Amplification recommendations for DSP Guitar Modeling systems

Started by Elantric, February 10, 2008, 07:15:37 PM

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rcknrllmn

I got my SA-300 yesterday.  It's a little smaller than I imagined. 
It sounds really nice.  I played my variax 500 through my Boss GS-10
while my wife sang through it for a while.  It sounds really clean.

The real test will be actual band rehearsal and live gig volume.

jensden

Need help with amp choice for 99. I have a Peavey 50/50 Stereo tube power amp,
and a berhinger  4x12 stereo cab. How would this set-up be? I am trying to figure
out if what I have is good enough before I purchase
Thanks,
Mark

jensden

Just got my vg-99 today and the peavey 50/50 sounds great to me, I use a stereo Power Attenuator and crank it to 11,
sounds very warm

More Cowbell

Going back to the first post, has anyone tried the Roland AC-60 or AC-90?  I'm interested in one for my VG-99, but am a little concerned since you have to pop the chorus on to obtain the nice stereo separation.
Thanks

fokof

Have you think about all the active monitors of this world?   
All the Mackies , JBL EONS , RCF , QSC , etc.... there are so many to choose from.
You need something very flat  not to add color to the already processed amp sounds , I went this way with my VBass and am very satisfied , in fact , I was already using those as my main bass amp......

The advantage ,
-ease of availability ; if you tour , you can find those everywhere.... and you can add a 2nd easily if you need some.
-Price ; Tons are available used , a little more $$$ for better quality though..... like everyhing else.....
-Sound ; they are not created equal , but usually are designed to be as flat as possible.
-Transportability ; Recent models are soooooo light !

Personaly , I'm really into RCF. I think they sound better.
I have a ART310A wich is a single 10"+horn , 26 pounds , 350 watts.
http://www.rcf.it/products/view/tags/active-speaker/art-310-a/professional-speaker-systems/art-series

Elantric

QuoteGoing back to the first post, has anyone tried the Roland AC-60 or AC-90?  I'm interested in one for my VG-99, but am a little concerned since you have to pop the chorus on to obtain the nice stereo separation.
Thanks

I have  roland AC-60 - great little amp - but too much "flub" when pushed with Rock tones from the VG-99 / GR-55 / GP-10

Ironically the Roland Cube Street EX with dual 8" speakers + HF drivers and 50 watts works great!

jazzdude

I have a pair of Peavey PR15P powered PA speakers for my vg99. They're big and sound beautiful. Did I mention big? 15" woofers on those bad boys...250 watts each. Really nice, but I've gotten a Tech 21 Powerengine 60 1x12 which sounds great as well and is quite portable. Both of them work great with the vg99.

jazz

aliensporebomb

I've been using a Roland JC-120 for probably two decades now.

When I had my original Roland G-202/GR-100 system I used two of the inputs (left-right) for the GR-100
and two of the inputs for my regular guitar sound in stereo.

I do a similar thing today except now I'm mixing my stage rack (Mesa Studio Preamp, Lexicon Vortex,
TC Electronic G Sharp) and VG99 into a Behrenger 8-channel mixer and take the channel outs to the
JC.

Your solution sounds newer and cleaner, I'll have to check that out.
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

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

Piperbret

Hello All,
I have owned my VG-99 for over a year and have been playing into a Marshall MG30 series amp. My playing has been done in my house. I am now starting to jam with others who are bringing Marshall 100W half stacks, Peavy half stacks and so forth. I know that I really need to run into a clean amp. I have been looking at the Yamaha Stagepass portable PA (300W). This appears to be a good solution since the system is very portable. I had considered the Roland JC-120 but wasn't sure that this would give me the punch I need to perform with the other players, drummer and etc. Any thoughts or suggestions?

sixeight

I use the Yamaha Stagepass 300 mainly in a church setting. It is small and tidy. It sounds good on the clean and acoustic patches. I have another system with 12 inch speakers, on which heavy (overdrive/metal) patches sound better. The stagepass does only have 8 inch speakers, which is it's main drawback. so it depends on what kind of player you are, whether the stagepass will really work for you or not.

doha1696

Dominik Hardy

http://fret-time.com

A2theT

Yes its awesome but so expensive.  I heard it at Long & McQuades Music Store in Ottawa.
HEAVY on the METAL
Axe-Fx II, Roland VG-99 + FC-300, Roland GR-55, Digitech Jamman Stereo, Ibanez/ESP/Jackson Guitars

Andre Moreira

Hi,

I have a question that probably has been asked a thousand times.

The sound though the headphones is much better than the sound I get when connected to a amp.

My amp is Fender FR-65, I'm using the Pwr In to connect to the VG-99.

I already tryed a lot of other amps( mono only ) when I play live or record in a studio and the sound is better, but still by far, not the same as the HP.

So my question is, which amp do I need to buy to get the best sound from the VG ?

Regards

ZenSonic


Andre Moreira

no, but I probably should :-)

But I have no problems recording at my homemade studio, I connect the VG with USB, and the sound is great.

The problem is playing live, is it ok to use stereo monitors for a live performance ? small stages 100 to 200 people max.

regards

ZenSonic

You might not want to use near field studio monitors for live gigs as the sweet spot is very focused. I was thinking more about monitors such as these http://usa.yamaha.com/products/live_sound/speakers/active_speakers/msr250/msr250/?mode=model

or the less costly http://usa.yamaha.com/products/live_sound/speakers/active_speakers/msr100/msr100/?mode=model  for more intimate venues.


ddlooping

Diaz Guitars (work in progress)

musicman65

You have a few decisions to make to pick the right amp. One decision you already know the answer to is: Is a guitar amp suitable? As you indicated, it really isn't. You need a full range, flat response amplification system.

Here's the options as I see them:

First, do you want stereo or not? Synth sounds sampled in stereo can be severely degraded by recombining the Left Right signals to mono. You can always add a second amp to get stereo later.

Powered PA speakers: probably the best option but not the most portable. A powered 2 or 3way speaker will most accurately reproduce your tone. A 12" low-mid loaded speaker is fine for most folks but many keyboardist prefer 15's for the fat synth tones that extend below a guitars sonic range. With a GR-55 you may have similar needs. Others can suggest which models work for them. I like the ones that can sit on their sides like a wedge if needed.

Keyboard Amps: a more portable and simple solution....but usually comprimises tone. KB amps are a HUGE improvement over ANY guitar amp as long as you use one that is 5 times the wattage of your typical guitar amp you would normally use. Trust me, synth tones and modelled guitars need plenty of headroom since you DON'T want clip limiters to kick in and squash your tone and volume. Most KB amps designed for stabilize use are rated at 250 or more watts. Most are mono but Treynor makes the K4 which is stereo, powerful and many recommend. Roland KB amps have mediocre reviews at best but some like them. Behringer makes a 350w amp thats ok...not great. Motion Sound makes the KP500SN which has 2 12" and 4 horns in a splayed (v shaped) combo amp. It's 250 per channel x 2. Its expensive but is loud, clean, and fairly transparent.

I have tried nearly every style of amplification and finally ended up with earbuds as monitors, running PA direct with my VG-99/Synth (and soon the GR-55). I use a Motion Sound KP-500SN for stage volume or as my total sound when jamming with others in a typical, loud un-mic'd situation.

Whatever you do, DON'T try to make a guitar amp sound clear and transparent. It never will. Grab your ipod and an adPter cable and plug it into an amp and listen. A good solution is the one with the most fidelity, least charactor, and at the same time will reach the volume levels you require.

Good luck!

musicman65



Andre Moreira

Hi,

Thank Musicmann and thank you all for the answers.

Well, I googled some stuff about eq, and found someting interesting, Flecther-Munson effect.

Torromow I'm back to the studio where I can play as loud as I want, and I will try some eq, with the FM issue on my mind.

Probably I need to reduce bass and treble, because they are too compensated on my HP.

Most patches sound good on the HP, but when played very loud I have too many Lo and Hi End.

Also, I found that FR-65 has too many hi-end which I also need to reduce.

I found some Eq equalizations to compensate the FM, but I's difficult to create the exact curve in the Global Eq of the VG-99.

But ok, tomorrow I will experience more eq.

My KC-150 sounds a little better than the FR-65, less bass and less treble.

I already heard about Trayonr K4, its a little expensive, I will buy it, only If I was 100% certain that this is the sound I want, and here in Portugal it's hard to find this amp.

Regards


Andre Moreira

yes! It it worked!

Without global eq, all the patches sounded wrongly, too many bass and trebles, with a new eq( first attempt to make the a - weighting curve ) most of the patches sound much better now, but...still I have some tweaking to do!


Andre Moreira

FYI,

I bought yamaha MSR250, and it's sounds very nice with all patches...

It's a low budget amp, and I really like this amp.

Thanks ZenSonic. :)

<<

You might not want to use near field studio monitors for live gigs as the sweet spot is very focused. I was thinking more about monitors such as these http://usa.yamaha.com/products/live_sound/speakers/active_speakers/msr250/msr250/?mode=model

>>

atrus

Hi there!

I know this is an old topic, but you speak about my present doubt...VG99 amplification...
I already put a topic about this matter a time ago, and i decided about some solutions. But i didn't bought anything yet and i am still using a pair of active speakers, (i only use at home in a home studio).

After plenty of search and read about everything i found according to the VG amplification, my last options were:
- Traynor K4
- Roland JC120
- A Roland KC keyboard amp

I don´t have a band, only play at home, but i want something that really can reproduce the sounds from the VG, without coloring them, and of course i want it stereo...
I know that the traynor k4 is a really good option but in my country (Portugal) we don't have a representation, so the only way to buy one is through a site like Thomman.

I also know that probably you think, k4 is 300W and JC120 has 120W... too much for home use probably but even not needing that power they are solid state, so i can keep the volume down ;D

So, in your opinion... what you think? Traynor K4 without doubts or do you think the Jazz chorus from roland can give me the same quality of sounds even for synth type ones. (i can use the loop effects for a stereo configuration)

Sorry for the long text.
If you could advice me i would much appreciate.

Regards!

Jim Williams

I use a pair of Tech 21 powerengine 60's moded with a pizzo horns and a crossover. this is a great full range sound and a real stereo sound. You can place them next to eachother or seperate them and I put pole mounts on the bottom of them. the nice thing about them is they have XLR ins and outs as well as the 1/4 inch in. You can daisy chain them and run them to your mixer and save yourself the trouble of useing mics and solves the lack of XLR outs on the GR-55.
Skype: (upon Request)

Everything from modeling to the real deal, my house looks like a music store.

germanicus

Quote from:  atrus on June 06, 2011, 02:20:51 AM
Hi there!

I know this is an old topic, but you speak about my present doubt...VG99 amplification...
I already put a topic about this matter a time ago, and i decided about some solutions. But i didn't bought anything yet and i am still using a pair of active speakers, (i only use at home in a home studio).

After plenty of search and read about everything i found according to the VG amplification, my last options were:
- Traynor K4
- Roland JC120
- A Roland KC keyboard amp

I don´t have a band, only play at home, but i want something that really can reproduce the sounds from the VG, without coloring them, and of course i want it stereo...
I know that the traynor k4 is a really good option but in my country (Portugal) we don't have a representation, so the only way to buy one is through a site like Thomman.

I also know that probably you think, k4 is 300W and JC120 has 120W... too much for home use probably but even not needing that power they are solid state, so i can keep the volume down ;D

So, in your opinion... what you think? Traynor K4 without doubts or do you think the Jazz chorus from roland can give me the same quality of sounds even for synth type ones. (i can use the loop effects for a stereo configuration)

Sorry for the long text.
If you could advice me i would much appreciate.

Regards!

Others please correct me if im mistaken, but I believe that while the Jazz Chorus is a 'clean' amp, its not full range. If that is in fact true, synths will not perform as well compared to the Traynor K4. The k4 has dedicated drivers for high frequencies.
My albums done with modeling/guitar synth at http://music.steamtheory.com

JTV69/59P/Godin LGXT/Multiac ACS/Variax 700 AC
Helix/FTP/GP10/VG99/SY1000
Traynor k4