Roland VR-09 sound problems

[Melodymaker]

Hi fellow VR-09 ers. This is my first post as I've just joined the forum. I need some info for my ROLAND Vr-09 which I use regularly on stage with a Yamaha 9000 pro. The VR-09 sometimes emits a horrendous bass bang in which I cannot find the cause for. My band puts my keys through front of house and the system varies according to the venue. In that we have large bass bins, mids and tops and we use these as required. For example, a smaller venue may not require the bass bins. To that effect we run on mids and tops. This bass banging is really bad and punishes everyone. I have tried adjusting EQ to no avail. Incidentally, I do not suffer any problems with the Yamaha in the same way and the two boards are connected with one midi lead which allows the use of my Yamaha FC7 expression pedal to control both keyboards through one pedal. Has anyone suffered the same problems as me and if so any ideas on a remedy.
Up against the Yamaha, I find the Roland to have a terribly inferior Key bed. It almost acts sometimes in a kind of switching action and sometimes the volume is unpredictable. This is spoiling an otherwise good little stage board and almost making me decide to bale out from Roland to something that I can rely on. Any ideas lads, any help greatfully received.
Incidentally, if anyone is interested, I've heard a lot of moans about no music stand for the VR-09 despite there being two holes in the back for one. Wrong everyone! There is a stand. It's around the £30 mark and it's the Roland BK3 stand that fits perfectly. I know because I have one. Most decent dealers can supply or as usual have a good trawl round the internet. Happy music to you all

 

[rick rankin]

Hi fellow VR-09 ers. This is my first post as I've just joined the forum. I need some info for my ROLAND Vr-09 which I use regularly on stage with a Yamaha 9000 pro. The VR-09 sometimes emits a horrendous bass bang in which I cannot find the cause for. My band puts my keys through front of house and the system varies according to the venue. In that we have large bass bins, mids and tops and we use these as required. For example, a smaller venue may not require the bass bins. To that effect we run on mids and tops. This bass banging is really bad and punishes everyone. I have tried adjusting EQ to no avail. Incidentally, I do not suffer any problems with the Yamaha in the same way and the two boards are connected with one midi lead which allows the use of my Yamaha FC7 expression pedal to control both keyboards through one pedal. Has anyone suffered the same problems as me and if so any ideas on a remedy.
Up against the Yamaha, I find the Roland to have a terribly inferior Key bed. It almost acts sometimes in a kind of switching action and sometimes the volume is unpredictable. This is spoiling an otherwise good little stage board and almost making me decide to bale out from Roland to something that I can rely on. Any ideas lads, any help greatfully received.
Incidentally, if anyone is interested, I've heard a lot of moans about no music stand for the VR-09 despite there being two holes in the back for one. Wrong everyone! There is a stand. It's around the £30 mark and it's the Roland BK3 stand that fits perfectly. I know because I have one. Most decent dealers can supply or as usual have a good trawl round the internet. Happy music to you all

 

[rick rankin]

I use a vr09 for organ in a pink floyd tribute band..Ive learned not to have your foot on sustain peddle when changing programs.it takes a micro sec to change its programs..not as smooth as yamaha for quiet changed. I mix my keys though 6 ch mixer before it goes to the house..vr09 always takes extra vol mix compared to yam and nord..but for 900 bucks *Iam not complainin

 

[Melodymaker]

Hi Rick, Thanks for your reply, I had noticed that you have to be careful how you use the sustain pedal on the
VR 09. I have re adjusted the leakage settings for organ as I noticed a specific background distortion that was not relevant to settings required. This seems to have solved that problem but I still have a problem when pianos are used. I've decided to use pianos on the Yam only and on the last gig this seemed to be the safest solution.
I am fast losing interest in th VR 09 which I thought would be a good gigging board. To me it seems only half way there as far as the sounds go it's pretty good but with the key action there is a lot to be desired. It acts like a switching on my board on pianos which is when it emits a kind of Bass bang type of noise like a small explosion.
I also like yourself put my signal to an 8 channel mixer from which I send a signal to the house mix and I get an aux return for the rest of the band for vocal monitoring. I also use a single midi from YAm out to VR 09 in.
This gives me volume and expression control with a Yamaha FC7 Exp Pedal to both boards instead of using two.
I will say that the response on the VR is nothing like the Yam but at the very least I can control th volume on the VR which at times is unpredictable depending on which sound you are using. I seem to always be ready for that left side volume control on the VR. No doubt I will find a solution eventually but it may involve a change of board if I am still not confident in the VR' s funny little quirks. Against the Yam the quality is no match.
Thanks again Rick and Happy Music to you.

 

[richb]

Hi Rick, Thanks for your reply, I had noticed that you have to be careful how you use the sustain pedal on the
VR 09. I have re adjusted the leakage settings for organ as I noticed a specific background distortion that was not relevant to settings required. This seems to have solved that problem but I still have a problem when pianos are used. I've decided to use pianos on the Yam only and on the last gig this seemed to be the safest solution.
I am fast losing interest in th VR 09 which I thought would be a good gigging board. To me it seems only half way there as far as the sounds go it's pretty good but with the key action there is a lot to be desired. It acts like a switching on my board on pianos which is when it emits a kind of Bass bang type of noise like a small explosion.
I also like yourself put my signal to an 8 channel mixer from which I send a signal to the house mix and I get an aux return for the rest of the band for vocal monitoring. I also use a single midi from YAm out to VR 09 in.
This gives me volume and expression control with a Yamaha FC7 Exp Pedal to both boards instead of using two.
I will say that the response on the VR is nothing like the Yam but at the very least I can control th volume on the VR which at times is unpredictable depending on which sound you are using. I seem to always be ready for that left side volume control on the VR. No doubt I will find a solution eventually but it may involve a change of board if I am still not confident in the VR' s funny little quirks. Against the Yam the quality is no match.
Thanks again Rick and Happy Music to you.

Just a bit off topic: What would you replace your VR-09 with? I’m considering one but am interested in alternatives. Thanks

 

[anotherscott]

The VR-09 sometimes emits a horrendous bass bang in which I cannot find the cause for.

It may simply have a fault that needs servicing. But one thing I'd check to see if that the D-Beam isn't set to make some horrendous noise that something may be accidentally triggering.

Up against the Yamaha, I find the Roland to have a terribly inferior Key bed.

That's not surprising... VR09 has Roland's bottom of the line action, your old Yamaha had a top of the line action... as was reflected in the relative prices of these two boards. The VR09 is available with a much better action, that would be the VR730.

Just a bit off topic: What would you replace your VR-09 with? I’m considering one but am interested in alternatives. Thanks

Depends what you're looking for. For "non-hammer action 9-slider drawbar organ with editable VA-style synth," VR09/VR730 alternatives in order of increasing price could be

... Casio XW-P1 - it generally doesn't sound as good, but it's cheap and also, unlike the VR09, is a pretty good MIDI controller, which allows you to also use it to easily integrate sounds from something like an iPhone or iPad. Not as much direct hands-on control as the VR, though better at direct patch selection. To improve its built in organ sound, you can add a pedal like a Lester K, which will address the areas where its organ sound is weakest compared to the Roland. (Casio also has the MZ-X500 which has a lot more features overall, but it not as good on the MIDI side. I think its organ is probably better than the XW-P1, though.)

... Numa Compact 2X - 88 keys, aftertouch, above average feeling action, and again, a good MIDI controller. And again, you'd probably want to add a pedal like a Lester K, though its organ sound beats the Casio's. Though unlike the Casio, you can't pan sounds to one side or the other, giving you no way to put the pedal on just the organ sound if you use the organ as part of a split or layer (an issue the Roland VR has as well).

... Kurzweil Artis 7 - This is a much more capable board than the VR09 in almost every way, although I'd say its organ sound still lags (though it's still pretty good). The number of sounds available, the ease of navigating patches (factory sounds, user sounds, and sound combinations), the split/layer functionality (including the handling of effects), the MIDI capabilities, far exceed those of the lower priced options. But where the VR (and Numa) has dedicated controls for everything, the Kurzweil largely depends on you to define what you want its 9 sliders and 10 buttons to do at any given time. Note that, like the VR, a lot of editing is only available externally (via iPad app or Mac/PC), but it has more editing facilities available (all sounds are editable, not just synth/organ).

... Vox Continental - conceptually, maybe the closest of these to the VR09. Has a lot of limitations, but the action is supposed to be pretty good, and it has a tube which gives it another character, and just a certain aesthetic and operational vibe that appeals to some people. Transistor organs and electric pianos may be its unique strengths.

If you're okay looking in an entirely different price range, there's the Korg Kronos 61, Kronos LS, and Nord Stage 3 Compact.

 

[Melodymaker]

I'm now at the point of saving my settings and doing a factory reset as I now have an additional fault whereby, if you are not using the VR for a short time, it seems to go dead and will not play any sound. This depends on how long it's left before it is played. As one will appreciate, you are not playing them all the time in a multi board set up.
I seem to have resolved the bass sounding problem by taking all the EQ settings off and creating a more flat response. This seems to have done the trick and is overcome by only using my mixer to add any EQ's that are needed. The VR is becoming more unpredictable an is even more so when it comes to volume control. There is so much variant depending on the settings used. I pretty much use stored presets for my band gigs and because of the nature of the VR, I find it safer to have everything ready when it comes to gigs. Consequently, most of our set list is a case of a one button push into the next song. The Yamaha 9000pro is now 18 years old is still my main board on the bottom and I can't better it at present. It's been a real stalwart and ultra reliable. The key bed and action is real quality and I've been looking at the market for around three years thinking of replacing it but nothing comes anywhere near the Yam. Even the gooseneck lights for the dark corners are not replicated by anyone else.
There have been five Tyros and now the Genos and still my old girl goes on even though she is Pre Tyros 1 Lol !
I have been looking at the possibility of one board for all but obviously it would have to be capable of multi splits.
I was thinking like many others of the Kurzweil Artis 7 but every time I read about Kurzweil I seem to hear nothing but software problems. It seems to me that I am very much a Yamaha Salwart and to that end I am seriously considering the Yamaha MX 88. A real nice board with nice keybed action and now attainable at a very cool £699 !
With this set up I would probably have to suffer the foibles and idiosyncrasies of the VR 09 and probably end up doing factory reset on a regular basis. Reliability seems to have disappeared as technology moves on.
Korg Krome was another option in the reasonable price range that we all look for but again, bad reviews about the keybeds. Someone mentioned the New Vox Continental ( Korg ) a lovely board lightweight and metal too!
Keybed is great as used on the Kronos but spoilt by the inability to split the board unless you are in organ mode.
What happened to bass left and piano right or even strings and piano. For that reason they have spoilt a good board. My band is a 60's outfit and the Vox Conti would have been perfect. In fact I would go to one board and ditch the VR 09 ! Let's hope I'm not the only one to voice this about the Conti and Korg give it a better split capability. I would not change the VR 09 for the VR730 just for the action and a few extra voices at near double the price. With the same engine you would no doubt have the same problems too.
At present I'm still looking favorably at the MX 88. Happy Music to one and all !

 

[Melodymaker]

Just a bit off topic: What would you replace your VR-09 with? I’m considering one but am interested in alternatives. Thanks

Hi RichB As you have probably read on my other thread that I am not at all over enthused by the VR 09 after three years of ownership.
Roland seem to have lost a certain quality since the days of the original Fantom and such keyboards.
Keybeds are rubbish in the budget sector but I suppose if you were set on the VR then I would try a VR 730 for myself before I ruled it out. As it is I would not change the 09 for the 730 just for the action and longer key bed.
As I already have the 09 it would be a waste and a very expensive upgrade for the same board.
But you might find it acceptable buying from scratch and they are occasionally on the used market. No one can work out why Roland created the VR 09B and then brought out the 730. It's all a matter of personal choice for most players but I am very bias towards Yamaha.
Mine is 18 years old and even the sounds are stil as good a quality as new boards today.
I'll keep looking but it's not out there yet !

 

[anotherscott]

I'm now at the point of saving my settings and doing a factory reset as I now have an additional fault whereby, if you are not using the VR for a short time, it seems to go dead and will not play any sound. This depends on how long it's left before it is played.

When you reset the board, it went back to factory settings which included (like most if not all recent boards) an energy saver time out, you'll have to go the menu and turn that back off.

I have been looking at the possibility of one board for all but obviously it would have to be capable of multi splits.
I was thinking like many others of the Kurzweil Artis 7 but every time I read about Kurzweil I seem to hear nothing but software problems. It seems to me that I am very much a Yamaha Salwart and to that end I am seriously considering the Yamaha MX 88. A real nice board with nice keybed action and now attainable at a very cool £699 !
...
Korg Krome was another option in the reasonable price range
...
My band is a 60's outfit and the Vox Conti would have been perfect.

I like the Artis 7, In Yamaha, MODX is a lot more board than MX, but neither gives you the full drawbar organ emulation of the VR09, Vox Continental, or Kurzweil. Same issue with Krome.

My post #6 above goes into details about some alternatives, but a big variable is the actions. You mentioned MX88, but that's a hammer action, very different from the VR, Artis 7, Continental, or your 9000 Pro. Better for pianos, worse for organs. I think you might prefer not to have the hammer action.

Related, if you're going to try to get by with one board, 61 keys is limiting for splits, you probably want at least 73, so that will also reduce your options.

Boards with full drawbar organ control, non-hammer action, at least 73 keys, and good split facilities: Numa Compact 2X, Kurzweil Artis 7, Korg Kronos LS, Nord Stage 3 Compact. (And the VR-730 you don't want, though its split capabilities are the weakest of the bunch in terms of effects limitations.) Arguably Hammond SK1-73 and Nord Electro 6D-73, but they also have some significant split limitations in terms of what sounds can be split with which (also the fixed split points of the Nord, and the lack of a low E on the Hammond). They also have no pitch/mod wheels, which might be an issue if it's your only board. Dexibell J7 could also be a possibility, not too familiar with it.

If you scale back the organ requirements, there's also the Roland Juno DS76, Korg Krome, Yamaha MODX7.

Some things that can also be worth thinking about when using a single board with splits... Is there some kind of seamless sound switching such that changing sounds won't cut off any remaining held/decaying notes from your previous sound? Can you easily change your sound on one half of the keyboard while continuing to play on the other? Can you easily adjust the relative volumes of your top and bottom sounds on the fly? Can you easily transpose the octave for your top or bottom sound without affecting the other? Depending on how you work, some or all of these things could be very useful... or might not matter at all. But the boards do vary in these ways.

 

[BluzCruz]

...if you are not using the VR for a short time, it seems to go dead and will not play any sound. This depends on how long it's left before it is played.

The power will be turned off automatically after a predetermined amount of time has passed since the keyboard was last used
for playing music, or its buttons or controls were operated (called the "Auto Off" function). The default time is 4 hours, so if you do a factory reset, it will default to that. If you do not want the power to be turned off automatically, disengage the Auto Off function using the instructions below.

 

[Biggles]

When you reset the board, it went back to factory settings which included (like most if not all recent boards) an energy saver time out, you'll have to go the menu and turn that back off.


I like the Artis 7, In Yamaha, MODX is a lot more board than MX, but neither gives you the full drawbar organ emulation of the VR09, Vox Continental, or Kurzweil. Same issue with Krome.

My post #6 above goes into details about some alternatives, but a big variable is the actions. You mentioned MX88, but that's a hammer action, very different from the VR, Artis 7, Continental, or your 9000 Pro. Better for pianos, worse for organs. I think you might prefer not to have the hammer action.

Related, if you're going to try to get by with one board, 61 keys is limiting for splits, you probably want at least 73, so that will also reduce your options.

Boards with full drawbar organ control, non-hammer action, at least 73 keys, and good split facilities: Numa Compact 2X, Kurzweil Artis 7, Korg Kronos LS, Nord Stage 3 Compact. (And the VR-730 you don't want, though its split capabilities are the weakest of the bunch in terms of effects limitations.) Arguably Hammond SK1-73 and Nord Electro 6D-73, but they also have some significant split limitations in terms of what sounds can be split with which (also the fixed split points of the Nord, and the lack of a low E on the Hammond). They also have no pitch/mod wheels, which might be an issue if it's your only board. Dexibell J7 could also be a possibility, not too familiar with it.

If you scale back the organ requirements, there's also the Roland Juno DS76, Korg Krome, Yamaha MODX7.

Some things that can also be worth thinking about when using a single board with splits... Is there some kind of seamless sound switching such that changing sounds won't cut off any remaining held/decaying notes from your previous sound? Can you easily change your sound on one half of the keyboard while continuing to play on the other? Can you easily adjust the relative volumes of your top and bottom sounds on the fly? Can you easily transpose the octave for your top or bottom sound without affecting the other? Depending on how you work, some or all of these things could be very useful... or might not matter at all. But the boards do vary in these ways.

Additionally to Scott’s excellent advice may I offer some more.

Do backup your keyboard if it has the facility to do so.

Some keyboards also have the ability to essentially back up user data, with the Korg Arrangers this is the Save All function.

When the keyboard is reset or firmware updated it is restored to factory condition but then running another separate procedure it can be possible to reinstate all or selectable parts of the user configuration.

So do rtfm and search online for your keyboard and make sure you know what to do to manage your keyboard.

 

[gdh]

Just a bit off topic: What would you replace your VR-09 with? I’m considering one but am interested in alternatives. Thanks

I'd look at the Crumar mojo 61

 

[rick rankin]

Hi fellow VR-09 ers. This is my first post as I've just joined the forum. I need some info for my ROLAND Vr-09 which I use regularly on stage with a Yamaha 9000 pro. The VR-09 sometimes emits a horrendous bass bang in which I cannot find the cause for. My band puts my keys through front of house and the system varies according to the venue. In that we have large bass bins, mids and tops and we use these as required. For example, a smaller venue may not require the bass bins. To that effect we run on mids and tops. This bass banging is really bad and punishes everyone. I have tried adjusting EQ to no avail. Incidentally, I do not suffer any problems with the Yamaha in the same way and the two boards are connected with one midi lead which allows the use of my Yamaha FC7 expression pedal to control both keyboards through one pedal. Has anyone suffered the same problems as me and if so any ideas on a remedy.
Up against the Yamaha, I find the Roland to have a terribly inferior Key bed. It almost acts sometimes in a kind of switching action and sometimes the volume is unpredictable. This is spoiling an otherwise good little stage board and almost making me decide to bale out from Roland to something that I can rely on. Any ideas lads, any help greatfully received.
Incidentally, if anyone is interested, I've heard a lot of moans about no music stand for the VR-09 despite there being two holes in the back for one. Wrong everyone! There is a stand. It's around the £30 mark and it's the Roland BK3 stand that fits perfectly. I know because I have one. Most decent dealers can supply or as usual have a good trawl round the internet. Happy music to you all

 

[rick rankin]

If your holding down keys when you change sounds say from piano to organ or your foot is on sustain peddle you will get a brutal sound through a sound system.cant even discribe it..alien! Ive learned to change sound quickly by giving roland a chance to catch up.Yamaha seem to be more smooth in its changes

 

[anotherscott]

just a head's up... zombie thread...

 

[Nile]

I'd look at the Crumar mojo 61

I'd look at the Crumar mojo 61

Do you use the Crumar Mojo? I'm needing to choose between the Mojo suitcase(for easy transportation) & the Viscount Legend .I've had a Hammond XK3c for 10 years. Only one set of drawbars on it & the Crumar Mojo. Happy to stick with that unless there is some big advantage in the 2 sets of drawbars or other features the Viscount Legend has, knowing which Leslie sim is better might help also...any info much appreciated..