Roland VT-4 Hidden settings
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- Опубликовано: 14 авг 2020
- ERROR! Sorry I misread "Formant" as "Format". I had never heard of Formant before. Now I know.
Additional notes: Some have pointed out that there are more settings available if you plug the device into the computer and download some third-party stuff. Sorry, but I can not help with this.
Anyways. I am happy that some have found this useful.
Please click this link to see it in action.
• Joe-Lou: Dust Cartridges 
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Formant is the harmonics which don't change as the pitch changes. So like with a guitar, the sound of a pick hitting against a string is the formant, the note that results afterward is the pitch :)
This is not what formant refers to. Formants are the frequencies at which your vocal tract has strong resonant peaks. They are determined by the physical dimensions of your throat, mouth, nasal passages and sinuses (standing waves and Helmholtz resonances). The formant frequencies change with the shape of your mouth, position of your tongue, pinching your nose shut, etc., but they are independent from the pitch of your voice which is established by the frequency of vibration of your vocal cords. The harmonic content of the vocal cord excitation sound, along with the resonances, together create the overall timbre of your voice. While the frequency relationships of the various formants is complex, generally speaking, smaller head = higher frequency formants and larger vocal cords = lower pitched voice. This is why it's usually necessary to raise or lower both to change perceived age or gender of the voice.
@@emilybendsspace exactly. Formant - "each of several prominent bands of frequency that determine the phonetic quality of a vowel"
anyone who reads the manuals. you have my respect
Thx
When I look at different products to try to figure out which I will get, I do download the manuals and read through them to make sure I'm getting what fits me best :P
Reading the Alesis SR16 manual online made me immediately buy it. You can find useful information in manuals, sometimes. Can also be funny.
Just bought this unit yesterday, my first foray into vocal processors and am really enjoying it.
BUT so happy I ran across your video, this is GOLD for really unlocking it's potential.
Thanks!
almost all the other videos featuring the VT-4 are "suboptimal". yours is a welcome exception. and you are not even one of those super-pros, doing it for money :-) THANK YOU Joe-Lou
Nothing but love for this video! From the Info all the way through to the closing statement.
- a retail worker (and bedroom musician)
I know I've watched this vid in the past, but I'm thankful I came back now and watched the whole thing through. Missed some key infothe first time! Thanks
Love the honesty in the review with maintaining levels across effects. That was a good insight I didn’t hear in other videos.
Thanks Joe-Lou. I found your video one of the clearest on this device. Well presented and gave me a clear idea of the features of this. I'm still going to purchase it.
Super useful video. I'm one of those who didn't read the manual, so thanks!
Just grabbed one of these. Looks really fun. Can’t wait to come back to this video when it arrives
Great video! Thanks! I had VT20, amazing machine, unbreakable and bullet-proof and I just sold it, as I want more hand-on control, which this seem to offer. Next year I would look for something like this.
Dude, I have this box forva while but I had no idea, thanks for the explanation!
Yoooooo thank you for this, was missing out on so many options with this thing.
You really need to shove your layering effects software update idea in Roland's face to improve the hell out of it. Couldn't find anywhere saying that they updated the software for that but that would instantly improve the product, it's kind of what you'd expect from a processor like this.
(I just bought one and your video is one of the most useful and interesting ones about it, thanks man)
Thanks for watching. unfortunately after looking at the block diagram I don't think it will be possible to implement the types of changes I'd like to see. its hardware is limited in the way its wired. :/
This was extremely helpful. Thanks brother!
Thank you for this videos. Very helpful!
Thanks for this video. It was really helpful.
Wow Thank You for the Deeper Dive . Very Very Helpful 🙏🏽🖖🏽🙏🏽
Thanks for posting this much appreciated
Great video. This is typical of Roland though in functionality. They have been like this in their designed since the 80s. Not thought out very well.
Try a Zoom recorder manual. It's hysterical! Maybe from translation.
Thank you for this!
Thanks man.
It does help!
Im wondering can it be activated by a midi foot switch to turn on and off effects during a live performance?
Bro do you know which tc helicon has the strongest pitch correction ??? I absolutely love the “electric pitch setting” but I found out about it through a Roland keyboard which had it..... I have a boss ve 500 too but idk if tc has a better over dramatic pitch corrector....
Nah sorry I'm not sure. I don't have a lot of experience with these types of units. I just really enjoyed the Helicon Perform V. I think its a better unit all around over thus RollandVT4. But the VT4 does some weirdo stuff that I enjoy.
Great review
Very helpful - thank you.
Can i use it to bandlab software? And get the effects right away live?
Thank you for the video. What could I do if I run my mpc or a keyboard through it, can I modify the sound in any way? Something lik an sp would do? I k ow that won't have the same effects and result, but it's that something that would be nice?
To get some lo-fi sound?
Thanks a lot for this video!
It looks like we must choose a key but can we use auto pitch chromaticly?
Gracias // Tks 4 ur Video, a very Good Info !!!
I’m getting a loud hiss from my unit. I’ve tried a condenser mic and a dynamic mic. Loud hiss all the time. If I lower the gain, I can’t hear anything.
Very helpful! Thank you
Very interesting coverage, many thanks! A question, are you aware there is any compression included in the device (without having to use the robot voice)?
Sorta. I would say the sound enhancer is probably as close as it gets to compression. It sounds nice and it fattens it up a tiny bit. But you don't have the controls of a real compressor. There's no sidechain or way to make it dramatic.
I always use this in conjunction with the compressor built into my other equipment
if u want good compression and clarity I'd go for one of the helicons
How does it compare with other vocal processor like zoom v6, tc helicon voiceliveplay boss ve 20 etc?? Thanks in advance
Of that list, ive only used the helicon. I would reccomend the helicon over this for most people.
Does anyone know if you can change the gain on your mic with this roland VT-4 if your mic does not have that feature. And does it come with any software? I would appreciate all answers.
Mic gain knob is to the right of the volume knob.
thanks super helpful!
So I just bought this unit, Is it a keeper or you suggest I send it back? Your review is 4 years old- Please give me your thoughts after using it for 4 years. Thanks PS. What will you recommend?
There is a Reverb Sound pack on the Aira site for the VT4! There is no info anywhere on how to install it and any talk of a sound editor on the forums has gone dark...I only have windows and wonder if it is possible to easily install the new reverb sound pack, can you make a video about this? nothing on the subject is yet to be on RUclips. thanks
aira.roland.com/soundlibrary/reverb-pack-1/
aira.roland.com/soundlibrary-cat/vt-4/
Or the zoom v3 good for my karaoke usa machine ?
Has a one tried doing the updates and are they worth bothering with?
Thanks for this demo. Very helpful. Does it ONLY have a battery powered option? Could it be BUS powered through the USB? Seems like a weird thing to not include an A/C option ... ?? Also, would you consider making a video about the HARMONY features? That's the key piece I'm comparing to the TC Helicon Perform-VK. Thanks tons!!
Yes I use USB power for it.
Prob won't get around to making a video on the harmony, but I would say the Helicons have better sounding harmony but it's easier to change harmony key on the VT4.
The Effects on the VT4 get much more dramatic and out of tune than the Helicons. I think the VT4 is only better if your an experimental or electronic musician. If you want to stay in key and follow theory, I think the Helicons sound more professional and clean. But that's just my opinion and I've only used 1 helicon device.
@@joelou thanks so much. So difficult to tell when you can’t go to a store and try out all the ones you want… helicon, zoom v3, or vt-4. I just want good solid eq, tone, compression, reverb, maybe delay, and maybe some harmonies sometimes. The vt-4 and zoom v3 both seem gimmicky or as you said, more electronic or experimental genres. I’ve been looking at the perform-v by helicon vs their perform-vk. Thanks for your feedback. Good to know I wouldn’t be stuck with just batteries. 👍🏻
Let's say you want to stream with this roland VT-4. Do you always hear yourself through it or can you choose to only hear your self when you have a effect or reverb for example. And then when you dont have a effect you wont hear yourself or how does it work. Im sorry for so many questions but your video inspired my to maby buy one.
Both outputs are wet (with effect)
I know you are probably using the same VT but are you Thursday Boy? It's your cadence that made me think that. He is my fave. You're cool too tho.
Thanks! By far the best video I've seen on YT to date showcasing the strengths and weaknesses of the VT-4. I decided to look into this piece of kit in the hopes that it might be the solution I need. I'm working on an animated short which contains 7 separate and distinct characters of differing ages, genders and ethnicities. 5 of whom are male, the remaining 2 being female. This is my first attempt at creating unique characters which not only interact with each other but also speak, each with his or her own unique voice or vocal characteristics to set them apart from each other. I've created past scene animations in which the character's ( if any ) dialogue would be presented through the use of subtitles or a narrator. For this project I'd like to voice the characters myself. This has proven to be more difficult than I had first imagined. I've had some mixed success using software programs like morphVOX Pro but that has me scratching my head more often than I'd like.
For example: I'll record some lines of dialogue using a high end RODE mic running through a Tascam DR-60D MKII which saves the track as a wav file. I then dump the file off the SD Card and onto my PC's master drive, a 1TB Western Digital Blue 3D NAND M.2 where I can edit the audio & video files natively. For the most part I use Adobe Audition for everything audio related. Unhappy with the results I was getting while using Adobe Audition to help me create the vocal characteristics needed for the older male character, not to mention the 2 female characters, ( turns out I sound more like Barry white than Taylor What's-Her-Name ) a friend suggested I try morphVOX Pro. It works but creates artifacts within the wav file that are just too time consuming to try and scrub out in post using Adobe Audition. If you or your viewers have any suggestions on what might work as a better solution or a way to avoid those weird noise artifacts I keep seeing while using morphVOX Pro, I would be very, very grateful. Thanks again for a great video:)
Hi man.. thanks for this vid... i saw your dj set... so cool... can i ask you what was the whole setup there?
I was wondering about buying a Pioneer Ddj 400 for starting... i would buy this Roland VT 4 and, whats your microphone? I would do the same thing you were doing... playing the console and speaking with a vocoder... fantastic... what microphones do you suggest for it? Thankssss
Hi, thanks for watching. When you refer to my "DJ set", do you mean when I play original music like in the linked video? Or when I spin vinyl? Just want to make sure I understand before I list gear.
I forgot the type of mic I'm using but I think it's a cheap SURE brand mic. I don't really think vocal mic quality matters much when you're using this many effects. As long as it's Dynamic and XLR.
I actually haven't used the vocoder yet. Don't have the Midi slots of it. My drum machines are not great about sending out lots of Midi, and the MIDI out I DO have goes into GrandVJ for visuals. I do use all the other effects on the VT-4.
Thanks again for watching.
@@joelou i meant in the vid linked man... it was soo cool... i would love to do what you do... what do you think about that pioneer ddj 400 as a newbie console to make practice? And please suggest me a microphone to use with this Roland... i think i wont need an extremely high quality since i would use it on dj set with vocoder... am i right? Thanks in advance man..
@@alessandromulas2713
Thanks again for the kind words. So the set linked on the video isn't actually one of my DJ sets. Its a performance as an electronic musician. The difference is that rather than playing pre-made tracks on turntables and blending like a DJ, I'm actually sequencing a drum machine in real time. Everything in that video was made from scratch on an Elektron Analog Rytm MK2. If you want to get into DJing, that would be a very diffrent path than what's shown in that video.
I think the DDJ400 looks like a great tool to get started as a laptop DJ, but I cannot speak from experience since I only DJ with vinyl.
If you want to get started as an electronic musician or a producer that uses hardware, I'd reccomend getting an all-in-one groovebox to start. Something like the Eleltribe 2 or MC101. Or any of the old grooveboxes or MPC's off ebay are fun.
Alternatively, if you don't mind working on a laptop, you can save a ton of money by going with a DAW and getting a performance controller like the Ableton launchpad.
I just checked, and the mic I'm using is a Samson M10. So its a cheap dynamic mic with XLR. I agree, you dont really need an expensive mic if your doing a lot of vocoding. The most popular vocoders out there like the microkorg, VP03 and JDxi all come with cheap gooseneck mics and still sound great.
Anyways, I hope that helps. Best of luck!
@@joelou thanks for your time man... im saving this text... thanks again.. you rock \m/
You can combine different levels of robot & megaphone by saving each as a different preset. And then layer both presets like a sandwhich. Done! :-)
Can you activate 2 presets at once?
@@joelou I doubt he owns the product
I think I'm ok with the downsides of this thing. I don't think the mix and match limitations are a deal breaker for me. You could always just record a sample and add some delay or reverb in your DAW, or send it through the VT4 again to mix and match your settings.
I mean technically you can do all this within the DAW. You really don't need anything if you're just a recording artist.
thank you
Very helpful. I just got the VT4 today and I'm having mixed feelings so far. I mainly want the harmony that can be generated by the Midi. But I haven't been able to get it to work properly. Would you consider doing a quick video specifically on the Midi function? Not all keyboards today have the classic midi in/out like they used to. And the USB B is just to connect to the DAW. I'm more interested in recording on my Tascam Model 12 with the harmony generated through the Midi. Hope I'm making sense. I'm not a Midi maven (yet!). All the best!
From what I understand, some of the MIDI features are only accessible through USB+ DAW such as the tempo. So I wouldn't b suprised if 5pin midi cannot effect harmony. Only note data for the vocoder.
It's a pain in the butt, but try to keep an eye on what key you are in and adjust the key knob accordingly. I think that and changing harmony type is all you can do, unfortunatly.
If that's what's your mostly using it for, I can understand being disappointed. I don't think harmony is its it's strong suite.
Is there an aux port in VT4 if I want to connect a mobile device as a music source? If there is none, what are my options?
@@deadleaves3293 Thanks!
Just be aware, it might be mono tho. Not sure
Hello. Is it possible to set different reverb types for the different memory slots 1-8.
Yes you can save reverb type and amount to all 8 presets but thiers only the 4 types of reverb to chose from.
@@joelou how can i do that? can u make a short video about that please..
@@mixx-mastersinternat.djservice make the sound you want, then press and hold the # pad you want to save the preset to. Keep holding the # untill the whole row of number flashes. Those settings are now saved onto that chosen pad.
I don't normally like artist's using something like this instead of having the vocal talent, for pro's. I myself am Far from PRO, I am just starting to try and learn how to sing while playing my guitar but I had throat surgery to correct a condition where a pocket developed in my throat and when they did the surgery some of my vocal cords were damaged so now I can't hit high notes like I used to and this corrects that issue without sounding like that Cher song that is clearly all vocal transformation. I'm getting used to the function's but the feedback was an issue and this helped me to minimize the noise and feedback without having to use head phones. Thanks for the video I'll be referencing it as I go along.
What vocal processor would you recommend?
Depends on what you want to do
Nice video, just for the difference between pitch and formant, those are terms widely used, and its kinda standard, so anyone shouild know what that means.
I’m a novice at this but how are we hearing you with the effects? Does VT4 have its own speaker or would I need to purchase a speaker?
No it does not have a speaker. Im using the headphone out into my camera.
@@joelou ahh so I would have to buy a speaker. Thanks for letting me know.
anyone know how to change the midi channel?!?!?
I own a boss-ve 20 should i just stick with that? is this product more gimmick than actual usage?
i brought one its not a gimmick, its great and is perfect along side the boss ve
The only thing missing from this device in my mind is a compressor. It would make this device OP. There’s even space for a setting. Holding Manual and pressing Robot doesn’t have any function that I’m aware of.
which one do you prefer, this one or TC Helicon?
Depends on what you want to do. The Helicon is much better for a traditional singer for a rock band.
The VT-4 is great for experimentation and electro.
No EQ and comp? That should seriously be the very main thing it does right up front.
Roland VT-3 hade "Radio" setting cool sound effect have VT-4 something like that ?
Ive never used a VT3, but i imagine one of the 4 "megaphone" settings on this might be close to what your looking for.
@@joelou thx... Now I order one VT-4 :)
for future readers of this comment, megaphone setting '2' is called 'Radio'
@@HoraceAndTheSpider THX!
thanks man
Can you change the tempo of the delay?
Only via usb midi. Not by 5pin midi. And There is no tap tempo or possible way to dial in the tempo on board. This is a HUGE flaw of the VT-4 i did not learn about until later.
Is there a port for a usb microphone
I dont think it supports USB mics. It has a combo TRS/XLR in on the back and a 3.5mm AUX in on the face. The USB on it is TYPE-A for power and Digital Audio Out.
So they came our with Reverb and a Equalizer pack for these. How do I use the Equalizer pack on the device? There's nothing on it in the manual or online.
Are you saying theirs a new firmware update?
@@joelou Yes? If you go into my gear on the roland aria site, they have a reverb pack and a equalizer pack you can download and then update via computer. The problem is that there is no information telling you how to use the EQ pack.
@@ojpimpson3343 Hello, did you find out how to use the Equalizer? would be so important to be able to use it for me.
@@sternenherz nope. I jjst did eq through another pedal.
Can you use this to sing karaoke from youtube using my PC that is connected to a mixer?
Yes, although I don't think it would be worth the price tag if you only plan to use it for Karaoke. If your already using a mixer hooked up to your PC as an audio interface, check to see if the mixer has built in reverb or maybe download a program to add reverb on the PC. That should be suffiecint.
@@joelou thanks bro for the info.. I use youtube for karaoke. My mixer has built in effect but there not good at all.. I spent $120 on my mixer and has 16 effects... Do you know the name of the program for me to download to my PC... Thanks for your help
@@carlostrada24 Hi sorry but I'm not sure which VST would be the best fit since I dont really use a DAW much. Ive heard Waveform has a good free version and is compatible with most free VST's.
Alternatively, if your audio interface is fast enough, Reaper is a great DAW but ive had latency issues with it.
@@joelou thanks for all the info.. God bless you
Hi can I hook that up to my karaoke USA machine? My machine only has Mike inputs and in the back it has RCA output
What do you mean by Mic input? Is it XLR?
@@joelou yes and also 1/4 input
@@djjoep100 OK cool. Yes, you can use the 1/4" TRS jack out from the VT4 into your karaoke machine.
Just make sure you set the output (on the VT4) to mono. It's a small switch on the front of the device.
Thanks
Can you control your delay precisely?
there is ony 4 settings of delay. if you use midi- you had adjust more fine with temp delay. Then you have a slider to control the dry/wt mix. But no you dont have nearly as much on board control as a typical delay pedal or HC helicon unit.
Any advice for the device just shutting off randomly? Happens live during my gigs 😩
Have you tried battery backup or swapping USB bricks?
There is a setting in the manual that lets you disable the ‘screensaver’. It has a timer, up to 20 mins, at which point if not touched it’ll go to sleep.
My pitch fader doesn’t do anything anymore. Any idea how to fix?
are you using it in conjunction with the Effect slider? If the effect slider is all the way down it will remove pitch functionality.
@@joelou yup the effects slider is all the way up. This is in manual mode. I may just have a defective unit. Everything works except the pitch fader.
HI FRIEND TC FOR TE VIDEO I ORDERED THIS A FEMALE VOCALIST I WAS HOPING I COULD ACTUALLY SING SOME SONGS AND REALLY SOUND LIKE A MAN NOT A MONSTER. CAN THIS REALLY DO THAT FOR ME? WITHOUT SOUNDING WEIRD.THANK YOU ANGELA
No, you will sound weird. Embrace the weird.
@@joelou thank you appreciate yr honesty i wish someone would say tat on these review because it says a man can sound like a woman and vise sera in many descriptions. xo
Formant is used in conjunction with pitch. It affects the tone of the pith you selected. Think of it like a nudging the pitch.
Pitch sounds ruther like Bit Crusher to reduce some bits and make sound ruff
Can I connect a xlr microphone to this
Yes. I use XLR. It has a combo XLR + 1/4 TR jack.
@@joelou thanks
Very helpful. Roland manuals are notoriously bad.
dope
Why won't this work through a studio mixer?
It should. You're running 1/8" cabels right?
If your peak light is lighting up and don’t know why? Change your batteries. You’re welcome
vt 3 can double effect？？？！
Thèm quá
couldn't you save a memory of robot then change the memory with the megaphone?
That's not how the patch memory works. The Robot and Megaphone share the same "effect" slider data. So yes you can have both of them on, at different modes (1-4) but not different amounts
@@joelou ah thanks for clarification!
anyone else having trouble using this as an audio interface? I have installed all necessary drivers and updates
VT4 Block Diagram shows that in box only one effect can be used at once, not really 100% sure how to interpret all in one effect box.
Yeah its kind of confusing. I think the pitch correct can always be used but it must share the same mix amount as the chosen effect.
When you turn the big auto-pitch nob it changes how strong the scaling/nap to note is. Subtle or Like more of auto tune sound. But it doesn't change the mix of wet/dry for that pitch. That's still tied to the "effects" slider.
So ultimatly you can't have a strong auto pitch mix and a weak megaphone effect. But you CAN have a strong megaphone effect and a weak auto pitch if you turn the pitch knob down. Hope that helps.
Its kind of messy.
@@joelou Ok, got one yesterday, understand, there is only one operational memory slot for active pitch effect. It's not saved and tied to effect and cannot be hooked or picked up lately by knob movement like on synth's. Its possibly can be fixed if Roland find place in memory to store operational value for effects. It will glide transition from one pitch effect to another inside of one settings preset.
Pitch fader and Formant are always as it is now on dev desk, not storable in 1,2,3,4... presets
"Read your manual!" *Does not come with manual* ... Looks up this video. Thx 😁
www.roland.com/global/support/by_product/vt-4/owners_manuals/
I like when you said music nerds lmao
does this work for xbox?
It's not designed for gaming. I think it is possible but would require several adapters.
adding a de-esser button would have been just too obvious
Hello, please help me turn it on. I've spend 6 hours... trying to turn it, I almost just want to throw it away at this point... I installed the drive, sometimes I get input, sometimes I don't, and I never get output....
I can't find one single video that explains how to turn the damn thing on
I've seen hundreds of videos showing all the effects and frankly that's more something I want to figure out on my own. I just need help setting it up, that's it
I have Logic Pro X, Mainstage, A Midi Controller Keyboard, An audio interface, a loopstation, an amp, headphone, Komplete 13, ... among other things, I don't know if that helps
@@cedricblanc7087 Sorry but I do not use a DAW. This device is primarily designed to be used outside of one.
I don't even think it sends audio over USB. that's more so just for control.
Have you tried hooking the 1/8" Jacks out to a speaker?
@@joelou Oh, so you can't use the built-in speakers from the laptop? I tried plugging it in my guitar tube amp with a 1/4 jack but it made a buzzing sound and I quickly turned it off. So I need to buy speakers to use it? Do I need special kinds of speakers? Thanks for helping man
It’s missing bpm for the tempo delay too. That’s definitely the biggest disappointment for me.
i think the midi uses clock data. so thats something, but yeah lack of bpm input or at least tempo tap is lame.
I have a question regarding the Roland VT-4. Does the Factory VT-4 has the Same capabilities of changing your voice doing a call like the one used on SpyCentre ruclips.net/video/DFsdDQRawOc/видео.html
I doubt that company flashed custom firmware on the VT4. Its most likely the exact same thing, they just made new pre-sets.
Settings that you can easily re-make.
Want..size..have...please
Want me to measure the unit for you?
*_"Format"_** setting... or **_"Formant"_** setting?!!*
Formant. It was a mistake.
The only way to provide external power is the usb hub?!
It can also run on batteries
@@joelou I don’t want to run it on batteries is my issue. I don’t really have usb slot for this. Plenty of power outlets though. Shame they didn’t just add an a/c power input.
I use a USB to AC adapter.
The N is not silent in formant lol
Woops, literally just learned that formant was a word today. haha
I suppose, if you had two of these, you could use the output from one, fed into the second, to control Reverb/Echo and Robot/Megaphone separately.
Yes! I have my 1st mic warm audio U47 connected to the BOSS VE500 and my 2nd mic BABY BOTTLE connected to the ROLAND VT4. I am having a wonderful time recording my Gospel recordings.
Also, no 9v in if your not near a USB power source and no balanced mic audio out = fail. I'm not impressed with this unit.
so it is not hidden but for people who didn't read the manual..
I don’t read manuals, I’ve just bought one of these. Can you do a complete video including everything for me. Please. I mean I’d be really grateful.
You keep saying format.
Yup, it was a mistake.
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