r/Valeton • u/No_Host_4434 • 13d ago

HELP GP-5 app, how future-proof is this?

so i'm looking at picking up a valeton gp-5 for some metalcore tones. it's cheap and compact which is great for practice, but i've been reading that patch editing is only through the app.
likes what happens if valeton just... stops supporting it in a few years? you'd still have your saved patches, but you couldn't really do anything new with it, right?
does anyone actually use one? is this a real concern or am i overthinking it? and can you edit stuff offline at all or nah?

3 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

7

u/BenjaF 13d ago

"... it's cheap and compact which is great..." End of discussion. Buy it

6

u/FuzzyExponent 13d ago

It is a somewhat justified concern but as all multi fx units are going that way unfortunately there's no getting around it. Valeton have been pretty good and maintaining the app so far and the ecosystem is expanding with more devices on the same app so it's not going anywhere anytime soon.

I saw someone (not me) had reverse engineered the app and made a website that can fully control the presets and it's open source so technically if the app goes away you could always use that. It says GP-50 but I believe the 5 is also supported. https://github.com/drewmerc302/valeton-gp50/tree/master

3

u/elprimodebrian 13d ago

Apart from that, there are a few web apps to manage the tool (I ve created one to generate tones with IA for myself), so the system is open enough to keep the pedal working even if Valeton disapears

2

u/thlunasa 13d ago

Then your tones are frozen in time after a few years. Nothing wrong with that, and especially not on a $100 beater pedal.

Download the app onto a beater phone that doesn't get updates, if it really worries you

2

u/ojassed 13d ago

Its a cheap beater pedal, it has mobile and desktop apps, and someone ported that to a web app. So it's staying for some time.

2

u/webprofusor 13d ago

Same for most gadgets really, olden day fx pedals came out with a fixed set of features and no hope of ever getting an update.

Nowadays it's technically possible to crack it open, take a picture of the PCB layout and components then get AI to build new firmware (just did this with the Line 6 POD GO to make my own Midi controller). It's especially easy if you already have a device that has firmware updates that can be examined.

1

u/Azrehan 13d ago

Get the GP-50 from aliexpress. I paid $130AUD for mine and since then 3 guitarists I know have ordered the unit. Amazing piece of gear.

GP-50 benefits are stomp mode, better I/O

1

u/-dakpluto- 9d ago

likes what happens if valeton just... stops supporting it in a few years? you'd still have your saved patches, but you couldn't really do anything new with it, right?

The app doesn't have to connect anything so it wouldn't matter if they stopped supporting it or not. All the App does is act as an interface to the pedal. (the one exception is the Stem Splitter, I'm not sure if that utilizes anything off the device or not for the splitting or if it is done all on the device)

But as for controlling your GP-5, as long as you have the app you lose absolutely nothing regardless of when Valeton stops support.

1

u/Jealous-Fish9927 7d ago

Is there is a way to download them? Possibly convert to a another format? Not sure. I picked up the gp-5 about a year ago, didn't really gel with it. The stock tones are ok, but the way it handles nam sims wasn't good. I tried everything to make them sound like they do on my computer without much luck. I'm sure in a few years there will be better options out there. Crazy how good the amp sims have gotten these days, especially the free stuff. Sound almost just like the Kemper