Hi folk's I'm new to the forum and am trying to see if there are any Roland VM-3100 and RPC-1 owners out there using it with Sonar. I'm just now beginning to use the two together and so far everything seems solid but I was just wondering about tips using the two together.

Things like using the VM-3100 as a control surface which I'm not doing yet but it supposedly will work. Also mixing down thru the VM. How many tracks can you mix down 16 or maybe more? thanks for any input.

I use the VM3100Pro and RPC-1. I don't use it to mix because it just complicates the process for me. I prefer mixing in the computer. Also if I wanted a hardware controller for mixing or as a control surface I would want moving faders and track naming. That's just me.

I do, however, find the setup quite usefull as an input and playback mixer. I use scenes to go to about 8 different setups instantly. I have setups for things like tracking dry, tracking wet, traking with fx that don't get recorded, jamming, different output setups etc... It really saves a lot of time and there's never "just one setting I forgot" sidetracks.

My only issue is that Gigastudio reports it is incampatible and won't load. I don't use Gigastudio but will eventually and I haven't had time to troubleshoot this. It's on the Giga H/W list.

As far as mixing tracks it has 8 audio tracks which are seen in Sonar and 12 total analog inputs and s/pdif. So you can mix 8 stereo or mono computer tracks plus all the other inputs if needed to any analog or digital recorder. I think there is a way to mix 8 tracks from the computer thru the mixer and back into the compter but I've never done that. Most of my VST and DXi effects blow away the VM3100's and I have so much more control of tracks in Sonar. I really like the reverbs and 3D chorus in the mixer though. There is a way to use those onboard fx as send/receive fx in Sonar. But again I've never done that. You can find both of these process by searching this board.

Hope that helps.

Dean

Hi Dean, yes that does help because I want to get a feel for what this thing can do and what it doesn't do so well. As far as gigastudio goes I have it and GS-3 recognizes my VM-3100 and RPC just fine so probably all you need is updated drivers as a matter of fact it shows it as gsif-2 capable. Now I haven't got into using GS yet because I think I'll wait and put it on another machine most folks says that it works better that way so I'm looking for a 2nd computer. If you need me to send you the newer drivers just holler or I can give you the link as well. Although I have it installed just to make sure it actually works and yes it does. Thanks buddy

I've been using the VM-3100 Pro by itself for several years and have gotten to know it pretty well. I am a BIG fan of this board. It can do a million things, and it does everything well. It has a pretty large learning curve, and too few XLR inputs...but if you take the time to learn how to work it, it is one powerful little mixer.

I added the RPC-1 card a few months ago and integrated my VM-3100 Pro into my digital recording setup. I was amazed at how easy the setup was, and how well it coexists with my M-Audio Delta 66. Turns out the Delta and the RPC-1 both use the same M-Audio driver and control panel! I was happily stunned by this discovery, as my studio suddenly jumped from 6 tracks to about 20. Sweet.

The one really big limitation of the VM-3100 Pro is that it can NOT handle sampling rates greater than 44.1KHz. This can be a real deal-breaker for a lot of people. I have issues with it, myself...but...I have learned to live with it for now. Luckily, it does handle 24-bit processing, which is its saving grace (or else it would be in the dumpster). I really don't mind working in 44.1KHz with 24-bit bandwidth. If I want to work with higher sample rates, I can always fall back on the Delta and use the VM-3100 Pro as an analog mixer. It all works out.

The effects on the VM-3100 Pro are very high quality, and there are hundreds of them. In fact, I have used the mixer as a stand-alone effects rack for my sax on live gigs. It really rocks for this and I have seriously considered getting a second unit just for this purpose. I have also used it as a sub-mixer for live recording, as a keyboard rack, input/output monitor mixer, MIDI control surface, vocal effects module, etc. It also has two onboard compressors which work great (very smooth and transparent), and both can be used in conjunction with the two independent FX processors.

I do wish it had motorized faders for studio work, but since the faders can be set to remember their positions digitally I don't find this to be a big deal. I do really appreciate the MIDI implemenation of this unit, as I can use the MIDI channel faders to control practically anything in Sonar by setting the remote control options. It can get a bit confusing remembering where the physical faders are in relation to the "virtual" faders when you switch back and forth from various audio and MIDI channels. The little transport is great, once you figure out how to make it work (you have to set up MIDI key bindings in Sonar).

The VM-3100 Pro really is baffling complicated at times. It's not too hard to accomplish something once you know how to do it, but I wouldn't call it "intuitive." For all its shortcomings, however, I still love this incredibly versatile little powerhouse of a mixer.

Let me know if you have any specific questions about the VM-3100 Pro, I may be able to help.

My only issue is that Gigastudio reports it is incampatible and won't load. I don't use Gigastudio but will eventually and I haven't had time to troubleshoot this. It's on the Giga H/W list.

This sounds like it might be a sampling rate issue. The VM-3100 Pro can only handle 44.1KHz, so you may need to adjust the driver to lock at 44.1KHz before running GS.

I forgot to mention, I also have a pair of Roland DS-90A digital monitors, which work in conjunction with the VM-3100 Pro for COSM speaker modeling. This is a really neat feature as it lets you sample your mix through all sorts of different virtual monitor setups (including a very useful "flat" patch). It also lets you keep the signal digital all the way to the very end of the signal chain, giving you a very accurate mix. This setup may not be for everyone, but I really like it.

It really rocks for this and I have seriously considered getting a second unit just for this purpose.

HeatherHaze,

If you're serious about getting a 2nd VM3100 Pro w/r-bus card, let me know as I have one in near new condition that I'm looking to sell.

It is a fine unit & what you say about understanding it makes all the difference in what all it really can achieve! I have a Roland VS-2480CDRW with 2 r-bus cards so I really have no use for it. Wildman

ORIGINAL: stratguy

Hi Dean, yes that does help because I want to get a feel for what this thing can do and what it doesn't do so well. As far as gigastudio goes I have it and GS-3 recognizes my VM-3100 and RPC just fine so probably all you need is updated drivers as a matter of fact it shows it as gsif-2 capable. Now I haven't got into using GS yet because I think I'll wait and put it on another machine most folks says that it works better that way so I'm looking for a 2nd computer. If you need me to send you the newer drivers just holler or I can give you the link as well. Although I have it installed just to make sure it actually works and yes it does. Thanks buddy

That's good news. I would be delighted if you would send me the drivers you are using. You can send it to deanesque@att.net.
I downloaded one before but I apparently got the wrong one.

Thanks,

Dean

ORIGINAL: HeatherHaze

My only issue is that Gigastudio reports it is incampatible and won't load. I don't use Gigastudio but will eventually and I haven't had time to troubleshoot this. It's on the Giga H/W list.

This sounds like it might be a sampling rate issue. The VM-3100 Pro can only handle 44.1KHz, so you may need to adjust the driver to lock at 44.1KHz before running GS.

I'm not a home now but I'm pretty sure my RPC-1 driver does lock at 44.1. How do you "adjust the driver to lock at 44.1KHz"?

Dean

I'm not a home now but I'm pretty sure my RPC-1 driver does lock at 44.1. How do you "adjust the driver to lock at 44.1KHz"?

Just open up the driver control panel and click on the "Hardware Settings" tab. You will see a box with all the various sampling rates the card is capable of using. Make sure the circle next to 44.1KHz is selected, then check the box labelled "Sampling Rate Locked". Also, be sure that the "reset when idle" checkbox is NOT checked. I'm going from memory so the labels may read slightly different, but you get the idea.

Upon further thought, it occurs to me that if you try to open a project that was sampled at a higher rate, it will probably fail (Sonar does this). In this case the solution is found by changing the sampling rate of the project. I don't use Gigastudio, but there must be some way of setting the default sampling rate to 44.1KHz.

Note that the RPC-1 card and driver CAN handle sampling rates all the way up to 192KHz. The VM-3100 Pro simply won't lock to anything other than 44.1KHz. So...in theory you can still work with higher sampling rates, you just...um...can't hear them. Or record them. Using the VM-3100 Pro. That is. :::cough:::

Anyway, just some thoughts. Good luck!