Rocktron VooDu Valve On-Line

Ugh...Been using effect processors for years and while the Voodu Valve relies on a quite intuitive interface (twist knobs, a few buttons) it is hard to dial in the exact tone you want. The PRE-EQ and POST-EQ settings can be confusing at first, particularly because they do different things soundwise for distortion and clean settings. After a bit of playing you'll get the hang of it though.

Setup: Jackson USA King V 2 >> VooDu Valve >> Rocktron Velocity 100 >> Crate 4 X 12
What the fuck?
The thing sounds awesome at quieter settings. The more you crank the bastard the more noise feedback you'll get - the HUSH absolutely sucks. It does work nicely to a certain degree but beyond a certain volume it just doesn't do its job well. You MUST stand pretty far away from your amp to not get your ears sawed off by the feedback. Even my guitar tech couldn't dial in a better HUSH setting.
NOTE: my processor might have a defect because everybody else seems to love the HUSH system.

The clean sounds are wonderful, with or without effects they come out quite sweet. The Speaker/Cab simulator helps a lot!

Distortion wise (my pet peeve. It's gotta be perfect) the Voodu Valve disappoints in several areas.
Despite utilizing a real tube to get the kick-ass gain we all want, the unit's aggressiveness seems to have its limits.
Even using my monster death metal guitar (USA BC Rich ST Custom with Invader humbuckers), the unit would not present me with the smooth UNGODLY distortion sound I wanted. Meh! :(

A fucking tank!
When the Voodu Valve was delivered, some smart UPS delivery guy decided to THROW THE UNIT OVER A SIX FOOT FENCE onto my stoney yard instead of having me sign for it.
Of course I was outraged and was sure the unit was broken.

Upon unpacking the Voodu Valve I noticed absolutely no dings, scratches or anything like that. When I plugged it in I found the tube to be in perfect condition as well.
Overall the unit seems to work nicely, except for the HUSH system but that may have other causes.
VERY well done!

BAD:
HUSH screwed up; Distortion no fat enough
Manual does not show how to download sound settings from Rocktron website
Good:
Built like a tank
very sweet clean sound
only useful effects (less playing with sound, more actual guitar playing)

OK... easy? Well, I program robots and C -language for living. Nothing else here but getting used to dialing the effects. Plus you'd HAVE to tweak some of the presets, to get to where you want... You could find yourself more tweaking than actually playing... =D

I use ESP LTD MH-301 and Washburn N-2. LTD is customized with EMG81/60 and Schaller Bridge (FR II). Washburn has stock PU in neck position and Bill Lawrence L-500 (stock assembled PU!) in bridge position. SETUP: Guitar-->VooDu Valve Online==>BBE362==>PA (left) and Combo Slave (right). Sometimes the VooDu is noisy (guitar near monitors) on stage, but HUSH Offset fixes that (crackling effect near treshold). Effects are actually quite conventional (and too "wet" right out of the box) but outshine any multieffect floorpedalsystemfactorycrap in any quality (not as many effects though...), except for the wah... (NOT nearly as good as my Crybaby, propably because of the log vs. lin stuff). To get the best out of this one would get anyone hours of tweaking. Although I'm using this thing with a 2x12 combo and cab sim locked on for mixing desk, this baby cries as it weeps - clean, mean and perfect. Creativity is the only boundary! =D Okay... the 12AX7 TUBE is the only boundary! (a change to a different pre-amp tube perhaps? =D)

Dialing manually seems to be a little problem... oops... skipped some presets in a single step, hmmm... ???? No problems at the gigs though...

well... there are patches in the internet...

I play everything and anything... I DO need the gear to be inspiring and versatile. Altough I don't play much on stage these days, I actually do have fun with this gadget! I have played guitar over 15 years and the only thing I can actually compare this rack "witch" are an old Intellifex and Peavey 5150 head - because those are the only ones ,prior to this one, ever made me hungry for more to play. I've used and tested a lot of gear recently, mostly Marshall (all chiep crap is cheap crap and all expensive crap is too adequate), Digitech (RP7,RP2000), a Line6 POD rack model, Mesa TriAxis (through an old Mesa poweramp (new tubes, I heard) and Marshall 1960 cab)<---Overprized POS!!! (get an ENGL homie!!!), propably all Behringer Amps and combos and a ADA MP-1, definetely would buy this one again, if stolen (even in jail... after killing the thief =D). I'm a distortion addict and this baby gets me everywhere... plus it's got a beautiful Fender TWIN clean sound as a "bonus" preset (not kidding, it is so BEAUTIFUL!!!). Now I can be all... Mark Knopfler OR Joe Satriani OR Slayer OR Angus Young OR Carlos Santana OR Stevie Ray =D. Could've paid LESS though... (833?=TOO MUCH!!!NO TEN for overall!!!) Pay attention folks - real picking dynamics here, NOT for beginner players: REAL tube preamp, not some bogus shit!

Read the manual. Easy to use once you understand it. Rocktron makes some of the most intuitive products in my opinion. Easy to edit patches though some parameter are very involved and require some prior understanding about effects and how to work with them. That goes for any unit. Good manual overall.

I was using this with a Mesa/Boogie 50/50 power amp into Mesa/Boogie 2x12 cabs. Les Pauls and Jackson Dinky. The effects sound good for the most part though I thought the flange was a little weak. Great cabinet emulation and noise control.

Problem: If I could have bypassed the preamp I would still have the unit. The preamp is fun to use in your bedroom but most patches need to be modified to play live. Tends to be too heavy with the effects and so much overdrive that there isn't any definition when playing with a band. The overall tone sucks if you like a good brown, round sound from a tube amp or clearly defined notes with a warm overdrive sound. If you like tube amp sound and expect to get it from the Voodu Valve save yourself the time and agravation and just go buy a good amp and seperate effects processor. I like Rocktron. After getting rid of the Voodu Valve I bought the Rocktron Xpression to use with my Mesa/Boogie rig and couldn't be happier. Well, I could be happier but not from anything my equipment could provide.

Never had a problem with regarding reliability.

Good customer support. I like Rocktron in general.

I play in variety bands in the rock/dance music arena. I hoped this would have given me the tone and sounds needed to play several styles of music. Na-da. Been playing 25+ years. If stolen before I sold it I would have been forced to do what took me too long to do. Buy a good preamp.

I love playing with it at my house or with headphones for fun. Hate it for anything else. I wish you could bypass the preamp and use just the effects. Or even better, make it a real tube amp with good tone. For as much money as this thing sells for new I don't know why they could have done better.

If you're a pro who lives and dies by a good tube amp, stay away! If you like heavily processed sound and are not as picky about tone then you will probably love this.

Very easy and simple to use ... Excellent instruction manual (very well written). Editing patches is easy and presents no problem. There's a GREAT "compare" feature which allows you to make a change to a particular setting and with the push of a button - COMPARE the sound between the original setting and your change. Storing changes is simple and easy ... Overall, making changes to dial-in your particular sound is as easy-as-pie.

I use my Rocktron Voodu-Valve Online as a (pre-amp) for my distortion, tone, equalization, effects, etc. and run it into a cleanly-driven Marshall (JCM 50/25W) 2550 model amplifier and JCM 800 (LEAD 1982) four-speaker cabinet. There is absolutely NO noise or artificial hum due to the built-in (Rocktron Trademark) "HUSH" feature ... This works wonderfully to reduce erroneous noises and outside interference. To put it in perspective, I used to be able to hear my neighbor's radio -or- T.V. whenever I turned on my Roland GP8 Guitar Effects Processor (which in all fairness - is 18 years old). Now, with me Rocktron Voodu Valve Online, I only hear my guitar and that's as it should be. The effects are well thought out, which is to say they come pre-arranged in varying combinations that are useful and not just there for the sake of the effect. You can quite literally get any of your favorite guitar hero or band sounds from the unit. But that's not half as COOL as the fact that you can modify any of your favorite guitar hero or band sounds to DEVELOP YOUR OWN SPECIAL & UNIQUE GUITAR SOUND. In otherwords, this unit will give you that special and unique sound you've been searching for your whole life - it's in there and you just have to experiment to bring it out. The other really, REALLY COOL thing about the unit is the SPEAKER SIMULATION. This is the like chocolate fudge topping on your favorite ice cream flavor, e.g. it makes it go down even better than you ever imagined. I MEAN WOW !!! The SPEAKER SIMULATION enables you to dial-in your sound like a PRO. You'll experiment and never go anywhere without it again (this I know). They say that the speaker simulation is GREAT for direct recording, but for me - I get a very different sound going direct into my Yamaha AW16G than when I go into my Marshall. So to put it in perspective, if the SPEAKER SIMULATION is the chocolate fudge on-top of you favorite ice cream flavor, then the MARSHALL STACK is the cherry and nut topping on top of the fudge. In other words, it just doesn't get any sweeter than that people. So I've decided to mike the cabinet instead of direct recording since this is just infinately better.

Ha ... Bet you thought this writing would be full of 10's ... Well, nope !!! When I got the unit (shipped overseas via the mail) there was a rattling sound coming from the inside. So fine (I was pissed) because at $645.00 dollars purchased "new" it wasn't hardly cheap. So I had two choices, send it back or pop-the-cover and take a look inside. I opted to pop-the-cover and therein, found a screw that had broken off from somewhere. I never could find out from where. And now you're thinking this guy (me) must be stupid to have done the above. Well, I've been custom building PC's for over 18 years and when I say that I couldn't find where the screw came from - I mean, "I couldn't find where the screw came from". No problem, in the industry I work in, we call these SPARE PARTS. So I put the cover back on and proceeded to demo the unit to make sure everything worked. It did and I was a happy camper. After two weeks of playing and enjoying the features, I unplugged the unit and to my surprise heard another rattling sound from inside the unit (no kidding). So damn, this time I took the whole thing apart and discovered some little white, plastic screw type of tube just rolling around inside the thing. SHIT !!! Once again, I couldn't find where this was supposed to go either. Trust me - I'm not half the idiot you may be thinking. So what the fudge ... Another SPARE PART. I put the unit back together and it's been working perfectly ever since. BUT I MEAN DAMN, if this keeps happening, then I'll be left with nothing but spare parts. SO I'M KIND OF THINKING THE UNIT IS NOT SO WELL MADE. But wait, let me put that in perspective. It's not that there's any moving parts to break down - it's a computer board with some chips and a tube. Nothing more ... Therein, it should last a lifetime. Sure the company has a one year unlimited guarantee and three year parts & labor (better than some cars). But, who wants to send it through the mail <again> only to have it take 3 to 4 months before you get it back. Not me ... Especially if you live overseas. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping the unit is half as solid as my Roland GP8 which has lasted for over 18 years without even having to change the battery. YES, I would (and will) take the unit "live" with the band. It's an intricate part of my sound and like I said, (what more could possible break ??) it's a computer board in a metal box with a 12ax7 tube. And "yes" I would buy another ... The sound is just AWESOME.

I haven't had to deal with customer support. I hope I never have to. The web site is nice and fucntional. The patches are very nice and useful ... I honestly lost a lot of faith in Rocktron as a company because of the loose screw and white, plastic tube that somehow came loose. Considering the product is supposed to have been made in the U.S. - it sucks insofar as quality control. Someone had a hang-over or was having drug withdrawal shakes when they assembled the unit. I doubt ROCKTRON can make it good for me. The real thing is here is the product is AWESOME insofar as it's sound and what it can do. So why did they have to ruin what could've been a "10" all the way around.

Well, the sound is amazing !!! The features are rich !!! The functionality is awesome !!! Unfortunately, the quality is less than perfect. However since having seen the inside - it appears to have been well made. How can you go wrong, it's a processor board with some circuits and chips and a 12ax7 vacuum tube. If it were stolen, I would cash in the insurance and replace the unit. It is an intricate part of my musical sound and has enabled me to dial in a sweetness of TONE that I thought was previously impossible to obtain. I love the "HUSH" feature ... And the SPEAKER SIMULATION is just out-of-this world GREAT !!! In the right combination, this thing will make you sound like a PRO (absolutely). It goes without saying, that you need to know how to play though (right). For me, it's been over 20 years and I know a thing or two. My music runs across various styles as diverse as country, rock, jazz, and even latin ... The Rocktron Voodu Valve Online has something to suite every style, from brilliantly clean to absolutely in-your-face dirty.

I would like to follow up on my review posted below. I have since contacted Rocktron about the Hum. As I am a repairer they were able to send me info for the repair of the unit. It seems there was a small
amount of units with a circuit board fault which is a very simple repair. This kind of fault would be hard to find unless you
were able to compare with another working unit. I am very impressed
with Roctron and the backup service and advice.

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

You ll need some time to learn about EQing ,then you ll hear the most amazing guitar sound even if you own a very bad guitar.. Manual is simple.. there are 3knobs and everything is quite apparent. You neednt know any tips cause its clear to know what to do. Just needs an upgrade about the midi section in the manual..

I use an Ibanes-erd470 with a diMarzio and a push pull.. Hush option is perfect, cutting all the noise when needed. EQ is super.. It can demonstrate any guitar sound from any guitar and cabinet..Just need to learn it.. The only handicap is that you cant use a wah with a chorus.. The perfect preamp with good effects.. I get the petrucci sounds with my Ibanez on Stage, no more to say I think... Just buy a wah and rocktron..

Its too much valuable for me.. So will be for you when you hear and use it.. so use a rack cover... afterall never had a problem...

I ve mailed them once.. They re helpful ,they solved my problem..

Never gonna give up on rocktron,, I ve tried zoomgfx,mesa v-twin,pod..
All have good sides and bad sides.. But the perfect preamp on stage and record is rocktron...

I own too many nice guitars, mostly strat style with humbuckers in the bridge & neck positions. They all sound great through the VV. You can really get any sound you've ever heard with this thing. You just need to get familiar with how the EQs and gain settings work. The EQs are parametric, which means you can set the frequency, level, and width of each EQ band. The pre-EQ is located before the gain stages, like in a black face Fender amp, and has a big impact on the overall feel & shape of the sound (especially when the gains are increased). The Post EQ comes after all the gain stages, like in a Marshall amp. This is the best place to boost bass & cut the mids & highs. Note: you can bypass any EQ band by setting its level to zero. As for the gain options, try the following: for pristine clean sounds set the tube gain & digital gain to low & use low settings on the gain control; for warm clean & blues set the tube gain to high and the digital gain to low & use low to medium gain control settings; for hot blues, classic rock, or hard rock set the tube gain to high and digital gain to low & use medium to high gain control settings; for flesh pealing death metal & modern buzz set the tube & digital gain both to high and let her rip. Unlike Rocktron's Chameleon, the VV responds very well to pick attack & guitar volume. This is due to the tube input stage, which responds like any good tube amp. The Factory presets are okay, but you'll probably need to tweek them to achieve your dream sounds. The effects are all outstanding, except for the wah wah, but a crybaby work well in front of this preamp.

I own the Voodu Valve Online model. My friend owns the original Voodu Valve. They are both exactly the same, except for cosmetics. Features include tube distortion, digital distortion, pre-EQ, Post-EQ, High/Low tube gain settings, tube power amp simulation, speaker cabinet simulation, hush noise reduction, reverb, delay, flange, chorus, wah, pitch shifter, tremolo, phaser, ... everthing you'll ever need in one compact package. It has 254 preset slots, with seemless preset switching via MIDI. So it's like a 254 channel amp! This is the most versatile preamp on the planet!!!

I've owned this preamp for over three years without a glitch. However you really need to keep it in a good rack to keep it safe.

They reply to emails right away, and offer excellent advice.

I've been playing for about 12 years. Since I bought this preamp I've sold all my other amps, including a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier head, VHT Pitbull 45 combo, and a Fender Champ. I don't miss any of them, because I get their sounds with my VV. The VV works well through any decent power amp & cab. I'm using a VHT 2x50 watt tube power amp and a pair of vertical 2x12 cabs with V30s. The separate cabs really help with the stereo effects imaging. The VV also sounds excellent through headphones or into any home stereo, when the speaker simulator is enabled. If this preamp was lost or stolen then I would definitely find another one. I love it!

Too easy, I feel as if I got a big brain (hehe)
editing patches is so easy even a monkey can do it.
The manual is the best, it guides you step by step
No i didn't even know ther was an upgrade for it?

I use gibson les pauls with an ADA bi-polar power amp.
No noise on any setting. I love it especially the broken,mack2
the effects are strong and sound great.
ADA bi-polar power amp.
the sound i get is great the same as eddie van halen, zakk wylde, korn
I love them all.

I would not use anything else ever again.
Yes without a doubt.

No never had any problems with it.
So far no upgrade i don't think i want to mess with a good thing.

I play a wide varity of music styles from rock, metal, blues. great match.
I've been playing for 18 years. other gear is a volume pedal and a tuneing pedal.
I would by it all again.
I love everything about it not one bad setting.
The one thing i wish it had was a built in expression pedal for a whammy pedal.
It actually gives me more ideas fro creating new music.
People always say i love your sound and i find myself selling the product.
My other guitar player even bought ine and he thanks me almost everyday for the advise.

You need a drool-catcher and a helmet if you cant figure out how to operate this. Easy to follow insturuction and practical layout make this a breeze to operate.

my setup is Jackson->Voodu->Mesa 295 power amp->Randall XL cab. Great setup for me. METAL RULES. The hush is THE best noise reduction system in the world. The gain and distorion in this deal are bad assed and the rest of the effects are top notch also. If your into Death/Megadeth/Slayer/Children Of Bodom/In Flames this is a good investment. The highs and presence when you first get it can annoy you so youll probably have to back them off a bit.

Dropped it 3 times before my new rack came in the mail. Works fine.

??????? im sure they are nice.........

Like I said I play METAL. Good Metal. Iron Maiden style, harmonies, long indugent passages, good shxt. This is real Nice. I had to save a while for it and if it were stolen id buy another one (gimmie a break im only 17)Ive had a few marshall heads but i like the voodu and the mesa. Ive tried a few digitech preamps and the Big Red Peice o shit The POD pro. DOWN WITH THE POD PRO!!! I hated that thing. I wish it came with some adult film stars as an added bonus but.....ohh well. So anyway.... if you like metal and kickin ass buy it its bad. METAL RULES!

it is fairly easy to use it and set params, which are clear enough to understand to though a beginner might not understand all the features.
I haven't upgrade it but I downloaded some sounds off the net and was pretty easy to follow the instructions in the manual.

Mesa 50/50 amp with a les paul .
it's not noisy and it's even not enough noisy, I bought and electric guitar I want it to make noise not to hush,
hush is really a feature for sissies, besides that the sound is way to flat, it sounds better with a bass than a guitar, I am very deceived.
overall it's crapy

I don't want to depend on it,
and I would not use it as a backup!!!

it does turn to on every time i flip the switch so thats a good thing

This was not made to play rock n roll ( I mean loud, AC/DC, Electric Chairs or Supersuckers kind of rock n roll - eve 6 is not rock )
I am very deceived by this device. First, it lacks one of the most important feature in guitar playing: sustain. Even with the hush ( what a feature for dummies ) turned off the sound dies faster with the Rocktron and it's not due to the guitar a Les Paul with Dimarzio X2N has more sustain than mostly whatever I heard before, and the amp I use ( Mesa 50/50) is more than just ok, it sounds awfully rich with the marshall JMP 1. The voodu valve sounds flat, there's nothing that can be done, I don't care about sounding like van halen , it sucks.
The device sounds better when I play bass guitar in it.
If you want a good guitar preamp/effect/disto, I suggest you go buy boss or tubeworks instead unles you want to kill the character of your instrument.

It is easy to adjust parameters using the four large encoder wheels. The display is easy to see on stage. The unit also has extensive MIDI control capability. I give it an 8 because it is missing an important feature: a tuner.

This unit has a unique signal path that allows you to dial in virtually any sound. However you must learn to use both sets of EQ (Pre & Post), and use the gain sparingly.

The Pre EQ comes right after the input stage, like the EQ on a blackface Fender. Therefor it has a large impact on the remaing gain stages & the feel of the preamp. For great BF clean sounds or vintage overdrive try boosting the Pre bass and cutting the Pre mids. Note: cutting the Pre mids also helps to reduce the gain dramatically, just like on a BF Fender. Try 100-150hz for the Pre bass and 350-500hz for the Pre mid. Also, start with bandwidths of 1.5-2 octaves. For a Marshall sound cut the Pre bass and/or boost the Pre mids. Use the lower frequency settings for the bass, and about 1-2khz for the mids. Keep the bass bandwidth low and the mid bandwidth wide. This gives you a tight & ballsy sound. You can also bypass the Pre EQ by setting the levels to zero.

The Post EQ comes after the gain stages. So it can be treated as a typical EQ - to balance the lows, mids, highs, & presence (extreme highs). This is also the best place to notch out the mids if you're into metal. It is also a good place to add highs to your BF Fender sound (try 1khz-2khz with a bandwidth of 2 octaves).

These Parametric Pre & Post EQs take some getting used to, but they are well worth the effort. They are much more versatile than your typical passive tone stack, or fixed frequency graphic EQ.

The gain in this unit goes from sparkling clean (1-12) to overdrive (13-28) to distorted (29-40) to extreme (41-52) to ludicrous (53-70).
These numbers are based on my Les Paul with PAFs. You should expect a cleaner & more useable range with single coils, and quicker distortion with hot humbuckers. Also, the Pre EQ settings have a huge impact on the gain. Boost the signal with Pre EQ to drive the gain stages harder, or cut the Pre EQ to lower the gain. Be careful - if you boost the Pre bass and use high gain settings the sound will get very muddy.

Also, use the hush sparingly. Turn it off completely on your clean and overdrive presets. Keep the threshold as low as possible on your high gain presets. By doing this you will increase your sustain.

And Finally, lower the effect levels. Most of the factory presets have way too much effect on them. Turn down the effects - you're playing a guitar not a synthesizer!

I've owned the original VV since 1995 and it's still working perfectly. This new VV On-Line was purchased recently as a back up. I expect it to hold up just as well.

They have Free MIDI software on line. Use it to back up your presets to your computer.

I play a wide range of music. I'm currently gigging in a wedding band, and I write progressive rock tunes. I also jam with a classic rock band. This preamp sounds great in all scenarios. It also sounds a little bit nicer than my original Voodu Valve. It could be better digital converters, or even the tube. Any ways they're both great preamps for live and studio use. Just make sure you run it into a tube power amp for the best live sound. The Mesa 20/20 is an excellent choice. Use good speakers too - Celestion Vintage 30s are decent.

In my opinion it's very easy to use.
I had a Chameleon before,I'm rocktonized.
It's not easy to get good sounds at the beginning, 'cause you've got a lot to change, if you want. The ablility of using eq's is very satisfying in regard of the quanty ( quality too ) , but it takes some time.
You can change patches in every parameter, there are no standard steps.
The manual is good, very good. There are no advertising texts and unneeded misinformations, its easy to read and on the point.
You can upgrade the sounds via rocktron.com , at the moment i use the taboo artist presets , great.
You can store and change via software , just plug it to midi.

If tested nearly every preamp for guitar, pod , pod2 , all the digitechs , marshall jmp-1, mesa tri axis, behringer v-amp , j-station, chameleon , taboo artist, yamaha , boss , and more, no joke.
I spend some years in doing this shit.
The yoodo valve online is the best one.
It does every sound from vintage to grind sounds.
The joke is that the noise reduction eliminates every unwanted noise.
Other units try to do this , but the sounds looses quality.

I use it live with a engl poweramp and a 1960 a 4/16 at 16 ohm mono , i've a jackson dr-2 us and a b.c.rich assassin us , this sound like a metal setup, but i can get all sounds of the guitar world.
For homerecording i use the xlrs to my isis, sounds good .

Many units , like pod2 ,for example , sound good with headphones or into a recording unit , but they suck live.

All the endorcers , like fear factory talk about pod , but what do they paly at night ? muaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhaaa

can depend on it

Good support , my chameleon was ill , they repaired it very fast., it felt off my bag while drunken ( one week )

Playing 10 Years , every style , this unit is me.

Don't buy anything else before you've checked this.

the easiest of all the units I have ever seen with this kind of depth. you set to the program you want, then adjust 3 knobs. you pick the function you want to tweek with the "function" knob,(such as delay, reverb, etc.)then pick the parameter of that particular funtion with the "parameter" knob( such as the delay time, etc.) then tweek that parameter all you want with the"adjust knob. super easy, which is what you need with a device of this complexity and depth. this unit gives you complete control of ALL functions and ALL parameters.nothing is left out of this puppy.

sound quality is among the best I have ever heard.this unit produces sounds I thought were unobtainable to me due to cost. I was blown away by it.I would have to agree with the most recent submission below that it is geared towards the 80's hair band sound. it will do it to perfection. It will do pink floyd type leads as well as all blues type leads. in fact, almost ALL leads in my opinion. Does a seriously good van halen sound as well. clean sounds are very good. no noise to speak of either. very quiet.the built in effects are good but not great in my opinion. with the exception of the delay which smokes! better keep your stomp boxes, I feel they are better.

so far so good

I have dealt with them before on a rocktron tsunami chorus pedal. they will charge you the big bucks to repair anything. by the way, do not buy their tsunami pedal as you can get an old ibanez super chorus cs-5 soundtank far cheaper and it sounds better. DO NOT buy the purple haze octivider, it is a major turd!

I like to play everything except country and western.I also own an rp 2000 from digitech and have owned quite a few other devices over the years. I run every thing thru my pa setup. I also own a crate gx130c stereo chorus amp. I own 3 guitars, a gibson sg, an ibanez 520qstb and a dearmond s67 7 string.( it must have the world's best humbucking pickups in it because it sounds so good for a low priced guitar)Anyway, I have played all this stuff extensively for over a year and in my opinion if you want to play van halen, pink floyd lead, blues, and all other 80's hair band sounds then there is no other choice as the rocktron is in a league all its own. However, if you like to play grunge, joe satriani, tool,pantera and all 90's sounds then you will need an rp 2000 from digitech because the rocktron can't touch these sounds anywhere near as good as the rp. the rp also does clean a little better. fortunately, I own both and can switch between the two as needed. one more thing, while the voodu valve does pink floyd lead better than the rp, the rp does pink floyd rhytm better than the voodu valve. the rp also does joe satriani lead far better too!

The unit is well designed. It would be nice to have knobs which permit you to change the important parameters directly, but I can live with the "select parameter and adjust" paradigm. The difficulty inherent in having so many EQ options is balanced out by having good presets right out of the box. If you download the Chameleon On-line patches from the web site and add them, you'll cut your tweaking time down by half. The provide many good ones. Gary Hoey's patches are a blast! The clean levels on the presets aren't matched to the high gain ones, so you have to fix them one at a time. That's a pain, but you only have to do it once.

I'm sending my guitar straight into the Voodu and from there right into a Tubeworks MosValve power amp. I'm running two 1x12 cabs with the 75 watt Celestion speakers. The raw, uneffected preamp sounds very good. Cleans are bold and have a nice top end sparkle. The high gain sounds are great. Good response to playing dynamics, and note clarity. No muddy distortion or buzzing anywhere. These sounds make it hard to put down my guitar. The effects are the best I've had, and I've used stand alone rack effects before. I play through a POD for low volume practice, and the Voodu puts it in its place. By comparison, the POD is a nice toy but the Voodu instantly became my main live rig. My only complaint is that there is some digital glitching on high gain patches with the guitar volume all the way down. It's not bad enough to diminish my overall enthusiasm, though.

I just got the Voodu, but I used to have a ProGAP preamp and it was bullet-proof. I have no worries about reliability.

Don't know.

I'm a hair band fanatic, and this box nails the late 80s/early 90s hair band tones dead on. Since that's what I wanted, I'm 100% satisfied. I love the sounds, but hate having to carry the rack. I briefly considered a POD Pro, and this blew it away for half the money. I wanted a box which combined an outstanding preamp and high quality effects for the light weight and convenience. I didn't want to build a monster rack with a mixer and separate effects units. Also, I don't want to maintain power tubes....the MosValve sounds fine. To the best of my knowledge, the only real competition is from the Rocktron Prophesy. I haven't had a chance to try one. I've been playing guitar since '77...electric since '85. Took a long break from '92 to '98. If I had to replace this unit, I'd take a long hard look at the Prophesy...but I've heard mixed things about it. For the money, I'd probably end up with the Voodu again.

You can dial up just about any sound that you can imagine. The unit is very quiet, even with very high gain settings. The effects are among the best that I've ever heard. The modulation effects are very deep & rich sounding, like good old analog stomp boxes. Delay, reverb, and tremolo are also very nice & vintage sounding. You get a lot of control over tube & digital gain, so you can find many different sounds & responses, and store them to any of the 254 preset locations. Best of all there is no drop out when you change presets.

This is a DSP guitar preamp that uses a 12ax7 tube. It has adjustable pre & post (distortion) parametric eq, tube gain, digital gain, and many high quality effects. It also has an excellent cabinet simulator for direct recording. Another plus is that is has both 1/4" & XLR balanced outputs. The XLR outs have their own separate volume control. The only thing that it is missing is a guitar tuner.

Bought it in 1998 and haven't experienced any problems at all, but it uses a tube which may eventually need to be replaced.

They are quick to respond to email. They also provide schematics free of charge.

I've been playing guitar for well over 10 years. I initially bought this preamp for direct recording, but it's great for club gigs too. I run it into a Mesa 20/20 and a 2x12 cabinet, with Vintage 30's. (The Mesa 20/20 has a fat mod). I also like to run it direct to the mixing board, which the sound man really likes. I highly recommend this unit to anyone looking for a great rack set up. IMHO - It puts the Line 6, Digitech, ART, & Johnson stuff to shame.