Roland VS-1680 manual

Thank you, and congratulations on your choice of the Roland VS-1680 V-XPANDED Digital Studio Workstation. As the owner of the VS-1680 V-XPANDED, you can begin using all functions immediately. Please read the V-XPANDED Owner’s Manual (this document) together with the VS-1680 Owner’s Manual (three volumes). If you purchased the V-XPANDED system Z[...]

3 Table of Contents Table of Contents ............................. 3 Precautions ................................................................... 4 Added functionality (main features) ............................................................. 5 Mixdown using the VS-1680 alone ...................... 5 Additional effect algorithms ............[...]

4 Precautions ● Unfortunately, it may be impossible to restore the data stored on a Zip disk or other form of media once it has been erased, initialized, or otherwise lost. Roland Corporation assumes no liability concerning such loss of data. ● Zip disks contain a plastic disk with a thin coating of magnetic storage medium. Microscopic precisio[...]

5 Added functionality (main features) Mixdown using the VS-1680 alone While playing back sixteen tracks, you can mixdown to any two tracks of the 256 V-tracks (Mastering Room). This is convenient when you wish to prepare tracks for mastering, such as when you are producing an original audio CD (p. 8). Additional effect algorithms - A compressor (an[...]

6 Expanding the functionality of the VS-1680 There are several ways in which the new functions can be added to the VS-1680. Please read the section that applies to your VS-1680. NOTE After you have upgraded the VS-1680, you can continue using the hard disk that you are currently using without any changes. It is not necessary to initialize the hard [...]

7 Expanding the functionality of the VS-1680 fig.1-04 10. If you pressed [NO] in step 9, an additional message will ask you to confirm. If you wish to erase (initialize) the user settings, press [YES]. If you press [NO] you will return to step 9. fig.1-05 11. The expansion procedure will begin. Please wait for approximately 30 seconds. NOTE You mus[...]

8 Mix 16 tracks down to 2 tracks (Mastering Room) From the 256 V-tracks you can now select any two tracks, and mixdown to these two tracks as you play back 16 tracks simultaneously. Added mastering tracks Until now, you had to use an external DAT recorder or MD recorder if you wanted to mixdown a song that used all sixteen tracks. For example if yo[...]

9 Mix 16 tracks down to 2 tracks (Mastering Room) Status Specify the status of the mastering tracks. For this example, select “Off.” Off : The mastering tracks will not be used. Rec : Play back tracks 1–16 while recording them to the mastering tracks. Play : Play back the mastering tracks. The sound of tracks 1–16 will not be output from th[...]

10 Mix 16 tracks down to 2 tracks (Mastering Room) 12. Use the cursor buttons and the Value dial to change the "Status" of the tracks for mastering to “Rec.” 13. Press [REC]. The REC indicator will light in red. 14. Press [PLAY]. The PLAY indicator will light in green, and recording will begin. 15. When you finish recording, press [ST[...]

11 Mix 16 tracks down to 2 tracks (Mastering Room) fig.2-11 3. Press [F6] to cycle between “M → Rec” → ”M → Play” → ”M → Off.” The current status of the mastering tracks can be viewed in the level meter in the display. For this example, select “M → Off” (playback status: pressing [F6] once again will select Off). fig.2-1[...]

12 Mix 16 tracks down to 2 tracks (Mastering Room) fig.2-03 3. Press [ENTER (YES)]. 4. Use [ ], [ ], [ ], and [ ] to move the cursor to “Status.” fig.2-18 5. Select the “Status” of the mastering tracks. Rotate the TIME/VALUE dial. Status Specify the status of the master tracks. For this example select “Off.” Off : The mastering tracks w[...]

13 Mix 16 tracks down to 2 tracks (Mastering Room) 14. Hold down [STOP], and press [STATUS] for all tracks (1–15/16) that you wish to mixdown. The STATUS indicator will light in green. fig.2-06 15. Press [FADER] so that the TR (track) indicator lights. fig.2-07.e 16. Press [PLAY]. The song will play back. 17. Raise and lower the master fader, and[...]

14 New effects algorithms When the VS8F-2 effects expansion board is installed, the following effects algorithms will be added. - Making the volume consistent for each frequency band (Mastering Tool Kit) (p. 14) - Modeling various speakers (Speaker Modeling) (p. 17) Making the volume consistent for each frequency band (Mastering Tool Kit) This is a[...]

15 New effects algorithms BCut (Bass-cut filter) This removes unwanted low-frequency components, such as pop noise. Sw (Switch) Off, On Turns the bass-cut filter on/off. Freq (Frequency) Thru, 20–2,000Hz Adjusts the cutoff frequency of the bass-cut filter. Enh (Enhancer) This effect adds a phase-shifted signal to the original signal, enhancing th[...]

16 New effects algorithms Cmp (Compressor) When a high-level signal is input, this effect restricts the output at a specified ratio. fig.3-06 Sw (Switch) Off, On Turns the compressor on/off. Low Thre (Low threshold) -24–0dB Mid Thre (Middle threshold) -24–0dB High Thre (High threshold) -24–0dB Specify the level at which the compressor will be[...]

17 New effects algorithms Dither Off, 24–8bit By adding a minute level of noise (dither), this smoothes the transition between playback audio and silence. Level -80–+6dB This adjusts the overall volume level of the sound that has passed through the limiter (Lmt). Modeling various speakers (Speaker Modeling) You can model the acoustical characte[...]

18 New effects algorithms Lmt (Limiter) This effect limits excessive output levels. Sw (Switch) Off, On Turns the limiter on/off. Thresh (Threshold) -60–0dB Specifies the level at which the limiter will begin to operate. Release 0–100 Adjusts the time from when the input level falls below the threshold level until the limiter no longer has an e[...]

19 Editing an automix As part of the new software, select the area to edit. You can now select an area (marker), and edit the automix data in that area. To edit the automix data, you must first select the area to which your editing will apply. Erasing data from a specific area (Erase) This operation erases the automix data from a specific area. Mar[...]

20 Editing an automix fig.4-05_80 Target This will indicate the type of automix data that you selected to be erased in step 6. If you wish to erase all automix data, use the TIME/VALUE dial to select “All Level and Pan.” 10. If you wish to erase the data, press [F4 (Exec)]. If you press [F6 (EXIT)], you will return to step 7 without erasing any[...]

21 Editing an automix NOTE Even if there is only one marker for the automix data that you wish to copy, press the button in the order of [F1 (In)] → [F1 (Out)] at the same marker location. MEMO You can rotate the TIME/VALUE dial to modify the automix setting value at the cursor location. If you wish to re-select the automix data that will be copi[...]

22 Editing an automix 1. Press [PLAY (DISPLAY)]. 2. Hold down [SHIFT] and press [F6 (UTIL)]. 3. Press [PAGE] so that [F5] indicates “A.Mix,” and then press [F5 (A.Mix)]. fig.4-02 4. Press [F2 (Micro)]. 5. Press [PAGE] so that [F1] indicates “In.” fig.4-03 6. Make sure that the cursor is located at “Edit Target,” and use the TIME/VALUE d[...]

23 Editing an automix fig.4-18.e 11. To execute the Gradation operation, press [F4 (Exec)]. If you press [F6 (EXIT)], you will return to step 7 without executing the Gradation operation. 12. A message will ask you to confirm the operation. Press [YES]. If you press [NO], the Gradation operation will be halted, and you will return to step 11. fig.4-[...]

24 Editing an automix fig.4-04.e NOTE Even if there is only one marker for the automix data that you wish to increase or decrease, press the button in the order of [F1 (In)] → [F1 (Out)] at the same marker location. MEMO You can rotate the TIME/VALUE dial to modify the automix setting value at the cursor location. If you wish to re-select the aut[...]

25 Using the VS-1680 with a CD-R/CD-RW drive This chapter explains how a CD-R/CD-RW drive connected to the SCSI connector of the VS-1680 can be used to create original audio CD’s, or to back up song data. Please also read “Chapter 7 Use with a CD-R Drive” in the VS-1680 Owner’s Manual (p.120). Creating an audio CD Creating silence between s[...]

26 Using the VS-1680 with a CD-R/CD-RW drive 5. A message will ask for confirmation. Press [YES]. fig.5-04 6. The display will ask “STORE Current?” (store the current song?). If you wish to store the current song before writing a song to CD, press [YES]. If not, press [NO]. 7. The following display will appear. Verify each item. fig.5-05.e NOTE[...]

27 Using the VS-1680 with a CD-R/CD-RW drive 9. Press [F4 (Exec)]. 10. Press [YES]. A message about the license agreement will appear. Read the message carefully, and if you consent to that, press [YES]. The data will begin to write to the CD- R disc. If you do not consent, press [NO]. You will return to step 2. fig.5-06 MEMO The message about the [...]

28 Using the VS-1680 with a CD-R/CD-RW drive +Verify If this is turned “On,” verification will be performed to check whether or not the data was saved correctly after the song data has been backed up. CD Speed Select the speed at which the song data will be backed up to the CD-RW disc x2 (353 KBps) : Backup at double speed (353 kilobytes per se[...]

29 Using the VS-1680 with a CD-R/CD-RW drive 5. Press [F3 (CDRRc)]. If [F3] does not indicate “CDRRc,” first press [PAGE] so that “CDRRc” appears, and then press [F3 (CDRRc)]. fig.5-12 6. Use [ ][ ][ ][ ] to move the cursor, and use the TIME/VALUE dial to set the parameters. fig.5-13 Source Song Marked songs will be loaded. Move the cursor [...]

30 Enhancements related to operation Shortcut to the Phrase Edit window In Play condition, you can now select the phrase that you wish to edit, and open the editing window directly. 1. Press [PLAY (DISPLAY)]. 2. Move the current time so that it falls within the phrase that you wish to edit. 3. Use [ ][ ] to highlight the phrase that you wish to edi[...]

31 Enhancements related to operation fig.6-04.e fig.6-05.e fig.6-06.e 7. Use the TIME/VALUE dial to select the take that will be the basis of the newly created phrase. 8. Press [F4 (Sel)] or [ENTER (YES)]. 9. Use [ ][ ][ ][ ] to move the cursor, and use the TIME/VALUE dial to set the parameters. fig.6-07 Take This will show the take that you select[...]

32 Enhancements related to operation fig.6-03 5. Press [F1 (Take)]. 6. Use the TIME/VALUE dial to move the cursor to the take that you wish to delete. fig.6-09 7. Press [F5 (Del)]. A message will ask you to confirm. fig.6-10_90 8. If you wish to delete the take, press [YES]. If you press [NO], you will return to step 6 without deleting the take. 9.[...]

33 Enhancements related to operation At this time, the function buttons have the following operations. [F1 (Hist)]: Each time you press the button, you will cycle backward through the last twenty names that were assigned. [F2 (Clr)]: Delete all characters. [F3 (Del)]: Delete the character at the cursor location. [F4 (Ins)]: Insert a space at the cu[...]

34 Enhancements related to operation fig.6-16_70 7. Press [F1 (Back)]. 8. Use [ ][ ][ ][ ] to move the cursor, and use the TIME/VALUE dial to set the parameters. fig.6-17 Type Select how the phrase will be divided. In this case, select “Divide.” Divide : Automatically divide the phrase into two or more phrases. Split : Manually divide the phras[...]

35 Enhancements related to operation 1. Press [PLAY (DISPLAY)]. 2. Hold down [SHIFT] and press [F2 (TRACK)]. 3. Press [F1 (Tr/Ph)] so that the Phrase Edit menu appears. 4. Press [PAGE] so that [F2] indicates “Split,” and then press [F2 (Split)]. fig.6-15 5. Press [F1 (SelPh)]. 6. Press the [STATUS] button of the phrase that you wish to split. T[...]

36 Enhancements related to operation NOTE If you rotate the MONITOR knob without pressing [SELECT], you will adjust the volume level. If you are attempting to adjust pan and inadvertently rotate the MONITOR knob toward the right without pressing [SELECT], high-volume sound capable of damaging your amp or speakers could be output. MEMO When you rele[...]

37 Enhancements related to operation Copying mixer settings You can copy mixer settings (equalizer, level) from another channel to the channel currently shown in the Channel Edit page. The following settings can be copied. Equalizer EQ low freq. EQ low gain EQ mid freq. EQ mid gain EQ mid Q EQ high freq. EQ high gain Level ATT Phase EFX1 insert sen[...]

38 Enhancements related to operation Shift Lock on/off ([SHIFT]+[YES]) It is now possible to control the Shift Lock switch (which temporarily keeps [SHIFT] activated while it is not actually pressed) without opening the System Parameter window (VS-1680 Owner’s Manual, p. 187). 1. Press [PLAY (DISPLAY)]. 2. Hold down [SHIFT] and press [YES]. fig.6[...]

39 Enhancements to the display and specifications Checking inserted effects (Icon and Patch Name display) Effects that have been inserted into channels/tracks can now be confirmed through icons and patch names. 1. Press [SELECT] for the channel to which you wish to apply an effect. 2. Press [PAGE] so that [F1] indicates “Ef1In,” and then press [...]

40 Enhancements to the display and specifications fig.7-04.e 5. Press [PLAY (DISPLAY)]. You will return to Play condition. Switching the Song Select window (List display) The Song Select window can now be viewed not only as icons but also as a list. You can also see the size of the song, and the date and time at which it was created. 1. Press [PLAY[...]

41 Enhancements to the display and specifications 3. Press [F4 (Exec)]. Alternatively, press [PAGE] so that [F4] indicates “Exec,” and then press [F4 (Exec)]. fig.7-09 4. Press [F4 (Exec)] once again. 5. A message will ask for confirmation. Press [YES]. The mastering template will be recalled. To cancel, press [NO]. fig.7-10 At this time, the m[...]

42 Index Symbols +Verify ............................................................................. 28 A After Rec (after recording) .............................................. 9 Alarm function ................................................................. 6 Automix ..........................................................................[...]

Information When you need repair service, call your nearest Roland Service Center or authorized Roland distributor in your country as shown below. As of February 17, 1999 ARGENTINA Instrumentos Musicales S.A. Florida 656 2nd Floor Office Number 206A Buenos Aires ARGENTINA, CP1005 TEL: (54-11) 4- 393-6057 BRAZIL Roland Brasil Ltda. R. Coronel Octavi[...]