Connecting everything to VS1680

[Tay35]

Hi! I am of course a newie, but I am having a problem hooking everything up to my vs1680 and my peavey m-4000 amp and getting started. Ok, here's what i have. I have the vs1680, shure sm58 mic, general midi keyboard, Boss dr 202 and sp 202 drum machine and sampler, peavey amp, double cassette player and pc computer, with cakewalk express, Acid 3.0, vegas video 2.0, sound forge 4.5 and other computer based recording software. my problem is hooking everything up and gettin started. i would like someone to tell me also is there anything else i need, not want, but need to hook everything up right and get recording. i should be able to use my vs1680 as the mixer, though i have a midiman mixm 10. ok, please help!!1 i just got the vs1680 so im not sure on how to use everything yet, though i have the video manual, which is often times hard to understand. but i want to record music i make from my drum machine and keyboard and record the vocals from my mic and mix them down and burn to cd on my computer!!! HELP!!

[Wil Davis]

Welcome!

Roland documentation is one of the last "Great Unsolved Mysteries of the Universe" - many people spend their whole lives trying to find the question for which the ultimate answer is "42", others are content to try to make sense of the Roland VS-1680 manuals, which is no mean feat in itself. To help YOU achieve this not-quite-impossible goal, you might find this link useful. It's the Roland VS users forum, and has tons of useful information. From your description, is sounds as if you have enough stuff to keep you occupied for the next several generations - so, good luck, and happy hunting!

- Wil

PS: The VS-1680 is great - I have one and love it (well, the pre-amps are crap, but if you use something else, and set the trims all to "line" you're effectively not using them...) - but the documentation, ah! that really leaves a lot to be desired...

[TexRoadkill]

The basic answer is hook up all your keyboards/drums to the line inputs on the VS. Hook up the mic to the mic input.

Is that a guitar amp? What type of amp is it? Not sure where to put it unless I know what it is.

Hook up the outs of the VS to the input on your comp sound card to record your mixes.

[MartyMcFly]

Why does everybody say that all you have to do is hook up the outs on the VS-1680 and plug it in to the in of your sound card?
I tried that once and even though I had like 13 tracks of shit on my VS...It only recorded on the computer with two stereo track. which is useles if you want to mix on the computer. IM pretty sure that the way tex described wont work

[Tay35]

to TexRoadkill, the amp is just a regular amp i guess. it is a peavey M-4000 Mark V series, stereo power amplifier. i dont have any studio monitors yet, but i will soon. can anyone xplain the midi hookups from my general midi keyboard to the midi in and out/thru connections on the back of the roland? thanx for the replies so far, you guys have been a big help.

[TexRoadkill]

Marty - You need to study up more on the basics of recording. If you want to transfer all your tracks to the computer you need a sound card with multiple ins and a recorder with direct outs for each channel. If you have the capability to do all that on your computer than you no longer need the VS

They way I recommend would enable you to record a stereo master of your mix which is all you can do without more equipment.

I'm not sure about the midi implementation on the VS. All you need to hook up is the Key MIDI out to VS midi IN. Key MIDI in to VS MIDI out. What it can do with midi I dont know, sorry.