In recent years we have witnessed the arrival of different devices that, backed by the latest technology, offer musicians, and guitarists in particular, an enormous range of sonic possibilities. Amplifiers, multi-effects units, preamps with simulators and, above all, virtual systems in software form fulfill the dreams of many who are looking for a wide and versatile palette of sounds. But what is special about the unit this article covers, what makes it truly surprising these days, is that just when it seemed all advances were going to happen on the computer as a platform, or even on devices like the iPad and iPhone, Roland's engineers have designed one last marvel that brings us back to hardware.
It is a floorboard-style unit called the GR-55, which is on its way to becoming the most successful piece of gear of 2011, generating unusual anticipation and a torrent of positive comments.
My impression after a few days of playing and experimenting with the GR-55 is very good, so I am going to go over some aspects of this outstanding unit.
To begin with, it must be said that its signal processing and conversion are the fastest and most accurate of any Roland guitar synthesizer to date; it detects pitch and velocity really well, and to a large extent responds effectively to our personal picking and articulation of the notes. The latency so common in guitar synths is imperceptible here, and unwanted sounds and harmonics are also fairly well suppressed.
How to define the GR-55... Well, as a guitar synthesizer, preamp, amp, pedal and speaker simulator; also as a multi-effects unit, looper, volume pedal, wah, tuner... a true "all-in-one" .
Connectivity
The GR-55's connectivity is somewhat reminiscent of its predecessors, such as the Roland VG-99, GR-33 or GR-20. To use it, your guitar or bass must be fitted with a GK2 or GK3 system or, failing that, a MIDI piezo pickup compatible with this system, such as the RMC units found on Godin guitars, among other brands. On the back of the unit we find the GK input, two outputs for the synthesized or modeled sounds, another for the clean sound, a headphone output and MIDI in/out. It also has two USB ports, one to connect to the computer and an internal one, where you can plug in a flash drive through a small slot.
Setup
Setup is essential with this unit. We need to be very meticulous in that regard if we want to get the best possible result. From the unit itself, we define a series of data that it stores in memory, such as the scale length of the guitar or bass to be used, that is, the distance from the nut to the bridge, as well as the distance from the bridge to the MIDI pickup. We can also adjust the sensitivity of each string. In short, it is about giving the unit a set of variables that will allow it to track our playing through the pickup with great precision.
Possibilities
One of the GR-55's strong points is that it has a display and front dial that make any adjustment very comfortable, quick and intuitive.
From the unit, we have to define whether the output we use is going to be connected to a mixing console, a combo amp, a preamp, etc. This setting makes a big difference to the tone we expect to get, so I think it is important to keep it in mind.
Once we get to work with the unit, the first thing we notice is the sheer number of possibilities available, which will surely help us find our sound or the specific tone we are looking for. Patches are configured so that we have the option of using two banks of synth sounds, as well as a modeling sound and another with the "real" sound of our guitar, processed by the effects unit. From here we dive into an ocean of immense possibilities.
The synth sounds are based on PCM samples, and there are more than 900 different tones of excellent quality. Pianos, organs, basses, strings, lead synths, pads, special effects, etc. One way or another, everything you can find in a good synthesizer is here.
In my view, and from what I have been able to try, what particularly catches my attention is the warmth of the electric pianos, the wind sounds and the strings for creating pads. On the other hand, we can edit the sounds to customize or polish them to our liking. For that we have a large number of parameters: volume curve, sensitivity, pan, string-by-string tuning, portamento, etc. But if we want to dig into this editing to its full potential, we find many more parameters that offer tremendous tonal flexibility. To mention a few: filters with different bands, depth, attack time, delay time, release, sustain, attack sensitivity, nuance sensitivity and much more. With so many options, it would be very hard for guitar synth lovers to be disappointed. And as if that were not enough, both synth sounds can be routed to the unit's various effects, which I will describe later, so we can enrich them even further.
Guitar and amp simulation
In the modeling sounds category we enter another interesting world.
On the one hand, we have a well-chosen selection of simulated guitars available to us virtually. Some are electric, others acoustic, plus some basses and analog synth guitars with different types of filters. The list is long, but I don't want to leave it out: classic Fender Stratocaster, another Strat with EMG single-coil or humbucking pickups, plus Telecaster, Gibson Les Paul or Junior, Danelectro 56-U3, Rickenbaker 360, Gibson 335 and Gibson L4. There are also acoustics with bronze strings (Martin, Gibson, Guild, etc.), nylon-string, banjo, coral sitar, dobro... In short, great possibilities that are multiplied by just as many options offered by the amp and effects modeling.
As for amplification, the models of the Fender® Twin Reverb, various Marshalls, Mesa Boogie, Matchless, Vox, Soldano and many others equally worth mentioning stand out. The quality of the modeling is remarkable and its possibilities many, considering the options it offers, such as choosing the speaker type, the mic used to capture the signal, its distance and even its position relative to the cone.
Effects
On the other hand, we can send the real guitar signal, that is, our instrument with its own pickups, into the chain made up of the various effects and amp simulators. The range these effects offer is well worth mentioning, especially given their high quality. Personally, I find the reverbs simply extraordinary, as are the delays, but the overdrives and distortions, choruses, EQs, phasers, flangers… are also surprising. In short, a fascinating labyrinth of sounds and tones to explore. By the way, both the effects and the analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversion are 24-bit with a 44.1 kHz sample rate.
Loop generator
I don't want to finish this article without mentioning some other important functions. One of them is the loop generator. We can record a performance of about 20 seconds and play it back, or record other musical lines, chords or rhythms on top, all quite accurately and comfortably. Another function not to be overlooked is the ability to use the unit as an audio player. From a flash drive we can play WAV or AIFF files at a 44.1 kHz sample rate and 24 bits. We can also use the GR-55 as an audio interface and as a MIDI converter, triggering hardware synths or virtual instruments and software audio libraries via its USB connection to the computer.
Conclusions
Whether for electric, acoustic or nylon-string guitars, running our signal through a unit like this can be a real luxury, not to mention the extraordinary convenience it offers, especially compared with the arsenal of gear and effects racks we needed years ago to get comparable performance. As for value for money, the unit costs around €600; I think that is fair. My perception is that this is a genuine step forward in terms of the tonal possibilities it brings to guitarists and bassists. An extraordinary piece of gear that can be very useful both in the studio and live. Although it is not especially complex to operate and the learning curve is easy to tackle, I think it is the kind of unit that takes time to get the most out of everything it can do.
Over the coming weeks I will be uploading several videos to the ISP YouTube channel showing some of the many possibilities of this marvel. If you have any questions, I hope those demos will clear them up.
