Boss DD-500

[D.o.S.]

ANSWER ME DOS!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry bb, but Galvar already nailed it on the head.

[rfurtkamp]

Roland is good on firmware updates *if needed* or to extend the life of the thing. GR55 got a major one that gave it more memory slots and some new sounds, but...that was a couple years after it came out, and everything else was kosher.

The joke is everything that the DD-500 does in terms of automation is straight out of the rest of the Roland stuff that's in the Tone Studio app....the fact that it doesn't interface is...mystifying.

[lordgalvar]

Maybe they just felt as a company not enough people would miss the app on this application (an old way to look at guitar players...they just want plug and play presets and anyone that wants more will just tinker on the fly with the interface and not worry)?. I know that the software is established and there is overlap, but maybe they just didn't see it as any help selling the thing if the spent money to get the app working. It could also be because of some kind of internal/memory/chip thing too...and the fact that the serial bus game is changing quickly these days (man, firewire never got its fair shake haha).

The firmware updates...the way I always look at the bigger companies is that they will put out major fires that protect their bottom lines (like major crashing glitches) and leave the more aesthetic-type, user-based taste things to be tested by their test department...they usually do good enough and balance it enough so that it is stable but nothing is perfect. If, down the road, sales suffer because of one exact feature, they may fix it based on the possible increase of sales weighed against the the hardware compatibility and cost to implement. Generally, though, Boss/Roland has been very good about not releasing a product until it is stable. Which is great (tons of companies just push out things these days with possible errors and fix as the go and as money comes in...video games, you guys...and some times they charge for "extra features").

But yea, totally agree with you about the software (in that it may be a natural fit, so why not?), if needed and life extension, rfurtkamp...just adding my 2 cents, I guess.

Big whale move slow. But sometimes does.

Truth with big companies most of the time.

[Jwar]

I'll dig my mic out and make a demo!

Fuck them. I'm plugging it into my PP+. LOL. If anything, it won't be getting enough power. For the sake of easiness though, I'll use it with batteries for the demo. They at least included those. Dicks. hahahah

[rfurtkamp]

Just plug it in, if it's anything like the DD-20 or RE-20 or the other AA ones, the manual will say "bypasses batteries if adapter installed"

[rfurtkamp]

Software there's no reason not to - it's a midi-controllable device, so just USB midi (which is how the Tonestudio works with the other stuff) it up.

It's breathtakingly confusing why they didn't go that route.

[lordgalvar]

Oh yea, forgot about midi...I dunno...guess they just cut costs or didn't care haha. Oh well.

[Seance]

The joke is everything that the DD-500 does in terms of automation is straight out of the rest of the Roland stuff that's in the Tone Studio app....the fact that it doesn't interface is...mystifying.

Mystifying indeed. This pedal seems to offer pools for deep dives. So... not having it set up for Tone Studio app is
totally perplexing. Makes it feel like different departments within the megalithic Boss corporation aren't communicated
with each other.

Much like the DD-500 and the Tone Studio app.

[Seance]

I'll dig my mic out and make a demo!

[Jwar]

Played with it last night. All the negatives are out the window. This thing is fucking amazing. I cannot believe how good it sounds. I forgot how well Boss makes delays. You get wrapped up in the hype train of Strymon and shit like that and just don't remember. This thing is a fucking BEAST. I've barely tapped the surface of it. Just went through all the normal parameters. I have to read the manual a bit to understand how it works.

The looper is amazing too!!! I very impressed with it! It doesn't force you to use a delay when looping!!! That's is a HUGE plus IMO. HUGE. That alone makes it stomp other delay multis.

Now to dig a bit deeper and then demo.

[rfurtkamp]

Yea, Boss stuff is stupid good these days - people have forgotten.

There's a reason I swear by the GR-55 (ok, high-end Roland, but...) and the GT-001.

I could honestly use those as my only effects and get by. I'd miss a lot of the special stuff...but I'd sound like me and still make the type of music I've made for twenty years or so.

[Inconuucl]

Can one upload download patches? I can share you guys some of the many glitch patches I've done.

I was going to do the demo, but my camera is still Mia.

[rfurtkamp]

The joke: patch upload/download/save as file to the computer and you could email it....

...is in the Tone Studio software.

[Seance]

Played with it last night. All the negatives are out the window. This thing is fucking amazing. I cannot believe how good it sounds. I forgot how well Boss makes delays. You get wrapped up in the hype train of Strymon and shit like that and just don't remember. This thing is a fucking BEAST. I've barely tapped the surface of it. Just went through all the normal parameters. I have to read the manual a bit to understand how it works.

The looper is amazing too!!! I very impressed with it! It doesn't force you to use a delay when looping!!! That's is a HUGE plus IMO. HUGE. That alone makes it stomp other delay multis.

Now to dig a bit deeper and then demo.

Nice to hear!

I'm interested in how the "vintage delay" works and sounds and reacts since it's based
on the Roland SDE-3000. It would be cool if Boss included something to approximate
that unit's "Hold" function. Not sure they did.

Good to hear that you're digging the looper.

[Inconuucl]

They did, it's available in all modes, actually. As well as the warp from the dd-20 and the option to subdivide the delay instantly, which is cool for noisewashes.