VR & Backing Tracks

VR allows to run midi (and SMF) song-files directly from ‘VR USB-Drive’ – with the midi song files using ‘VR sounds’ and without ‘additional hardware’ (tablets/laptops/phones)

you can use this for:
– practicing with backing tracks
– practicing ‘famous solos’
– running backing tracks for you band
– running ‘instrument tracks’ in your band: e.g. the ‘drums’ in a duo-band withou drummer
– create your own ‘backing/instrument tracks’ e.g. for your own songs
– modify existing tracks to your taste

  I. Midi (smf) files on VR USB-drive Running midi songs files from VR USB-drive, creating midi backing tracks
  II. Midi/SMF files and VR ‘GM2 sound engine’
  III. Modifying or creating Midi (SMF) files

I. Midi (SMF) files on VR USB-drive

Midi (or SMF – and ‘extened’ midi file format) are ‘binary files’ that contain midi-sequences of ‘midi-notes’ and ‘midi-modifiers’ (e.g. midi control changes for volume, pan, chorus, reverb, modulation etc) which are send to a midi receiving ‘sound-engine’
Standard midi-files end with “.mid”, SMF-files end with “.smf”

NOTE: Midi song files must be in so called ‘smf format’ 0 or 1 (not 2) to be understood by VR. Allmost all files from internet are in format 0 or 1, and most midi-editors save in format 1 (eventually check editor ‘saving options’)

To run midi song files, copy the file(s) to a usb-drive, insert in VR usb-socket/compartment and use VR ‘SONG player’
NOTE: you can place midi-files also in sub-folders on VR-usb (e.g. a folder for each band, sub-folders for setlists etc)

Midi song files can be downloaded from hundreds of websites, e.g. free midi-songs, karaoke etc (example: FreeMidis

  • you can ‘edit’ the downloaded song files to create ‘backing tracks’ for VR, e.g. muting the ‘voice track’, or the ‘synth solo’ track (for playing on VR)
  • you can create your own ‘tracks’ e.g. a backing track for practicing, a bass line (if you play without bassist), a drum-accompaniment etc.

    • II. Midi/SMF files and VR ‘GM2 sound engine’

    By default, midi song files ‘on VR usb’ run in VR ‘GM2 engine’.
    VR GM2-engine is a 2nd ‘hidden sound engine’ in VR that is ‘compilant’ to Roland extended ‘GM/GS standard’
    VR GM2-engine contains ca. 2500 sounds, these include:
    – all VR ‘factory sounds’ (the sounds you meet on VR interace
    – Roland GM2 and GS sounds
    – a near complete soundset of Roland ‘SouncCanvas’-module SC-8850 (!)
    For details read GM2 Sounds

    Midi song files ‘on VR usb’ can also run in VR ‘keyboard engine’ – the engine you experience ‘on VR’, e.g. when you ‘record’ your playing with VR recorder and save as ‘SMF’
    To make a 3rd party midi songfile ready to run in VR ‘keyboard engine’, it must be edited with ‘SysEx’-midi messages which requires deep sysex knowledge. For this reason wie only focus on the ‘default’ GM2-engine

    III. Modifying or creating Midi (SMF) files

    To modify a downloaded midi song or create an own song, you need a ‘midi editor’: there are some standalone editors and also some Daws that with integrated, capable editors (Cubase, Reaper, Ableton, Logic)

    We concentrate on (freeware) standalone editors for Windows:

    • Sekaiju (Windows): this is THE workhorse of all editors that can do everything but needs some learning:
      – composition by piano-roll, partitura and midi-event-editor
      – only standalone editor that is capable of msb/lsb-Banks to use the full VR GM sound palaette (see below)
    • Midify (Windows App Store): a modern User Interface, intuitiv to use, inbuild SoundFont generator to ‘hear’ the composition on PC
    • Aria Maestosa: a modern and comprehensive User Interface, composition by piano-roll, partitura and ‘drum-track composer’. Saved midi files are not compatible to VR-USB and must be loaded/reexported e.g. by MidiEditor before running on VR USB
    • Midi Editor 2.0: the ‘alltime classic’, but oldschool GUI
    Tracks

    A midi file is composed of ‘tracks’, a sequence of notes and chords. A track can be an instrument (e.g. guitar) or a drum-track.
    Each track is bound to one midi Channel, as a consequence the maximal number of tracks is 16. The ‘drum’ track has to be associated to Channel 10.

    Creating VR backing tracks from downloaded song files:

    Load the track into an editor and ‘mute’ the tracks you don’t want to be played on VR, e.g. the ‘vocal track’ (which is not a voice but a GM instrument, usually sound ‘awful’), or the instruments you want to play yourself on VR. E.g. you can mute all tracks but the drum-track/bass-line/rhythm guitar and play a string pad or a ‘solo’ on VR.

    Selecting Instruments/Drumkits (for a track):

    Downloaded song files use the “default GM2 instrument set” where each sound is selected by a ‘program change’ messages (no banks) which limites the set to 128 instruments.
    VR has this ‘default set’ – but it sounds a bit ‘oldschool’. To use the full ‘sound potential’ of VR GM2 engine (with 2500 sounds) you can use (change) the instrument by using VR ‘bank’ + program change messages in the midi file. Most DAW editors allow to use ‘bank’ ids. From standalone editors, only Sekaiju can use ‘banks’.

    You find the complete list of VR GM-sounds with msb/lsb/program numbers in VR_GM2_soundlist.zip.. You can also use CTRLR EDITOR to parse the GM sounds on VR (tab ‘SOUND-GM2’ + ‘GM2 engine’, everntually use editor virtual key to test the sounds)

    Elegant workflow’ to create midi songs

    – chose a standalone editor (or DAW), ideally a Sekaiju(if you like the interface)
    – connect your PC to VR and set VR midi mode to Mode 1 (VR menu ‘MIDI’)
    – in the midi editor ‘midi config’, set ‘midi out’ to VR (Port ‘Roland V-COMBO VR-09’)
    Now start composing: for a track
    – if you use a DAW or Sekaiju, select VR GM instruments with help of VR_GM2_soundlist.zip or CTRLR EDITOR as mentioned before.
    – if you use MidiEditor, Midify, etc which have no possibilty to enter ‘banks’, select a ‘default GM2 sound’ in the editor default GM sounds.
    each time you add a note, you should hear it ‘from VR’

    On Aria, Midify, etc, once you have finished the ‘composition’ (using ‘default GM sound set’), save the midi file, load into Sekaiju, and change the sounds (and drumkit) with full VR GM sound palette.

    Example 1: midi-file “Gimme some Loving’ with edits

    Midi-file “Gimme some Loving’ downloaded from a website and edited in Sekaiju:
    – note: in Sekaiju, bank ‘msb/lsb’ are named CC#0 and CC#32 (in fact, msb/lsb midi messages are nothing else than ontrol changes 0 and 32)
    – midi-out is set to VR so you hear ‘VR sounds’ when adding notes or playing the file
    – Track 1 is a ‘naming track’ (for the ‘song name’)
    – Track 2-7 are the original instrument tracks of the file using ‘default GM2 sound set (msb/lsb to 0)
    – Track 8 is added “Hard Rhodes” from VR GM2 “SoundCanvas 8850” with msb 0, lsb 65, program 4 and midi channel 7

    Example 2: midi-file “Gimme some Loving’ drum composer of Aria Maestosa

    The picture shows Aria Maestosa with a ‘base line’ track and the ‘drum composer’ which is a very helpful tool: instead of ‘working on abstract notes’ for each drum instrument (like on other editors), Aria shows GM2 drum instruments by name which makes selecting a drum instrument much easier
    For all ‘instruments’ Aria only allows selecting the (limited) ‘default GM2 soundkit”: to use other VR GM sounds, export the Aria composition as midi-file and edit it with Sekaiju to change sounds/drumkits