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Teejay Riedl (phaedrus@scientist.com)
writes:
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| I bought this unit, intrigued by it's ability to let me play synth sounds from my guitar. As a guitar synth it's passable, as long as your technique is rock-solid, your guitar is set up well, and you're not into blistering streams of 1/32nd notes. But it's as a sound module that it really shines. Sure, as a module it's multitimbrality is reduced to a mere 2 parts and you can't access the Performances... but so what?! The tones themselves are good, if a bit bland by themselves. instead, pump some MIDI into the port, and begin experimenting with new combinations of tones. (I have maybe 4 factory patches left in mine; the rest are homebrew). Like any Roland product, it's hell to program, but hey- we're used to that: that's why we're synth players! Would I buy one (used) today? Based on my experience with it, hell yes!
Comments About the Sounds:
This is the best endorsement I can give: I recently completed a CD on which the ONLY synth units were the GR-50 and a Korg Poly-800. (While the GR-50 is technically a guitar synth, I use it primarily as a sound module for incoming MIDI. It tracks fast enough playing guitar if you're not a shredder, but I'm more comfortable on the keyboard). I played the completed CD for a friend who is a professional keyboardist, with over $25K invested in his synth rig. He demanded to know what made the sounds he heard, and said he had little in his arsenal that would be able to duplicate them! His jaw dropped when I told him it was the GR-50. The stock sounds are okay, but when tweaked, 'verbed, and panned, they take on a new meaning. The pads rule!
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(Thanks to Teejay Riedl for this info.)
and Robert Frost for the pic
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