V-Machine

[AzureCrystal]

Here is a quick tutorial on importing a simple VST synth(Superwave 8, available free here at KVR) to a USB Stick, and successfully using it on the V-Machine, I hope this helps someone, I was very happy to report done this import went on without a hitch !

**initial setting: V-Machine is turned off, pc on, no programs running(mainly not VFX)...**

01-Plug your usb stick to your pc.

02-Create a "plugs" directory on your usb stick.

03-With the USB stick still in the pc, run the VFX program

04-In VFX, select "Import Plugin" from the menu

05-Drill down to your vst plugins directory(whatever it is called) and select the VST instrument or effect you wish to import, in this case - SUPERWAVE8.DLL.

06-Don't do anything else in VFX, simply exit immediately as it already created the VFX info file you will need.

07-Navigate to your "C:\Documents and Settings\user\application data\vfx" (or so) directory and go into the plugs subdirectory, copy the new plugin directory there, in this case SUPERWAVEP8.

08-Copy that directory under the plugs directory on your usb stick.

09-Remove the stick from the PC, but do not plug it into the V-Machine yet.

10-Turn on your V-Machine.

11-After the vmachine is fully booted up and showing the default bank, plug in your usb stick.

12-Using the menu buttons, navigate to the "Plugin Parade" bank, then using the "Save" buttons navigate to the SUPERWAVE P8 plugin, it should show up !!

13-The plugin works perfect, and it is FAT - this particular plugin I believe is an emulation of a Roland Jupiter 8 and probably even fatter than the original !!!

*I know you can save this to the internal memory, but I like keeping these new/external plugins on my 4 gigger usb stick, I hope this demystifies the V-Machine a little, this was a quick way to use the usb stick and import a vst and it worked fine

[AzureCrystal]

I agree with you,
1. The plugin wizard database is growing daily
2. The Best way (fastest way) is to copy to USB stick and load from stick (you can import the bank from the stick into the internal memory as well).
3. in regards to VNC certainly an option
4. vendor support (like we have with IK) released shortly.

Hi Danny;

Ideally vendor support is the optimal solution, followed by Wizard Database entries, I will certainly work on some of my fav plugins and provide VFX Info files, I look at the V-Machine as a long term investment, I know the firmware and 3rd party support will improve with time, I am already salivating at the prospect of taking this little machine on the road without having to carry a fragile and very tempting laptop with me, this will sit on my midi controller and I will be in Muso Heaven playing my plugs !! This was literally a dream come true as I waited for many years for an inexpensive alternative to lugging a laptop around, which was overkill for what the V-Machine does elegantly

P.S. the USB Stick method worked fine so far, gonna try a more ambitious plugin, one with some data banks subdirs and will post my VFX Info file if I pull it off !

[VFXAU]

Here is a quick tutorial on importing a simple VST synth(Superwave 8, available free here at KVR) to a USB Stick, and successfully using it on the V-Machine, I hope this helps someone, I was very happy to report done this import went on without a hitch !

**initial setting: V-Machine is turned off, pc on, no programs running(mainly not VFX)...**

01-Plug your usb stick to your pc.

02-Create a "plugs" directory on your usb stick.

03-With the USB stick still in the pc, run the VFX program

04-In VFX, select "Import Plugin" from the menu

05-Drill down to your vst plugins directory(whatever it is called) and select the VST instrument or effect you wish to import, in this case - SUPERWAVE8.DLL.

06-Don't do anything else in VFX, simply exit immediately as it already created the VFX info file you will need.

07-Navigate to your "C:\Documents and Settings\user\application data\vfx" (or so) directory and go into the plugs subdirectory, copy the new plugin directory there, in this case SUPERWAVEP8.

08-Copy that directory under the plugs directory on your usb stick.

09-Remove the stick from the PC, but do not plug it into the V-Machine yet.

10-Turn on your V-Machine.

11-After the vmachine is fully booted up and showing the default bank, plug in your usb stick.

12-Using the menu buttons, navigate to the "Plugin Parade" bank, then using the "Save" buttons navigate to the SUPERWAVE P8 plugin, it should show up !!

13-The plugin works perfect, and it is FAT - this particular plugin I believe is an emulation of a Roland Jupiter 8 and probably even fatter than the original !!!

*I know you can save this to the internal memory, but I like keeping these new/external plugins on my 4 gigger usb stick, I hope this demystifies the V-Machine a little, this was a quick way to use the usb stick and import a vst and it worked fine

I would just like to add to this post that creating a bank (call it stick or what ever you like) with the superwaveP8 as a preset (make sure you put up the channel volume and the master volume) then saving it, you can then put this on the stick as well (Bank Directory and Plugs Directory on the stick). Then you don't need to go to the PLUGIN PARADE, but actually have extra banks and presets on the stick, this is how I use my unit, it is fast and portable and you can import the bank into the V-Machine if you like as well.

For some reason SUPERWAVE P8 has lots of Echo/Delay effect on every channel, (it has 2 delays in the synth) I would switch them off or at least reduce their repeat level, you can save each patch as a preset as well.

If you want VERY FAST switching between plugins, then you have a couple of ways to do this.

1. load several into several midi channels (you can have 6 VSTi) then switch between midi channels on your KB, it is instantaneous.
2. you can assign the MUTE button of each Channel and AUX channels to buttons on a keyboard and switch between VSTi's this way.

[mäxchen]

anyboy ot a clou how do i delete a bank from the v-machine that is not displayed at the VFX software? i can delete pluins, (but i cant sure they are realy deleted) presets but no banks.
and why did not the vfx software show whats on the machine? Thats silly - the vfx software has to show whats on the machine.

[VFXAU]

anyboy ot a clou how do i delete a bank from the v-machine that is not displayed at the VFX software? i can delete pluins, (but i cant sure they are realy deleted) presets but no banks.
and why did not the vfx software show whats on the machine? Thats silly - the vfx software has to show whats on the machine.

which firmware revision do you have on your v-machine?
Current Firmware 1212b

On the V-Machine
Select Menu
Navigate to CLEAR (about 5 clicks right)
Where is says CLEAR PRESET , change it (with the < > save) to Delete Bank
and then DELETE

[mäxchen]

thx a lot, first time it didnt work, second time bank was gone

[schoko]

THis is NOT TRUE!!!

hope so.... but this was the original answer from AAS. Of course, I really hope that Eric's information was wrong...

[mäxchen]

Hello VFXAU,

one little question again. when i delete a bank that uses the sampletank plugin and samples. Are the used damples deleted too? the real question is, how can i delete some samples from the sampletank-plugin? i like some banks and presets very much (the piano is better than i though) but some i dont need, but i need the space at the flash
keep up the good work and make this little box more better.
max

[ZioKiller]

I think a better approach could be looking into using some incarnation of Wine(Linux windoze emulator) and VNC(pc-anywhere/VPN emulator) mentioned here, and somehow finding a failsafe way of setting our V-Machines as a valid PC. Then we can simply install a plugin on it(or a usb stick) like we would do on a normal machine, then we avoid anything related to looking in the registry for settings and tedious VFX file creation.

mmmh... looks tricky... I like the V-Machine because it seems more like an old "Midi expander" than "a computer running plugins", there's a concept of simplicity behind it (once it's correctly set-up) and I think this is its strength point.

I'd go with another solution... if you need the installer to get the challenge/response done, so why not include that part of the code into a fake vst plugin?
A VST plugin still is an executable that can do anything, virtually it can be a videogame as well. So I'd create an empty shell for VST developers of a vst plugin that hosts custom code for the c/r routine and dumps a wizard file. The developer has to fill this shell with his own code, compile and release it to the public. The user has to install and run this plugin first on the V-Machine from a USB stick, then extract the "Computer ID" from the wizard file, go to the developer's website for receiving the activation code, paste it back into the wizard file and he's done.

No Linux involved, no VNC, no Wine, no Beer, no Drugs

I think this method is easier for everyone, developers, users and the VFX guys.

[VFXAU]

I think a better approach could be looking into using some incarnation of Wine(Linux windoze emulator) and VNC(pc-anywhere/VPN emulator) mentioned here, and somehow finding a failsafe way of setting our V-Machines as a valid PC. Then we can simply install a plugin on it(or a usb stick) like we would do on a normal machine, then we avoid anything related to looking in the registry for settings and tedious VFX file creation.

mmmh... looks tricky... I like the V-Machine because it seems more like an old "Midi expander" than "a computer running plugins", there's a concept of simplicity behind it (once it's correctly set-up) and I think this is its strength point.

I'd go with another solution... if you need the installer to get the challenge/response done, so why not include that part of the code into a fake vst plugin?
A VST plugin still is an executable that can do anything, virtually it can be a videogame as well. So I'd create an empty shell for VST developers of a vst plugin that hosts custom code for the c/r routine and dumps a wizard file. The developer has to fill this shell with his own code, compile and release it to the public. The user has to install and run this plugin first on the V-Machine from a USB stick, then extract the "Computer ID" from the wizard file, go to the developer's website for receiving the activation code, paste it back into the wizard file and he's done.

No Linux involved, no VNC, no Wine, no Beer, no Drugs

I think this method is easier for everyone, developers, users and the VFX guys.

Interesting idea, with IK they provided us with a software tool so we can talk to the V-Machine Via the USB cable and get the ID for thier software this way. Other Vendors also know that this is possible but they are slow to move. Your idea maybe simpler but the problem is that they don't want to change all thier software to work on the V-Machine immediatly, it takes time for them to do it. As we get more support for the unit more and more vendors will see that this platform (including the more powerfull V-Rack and Pedal) are an essential tool for thier business and will support it no doubt. We already sent out a method for authorising to the V-Machine months ago but every company has priorities and software issues to resolve. In any case, we can already see the growing support on a daily basis.

[ZioKiller]

As we get more support for the unit more and more vendors will see that this platform (including the more powerfull V-Rack and Pedal) are an essential tool for thier business and will support it no doubt.

Yep... just wait for the crowd to knock at their doors...

And I'm sure that more MI manufacturers will start using this relatively "new" thecnology with their upcoming instruments, racks, keyboards...

How long will it take before Yamaha or Korg release a new workstation capable of hosting VST plugins?... I'd say 1 or 2 years.

[schoko]

How long will it take before Yamaha or Korg release a new workstation capable of hosting VST plugins?... I'd say 1 or 2 years.

I'm quite sure that Yamaha & Co. work quite intensive on this since they got the V-Machine news from Frankfurt in March 2008

[mungocherry33]

I hope not that long, but you're probably correct. ZK, does it run all your great creations without a problem?, as I want to get all that you've made so far.

[ZioKiller]

How long will it take before Yamaha or Korg release a new workstation capable of hosting VST plugins?... I'd say 1 or 2 years.

I'm quite sure that Yamaha & Co. work quite intensive on this since they got the V-Machine news from Frankfurt in March

Consider that the Yamaha Motif XS is already based on a linux computer, so they're just a few steps away from installing and configuring Wine like VFX did...

Korg has the Oasys platform that surely needs just a few brushstokes to get Wine working.

Roland, otoh, is still playing with Amiga-like showing cubes rotating that give you the illusion of some supah-dupah advanced technology... but they still recycle sounds from the old JD libraries...
Tried a Juno-Stage a few weeks ago, I felt like being back in the 90's

[Nitrofunk]

But how to deal with Plugins that have a large Samplebank, for example "M-Tron" and "Ivory"?
Peter