Roland V-Combo VR-09

[Josh Paxton]

The iPad app has the identical PCM list as the JP's...EGAD! No ac brass. However there appears to be a few under the dedicated brass button.

 

Thanks for checking. I'll be interested to see how editable those are.

 

Edited to add: I was wrong about there being no brass samples in the PCM list. I missed them because there are only three, and they're named somewhat obscurely: Tp Section, Flugel Wave, and FrHorn Wave.

[Craig MacDonald]

The iPad app has the identical PCM list as the JP's...EGAD! No ac brass. However there appears to be a few under the dedicated brass button.

 

You guys have to STOP jumping to wrong conclusions!!!

 

The VR-09 has LOT's of sampled sounds over and above the synth waves in the Jupiter-style synth.

 

Great trumpet section, full brass section, nice sax sounds etc.. Same with each of the categories of sounds.. sampled brass, sampled strings, and in the "other" category you've got marimbas and harmonicans and sample acoustic guitars and on and on and on.. The available sounds is probably NOT quite as extensive as a typical workstation, but it's got pretty much everything you need for a typical gig.. (except mellotrons, which I already mentioned)..

 

All the extra sounds are very good! Some are great some are OK, but you shouldn't be dissapointed with the available acoustic sounds.

 

 

[Craig MacDonald]

Thanks for checking. I'll be interested to see how editable those are.

 

FKS, all of the sounds are editable via the drawbars.. so whether it's a synth sound or one of the acoustic sounds, and you can edit Attack Decay Sustain Release, Cutoff and Resonance.. I used this to play with the the Stacked Trumpet Section to see just how much you could change the tone, and between the cutoff/resonance you could significantly change the tone colour.. NOW the quesion I have is if I change this "Stacked Trumpet Section" can I save it in the existing slot or do I have to save it as a registration.. I'll look into this when I have a bit more time.

[HammondDave]

but he didn't say anything about the keyboard feel (no criticism). I'm looking forward to others getting theirs and some other feedback and thoughts on it!

 

I don't think he has to say anything about it... just watch him try to play that cheap POS! And listen to it clang about... I know... I played it at NAMM... and the problem is, you can't improve a cheap plastic keyboard with a software update.

 

(just yanking my forum mates' chains...)

[Craig MacDonald]

Hammonddave.. you're one of a kind! The video did end kind of abruptly.. maybe someone from Roland pulled the plug just before Mr. Fortner started to complain about the keyboard.. ;-) I seriously don't find the keyboard to be a problem at all.. It's not as nice as my Nord C2 (actually I liked the action on the C1 better) or my Mojo but it's very playable.

 

It is funny how fussy we are about things these days... when I hear people complaining about the feel of this $999 keyboard I think back to when I got my first B3 (1973) and I wonder what I would have thought if, at that time, you had plunked this VR-09 down on top of my B3 and said, here you go, here's a keyboard from the future that plays fabulous acoustic and electric pianos, clavinets, it has a built in synthesizer and some great extra voices, and you can have it all for $300 (about the equivalent of $999 at that time).

 

I know for a fact that my reaction would be to immediately start drooling, call my Dad for a loan, and I'd be as happy as a pig in shit..

 

On the other hand, Hammonddave would send it back to the future saying "the keyboard feels like shit!".

 

 

[Ekewaka]

I know the keyboard quality comes up time after time. I think there's a reason. Especially as this is a $999 purchase.

 

Or then I got really spoiled by the PX-5S that arrived earlier.

[HammondDave]

 

On the other hand, Hammonddave would send it back to the future saying "the keyboard feels like shit!".

 

 

That is true.... Back to the future!!!!!

[simchaleh]

NOW the quesion I have is if I change this "Stacked Trumpet Section" can I save it in the existing slot or do I have to save it as a registration.. I'll look into this when I have a bit more time.

this confused me again. so can the vr09 save many edits and user registrations that can be recalled quickly and easily or only a few user banks. i know you answered me before on this, but it looks from your previous post that your not so sure about how many user banks can be saved.

 

maybe someone can give this idea to roland, that they can have the drawbars be assigned to the 3 different waveforms in each pcm (6 total for two pcms) to control the seperate volume of each one (or even other parameters). that would really make it more of a workstation and give huge expandability to its sonic potential.

[brenner13]

Can't wait 'till they offer a gold-plated one...or maybe platinum? Might add some weight, though.

[Craig MacDonald]

NOW the quesion I have is if I change this "Stacked Trumpet Section" can I save it in the existing slot or do I have to save it as a registration.. I'll look into this when I have a bit more time.

this confused me again. so can the vr09 save many edits and user registrations that can be recalled quickly and easily or only a few user banks. i know you answered me before on this, but it looks from your previous post that your not so sure about how many user banks can be saved.

 

I am sure, and there is no question regarding banks, there are 25 banks of 4 sounds (100 in total), but this refers to "registrations".. the "registrations" are for user modified sounds and splits and layers etc. I don't think that you can call up a trumpet sound modify it and save it in the same "slot" that you pulled the sound from.. maybe you can, but I haven't figured out how to do that. Based on my limited experience I think that you can ONLY save sounds to a registration.. (the owners manual index only lists save phrase/registration set/song)

[simchaleh]

right that would be like playing with origional sample and saving it over their origional sample. i dont think that roland would like that.

i think form looking at the product description, it kinda sounds like after editing a sound on the ipad, that you can take the ipad with the saved edit that you made, and when you reconnect it, that your edits are stored with the ipad. thats what it looks like the add for the vr09 is stating.

i copied this from the musiciansfriend website on the vr09. its not clear though: "VR-09 Editor for iPad

The free VR-09 Editor app for iPad gives you powerful, intuitive control of the organ and synth sound engines via your tablets full-color touchscreen interface. Quickly edit organ sounds and customize vintage tonewheel characteristics such as leakage, click noise, and rotary speed, and easily access synth sounds to build custom tones and layers. After tweaking sounds at home, you can take your iPad to the gig and use the app for extra real-time control on stage. . "

[Ekewaka]

It is indeed vague. Most good patch applications should have a way to save and install custom patch sets, though.

[Craig MacDonald]

I don't think it's vague at all.. The iPad is not where you store sounds.. It's an editor, I see nothing in the iPad editor that would suggest you can save sounds on your iPad.. The iPad is an editor! Once you have a sound you like you save it as a registration AND you can edit the sounds live and in real time, if you want. So take the iPad to a gig and press the percussion tabs on the iPad if you'd rather do that then press the button on the vr-09 itself.

[Ekewaka]

Ok, can't save settings in iPad app, huh?

[Plassgard]

Hi guys,

My first post here but I´ve followed this thread for a while. Here in Sweden or Northern Europe the VR-09 has been delayed but I got my hands on one of the first ex in Sweden and have been playing around with it for a week now and I think it´s quite good value for the buck. I made some samples of how it sounds here if anybody is interested.

 

 

The Leslie SIM isn´t as good as my ventilator but it works in a mix. I don´t have my Vent at home but will try it out with my band next week. I love the idea of having just one lightweighted keyboard to drag to the rehersals.

 

Cheers

Anders

[Craig MacDonald]

No, I see no capacity in the iPad editor to save sounds..you create/edit sounds In the editor and you save them as registrations... That's how it appears to me.

[Ekewaka]

No, I see no capacity in the iPad editor to save sounds..you create/edit sounds In the editor and you save them as registrations... That's how it appears to me.

 

Hmm, someone should file a feature request. It's a no-brainer to store such UI settings in the app as generic XML/JSON, NSArchived objects whatever ... Unless the registration data blob is proprietary and you need it for the final patch build somehow -- which I doubt, anything the UI could do could be saved and retrieved in the app itself.

[RetroVintageOld]

If you appreciate organ music you should be a VR-09 fan even if the keybed is crap. Why? There are very few affordable clone wheels. If you want organ to carry on to the next generation there has to be affordable instruments to play.

[Craig MacDonald]

Well said retrovintageold!

[simchaleh]

Hi guys,

I made some samples of how it sounds here if anybody is interested.

 

hey plassgard. thats really beautifull recordings you did there.

were the drums also from the vr09? thnks

Sb

[garnermike]

I UNDERSTAND THAT MUSICIANSFRIEND.COM AND AMERICAN MUSICAL.COM ARE SHIPPING OUT VR-09S TOMORROW.

[AnotherScott]

The iPad app has the identical PCM list as the JP's...EGAD! No ac brass. However there appears to be a few under the dedicated brass button.

Right... I think the PCM list is for waveforms you can use to create synth sounds, but is separate from the PCM "rompler instruments" that are also available in the machine.

 

Ok, can't save settings in iPad app, huh?

Appears to be just an editor. I guess the reason you want to save settings in the iPad is to have more than 100 savable sounds available at once? Though then you would also need, besides an ability to store patches, some kind of front end interface for selecting and sending the patches to the VR-09 on request. If it has to send a whole sequence of parameters, it would probably not be so instantaneous as is calling up a preset that's stored in the machine. Maybe a better idea would be to enhance the editor with a librarian, where you could easily batch-send different sets of 100 presets into the VR-09, which you would load up for access fora given gig or set.

[NeedMoreBass]

Hi guys,

My first post here but I´ve followed this thread for a while. Here in Sweden or Northern Europe the VR-09 has been delayed but I got my hands on one of the first ex in Sweden and have been playing around with it for a week now and I think it´s quite good value for the buck. I made some samples of how it sounds here if anybody is interested.

 

 

The Leslie SIM isn´t as good as my ventilator but it works in a mix. I don´t have my Vent at home but will try it out with my band next week. I love the idea of having just one lightweighted keyboard to drag to the rehersals.

 

Cheers

Anders

 

Nice demo. Thanks!

[grapite]

Hi everyone first post, don't forget you can save unlimited amounts of registrations and modifations to USB thumb drives, and call them up almost instantly.

Regards

[brenner13]

Hi guys,

My first post here but I´ve followed this thread for a while. Here in Sweden or Northern Europe the VR-09 has been delayed but I got my hands on one of the first ex in Sweden and have been playing around with it for a week now and I think it´s quite good value for the buck. I made some samples of how it sounds here if anybody is interested.

 

 

The Leslie SIM isn´t as good as my ventilator but it works in a mix. I don´t have my Vent at home but will try it out with my band next week. I love the idea of having just one lightweighted keyboard to drag to the rehersals.

 

Cheers

Anders

 

Nice!

[Plassgard]

Hey thanx, No the drums are Superior Drummer. Everything else is the VR-09 straight recorded into Cubase.

 

Hi guys,

I made some samples of how it sounds here if anybody is interested.

 

hey plassgard. thats really beautifull recordings you did there.

were the drums also from the vr09? thnks

Sb

[Plassgard]

Thanx!

 

Hi guys,

My first post here but I´ve followed this thread for a while. Here in Sweden or Northern Europe the VR-09 has been delayed but I got my hands on one of the first ex in Sweden and have been playing around with it for a week now and I think it´s quite good value for the buck. I made some samples of how it sounds here if anybody is interested.

 

 

The Leslie SIM isn´t as good as my ventilator but it works in a mix. I don´t have my Vent at home but will try it out with my band next week. I love the idea of having just one lightweighted keyboard to drag to the rehersals.

 

Cheers

Anders

 

Nice!

[simchaleh]

Hi everyone first post, don't forget you can save unlimited amounts of registrations and modifations to USB thumb drives, and call them up almost instantly.

Regards

 

ooh good point!

[Josh Paxton]

You guys have to STOP jumping to wrong conclusions!!!

 

The VR-09 has LOT's of sampled sounds over and above the synth waves in the Jupiter-style synth.

 

They weren't conclusions so much as working hypotheses, which I was happy to have disproven. Thanks for clearing that up.

[Craig MacDonald]

Hi guys,

My first post here but I´ve followed this thread for a while. Here in Sweden or Northern Europe the VR-09 has been delayed but I got my hands on one of the first ex in Sweden and have been playing around with it for a week now and I think it´s quite good value for the buck. I made some samples of how it sounds here if anybody is interested.

 

 

The Leslie SIM isn´t as good as my ventilator but it works in a mix. I don´t have my Vent at home but will try it out with my band next week. I love the idea of having just one lightweighted keyboard to drag to the rehersals.

 

Cheers

Anders

 

Anders... thanks as well! I'm sure those folks who are interested will find this very helpful.. as you point out, the leslie sim isn't quite as good as the ventialtor, but it's a notch up from previous incarnations of the VK leslie sim.. and from my pespective it's close.. there is definately some nice animation going on.. (you do hear a circular motion rather than just back and forth) and it's a very warm sounding sim, which is one of the other things that I like about the Ventilator. Overall, it's a very usable sim (Steve Fortner seemed to like it as well on his demo)..

 

One quick question, did you have time to do any tweaking of the organ sound or was the sound on the recording a factory patch? It sounded a little "mushy" to me.. a little too mellow and overdriven.. not trying to be critical just curious.. It's pretty easy, with a bit of tweaking, to make the VR organ a bit more ballsy and cut better by taking out a bit of the mush. I've managed to get a pretty good hammond sound on my VR-09 by playing with the tone, and upper/lower gain controls.

 

Bottom line, great video, thanks!