have a few guys I play with on occasion. I would like to be able to add some depth to what I play and get some sounds I can't get from a regular guitar, like brass and piano.  I am not huge on editing patches myself, I prefer to have that done for me, and I tweak someone else's work.  I am lazy.

Sometimes I consider getting a GR-20 again, as I don't really edit much in the GR33, and I liked how the GR-20 was laid-out.  I think I have found most of the patches from the GR20 and uploaded them to the GR33, which is why that works for me.  I do need to sort the patches, but it seems like most are there from the GR20.

I hope I can find brass and string patches for the SY.  I also would like to figure out how to just use the effects, chorus, phasers, flanger, and delay.  I have already dialed in a patch for tape + chorus, it sounds nice, but if I keep the SY because of this, that would be an expensive multi-effect device if I don't find other patches like my GR.

Seeing there were several used online @ GC, how many people are known to have returned their SY?  Maybe other people who returned did not bother to go online and come here to see what they have gotten themselves into?  This seems like it will be the most complicated piece of gear I own if I figure out how to get use out of it, and if I keep it.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

PS - One big bummer that I found while it was shipping is lack of played note to MIDI.  I thought it would do that, but now it seems like it will not.  Any idea if this is a future roadmap item for Roland in new firmwares?

I work in IT, so drivers no issues, nor the software.  I updated the firmware from 1.1 to 1.3 easily.

PSS- If I returned the SY, I think I would get a used GP-10 + another GK-3 (maybe the kit), OR get the GP, a GK3, and the hex board so I can later buy a graphtech Floyd in a 2nd guitar...

I have a GK3 mounted to 1 guitar, I would like a 2nd GK3 that I only mount with tape so I can take it off, and I have a guitar I want to swap the Floyd for a graphtech floyd.  Ah heck, for another $150 on top of my return there is a used Godin XTsa, that might be best and then get a GP-10 next paycheck?  Just wondering if this SY is worth 5 bills to me considering the alternatives?  Still, I need another week or 2 before I bail.



admin

#1
QuoteI was considering a GR-55, but instead spend $500 on the SY, figuring it would make all the GR sounds sans a hex pickup...

That will become an awakening after you compare SY-300 vs GP-10  / GR-55

a basic review of all Owners Manuals /  Youtube demos should have indicated that the SY-300 can not do Guitar modeling, DSP Alt open Tunings, independent "B" bending, etc,etc,   

QuotePS - One big bummer that I found while it was shipping is lack of played note to MIDI.  I thought it would do that, but now it seems like it will not.  Any idea if this is a future roadmap item for Roland in new firmwares?

None of the current production GR/GP models support use as a MIDI tone module

suggest read here:

How a "13pin MIDI Cable" destroyed the Roland V-Guitar DSP Modeling brand
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=14088.0


GP-10 Examples
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?board=158.0


GR-55 Examples
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?board=116.0


SY-300 Examples
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?board=201.0


Kevin M

The SY300 is an awesome effect pedal/tool, but that's all it is. I don't know of anything that's a self-contained jack-of-all type device, but the VG-99 comes fairly close.

chrish

#3
Quote"I am not huge on editing patches myself, I prefer to have that done for me, and I tweak someone else's work.  I am lazy."

The Sy 300 blender function creates patches from randomizing and combining patch parameters from all the patches that are in the unit already and creating a new patch.

I would recommend filling up all the user slots with the patches that are available on this forum and then hit the blender function.

New patches will be created for you that you can tweak to your taste.

The sy300 also can be used to process tones from your gr 33 as the oscillators in the Sy will take on some of the characteristics of whatever tone your feeding into it.

The Sy also excels at this type of thing demonstrated by this excellent guitar player in the YouTube video below or even just adding atmospheric color to the guitar.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DJhlLd6AObNs&ved=0ahUKEwiqrvCA15TWAhUF8mMKHfVnBV8QtwIIMDAD&usg=AFQjCNF49mAxD1RsKL10Ps3tAHJjHrpb-g

Give it a good demo before you send it back if that's what you decide to do. As for me I purchased two of them.


gumtown

I think the GR-55 is what you seek.
All those Boss pedals are great, but they all have their 'short coming' too.
Free "GR-55 FloorBoard" editor software from https://sourceforge.net/projects/grfloorboard/

chrish

Quote from: gumtown on September 07, 2017, 09:21:16 PM
I think the GR-55 is what you seek.
All those Boss pedals are great, but they all have their 'short coming' too.
if he sticks around here he's going to wind up with the gr 55, the Sy 300, the gp10, and maybe a used VG 99.

Heck may as well throw in a RC 300 Loop pedal.  ;)

rolandvg99

The SY-300 is a creative device more than a replicating one. It's cool to creat things that sound like an acoustic instrument or something someone else has made before, but the real fun is to be found in unique sound territory.
To V or not to V: That is the question.

My little Soundcloud corner

howarddavidp

#7
I like the idea of feeding the output of the GR33 to the SY300, that might be some neat sounds if I can get it working and not sounding like crap.

I also will try my Peavey AT-200 guitar and my Variax, those sounds might be cool to use.

I am going to spend some hours this weekend digging into the SY.

David

chrish

#8
 If you want to get some of the original gr 33 sounds. in the mix, one (or all) of the oscillators in the sy300 can be set to input and from there the signal goes through the Sy filters and effects

Or you can simply route the gr 33 through the direct signal path so the gr 33 input could trigger the oscillators and pass through the direct line .

effects can be placed anywhere in either of those signal paths or both at the very end of the chain right before the outlet.

There are so many sound creation possibilities and signal path options with the Sy 300.

For example you can have 4 delays in a chain running at the same time.

And of course many of us here are wondering why Roland did not include a 13 pin hex input in addition to the quarter inch input.

It could have been a monster synth.


DreamTheory

Quote from: howarddavidp on September 07, 2017, 07:20:49 PM

I play at home mostly, do some recording, and also have a few guys I play with on occasion. I would like to be able to add some depth to what I play and get some sounds I can't get from a regular guitar, like brass and piano.

55 all the way
electric: Epiphone Dot semihollow body, acoustic: mahogany jumbo, recording: Cubase Artist 11 or Tascam DP008

howarddavidp

After the weekend, I wound up with 4 nice patches, but that was not enough for me to keep the SY-300...

I returned it and purchased a GP-10 used for $199, and put over $300 back in my pocket.

I have seen people preferring the GP over the 55, so I want to give the GP it turn.  It has USB, and will do note to MIDI, so I can always pass the signal back thru my GR-33 if I don't find patches I like for piano, brass, and woodwinds.

The GP might arrive by this weekend, so I will see how much I like it.

Thanks for the input & patches.

Dave

howarddavidp

So 4 days later, my Boss GP-10 arrived.  I can say from the 1st night, this was more of what I wanted, if not exactly!

Played-note-to-midi, really good sounding patches (factory ones at that), and I am just beginning.  If only we did not need the pickup...

What a difference!

Elantric

#12
Quote from: howarddavidp on September 15, 2017, 03:56:13 PM
So 4 days later, my Boss GP-10 arrived.  I can say from the 1st night, this was more of what I wanted, if not exactly!

Played-note-to-midi, really good sounding patches (factory ones at that), and I am just beginning.  If only we did not need the pickup...

What a difference!

FWIW - unless you connect the GP-10 to a Computer - you will NOT get "Guitar to MIDI"

Thats why the Boss GP-10 is considered a "V-Guitar" system - with low latency and is not a latency prone 100% Guitar to MIDI system
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=14088.0


chrish

Quote "If only we did not need the pickup..."

Shhh, don't let Roland hear you say that. :)
Hex pickup processing does things that is not possible with a regular mono pickup, such as Independent string processing and accurate pitch shifting.

That way you can have a Bass playing on the E and A strings with a regular guitar on the rest of the strings.

or get more complex.

How about a bass playing on the E&A strings, a sax playing on D&G, and a trumpet playing on the B & E strings.

With hex processing there is an infinite number of creative sound possibilities.