VG-99- Should I buy a Roland VG-99

Started by Hennisdk, September 08, 2010, 02:24:28 AM

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alexmcginness

Quote from: aliensporebomb on March 29, 2021, 07:15:10 AM
Amen!

VG-99 - the box of tricks that keeps slowly revealing its secrets.

Yes it is. I love the 99 so much... I got 4 of them. Havent found anything that can replace it yet.
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.

philjynx

#101
I attempted to sell mine twice and bottled out.   

I still haven't used it as it sounds awful to me, currently it just has the factory patches - maybe that's why.

Note to self, find the time one day to try and get it to sound good. At this point I have no idea how to download and install patches or whether there is a PC based editor for it. It seemed like a good idea to buy it. 

It's amazing how much shite can get in the way of things as you get older......

One more thing, from what I've read here I'd have been gutted if I'd bought the SY1000 in it's current incarnation.

aliensporebomb

#102
Yep - the factory patches aren't really a good representation of what the box can do.
Yes there's an editor and librarian available for Windows and Mac although on Mac Mojave is the last version that works with them.
You can run the editor and librarian under Windows 10 without issues.
Yes you can load presets uploaded by other people.
I should do a video on how that's done.
Yes there are MANY patches uploaded here that are so much better than the factory presets it's ridiculous.

The SY1000 is a good box and you can do some cool stuff with it.   

There are some issues with the synth side of it that Roland is supposedly addressing but adding a Fender fatfinger to your headstock
can help this before Roland issues their fix.

Disclaimer on VG-99:  Don't expect 2020s era guitar amp modeling out of it but you can still use it for a lot of other cool stuff.

VG-99 - WIDEST timbral range of anything I know of.
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

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

arkieboy

I'm going to take a very slightly contrary pov here.


Full disclosure, I still own my VG99, and I'm not planning on selling it, although this will depend on some success with diplomacy ;-)


---


If you're starting out with guitar synthesis, and getting analogue synth-like sounds are your priority then I would get a SY1k first.  Especially if you're on a limited budget and you're serious about guitar synthesis.  Investing the extra couple of hundred dollars on the SY IMO would be well worth it.

The SY does new things, and some old things so well that they become mainstream.  The sequencer is pretty exciting.  The dynamic synth has some flaws but mostly it is a convincing analogue synthesiser with NO delay.  The OSC synth makes up for those flaws IMO.  The acoustic emulations have an extra level of realism.  Amp and pedal modelling are as good as anything you're going to get south of an Axe FX3 really (I also own a Helix LT).  The pitch-to-midi is particularly easy to set up and get good results, and you can plug your laptop in and trigger and monitor your virtual synth sounds with just a USB cable.


Where the VG99 excels is in its quirks - the synthesis models make the best out of limited resources and frequently do something quite original.  Harmony pitch shifting is unparalleled for any price.  And despite the relatively lo-fi sound, everything is musical and I'd still happily track some of its amp/pedal emulations despite having a Helix LT and a SY1000 on hand.


Just my penny's worth.  You wouldn't go far wrong with either a VG99, GI10 or a SY1000, and there are still people who swear by some of the early VG units for particular sounds.  In an ideal world you'd have them all for when you're recording.
Main rig: Barden Hexacaster and Brian Moore i2.13 controllers
Boss SY1000/Boss GKC-AD/Boss GM-800/Laney LFR112

Other relevant gear: Line 6 Helix LT, Roland GR-33, Axon AX100 MkII
Oberheim Matrix 6R, Supernova IIR, EMu E5000, Apple Mainstage, Apple Logic, MOTU M4

pasha811

#104
VG99 is still the cornerstone of my music after so many years. It is complemented nicely by my GP10, especially for synth sounds with OSC synth, Nylon Guitar and friends thanks to Autana and Ainsoph excellent patches.
Since last year it is hooked to a JV1010 via MIDI (direct hardware connection) and it performs to my expectations including pads,solos with trumpets, flutes, synths. I did so to overcome the limitation of Catalina's absence of VG99 drivers... but I am still on 10.14.
I am not a purist so I can't judge if an amp simulation is good or not but to my ears it does the job. The FX Chain sounds good to me but I have to admit that I have listened to better Reverbs. Despite that Reverbs do their job. With the SY1000 era I was on the edge about getting it but the flaws and problems described on the forum pushed me off. I haven't said goodbye to a SY1000 in the future yet.

I use VG99 for regular guitars, GR300 backing and solos, synth solos. I have an acoustic guitar so I make little use of that feature but the 12 strings, Alt Tunings capabilities in front of synths and guitars make it a good surrogate to pad and backings, especially now, experimenting with poly chords. I also use it with a regular guitar as a multiFX, thanks to defretter and other stuff I can get synth like sounds with no GK pickup. It's of good use as a Bass Guitar FX. I add octaver to give some color and depth to bass lines. I miss a real shimmer in the box but I complement with Valhalla supermassive and shimmer in my DAW.

Hope it's useful.
Cheers
Pasha
Listen to my music at :  http://alonetone.com/pasha/

aliensporebomb

There's a real shimmer in the VG-99:


That being said, I dig the SY-1000 a lot.  You just need to work around some of its limitations to get the most out of it.  Different programming methodology than the VG.  Add the guitar amps are more "realistic".   Although the VG-99 does do some great guitar-only stuff.   I still have some sounds I like to use with it guitar-wise.

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

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

pasha811

Quote from: aliensporebomb on March 31, 2021, 06:26:27 AM
There's a real shimmer in the VG-99:


That being said, I dig the SY-1000 a lot.  You just need to work around some of its limitations to get the most out of it.  Different programming methodology than the VG.  Add the guitar amps are more "realistic".   Although the VG-99 does do some great guitar-only stuff.   I still have some sounds I like to use with it guitar-wise.

Supercool!
Vg99 is like a Lady that let herself to be discovered along several appointments...and still mysterious after 11 years. ;-)
How this patch is named?

Thanks
Cheers
Listen to my music at :  http://alonetone.com/pasha/

aliensporebomb

(Booting up VG....)
Pod Xtal Shimr 1
I also have variants but on my VG at the moment the variant Xtal Shimr 9 and XtalSlicr are also online.

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

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

gumtown

#108
Some company for my GR-55 and SY-1000, has just arrived.  :)

my shiny used (new to me) VG-99

First job was to wipe it down with antibacterial wipes.  8)
Free "GR-55 FloorBoard" editor software from https://sourceforge.net/projects/grfloorboard/

aliensporebomb

#109
Now your job is to see if there are any cool patches that have never been seen by anyone on this board on the unit and upload them if there are!

Makes me wonder if any user created patches on all the sold VG-99's might yield gold.
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

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

chrish

May favorite factory patch was a slow gear fade in guitar. Can't remember the name. Up in near 100.

alexmcginness

Quote from: gumtown on March 31, 2021, 06:53:35 PM
Some company for my GR-55 and SY-1000, has just arrived.  :)

my shiny used (new to me) VG-99

Nice. Didnt you have one before?
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.

pasha811

Quote from: alexmcginness on April 01, 2021, 07:48:31 AM
Nice. Didnt you have one before?

I thought it was mandatory to join the forum  ;D ::)
Listen to my music at :  http://alonetone.com/pasha/

pasha811

Quote from: aliensporebomb on March 31, 2021, 02:38:51 PM
(Booting up VG....)
Pod Xtal Shimr 1
I also have variants but on my VG at the moment the variant Xtal Shimr 9 and XtalSlicr are also online.

I cannot find it. Which category is it in the patch exchange?

Thanks
Cheers
Pasha
Listen to my music at :  http://alonetone.com/pasha/

gumtown

Free "GR-55 FloorBoard" editor software from https://sourceforge.net/projects/grfloorboard/

admin

Quote from: pasha811 on April 01, 2021, 12:14:40 PM
I cannot find it. Which category is it in the patch exchange?

Thanks
Cheers
Pasha

Just search Aliensporebomb in the VG-99 patch area
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?action=search2

aliensporebomb

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

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

pasha811

Quote from: aliensporebomb on April 02, 2021, 06:23:48 AM
Like to the patch and trenchant discussion here:
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=2155.0

Thanks!
I was looking for Xtal and found that yesterday. So this is the right one for good!
Me Happy.

:-)
Listen to my music at :  http://alonetone.com/pasha/

oktorockto

Quote from: Martin Turner on February 23, 2019, 10:44:03 AM

Before that it was a Zoom 2020, and before that a Yamaha Rex-5, and before that a Washburn Stack-in-a-Box, a Boss Chorus and an Aria Digital Delay.

OK, not quite VG talk but I don't hear mention of the Rex50 that often!

The Rex-5 is an amazing box of tricks. Not many modern FX units let you feedback a delay into a pitch shifter like it does. John Surman uses one live and on recotdings to this day to great effect (nonpun intended). Yes it's lo-fi and noisy with only a 31.25 kHz sample rate, but in somje ways it helps the effects cut through, especially live.

Here's John Surman using the Rex in two clips live:



The second one has the delay/pitch shifter feedback going on.



For a saxophone player the desktop interface is brilliant. The Norwegian singer Karin Krog also uses one on her voice and a full-flight, dual Rex50 improvisation piece by Surman and Krog playing together is something to be seen.

cipherhost

Quote from: BROCKSTAR on March 15, 2021, 07:45:55 PMAnd most vg-99's around still around $500+ range.

About a year ago I bought a VG-99, GK-3, and a nice 20" 13-pin DIN cable for $500. I wasn't expecting it, but they included a RAD-99 as well. I finally broke down today and bought an FC-300 with PS for $200. I mostly bought the VG-99 for the guitar modelling and alternate tuning, but if I spend some time with it I'm sure I can find a couple other things it can do as well. :)

cipherhost

I have not gotten too far over the last year, but I just bought CrossOver and I'm on my way down the rabbit hole. Wish me luck!

aliensporebomb

I have been working with the VG-99 and the Flamma FS07 IR loader and what do you know: much better conventional guitar sounds for overdrive.

That being said the BIGGEST victory the VG-99 has over the SY-1000: the VG-99 lets you use 12-string algorithm for ALL models.
The SY-1000 only lets you use it for guitar and bass models and not synths.
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

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

gumtown

Quote from: cipherhost on December 07, 2023, 04:05:51 PMI have not gotten too far over the last year, but I just bought CrossOver and I'm on my way down the rabbit hole. Wish me luck!

"LUCK !!!"
most welcome to ask questions or just talk about your gear in general.
Hope you get what you wished for :-)
Free "GR-55 FloorBoard" editor software from https://sourceforge.net/projects/grfloorboard/

pasha811

Quote from: cipherhost on December 07, 2023, 04:05:51 PMI have not gotten too far over the last year, but I just bought CrossOver and I'm on my way down the rabbit hole. Wish me luck!

I made the jump to CrossOver lately and it works very good. I have done extensive testing and you can find the results here:

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=36367.0

Hope it helps
Pasha
Listen to my music at :  http://alonetone.com/pasha/