delete Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 I'm a newb with a new Roland (Combo) VR-700 (no regrets, great instrument) that has been integrated into an existing studio setting. The midi implementation is a little different then your conventional keyboard, largely due to the many voice settings and different midi channels the instrument can recognize simultaneously. That said, I need help from someone who has successfully configured the VR-700 to respond to one user set midi channel. Typically you assign a midi channel to a keyboard and that is the end of it...not with the VR-700! If anyone is using the instrument with a computer running a sequencing program, I would like to hear from you and how you have configured the user settings to recognize midi as needed. Note* The manual explains at length the many Midi Settings on pages 57 & 58 but I have had no luck so far tweaking the perimeters. I have also sent two inquiries to Roland via there tech support, but have yet to receive a reply. Any VR-700 "power users" out there that have the midi thing licked....? TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan_evett Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 Tony, I'm not a VR-700 user, but do have a suggestion: Try contacting Roland tech support by phone. I called them last week on a matter relating to my RD-700NX, and got a support person on the line very quickly. I had a VR-760 - the VR-700's predecessor - several years ago. While the core instrument concept is similar, there are some definite differences, technically, between the two instruments. Roland tech support will best be able to help you work through your MIDI implementation questions. The reps I've talked to, over the past few years, have been very helpful. 'Someday, we'll look back on these days and laugh; likely a maniacal laugh from our padded cells, but a laugh nonetheless' - Mr. Boffo. We need a barfing cat emoticon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delete Posted March 27, 2011 Author Share Posted March 27, 2011 Try contacting Roland tech support by phone Yep, that's my next option. I too have received good help over the phone from various manufacturers over the years. The best was when I phoned Steinberg about a Cubase question. They had me log on to a web site where they immediately took over my computer, fixed the problem as I watched at home, and then logged off and handed the computer back to me...very cool... BTW, I'm really digging this new instrument. Just a meat & potatoes, take it anywhere and you're covered kinda keyboard. The piano sounds are weak but the others are rich, accurate with just the right amount of "real" thrown in....it requires beefy amplification, allowing you to hit hard when needed. The Rhodes sounds I particularly like which is what the VR-700 replaced in the studio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LX88 Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Let us know if you find any way to "tweak" the leslie sim and the chorus vibrato types on the VR 700. I have a VK8m and love it, and I was hoping from some improvement or updates from the VR 700 organ sounds but straight out of the box I just haven't been able to find it. Everyone goes for something different from organs however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bootsy Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I picked up the VR-700 a couple of weeks ago and am really impressed. I love the drawbars and the right there controls with split/layers etc. It's been a lot of fun and allows me to more capture the feel of a song with on the go changes. The major con is the weight but at least it will keep me fit! Can't wait to try it out live at a gig this Friday night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clpete Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Im not VR power user but I believe if you are using the Performance mode or Set Ups it will play on every midi channel you are sending out from your midi player. Each Set Up patch will have 16 parts with them set to all 16 midi receive tracks. You can edit each unwanted part to be set to a channel that you are not sending to. You can also set the volumes to zero but the midi signal can turn the volume back up. Not sure about the VR but I bet if you have it in the single tone mode it will only receive one channel. There also may be a general setting to turn off multitimbral midi but if you are using more than one tone or layers they typically will set to different channels. Although you can set both layers to be received on the same channel any type of controller change will affect both. Your VR may have other options. Anyway I hope this helps. We play for free. We get paid to set up and tear down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delete Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share Posted April 7, 2011 Im not VR power user but I believe if you are using the Performance mode or Set Ups it will play on every midi channel you are sending out from your midi player. Each Set Up patch will have 16 parts with them set to all 16 midi receive tracks. You can edit each unwanted part to be set to a channel that you are not sending to. You can also set the volumes to zero but the midi signal can turn the volume back up. Not sure about the VR but I bet if you have it in the single tone mode it will only receive one channel. There also may be a general setting to turn off multitimbral midi but if you are using more than one tone or layers they typically will set to different channels. Although you can set both layers to be received on the same channel any type of controller change will affect both. Your VR may have other options. Anyway I hope this helps. Thanks for that...I understand completely what you are a saying (been doing the midi thing since it was invented!) but nothing I do seems to make a difference. You are correct in saying the instrument is responding to ALL midi channels. I have ready the manual time and time again, specifically the midi user settings and have made every tweak possible. Roland has responded to my question, pretty much telling me to go the same midi pages in the manual that I have visited. The keyboard has an "upper ensemble", "lower ensemble", "upper organ", "lower organ", pedal settings and more, all factory set to different midi channels. You can change the channels as desired, but the end result doesn't give the results you would expect. For example I have 8 keyboards in the studio, all assigned there own midi channel starting at Ch#1 (My main controller Yamaha Motif)and working all the way up to Ch#8. No issues. When the VR-700 was purchased, the next logical channel to assign to it would be Ch#9. So....I went into the user settings, changed all the channels to numbers other then the ones being currently used, with Ch#9 assigned to "upper ensemble". No luck...I have experimented with using other upper and lower settings with different midi channels, only to have the instrument still respond to ALL incoming channels! I have sent a second inquiry to Roland asking about "Omini Off - Poly" Midi Mode 3 which as you know is a basic Midi protocol that can be assigned to any midi instrument. The funny thing is...the midi spec for the instrument shows the default factory setting as Midi Mode 3....go figure! I have been down this road before with instruments (don't get me started about the midi implementation of the Nord Lead 2X) and am determined to find a solution.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveMcM Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Hi Tony, I took a quick look at the VR700 manual. You have probably tried this already, but since you didn't specifically mention it... On page 65, lower right side, it states change the MIDI routing by changing the Function mode setting MIDI/Player Mode and goes on to show the four options. My original thought in looking at your first post was, could it be the General MIDI sound module portion on the instrument that is causing the problem? Maybe experimenting with the MIDI Routing settings will solve the problem. Then again, if you have 8 (now 9) keyboards in your studio, you surely have a MIDI router there somewhere. What about just dedicating a single MIDI Output to the VR700 thereby alleviating the problem external of the instrument? Just a thought. Dave Wm. David McMahan I Play, Therefore I Am Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveMcM Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Just noticed something else in the manual, bottom of page 58: The MIDI channels specified for each of the following parameters must all be different MIDI channels. The same MIDI channel cannot be shared by more than one parameter. Upper Organ MIDI Channel Lower Organ MIDI Channel Pedal Organ MIDI Channel Ensemble 1 MIDI Channel Ensemble 2 MIDI Channel Spring MIDI Channel * The Control MIDI channel must be set to a MIDI channel that is different than that of the following parameters. Rhythm MIDI Channel Ensemble 1 MIDI Channel Ensemble 2 MIDI Channel Spring MIDI Channel So unless I'm reading this wrong, according to the above it is not possible to have all sound sources receive on a common channel. Wm. David McMahan I Play, Therefore I Am Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delete Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share Posted April 7, 2011 So unless I'm reading this wrong, according to the above it is not possible to have all sound sources receive on a common channel. Thanks Dave for your comments...to answer your first response. Yes, I have tried all 4 "Midi Player Modes", thinking this is likely the answer...no luck. I am using a midi patch bay to route signals to and from the instruments, but as you know, when midi data is coming down the pipe, in my case from Steinberg Cubase 5, ALL midi data is arriving and it's up to the instrument to ignore the channels it is not set to, and only respond to the midi channel that is has been assigned. That said, your second post showing all the listed organ, ensemble, spring and pedal options is as you say, not possible to receive the same channel. Agreed, as stated in the manual. But you would think that by assigning say, Ensemble 1 to your desired midi channel and setting all the others to channels not used, the instrument would then only play Ensemble 1 voices. Trust me Dave, I have spent hours at this trying every possible configuration. I even tried using the "pedal in" midi port to no avail...I'm beginning to think that Roland might have missed the boat on this one when implementing the midi spec. It's likely the gurus at Roland thinking this is a "stage" instrument and not likely used in a studio setting being driven by a sequencer, have configured the midi mapping to behave in a multi-timbrel mode, giving you the flexibility to change the channels, but not in a way that singles out one voice source, assigned to one midi channel....if you know what I mean... (BTW, I don't receive email notifications of responses to this thread. I have "subscribed" to this thread but still don't get notifications....go figure.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveMcM Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Hi Tony, My thought (hope) was that your MIDI interface had multiple ports so you could dedicate a seperate port to just the VR700. Dave Wm. David McMahan I Play, Therefore I Am Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.