I. VR: the two Sound engines: ‘Keyboard engine’ and ‘GM2 engine’
  II. The ‘GM2 engine’
  III. How to find & select the GM2 sounds on the VR
  IVa) Perform GM2 sounds in the ‘keyboard engine’
  IVb) Perform GM2 sounds in the ‘GM2 engine’
  V. Midi (smf) files Running midi songfiles (backing tracks etc) from VR USB-drive: see Dossier VR & Backing Tracks

I. VR: the two Sound engines: ‘Keyboard engine’ and ‘GM2 engine’

The VR has two distinct ‘sound engines’:

1. the VR Keyboard Engine is the sound engine that you access on the VR front panel (Tonewheel, piano/synth-sounds, DRUM section, the ‘hidden keyboard sounds’ etc) – it’s what you normally use when you play on VR
2. the VR GM2 Engine is a 2nd ‘hidden’ sound engine that contains ALL ‘VR keyboard engine sounds’ plus ca. 2000 Roland GM sounds

There are several ways to use/access the GM2 engine with its sounds:

• control of the GM engine with external midi gear: midi/master controllers, sequencers, computers, etc
• running midi (smf) files from VR usb-port (e.g. midi backing tracks, karaoke etc from web): by default midi/smf files use the GM2 engine
• ‘upload’ GM2 sounds to keyboard engine and play ‘on VR keys’ by using the ‘VR Juno-Gi midi-sysex-layer’ (requires CTRLR EDITOR)
• some ‘tricks’ to access the GM2 sounds by VR using ‘midi loopbacks’

           

II. The ‘GM2 engine’

‘General Midi’ (‘GM’) is a midi specifiation standard. For example, GM contains 128 ‘standardized sounds’ (natural instruments, synth sounds, effect sounds…) and a handfull of ‘midi controllers’ (e.g. ‘volume’, ‘sustain’, etc)
‘General Midi 2’ (‘GM2’) is the extension of GM (mainly pushed by Roland corp). GM2 contains 256 ‘standardized (Roland) sounds’ and a lot more ‘midi controllers’ (e.g. pitch bend, envelope and filter, vibrato, etc etc) for heavy modifying of sounds

Beyond this ‘standard’ the GM2 engine included in VR offers A LOT more:

• a total of ca. 2500 (!) sounds:
  • ALL sounds of VR ‘keyboard engine’ : the official VR sounds (including ‘VR730 exclusive’ sounds), hidden ATELIER sounds, hidden ‘extra’ sounds
  • official “VR-GM2 sounds” (listed in the VR09/730 midi implementation manual)
  • official “ATELIER-GM/GS sounds” (listed in the ATELIER organ midi implementation manual)
  • the (nearly) complete sound set of the Roland Expander SoundCanvas 8850
• GM2 ‘Control Changes’ and GM2-Effects:
  • the standard GM2 midi controllers (Control Changes, Pitch bend, etc) for modifying the sounds in a live performance
  • GM2-Effects: VR Reverb, a classic Roland Chorus, a Sustain-effect, Vibrato (Rate/Depth/Delay), Glide-effect, Growl-effect etc
  • for an overview of all controllers and effects see VR Classic Midi)

NOTE: ‘Midi song files’: Midi (SMF) song files (e.g. for Karaoke) are based on the GM-standard. If you replay a ‘3rd party’ midi song file from VR usb drive, it interacts exclusively with VR GM2-engine (using the 128 GM standard sounds and GM controllers). With a midi editor (e.g. freeware ‘Sekaiju’ or midi editor of your DAW) you can create your own midi songs (accompaniment) and including all 2500 GM sounds and VR GM-effects See chapter V. for details

III. How to find & select the GM2 sounds on the VR:

(A) CTRLR V-Combo Editor:
The most comfortable way is to use the CTRLR V-Combo EDITOR: it has a ‘SOUND-GM2’ section that allows to load any GM sound into either ‘VR keyboard-engine voices’ or ‘GM2-engine midi channels’ and has ‘controllers’ for modding the sounds. In EDITOR, switch to panel ‘SOUND’, then [SOUND-GM2] Tab and select the ‘SOUND ENGINE’

Let’s emphasis: GM sounds CANNOT be saved in VR registrations: either you use ‘CTRLR EDITOR MidiMapper’ (live) or progamm the sounds (bank/pc) in an external midi controller:

function	KBD ENGINE	GM2 ENGINE
where GM2 sounds are loaded to:	VR ‘keyboard voice’	GM2 engine channel
how GM2 sounds are played:	VR keybed	external midi gear or VR keys by ‘loopback tricks’
how GM2 sounds are modified:	VR keyboard controls (VR or CTRLR EDITOR) including EFX	GM2 standard control changes
can GM2 sounds be saved directly to VR registrations:	no	no
can VR registrations be ‘misused’ to load GM2 sounds:	yes: by ‘computer software’, e.g. CTRLR EDITOR has a ‘Midi-Mapper-action’ for this purpose	yes: e.g. by CTRLR EDITOR MidiMapper. To load one GM2 sound ‘by a VR registration’ one can use the ‘ring trick’

(B) Using sound lists to programm midi keyboards or own software (DAWs, keystage):
Download file VR_GM2_soundlist.zip and unpack the archive. The files contain all GM sounds with their bank/program numbers (msb/lsb/prg)

IVa) Perform GM2 sounds in the ‘keyboard engine’

This is probably the most easiest way to perform GM2 sounds but requires to run CTRLR EDITOR as a ‘live utilty’ during the performance.
CTRLR EDITOR allows to ‘upload’ GM2 sounds into VR keyboard engine (by hidden ‘SysEx’ commands, see graphics at top of this page)
You can either load GM2 sounds manually using [SOUND-GM2] tab of EDITOR or use EDITOR ‘MidiMapper’ to automatically load a GM sound when a VR registration is recalled.
Running GM sounds in keybaord engine allows applying all ‘VR features/controls’: filter, envelope, VR EFX, portamento, damper, etc- short: all the knobs you can wobble on VR board (or CTRLR EDITOR) work on the GM sound.
All details are given in CTRLR EDITOR manuals and buildin help.

IVb) Perform GM2 sounds in the ‘GM2 engine’

Using GM2 sounds with the GM2 engine also requires additional “gear”: a 2nd ‘midi keyboard’, a computer running a DAW, a midi-router or CTRLR EDITOR, an external sequencer etc. Or you can plug a midi cable from VR midi out to midi in and send program data and key on/off from the VR keyboard to the GM2 engine (see below and read the WARNINGS)

Important: the number of channels available in ‘GM engine’ depends on VR ‘Midi Mode’ (Setting in VR menu “Midi”): Midi Mode 1: all 16 channels are available for GM engine Midi Mode 2: GM engine is limited to channels 5-10, 12, 14-16 (other channels are reserved for VR keyboard engine) Midi Mode ‘Keyboard’: GM engine is not accessible (as all incoming midi-data is send to keyboard-engine lower manual

Methods to load GM sounds into the GM2 engine:

1. use CTRLR EDITOR for VR GM sounds or a prepared ‘editor GM presets’. This allows layering of GM sounds
2. use an external keyboard (midi controller) that is capable of sending bank (msb/lsb) + program changes for GM2 sounds
3. use a VR registration to load a GM sound with aid of a ‘midi router’ (hardware or software) – only one sound can be loaded

Methods to play GM sounds into GM2 engine:

1. playing on the VR key by ‘midi router’ (hardware or software) that routes VR notes back into VR GM-engine
2. playing on an external keyboard (midi controller) attached to the VR: depending on the controller you can layer GM sounds and/or use zones

Usecase: using an software midi router with VR

Attach a tablet, laptop, smartphone running a ‘midi router’ to VR. Examples (all are free software):
Windows & Mac: “TransMIDIfier” can re-route notes/channels, filter midi messages etc. “CopperLan” provides re-routing
Android: ‘Midi Commander’ (by Bordero), ‘Midi Keyboard’ (by Dreamhound)
IOS: Keystage, Midi-Flow, etc

• run VR in Midi Mode 2 (preferred) or 1 (VR menu MIDI)
• in VR meny MIDI
  – set ‘PC Send’ to ON
  – set the ‘TX’ channel of the manual you want to use for GM to e.g. ‘5’ (any channel but 1-4, 11)
  – set the ‘TX’ Control Channel to the same value (‘5’)
  – program bank+program (Msb, Lsb, PC Num) of the GM-sound (see NOTE below)
  – in the midi-router set an exclusive route ‘from VR to VR’ for the GM Channel (e.g. channel 5)
• to mute the ‘VR keyboard sound’ of the ‘GM manual’ set its ‘level’ to zero (or layer with the GM sound)
• Save as a registration

Now if you recall the registration, it will load the GM sound to VR GM-engine and re-route the notes

NOTE: in VR MENU ‘PC Num’, values range from 1-128 : a GM-sound with ‘program 0’ must be set as ‘1’, a GM-sound with ‘program change 1’ as ‘2’ etc

The midi bridge ‘ring trick’ DEPRECIATED

The Trick is to plug a 5-pin midi cable from VR midi-out to midi-in (the ‘ring’ – or ‘bridge’). This will enable you to prepare a VR registration as explained in the previous chapter to: send a bank/program change message to a ‘GM2’ midi channel to load a GM2 sound send note on/off messages from the VR keybed to that GM2-channel for playing the GM sound

WARNING: With the cable connected, *any manual* will send ‘note data’ to VR itself. resulting in note double triggering. To avoid this ALL TX channels of all manuals of ALL registrations with exeption of the ‘GM registrations’ must be redirected to a ‘silent channel’, e.g. channel 13 (which is the d-beam). Even then, the usage of Expression Pedal is not allowed as it causes a permanent disruption of any sound and the VR has to be rebooted.