Rocktron VooDu Valve

Besides you have to tweak the select knob a lot, it's easy to see what you're doing on the display. Rocktron made a good decision not putting to much knobs on the frontpanel. I think it's very easy to use!

I like the sounds a lot!! I use this thing as pre-amp with a Marshall JCM 900 50 watt amplifier, with the pre-amp stage disconnected. The sounds you can make are warm, rich and powerfull. I'm playing in a coverband and have to make a lot of sounds with this thing (shadows, bon jovi, chic, bryan adams, tom jones, eagles, blues brothers etc.) and I always come very close, like the original! There's one thing I don't like: the clean sounds (low gain settings) aren't as loud as the crunch and distortion sounds. On my marshallhead there are two mastervolumes, one for clean (higher settings) and one for the overdriven sounds. But if you use a poweramp with only one mastervolume it can be a problem. I have to say that the clean sounds are pretty good by the way! I think this thing sounds better than the POD. There both 24-bit, but the Rocktron has a pre-amp tube (12AX7) And I love the sound of tubes. I think that the tube makes the sounds bigger and more 'classic' than the POD does. But if you aren't in the whole transistor versus tube question you probably like the POD more...(I don't think so...) I use a Vigier (french-handmade: www.vigierguitars.com) and a fender stratocaster guitar. I use a midi controller and a boss SD-1 (Maby I'm gonna use my od-1 or ds-1 instead)for boosting. the wah in the rocktron sounds pretty good, but I like to wah whenever I want so I have the new PW-10 (also a Boss) virtual WAH (and sold my Jim Dunlop JH-1, nice but the boss is nicer!) I also have a Korg DTR-1 tuner (a must!) I'm looking for a good effect unit (I think a buy the g-major, or a Lexicon MPX-2G) and I hope to find a rocktron Patchmate, so i can use some of my pedals to (like the boss od-1, cs-1 and ce-2...YES Vintage stuff!)

never had a problem so far!

?

look good, sounds good!

manual is basic,editng patches is not too simple

I use ibanez JEM and js100,marshall jcm900 100w combo+1922 cabinet with vintage 30 speakers.Rocktron has a preamp wich is good for pop rock, but doesnt have any balls.The distortion is weak and is muddy on very high gain setinngs.You cant get it to sound like rectifier or jcm or fender. Effects are good I like the reverb.

yes

I play modern rock, i had pod,tubetech preamp,line6 amp but i was most satisfied with digitech rp20.Im selling it and i will buy a digitech 2120 artist.

This pre-amp is a bit of a turd when it comes to plugging in and just dialing in. There are about 5 cool presets that you could use out of the box on stage, but I guess that's better than none with just an amp. Read the manual and then it starts to get fun. You can download patches, but you need the right equipment.
Overall the setup wasn't like pulling teeth, but was definitely not plug'n' play.

The sound here is really good. I've read everyone's reviews, but have to say myself that this unit will take on most amp modeling units out there today. This one gives real tube sound, and in comparison, I'd take this over most. I replaced the tube with one that clips at a lower volume for more intense distortion. The stock tube wasn't really giving me good metal tones. The effects are all very pretty, I just wish I understood their application better. After 13 years, I still do best with a coupla stomp boxes and a tube amp. If you want to sound like David Gilmour at any point in his career though, the sounds are in here.

My VV has taken tons of abuse, and the most I ever have to do is change a fuse now and again. I'd trust it.

N/A

I play lots of classic rock and some metal. With a little tweaking, this PA has some great tones. It's just a little confusing until you get the hang of it. Byt the second day I was getting anything from Grateful Dead to Guns 'n' Roses tones.
If it got ripped off, I'd shed a tear, but wouldn't pay money for another. It's been a good unit though, and it's great to make you friends go "Ooooo." When you use that Eruption setting to play the star-spangled banner... Oooooo.
It's got true "Valve" tone.

The Voodu Valve is an amazing unit, basically capable of getting any guitarist any tone they want. It's learning curve is a bit daunting though; it'll take a little while of sitting with the manual and tweaking things to understand it. But, fortunately, the manual isn't reminiscent in any way of say, a Behringer manual, and is easy to understand. Once you've got it figured out though, changing a million-and-one things on 10 settings at once is a breeze.

Choose any one word:
Amazing
Superb
Flawless
Perfect
There is NO sound you can't get out of this thing, except, a pristine, glassy JC-120 clean. But if you wanted that, why not go get one?
I've never heard such lush, warm tones out of anything before. I've tested it against Mesa dual- and triple-rectos, TriAxis, V-Twin, and Mark IV's, Marshal JCM's and the JMP-1, Bogner Triple-Giants, Ada Mp-1, and it blows them all away. Sure, any one of these things can come up with their respective tone as well as the Rocktron, but none of them does all these and more. And none of them can get the bone-crushing crunch this thing has... I've never heard anything so beautiful. I play 2 Ibanez Custom 7's, one AX and one RG, and it was really hard for me to find something that could faithfully reproduce the power and warmth needed to support a 7.
Flange, Chorus, Phaser, Pitch-shift, Tap-Tempo Delay, Reverb, WAH, anything you could imagine... all effects are dual voice (basically, for any effect you put on this, you can do it twice; like two seperate flanges, delays, etc). And they're all so WARM and lush sounding. I just can't get over it.
I love it!

So far, unfortunately, I've dropped it on the floor 2 or 3 times (in transport), and actually kicked it on accident, and it's still pristine... no rattling, everything perfect. Nothing even left a dent, let alone damaging the VV.
... not that I recommend trying to break it though.

I haven't had to deal with them yet... had this thing for a while, and it's still A-okay

I'm in a heavy alt-rock band, we play sort of a Staind/Incubus/MudVayne style, but it's all our own still. Low end is definetly one of our things, and the crunch I get out of this thing is amazing. All the sounds are perfect. Whatever you're looking to use this for, it won't let you down.
If this was stolen or broken (that would take a concentrated effort to do), I would go and buy another immediately.
This isn't even a, "good for the money" sort of deal; it literally crushes it's competition (ie. Mesa, Bogner, Marshall, etc), no matter the price.
Buy one today!

Easy to use if you read the manual.

The voodoovalve sounds like my first 80's Akai stereo rack, thin and noisy...
I use a Peavey Wolfgang EVH, Peavey Rockmaster Pre.amp., Mesa/Boogie 20/20 amplifier and a Mesa/Boogie 4x12" Rectifier Cabinet.
I have used sevral hours to configure this unit for the best sound, and when i plug in my all tube Rockmaster to compare the sound I'll hold on to my old Peavey Rockmaster pure fat tube sound. The Voodoo valve does to much with the sound of my gitar in addition to the effects.

I think it would pruduce stable and shitty sound for a long time :)

Sent a mail to Roctron once and they answered it right avway.

I play mostly Black Sabbath style music and for that kind of music the Voodoo Valve is in my opinion usless. If you play Queen style of music is it possible that this is the box you were looking for, i know that they used a intelliflex wich is basicly the same shit without the preamp part. If it was stolen....hmmm i would claim the innsurance and by some other box :)
Try this for great sound:
Mesa/Boogie 4x12" Rectifier Cabinet
Mesa/Boogie 20/20 All tube amplifier
Peavey Rockmaster All tube Pre-amp.
ElectroHarmonix Holy Grail Reverb

Unless you have an IQ of 2, no processor is "Hard" to use! Give me a break with this "intuitive" bullshit! Turn the freakin know...listen to how it sounds...push store! Then go take your nap GRAMPA!

"Well, I own 516 different preamps"...WHAT EVER! We are all so impressed with such knowledge. I am all too sick of the tube verses digital crap! If you like tube...fine. If you don't...fine. Don't judge this stuff on that. The VooDu Valve is a fantasic preamp. Only a moron or a lazy bufoon couldn't find the perfect tone in this little box. I dinked with it for about an hour, and had everything from the grindiest new chunky metal sounds, to Jimmy Hendrix, (if you actually want to sound like you're playing through an amp someone just put their foot through!) The notes in the chords where extremely clear and concise...you could hear every note. Warm, thick,...palm mutes are killer on just the right gain setting. If you want a warm buzzy tube sound, it is EASILY achieved! I play through an Ibanez S-520, an RG570FM, and a Schecter 006 with an Invader at the bridge, into the VooDu Valve, into a Rocktron Velocity 150, and out to 2 custom made 1X12 cabs with Vintage 30's. I am into hard rock and metal, but I have played in bands and clubs doing crap like Brittny Spears believe it or not, so I do have a good perspective of tone. I don't judge something on whether or not it is suited for JUST my tastes or style of music. I've been a professional, (touring) musician for 15 years, and I've played with a lot of gear, and people who have owned even more...this unit rules. Of course for $899.00 retail, it damn well better.

Wouldn't hesitate to take it everywhere without a backup. Rocktron is a very dependable company that has been putting out killer gear for many years...they don't sell junk!

I have delt with Rocktron in the past with both tech questions, and new parts, etc...they were very quick to reply, and had the answers that did the trick...what more can you ask for?

My current band plays everything from funk, to disco, to classic rock, to top-40, to hard rock/new metal, to originals (http://get.to/11thhourmusic) and this is an excellent tool for the job. I also own an ADA MP-1 "Classic" preamp, which is also an excellent piece of gear. I like the VooDu Valve better, because it has great FX built right in. Stolen, I would definately get another. Look at it this way,...these things hold their value for a reason. If you buy it and hate it,...which you won't...you came most likely sell it and get every penny you paid back from it.

The knobs are arranged counter-intuitively. The Digitech Valve FX has a more coherent layout - you can punch up effects for easy recall. Also, I would say the Boss GX-700 or Roland similar are the best layout of any effect processor - save the Oberheim GM-1000, which is absurdly easy and fun to use :)

I have about 17 preamps. I have everything from Lexicon to digitech, tc, etc etc. My favorites are the Peavey Rockmaster and Sony reverbs - use them together and it will blow your friggin' mind - best tone that currently exists :)

The sound of the Rocktron is merely another color on my pallate. I do not judge things saying it sounds 'dated' or this or that - if you want transparency, get sony. For warmth, lexicon, for bounce, yamaha is good - roland is smooth, colored - peavey is amazing (valve FX) for springy emulation - so Goth! :))

Anyway, the distortions of the VooDu Valve all suck. They are not bad - better than many stomp boxes - very '80's metal as they say here. But it does NOT sound as good as a tube preamp. The chunk is sloppy no matter how you set it, and the notes run together when playing high chrods and things - overly harsh and disjointed - the distortion is most certainly NOT comming from the tube!!! This is a digitial (harsh and grainy) distortion that is run through a LOW VOLTAGE tube to slop things up for warmth. The end result is fun, but plug in the rockmaster and sony combination and it utterly wipes the floor with the voodu doo doo LOL

There are basically 4 good sounds in this unit - the godzilla delay thing, the straight ahead distortions, the light reverbs (very natural and open sounding), and the pitch shift accompanyment :o) The pitch shift is equivalent to a digitech - almost identical. It tracks pretty well.

Regardless of what people say, the pre and post eq options on this unit don't really change the fundamental tone whatsoever. I get, for instance, much more variety from a rockmaster simply by changing the gain and eq!. Becasue the digital distortion is all it has and is so colored, every distortion kinda sounds like the next - even when you use their pre-post stuff.

This is not a bad preamp. It's worth the price. However, you can get better performance all around with other setups, and more flexible. Really it is a matter of taste. I would say, for straight ahead 80's style rock, this is the best single all-in-one multi-effect box you can get :) For branching beyond that, you may need something else, but it will be lacking in various areas - everything is a trade off :)

Good unit - not my favorite, but can get some tones the others cant. It is not as good in distortion as a rockmaster or Engl or triaxis, ignater, etc. It's got nice, clear sounding effects on it (unlike most)

Not to hard but takes alot of tweekin` to get a good tone.

Running into a peavey 50/50.Many guitars.4x12 celestion cab.
Very easy to get great lead tones out of & 80`s metal.Not thrash!!!It doesn`t do a good heavy,chunky rhythm very well.Too muddy & if you back down the gain its to weak.
It is kinda thin sounding to me.Good cleans,nice effects.
You will have to master the eq`s to get the goods from this.

It falls short on the high gain rhythms,but is killer on leads.Good cleans too.If you can pick one up for under 300.00 go for it.

pure parametric programming is a pain, but it's either that or get stuck in a rutt of factory presets that are never that good anyway. you must have a sharp ear and you have to get intimate with it to get the most out of this unit. clearly a trade off of versatility for convenience.

some grinding tones i have called up are absolutely astonishing. i don't see how you can get any heavier unless you double track. i play a satrianni style guitar with dimarzzio's, also a tele, all through an old music man 1/12 RD tube amp through the clean channel and a 12"EV. this rig really kicks ass. it's obvious that crunchy tones are this unit's forte. but that's what i live and die for. the reverb on this unit is a joke. although it sounds fine going direct, there is no sonic substitute for pushing air.

i have had to replace the power supply after about 4 yrs of moderate use and travel. the unit itself has yet to fail. keep a spare power supply.

This thing sounds like a 150 pound bag of manure. It is completely USELESS for a guitar preamp. The feel and tone are both terrible for guitar. The advertisements LIE when it come to this. It might sound cool for recording in a line level application for raunching various audio tracks, but it is NOT a guitar preamp. I HATE IT!

Swiss Army unit. Tons of features including built in effects. It has an AX7 tube in it also.

It has produced a steady and uninterrupted flow of reliably useless guitar tones.

haven;t needed it.

TRASH! I might pay $100 for it to use as a novelty in the studio for distorting a drum loop or something, but it REALLY SUCKS ASS as a guitar preamp.