GR-30 -Changing Patches

Started by heyvernusa, March 19, 2014, 08:46:18 AM

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heyvernusa

Hey all, I used to mess with this a long time ago and it seemed easier and am wondering if perhaps something is wrong or I'm just getting old and can't remember how to do it. I have the GR-30 and a Fender Strat GC-1 and for the life of me I can't change the patch. I have it plugged in, lights are on, guitar plugged into GR-30 and when I turn it on I see A11. I remember being able to push the S1 and S2 buttons on the guitar that would cause the sounds to change but I get a message on the GR-30 that says Pdl. I assume that means pedal as in the foot-switch but if I step on any of the pedals nothing really seems to happen. However when it says A11 and I step on the third foot switch it changes to A13, but the sound seems exactly the same. What am I missing here?

Elantric

Back up any User created Patches - then do a factory Reset of the GR-30

Sounds like you have a series of duplicate GR-30 patches with different numeric patch names - which many people employ as a live show technique in a large system. 


heyvernusa

I have nothing I created myself so backing up doesn't make any sense does it? How would I do that anyway and how do I do a factory reset?

dporto

The reset is by powering the unit up with a button or pedal pushed (I believe it's pedal 1, but there are many different functions that can be accessed in this fashion). Consult your Owners/Users Manual. If you don't have one, google GR-30 owners manual and download one. Good Luck

Elantric


http://www.rolandus.com/assets/press_media_resources/Factory_Reset.pdf

Reset Roland GR-30

Power on while holding Pedal #2, then press the PATCH+ button to select INI. Press
EDIT/PLAY. Then press PATCH+ and PATCH- simultaneously

heyvernusa

Thanks, did this but no success. I'm nothing understanding why I don't hear any other sound other than the guitar. I have the 13 pin cable plugged into the guitar and the GR-30 and it's plugged into the amp, I hear sound but it just sounds like the guitar. Is there a bypass or something? How do I get the midi sounds to play? (I actually figured out how to change the patches but not through the guitar.)

Elantric

#6
Be sure

* GK-3 is the "Mix" position

* check if you have a bad 13 pin cable

Might try cleaning your cable
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=3132.0


If this is a "used"  1997 Roland GR-30, and you have no experience with it  - it might be defective.- download the GR-30 PDF Owners manual and read this thread
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=7741.0


heyvernusa

When I switch over to first position I get no sounds at all the middle position only gives me guitar and the cable seems fine..

Elantric

Contact local Roland service center

heyvernusa

Does anyone know if the Roland Ready Fender Strat GC-1 has a battery? If so how do I change it?

Elantric

#10
On the Fender / Roland GC-1, older Fender Roland Ready Strats,  and any guitar with a Roland Internal GK -Kit, or Graphtech MIDI Expander 13 pin electronics, the 13 pin cable powers the guitar.

There is No Battery in the GC-1

Pin#12 = +7VDC
Pin#13 = -7VDC
Shell  = Ground


13 pin cables do go bad - I keep many spares
and read this

Roland GK 13 pin Cable Maintenance Tips.
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=3132.0


The "achilles heel" weakest link is the tiny mating electrical contact finger for the large round Shell  'Ground" connection on the female 13 pin jacks on your guitar, GK-3 or  VG-99, GR-55. If this important electrical connection is flaky - you will have problems! (see yellow circle below)

heyvernusa

Only the MIDI stops working though? I would think that if the cable was bad then I wouldn't hear the guitar either...

Elantric

#12
The  GK  13 pin Cable is all Analog with a Voltage Control for the GR-Pot  and two control  lines for the S1, S2 -

There is No MIDI in the 13 pin cable at all.

Read here:
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=7912.0

. . .first, some back ground on my opinion on how Roland US's lack of Dealer education and blasé cavalier "Oh-whatever" attitude on a simple matter of "what do we call the Roland GK 13 Pin Cable? - all helped to slow VG-99 sales.

Test: Go to most any Guitar Center and you will find the Roland 13 pin cables are typically never stocked in the Guitar department, instead they are stocked over in the Keyboard department - with 5pin MIDI Cables. Many Roland Dealers put the VG-99 demo station in the Keyboard department too, particularly if they know they must sell the floor model.
Seems most keyboard players have a better understanding of tech, and studio wiring, compared to most guitarists, who prefer to hold the same guitar as their hero icon, while posing in a mirror, playing the same tired SRV / Metallica  lick over and over.



Click here and see how many folks (and many new VGuitarForums members) STILL call this 13 pin cable a "MIDI" cable
http://bit.ly/YaDgM7
and

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=5188.msg56700#msg56700

if you examine the details of the GK-3, it becomes apparent MIDI has never existed in ANY 13 pin interface from Roland or Any other manufacturer at anytime.

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=7893.msg56178#msg56178

Only confused marketing departments and Guitar Center floor managers refer to the Roland GK13 pin cable as MIDI.

(Hint: they spread this same misinformation to all guitarists, which damages the brand)

When Roland dealers call the GK13 pin cable a "MIDI cable", THIS KILLED VG-99 SALES in my Opinion

Even casual MIDI guitar users know Guitar to MIDI has a battle with latency and mis-triggered Notes that make you look like a fool at the live gig.

Many Newbies and younger guitarists hear the word MIDI, think

"dead old school 30 year old tech that should have died" ,

and never look at a Zero Latency VG-99 because they think:

"it uses that 13pin MIDI cable, I don't want those latency delays."

One more reason why lazy Roland Marketing departments should be fired, since they continue to not deal with the general public's mis informed idea of what a Roland GK 13 Pin interface actually Is and what a GK-3 actually does.

Only Roland Japan Corporate Global site tries to clear up the confusion

http://www.roland.



https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=73.0



Elantric

#13
Find a different Roland Gk13 cable, or head to a Roland Dealer and see if you can use the GR-55 demo guitar+ 13 pin cable to test your GR-30

It might be a faultily GR-30.

heyvernusa

All this time messing with this thing and I had the cable coming out plugged into the guitar out which apparently will only send guitar single out. I thought the other jacks were for headphones only. Got a nnew 13 pin cable anyway, $20, can't go wrong and it's longer than mine. :)

Elantric

#15
Correct the GR-30 "Guitar Out" is a simple direct non effected signal path of your normal guitar PU's.
(This is explained in the GR-30 Owners Manual) (Glad you got your's working!)

http://media.rolandus.com/manuals/GR-30_OM.pdf




Only the GR-55 provides COSM Modeled guitar tones sent from its Guitar Out Jack.


All other Roland VG/GR gear's "Guitar Out Jack"  simply provides a buffered straight guitar output - so you can use one 13 cable to the guitar , and still feed your normal guitar's PU signal to a traditional guitar Amp,  with a functional GK-3  three way - "Guitar/Mix/Synth" switch mounted on the Guitar.

(Ah the good old days! Because with current Roland /Boss gear  designed after 2005 its a royal pain in the ass to achieve a functional GK-3  three way - "Guitar/Mix/Synth" switch mounted on the Guitar.