VR Editors

Software editors/controllers available for Roland VR09, VR09B and VR730:

 

There are software editors for VR for iOS (official Roland app), Windows, Mac, Linux (and spartanic for Android)

(A) Windows, OSX, Linux:     CTRLR V-Combo EDITOR (free)

  • For details and installation see V-Combo EDITOR main site

    V-Combo EDITOR is a graphical user interface controller for VR09 and VR730 running on Windows, Mac and Linux to access:
      – ‘VR factory features’ like VR sounds, organ parameters, Virtual-Analog Synthesizer, etc
      – ‘VR hidden features’: hidden sounds, multi-zones/layers, GM2-engine with ca. 2000 GM2 sounds (see here)
      – ‘VR registration organiser’, ‘V-Piano’-enhancer, Midi-Mapper etc etc etc

    organ control
    hidden sounds, multi-zones/layers
    Virtual Analog Sound Designer
    • Connection type:  usb-cable (standard ‘printer cable’ USB-A)
    • Hardware: EDITOR runs even on very low spec and/or old-vintage PCs, Laptops or (Windows-)tablets
      CTRLR runs fine on the lowest spec tablet class (usually ‘atom’-type processor, 2GB RAM, 32GB disk) allthough in general these machines are a bit slow
    • Operating system: Windows from XP (SP2) to W10/W11, Apple OSX (MacOS) and Linux
    • Touch Display: EDITOR is reactive (and optimized) to touch displays – which is the ultima ratio for ‘stage usage’

    Recommendations for Laptops/Tablet to use with Editor: Hard- and Software

     

    (B) IOS (iPad):     Roland VR09 EDITOR (free)

    • Features:  controller for VA synthesiser and organ
      Download:   ROLAND Website
      Connection type:
      – usb-cable (iPads with lightning socket need the ‘Apple camera connection kit’)
      – WLAN  (requires an usb-wlan-transmitter for VR, e.g. ‘Netgear WNA 1100’)
      Hardware: any iPad does the job

      organ control
      VA synth control

     

    (C) Android:     Midi Commander by Boldero (free)

    • Features: customisable controller app. Has a  ‘organ drawbar panel’, e.g. for controlling VR drawbars.
      Download: Google playstore (free)
      Connection type:  usb-cable (standard printer cable USB-A. Devices with USB-C: use an USB-C to -A adapter. Devices with pre USB-C: use an ‘OTG’ adapter)

      Note: MC can send midi system exclusive messages including Roland checksum which makes it capable of communicating with VR.

      A preset-file for MC for controlling VR upper/lower drawbars, organ parameters, filter/envelope, Global Tranpose can be downloaded here (more details see text file in the zip-file): MC-VCombo.zip

     

    Editor comparison table:

     

    features VR ‘keyboard only’ VR + Roland VR EDITOR VR + V-COMBO CTRLR EDITOR
    Operating System: – IOS (iPad, iPhone) Windows (XP – W11), OSX (MacOS), Linux
    voices 2 voices (layer or split) + organ like ‘VR only’ 9 voices (in different layers/zones) + organ [R]
    split zones 2 split zones like ‘VR only’ 4 split zones (upper, lower, solo, bass) [R]
    voices/layers (multi-timbral) 2 like ‘VR only’ up to 4 layers in upper, 4 layers in lower and 2 layers in bass [R]
    organ drawbar control upper OR lower upper AND lower upper AND lower, 2 drawbarsets A/B, 5 organ presets/manual [L]
    organ + leslie controls knobs + VR-menu all controls on the panel all controls on the panel  [R] [L]
    envelope/filter controls for upper manual – for all zones/manuals [R]
    Virtual Analog synthesizer – full control panel [1]

    full control panel with additional parameters [R] [1]
    VA Sound Designer
    ATELIER sounds – – full control for all ATELIER sounds (ca. 500) [R]
    GM sounds + control – – access and control of GM2, GS and Roland SoundCanvas sounds (ca. 2000), channels and effects  [L] [2]
    additional sounds – –

    full control of ca. 200 ‘hidden’ sounds including JP80 ‘Synth Legend Tones’ [R]
    additional effects – – Sustain (bass, manuals), Chord/Harmony-Intelligence, additional reverb-types, additional effects for D-Beam, rhythm break/fill [R]
    additional controls – – master-tune, refined controls for damper assign and key-velocity [R]
    VR registration organizer – – UPG-Editor to re-order, copy, merge registrations via VR-registration-set files on USB drive
    diverse – – L-R-panning,  Midi-Mapper (Translator), program launcher, V-Piano enhancer, rhythm-controls, editor patch register (for deep-synthesized sounds), editor patch register for GM sounds [L]

    VR+CTRLR EDITOR notes:
    [R]    : features + changes can be saved to VR regisrations and be used without CTRLR EDITOR
    [L]: features require live (STAGE) usage of CTRLR EDITOR
    [1]:  see limitations when saving VA-modded sounds to VR registrations
    [2]: GM sounds cannot be saved to VR registrations but there are many ways to use them live though

     

    CTRLR V-Combo Editor: additional ‘hidden’ VR09/730 features:

     
    V-Combo Editor allows to access hundrets of ‘hidden VR features’ (features not available on VR front panel). Many features save with VR registrations (like multi-zones/layers, many hidden sounds), others don’t (like ‘GM2-engine’)

    Any VR setup that makes use of the following features is entirely savable to VR registrations – in other words: it is possible to programm (by V-Combo Editor) VR registrations with 4 keybed zones, 9 voices, ‘hidden sounds’ etc

    ++ additional ‘zones’:
          VR09/730 ‘factory’: 2 zones (upper and lower manual)
          Hidden: plus 2 zones = total 4 zones: upper, lower, solo, bass. Zones can be splitted or overlapped

    		 some examples of VR09 splitted/layerd zones:

    upper (zone 1)
    solo (zone 2)
    lower (zone 3)
    bass (zone 4)

    ++ additional ‘voices’ (parts):
          VR09/730 ‘factory’: 2 voices (‘DUAL’ or SPLIT mode) + organ
          Hidden: plus 7 multitimbral voices = total of 9 voices
                3 voices in upper manual
                1 voices in solo manual
                3 voices in lower manual (can be increased with 1 voice from solo)
                2 voices in bass manual
                organ (upper/lower)

    ++ additional ‘sounds’:
          ‘Hidden’ sounds of the VR09/730:
          ca. 700 additional sounds (including sound set of Roland ATELIER organs and Synth Legend Tones),
          additional keyboard drum sets, etc
          GM2: more than 2000 sounds and drumsets of Roland GM2, GS and an entire SoundCanvas soundset

    ++ additional controls:
          key touch setting for lower manual
          chord intelligence, harmony intelligence off/on and harmony intelligence type
          pitchbend/Mod lever: assign to UPPER/LOWER/BASS
          drum octave shift
          sustain (on/off + mode) for upper, lower or/and bass manual
          dual solo top/last
          D-Beam: SuperNatural ‘N.1 and N.2’: assign to upper/lower/solo/bass/all

    ++ additional options for existing keyboard controls:
          Damper pedal mode : assign to ‘solo’ voice
          D-BEAM : filter (cutoff), pitch up, volume, rhythm fill-in/break
          Reverb: Hall2, Hall3, Small Church, Delay

    ++ additional parameters for builtin VA-Synth (not accessible in iPad app):
          Portamento: normal/legato
          Mono: staccato/legato
          Analog feel
          OSC: pulsewidth-shift for pulse-wave
          OSC: PCM wave gain
          FILTER: HPF cutoff
          FILTER: Velocity sensitivity
          AMP: key follow
          LFO panpot
          LFO keytrigger
          LFO-Modulation panpot