Rocktron VooDu Valve On-Line

This unit is very easy to use, but you have to have good knowledge on
gain tone structures. What I mean by this is when you are creating a
overdrive/distortion sound the use of the pre Eq section can make or break your sound. When I first started to use the unit I hade little success in getting the sound I wanted. But with a little patient was able to get some killer sounds both clean and dirty. If you are not experienced in developing sounds this unit may not be for you, but if you put in the time you will get the results you want. I personally prefer this as I find that many manufactures give you there version of a sound, and do not allow much tone variation, but with the voodoo valve you can. As for user interface I find it very easy to use

I use several guitars from Stats to teles, some guitar have Humbuckers but I many use single coils. I use a custom wah pedal into the voodoo valve then into a 1974 Marshall Superlead Head (modified with a poweramp input jack which bypasses the marshalls preamp and tone controls except the prescence control)I use a Marshall Tall vintage reissue which is a early 80's cabinet. I found the only problem with the voodoo valve is the presence of hum on the output, both on the Jack and cannon outputs. At first I thought I had a faulty unit, and asked the shop where I purchased it from for another unit. Still with another unit the Hum was still there. The salesman in the shop also owned a voodoo valve which was built in the US, where mine was built in China. His unit was quiet. I still don't know if my unit has a fault with it or its just that it has been made in china using less quality parts. (if anyone could answer tell me please e-mail me). Even with the Hum I decided to purchase the unit as I found the Hum was not bad enough to not buy the unit, it just left me wondering the diferences between the US made unit and the china made unit. I have only use the unit once live since owning it. I
set my patches at home and edited them at the gig. I brought my old guitar rig to the gig just in case I could not get the sounds I needed to do the gig, but as it turned out I used the voodoo valve all night.
I achived all the sound I wanted, most of the sounds exceeded my usually tones, I love the chorus and delay sounds. The overdrive/distortion sounds are also very good. I play all types of music from Blues to hard rock. I was able to find all the sounds I need to do a gig. I also own a Roland GP8, Boss GT5, Korg AX1g (Great rotary sound), A orginal POD with the version 2 upgade chip. In the Studio I find the only units I use is the POD and now the voodoo valve. Both are very useful tools. I must admit playing through the voodoo valve feels more like I am playing through a miked guitar rigg than the line 6 POD, but this could also be that it's a new toy. I find the sound from this voodoo valve DI's into the studio are great, and at the moment I would lean towards the Voodoo valve. The reason I brought the voodoo valve was to allow me to have a broad selection of sounds so I can play several styles of music at the same gig and just use the one guitar rig. I still love using my marshall valve amps and my fender valve amps but I can not achive a broad selection of sounds
as I do when using the voodoo valve.

I would of given the Sound Quality write up a 10 if it was not for the noticable Hum on the output stage when compared to a American built unit. If rocktron would clear this matter up up I would give this a 10. Not that the unit is designed to but if you plug it into a guitar amp through the normal guitar inputs you will find the Hum unusable. But if you plug in to the power amp input which avoids the high gain structure of the guitar amp input stage the hum is nearly gone. (No hum on the american made unit) Because I use my Marshall Super lead, I already have my backup just in case the voodoo fails, as I always carry a few effect pedals to get me out of trouble. IF my Marshall fails I can always Di the Voodoo into the PA or find a spare power amp to replace the marshall amp should it fail. (Normally we have spare power amps in our PA rack) I wont rate the reliabilty yet
as I will wait 6 months first to see if it fails or gives me problems, as for the HUM I will wait to see if I get any information from Rocktron.

I have contacted the company about the HUM in the unit. They were very
prompt in a return e-mail. I felt that the company has not got a hand on the final product made in China as they seem to be unaware about the HUM problem that I have discovered. I hope they will read this review and contact me with a answer. I am a tech by trade so I hope they will take my review seriously.

So far I find the unit to offer most of the sounds I need. For those
who love to play through vintage amps using vintage pedals this may not be for you. Again if it was not for the HUM in the unit I would of given a higher rating. Out of all the brands I have tried the Rocktron Voodoo valve is the winner. It is the first unit which replaces my Roland GP8, and leaves me with a analog feeling unit. The Roland GP8 was great but it was a noisey unit and patch drop out was to noticable. In fairness to the GP8 it is getting quiet old and technology has moved on since its design. Even though the Rocktron is a digital unit the end result is a analog feel, and the effects are great. Remove the HUM from this unit and I would give it a 10

patches work well easy to edit great pre&post effects eq this is he best part of this unit.

using GMW custom shop EVH, Alvarez Dana Scoop, 80's Fender strat.
Well.... Kinda dissapointed, The Voodu does'nt sound bad at all,but I expected more.Kinda lacking in tone.The added valve ,to me just makes this a hybrid.Nice toy but not a serious touring rig,just missing that certain quality of sound.My POD XT sounds better,which bummed me out.Spent time tweaking it but for the money I would rather have the ADA MP1-Soooo much better it's sick.Maybe with a really good power section it might "liven" up but i doubt it.

no problems here,but how do get into it to change the tube?

did not keep it long enough to require this

would not spend over 280-not as good as advertised.Lots of balls little tone.

at first I eased into it playing the presets like I always do and going straight for the eq section and gain. I didnt have too much frustration using it..just follow the manual

I run this thru a peavey half stack and it sounds very very close to amp distortion!!I think it is excellent myself. The only thing that got my frustration up was tuning the high frequencies.try these settings. mix volume 127 left 0 right 0 ,hush threshhold @ -45,pre low eq @ -15 @ 162htz , mid section +12 @ 3513htz-- post eq low/bass +4 @ 125 htz Q=.5 ,mid range -9 @ 1000htz Q=.7, treble +6 @ 3513htz Q=.5, and presence +6 @ 5187 Q=.5 , all effects off except reverb - level at 0, decay at 40 and high frequency damping at 70. try this with speaker at 0, reactance at 7 , speaker size at 12" of course. this is the best I can do and it sounds killer!!!blows away my jmp-1 marshall preamp( I sold it on ebay), it blows my friends pod pro into the weeds,virtual tie with my boss gt-6 but I like rack better than pedal and the voodu valve has a better speaker sim than the gt-6. so If you have been pondering the idea of getting one. do it!!! there is nothing wrong with these...thats why my friend come over to play mine and are mysteriously selling the pod and buying one!!!you should too!!!effects are awesome ,especially the reverb and delay. both warm and transparent and the flanger is also a great effect. other are too I'm sure but those are the only effects I'm into.

definately rugged unit , very impressed with how this unit is built!!!I have an originalk one and I thought it was a mirror image of the new online version. never had a problem yet

customer support was excellent , in fact I have been in some very deep conversations with the tech .(have his name but won't mention it ) he gets busy too!!! helped me tremendously !!!

play death metal like children of bodom, slayer ,king diamond,witchery, and slayer uses the voodu valve, as well as judas priest did on jugulator.I can see why!!! perfect metal machine and no...no other other unit will touch it for gain please!!!!I turn the damn thing down to 55! (max is 78)I love alot of things about it everything exept that When I want something clean it is odd to switch it and I get different lever changes.If I had to trade an effect it would be the pitch shifter for different reverb types like the prodigy has. but thats about it

First off, this unit is a preamp tube driven rackmount. It's heart and power come directly from the 12ax7 tube in the drive stage. The sound is amazingly full and transparent which is quite difficult to come across these days with rack unit equipment. The manual is complete and full giving accurate and straight forward descriptions of detailed information regarding each setting. I bought this unit about the beginning of 2004 and although it is still fairly new to me, it is a fantastic device with the ease of use for anyone. Do devote time to this however, as it is so complex and full of dimension that time will be rapidly consumed.

I use this unit in front of a Marshall AVT150 head and it runs direct to the clean channel on the amp. I'm basically using the head as a power amp and my tone is drawn directly from the preamp itself. It is quiet as night at ANY setting and there is no drag in channel operation or interface. The effects are smooth and the variables of adjustment are infinite. Honestly, any tone you can imagine can be drawn from this single space rack unit. The only downside would be the midi connection as many poeple do not have that option on their computers. It's a great advance in sound technology and opportunity, but I have yet to devote time to purchasing the proper midi equipment.

So farI have had no problems and everything is extremely well built. I would again and thus far have used it in a few shows without backups.

I have yet to deal with the company, but I'd say that is a good thing. Rocktron seems to stand firm behind their products so I doubt I'd have any trouble with them.

Overall this is a fantastic piece. I would definatly recommend this unit to anyone in search of great tones. Vintage, boutique, rustic and searing drive shape this unti and give it it's great name. I'm in a metal band but I always do solo work and I love the smooth sounds full of mids and clarity and this unit definatly delivers. The warmth, transparency and clarity of the Voodoo Valve is nothing short of amazing. Enough said; Go Get It!!!

The ease of use is kinda hard if you don't know what you are doing! It takes some time! I don't mind, and am a sound engineer, so it is easy for me, but if you are starting out...could be kinda hard! the presets are okay, depending on your style and other equipment! The manual I don't have, but you can download it on Rocktron's website!

I am using mine straight into my computer interface for recording Direct! I use a Ibanez RG2020XL, RGT1220BK, and a ESP B-305 bass. Some noise...but you must dial in the hush parameter. The effects sound good...I do not use this live, and never have! I am into metal! and this unit delivers some great tones straight out of it! Now...I don't know the difference between a tube or solid state power amp hooked up to it, but I bet a Mosvalve or a Mesa 2/90 would sound killer? I get good In Flames/Soilwork/Children of Bodom tones outta this puppy! Key...Need to run the speaker simulator when playing guitar through it...Bass not necessary.

I would use it as a backup to gig! Would have to configure the midi a bit better for my presets!

First off....I hate modeling preamps like POD! They sound thin and shitty to me! This thing gets good Iced Earth type tones, and can rock! I would buy another for direct recording! I tried the JMP-1 Marshall(Shitty)Rocktron Prophecy(worse). The only other unit I might buy also is the Sansamp PSA-1...that unit sounds pretty good for dry type sounds and distortion! The Voodu Valve is great for direct recording, but it doesn't beat my rig for sound quality and never will! I own a:

Peavey 5150
Art 31-band EQ
BBE 362 Sonic Maximizer
TC Electronics G-Major
Behringer Noise Reduction
Mesa Rectifier Cab

Overall, like I said...for the money...I wouldn't pay $649 for it new, but I would pay what I paid for it! Other than that...if you are trying to decide what preamp to buy for metal...this is a good investment, or the Sansamp PSA-1...but with the PSA-1...you will have to buy effects too, so the choice is up to you...I plan on getting both for a variety of tones...Why spend $1000 for the Mesa Rectifier preamp? This unit is better than the Rocktron Prophesy...that thing is noisy junk...

The Rocktron Voodu Valve is a piece of cake to use! I owned a Chameleon before getting this... Whoever said you would need a drool catcher and a helmet, if you couldn't figure this unit out, hit the nail right on the head! You have to be an absolute retard to not know how to use this. Instruction manual is never needed.

This baby is transparent, fleshy and smooth. As I stated earlier, I owned the Chameleon...the tube in the Voodu Valve definately adds the touch of warmth and dimension that I prefer. Although, I still love each in their own right. Distortions and cleans are tight on and you can nail any sound out there except for one..the tricky to achieve Pantera distortion. Although, that tone is impossible to get, I have no need for it and shouldn't expect too much from one unit. (Hell, I don't even think those Warheads designed under Diamond/Dimebags name come close to capturing his tone....it is just propaganda sales to endorse a product.) His rig is "rigged". :) This unit can nail all of those Metallicaesque sounds with no prob. Tip: Always use the speaker cab simulators on distorted tones, it adds an extra warmth on the post-EQ-end of things.

Very reliable. I gig with this baby, and record direct, and get many compliments on the "fleshiness" of my sound/tones. People crap when they hear that I basically only use one unit for all my tones!
By the way, if you can't play...nothing in the world will make you sound good.

http://www.hiatusdawn.com
www.HIATUSDAWN.com

I called requesting some advice once. They were extremely helpful and quick to respond. They go out of their way for you.

This unit is better than anything else out there PERIOD. I have tried all the Line 6 stuff, VOX, Marshall Zoom, etc...and this is the best modern sounding unit for all modern rock applications.
Hear it now at>>>> www.HIATUSDAWN.com

Surprisingly easy, even for a technophobe like me! Setting this thing up & choosing a preset is almost childishly simple. After one quick read through of the manual I was able to make some patches of my own.

Absolutely superb. I was using a Mesa rectifier before, now run the Voodu Valve into its power stage & haven't considered going back through the Mesa preamp stage since I got it. The factory presets are a good starting point for your own sounds (although most of the really high gain presets have been saved with too much treble) & there are some truly SUPERB sounds to be had from this - from shimmering clean through to brutal death metal tones, it's all in here somewhere. The Reverb, Chorus, Delays, Tremelo etc are all great. The built in speaker sim is a really useful feature - I've been able to get some nice sounds recording direct with it (best of all, you can assign it to just one output so you can still run it into an amp/cab on the other output). The two EQs (pre & post gain) are (rightly) labelled "Expert" & seem to offer a lot of versatility, I've hardly touched them but am still getting a huge variety of tones in the patches I'm making.

Seems solidly built, & no problems so far, but not had long enough to form an opinion. I have a ready made backup in my Mesa - hopefully I'll never need it.

Never called them, not yet needed to which is just how I like it :-)

I play a variety of rock-metal styles & there isn't a sound I've needed that the Voodu Valve can't do. It's so easy to use & has such great sound quality - where's the catch? Well, there really doesn't seem to be one. Even at high UK prices I consider it good value for money & would buy another one without hesitation.

It is pretty easy to get through the menus and adjust what you want. There are however a lot of menus and little tricks you must learn.

Of all the units out there, this one is the best for effects and variety of tones. The effects are the best I've ever heard. They are so transparent its crazy. You really can get any sound you want out of this thing. With the compressor and hush on, you can lose a lot of pick dynamics...which is good if you are not very accomplished. I personally turn those off. There are some really good sounds right off the bat.

I own a lot of amps. If you play surf, there is nothing like a super reverb. Metal heads however will love this thing.

Compared to a pod, pod xt, digitech gnx, dg stomp, boss gt6, this thing is the best. it is on par if not slightly better than the 2120. the 2120 is a very versatile unit and in my opinion kicks ass and has a great integration w/ the pedal. I think the vv is a little more organic though and with a midi mate is extremely versatile.

It has enough gain for anyone. I use about three different settings for hi gain and about 20 clean and crunch's. the best part of this unit is how it makes you creative musically. good use of effects (ala the Edge) is very inspiring and ideas often flow.

I had an original VV for about 6 years...no problems. Had this one a couple weeks now and it seems just as tough. It is better than the original. The processors are faster.

Really a fun unit. Like I said, it is inspiring to play.

It is wery easy to use with software, but the programing of the unit it self is a different story.

I tried a lot of stuff in my life and the unit is preety good. But I need a little help here. I use only Parker guitars, which have also piezzo pick up. I'd like to skip the preamp an use only the mod effects. The Rocktron replayed to me to dial the low gain and EQ to zero. I tried that but the accoustic stil sounds like shit. I know that this unit is not meant for accoustic, but they solved this problem with its brother Prophasy. If anyone have a patch or solution for me please e-mail me.

I hate the units which came with adaptor,...

They didn't respond to me, until my signature included masters degree. Then they replyed in 24 hours :)

I tried whole bunch of eqpt., from my old frend Fender Twin rewerb amp made in 67 to Prophesy and Triaxis. I use to play Ibanez JAM and Fenders Jeff Beck signature, now I am using Parker Fly deluxe and Nitefly as backup. I just finished recording our second album and guitars sound great.

It's quite easy to use overall.
Editing is eay too. But i had some problem running it with winXp..midi thingy. Manual is standard.

The sound is fantastic but the wahh suck!..I am using a Fender strat with a fender amp.

not that solid. Egg shell. water resistant?? ahhahahaaaaa

lack of it in Singapore and Malaysia!! damn it.

Ovreall it's not too bad BUT one drawback is that,I hate it due to the midi mate thing. It's bloddy expensive already on the VV plus midi mate..rather get a Roland VG88V2.
The midi mate has no volume control too!
The VV has too many repeating effects