GR-55 users?

AlanRatcliffe

I know guitar synth users are a relatively small subset of guitarists and Roland GR-55 users a smaller subset of those, but Joel and I were wondering if there are any other GR-55 users on the forum.

So if you use a GR-55, let us know by posting in this thread.

arjunmenon

Watching this one closely.

AlanRatcliffe

Maybe if anyone posts, you can also mention how you are using it. It's quite a powerful box, combining guitar, synth and modelled tones in one, so there are many ways you can utilise it.

For me it's always been about expanding the sound and range of the guitar or supporting it, not just playing the same stuff with a different sound. I'm also more likely to be playing alone or just backing up a vocalist and so need to fill out some space. So I usually use modelled bass on the lower two or three strings and put something else on the top three or four. I often have pads across all six strings to flesh out the sound.

The piezo guitar sound I run separately, not via the GR-55, but via a Fishman Aura Spectrum DI with a Boss GT PRO for FX (mostly just delay and reverbs) - and the guitar sound is always on. I get more realistic guitar tones that way and it frees up some resources in the GR-55 for the synth and modelled tones.

I'm using the CTL and expression pedal a lot - CTL to turn a specific sound on or off or to switch an effect (fast/slow rotary speaker speeds is a fave) and the volume pedal to fade in sounds. The expression switch I use very rarely because I find it is easy to switch by accident while using the expression pedal (and the way that many stock presets come with pitch bend on the expression switch and pedal soon persuaded me to avoid that ?).

arjunmenon

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: For me it's always been about expanding the sound and range of the guitar or supporting it, not just playing the same stuff with a different sound. I'm also more likely to be playing alone or just backing up a vocalist and so need to fill out some space. So I usually use modelled bass on the lower two or three strings and put something else on the top three or four. I often have pads across all six strings to flesh out the sound.

Pretty similar except i never used the bass & percussion. I used the GR20 when we didn't have a keyboard player. Was also great to have access to the flute, breathy sax sounds & choirs.
BTW, how do the glide & hold functions work on the 55? Same as the GR20?
I'm not very interested in the guitar fx side of the 55. Looking for richer pad sounds & more realistic horn sounds.

AlanRatcliffe

Arjun Menon wrote: BTW, how do the glide & hold functions work on the 55? Same as the GR20?

Don't really know the GR-20, but they are the same as in the GI-20. I never use glide, but the hold functions are really useful.

I'm not very interested in the guitar fx side of the 55. Looking for richer pad sounds & more realistic horn sounds.

The GR-55 doesn't have particularly great sounds (not if you're used to Native instruments softsynths and EastWest sample banks), but it has a huge range of them, so it's possible to find something at least decent for almost anything. Some surprisingly good brass and orchestral sounds. The pads are fairly limited, IMO but fairly easy to spice them up with some FX.

arjunmenon

Alan Ratcliffe wrote:
Arjun Menon wrote: BTW, how do the glide & hold functions work on the 55? Same as the GR20?
Don't really know the GR-20, but they are the same as in the GI-20. I never use glide, but the hold functions are really useful.

I'm not very interested in the guitar fx side of the 55. Looking for richer pad sounds & more realistic horn sounds.
The GR-55 doesn't have particularly great sounds (not if you're used to Native instruments softsynths and EastWest sample banks), but it has a huge range of them, so it's possible to find something at least decent for almost anything. Some surprisingly good brass and orchestral sounds. The pads are fairly limited, IMO but fairly easy to spice them up with some FX.

Thanks Alan. So the GR55 is more an upgrade on the guitar FX modelling side?
I have a gripe about Boss trying to make the GR55 all things to all people.
I'm still keen on it though because of the orchestral & brass sounds.

DonovanB

Arjun Menon wrote: I have a gripe about Boss trying to make the GR55 all things to all people.
I'm still keen on it though because of the orchestral & brass sounds.

Yes I agree, Perfect the synth, THEN mix it with the guitar FX. It seems like they've taken 2 half finished products and mixed them.

I loved the GR20 though, especially for the string type synths. I battled with the keys based generators but started getting the hang of it.

AlanRatcliffe

Arjun Menon wrote: Thanks Alan. So the GR55 is more an upgrade on the guitar FX modelling side?

Well, it adds the guitar modelling and FX side. Nothing before has both. A lot of guys were using both, but were forced to use a Guitar synth (usually the Axon, Roland GR-33 or GR-30) as well as a VG-88 (forget the VG-99 - a more capable unit but the form factor doesn't make sense and the D-Beam is just silly because it means you have to take one hand off the guitar to do things you could just as easily do with a pedal) and a US-20 (or GKP-4) to split the 13-pin into two. On the downside, the modelling is fairly stripped down compared to the VG pedals (which to be fair, are the specialised modelling devices in the range).

Sound-wise, let me put it into context: The GR-55 is an upgrade over the GR-33 (not surprising as the GR-33 is a 15 year old unit), but it would have been nice to have the latest Fantom series soundset. The sounds come across like a vastly expanded GM soundset - quite usable but not as good as it could have been given the advanced state of Roland's keyboard sounds.

The GR-20 is aimed at a different market (those wanting to get into guitar synth or wanting something simple to use) and is scaled down quite a lot (annoyingly so, IMO). So it doesn't really feature.

I have a gripe about Boss trying to make the GR55 all things to all people.

Unfortunately it's not a big enough market for them to have a huge range of products. And you have to give Roland their dues - they are the one company who has stuck with guitar synth since the beginning - even axon has changed hands three times and the current owners of the tech (Terratec) have stopped production. The only other thing ATM (or rather, soon...) is the new Fishman system, but that needs a computer, which makes it more of a studio tool than a live one (even though the MIDI side is wireless).

I'm still keen on it though because of the orchestral & brass sounds.

It's good enough for that. I've just programmed a patch for Floyd's Is There Anybody Out There? (the nlylon guitar and orchestra part - an exquisitely delicately orchestrated piece). It's not perfect (could really have done with a couple of extra synth voices), but close enough. ?

Personally, I see the GR-55 as good enough, and as a great proof of concept. However, I'd really like to see them step up with the (hopefully) next version, doubling the capabilities (at least four synth voices, two modelled, more FX, better mixing, the latest sounds and more external control). Once again, to be fair, that would make it a monster and a complex beastie at that - and I'd probably be one of very few to really utilise it fully.

AlanRatcliffe

Donovan Banks wrote: I battled with the keys based generators but started getting the hang of it.

The pickup setup is crucial for a lot of keyboards - especially the more immediate, percussive ones like pianos, harpsichords and Clavinets. Your playing also has to be ultra precise too, otherwise you get a lot of glitches and double-triggering. Something that can help is slowing the attack of the synth sound a little (just a few ms) and mixing some bright clean guitar sound in to provide the immediacy.

AlanRatcliffe

One on Gumtree CT for R6.5K:
http://capetown-westerncape.gumtree.co.za/c-Sports-Leisure-musical-instruments-Roland-GR-55-Guitar-Synthesiser-W0QQAdIdZ403681492