Instructions for using the VS-Console program
MIDI connections
OMS and FreeMIDI
Recommended settings
Starting up the program
Menus
Keyboard controls
Preferences dialog
-> Speech feedback and keyboard control
mode
Main window
-> Track levels display
Effect Send window
Aux Send / Track Level window
Song Info window
MIDI / Sync window
Effect Parameters window
Final comments
MIDI connections
First ensure that OMS has been correctly configured. For the VS-880 device,
use a name which includes both "VS" and "80" because when the program
starts up it will search for the first device with both these strings in
its name (thus "VS880", "VS-880", "Roland VS880" and "VS-880 HDR" would all
work). Make sure in the VS-880 device info that MTC and MMC are enabled both
for sending and for receiving.
Connect the MIDI output of the VS-880 to the appropriate MIDI input of the
Macintosh MIDI interface, and the MIDI input of the VS-880 to the
appropriate input. Do not connect other MIDI instruments to the same
input/output ports to avoid confusing the program.
The VS-880 song must have the following three settings made
before starting the program:
SYS:MID:MIDIThr = Out
SYS:MID:SysEx.Rx = On
SYS:MID:SysEx.Tx = On
Important: remember that these settings are saved with the song,
therefore changing to a different song which does not have these settings
made will cause the program to lose contact with the VS-880.
OMS and FreeMIDI together
For those who have MOTU interfaces it is possible to have both OMS and
FreeMIDI installed so long as the following settings are made:
OMS preferences
Run MIDI in Background must be disabled
FreeMIDI preferences
Allow other applications must be enabled
OMS Emulation must be disabled
Recommended VS-880 settings
These settings are not required for the program to be usable but allow the
full range of functions (all these settings can be changed from within the
program itself).
MID:MMC = SLAVE (allows the transport and locate buttons to be used)
MID:P.C.Scne = On (allows the scene select buttons to be used)
MID:P.C.Eff = On (allows preset effect patch selection)
For the program to be able to display the song position while it is
playing, the following settings are required:
Syn:Source = INT
Syn:Gen. = MTC (*)
(*) when displaying track levels it will probably be necessary to disable sync
generation for best performance (see
here
).
For intelligent interfaces which may redirect MTC/MMC, see also
here.
Starting the program
First turn down any monitors to which the VS-880 may be connected -
neither the VS-880 nor the program prevent the accidental creation of
feedback loops or extreme volume settings that could cause damage to
speakers and/or ears. Double-click on the VS-Console program icon to start it.
A window will open to show the progress as the program registers itself
with OMS. If OMS is not installed or version 1.x is installed then the
program will report that it cannot continue and then quit. If all is Ok
then the following dialog window will be displayed:
The VS Input and VS Output settings must correspond to the OMS VS-880 device.
If for any reason the program does not select the correct devices on startup
(ie the names do not correspond to the rules already described) then select
them now by clicking on the boxes to access the popup menus with all the OMS
devices. With simple MIDI interfaces the Sync Input should be the same as the
VS Input and the MMC Output the same as the VS Output. For intelligent
interfaces it may be necessary to select the interface itself for either or
both of these two (see the
hints
page).
Now click on the button "Check communications". If everything is Ok the
response should arrive almost instantly, something like this:
(obviously the system software revision will not necessarily be 3.03).
Note also the Device ID value, which can be changed on the VS-880
directly. The actual ID value does not matter, but do not change it while
the program is running otherwise the program will lose contact with the
VS-880.
If contact is not established, the following dialog will appear after a
short wait:
This means that either the command did not reach the VS-880 (watch to see
if the MIDI/DISK LED flashes green) or the reply did not reach the
computer. Possible reasons are errors in the connections either
physically (the MIDI cables), in the OMS studio setup, or in the VS-880
MIDI settings as shown in the message. It also happens occasionally that
the first attempt after starting up the computer does not work (if, for
example, the interface was not switched on before the computer) so it is
worth trying a couple of times just to be sure.
NB there is no point trying to continue with the program until the
correct response is received - click Quit and check the OMS studio setup
and/or the interface settings.
If everything is working, dismiss the message window and then click Ok to
continue. The main window should open, initially only a couple of green flashing
"LED"s will be seen showing that the program is communicating with the VS-880
and then the whole window should be drawn.
Menus
Apple menu
About VS-Console displays the program version and the amount of free
memory available to the program.
File menu
Open is available only when the Effect Parameters window is open
and in front. This allows the opening of previously saved effect patch
files.
Close closes the front window (unless only the main window is open
in which case this selection is disabled).
Save is available only when the Effect Parameters window is open
and in front. This allows the saving of the presently selected effect
patch to a disk file.
Quit quits the program. If the track levels are enabled when Quit is
selected then they are disabled on quitting (the VS-880 should always
start up with the levels disabled, and this setting can only be enabled via
remote control).
Edit menu
(in addition to the standard options)
Preferences... opens the
preferences dialog
.
OMS menu
OMS Version... displays the OMS version installed.
OMS Studio Setup... opens the OMS Studio Setup program (*).
OMS MIDI Setup... opens the OMS MIDI Setup window (*).
MIDI Analyser opens a window with a rudimentary graphical and
hexadecimal display of the MIDI data being received. If it isn't obvious
how it works and what it is doing then it won't be any use me explaining it
anyway:)
(*) it is quite likely that the program doesn't respond correctly to all the
possible changes that can be made with these two options (and it is
certainly possible to make changes that will leave the program unable to
communicate with the VS-880) - you have been warned...
VS-880 menu
Software Version... displays the same message as that which is shown
when the Check communications button is pressed in the startup
dialog.
Console brings the
main window
to the front (disabled if the main window already is the front window).
Effect Send opens the
effect send window if it is not
already open, or brings it to the front if it is open but not the front
window.
Aux Send / Track Level opens the
aux send and track levels window
if it is not already open, or brings it to the front if it is open but not
the front window.
Song Info opens the
song information window if it is
not already open, or brings it to the front if it is open but not the front
window.
MIDI / Sync opens the
MIDI and sync settings window if it
is not already open, or brings it to the front if it is open but not the
front window.
Effect Parameters opens the
effect patch editing window
if it is not already open, or brings it to the front if it is open but not the
front window.
Update Settings updates the settings of the frontmost window. Use
this after making changes directly on the VS-880 instead of with the program.
If the shift key is held down when selecting this option then all the open
windows will be updated (this would be necessary after changing song, for
example).
Shortcuts menu
This menu has three operating modes, and all its items are called using
the command key with a number 0-9 so that it acts a keyboard shortcut.
In all modes, Command-Control-0 (zero) opens all windows in the VS-880
menu (apart from the Software version) and then brings the main console
window back to the front. On opening the program the shortcut mode is
Transport controls mode.
Transport controls mode
Command-0 Change to Scene mode
Command-1 To Zero
Command-2 Rewind
Command-3 Fast Forward
Command-4 Stop
Command-5 Play
Command-6 Record
Command-7 Speak song position Hour:Minute:Second (*)
Command-8 Speak song position Minute:Second:Frame (*)
Command-9 Speak song position Hour:Minute:Second:Frame (*)
(*) only when speech is enabled
NB These commands require the VS-880 to be MMC Slave, and to speak the
current song position it must also be set to generate MTC sync.
Scene mode
Command-0 Change to Locate mode
Command-1 Recall Scene 1
Command-2 Recall Scene 2
Command-3 Recall Scene 3
Command-4 Recall Scene 4
Command-5 Recall Scene 5
Command-6 Recall Scene 6
Command-7 Recall Scene 7
Command-8 Recall Scene 8
Command-9 Speak song position Hour:Minute:Second:Frame (*)
(*) only when speech is enabled
NB These commands require the Scene change by PG# option to be
enabled, and to speak the current song position the VS must also be set
to generate MTC sync.
Locate mode
Command-0 Change to Transport controls mode
Command-1 Go to Locate 1 (!)
Command-2 Go to Locate 2 (!)
Command-3 Go to Locate 3 (!)
Command-4 Go to Locate 4 (!)
Command-5 Go to Locate 5 (!)
Command-6 Go to Locate 6 (!)
Command-7 Go to Locate 7 (!)
Command-8 Go to Locate 8 (!)
Command-9 Speak song position Hour:Minute:Second:Frame (*)
(!) hold control key down as well to set the Locate based on the current
song position.
(*) only when speech is enabled
NB These commands require the VS-880 to be MMC Slave, and to speak or set
the current song position it must also be set to generate MTC sync.
Keyboard controls
Place the cursor over any control and press the space bar to get the
program to display the current value of that control in the usual message
text area of the main window (when speech mode is active the position of
the cursor is ignored and the value of the currently selected
control is spoken instead). A beep will sound if the cursor is not above
a valid control.
The following keys are also defined for VS actions:
1-8 Move to locate (!)
0 Stop if playing, otherwise To Zero (!)
Enter Play (!)
* Record (!)
(!) VS must be MMC slave for command to work.
Preferences dialog
Click here
for information about the Preferences dialog.
Speech feedback and keyboard control mode
Click here
for information on the Speech feedback and keyboard control mode.
Main window
Screen shot
Always open, can be brought to the front using Command-M
Vertically the main window is divided into three sections.
To the left is the Input Mix section which is active only when Input Mix
or Track Mix is selected. In Input->Track mode this section is disabled,
as seen by the greyed-out controls which will not respond when clicked.
The centre section is the Track section which applies to both the Input->Track
and Track Mix modes. The controls are of five different types:
Popup menus (click and select from menu)
Channel status controls (click and select from menu)
Rotary controls (click and drag, circular motion) (*)
(*) linear vertical motion if Active Controls mode selected in
Preferences dialog
.
Slider controls (click and drag, vertical motion)
Channel link switches (click on/off)
(notice how the second channel changes to match the first, and that
switching on or off the channel link for a pair of channels takes a second or so
while the window updates all settings via MIDI).
Between the virtual track selectors and the pan pots are indicators which
do not respond to being clicked, but are there to show what the settings
in the effect send and aux send/track levels windows without having to
have these windows open all the time:
The top left of the group of four represents the aux send setting. If it
is off then the box is grey, if it is set to pre-fader then the box is
yellow, and if it is set to post-fader then the box is orange.
The top right box represents the track level setting, grey means that
the track level setting is 0, light blue means that the track level value is
negative (set to reduce the output level), and pink means that the track
level value is positive (set to increase the output level).
The bottom two boxes represent the effect send settings. Grey means off,
yellow means pre-fader, orange means post-fader, red means that the effect
is inserted on that channel.
Once the layout and controls are understood it should be straightforward
to understand how to use the program. Exactly what the controls do is
obviously a subject for the VS-880 manual. Further help can be obtained from
the VS-880 application guide which can be downloaded from
Roland and the various mailing lists
(see
links
page.
To the right there are several different control/indicator blocks, plus at
the bottom the remaining mixer controls.
At the top there is a row of boxes which act as "LED" indicators to show the
status of communications:
The Tx box flashes green when the program sends MIDI commands to the VS-880
(also yellow if MMC commands are sent to the MMC Output port).
The Rx box will flash when incoming MIDI data is detected. It may flash green,
yellow or red. Always green means that the data is being dealt with quickly
enough by the program so that there is no risk of losing information as it
comes in. If it flashes orange occasionally there is some overlap but the
program has a secondary buffer which should handle things Ok. If it
flashes red then the buffer has overflowed because data is coming in too fast
for the program to handle it.
The Sync box will be disabled (greyed border) if the Sync Input setting is
the same as the VS Input setting. If, instead, the Sync Input setting is
different then it will respond to data coming in on the Sync Input port.
This "LED" will flash yellow in normal operation, or red if buffer
overflow occurs.
The MMC box flashes pink if an MMC command is received on either the Input
or Sync ports.
The MTC box turns blue if MTC is being received on the Sync Input port (or
the normal VS Input if the Sync Input is not enabled).
The Clk box turns light blue if MIDI clock is being received on the Sync
Input port (or the normal VS Input if the Sync Input is not enabled).
NB the program does not respond to MIDI clock, it simply indicates that
it is being received.
Beneath the status indicators is the track levels display area. Clicking on
this box enables the track levels display, and it will change from grey to
white:
The channel levels are drawn in the same order as on the VS-880 LCD display.
Beneath the track levels display there are check boxes which correspond to
each individual channel (in the above picture only the main output tracks
are enabled). Disabling the display of some channels may help to prevent
the track levels getting out-of-sync with the sound which can happen on slower
computers. The most obvious sign of the program not keeping up is that the
track levels appear to continue after the VS-880 has stopped (see the
trouble-shooting
section for hints on how to minimise this problem.
When the song is playing, something like the following should be seen:
While the song is playing it is still possible to make changes. However,
if the track levels are enabled then while the mouse button is pressed the
track level transmission is temporarily disabled to prevent the MIDI buffer
filling up. To avoid the program constantly disabling and re-enabling the
track levels display, switch it off when not needed (by clicking again on the
display box so that it turns grey).
Beneath the track levels display there are the popups for selecting Mixer Mode
and (for Input Mix/Track Mix) the EQ type. If the EQ type is set to 2-band
then all the Mid EQ controls will be disabled. NB if the EQ type does not
allow the selection of 3-band this simply means that more than the allowed
limit of eight EQs are presently enabled
Below the popups are the Scene and Locate buttons. If the necessary
VS-880 MIDI setting has not been made for the command desired (see
recommended settings
) then the program will sound a beep.
For the Scene selection all the open windows will be updated once the
VS-880 has changed scene. For the Locate selection, the song position
indicators will update if MTC generation and reception are correctly
configured. Holding the Command key down and clicking a Locate button
will set that Locate point to the current song position.
Below the Scene and Locate buttons are the song position indicators (these
cannot be changed from the program) and the transport controls. If MTC
reception is working then the song position indicators will update when the
song is playing or whenever the VS-880 sends a song position command. If
the VS-880 is set to MMC Slave mode then the transport controls can be
pressed (note that the screen controls for fast-forward and rewind work
in a different way to the physical buttons on the VS-880; the VS-880 continues
to fast-forward or rewind until the stop button is pressed).
Effect Send window
Screen shot
Can be opened or brought to the front using Command-E
This window allows the editing of the effect send parameters for all the
mixer channels. Once the main window is understood, it should be clear how
this window works. Points to note are that the controls are enabled/disabled
according to how the effect send is configured. If effect send is off then
none of the rotaries corresponding to that effect and channel are enabled.
If set to Pre or Post (pre-fader or post-fader) then the send and balance
controls are active. If set to Insert then the insert send and insert return
controls are active. Note also that a bar is drawn between channel numbers
at the bottom of the window if those channels are linked. Obviously the
Input Mix controls are only active in Input Mix/Track Mix mode.
Aux Send / Track Level window
Screen shot
Can be opened or brought to the front using Command-A
This window allows the editing of the aux send and track level parameters
for all the mixer channels. The same comments here apply as for the effect
send window.
Song Info window
Screen shot
Can be opened or brought to the front using Command-I
This window shows the essential details of the song selected. The only
editable setting is the song name. To change the name, click on the text
box which will be highlighted:
Edit the name as usual (a beep will sound if the limit of 12 characters is
reached or an illegal character is typed) and then either click outside the
text box (but within the same window) or press either the return or
enter keys. At this point the new name will be sent and the text box will no
longer be highlighted:
Changing window or closing the window without following these instructions
will leave the song name unchanged.
Note that the VS-880 does not always update its display after changes, so
it may be necessary to clear the display and then reselect the song name
again in order to see that the changes have been made.
Also, the non-alphanumeric characters on the Macintosh may not always
correspond to the characters of the VS-880.
MIDI / Sync window
Screen shot
Can be opened or brought to the front using Command-Y
This window allows the editing of the main parameters associated with MIDI
control and sync of the VS-880. The edit boxes with numbers and arrows can
be used in two ways. Firstly by editing the text as described for the Song
Info window. Secondly the values can be incremented by a single step clicking
on the up/down arrows to the right of the text.
Regarding the Mixer Control Type setting:
The program recognises and responds to the control change messages for
both
MID:CtrType = C.C. (Ctrl Chg)
and
MID:CtrType = Excl (Sys Ex)
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 set
to Ctrl Chg then changes made on the VS-880 control panel to the main
parameters of the mixer settings such as fader levels, pan, EQ will be sent
to the program. If set to Sys Ex then all parameters associated with the
mixer can be changed on the VS-880 and the program will update its display
accordingly. For other changes it will still be necessary to use the Update
Window command.
Effect Parameters window
Screen shot
Can be opened or brought to the front using Command-P
This window allows the editing of the effects patches. As such it changes
size and configuration of the controls according to the effect algorithm
selected. The controls common to all effect algorithms are along the top of
the window. The popup to the left selects between effect 1 and effect 2.
The effect patch name is next, editable in the same way as the song name.
The second popup selects the effect algorithm. Finally there is a numeric
box which allows (if the MIDI
settings
of the VS-880 are correct) the
selection of the effect presets as follows:
0 - 99 select A00 to A99
100 - 199 select B00 to B99
200 - 299 select U00 to U99
Note that the value must change in order for the patch change message to
be sent, it is not enough to select and then de-select the preset number.
The program will beep if the preset number is changed but the effect change
via MIDI is not enabled on the VS-880. However, there is one situation
where the user must remember what is happening - while editing effect 2,
selecting a preset which is not allowed to be used for effect 2 will appear
to do nothing. The program has no information about whether the preset
number is legal or not, therefore it cannot prevent this or warn of the
error. Just remember that, for example, presets A00 - A21 cannot be used
with effect 2 so selecting them will have no effect on the patch
settings.
Below the top row are the controls used to adjust the parameters associated
with the effect algorithm selected. For the moment only rotary and popup
controls are used despite the fact that some, such as the graphic EQ, would
obviously be better with slider controls as well.
In this window (and only in this window) it is possible to adjust values
by steps. Making sure that the edit boxes for effect name and preset
number are not active, position the cursor over one of the rotary controls and
hold down the Command (Apple) key. The cursor should change to show a box with
an arrow. With only Command pressed the box should contain a plus sign.
Clicking on a rotary control with the cursor like this should increase the
value by one (unless the control is already at its maximum, in which case
the program will beep). To decrease the value, hold down both Command and
Option (Alt) and the cursor changes to show a minus sign in the box.
Holding down Shift or Control as well as Command (with or without Option)
changes in steps of 10 instead of 1 (the plus or minus sign of the cursor
is also drawn in bold). Note that the Command and other modifier keys
must be held down while clicking.
With this window to the front it is also possible to save the displayed
effect patch to disk for reloading later. Select Save from the File menu
and the program will present the usual dialog for saving the file (this
file is compatible with VS-Copy, the freeware program for the PC from
Polarsonic
). To load the file again, the program must be open with the Effect
Parameters window to the front (it is not possible to double-click on the
file to open the program, in fact the file type is deliberately set
to '????' so that it is not associated with any program). At this point
select Open from the File menu and the file can be selected and downloaded
to the VS-880. For loading patch files the file type must be set
to '????' (some internet programs incorrectly set the file type
of supposedly unknown files to 'TEXT', in which case double-clicking on the
file will open SimpleText instead). If there are problems there are many
freeware/shareware programs which allow the type to be set with a simple
drag-and-drop operation.
Final Comments
I hope that this program will make the use of the VS easier and therefore
more productive, and I'd really like to hear any music that it helps to
create.
For CD's, bug reports, or whatever,
contact me by e-mail