Bad Gear - Roland Aira VT-3 Voice Transformer - Ugliest Hardware Autotune???
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- Опубліковано 25 лип 2024
- In this episode of Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools, we are going to talk about the Roland Aira VT-3 Voice Transformer. Is this halloween-colored vocal processor the ugliest hardware Autotune?
I want a full version of the Shakespeare beat.
Working on it!
AudioPilz yes please!
@@AudioPilz Bard Gear?
@@AudioPilz stil waitin..
This series could be just about the Roland Aira product line.
I'm only two in. Which one would you suggest?
The USB drivers are some of the worst I've ever experienced. This applies to most of the current Roland product line. Thank god they're finally adding standard class-compliant USB mode for some of their line. Now only if they fixed the TR-08...
AudioPilz TR8 or 8s (yep, I went there)
@Murada Well, I own an MX1 and love it. So different from any other mixers. But I have to accept it gave me very "wtf I'm I doing with this shit" moments in the years I've own it, so I can understand people not liking it. But it's still a very complex and flexible machine.
@Murada I hate the sp-404A.. I mean, they changed some colors and what else? the sx rocked.. and all the other sp's are classics.
YOOOOO. Literally every tune you did this video was sick as hell! Amazing stuff as always
Thank you so much!
The beatboxing came out really sick. I'd use the beat.
Oh my. Even with the gear you clearly have no love for, you do wonders!
That beatboxing clip was both hilarious and awesome, great job!
Thanks!
Just said for one who’s saying it’s bad. He got a lot of “bad gear” that looks like he’s enjoying using. Call it bad gear so no one uses it and you have it all to yoself smart
Damn, that last song sounded like "Themes from William Blake's 'The Marriage of Heaven & Hell'" era Ulver (circa 1998-2000).
Didn't know that, thanks for posting!
Dont even know what that is but it sounds like what u said
I've been binge watching your videos today and I haven't laughed so much in years. Well done and thank you so much.
Thanks for watching!!!
I would love to see you do some bad software as well. Maybe something like Dance Ejay etc. from the 90s. That's how I started making "music". Great videos!
Thanks! Software is great but doesn't look so good on video ;)
Dont forget HipHop eJay. I made heaps of tracks with that. So bad...but sooo fuckin good.
@@anthonybrett Yes HipHop Ejay was fun. I also had Rave Ejay with some expansions and Techno Ejay as well. Oh, those were the days.
@@juhoturunen lol me too, I still have them all! I actually ripped many and still use a few, they sound quite retros these days. I put them onto my iPad and imported them into LaunchPad.
Remember the expansions came on those half size cd roms? (like drivers for Chinese usb and firewire oem pcie cards lol) terrible! haha.
Cheers
@Project Sirius you guys are just too young for me :) I started on “DanceMachine” on my AMD K5 computer as I couldn’t afford the new Intel Pentium 1 haha ... DanceMachine was the original software that later got renamed to DanceEjay after RaveEjay was popular (and “Ejay” was a new and trademarkable word) ... I loved DanceMachine / DanceEjay ... even on my 8bit Mono soundcard it sounded great!! Hahaha 16bit Stereo SoundBlaster Card was a dream back then!!! .... I wonder if that eJay company is still around???
Love these videos, always look forward to them and killed it with the editing as always !
Thank you so much!
'The VT3 looks like something you would have in your studio although you can't remember you ever bought it"
That's probably the most common thing said by anyone who produces music. And most of those things are bought when you are drunk 🤣🤣🤣
thehustle.co/drunk-shopping-survey
I have a few of those items.
some of us are stone cold sober, and that statement still counts. my gear is a list of 'wtf' moments ;-)
@@AudioPilz I can't bring myself to click that link.
I literally have a VT-3 sitting next to my pedals that I have no recollection of purchasing.
I actually enjoyed some of the sounds you coaxed out of it near the end there, processing the synth. That's... impressive work.
Thank you!
"empty as a Eurorack user's pockets" HA! That's why I haven't gone down the dark (modular) path.
The hard drugs of audio gear
thats why the lights in your house arent dark either
@@AudioPilz 😂 Oh, but for real. What does that make guitar pedals?
@@chiefbucknell Pills that the doc says 'if you use them properly they arent addictive"?
@@chiefbucknell guitar pedals are for functional addicts, modular is for when youve given up lol
Dude you're fucking amazing. I love the creativity you have and the effort you put into your videos, and the music you produce throughout the series has been so great. I really appreciate it man, keep doing what you're doing because you are really great at it. Much love man, I wish you much more success
That one jam you did (the one you described with soundtrack-something) was SOOOOOOOO SICK ! I would really love a full version !
Happy to hear that. Will work on it!
@@AudioPilz Oh really ! Amazing !
you know it's friday when a bad gear drops,that thing looks right out of hell ngl if it was cheaper i'd seriously consider getting one
Thanks for watching! The VT-3 is a mixed bag...
Preventing the drunk ebaying I guess
Finally, happy to see a component of my gear set here :)
This is an obtuse device for sure, BUT after working on a proper setup and routing, this tool can be used for nefarious, glitchy and brain melting purposes. Which does not include vocal usage.
Some tips: 1) The lesson that i learned using a few bad gears, never use it for its initial purpose, on this case you can discard the mic and the singing, this is an instrumental effect filter now.
2) for optimal effect level control, you should divide the stereo output on 2 individual channels on your mixer. By doing this you will keep the original sound source clean and punchy, while you can control the effect on the other channel, more precisely than the native dry/wet and without messing too much with your track. now you can even use it as a background instrument.
3) The most useful effects on the bunch for me: auto pitch 2(nice random notes for ambient like instruments), megaphone (great distortion for acid lines), lead and scatter. the others can be used as well, but some of them are way too abrasive or straight up ugly.
4)This peak display is supposed to clip if you want the effect to properly process the sound source, but it must clip only when the louder sound plays (like the kick for example) if it is blinking you're alright, but if the light stays flat on, you will be getting some distortion from your sound source.
After all that i still hate it hahahah and the release of vt4 was a big fuck you for the vt3 owners...but at least it is a funny device if you are into demented sound design with some randomic flavour.
ps: the scatter at the end of the intro is extremely recognizable lol i laughed hard when i heard that ripping fart.
Roland must be extremely proud of the scatter FX ;)
@@AudioPilz LOL 'let's make a scatter effect without parameter control, it's neither a delay nor repeater, it will scatter all over the place aimlessly and people will love it.'
This is a top ten episode for me! How good was the look on his face after his beat box session.... 4:15 (Pure Gold) 😶 Thank you! You delivered yet again!
Thanks! My lungs were full of brittle microphone foam at that point of time. Doesn't add to the experience ;)
How do you only have only 22k subs??? This is the best channel on YT.
Thanks! Working on it!
120 already 👌
I love fridays of Bad gear. After a sucky week a sucky hardware critic is what a need. Keep the good work 👏🏻👏🏻
Thanks!
That stutter is perfect for beat boxing. Great demo as usual!
Thanks! Hard to control, tho...
I always love to see the notification of another pilz video. Love it
Thanks, happy to hear that!
Love how proud you are of how cheap you found the gear in almost every episode :D
Always buy low ;)
Best way to start the weekend!
Thanks for watching!
My man refuses to take a break, I can't go 2 days without a bangin new video, thanks for the content ❤
Thanks for watching (but there was no Wednesday episode this week;)
@@AudioPilz good on ya, relax for a second aha, and quality never stagnates, just props all around, love your work
Awesome video! That last song was a-ma-zing! Just add a crazy keytar solo and you're done! When are you releasing the complete versions of your songs man?
Thanks! Should be ready in 2021!
I've got a Roland DJ 808 and its got a stripped down TR-S and VT built right into it. after having it for about a year I have to say that its defiantly more useful in a live performance over a studio production and even then there are far better potions I have at my disposal. I recently bought a Roland System-8 plug out synth and using the Vocoder on that is very nice for bought live or studio settings. Big plus that it plugs right into the DJ 808 through the Aira USB protocol. Works great with the System-8 step sequencer and the built in TR-S on the controller.
DJ808 looks MASSIVE!
Your channel is so damn solid. New videos always make my day.
Thanks!
"It's controls are reduced to a bare minimum".
Well, it's target market is vocalists so keeping it simple is essential...
There are quite complex ones on the market, too...
@@AudioPilz yeah, but those are for the engineer ;)
@@AudioPilz for example?
well arca uses it, so it has to do something right, right? haha
@@AudioPilz It's surprises me that none of the singers I've been in bands with has their own effects (or even their own microphone). It would be great if more of them considered it as part of their "sound", like Ogre from Skinny Puppy who used a Lexicon delay on a stand and actually interacted with its controls on stage.
Cant believe I missed this one when it came out TYSM! I found that when I use the pitch slider I can still hear the dry output slightly in the back even when the wet slider was all the way up. I didn’t know about the low cut filter though, good lookin out :) more AIRA gear soon??
I had that dry/wet issue too!
Great job as always!!
Thank you so much!
I had to think of you on Monday and I'm glad you're back and okay. you haven't lost your sense of humor either. I think that's the way to go these days.
I must say that vt 3 does not sound bad ..for 110 € I would take it also even after I've seen this video.
Thanks for caring. If we stop doing what we love, we lose...
I was never particularly interested in this unit until this video! Thanks mate!
Thanks for watching!
This is at the pinnacle for my intense ire towards green displays of the woeland aira series. But as per usual you got something creative from it
Thank you!
Unbeknownst to me, the effect I’ve most chased recently is available on lots of Roland gear, apparently - scatter. I’ve used UltraTap on H9, stutter on Ottobit, dynamic delay on a TC Electronic Flashback, Tunnel on Hologram Electronics Microcosm, and maybe other means, too! Is it trendy or gimmicky? I may be a sucker for that stuff, sometimes. “Granular Delay Grandpa,” they may one day call me: “If only I’d got some AIRA-era Roland gear or a nice Particle 2, maybe then I would’ve been satisfied - a life of ‘what if’s, my children.”
I really like the sound of the scatter FX but it is SO HARD to control
that beatbox beat is greatness
Thanks!
my "studio" consists of a minilab and a used bass guitar. But these videos are so awesome they really make my day, even tho I don't know anything about synths
Thanks! Minilab is so cute!
Great selection for bad gear. Thumbs up, man! Nice vid and you are absolutely right. Bought it - sold it. No use for it but a little bit of fun.
But I'll give it a new chance: just ordered the newer VT-4 which seems more useable for me cause of its Midi implementations and the musically autotune fx. For about 200,- you get an autotune, reverb... and vocoder fx. That's a good deal in my opinion. By the way: the next Roland intrument generation (like VT4/ TR8S...) seem to be better gear than the older AIRA series: not that ugly, including more sound potential and has more useability.
It would be interesting to hear your opinion about the 25 year old analog monosynth "Waldorf Pulse" in comparison to modern analog monosynths.
Thanks! Pulse sounds interesting, I'll take a look
Half the reason I watch these are for the crazy a$$ jams midway through that are always a pleasant bass thumping surprise. Well done as always!
Thanks!
I liked live performance with the delay pedal that was pretty cool. I can see how some people could find a use for it.
Thank you so much!
Once on a work video call, I used Soundflower and GarageBand on a Mac to route my mic through vocal fx like pitch down or robot voice, and it got quite the memorable reaction from my coworkers. 😈
Oh, Keith is possessed again...
I love your channel. Thank you for your content.
Thanks for watching!
i remember playing with one of these back in high school. there was this national tour called "high school nation" that picked a select number of high schools every year to bring a set of concerts in addition to several stations where you could mess with guitars and other audio gear. the ones i vividly remember messing with were the vt-3 and the novation bassstation 2. i thought the vt-3 sounded alright but even back then when i relatively didn't know jack shit about synths/fx i still found it too limited and wonky in its sound to make it worth more than a couple of minutes of goofing around. still a fond memory to look back on, tho!
Novation BS2 is really nice as a starting point ;)
i just got one of these last week. i love it.for so many things.
Nice!!!
"I have to return some video tapes" haha!
Good video as always!
Thanks! I have a table at the Dorsia...
@@AudioPilz I dont even want to see your business card ..
Excellent as always! Not sure there was much saving it beyond the good you did extract. This is the dark side of Roland development that kills a lot of their products, unfortunately - lots of intention but no follow-thru.
Thanks! Yeah, that one was difficult
I have always been on the lookout for one of these for sub-£100 as they seem to be a lot of fun.
Sub 100 Sterling is not that easy (but I would consider it possible;)
There's on my local gumtree for £100 - been there for weeks so probably negotiable and it's small enough to post.
@@AudioPilz Just picked one up for €95.
I have one. It's ok for what it is. I let my bandmate try it and he then wanted to use the scatter on his vocals all of the time. I eventually had to take it away and hide it for awhile. Scatter get's cliche very fast, but it works amazingly ]well in the right live setting where there is a rhythm going. If it can't hear the beat though, the scatter is very miss.
I agree, difficult to handle
I have thought about getting the VT-4 and this video is the gateway to saying yes! 🥊🎯🎉
❤️
I know you said it'd be awesome to see Reggie Watts play with it, and I def agree, but kinda related, the beatboxer SO-SO uses the VT4 quite a bit in the GBB 2019
Good to know!
The great thing about the Roland Aira line is that like poisonous frogs they warn you with their nightmare inducing color scheme
A wise move from Roland
Danke, der Song zum Ende hat mich überzeugt, das Teil zu kaufen.
Danke, das nehm ich als Kompliment ;)
well done, as usual! I could listen to a full track of the Sonnet 106!
I'm most likely going to downsize my life quite a bit soon, and am thinking about getting a MPC of some variety to pretty much replace most of my music toys and would very much appreciate recommendations ! I'll most likely keep one of the guitars and get rid of the midi clavs.. I do most of my music tinkering in FruityLoops ;)
Thank you! :D
Thank you so much!!!
Ha ha ha, loved the intro with the auto tune, 🤣😂🤣 massive views, you deserve it man 👍
Thanks! Let's hope for the best ;)
I love my VT-3. My kids are having so much fun with it! 😎😁
Would you say it's for kids? ;)
@@AudioPilz Not really, but it is a cool gadget to raise their interest in Daddy‘s nerdy and uncool hobby 😝
What an episode !
Thanks XD
Thanks!
Great video, would you ever consider doing the Korg Poly 800?
Thanks! Yeah, but it has become REALLY expensive around here
That bassy evil didgeridoo thing you did in your little jam in the middle of the video was absolutely amazing. As usual, superb video! That said, are all these green bordered roland pieces of gear hated? They look matrix-y but besides that I still don't totally get the hate.
Thanks! The looks were certainly part of what incited the hate but also some of the design decisions (touchpad,...) were not appreciated
The clues are all there, right on the bookshelf...
When in the chronicles of wasted time...
I had one Ensoniq TS10 and really loved it. But everyone I talked hated it. Also, who remembers the EMU Sound Card that was possible to use the drivers with the SB Live? I don't remember the name...
Thanks for the input. (had an EMU 1212M, btw...)
150-200 "money" made me laugh out loud
You know, it's all the same now😅
You bring up a very good point: I would love to see Reggie Watts give this thing a spin.
That would brighten up multiple days ;)
Friday gets better with new episode of bad gear ^^ I would totally borrow that vt3 from a friend to never return it mmm would be fun to troll on meeting indeed, and I see potential in doing some FX sounds or stuff hmm. To bad its a bad gear, and little too pricey to just get it for 'fun'. Any alternatives? :)
Thanks for great video as always :)
Thanks for watching!
0:50 Brad/Carol on the Snow Plow Show use the VT-4 regularly :)
Good to know, thanks!!!
spot on, i got the vt 4 its not bad but its no big deal ether sounds good but its freaking hard making it sound great and as you said it hard to make it do what u know it can do, you almost always end up whit somthing eles that works but no what you wanted ..never used for a live gig there where it might shine since you not herieng every detail ..
Thanks! That one can be quite a challenge
After viewing this I find the VT3 a confusing proposition. It's not that ugly compared to it's much uglier brother - that touchscreen 303 thing beside it.
And with this you can fart a birdsong or turn Quasimoto into Chuck D. Which is quite some power for a hundred bits of money.
Cool video as always dude!
Thanks!
Well again you saved me money... Thanks a lot!
So while the gold chain issue is solved, where is RAD GEAR?
I propose the model d... With the Moogerfooger, rad as the kids from the 80's
Always a pleasure. Working on it!
Yeah man great jams
Thanks!
What you lack in beatboxing skills you make up for with that awesome voice
😌⭐🌠☀️
Thank you so much!
You should make a "Top bad gear intros"... (I kinda loved this one tho)
Bad Gear awards coming up!
Deine Videos sind klasse
Danke!
Using a direct box with the ground lifted got rid of the noise issues I was running into when using the audio outs from the VT-3 into my daw. I was having a hard time with noise when powering from my computer’s usb (necessary for midi control). It was driving me crazy for a while. The VT-4 has dedicated midi connections to avoid this problem but I found the VT-4 more glitchy and unpredictable when using the formant shift with the pitch controlled by midi compared to the VT-3. If anyone is aware of a HARDWARE unit that does formant shifting with midi controlled vocal pitch correction, please reply!
Really thinking about getting one for weird robot voices. Was fiddling with the Microfreaks vocoder but then sold that because i have no use for a keyboard instrument.
Sounded pretty sick! To bad it didn't integrate into a studio setup better. Would be nice to have.
Unfortunately, I cannot fully recommend it
Need to hear the song... fricking awesome 👌
Thanks! I would have to finish it first;)
nice one - VT-3 is OK but the legendary and formerly rare VT-1 has been an endless romp thorough fun and weird vocal experiments, and good for some prank calls to friends too :-P
I got my VT-1 back in 2008 from a radio DJ in Arizona that sold it on Craigslist - he had some fun stories about it - as you can see Christian Bale enjoyed it :-)
VT-1 is legend!
Yet the VT-2 failed to impress. Had a chance to pick one up shortly after getting the 3 but it seemed to do less and for more money...
My guy...killin it
Thanks!
at first I thought it was the VP three, to which I was going to pose the question what is the difference between the Roland VP 3 and VP330 (you clarified at the end). Which by the way, did sound bad-ass. also, the parameters sound like playing with the E-speak speech synthesizer.
It certainly has its uses but the quality of the algos varies strongly
Sorry, was referring to the VP330 sounding bad-ass. This, as you said, has its uses; at least when those uses are useful. Haha. And now I have to put on some Apollo 440, can't stop the rock. ;)
I bought one for £120 delivered about a month ago. However, I bought it to complete my original release Aira lineup. Yup, System-1, TB-3, TR-8 and now the VT-3. While I love the 3 other bits of gear I didnt expect much from the VT-3. I have mostly used it to get some weird sounds out of things.
Yes, I'm a Roland fan boy... I got gifted a JX3P as a kid in the early 90s and it made a lasting impact on me. Wish I still had that synth.
JX3P is not the worst starting point ;)
Did you get the Aira MX-1 mixer, and the System-8 to complete your Aira lineup too? Those could be cool too!
@Matt-zp1jn I ended up with 2 TB3s and 2 MX1s. I like the MX1, but wanted more inputs so bought another one. Also, 2 TB3s tuned slightly differently while playing the same sequence is quite effective.
I haven't bought a System 8 yet. But as I've bought my 2 big synths on my list, Arturia MatrixBrute and a mint Roland JX3P, the System 8 is next. I just need to find one secondhand as I won't pay for a new one.
Love the beatboxing, weird but entertaining!
If this bit of green and black gadget is ugly, its a slippery slope regarding the rest of the Roland range!
Thanks!
Your beatboxing has an Austrian accent, and I love that.
Lol, you can get the boy out of Austria...
Thank you for this! Have to talk to my guys...!
Greetings
Ikutarō Kakehashi
A voice from the grave😱
@@AudioPilz woked up and turn arround at 4:05 ;)
I used to have one of these! Worst decision since knocking up that exotic dancer...
I rewatched this video at half speed. There was a spooky frame or two 😳
Only one or two? ;)
I once had the successor of this unit and sent it back ASAP. It's really worthy to be on the show xD
Yup, not exactly Roland's finest product
I own one and I never was shocked on the mic. Mine works great and I love it.
The electric shocks were weird
@@AudioPilz maybe you have a ground wire issue
Makes me want a good version of this
I thought the exact same thing!
that beatbox is ready for bjorks medulla album
I'll take this as a compliment 😉
Thanks for sharing. Btw. do you belieeeeeve in life after love?
Thanks for watching! Did you get the Cher intro easter egg?
Great vid as always! I keep meaning to ask, how long did it take you to get that large book collection back there? Looks like a lot of big brain books back there :P
Thanks! TBH, I'm the functional illiterate in my family, they all take books much more serious than I do
Can you do a good gear series? I'd love to see you review elektron gear !
Rad Gear is already in planning!
@@AudioPilz Awesome! Glad to hear i wish you good luck with all the gear!
I'm currently looking at either a VT4 or a TC Helicon Perform-VE
I really like the Helicon range!
This guy is cool. Best video's on YT.
Thank you so much!!!
BRUH that last jam with singing was WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO level of mad goood
I really loved that Shakespeare jam
Thank you so much!
This video has it all! It's a demo, a review, a history lesson, and it even had some modest tutorial elements. Hold on to this thing! Right now people are nostalgic for 80's and 90's cheese. In 10-20 years pop culture will start craving 2000's cheese. Right around the time plugins emulating the "classic sound" of the VT-3 start getting popular is when you sell this thing for a nice profit!
Thanks! Yes, I consider it an investment!
Could it be that compared to the VT-1 it is much more confusing but at the same time it doesn't offer excessively more features? I have seen it with organs and keyboards that I like the small ones for their simplicity and the big ones for their features but the middle-sized ones are a bad mix of much more complicated operation but not so much more features.
Yeah, it's a mixed bag...
That Shakespeare part was kinda fire tho, ngl
Thanks!
your demo would be the only reason I would even consider buying this now . tell Roland I said what I said .
Thank you!
I’ve got one and just use it as a vocal pre amp. It works really well if it’s bypassed.
I agree, not bad
I knew this day will come, my beloved VT-3...
It had to happen...;)
I don't have this but I have a 20 yr old TC Helicon VoicePrism that I use all the time and produces some interesting results.
Those Helicons are a lot of fun!