Roland VK8M Organ Sound Module

9 harmonic bars for a range of authentic organ tones. 4 COSM amp types w/ overdrive.

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Roland VK8M Organ Sound Module reviews

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46 People rated this product : * * * * * * * * * * 9 out of 10

 

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* * * * * * * * * * 9 out of 10 zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.

"The Five Pound B3"

Feature:
This unit has full polyphony which I find rather cool, but since this is an organ, what are the chances you'd run out of notes anyway. There is 4 reverbs (Room, Hall, Church, and Spring) with a knob to decrease/increase how much reverb you want. 3 tonewheel sets (Vintage 1, 2, and Clean) which has adjustable Leakage. I find that rather cool how they emulated that so well. 4 different amp types with adjustable Tone and Overdrive levels. I don't see where the tone knob would come in handy but the overdrive is right on. I don't like alot of overdrive but a little sounds nice. Also has vibrato/chorus and percussion. D-beam controller is cool but I haven't been able to make much use out of it. 9 drawbars which are just like the original, 8 different positions. The feel of them is very realistic too. They are a little sitffer however, but still easy to use and the click noise when you move them has been instituted. The rotary speaker is awesome which I'll go into more detail below. All parameters can be edited, but is much easier if you have SoundDiver. An expression pedal can be used, there is a port in the back. One thing I was disappointed about was the fact that is doesn't have a rotary switch pedal input so you pretty much have to use the button unless your controller can transmit CC80. I forget what CC the rotary brake button uses but I was actually able to program my mod wheel to transmit that message. Both input and output ports are included. Input can be programmed to work with the expression pedal.

Quality:
Very solid and well built. Has some kind of wood finish for side panels, I guess to give it a B3 feel. All the buttons are easy to press and the drawbars work just like the originals. I mean you'd have to really try to break something on this thing. Now I'm not about to throw mine off a balcony just to see if it bounces or breaks but all in all, it doesn't look cheaply built. If I ever needed it for a gig or something like that, I would definately use this baby.

Value:
Bought new, it is somewhat pricey but for everything it does, I can see why. Definately worth every penny.

Desirability:
I've been wanting to get my hands on this thing for months. At first I was gonna get the VK-8 but decided to compromise and buy the module version.

Sound:
Everything about this instrument is outstanding and so real. You seriously cannot get any closer without having the real thing. I know there have been negative comments have been posted in past reviews but take it from someone who uses a C3 and a leslie 122 every week. You can't get any closer without having the real thing. That's not to say that the Hammond XK-3, Korg CX-3, or nord electro 2 aren't just as good, but if you don't have room or can't afford another keyboard, the VK-8M is the way to go. It weighs about 5 pounds, its not that big at all. Perfect setup for me. The rotary/leslie speaker is as real as can be. Has both slow/fast and brake buttons. The vibrato/chorus scanner was reproduced to the very best. The percussion sounded good to me. Everything about this instrument is so real, you can't go wrong with it.

Overall:
Definately would get this replaced if it ever broke or got lost/stolen. Although if I had enough money when that happened I may just get a VK-8 which is the keyboard versino of this model. The sound overal is 5 star all the way. As I've already stated you can't get any closer without having the real thing. Only disappointments are you can't hook up a footswitch to change leslie speed and for some odd reason they used CC80 instead of CC1 so if you can't change CC#'s on your controller, you're just out of luck. The leslie speed buttons were made a little stiff so sometimes I won't actually press it hard enough to switch the speed. But it was made the best it could be made and I'm happy with it.

Submitted: 4/15/2005

Style of Music: Gospel

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* * * * * * * * * * 9 out of 10

"It's a good thing."

Feature:
The features such as amp sim, drawbars, overdrive, and leakge sim are great! I thought the D-neam would be great...not so. I am sure on the keyboard version it might be nice, but the module is just too small to be sporting it. Everytime you go to make an adjustment you risk triggering the d-beam. Which can be really awful if you have it set to Tonewheel brake. Which is really the only effect I think I would ever use it for. I thought I would use it for rotary fast/slow, but I have the module to my left so the button is easier to get to than the d-beam. Which brings my to my other complaint. Why no footswitch jack for Leslie operation? It had to cross their minds. It's on the full keyboards. So I am now looking at midi footcontrollers.

Quality:
So far so good. Like an earlier user noted, the power cord is a bit rinky dink. I wonder why the could not have used a regular old three prong power cable like my computer and Triton hooks up with.

Value:
For everything that is loaded into this thing it is a good value. Especially when you consider the keyboard version is almost twice as much. You get all the control of the sound that comes with the vk-8 minus the keyboard, the other "orchestral" sounds (don't need 'em), and the blasted leslie fast/slow footswitch jack.

Sound:
Bought the module on the recommendation from a guy who has played organ since the 60's. He has an a-110. He now uses a vk-8, and says it is the closeest to the feel and sond of the real thing he has found. So I went with it. I am new to the tonewheel world, except for always being enthralled with the sound all my life. I had to learn how to do some of that my self. I was using the stock sounds in the Triton Studio, but this is much, much better!

Support:
Don't know - hope I don't have to find out.

Overall:
I believe I'll be very happy with it. It will,however, make me want a vk-8. I plan to add a midi footcontroller to handle the expression pedal and leslie fast/slow functions. That will complete set up for this me.

Submitted: 2/11/2006

Style of Music: rock, country, and modern worship stuff

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About This Product!
Description
Docs, Multimedia
The Roland VK-8M Organ Sound Module puts Roland's acclaimed Virtual ToneWheel organ sound in a convenient desktop unit with nine harmonic bars and retro-style wood panels. COSM Amplifier and Rotary Speaker Modeling further complement these authentic sounds, while an audio input and Active Expression feature let players fade in an external tone with a pedal. The VK-8M makes adding distinctive organ sounds to any setup easy.

Features:
Desktop organ module with acclaimed VK-8 Virtual ToneWheel sound

9 harmonic bars for a range of authentic organ tones

4 COSM amp types w/ overdrive, plus rotary speaker modeling and reverb

Line input for blending in an external sound using Active Expression and pedal

D Beam controller with multi-colored LED and templates for easy realtime control

36 User registrations for storing custom sounds

Attractive wooden side panels

Optional bracket for stand mounting

The Soul of the Popular VK-8
Since its introduction, Roland's VK-8 Combo Organ has made quite an impact with die-hard organ fans - praised for its natural and authentic sound. Now Roland makes these Virtual ToneWheel organ sounds available to any musician with the desktop VK-8M. With its new COSM Amp Modeling, nine harmonic bars and simple knob-based controls, the VK-8M delivers outstanding organ sounds with easy front-panel editing. Players can also dive into more detailed sound parameters like leakage level and rotary woofer speed.

Onboard COSM Amp Modeling
The VK-8M's amazing organ sounds are further improved with COSM Amp Modeling. Four different amp types are available for creating everything from clean gospel organs to the gritty overdriven sounds of a rock organ. The newly developed COSM Amp Type IV stands out in particular for its killer gain and crunchy distortion effect. The VK-8M takes organ modeling to a whole new level of realism, with intuitive editing of every parameter.

Unique Active Expression Feature
Performers will appreciate the VK-8M's Line input and Active Expression feature. Using an optional EV-7 Expression Pedal, players can gradually fade in a sound from an external source, such as a synthesizer or MIDI module. By slowly fading in a pad sound, for example, players can bring out a section of a song, or create energy by fading in a sharper tone like brass. These features open up an entirely new level of expression.

An Exceptional Performer
With its D Beam Controller, the VK-8M offers performers a world of expression. Using an infrared beam of light with an LED that changes color as your hand changes distance, players can control such functions as rotary speed (Slow/Fast) or tone wheel motor stops. And with 36 memory locations, you can store custom settings with a simple one-touch procedure and recall your sounds using the Bank Select and six Registration buttons.

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  • Roland VK8M Interactive Demo

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