================================================================== VL1<->70 Librarian 0.8.3 Readme File ================================================================== (c) 2007 Bruno Degazio . All rights reserved. email: degazio@sheridanc.on.ca website: http://www-acad.sheridanc.on.ca/~degazio/aboutme.html ================================================================== CONTENTS ================================================================== 1. Introduction 2. Features 3. Registration 4. Limitations 5. Software Updates 6. Version History 7. Contact 8. How to Use VL1<->70 Librarian ================================================================== 1. Introduction ================================================================== Thank you very much for installing VL1<->70, the only Macintosh OS X- compatible software librarian for Yamaha's VL series synthesizers. This software is meant to help you organize and edit your patches (“voices”) and converting them between the VL1 and VL70 synthesizers. In addition it offers a complete “Expert Editor” style interface for in-depth editing of the VL1. For the VL70, it can convert the otherwise inaccessible PR and INT formats (rom and internal, respectively) to the less restrictive CST (custom) format. It therefore allows you to download and manage VL70 voices based on their internal rom’s. Lastly, it is the only software that can convert between VL1 and VL70 voice formats, allowing your favorite voices to be played on either synthesizer. Finally, play your favorite VL70 voices on the clearer , cleaner, more transparent, more responsive VL1. ================================================================== 2. Features ================================================================== New Features (0.8.3) - Complete VL70 Editor using "nibs" rather than dialogs, for that 'metal" look. - all VL70 Editor windows are contained within a single tab window. - MANY live sliders added to VL70 editor - VL70 librarian converted to resizable List Data Browser. Now allows sorting based on patch number, Voice name or element name. - VL70 Editor window should now fit on a 1024 x 768 Powerbook screen. FIXES 0.8.3 - fixed cosmetic problem with menu order - caught a bug in VL70 sysex addressing for an obscure item. General - CoreMIDI compliant means you can use it in conjunction with any sequencer software - runs on any Macintosh computer running OS X 10.4 - transfer patches via MIDI and save them on your computer - cut, copy and paste of voices in Librarian window - files containing all Factory voices for VL70 and VL1 version 2 
Yamaha VL1 - complete voice editor, including Yamaha’s hidden “instrument” parameters - complete, accurate, automatic conversion of VL70 voices to VL1 format - load Yamaha “.ALL”, “.1VC” and “.1BK” files Yamaha VL70 - can retrieve complete ROM voice data, including hidden ‘instrument’ parameters - converts INT (internal) and PR (Preset) voice format to CST (Custom) format - complete, accurate, automatic conversion of VL1 voices to VL70 format ================================================================== 2. Requirements & Registration ================================================================== Requires: - Macintosh OS X 10.4 - VL1 (v2), VL1m (v2) or VL70m synthesizers - MIDI interface - 1280 x 1024 monitor Registration: This is a shareware version. If you like it, please support it by sending $25 to the author at: Prof. Bruno Degazio c/o School of Animation, Arts & Design Sheridan College, 1430 Trafalgar Road Oakville, ON, CANADA L6H 2L1
email: degazio@sheridanc.on.ca ================================================================== 4. Restrictions (version 0.5) ================================================================== - no editing of system parameters - no VL70 Voice editor - no “Send to VL Current Voice” (VL70 only) - no conversion of Effects parameters ================================================================== 5. Software Updates ================================================================== future features - VL70 Editor - System parameters editor - save files as SysEx (.mid) or .syn for pasting into sequencer track - configurable MIDI Thru - WX/EWI Midi graphic display (breath and pitchbend) ================================================================== 6. Version History ================================================================== v0.5 - June 2007 first release v0.6 - July 2007 v0.8.3 - August 2007 ================================================================== 7. Contact ================================================================== Author: Bruno Degazio email: degazio@sheridanc.on.ca website: http://www-acad.sheridanc.on.ca/~degazio/aboutme.html ================================================================== 8. How to Use VL170 Librarian ================================================================== GET ALL SELECTED VOICES FROM VL Make sure your VL synth is physically connected to your computer. Both MIDI input and MIDI out must be connected. In the Library window, double-click the item indicated after “Current Synth”. A popup menu selector will allow you to choose your VL synth, as named in Audio/Midi Setup. Still in the Library window, select the range of voices you would like to get. From the Edit Menu, choose “Get All Selected from VL...” Transmission will begin immediately. Each voice takes from 5 to 10 seconds, which means that it will take a long time to get a complete bank of 128 voices. Be patient. You will see the voice names appear in the library window one by one as they are received. If there is a MIDI transmission problem, - check your MIDI interface settings, - check that BOTH Midi in and out of the VL are connected to the interface - check Audio/MIDI Setup to confirm that both input and output are connected to CoreMidi SEND ALL SELECTED VOICES TO VL This is exactly like the above, except that the MIDI out of the VL synth does not need to be connected to the computer. From the Edit Menu, choose “Send All Selected to VL...” NB - this will overwrite the current contents of the VL’s ram. Be careful! It’s a good idea to first save the synth’s current ram using “Get All Selected Voices..” above. SEND TO CURRENT VOICE This button (VL1 only), sends the currently selected voice to the VL1s “Current Voice Buffer”. It is NOT stored into the VL1’s permanent voice ram. You can use this to try out various voices without committing any to ram. GET FROM CURRENT VOICE This button (VL70 only), retrieves the contents of the currently active VL70 voice, including any changes you might have made from the synth’s front panel editing. CONVERTING BETWEEN VL SYNTHESIZERS For some reason Yamaha made it ridiculously tricky to swap voices between the two synthesizers. For a while, their Macintosh OS 9 based “Expert Editor” converted VL1 to VlL70 format, but not vice versa. So those of us who invested in the expensive, top-of-the-line VL1 machines have been left out of the continuing development of voices for the synthesizer. However, VL1<->70 can easily convert between either voice format. Just follow this simple procedure: 1) Select the voices you want to convert in the librarian window (VL1 or VL70), and Copy them to the clipboard. 2) open or select the OTHER librarian window. Select the destination locations for your converted voices. 3) From the Edit Menu, choose “Past-convert VL(1 or 70) Voices from Clipboard. Your voices will automatically be converted to the alternate synthesizer’s format as they are pasted in place. The converter precisely remaps ALL Element parameters, including the hidden “instrument” parameters at the heart of the VL Physical model. It also adjusts all frequency-related parameters such as note tunings, EQ settings, etc. to compensate for the different sampling rates of the two synths (The VL1 runs at 48 khz, the VL70 at 44.1 khz). Common parameters don’t fare quite so well because Yamaha altered the design slightly in the VL70). However, in most cases the differences are unnoticeable. The only real problem comes with the Effect parameters. These are the settings for Reverb, Chorus, Delay etc. The difficulty comes from the fact that Yamaha uses a very different Effects chip in the VL70, so there is no obvious 1:1 correlation between the settings of the two devices. For this reason NO conversion of effects parameters is attempted. If you want to restore a particular reverb or Delay setting, you must do so manually from the front panel of the synth (or, for the VL1, using VL170 Librarian’s Editor).