Hard- and Software
This are recommendations for using V-Combo Editor live on stage and eventually software-music and VSTs
The article focusses only on Windows (not Mac)
(I) Hardware (Laptops, Tablets)
Microsoft-Windows or Apple Mac/OSX ?
The fundamental difference between Windows and Mac is “touch display/tablet” vs. “laptop”
Until today Apple has not released a laptop with touch display or even a ‘tablet’
Controlling Editor (or software instruments) on a ‘touch display’ is much easier than moving mouse pointers with touchpads or worse mice
Tablets have the additional advantage of useful positioning, e.g. in front of the player, so that they also be used to show song sheets.
Here’s some pros/cons of Windows compared to Mac. Note that from the disponibilty of music software, Windows and Mac are very close (whereas IOS/iPad is a completely different world)
- pro: Windows has laptops with with touch display, all kind of ‘tablet’ units etc. Apple does not offer laptops with touch display nor a ‘OSX tablet’.
- pro: Windwows devices are generally less expensive than Macs.
- pro: you find a lot of free software for Windwows, much more than for Mac
- pro: Windows has a giant repertoire of VSTs, thousands of free ‘oldschool’ (free) VSTs: in the beginning of VST development, all was done on Windows.
- con: native midi handling is very basic and requires additional apps (see below, ‘Software’)
- con: native audio handling is very basic and handicaped by ‘latency’ (that means a sound from a VST sounds with a delay after the ‘key hit’). Therefore Windows requires additional ‘audio software’ (see below ‘Software’)
Which Windows laptop/tablet for Roland VR?
Tablet or Laptop?
For using on stage, a “Windows tablet” or “2-1 laptops” with touch display is strongly recommended:
Tablets come with no or a ‘soft attach’ keyboard. For using them ‘like a laptop’ the display (tablet) has to be put on a tablet-stand
‘2 in 1’ laptops (or ‘detachables’) are ‘real laptops’ where display and keyboard are ‘hard connected’ but the display can be detached from the keyboard and be used as a ‘tablet’
Compared to laptops, a ‘tablet’ is easier to mount (laptops require full sized ‘laptop stands’), easier to control during playing keys (‘finger touch’ compared to mouse) and looks more ‘discrete’ (laptops on stage might look ‘repelling’ for the audience – from an aesthetical view and also because it always ends with the musician scotched with his head to the laptop nervously scratching on the mouse-pad)
Display size the larger the better to ‘look at’ and control apps BUT also the more ‘dominant’ on stage from audience view:
a huge 15.4 inch tablet is nice for visibility and even allows to use ‘scanned piano sheets’ like a paper sheet, but it can cover your face/body for the audience.
So: 10 inch is the absolute minimum for visibiliy/control
12 inch might be good compromise if you also want to use a ‘song sheet app’ (with notes)
15 inch is as near as conforable as paper piano sheets
Audio: with the quality of modern onboard audio cards there is no need for an external audio interface (at least for live usage).
Connecting both usb (midi) and analog audio of the laptop/tablet to VR (usb-in and EXT Input) usually adds audio fuzz: use a small submixer instead
‘bargain’ devices
To run ctrlr Editor and ‘simple VSTs’ the lowest speced tablet/laptop at 200 USD/€ is all you need.
Unfortunately bargain windows tablets or 2-1 have disappeared from most manufacturer portfolios but you can look for 2nd-hand/refurbished devices or ‘no-name’ products
If you’re a lucky resident of Europe (Germany) you might look for 2nd hand Medion Akoya 2-1 : they are sold 50-100 euros (kleinanzeigen.de), quite often in mint condition
Examples for different display sizes (in inch):
– 10-11″: 2-1 2nd hand: HP-X2-10, Lenovo Miix 310, Medion Akoya E1003 / new : LENOVO IdeaPad Duet, Duet 3, no-name ‘Windows tablets’
– 12-13″: 2-1 2nd hand: Medion Akoya E2212T, P2214T / new: LENOVO IdeaPad Duet 5
– 15″: (e.g. for 2-sided piano sheets): 2-1 2nd hand: S6212T/S6214T “2-1” with huge 15.6 inch display (see picture)
‘performance’ devices
To run preformance-hungry VSTs (virtual Grands, virtual Organs) the more power the better: Intel i5 is the minimum processor, i7 is better. Examples:
12-13 inch display: Microsoft Surface Pro, Lenovo X12, Lenovo IedalPad Duet 5, Lenovo Yoga Duet, Dell Latitude Detachables (expensive …)
15 inch dsiplay : (2nd hand): 15: Microsoft Surface-Book
‘2nd hand’ or ‘refurbished’
Why not an older but 2nd hand unit in good condition:
Older Microsoft Surface Pro or Surface books have various performance and display sizes from 10-15 inch.
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(II) Software
Audio- and Midi-Software required for Windows
To overcome Windows limited midi and audio capabilties the following software is highly recommended:
Midi : CopperLan
Other than Mac/OSX, Windows cannot midi-connect several applications to one port or midi-connect applications to other applications
The solution for Windows are so called ‘virtual midi ports’ which have to be installed by software
A 100% stable and reliable software is CopperLan: it’s a ‘router’ that offers vitual midi ports which are combined with virtual midi cables, so that you can build any connections between keyboards, apps, virtual instruments, DAWs, midi-sequencers etc
CopperLan also offers an important feature: auto-reconnect between Keys and e.g. editor, which is particulary important for live performances
With native Windows, a disruption of the midi connection (e.g. eratically pulling off the usb-midi-cable) between VR and Editor requires the restart of several components which is avoided by CopperLan auto-reconnect
CopperLan can be combined with ‘multi-client’ midi ports of ‘LoopMidi’
You find installers for CL and LoopMidi (carefully read CopperLan_VCombo_Tutorial_1.2.pdf) in: Virtual Midi Ports
Audio : ASIO-driver (if you use VSTs, virtual instruments, etc)
To suppress native Windows-‘audio-latency’ (delay between a key press and the tone from Windows Audio out) you must install a so called ASIO audio driver:
– if you use an external soundcard / audio-interface, it usually comes with with the manufacturers Asio-driver
– if you use ‘onboard audio’ or e.g. Behringer interfaces, get the (free) ‘Asio4all’ driver
The Asio driver has to be set in the ‘audio config’ of the DAW, virtual instrument, etc
Note that when using Asio only one application (one DAW, one virtual instrument etc) can output audio: you cannot run e.g. several standalone instruments, mp3-backing track or YT video.
Software editors for the VR09/09B/730
see top menu ‘VR Editors’
Digital songbooks (setlists) for MS-Windows
| Songbooks | MobileSheets | Camelot | Song Repertoire | Songbook Linkesoft |
Music Reader |
|
| OS | Win | + | + | + | + | + |
| OSX | – | + | – | + | + | |
| IOS | + | + | – | + | + | |
| AND | + | – | – | + | + | |
| LINUX | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Trial version | + | + | + | – | + | |
| Price Euro/USD |
13 | 150 | 15/yr | 15 | 15/yr | |
| Program change | Yes | Yes | See (1) | No See * | No | |
| Set lists | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Formats | pdf jpg txt chordpro | pdf jpg txt chordpro | pdf jpg txt | pdf txt chordpro | pdf txt | |
| Comments | very good, has ‘band sync’, quite cheap | mighty ‘setlist-DAW’, expensive (Win/OSX) | very nice design, midi is in develpmnt (see [1]) | oldfashioned Win version, midi only for ios+android | extreme under performer unuseable! |
Note: MobileSheets and Camelot can be controlled by VR registration program changes (e.g. song switching)
Note: SongRepertoire: midi-send (CC, bank select/program change) was recently added (9/2020), midi receive is ‘in work’
TechnoToys Omega
“oldschool” midi software package with arp, sequencer, drumbox (e.g. for Ctrlr Editor external program launcher). Download