Re: GR-55 (Re: What is Boyson doing exactly?)

[Dust Bunnies <mech@m3ch.net>]

Per Boysen wrote:
> Most things on the box can be used as source to trigger
> such an Internal Expression Pedal - but unfortunately not signal at
> the audio input, like Duke teased us with from the VG99.

You mean route a Modulation Source to modulate/control another 
Modulation Source?  Oh, that's a feature request I've had into Roland 
since probably the very first week the VG-99 was released back in 2007. 
 Unfortunately, Roland doesn't seem to pay any real attention to user 
requests (else they would've added Feedback to their RC-series Phrase 
Samplers ages ago, or hired Bill Ruppert to design their factory presets).

There are certain parameters that are classified as 'Sources', and 
others that are classified as 'Destinations'.  And ne'er the twain shall 
meet, it seems.  I'd love to be able to use Input Level or the Internal 
Pedal to modulate the speed of the LFO on the Wave Pedal, for instance. 
 Or use the Wave Pedal's LFO to re-trigger the Internal Pedal's 
envelope periodically, over-&-over again.

Unfortunately, those functions are all together in the 'Source' box, and 
can't be used to modulate each other.  Bummer.

One good thing is that there are a bazillion other destinations, though, 
so you can often find a workaround.  For instance, I don't think the 
Wave Pedal modulates fast enough, so I'd originally wanted to chain one 
Wave Pedal into a second to modulate it FM-style.  That wasn't possible 
(Wave Pedal is a source and only a source, remember).  But I was able to 
route several different instances of the Wave Pedal into a single 
destination, in order to get a similar effect.  Not quite the same, but 
workable in many instances.

As for Input Level, one of my favorite tricks is to route it into an Amp 
or EQ parameter so that the playing dynamics effect the tone of the COSM 
model.  Even better is that the Vari-Guitar COSM model will allow you to 
set the position and angle of the pickups.  (Aside: ever wanted to 
recreate the effect that Hendrix, for instance, played a right-handed 
Strat strung upside-down and played left-handed, so the angle of his 
pickups was reversed?  Well, here's your chance to design a guitar 
that's like that.)  I've used Input Level to re-position the pickup and 
change the angle, so that the playing dynamics actually move the pickup 
as you're playing.

That's also a neat way to replicate the Tele's tendency to roll off the 
low end as you back off the Volume Knob.  Just route the GK-Volume Knob 
(or any other source, like a Volume Pedal, for that matter) to pickup 
position/angle, and have the pickup move back closer to the bridge as 
you turn the volume down.  Sounds great while doing volume swells.  I 
wish that you could do this on all the guitar models.  But the Variable 
Guitar is pretty design-your-own, so you can cover a lot of ground with 
just that.

Anyway, looking forward to seeing some of the cool stuff you come up with!

        -m-