A Roland demo

Check this

Roland's new GR-55 synth for guitar.

What got my attention was that the response seemed excellent.
Hard to judge the sound quality but didn't sound bad.

at 5:40 it all opened up for me... that was HOT.

:-)

Russell I'm not familiar with the Variax.

My guess is all companies have their acronyms for their modeling and not
sure how different they are.

Roland COSM to my ears is very good with many things.

I have the old VG-88 (amp and guitar modeling) and GR-30 synth
and this new GR-55 seems to be both of them combined.
I also have the GI-20 for converting to midi but the old GR-30 out performs
it, at least for me. It's only a converter.

If the GR-55 is a combination of the VG and GR's and has the same
control options (or more) and the response that it seemed to have in that
demonstration then I'm thinking it is a hot unit.

Here is more info and pricing.

Not bad....I sure paid more for both units back when. What I heard impressed
me more than anything else I've heard for guitar but I'd still like to hear it live
before I'd spring that much and find out exactly what they mean by "lightning-fast tracking"
as I've heard that before from them.
They may have a winner with this one.




 

Is nothing sacred anymore?

Me want one.
anyone find a video showing the midi tracking? I didn't.

Jumbicat


Why are people under the impression the GR-55 will trigger external sound modules? Roland may be sending polyphonic notes now but all 6 guitar strings being tracked to a external Midi out? I do not believe this unit will do that.
I'd love to hear from someone who has actually used one. My understanding is the midi out is for controlling midi devices, not sending string data.

I included the link so you could read what Roland says it will do. I copied this for you and enlarged what you must have missed.
Edit to add: The old GR-30 would trigger external sound modules as I used it in chain to trigger my VG-88 and one can also use
the guitar out to send straight signal in.
With that one has; Original guitar, VG-88 or guitar/amp modeling, GR-30 synth which also triggers any synths added in host which included Spectrosonics--Omnisphere, Trilian, and Stylus simultaneously. 


Roland's GR-55 Guitar Synthesizer is a revolutionary new product combining PCM synthesis with digital instrument modeling derived from the respected VG-99 V-Guitar System. The GR-55 represents Roland's latest breakthrough advances in guitar synthesis, offering playability, features, and sound quality that far surpasses the capabilities of previous generations of guitar synthesizers.

Driven by Roland's newest proprietary digital processing technology, the GR-55 delivers lightning-fast tracking performance and previously impossible sound-making capabilities. It features two independent synthesizer sound engines, each loaded with over 900 of Roland's latest sounds, including pianos, organs, strings, vintage and modern synths, percussion, and many more. A third sound engine is driven by Composite Object Sound Modeling (COSM®), the guitar modeling technology behind Roland's famous VG-99 V-Guitar System. With COSM, the GR-55 can emulate electric and acoustic guitars, basses, and other instruments, as well as guitar and bass amplifiers.

The GR-55 allows players to combine all three sound engines, plus their guitar's normal input, to create any sound from the familiar to the original. An independent multi-effects processor is available for a huge array of tone-shaping options, plus global reverb, chorus, delay effects and EQ to add final sweetening to any sound.

The GR-55 puts guitarists instantly in touch with a huge library of amazing sounds, with no editing required. The onboard lineup of ready-to-use presets takes the pain out of the process, from pop to rock and beyond, with quick-access category buttons. Creating and editing sounds is a breeze for guitarists as well, thanks to a large LCD display, simple front panel, and the intuitive EZ Edit and Sound Style features. Also, onboard is a phrase looper that lets players capture on-the-fly recordings with unlimited sound-on-sound style overdubs.

The GR-55 also features a USB song player that lets users play WAV files stored on USB flash memory, and song playback can be controlled with the onboard pedals. The GR-55 also functions as an audio/MIDI interface for computers, with a rear-panel USB 2.0 port for a quick and easy connection. Users can easily integrate with their favorite digital audio workstation software, recording GR-55 sounds as audio in the DAW and using the GR-55's super-fast pitch-to-MIDI capabilities to trigger MIDI sounds such as virtual synths and samplers with their guitar.

The GR-55 is equipped with Roland's industry-standard 13-pin GK interface. It is possible to use a GR-55 as an effect processor for a non-GK equipped guitar, but to access the GR-55's enormous palette of sounds, guitarists must use an instrument equipped with a GK-compatible pickup such as Roland's GK-3 Divided Pickup, which is available with the GR-55 (see dropdown menu to the right and select the "With Pickup" option). The GK-3 can be easily installed on most steel string guitars with no modification to the instrument. In addition, many different GK-ready instruments are commercially available from various top guitar manufacturers.
Roland GR-55 Guitar Synthesizer Features:

Combines PCM synthesis with COSM modeling

Lightning-fast tracking performance

2 independent synth engines each with over 900 sounds including pianos, organs, strings, vintage and modern synths, percussion, and more

Third sound engine driven by COSM modeling can emulate electric and acoustic guitars, basses, other instruments, and amplifiers

All three sound engines can be combined with dry signal

Independent multi-effects processor adds a huge array of tone-shaping options

Ready-to-use presets and easy editing/saving of your own creations

USB flash drive input with song player for playing back WAV files

Functions as an audio/MIDI interface with USB 2.0 connection

Equipped with 13-pin GK interface for GK-compatible pickups (recommended to access the GR-55's massive palette of sounds)

Large LCD display

Simple front panel and intuitive EZ Edit and Sound Style features

Onboard phrase looper

post edited by spacey - 2011/01/29 09:58:48

@Russell - the Variax is similar tech to the VG system, they're both physical modeling systems that operate on the actual waveforms in real-time (more-or-less), as opposed to any type of synthesis that, by it's very nature, requires a pitch-to-digital conversion before the actual sound triggering can begin.  I use both a GR33 and a VG8ex - this new fella apparently combines both techs in one unit.


@Jumicat - if this unit DOESN'T provide midi out from the guitar input (GK), it will be the first one in quite a while that doesn't.  But triggering will be delayed - internally the unit uses a proprietary conversion system that's faster than midi, at least the last few GR units have been that way.  Midi out requires that above mentioned pitch-to-digital conversion, and that adds a few milliseconds.

This looks very interesting - but I wonder what compromises have been made in flexibility overall to cram so much into one small box.  Currently I use a Line 6 M13, VG8ex, GR33, and GNX3 in my "full-bore" rig, thus -



Trying to have some level of spur-of-the-moment control over everything has led me to this pedalboard -



If the 55 can give me the same flexiblilty and control in a single unit, I'm in - but there'll be a lengthy eval period before buying in.......

 Wow that is just so cool!

I'm just happy to that Roland continues to expand on the product line.

Jumbicat


I'm just happy to that Roland continues to expand on the product line.

Absolutely - there've been a lot of comers-and-goers in the guitar synth school, but Roland is apparently not letting go any time soon.  Not should they - we're finally reaching a point where's it's working well, the interface standard has been achieved, and each succeeding refinement just makes it better.

it's a good time to be a geek guitar player........

it's a good time to be a geek guitar player

 
Geektar!

Here is a discussion I have been following on the VG99 forum http://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=2924.0

Jumbicat


If you were to monitor the midi out with midi-ox or any midi capture program.  Is the GR-55 sending data out of what's being played?  Along with patch change, volume and pressure?

Specific implementation would be dependent on the unit itself - but Roland's been pretty good about such things, pretty thorough feature sets.  Patch change and velocity are pretty much givens - I doubt you'd see pressure being sent out, there's no facility for sending it from a guitar.......

Jumbicat


If you were to monitor the midi out with midi-ox or any midi capture program.  Is the GR-55 sending data out of what's being played?  Along with patch change, volume and pressure?

That's the $64 thousand dollar question. Velocity-pressure, I'm sure it would. In the case of this device ( as in many ) it would be a matter of accurately recording the Midi data without changing your playing style to an extent that the audio side of the guitar didn't sound foreign. But just as it is when you trigger another synth with Midi data, if the synth you trigger doesn't match the 55, it won't sound the same. So, you'd have to drive the 55 with the Midi data and record it's audio outputs. Several possibilities with this unit though. I'd be suprised if they had a soft synth to match it. But who knows?, the Fantom G keyboards are pretty much  the same as the Fantom VS.

Jumbicat


If we only had the technology today, yesterday, when I was in my 20's... exciting times ahead.

........ my 20's were a LOT longer ago than yesterday........ heavy sigh........ but absolutely, good times a'coming.

Occurs to me, with all the talk about tracking - remember that we're dealing with pitch-to-digital conversion here.  The receiving unit has to see - or predict, which is where the new digital tracking is coming in - a complete wave cycle to accurately convert the incoming voltage to it's digital counterpart.  Of necessity, that implies that higher notes will be read faster - their wave cycles are much closer together.  Lower notes simply take longer to "see", hence the tracking delay in the lower registers.

Barring a major change in the technology (and who knows, the 55 may be the next gen) you'll always have to adapt your playing, however little, to the device.  One technique I use is to transpose the synth down, so I can play in the higher registers and take advantage of the faster tracking up there.  Doesn't work in every situation, of course.

And that's where the VG/Variax tech comes in - they are not synthesizers, they're mega-processor-powered stomp boxes, performing their magic on the actual incoming guitar signal as opposed to converting that signal to a digital value which then feeds a synth.  Standard guitar techniques work just fine with them - slurs, scrapes, squeals, ghosts - so you don't have to concentrate so much on technique.  Just play the little bugger like you always would.  But you won't get synthesizer sounds out of them, either - Roland's HRM is neat, but it ain't never gonna be a high quality violin sample.

Speaking of which - anybody seen this?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QltZ4A9_feU  When I saw Zappa Plays Zappa in December, in the very first tune Dweez blew out this damned authentic sounding violin solo.  I got curious as to his rig, and a little Googling later discovered that he's now using an AxeFX from Fractal Audio.  Quite remarkable.......