The Roland VK-77
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| Joey Defrancesco behind the VK-77 |
January 28, 1999
Boy, I always sound better in the shower. But, that's the way I felt after playing the new VK-77.
Oh, I know, it's just another keyboard. If you've seen one keyboard, you've seen them all, right?
At the NAMM show, believe me, I saw a lot of keyboards in four days. In
fact, I was getting keyboard-itus. After viewing a mound of fake plastic keys surrounded by
black painted steel or more plastic, I thought I had enough. The last thing I wanted to see
was another keyboard. I had become jaded and frustrated. I have to be careful - I think I feel
myself breaking into another song.
Then, I stepped into one of the largest booths at the NAMM show, the Roland display. There, I
saw it. It looked like a VK-7, but it had two keyboards on it. An upper and lower set of ivories . .
. um . . . I mean plastics. If you didn't notice the fact that it was perched on a stand, it looked
an
awful lot like the beloved Hammond B3 organ including the wood cabinet. I stopped my
personal guide, Leanna Harshaw , in her tracks and exclaimed "What is That!". "Oh, that's the
new VK-77", she states calmly and begins to move on. "Stop the Tour! Show Me This Now",
comes my reply in excitement.
If you're a keyboard player and you're not familiar with the VK-7, get your tail out to the store
and try one. The VK-7 is the current king of synth based B3 emulators. I've been wanting one
since they came out a year or so ago. Now I don't want one anymore. The object of my desire has
turned to the VK-77. The VK-77 is a very nice improvement over the VK-7 although I believe
that Roland intends to keep selling the VK-7 as well.
OK, let's talk tech straight from the mouths of Roland's public relations department:
This full-featured, dual-manual version of the Roland VK-7 Combo Organ incorporates 77
orchestral voices, two "realistic touch" 61-key manuals, harmonic-bar operation, and Roland's
proprietary "Virtual Tone Wheel" modeling technology to deliver realistic, classic organ tones
and nuances in a compact, lightweight package.
Along with the extensive selection of onboard organ voices, a wide range of tonal variations can
be added, including Wheel Type (Vintage 1, Vintage 2, Solid, and Clean) and Wheel Table
(Mellow, Bright, and Low-Boost Mellow). Orchestral, Choir, Piano, Bass, Wind/Brass, and
Synth sounds further fatten the VK-77's range of customizable sounds.
Roland's COSM sound modeling technology helps duplicate a variety of rotary cabinet sounds
with stunning results, complete with adjustable rotary speed and selectable organ-type. Onboard
organ-style reverb and rich, smooth vibrato and chorus effects can be added at any time.
Additionally, a wide palette of overdrive sounds can be re-created via the COSM-powered Amp
Simulator, which offers seven distinct amplifier types.
Powerful performance features include 21 independent harmonic bars and a new
Bender/Modulation lever that can be used as a Wheel Brake for the rotary speaker or to modify
the onboard Orchestral voices. Convenient Registration buttons allow for quick changes between
registration memories, and an optional PK-7 20-Key Pedal board allows for a variety of pedal
bass control options. An optional stand for the VK-77, the KS-77, is also available.
If you see one great movie this spring, see the new Star Wars film. If you see one great movie, and try one great keyboard, play a VK77.
For more information, visit Roland's web site at www.roland.com.
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