#118465  by Mosfed
 
Hello to all

I was wondering if someone with experience with the Roland GR-55 guitar synth or similar models that Garcia used, could post some info on patches that they have found to grab some of the classic latter years Garcia midi tones - like the flute, trumpet, sax, etc.

I have played around with it quite a bit and definitely found just about 0 in the pre-programmed patches. Getting into the user specific ones, I feel like I get closer but still not quite there.

Would love some guidance.

Thanks in advance
 #118472  by tcsned
 
From what I remember Jerry used an external synth module and not the internal sounds on the GR-50. That's probably the biggest difference between the stock Roland sounds and Jerry's sounds. I have a GR-33 and a GR-20 and thought the the horn sounds are reasonable except the sax sound. I find that I use the sitar as much as anything though I don't think Jerry ever used it
 #118500  by Mosfed
 
Interesting.

Do you use the sounds stock or do you play with them? If the latter, any tips?

Sitar huh? Will have to try that. I enjoy the cello sound but you need to dial in a little more treble and mids. The flute just doesn't sound right stock.

Thanks
 #118505  by tcsned
 
I don't do a lot of tweaking. I found that the sounds in the GR-33 were a lot more plug and pay ready. I'll sometimes tweak the effects which can be a little heavy on some patches. I probably spend more effort adjusting my playing to suit the sound.

Here's a clip of the sitar sound - I like using it on St Stephen it seems to fit nicely.

 #118539  by rugger
 
Mosfed wrote:The flute just doesn't sound right stock.
I have never had the opportunity to play with a midi guitar rig, but I did jerk around a bit with midi keyboard stuff back in the 90's. One thing I recall is that many midi sounds have a specific register that they sound best, or most realistic. So when trying out new patches, definitely play all over the neck and try to find the sweet spot (if it exists!).

john in san diego
 #118546  by tcsned
 
rugger wrote:I have never had the opportunity to play with a midi guitar rig, but I did jerk around a bit with midi keyboard stuff back in the 90's. One thing I recall is that many midi sounds have a specific register that they sound best, or most realistic. So when trying out new patches, definitely play all over the neck and try to find the sweet spot (if it exists!).

john in san diego
Agreed, one of the biggest tricks is not trying to force your playing style on a synth sound, you need to do some playing with the patches you want to use to learn how they react and what works and what doesn't. The pitch range of the original instrument is important. The flute is going to sound like ass on your low E note. Bending notes on a Hammond B3 patch ain't gonna work either, nor will full chords on a trumpet. You may need to get in and edit a patch but it's been a while since I've done any patch editing so I'm not sure how much you can change.