The new Roland VS-2480 is quietly becoming the new benchmark in defining power with ease of operation in a stand alone recording system. Users say it is the most powerful stand-alone recorder in history. With 64 channels of automated digital mixing, up to 24 mics with phantom power, dynamics and 5 bands of EQ on each channel, mouse-based editing and a VGA monitor output, it is a real powerhouse for the musician and any production studio.
In addition to all of its other great features it has another unique tool that can really speed up the creation of basic song tracks: its onboard Phrase Sequencer. Here’s a brief look into how you would use this sophisticated sequencer to augment your regular recorded tracks.
For this example, we’ll look at how you would create custom drum tracks from high quality loops available as .WAV files from many companies such as Discrete Drums or East West. These loops are real recordings, often played by highly paid studio drummers, and recorded in expensive studios. And you can easily use these high quality tracks for your own songs.
To use these great drum tracks for your own song, you would start by putting the CD you want to work with into the VS-CDRII connected to your VS-2480. Using the Preview function in the CD-RW section of the VS, you can easily check out the different sections and tempos available. When you find the set you want to use, you can then import these loops right onto any of your VS tracks. To do this, all you have to do is pick the mono or stereo file, press the track button you want to put it on and press OK. Fast and easy!
Let’s say you chose 4 different sections for your song: Intro, Verse, Chorus and Bridge. You’ve placed these stereo parts on tracks 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8, which you have linked in the VS mixer so they are easy to adjust for the stereo drum parts.
You can now experiment with these parts by playing them live using the Phrase Pad feature for each of these tracks. You can play them along with other tracks or just by themselves. By the way, this can be a great way in live shows to fly in vocals or effects.
AS SIMPLE AS 1, 2, 3 Once you know how you may want to use the parts, you can then use the powerful Sequencer onboard the VS to assemble the parts in the order you want them. The fastest way is use Step Recording to instantly arrange the parts for your song. To begin, set each pad up to be triggered in the OneShot mode. You then set up the Sequencer for recording and arm the tracks for recording.
Under the main Sequencer section you can set up the sequencer to record in Real Time or in Step Time. Using Step Time you can also implement the AutoLocate function so that each time you press a pad, the TimeLine advances by the length of the phrase. Using this function, you can press a Pad for each pair of tracks in the order you want them to play. As mentioned above, the tracks are 1-2 for the Intro, 3-4 for the Verse, 5-6 for the Chorus and 7-8 for the Bridge. To assemble your song you would just press the following buttons: 1, 3, 5, 3, 5,7, 3, 5, 5, 5. When you press play, your drum tracks will be arranged to play the Intro, 2 verses and choruses, a bridge, another verse, and several choruses to the end. It’s really just that easy!
Of course after you’ve created your sequence you can go back and edit it using the mouse. You can quantize the tracks if you did a realtime sequence for flying in additional vocals. You can drag and copy sections to re-arrange the song. You can also easily go to any section and add more tracks using the Step or Real Time recording features.
Using .WAV file importing, and the Pad Playback and Sequencing functions of the VS-2480 makes working with loops and even vocal or instrumental phrases as easy as 1,2,3 and can really enhance the way you write your music.