VB3m Question

[BenWaB3]

I've been looking into adding the VB3m app into my arsenal for iPhone & iPad. However, some of the reviews complain about the inability to store your own presets. Those reviews are 2 years old though and I was wondering if that issue has been fixed. I had emailed an inquiry into GSI a few weeks ago but never got an answer. I have the BX-3 and really like it but it doesn't seem to be available for the phone. Does anyone know if the VB3m can store user's edits and presets? Thanks.

[Baldwin Funster]

1 hour ago, BenWaB3 said:

I've been looking into adding the VB3m app into my arsenal for iPhone & iPad. However, some of the reviews complain about the inability to store your own presets. Those reviews are 2 years old though and I was wondering if that issue has been fixed. I had emailed an inquiry into GSI a few weeks ago but never got an answer. I have the BX-3 and really like it but it doesn't seem to be available for the phone. Does anyone know if the VB3m can store user's edits and presets? Thanks.

Yes you can store presets and even send them to a cloud of some kind. 

But I find it a little clunky and I'm not sure if all settings get saved. I'd know more but B3x gets all my attention and only use vb3m on a rare occasion these days.

[BenWaB3]

Thanks for the reply, Baldwin. I really like BX-3 also but can't find a way to port it over to the phone. I'll probably still use it for most scenarios but will try to program the VB3m to a useable set of presets & download it onto the phone for a situation that calls for a phone only setup. Thanks again.

[Baldwin Funster]

I find the best way to use vb3m is to use the upper and lower manuals. Get a controller that can go from Ch1 to Ch2 very quickly.  It's easier to set up 2 sounds and switch between than to go to the presets page and select a preset. You can send PC messages to change presets on the fly but that requires an extra midi piece and that negates the simplicity of a phone based rig.

[Reezekeys]

9 hours ago, Baldwin Funster said:

You can send PC messages to change presets on the fly but that requires an extra midi piece and that negates the simplicity of a phone based rig.

 

I'm not sure I get this - many if not most controller keyboards you'd use to play VB3m should have the ability to send PC messages, no?

[Baldwin Funster]

54 minutes ago, Reezekeys said:

 

I'm not sure I get this - many if not most controller keyboards you'd use to play VB3m should have the ability to send PC messages, no?

What I was sort of referring to is that with a phone with vb3m and say any yamaha psr with usb sitting in the corner, you have a usable organ setup. That is if your phone has a headphone out, which mine doesn't. But you need a carrying bag with a couple cables and other doodads anyways. It's never as simple as just a phone and keyboard. Where I contradict myself is the psr doesn't send PC or CC or have the ability to change midi channels it sends note commands on. So you couldnt change from upper to lower manual anyways so the OP is back to the presets. Which means changing pages which you will find hard to do midsong if you wanted to do that.

[BenWaB3]

Thanks for the replies Baldwin and Reezekeys. My current setup is a Korg Nautilus 73 so it should send out a program change every time I call up a voice, plus I can go directly from the phone or pad through the usb-b on the back of the Nautilus, eliminating the need for a separate audio cord . In theory I should be able to get good Hammond sounds out of the Nautilus but so far that hasn’t been working out as well as it should. Thanks again. 

[Reezekeys]

I'm not sure this has any relevance here but I play VB3m as an AUv3 in AUM, and AUM has its own preset system where one can store virtual instrument plugins' settings. I'm pretty sure you can assign any controller to change these presets. Gonna make sure and will report and & possibly edit this post if I find out I'm wrong!

[BenWaB3]

Thanks, Reezekeys. Sounds good. I'm off to a Sunday performance right now & won't have the chance to see how well I can integrate VB3m with the Nautilus until at least tomorrow. I had done a quick "run BX-3 from the iPad & see if the Nautilus will play it" test last week but didn't get into the nits & gnats of programming, and it worked well.

[drawback]

On 6/3/2023 at 8:48 AM, BenWaB3 said:

I've been looking into adding the VB3m app into my arsenal for iPhone & iPad. However, some of the reviews complain about the inability to store your own presets. Those reviews are 2 years old though and I was wondering if that issue has been fixed. I had emailed an inquiry into GSI a few weeks ago but never got an answer. I have the BX-3 and really like it but it doesn't seem to be available for the phone. Does anyone know if the VB3m can store user's edits and presets? Thanks.

I use B-3X on my iPads but have just bought VB3m for my iPhone, and haven’t been able to save my own preset either. Has anyone solved this?

[Reezekeys]

This procedure, copied & pasted from the built-in help, doesn't work for you guys? It does for me.

 

"Here you find the list of Programs. Scroll the list, select a Program then tap on RECALL to activate it. To save your Program, after adjusting all sound parameters, return to this page, select the memory slot where you want to store your new Program (the existing one will be overwritten without notice), double-tap on the name to enter a new name then tap OK to store. If you also want to assign a specific Midi Program Change number, double-tap on the number and enter your choice, then tap OK to make the change permanent."

[drawback]

For some reason it doesn’t. It all works except the save. iPhone SE iOS 16.5.1

[Reezekeys]

I had to make sure since it's been a while. I can definitely save a new preset. The "double-tap on the name to enter a new name" part was a bit flaky, it took a few tries (actually I just tried again and it worked straight off - maybe you have to be precise in where you tap?). When I hit "OK", switched to a different preset, then back to the one I just saved, all my settings were recalled.

 

My VB3m version is 1.2.3, running on my iPad 9G with iPadOS 16.3. I was using VB3m standalone, didn't try any of this while hosted in AUM.

[drawback]

I’ve found the problem. Using an asterisk in a name will negate the save function. And the naming feature doesn’t allow for special characters either.
 

I’m in the habit of saving my own edited programs with an asterisk so I can spot them quickly in a list. I won’t with VB3m!