Trouble-shooting VS-Console
Before suspecting an error in the program it is important to check that the
problem is not elsewhere. The VS does not always update its display
properly after a remote change to a parameter so first clear the display
(by pressing the Play/Display button beneath the LCD) and then reselect the
parameter to see its true value. If the VS parameters correspond to
those which are displayed by the program then any "misfunctioning" of the
VS is due to the fact the parameter selection is incorrect - in this
case, refer to the VS manual.
Remember also that the communication settings are saved individually with
each song. This means that selecting a new song which does not have the
correct settings, most of all the three fundamental ones below, will cause
the program to stop working.
SYS:MID:MIDIThr = Out
SYS:MID:SysEx.Rx = On
SYS:MID:SysEx.Tx = On
Speech mode
It is possible for the program to suddenly start acting strangely,
apparently repeating a fader or pan pot control value over and over.
The usual explanation is that the fader responsible is either getting noisy
or placed just at the point between two values such that the VS keeps changing
its mind about which to use. If it happens a lot, and always with a particular
fader, it may be that the fader needs changing. If it happens just
occasionally then moving the fader up and down over its full travel a few times
(with no sound on that channel naturally!) will usually sort it out.
Temperature changes in a room can also cause the faders or pan pots to
change by a step so don't be surprised if the program and VS left alone for
a while start talking to each other now and then!
Track levels display
If Mixer Control Type is set to either Off or Sys Ex, then the track levels
display will not work since they are sent as Control Change messages.
If there is a delay between the audio and the track levels on-screen then
there are three possibilities:
1. MTC and MIDI Clock take up too much MIDI bandwidth and it is simply
not possible for the VS to send the levels data quickly enough. To
ensure good track levels display Sync Generate must be set to Off.
2. Even with Sync Generate set to Off, the delay builds up as the song
continues to play:
The computer is not fast enough to keep up with the levels data being
received at the same time as dealing with the rest of the program controls.
To maximise the computer time available to the program (read
this
first), hold the Command (Apple) key down and click on the track levels
display. The border of the track levels display will turn blue and a
message "*** Track Levels mode ***" appears. In this mode only the
transport controls are active, and the track levels display should be
more efficient. Any click outside the track levels display or the transport
controls will disable this mode, as will pressing any key. Clicking again
on the track levels display itself will exit the Track Levels mode but
leave the track levels display active.
3. Even after following steps 1 and 2 there is still a delay which builds
up over time:
At this point it will be necessary to reduce the number of tracks being
displayed. Use the check boxes beneath the track levels display to disable
the display of tracks which are not important and then command-click the
display to enable Track Levels mode. Also make sure that no other programs
are running in the background since they could be taking up CPU time.
Known problems
In Track Levels mode, clicking outside the windows of the
program will cause the program to switch to the background without disabling
the track levels display or suspending OMS. This could cause problems if
another MIDI program is switched to the front at the same time - since it
will find the serial port still in use - therefore it is recommended
to avoid using the Track Levels mode when other MIDI programs are active.