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VR-09 Hints and Tips


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I posted a follow up on the VR-09 blog asking if/when we would see an update and here is the response that was received..

 

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Hi Craig,

I forwarded this question to our Synth Ninja, Ed. Here is what he had to say.

 

Hello,

Yes, we are planning an update, but unfortunately I do not have a date for when it becomes available. We are aware of some of the issues that need to be addressed and are working hard to improve the VR-09. Make sure to register your VR-09 so that you receive an email as soon as it becomes available.

Best regards,

-Ed.

 

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Not a lot of info, but it does confirm that an update is planned which is great! It's uncertain as to what will be included, but it sounds like they're taking the time to understand the issues and it will be a well thought out update. Here's hoping that they address the key issues that have been highlighted to them, here and on the Roland Blog. Also a good reminder that I should register my VR-09. I never bother doing that, but in this case I guess registered owners will be contacted regarding updates etc.. so it's probably a worthwhile thing to do.

Craig MacDonald

Hammond BV, Franken-B (A100 in a BV cabinet), Leslies 122/147/44W, Crumar Mojo, HX3 module, Korg Kronos, VR-09, Roland GAIA, Burn, Ventilator

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"Ed the Synth Ninja"... Love it.

 

Hey, any news is good news! Nice to see the response...

'55 and '59 B3's; Leslies 147, 122, 21H; MODX 7+; NUMA Piano X 88; Motif XS7; Mellotrons M300 and M400’s; Wurlitzer 206; Gibson G101; Vox Continental; Mojo 61; Launchkey 88 Mk III; Korg Module; B3X; Model D6; Moog Model D

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A great demo of preset sounds from SW Europe:

 

Ya I just saw that one also. Guy does a really good job of also going into effects very fluidly. My favorite demo is still this guy..

Jay

www.soundcloud.com/high-diving-act

www.yournewneighbors.com

www.mclovinmusic.com

Nord Stage 3 Compact, Korg Krome EX, Novation Summit, Roland RD88 & Edge, Spectrasonic Keyscape

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im trying to recreate the synth part for the song 'on the run' from pink floyd. i put a post in the forums for guidance using the micro korg, but havent had yet any good direction with it. i figured i could try posting it here in trying to use the vr09.

im guessing that it could for sure be recreated with the ipad app, as i see there all the controls that are being used on the other synths which recreated this song.

as far as the sequencer, there must be someway of doing that with an external ipad.

is anyone up to taking the challenge, and making this song on the vr09 together with an ipad sequencer

or how about some ipad app as a controller to do it all?

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Just listening to Sunshine Superman as I type this.. I bet that was a fun song to play!!

 

Still waiting on an update from Roland!!!! They've said it's in the works, but no commitment on the timing.. hope they hurry it up.

 

In the mean time, Hammond has just released a new XK-1c, that is basically the SK-1 minus all the Extra Voices, and they've priced it at $1495.. Some have suggested that this is Hammond's reaction to the changes in the low end market (ie: VR-09, Casio PX-5s etc). A side by side comparison between the VR-09 and the XK-1c would be very interesting.. at a high level the XK-1c is $500 more than the VR-09 and for that you get waterfall keys and arguably a slightly better drawbar organ engine, but the VR-09 has so many additional features/capabilities such as a comprehensive library of acoustic sample sounds, VA synth with iPad editor, much better interface + joystick, split/layering capabilities, the looper, drum sounds/beats etc. etc. etc.. It seems to me that with the VR-09 you get $500 more worth of value for $500 less.. (just my opinion of course).

 

I can see musicians who are fussy about their organ sounds and feel preferring the XK-1c but setting aside the keyboard (which is arguably arguably a weak point of the VR-09), the VR-09 does so much more for so much less.. I think Hammond have priced the XK-1c way too high. Price it at a grand and it will sell very well.. any higher and I don't think they'll sell a lot. Just my opinion of course..

Craig MacDonald

Hammond BV, Franken-B (A100 in a BV cabinet), Leslies 122/147/44W, Crumar Mojo, HX3 module, Korg Kronos, VR-09, Roland GAIA, Burn, Ventilator

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Was $1495 the MSRP price? If so the street price would be down to $1200 or below and then suddenly VR-09 has a hard time competing with something like XK-1c. I think PX-5S will do fine as it's cornering the weighted keys/piano/EP market with additional stuff included.

 

Meanwhile, I'm happy with Mainstage/B3 + much more as the top-level keyboard in my rig. Ultimate flexibility -- if I need to I could even install stuff like SampleTron (Mellotron plug-in) if needed. Or Reaktor :-).

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I think that they will sell, depending on the musician's focus and budget, of course, but I agree with you 100% that, given the quality of the VR-09's organ, which I finally heard two weeks ago, it is the superior value. Also, when used as a top board, it is very important that I can perform solos on any of the instruments sounds (e.g synths, keyboards, and organ) so the pitch bend/mod wheels become important as well, which the Xk-1c also does not have.

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Gig: Yamaha MODX7, NumaX 73 Piano  Studio: Kawai ES-920; Hammond SK Pro 73; Yamaha Motif ES7 w/DX,VL,VH; Yamaha YC 73; Kawai MP-6; Numa Compact 2x

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At the Sweetwater Gearfest I not only had a chance to hear the VR-09, but I also had an opportunity to meet the Roland specialist who designed the "Bay Area B3" organ voice. I mentioned to him that it was one of the most discussed & liked voices here, and he seemed very pleased. He told me that he had avoided the online forums in general, citing "too much negativity", so I made sure that he knew how appreciated that he was. And he also confirmed that the VR-09 is still heavily back-ordered, and he cited that the operating system was about 99% finished, and that at least one update was coming out for it, mentioning that the voice loading process would be updated in particular, among other things.

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Gig: Yamaha MODX7, NumaX 73 Piano  Studio: Kawai ES-920; Hammond SK Pro 73; Yamaha Motif ES7 w/DX,VL,VH; Yamaha YC 73; Kawai MP-6; Numa Compact 2x

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Pro feedback on VR Rhodes patch "Vintage" Epiano

 

I auditioned for a band with the owner of a prominent Rhodes electro-mechanical "clone" company. He was very pleasently surprized at the quality of the sound. But my board didnt have a sparkley top :)

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Gee I must have worn this out. I thought a complement from a guy who builds /rebuilds Rhodes for a living was very significant flaws :(

 

Kevmo, I was going to respond but got sidetracked with another thread.. plus in the middle of renovations at my house.. This is a great complement for the VR-09!

 

Mine has been packed up since my last gig, and I'm upgrading my Mojo this week so I'll probably be setting the VR-09 aside for a while.. So far I have successfully used the VR-09 as a controller/organ in my rig, along with my Kronos that I've used for all the AP/EP and other sounds.. my next step may be to try using the VR-09 in place of the Kronos on top of my Mojo.. this means that I'll be using the AP/EP and other synth and sampled sounds from the VR but likely playing most of them from the lower manual of my Mojo via midi (I always like to have my AP/EP sounds on the bottom manual)..

 

So this will be an interesting experiment.. I don't expect the VR to sound quite as good as the Kronos, obviously, but the sounds are all still very good, and I think it will be very workable (like the VR drawbar organ).

Craig MacDonald

Hammond BV, Franken-B (A100 in a BV cabinet), Leslies 122/147/44W, Crumar Mojo, HX3 module, Korg Kronos, VR-09, Roland GAIA, Burn, Ventilator

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A Roland Fantom X7 has been covering horn blats and sforzando swells, but just for versatility and to make sure we have a back up, I set up a quick registration with the VR09 layering FS Brass and StackTP Sect and am very pleased to find the cutoff fader effectively closes the filter after the initial blat and a slow slide upwards of that fader can produce wonderfully expressive horns. Works very well for Tommy James' "Draggin' The Line", as well as the done and done again "Mustang Sally".

 

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Pro feedback on VR Rhodes patch "Vintage" Epiano

 

A Roland Fantom X7 has been covering horn blats and sforzando swells, but just for versatility and to make sure we have a back up, the I set up a quick registration with the VR09 layering FS Brass and StackTP Sect and am very pleased to find the cutoff fader effectively closes the filter after the initial blat and a slow slide upwards of that fader can produce wonderfully expressive horns. Works very well for Tommy James' "Draggin' The Line", as well as the done and done again "Mustang Sally".

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the tips. I was was using only fs brass but liked it alot.

Anyone tried the accordions. Surprizingly realistic.

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My new guilty pleasure is those freakin bopDooBowww scat singers

I know, right? If you couldn't tell, I'm really into layering...Jazz Scat over Classical choir...play softly and the "dooohs" blend so nice with the cathedral reverb, then slap it for the "DOW!" and the choir swells in. Makes me smile every time.

 

No bass player at practice tonight...but didn't matter. I normally shy away from left hand bass, but the Finger Bs was a total blast and cut through the mix wonderfully. N.AcousticBs provided some tonal variety and fantastic dynamics. Very groovy...hmmm wonder if I can get a double cut of the kitty if the bass man can't make a gig sometime. ;-)

 

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Craig, I've now used this at a series of rehearsals and one gig with a 9-piece funk band. Great board for a quick set-up when you're sharing the bill with other bands. For me the trick with the EPs was to adjust the room setting to 'carpet'. The default 'acoustic tile' is too bright imo. The Smallstone phaser effect is pretty sweet. Also adjusting the release time slider to about +4 adds a bit of body. I've fiddled with the wurli but am yet to find something I'm happy with on that front.

 

Gee I must have worn this out. I thought a complement from a guy who builds /rebuilds Rhodes for a living was very significant flaws :(

 

Kevmo, I was going to respond but got sidetracked with another thread.. plus in the middle of renovations at my house.. This is a great complement for the VR-09!

 

Mine has been packed up since my last gig, and I'm upgrading my Mojo this week so I'll probably be setting the VR-09 aside for a while.. So far I have successfully used the VR-09 as a controller/organ in my rig, along with my Kronos that I've used for all the AP/EP and other sounds.. my next step may be to try using the VR-09 in place of the Kronos on top of my Mojo.. this means that I'll be using the AP/EP and other synth and sampled sounds from the VR but likely playing most of them from the lower manual of my Mojo via midi (I always like to have my AP/EP sounds on the bottom manual)..

 

So this will be an interesting experiment.. I don't expect the VR to sound quite as good as the Kronos, obviously, but the sounds are all still very good, and I think it will be very workable (like the VR drawbar organ).

Gig keys: Hammond SKpro, Korg Vox Continental, Crumar Mojo 61, Crumar Mojo Pedals

 

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Craig, I've now used this at a series of rehearsals and one gig with a 9-piece funk band. Great board for a quick set-up when you're sharing the bill with other bands. For me the trick with the EPs was to adjust the room setting to 'carpet'. The default 'acoustic tile' is too bright imo. The Smallstone phaser effect is pretty sweet. Also adjusting the release time slider to about +4 adds a bit of body. I've fiddled with the wurli but am yet to find something I'm happy with on that front.

 

Hmmm, I never thought about adjusting the release time for the EP; I've only been messing with the decay...great tip. THANKS! Yep, Wurly has only been usable for me after slathering with overdrive and either tremolo or phaser...still searching for that sweet spot on tone.

 

'Carpet'...'acoustic tile'...? Ooooh, gonna have to comb the manual; I didn't know those adjustments were there. Very cool!

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Okay, got a workable dirty Wurly for The Beatles' "Come Together"; Overdrive at about 8 o'clock, MFX set to Phaser dialed to 10 o'clock, and Reverb selected with Stage knobbed to Noon. Sounded pretty good at practice but still has kind of an uncomfortable mid-range honk. Might switch the 'Verb to Room and mess with the Tone and Compressor some more. Probably need to listen to the Beatles' recording again, too.
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Thanks Craig. I am here because of you! Perhaps I can help you tag team some of these questions. Personally, I am not an expert on the VR-09 or any synth but I do have direct access to the guys that are here at Roland. I'll be more than happy to relay questions.
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OV, that's great! Several other product reps are on here and they provide this kind of assistance and their input is very much welcome and appreciated! The thing that is not appreciated here (at least not by most) is biased product hype, and I don't perceive you as that kind of guy, so welcome!

 

We are all really interested in an OS update to address some of the issues here.. So whatever you can do to speed this up and emphasize the importance of his to the powers at be would be much appreciated by all of us owners, and those considering a purchase... (Especially those that have not purchased a VR-09 because of one of the issues noted here)

 

Thanks, good to have you here with us!!

Craig MacDonald

Hammond BV, Franken-B (A100 in a BV cabinet), Leslies 122/147/44W, Crumar Mojo, HX3 module, Korg Kronos, VR-09, Roland GAIA, Burn, Ventilator

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Perhaps I can help you tag team some of these questions. Personally, I am not an expert on the VR-09 or any synth but I do have direct access to the guys that are here at Roland. I'll be more than happy to relay questions.

 

Welcome here !

 

I do have one question : when will the VR-09 editor be available on the PC, Mac or Android ? Some people do not have an iPad and the VA synth section of the VR-09 is pretty useless without the editor.

 

I started working on a PC version, based on the MIDI implementation chart, but i don't have enough time to complete it in a near future, and its interface will never look professional (i am bad at GUI design)

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