Another happy customer on VG forum!
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Hi everyone, first time poster, long time user. I thought I'd share my experience with the GM-800 and Zenology after getting one in late summer/fall of 2023. For context I play guitar and pedal steel guitar about 30 gigs a year in a cover band (Country, Pop, Rock) for the past 11 years. I've been using the GR-55 since about 2016 and have enjoyed it. When I heard about the GM-800 though I was excited... the GR-55 no doubt was due for some improvements (I'm used to Fractal Audio's Axe Fx pace of firmware improvements
).
GM-800 Pros:
- 4 Parts (plus rhythm part) is an awesome improvement.
- ZenCore Engine/Zenology Pro
- Improved sounds and tracking (less glitching, low velocity cut actually works)
- Latency feels either the same or better I think even for everything IMO
- Smaller unit dimensions/weight
- GM-800 effects have improved a lot from the GR-55
GM-800 Cons:
- Lack of guitar modelling like the GR-55 had
- Boss Tone Studio editor not as powerful for sound editing as Zenology Pro
- Boss Tone Studio is a memory hog compared to other far more powerful applications on the computer.
- Can't control part hold with momentary or latching Midi CC messages when GK-In is source
- Having to use Zenology to program arpeggiated sounds with the 16-step LFO sequencer attached to pitch envelope
Zenology Pro - I wish that the GM-800 had the same powerful editing capability that Zenology has. I would like to be able to edit the partials in each of the 4 parts just like we can in Zenology. I have quite enjoyed using Zenology over the past few months but it is an extra step to have to export your sound onto a memory stick and load it into the GM-800. I have been able to recreate all my favorites synth sounds so far with the Zenology and that makes me a happy customer. I tried the Ultimate package on Roland Cloud for a few months before dropping to the Pro package here this month and probably will buy a lifetime key for Zenology Pro at some point here in the next few months. For me Zenology has actually become a gateway drug into wanting to get an actual physical synthesizer now haha. I have always loved tweaking and creating/recreating sounds.
The GM-800 without Zenology is still a big improvement on the GR-55 for creating sounds. 4 parts instead of two really opens up a lot of doors and you can create some really fat stacked sounds. I wish the tone sculpting capabilities were comparable to Zenology, but there are a pile of tones in the box and room to add even more of your favorites. I've added 4/4 expansion packs your able to at this time, and more would be great too if they allow in future firmware updates. To my ears many of the tones sound wider, fuller, and more complex than the GR-55. I find the GM-800 sounds allow you dynamic control over the tone and volume that the GR-55 wouldn't do without risking glitching and squeeling so I was always turning the dynamics off in the GR-55. I'm still using the GK-13 pickup too.
In my opinion the GM-800 dynamics, tones, and latency have really improved on the sampled instrument tones like pianos, violin (especially - can pretty well pull off Callin' Baton Rouge even), harmonica, all orchestra/band instruments, accordians etc. The synth tones also sound and feel/respond amazing without noticeable latency. The lack of guitar modelling though has forced me to keep the GR-55 in my rig for the time being and get a US-20 GK-13 splitter so I can access the modelled acoustic and electric sounds along with alternate tunings I use for Open-G Dobro and Electric songs I play with a slide.
My signal path is Guitar (with a 1/4" cable and 13 pin [Best-Tronics BTPA] cable loomed together) - 1/4" into Axe-Fx III, and the GM-800 and GR-55 and Pedal Steel in the 3 FX Loops of the Axe Fx III. I use a Yamaha MD-BT01 Bluetooth wireless MIDI adaptor to let OnSong (charting/setlist app) on my Ipad change patches on the Axe-FX and then I use a scene midi block in the Axe-FX to send PC and CC messages to the GM-800 & GR-55. For those curious about the MIDI, I attach two HOSA female to female midi couplers to the Yamaha MD-BT01 and then attach midi cables to the couplers (this allows me to plug the MD-BTO1 into AxeFX Midi In and then run another cable from the MD-BTO1 midi out into the GM-800 or GR-55 midi out port for powering the bluetooth adapter). This setup keeps the AxeFx Midi out port free to run a cable into a Midi Solutions Quadra-Thru box which connects to the GM-800 & GR-55 Midi In ports. So when I change patches or scenes on the Axe-Fx (either manually or via bluetooth from On-Song) the GM/GR also immediately change. The other guitar player in my band has an identical setup and for a 5 piece band we can cover like almost any song
- Truly a great time to be a guitar player these days. The GM-800 with the Axe-FX reverbs, delays, and mod effects sounds amazing, but the GM-800's effects have also really improved and I actually use them now instead of just automatically setting up effects in the AxeFX like I did to improve the GR-55's sounds always."
lol
