Roland VS-880EX User Manual

®
OWNER'S MANUAL
OWNER'S MANUAL
Copyright © 1998 ROLAND CORPORATION
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form
without the written permission of ROLAND CORPORATION.
Roland Homepage http://www.rolandcorp.com/
01562867 '99-3-E3-41N
Concerning Copyright
The law prohibits the unauthorized recording, public performance, broadcast, sale,
or distribution etc. of a work (CD recording, video recording, broadcast, etc.) whose
copyright is owned by a third party. Roland will take no responsibility for any
infringement of copyright that you may commit in using the VS-880EX.
SCMS (Appendices p. 124)
Disclaimer of liability
Roland will take no responsibility for any “direct damages,” “consequential dam-
ages,” or “any other damages” which may result from your use of the VS-880EX.
These damages may include but are not limited to the following events which can
occur when using the VS-880EX.
● Any loss of profit that may occur to you
● Permanent loss of your music or data
● Inability to continue using the VS-880EX itself or a connected device
About the License Agreement
The VS-880EX and its CD-R capability are designed to allow you to reproduce
material to which you have copyright, or material which the copyright owner has
granted you permission to copy. Accordingly, reproduction of music CDs or other
copyrighted material without the permission of the copyright owner, other than for
your own personal use and enjoyment (private use) constitutes copyright infringe-
ment, which may incur penalties. Consult a copyright specialist or special publica-
tions for more detailed information on obtaining such permission from copyright
holders.
* Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
* Windows
®
95 is known officially as: “Microsoft
®
Windows
®
95 operating system.”
* Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.
* Iomega is a registered trademark of Iomega Corporation.
* ZIP is a trademark of Iomega Corporation.
* Cakewalk is a registered trademark of Twelve Tone systems, Inc.
* Cakewalk Pro Audio and Cakewalk Professional are trademarks of Twelve Tone systems, Inc.
* All product names mentioned in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respec-
tive owners.
Before using this unit, carefully read the sections entitled: “IMPOR-
TANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS” (p. 2), “USING THE UNIT SAFELY” (p.
3, 4), and “IMPORTANT NOTES” (p. 5). These sections provide important
information concerning the proper operation of the unit. Additionally, in
order to feel assured that you have gained a good grasp of every feature
provided by your new unit, Quick Start, Owner’s Manual, and Appendices
should be read in its entirety. The manual should be saved and kept on
hand as a convenient reference.
About SCMS
The VS-880EX does not implement SCMS. This design decision was made with the
intent that SCMS should not restrict the creation of original compositions which do
not violate copyright law. Do not use this device in a way which would infringe on
copyrights held by another.

Roland VS-880EX Specifications

General

Brand	Roland
Model	VS-880EX
Category	Musical Instrument
Language	English

Summary

Introduction and Safety

Using the Unit Safely

Provides essential safety guidelines for operating the unit safely and preventing harm or damage.

Important Notes and Precautions

Key operational guidelines covering power, placement, maintenance, and data.

Front and Rear Panel Controls

Mixer Section Controls

Detailed layout and function of all mixer controls.

Recorder Section Controls

Detailed layout and function of recorder controls.

Rear Panel Connectors

Chapter 2: Basic Operation

Powering On/Off and Startup Procedures

Using Locators and Markers for Navigation

Detailed procedures for marking and recalling song points.

Chapter 3: Multi-Track Recording

Recording Setup and Process Overview

Covers preparation, necessary items, and the recording workflow.

Recording to Tracks and Punch-In/Out

Fundamental recording steps and editing during recording.

Saving and Protecting Recorded Data

Procedures for saving songs and preventing data loss.

Loop Recording and V-Tracks

Advanced recording techniques like loop recording and V-tracks.

Applying Effects During Recording/Playback

How to use internal effects during recording and playback.

Recording Digital Signals

Steps for connecting and recording digital audio sources.

Adjusting Tone (Equalizer)

Detailed guide to using the channel equalizers.

Track Bouncing and Mixdown

Procedures for mixing tracks and creating a master output.

Creating Master Tapes and Backups

Steps for finalizing recordings and backing up data.

Chapter 4: Internal Effects Usage

Effects Composition, Connection, and Routing

Insert and Send/Return Effects Configuration

Selecting and Creating Effects Patches

Chapter 5: Storing Mixer Settings

Scenes and EZ Routing Concepts

Storing and Recalling Scenes

Using Templates and Step Edit for Settings

Chapter 6: Track Editing Operations

Copying, Moving, and Exchanging Track Data

Inserting Blank Space and Deleting Track Data

Modifying Playback Time (Compression/Expansion)

Chapter 7: Using External Storage (Zip Drive)

Zip Drive Handling, Connection, and Initialization

Disk Initialization and Reliability Checks

Saving and Loading Performance Data

Methods for backing up and recovering songs from Zip disks.

Archives Format for Song Storage

Chapter 8: Using a CD-RW Drive

CD-RW Drive Handling and Connection

Creating Audio CDs

Steps for creating original audio CDs from song data.

Writing and Auditioning Songs on CD-R

Procedures for burning songs to CD-R and listening.

CD-RW Backup and Data Erase

Methods for backing up to CD-RW and erasing data.

Chapter 9: MIDI Device Synchronization

MIDI Sync Concepts (MTC, Clock)

Sequencer Synchronization (Master/Slave)

Setting up master and slave roles for MIDI synchronization.

Using Sync Track and Tempo Map

MIDI Controller Integration

MIDI Control of Scenes and Effects

Chapter 10: DAT Recorder Backup

DAT Backup Procedures and Requirements

Loading Data from DAT (Recover)

Procedure for recovering song data from DAT tapes.

Checking and Verifying DAT Backups

Chapter 12: Other Convenient Functions

Previewing and Scrubbing Techniques

Locating Points and Auto Mix Recording

Undo/Redo and Channel Solo/Mute

Channel and Fader Linking

Stereo Input Mixing and Vari-Pitch

Metronome Usage and Numeric Input

Disk Space Management (Song Optimize)

Freeing disk space by optimizing songs.

Song Management and Track Level Adjustment

Drive Check and Error Recovery

Chapter 14: Advanced Usage and Examples

Synchronizing Two VS-880EX Units

Setting up master/slave synchronization between two units.

Synchronizing with Cakewalk Pro Audio

Synchronizing the VS-880EX with Cakewalk software.

Digital Connections with Cakewalk

MIDI Control of Mixer (Compu Mix)

Using MIDI for mixer control and automation.

Compu Mix Setup and Fader Control

Synchronizing with Video Equipment

Integrating VS-880EX with video equipment via sync signals.

Using External Effects Devices