How to Create “Virtual Whammy” Guitar Patch:
EQUIPMENT:
1) Ibanez IMG2010: You MUST have an Ibanez IMG2010 guitar, since that is the only guitar ever built with a “Virtual” whammy bar.
2) SBC+ or a Roland US-2 used with a Roland BC-13
3) Roland GM-70: The only Guitar-to-MIDI converter that supports center mode.
4) Roland VG-88: To respond to both MIDI commands from the GM-70, and synth guitar signals from the SBC+ or BC-13.
Programming the GM-70 and VG-88:
1) Program GM-70 for sending Pitch Bend information (CV#3)
2) Program VG-88 to receive Pitch Bend information
ON GM-70:
Press Control Assign
Use Function Key to select CV3
Use Value Key to select Gen-3 (MIDI Controller #18). From the value of OFF, press the Value Up key 12 times, or use the key pad and press 1 8 ENTER.
Use Function Key to select the second field for CV3. The choices are Absolute or Center. Choose Center.
ON VG-88:
You can use either a patch with PT Shift (pitch shift) or PD Shift (pedal pitch shift). PT Shift enables each string to have a different amount of pitch shift, and can blend the pitch shifted tone with the original string. With PD Shift, all strings have the same pitch shift.
Choose Preset 54-4, “PEDAL +12.”
Press PEDAL/ASSIGN
PAGE RIGHT to PAGE 2.
Press F2 (Assign 1). Assign 1 block should highlight, and “ON” should appear.
Press F5 (Edit).
Using the Value Wheel, select PD SHIFT PITCH, for the Target.
Press F3 (Source).
Using the Value Wheel, select MIDI #CC18.
Typically, the target values (F4 MIN and F5 MAX) will be -24 and +24. Play some strings and move the whammy bar, and you should hear some extreme pitch bending. Release the whammy bar. If you listen closely, you will hear that the VG-88 guitar is now slightly out of tune with the guitar. This is because the “center” control of the VG-88 does not exactly match the center position of the GM-70. There is an easy way to fix this:
PAGE RIGHT to PAGE 2 ACTIVE RANGE (Assign 1, Page 2).
Press F1 (LO SET), and change the value from “0” to “2.” The high setting should be “127.” Now move the whammy up and down, and the guitar will settle exactly in tune when you let go of the whammy bar.
