VS880ex

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mthomas

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I have the instruction manuals that came with this machine. I bought the Application guide 1.0 (slightly better). I have had this thing for a year and i feel like a perpetual hacker. does anyone out there know of a book (or anything else) that is a good source to learn how to use this machine?

I spent most of last night trying to bounce the tracks of a simple song onto tracks 7/8, with reverb and compression. That should be simple, but the instructions will say push this button and the status lights will blink green and they don't. (just an example).

Help!!!!!!!!!

Mthomas...................FRUSTRATED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
VS880EX

BBB Thank you for the response. VSplanet must be off line, I only got an error message when i tried to get there. I suspect it is temporary and I will try again.

As for the instructions, I think I read in one of the threads that you use the 880 and have for several years. Do you use any instructional manual other that the ones that came with the unit? I saw one in the Interstate music book, but didn't want to buy it (29.95), unless I was fairly sure it would be helpful. The main problem i am having involves bouncing with effects to channels 7/8 for a sterio mix to burn to a cd burner. I follow all the directions, but seem to come up without the effects. I am rally tired of hacking to accomplish anything at all. Thanks for your help. Mike
 
880ex app guide

You can download a vs880ex application guide from this website.
http://www.geocities.com/stevemphillips/
I just bought an 880ex from ebay so I can't be of much help yet,but once VSPlanet is back up,you can search the bbs for more specific info.
 
hi mthomas

maybe this will help.

The fader/edit button must be green to route tracks 1-6 to 7/8 for bouncing.

Press Channel Edit 7, and Parameter right till you see Channel Link: Turn it on.

Now for the routing:

Hold down status 7: The screen should blink "assign"
Press Clear : to clear any previous routting.
While holding status 7 and while the screen is still blinking "assign", touch Channel Edit Buttons 1-6.

Now your ready to bounce to 7 and 8. Get your levels nice and healthy, and Press Rec & Play.

Notice we did not do anything with the effects. This is because we can not insert tracks 1-6 into a mastering tool kit effect. After you bounce to 7/8, then we will do one more bounce with 7/8 inserted into a mtk effect giving us a multi-band compressor, eq, and more.

Bounce to tracks 5/6 virtual track 2. (if that v track is open.)
Press Channel Edit 5.
Turn Channel Link to on, and Switch to V Track 2.

Dial up a MTK Effect: Mixdown on effects A
Insert Effects A on Track 7/8

Now route 7/8 to bounce to 5/6:
Hold down status 5 : screen blinks assign
Press Clear : while holding status 5
While still holding status 5, Press Channel Edit 7.

Remeber that Fader edit must be green when routing tracks for bouncing.

Now make status 5/6 to red,
status 7/8 green
All Other Status = Off

Record and Play.

Also, Roland has great support. Sometimes just talking to someone on the phone is a lot more clear than reading for these kinds of tasks.

I apologize to the recording bbs gods for the long winded post..
~gm
www.midi-it.com
 
Apologize? Heh. Excellent post.

And vsplanet was down for a couple of days. I hear it is back up.


Matt
 
MAS mode

There's just one tiny detail....if you recorded your tracks in MAS mode,you can't use tracks 7&8, 'cause the VS880EX is a six track machine in MAS mode.If this is the case,all is not lost,you can send your tracks 1-6 out to a CD burner or DAT via S/PDIF and bring the 2 mix back into the EX as a new song and start over from there.Cheers!
 
Thanks to all y'all (plural) for the tips on my bouncing problem. I just go home from work and intend to spend some time trying to get a very simple mix bounced over to 7/8 w/effects. I am then going to attack my next prolem; burning it to a CD with sufficient volume to approxamate a professionally mastered CD.

The first thing I am doing to increase volume is to boost the DB's on each channel's attenuation. I will also mess with the settings on the compression, once i have it mixed to 7/8. Any other suggestions?

I have so many questions, I am just happy to find this place to get feedback from others. Thanks again to all!

Mike
 
To increase db, add limiting at the end of the signal chain. Not enough to mess with the mix, just enough to eliminate almost inaudible transients.
 
Can't say for sure right now. I don't have my effects manual in front of me. Also, I have the older VS-880 that doesn't have the mastering features. Thus, I do my mastering externally through Finalizer Plus to a PC and then to the PC burner. The Finalizer has all the mutiband compression and limiting I need.

If the A-66 effect is the limiter, it will probably perform the function adequately.


Matt
 
Ok, I am seriously about to start smoking again! I really do appreciate everyones help! General MIDI had a great post with some helful information. Here are some basic questions for anyone with the answers:

1) can you bounce with different effects on particular channels? For instance, reverb on the vocal track and accustic guitar on the guitar track. Bounce these tracks to a sterio mix (7/8) in order to burn the mx down to a cd?

If the answer is no, I am astounded!!!!!! How do people get the good sounding finished products? and What good is adding effects to a dry track, if you can't burn that track onto a cd, because you can't bounce it down to 7/8 with effects????????


I realize I can add an effect (like compression) to the entire sterio mix. I am talking about using my internal effects processors to get the mix/sound I want, before mastering the sterio mix.

Also, Now that I am on a roll; It would seem I should be able to bounce, with effects, Then reuse the effects. For instance:

Use 6 channels for drums------add effects---------mix down--------bounce those 6 channels to a sterio pair.

Then sing 4 vocal parts---dry----add effects------mix down------bounce that mix with effects to another sterio pair.

etc, etc, etc

Then bounce it all to the finaL sterio pair 7/8. Compress and eq the results to master the mix and burn it down.

IS MY MACHINE 880EX CAPABLE OF THIS? I MUST BE MISSING THE BIG PICTURE OR SOMETHING.

i KNOW I SOUND WHINEY, BUT I HAD BEEN MAKING PRETTY GOOD ANALOG TAPES. I SPECT $500 ON A ROLAND CD BURNER AND HAE BEEN TOTAY FRUSTRATED SINCE!

ANY HELP IS GREATLY APPRRECIATED!!

MIKE
 
Crapola

mthomas said:
1) can you bounce with different effects on particular channels? For instance, reverb on the vocal track and accustic guitar on the guitar track. Bounce these tracks to a sterio mix (7/8) in order to burn the mx down to a cd?
Click to expand...

Yes.

Also, Now that I am on a roll; It would seem I should be able to bounce, with effects, Then reuse the effects. For instance:

Use 6 channels for drums------add effects---------mix down--------bounce those 6 channels to a sterio pair.

Then sing 4 vocal parts---dry----add effects------mix down------bounce that mix with effects to another sterio pair.
Click to expand...

Yes, yes.

Then bounce it all to the finaL sterio pair 7/8. Compress and eq the results to master the mix and burn it down.

IS MY MACHINE 880EX CAPABLE OF THIS?
Click to expand...

Yes, yes, yes.

i KNOW I SOUND WHINEY,
Click to expand...

Yes. Uhh. I mean no. ;)

BUT I HAD BEEN MAKING PRETTY GOOD ANALOG TAPES. I SPECT $500 ON A ROLAND CD BURNER AND HAE BEEN TOTAY FRUSTRATED SINCE!

ANY HELP IS GREATLY APPRRECIATED!!
Click to expand...

Ok. Well this help could be a little more helpful. I'd tell you to RTFM, but I know the manuals aren't that great. The VS-880 is pretty powerful, but unfortunately, it's not always the most intuitive.

The reason this help could be more helpful is that I'm not going to give you all the information you need. Mainly because I rarely bounce tracks and the last time I did was years ago. Thus, I'd probably be driven to smoking to figure it out again.

From what I can remember, there are three different modes of the VS-880. I think one is "Track" mode. Yours may be different with the new EZ routing navigation. Be that as it may, on my VS-880 Xpanded, you had to change the modes and insert the effect through the main mix when recording to the new tracks with the "pre insert" enabled.

Ok... I just checked a pic of the VS-880 EX and it doesn't seem to have the modes that mine does. Thus, you may have to use the "EZ routing" to perform the desired function.

Ok... a little more research. The EZ routing function may show you how to do the process. It has a "submix" option. Then again, the EZ routing function might not help...

Urgh. Time to start smoking. :rolleyes: ;)

Hope that helped (a little).


Matt
 
Thanks Matt, It is morning and I am drinking coffee and muc more relaxed. I have probably 25 songs on this machine and I have been working/experimenting with three of them. When I first got the cd burner, Imixed threesongs downto 7/8 and burned them off. I somehow managed (I think) to do it with effects. At that point the big issue was getting more volume.

Now, I can't seem to get the mix with effects to save my soul. I do read the manuals and I always thought I was reasonably intellegent. This machine has got me doubting.......

I do thank you for the feedback! Gotta go to work.

Mike
 
Routing Effects!!!

Ok, glad to hear you are bouncing tracks successfully!!

That is one thing I forgot to mention in my previous post. To record your effects you must Route the Effect Returns to Tracks 7/8.

After you route tracks 1-6 to 7/8 and before you start recording lets do one more routing procedure.

1. Press Fader/Edit to make it RED (red will allow you to route effects)
2. Hold Status 7/8 so that the screen flashes assign.
3. While holding 7/8, Press Channel Edit buttons 7 & 8. When status is red, then Channel Edit buttons 7 & 8 are Effect Returns 1 & 2.
4. Press Fader/Edit to change it to Green.
5. Arm 7/8 by making the status of them Red.
6. 1-6 Status Green
7. Record and Play =)

-------------------------------------------
Now for the level problem. To get a CD

When you record, Make sure your TRACK levels are reaching at least -4 DB. As close to 0 without going over.

You can preview and view the levels of your tracks by putting the track in Status Orange before you record. Get your levels nice and healthy, then go to Status RED and Record.

Hope this helps..
~gm
www.midi-it.com
 
General MIDI and BBB, Thanks for the tips. I will print off your routing suggestion, tough I thought I was doing that procedure already, without the desired result. Maybe I am cursed, or I am pushing the wrong button. Anyway, thanks and I will respond as to te esult.

RE: the levels. I assume you ae referring to recording new music and making sure the input mic andguitar levels are up there around zero. My problem is that I have all of this stuff recorded. Some at very adaquate levels, soe not so adaquate. I as basicly thinking of analog recording, so I could always set the level of my output to the cassette deck. I now swith to cd and have no control. As such, the levels are all over the place (mostly too low). I guess I am trying to get a good "salvage" job going on all the songs I have recorded already.

Again, Thanks to al. This is such a great format to ask and answer questions.
 
Dan, Thanks for the tip! In fact, many others had already told me about your work and I downloaded it a couple of weeks ago. Itwas very helpful!

I spent all weekend working on some songs I had recorded about a year ago. I got fairly proficient at bouncing with effects; compressing the resulting mix and messing with the levels, during the bounce, to get the overall mixed volumes pretty close. I did note I had a tendency to press the volume thing a bit and I got some speaker buzz (from slight distortion) if I played th CD on a cheap system (like the factory unit in my 93 Buick).

Thanks to you and the others on this web site. Extreamly helpful.

Mike
 
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