| The Behringer V-AMP 2/PRO Page I Built My YouTube Channel On This Thing |
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The Behringer V-Amp Pro was a rackmount amp modeler released sometime in 2003 or 2004 by Behringer, designed to compete with LIne6's POD products in form factor. It was a really cool "best kept secret" of the home-recording world at the time, and had a lot of pro-grade features that were incredibly useful on such an inexpensive $144 rackmount effects unit. I wanted to go rackmount because my mom's moody cats had destroyed FIVE units in the span of 2 years all because I left them on the floor of my room while I was at work, putting the kibbosh on my recording process multiple times, and costing me massive amounts of $$$$. I also was frustrated by the ME-33 and RP-200's lack of a decent plate reverb and delay that would allow me to get the "Crystal" voices patch my old ME-6 could do, and wanted that sound back for some new music I was working on at the time. I wound up using this unit for 11 years until it finally died and stopped working, and it was the key component in my sound for all of the Everett era demo tracks, recording scratch guitars for the Smokin' 66' EP, making demos for Smokin' 66'/Ancient Tongues, and was my main guitar sound on YouTube between 2006 and 2010 - which a short block of 2007/2008 being the Digitech GNX1.
The V-Amp Pro uses a Patch/Bank style arrangement, consisting of a total of 125 patches split into groups of 5, selectable by using either a MIDI Footswitch (like the Behringer FCB1010 which I wished I'd had when I had this thing), or using the A/B/C/D/E and arrow buttons on the front panel. It can be externally controlled using a mix of Analog pots and digital encoders on the front of the unit, or using the V-Amp Edit Software that was available on Behringer's website. Anyway, I'll jot down everything I know about this unit....Editing Software (Probably the #1 Thing I Get Asked on YouTube) I have finally found the editing software I found previously for this unit located here (VampDesign2_03.zip). I'm hosting it at my Geocities.ws acct. I will start archiving a lot of these old editors there so we can get our hands on them still even when the official sources no longer allow us to. To use the software, you will need some kind of MIDI-to-USB Device unless you are using a vintage PC with an old school gameport on it (or a Gameport to USB Adapter....maybe). The Midi out on the VAMP goes to the MIDI In on the cable, and the Midi in on the VAMP goes to the MIDI Out on the cable - just so you know how it's supposed to be connected. Most likely you will want to put it on Channel 2 for editing (that's what I used). Rundown on the Editing Software  When you first open Vamp Edit, you most likely will get this first panel (left). The list of devices should scan and populate the product you wish to edit (Vamp, Vamp Pro. Vamp 2, Bass Vamp...etc), Just highlight that and click okay. There's also a Tuner here, and there's multiple profiles you can save for the device so that it runs differently depending on what setup you are choosing to use.
Patch/Bank Arrangement
Behringer V-Amp Pro Default Preset List
How I'd Organize My own Presets Now, seeing as I had no need for 125 guitar presets, I could hardly fill the fifteen banks I allotted myself for it, I partitioned, at least in my mind, the presets into groups based on instrument, so I could keep everything organized. So the first groups in blue were guitar presets. These were what you heard me using on YouTube the most often, particularlly Preset 02, which would periodically change. In Red are the BASS presets, these were mostly used for bass guitar, the first one was the one I used the most. Then there were the synth presets, which I used only with the non-stereo synthesizers in my collection, namely the PSS-80, PSS-50, PSS-170, Data-O-Tone MP835, Windsor X11, and Casio PK-1 and PT-1. These were to fatten up the sound, make it less video-gamey, and offer some effects not available on the others. Lastly, in purple, were experiments/celebrity/retro presets. Sometimes I wanted to experiment with getting different sounds or seeing if I could glitch-out the system by using extreme parameters on some effect(s) and causing neat sounds I could use as effects or textures on pieces of music.
Behringer V-Amp Pro Default Preset List
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When you click Ok after selecting a device (or not in my case), you will see the main patch list on the screen. This patch list will populate with all the patches found on the device (or none, if none). You Can Double Click on the patches to open them up in the editor. (right)
In the Editor (Left) for each patch you will see various sections that control the parameters for the unit. This is where patch editing takes place including naming the patch, comparing it, setting up amp models, effects, noise gate, and what have you. These include (left-right, top-bottom)....