Owner's 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 Zip disk, refer to this manual and upgrade the system software of VS-1680 (to add the V-XPANDED functions). Then, read the VXPANDED Owner's Manual (this document) together with the VS-1680 Owner's Manual (three volumes). All product names mentioned in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright © 1999 ROLAND CORPORATION All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of ROLAND CORPORATION. Roland international website: www.rolandcorp.com Roland U.S. website: www.rolandus.com 01898978 `99-3-E3-11T Table of Contents Table of Contents .............................3 Precautions ...................................................................4 Added functionality (main features) .............................................................5 Mixdown using the VS-1680 alone......................5 Additional effect algorithms ................................5 Automix editing functionality .............................5 Enhanced support for CD-R/CD-RW drives ............................................5 Enhanced operations .............................................5 Enhanced screen display ......................................5 Creating an audio CD ...............................................25 Creating silence between songs (Disc At Once and Track At Once)..............................................25 Specifying the writing speed (Speed) ...............25 Song writing procedure ......................................25 Saving a song to a CD-RW disc (Backup) ..............27 Checking whether the song was saved correctly (+Verify) ................................................................27 Specifying the speed of saving (Speed) ............27 Backup procedure ................................................27 Restoring songs from a CD-RW disc (Recover) ..............................................28 Specifying the speed of recovery (Speed).........28 Recovery procedure.............................................28 Expanding the functionality of the VS-1680 .............................................6 If you purchased the VS-1680 V-XPANDED...........................................6 If you purchased the V-XPANDED system program Zip disk ............6 Enhancements related to operation . 30 Shortcut to the Phrase Edit window .......................30 Creating a new phrase (Phrase New) .....................30 Sorting the take list (Sort) ...................................30 Deleting a take (Delete) .......................................31 Naming a take (Name) ........................................32 Dividing a phrase (Phrase Divide/Split) ................................................33 Automatically dividing a phrase (Phrase Divide) 33 Dividing a phrase into two parts (Phrase Split) .. 34 Using the MONITOR knob to adjust the pan (MONITOR knob +[SELECT]).................................35 Linking the faders of two or more channels (Fader Group)............................................................36 Copying mixer settings.............................................37 Shift Lock on/off ([SHIFT]+[YES]) .........................38 Removing direct current offset from the mix bus.38 Mix 16 tracks down to 2 tracks (Mastering Room).............................8 Added mastering tracks .............................................8 Mixing down to the mastering tracks.......................8 Mixdown shortcut 1 ............................................10 Mixdown shortcut 2 ............................................10 Playing back the mastering tracks ..........................10 Mixing down while inserting effects ......................11 New effects algorithms ..................14 Making the volume consistent for each frequency band (Mastering Tool Kit) ..................................................14 EQ (Equalizer) ......................................................14 BCut (Bass-cut filter)............................................15 Enh (Enhancer).....................................................15 In (Input) ...............................................................15 Exp (Expander).....................................................15 Cmp (Compressor) ..............................................16 Mix (Mixer) ...........................................................16 Lmt (Limiter) ........................................................16 Out (Output).........................................................16 Modeling various speakers (Speaker Modeling) ..17 SpMod (speaker modeling) ................................17 BCut (Bass-cut filter)............................................17 LFT/HFT (Frequency trimmer).........................17 Lmt (Limiter) ........................................................18 Effective ways to use speaker modeling ..........18 Enhancements to the display and specifications .................................39 Checking inserted effects (Icon and Patch Name display)........................................................................39 Checking effects that cannot be used in other channels (Effect insertion location display) ...........39 Switching the Song Select window (List display).40 Easy Routing ..............................................................40 Additional template (Mastering) .......................40 Immediate application of step-edited changes41 Settings not stored in a scene (Monitor Level) ......41 Master Send switch display has been changed (PanÆMIX) .................................................................41 Editing an automix .........................19 Erasing data from a specific area (Erase) ...............19 Copying data to another location (Copy) ..............20 Smooth data transitions (Gradation) ......................21 Increasing or decreasing all data values (Shift/ Expand) .......................................................................23 Index ................................................42 Using the VS-1680 with a CD-R/CDRW drive..........................................25 3 Precautions q 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. q Zip disks contain a plastic disk with a thin coating of magnetic storage medium. Microscopic precision is required to store large amounts of data on such a small surface area. To preserve their integrity, please observe the following when handling Zip disks: Never touch the magnetic medium inside the disk. Do not use or store ZIP disks in dirty or dusty areas. Do not subject ZIP disks to temperature extremes (e.g., direct sunlight in an enclosed vehicle). Recommended temperature range: -22 to 51 °C (-7.6 to 123.8 °F). Do not expose Zip disks to strong magnetic fields, such as those generated by loudspeakers. q The identification label should be firmly affixed to the disk. Should the label come loose while the disk is in the drive, it may be difficult to remove the disk. q Store all disks in a safe place to avoid damaging them, and to protect them from dust, dirt, and other hazards. By using a dirty or dust-ridden disk, you risk damaging the disk, as well as causing the disk drive to malfunction. In the interest of product improvement, the specifications and/or contents of this package are subject to change without prior notice. 4 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). - The faders of two or more channels can be adjusted as a group (Fader Group: p. 36). - Level and EQ settings of a channel can be copied (p. 37). - In Play condition, Shift Lock can be turned on/off directly ([SHIFT]+[YES]: p. 38). - Direct current offset can be removed from the mix bus (p. 38). Enhanced screen display - Inserted effects can be viewed as icons and patch names (p. 39). - Insertion positions of effects that have been inserted in other channels are displayed (p. 39). - A list display is provided in the Song Select window (p. 40). - A template (mastering) has been added to Easy Routing (p. 40). - The results of step editing in Easy Routing are applied immediately (p. 41). - The monitor level is no longer stored in a scene (p. 41). - The Master Send switch display has been changed (p. 41). Additional effect algorithms - A compressor (an effect that makes the volume more consistent) can be applied independently to individual frequency bands (Mastering Tool Kit) (p. 14). - A Speaker Modeling effect has been added, allowing you to apply the acoustical characteristics of a variety of speakers (p. 17). Automix editing functionality Automix data (such as the level or pan of each channel, and effect patch numbers) can be edited in a specified area by deleting, copying, or increasing/decreasing the data values (p. 19). Enhanced support for CD-R/CD-RW drives - When producing an original audio CD, you can specify the speed of writing (p. 25). - When performing a CD-R Backup, you can check whether the data was saved correctly (+Verify: p. 27). - When performing a CD-R Backup, you can specify the speed of the backup (p. 25). - When performing a CD-R Recover, you can specify the speed of the recover (p. 28). Enhanced operations - In Play condition you can select a phrase for editing, and directly display the Phrase Edit window (p. 30) - In the Phrase New window, you can sort the Take List (Sort: p. 30). - In the Phrase New window, you can delete a take from the Take List (Delete: p. 31). - In the Phrase New window, you can change the name of a take in the Take List (Name: p. 32) - Phrases can be divided automatically (Phrase Divide: p. 33). - The MONITOR knob can be used to adjust the pan of each channel (MONITOR knob + [SELECT]: p. 35). 5 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. fig.1-01 disk drives. 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 disk. However, as a precaution against unforeseen accidents, we recommend that you back up your song data before performing the upgrade. If you purchased the VS-1680 V-XPANDED If you purchased the VS-1680 V-XPANDED, you need not perform any procedure. Skip this section and begin reading Chapter 2 (p.8). 4. Turn on the power of the SCSI zip drive. 5. Insert the VS-1680 V-XPANDED system program Zip disk into the SCSI Zip drive. 6. Connect the power cable to the VS-1680. 7. Turn on the rear panel power switch of the VS-1680. fig.1-02 If you purchased the V-XPANDED system program Zip disk You can use the V-XPANDED system program Zip disk to add the V-XPANDED functionality to your VS-1680. Prepare the following items. - VS-1680 - SCSI Zip drive - VS-1680 V-XPANDED system program Zip disk 8. Wait for the display to prompt "Update System Program?" and then press [YES]. fig.1-03 NOTE The V-XPANDED system program Zip disk contains a program which installs the software update. Be careful not to initialize it on the VS-1680. 1. Make sure that the power is turned off on all devices. MEMO If this display does not appear, the VS-1680 was not able to recognize the Zip disk. Turn off the power, re-insert the disk correctly, and turn the power on once again. 9. A message will ask whether you wish to keep the user settings that are stored in your VS-1680. Press [YES] and proceed to step 11. If you wish to initialize (erase) the user settings, press [NO], and proceed to step 10. The user settings that can be left in the VS-1680 are as follows. - Easy routing (VS-1680 Owner's Manual, p. 41) - Effect user patches (VS-1680 Owner's Manual, p. 110) - Alarm function message (VS-1680 Owner's Manual, p. 193) NOTE To prevent malfunction and/or damage to speakers or other devices, always turn down the volume, and turn off the power on all devices before making any connections. 2. Disconnect all cables that were connected to the VS-1680. 3. Connect the SCSI Zip drive to the VS-1680. On the back of the Zip drive, make sure the termination switch is set to 'on'. NOTE Have only the SCSI Zip drive connected. Do not connect any ...