Roland VS-880EX User guide

This Application Guide provides step-by-step procedures and important information about day-to-day use of the
VS-880EX in actual applications.
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APPLICATION GUIDE 1.0
EX
©2000 Roland Corporation
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of ROLAND CORPORATION.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Table of Contents
Table of Contents 3
Table of Contents
Purpose of this Guide...................................................................................................................... 7
How to use this Guide..................................................................................................................... 7
Refer to your VS-880EX Owner’s Manual & Quick Start ................................................................ 7
Icons & Symbols ............................................................................................................................. 7
Conventions Used In This Manual ............................................................................................... 8
Chapter 1: Laying a Foundation
Introduction to Multitrack Recording.................................................................................................. 9
Multitrack Tape Recording (Linear)..............................................................................................9
Tracking Session....................................................................................................................... 9
Overdub Session ...................................................................................................................... 9
Mixdown Session.................................................................................................................... 10
Audio Post Production for Video ............................................................................................... 10
Random-Access Hard Disk Recording........................................................................................ 10
Pointer Based Editing .............................................................................................................. 11
Summary of VS-880EX Terminology................................................................................................ 12
VS-880EX Commonly Asked Questions ........................................................................................... 16
Chapter 2: Understanding Your VS-880EX
Understanding Your VS-880EX....................................................................................................... 19
Sections of the VS-880EX......................................................................................................... 19
Important Concepts to Understand.................................................................................................. 20
Understanding The Mixer ........................................................................................................ 20
A Mixer Analogy .................................................................................................................... 21
The VS-880EX Mixer ............................................................................................................... 22
Using the [FADER/EDIT] Button................................................................................................. 22
Mixer Effect Routing ................................................................................................................ 24
Now Time.............................................................................................................................. 24
Virtual Tracks ......................................................................................................................... 25
Finding Your Edit Points........................................................................................................... 26
Editing Resolution ................................................................................................................... 27
Using Waveforms To Edit ........................................................................................................ 28
Undo & Redo ......................................................................................................................... 28
Nulling - (Faders & Pan Controls).............................................................................................. 28
Important Navigational Rules & Skills to Master ............................................................................... 30
[PLAY (DISPLAY)] Button........................................................................................................... 30
Transport Buttons .................................................................................................................... 30
[SHIFT] Button......................................................................................................................... 30
[CH EDIT] Buttons ................................................................................................................... 30
[STATUS] Buttons .................................................................................................................... 30
[PARAMETER] Buttons.............................................................................................................. 30
[CURSOR] Buttons................................................................................................................... 31

VS-880EX Application Guide
4
[YES] / [NO] Buttons .............................................................................................................. 31
TIME/VALUE Dial ................................................................................................................... 31
VS-880EX Demo Songs ................................................................................................................. 31
VS-880EX Connections.................................................................................................................. 32
Comments On VS-880EX Connections ...................................................................................... 34
Phantom Power....................................................................................................................... 34
Creating A New Song .................................................................................................................. 34
Naming A Song ........................................................................................................................... 35
Defining Default Settings.......................................................................................................... 35
Save Your Song to Disk Often ........................................................................................................ 36
Sample Setup ......................................................................................................................... 37
Chapter 3: Recording Applications
Record A Single Piano Track From A Synthesizer .........................................................................................39
Play A Piano Track And Add Markers & Locators.........................................................................................40
Using Locator Banks................................................................................................................ 41
Record Vocal With Mic And External Compressor........................................................................................42
Record 5 Guitar Tracks Using Virtual Tracks ................................................................................................43
Listening To A Guitar Using Internal Effects..................................................................................................45
Recording A Guitar ‘Dry’ While Listening With Effects..................................................................................46
Recording A Guitar ‘Wet’ With Internal Effects ............................................................................................47
Record A Guitar On Tr. 1, Record The Effects On Tr. 2 .................................................................................48
Punching In And Out - Manual (with Undo & Redo)......................................................................................49
Use Auto-Punch For Punch In/Out ..............................................................................................................51
Loop Recording .......................................................................................................................................52
Sync To A MIDI Sequencer Using MTC (MIDI Time Code) .............................................................................54
Sync To A MIDI Sequencer Using MIDI Clock ..............................................................................................56
Sync To An External Sequencer Using MMC ...............................................................................................57
Recording From A Digital Source ...............................................................................................................59
Recording Multiple Inputs To 2 Tracks As A Stereo Mix.................................................................................60
Recording Multiple Inputs To A Single Mono Track .......................................................................................61
Record 4 Mics, Using Internal Compressor, To 1 Track .................................................................................63
Using the Serial Insert Path........................................................................................................................63
Using the COSM Microphone Simulator .....................................................................................................64
Using the Voice Transformer ......................................................................................................................64
Creating a User Template With EZ Routing..................................................................................................67
Chapter 4: Overdub Applications
Add A Guitar Track To The Existing Piano Track...........................................................................................69
Bouncing Tracks 1-6 To Tracks 7-8 .............................................................................................................70
Using The Internal Effects When Bouncing ..................................................................................................71
Using The Aux Bus As A Headphone Monitor .............................................................................................72
Combining Lead Vocal Tracks Into One Using [Mute] ...................................................................................72
Making A New Version of Your Song .........................................................................................................75
Switching the Virtual Track Bank ................................................................................................................76

Table of Contents 5
Chapter 5: Editing Applications
Use {Cut} To Shorten Your Song .................................................................................................................77
Use {Erase} To Eliminate Unwanted Material ...............................................................................................78
Use {Insert} To Add Space Into An Existing Recording ..................................................................................79
Use {Move} To Place Guitar Part in New Location ........................................................................................81
Use {Move} & Sync Point - Align Music With Narration ................................................................................82
Use {Copy} To Create A Drum Loop ...........................................................................................................84
Use {Copy} To Re-Use A Vocal In Multiple Verses .........................................................................................86
Chapter 6: Mixdown Applications
Mixing 8 Tracks To Stereo Analog Outputs..................................................................................................89
Mix 8 Tracks To Stereo DAT - Digitally ........................................................................................................90
Mixing 8 Tracks With Internal Effects To Stereo Output .................................................................................91
Using Mute During Mixdown ....................................................................................................................92
Using Scenes To Help With Mixdown.........................................................................................................93
Mixing 8 Tracks and External Source To 2 Track DAT ...................................................................................94
Using External Effects During Mixdown ......................................................................................................95
Use Virtual Tracks To Re-Use The Internal Effects...........................................................................................96
Listen To More Than One Virtual Track Simultaneously..................................................................................97
Process Entire Mix With Internal EQ And Compressor ..................................................................................98
Backup Your Song to DAT .........................................................................................................................99
Recover Your Song from DAT...................................................................................................................100
Automated Mixing Using a MIDI Sequencer..............................................................................................101
Automated Mixing Within the VS-880EX (3 methods).................................................................................103
Creating A Tempo Map ..........................................................................................................................104
Using the Sync Track (3 methods) ............................................................................................................105
Preparing a Song for CD Burning ............................................................................................................108
Writing One Song to CD ........................................................................................................................108
Writing Multiple Songs to the CD at Once ................................................................................................110
Backing Up Your Hard Drive to CD-R........................................................................................................110
Loading Songs From CD-R ......................................................................................................................112
Chapter 7: Tips and Advanced Applications
Tips & Features........................................................................................................................... 113
Using The ‘Narration’ Effect ................................................................................................... 113
Using the [SHIFT] Button to Speed Up Operations..................................................................... 113
[SHIFT] + [PLAY (DISPLAY)] Displays Waveforms in Edit Modes ................................................. 113
[SHIFT] + [SONG] Displays Song Information .......................................................................... 113
Use [SHIFT] + [SCRUB] to Change The Scrub Length................................................................. 113
Use [SHIFT] + [SYSTEM] to Toggle Int / Ext Sync...................................................................... 113
Use ‘Archive’ Copy Mode to copy to multiple ZIP disks ............................................................. 113
Vari-Speed Functions in Scrub Mode....................................................................................... 114
Keep Original Tracks When Bouncing .................................................................................... 114
Use the Correct Scrub Direction.............................................................................................. 114
Use a Longer Scrub Preview Length......................................................................................... 114
Change Track Status Quickly ................................................................................................. 114
Use Locators For Editing Functions .......................................................................................... 114
Use [NUMERICS] for Precise Time Code or Measure Location ................................................... 114

VS-880EX Application Guide
6
Record First Using the Metronome .......................................................................................... 114
Display Shows Scrub or Preview Type..................................................................................... 114
Additional Equalizers in the Built-In Effects ............................................................................... 115
Additional Recording Time..................................................................................................... 115
Synchronizing Your VS-880EX ............................................................................................... 115
Stereo Grouping / Channel Linking ........................................................................................ 115
Automation .......................................................................................................................... 115
SMPTE time code and the VS-880EX ....................................................................................... 115
Sync multiple VS-880EX’s together................................................................................................ 116
VS-880EX with a Digital Sampler ................................................................................................. 117
Sync VS-880EX to Analog Tape Recorder...................................................................................... 118
Sync VS-880EX to ADAT ............................................................................................................. 119
Sync VS-880EX to DA-88 ............................................................................................................ 120
Sync VS-880EX with Computer Sequencer..................................................................................... 121
Sync VS-880EX to Drum Machine or MIDI Sequencer ..................................................................... 122
Sync VS-880EX to Video ............................................................................................................. 123
Chapter 8: Appendix
Glossary of General Audio and Recording Terms........................................................................... 125
More About SCSI ....................................................................................................................... 136
The SCSI “Chain” ................................................................................................................. 136
SCSI ID Numbers.................................................................................................................. 136
SCSI & IDE........................................................................................................................... 136
SCSI Cables......................................................................................................................... 137
SCSI Termination .................................................................................................................. 137
“ACTIVE” Terminators ........................................................................................................... 138
Terminator Power.................................................................................................................. 138
Test For Internal Termination................................................................................................... 138
Double Termination............................................................................................................... 138
SCSI Summary...................................................................................................................... 139
Erasing the Demo Songs.............................................................................................................. 140
Updating the System Software...................................................................................................... 141
Blank Track Sheet ....................................................................................................................... 143

Table of Contents 7
Purpose of this Guide
This Application Guide details many of the common concepts and procedures associated with recording
and editing with the VS-880EX. It has been written for users new to the general world of recording and
specifically to digital hard disk recording.
After general information on recording, it concentrates on using the VS-880EX in real world recording
situations. Each situation or application is broken down into three simple sections:
Why? Why someone might want to do the task that is being described.
What? A general description & overview of the task to be accomplished.
How? The actual step by step button pushes required to complete the task.
How to use this Guide
All references to Owners Manual in this guide refer to the VS-880EX Owner’s Manual.
Refer to your VS-880EX Owner’s Manual & Quick Start
This guide does not replace your VS-880EX Owner’s Manual or the VS-880EX Quick Start. Keep them close
at hand for additional support.
Where applicable, this guide will direct you to specific pages in the owner’s manual or the quick start for
additional information or clarification. Page number references may differ slightly, depending on the date
your document was printed. If you do not see what you are looking for, you may have to look a few pages
before or after to find the correct page.
The LCD displays pictured in this manual may vary slightly from the actual display on your VS-880EX.
Icons & Symbols
Special icons are placed in the left margin throughout this guide to draw your attention to important
information about your VS-880EX.
This WARNING icon points to critical information about issues that may
affect the operation of your VS-880EX or your recorded song data.
A NOTE adds clarification to a specific point or attempts to explain a concept
in a different manner.
This TECH INFO icon points to information that is specifically technical in
nature.

VS-880EX Application Guide
8
Conventions Used In This Manual
Buttons
•Actual front panel buttons are indicated in square brackets [ ].
•Some buttons have more than one button name. These indicate the function that the button
performs when [SHIFT] is pressed or when in a different mode. When giving only the
“secondary” function name would make it difficult to know which button is indicated, both
button names will be given, with the current function given first.
Example: [SOLO (EZ ROUTING)], [EFFECT 1 (CH EDIT button 7)]
•The VS-880EX has two buttons marked PLAY. In this manual, these are distinguished as
follows.
1. [PLAY (DISPLAY)]: the button at the lower right of the LCD screen
2. [PLAY]: the button to operate the recorder ‘transport,’ located in the lower right corner.
Mixer Channel
•In the mixer section, a knob/button/indicator/fader of a specific channel is usually indi-
cated by adding the channel number. Example: the PAN 1 knob, FADER 3.
Commands
•Capitalized text, surrounded by braces, { }, indicates a command that the VS-880EX can
execute. Example: {MOVE}
Tracks
•The VS-880EX has two banks of 8 Virtual Tracks for each actual primary recording track.
When displayed, the LCD indicates the primary recording track as the first number and the
virtual track as the second number. This guide will use the same convention. For example,
Tr. 2-5 will always indicate primary recording track # 2, virtual track # 5 (see Virtual Tracks
- Application Guide page 27). For the purpose of this guide, we will assume that Virtual
Track Bank “A” is selected (see Switching the Virtual Track Bank - Application Guide page
74).

9Chapter 1: Important Information
Introduction to Multitrack Recording
In order to maximize the usefulness of your VS-880EX, a basic understanding of the typical recording
process is very helpful. Since there are many books available covering the history of recording, we will not
discuss it here. We will, however, review a few modern recording techniques that you might find helpful
when planning your next recording session with the VS-880EX.
Multitrack Tape Recording (Linear)
Modern multitrack recording techniques allow the recording engineer an increased level of creative control
beyond the direct to mono or stereo recording of the past. In the early days of recording, every musician
and singer had to all assemble in a studio at the same time. Every part of the song was recorded
simultaneously, directly to a mono or stereo recording. One major problem of this technique was that if
any individual musician made a mistake, everyone had to do the recording over again from the beginning.
The entire recording process changed dramatically with the introduction of multitrack recorders. These
recorders provided ‘multiple tracks’ on a single piece of recording tape. For example, a 4 track recorder
was just like having 4 mono recorders stacked on top of each other. Each track was distinct from the others.
This allowed for recording different instruments on different tracks, even recorded at different times.
With this technique, a mistake in the piano part could be re-recorded on its individual track without
affecting the other instruments. Probably the most famous recording using the early 4 track analog
recorders was “Sergeant Pepper” by the Beatles in 1967. George Martin actually used two, 4 track analog
recorders. All the music was recorded on the four tracks of the first machine. These four tracks were
combined together into a final stereo music recording on the first two tracks of the second recorder. That
left two tracks open on the second recorder for the vocal parts. The vocals were recorded on the second 4
track machine, long after the orchestra musicians had left the studio. The stereo music tracks and the
vocals were then combined into the final stereo recording that is still popular today.
Modern digital tape recorders are available in configurations of up to 48 individual tracks on a single piece
of recording tape. Synchronization techniques provide the ability to lock multiple recorders together
providing for a relatively unlimited number of available tracks.
Tracking Session
Modern recording sessions are usually broken down into three basic components:
1. Tracking (original recording).
2. Overdubbing (adding of additional instruments and vocals).
3. Mixing (combining of all the recorded tracks into a final mono or stereo format).
The tracking session is first. In a music session, this usually means recording the basic rhythm instruments.
For example, bass, drums, piano, guitars, and maybe a scratch vocal track. The scratch vocal is recorded
along with the rhythm instruments to allow the musicians to hear something similar to the final vocal
track. This scratch track is usually erased when final vocals are recorded.
Overdub Session
Once original tracking has been completed, the overdub process begins. Additional instruments,
background singers, and vocals are added to the multitrack tape by overdubbing. The originally recorded
rhythm tracks are played back through a cue system (usually headphones) to the overdubbing musician.
Their musical part is recorded in sync with the original tracking instruments.
Chapter 1: Laying a Foundation

10 VS-880EX Application Guide
Overdubbing may consist of many musicians adding new tracks to the recording simultaneously or maybe
it will be a single vocalist. Overdubbing means to record new tracks of music in sync with music that has
been previously recorded. If you were to record music on the left channel of a cassette deck, rewind the
tape, and then record your voice on the right channel, you would be overdubbing the voice, using the
recorded music as a guide.
Mixdown Session
Once all the tracks of the music have been recorded, they must be mixed together into some type of release
format. For example, if the release format is CD, the tracks would be mixed into a final stereo recording. If
the release format is a movie, the tracks might be mixed into a final multichannel format such as left,
center, right, and surround. Whatever the final release format, the original recorded tracks must be mixed
(combined) together specifically for that format.
Audio Post Production for Video
The post production process for adding audio to moving pictures is similar to recording music. However,
the audio usually must be recorded while it is synchronized to the picture requiring that the audio
recorder and the video recorder be ‘locked’ together electronically.
Random-Access Hard Disk Recording
Traditional multitrack tape recorders are ‘linear’ recording devices. You begin recording at a place on the
tape and record your song in a linear fashion along the length of the tape until the end. Just like with a
typewriter, you can go back and correct a mistake, however, you lose the original in the process. For
example, the piano player can go back and re-record over the top of his or her original recording, but the
original is lost forever. What if the original was the best performance? Of course, a new piano part could be
recorded on a blank track, keeping the original track untouched. However, you quickly run out of tracks
for recording the other instruments.
The VS-880EX adds a new dimension to traditional multitrack recording. This is the concept described as
Random Access or Non-Linear. Instead of recording your song on a linear piece of recording tape, the
recording tracks of your music are turned into digital data and this data is stored on some type of storage
device such as a hard disk drive. The term random access means that you can access the data (music)
stored on the hard drive in a random manner. For example, let’s assume that you have recorded a song on
your VS-880EX consisting of 2 Verses, 1 Chorus, 1 Verse, and the ending. If, for example, you wanted to
start the song with the chorus on a traditional tape recorder, you would have to physically cut the piece of
tape containing the chorus and splice it in front of the first verse. If you didn’t like it, you had to replace
the section of tape back to its original location.
However, the VS-880EX provides random access to all parts of your song. For example, you just instruct
the VS-880EX to play the chorus first, then the first verse, etc. If you didn’t like it, you just instruct the VS-
880EX to change the order as many times as you wish. Since it is not physically moving your song or re-
recording anything, you can rearrange your song a thousand different ways without ever using any
addition memory from the hard disk. This ability to “randomly access” all the parts of your song, allows a
new level of creative editing capability not available with traditional tape recorders.

11
Chapter 1: Important Information
TAPE: Total time per each track = 30 minutes
TRUE RANDOM ACCESS DISK RECORDING: Total time per track is variable
Track 1: 60 minutes Track 2: 10 minutes
Track 3: 15 Minutes Track 4: 12 Minutes
Total track minutes used here: 97 minutes
No track minutes (disk space) used for:
Looping, Copying or using the same material more than once.
Pointer Based Editing
When you record sounds into the VS-880EX, they are stored on the hard drive. Once on the drive, the
original recording is never changed. All of the editing, copying and moving of the sound is actually just
moving and copying “pointers” to the original sound. These pointers indicate when to start and stop
playing all or part of the original recording. The advantage to this way of working is that copying or
moving or erasing part of a track is only changing these pointers. Pointers take up virtually no disk space,
and the VS-880EX can write or change pointers instantly. That allows you to copy all 8 tracks of a song
instantly to another location without using additional disk space. The original audio is never changed.

12 VS-880EX Application Guide
Summary of VS-880EX
Terminology
You might want to review the following summary of
specific VS-880EX terminology. Even though you will
not need to memorize all these items, it will be
extremely helpful to at least be exposed to the
terminology before you encounter it in context
throughout all VS-880EX Manuals. A more extensive
glossary of terms is included at the end of the
Appendix section of this manual and will serve to
familiarize you with many of the general terms used
in audio recording.
Auto Punch
The ability for the VS-880EX to Punch Into and Out
of Record automatically based on locations that you
specify.
Aux Send
An auxiliary signal path normally used to route the
signal from a recorded track to an internal or external
effects processor device (Reverb, EQ, delay, etc.).
Cancel
To stop in the middle of a command. To instruct the
VS-880EX, “No, I don’t want to do that.”
CH Edit
The button used to select a channel or track for
editing.
Channel Link
To link two channels together so they respond as a
stereo pair.
Clear
To erase or remove. e.g. To clear a locator point.
Cursor
The line, blinking area, or highlighted box that
indicates your current location within a screen
display or menu. Also refers to actual buttons on the
VS-880EX front panel.
DAT Backup
The ability to store your completed song on an audio
DAT tape as a ‘backup’ in case something goes
wrong with your hard disk.
Dat Recover
The ability to recall your completed song from an
audio DAT tape and load it into your VS-880EX so it
can be played, re-edited, added to, etc.
Digital In
The VS-880EX input that will accept a digital signal
such as a DAT or CD.
Digital Out
The VS-880EX output that will send a digital signal
from the VS-880EX to some other external digital
device.
Display
The LCD screen located in the top of the right hand
section of the VS-880EX. Used to display important
information to the user such as information about the
present recording, edit commands, and song
position.
Drive Select
This command allows you to chose which hard disk
and/or partition of a hard disk you will be using for
song selection and storage.
Fader/Pan
The fader is the linear volume control for each
channel on the front panel. The pan control is a
rotary knob used to position a mono audio signal
within a two channel stereo field.
Amp Profile
The amplitude profile is a visual representation of
the audio signal presented as vertical bars in the LCD
display.
Edit
Any change made to an original recording. For
Example, if a small section is erased from the original
recording, that is an edit. Copying one section of a
song to another part is an edit.
Effect 1 & 2
Effects are sound modifiers applied to an audio
signal to change the sound in some way. For
example, digital reverb is an effect. Changing the
relative balance of treble and bass with an equalizer
is an effect. Effect 1 & 2 may refer to internal effects
using the built-in effects or external effects from an
external effects processor.
Enter
The same as YES or OK.
EQ High
High frequency equalization boosts or lowers the
perceived loudness of treble (high) frequencies. The
VS-880EX High EQ can affect frequencies from 500
Hz to 18 kHz.
EQ Low
Low frequency equalization boosts or lowers the
perceived loudness of bass (low) frequencies. The
VS-880EX Low EQ can affect frequencies from 40 Hz
to 1.5 kHz.

13
Chapter 1: Important Information
EQ Mid
Mid frequency equalization boosts or lowers the
perceived loudness of frequencies in the middle part
of the hearing range. The VS-880EX Mid EQ can
affect frequencies from 200 Hz to 8 kHz.
FF
Abbreviation for Fast Forward. The ability to move
forward quickly in your song.
Foot Switch
An optional foot switch can be used to select VS-
880EX functions by pressing the switch with your
foot, keeping your hands free for playing an
instrument.
Initialization (Drive Initialize)
The process of formatting a hard drive or removable
cartridge. Initializing a drive erases all its contents.
New drives or cartridges must be initialized before
they can be used by the VS-880EX.
Input Sensitivity
Adjusts the gain (volume) of an incoming audio
signal.
Input/Bus
Selects the routing of the rear panel inputs to
different recording channels.
Locator
A position marker placed in your song to help you
find sections quickly. Locator locations can be
accessed directly from the front panel buttons.
Marker
A marker is any temporary mark placed within a
song to indicate a particular location you wish to
return to. For example, just like a bookmark points to
a page in a book, a marker points to a song location
to make it easy to find later.
Previous
An instruction to the VS-880EX to locate to the
previous marker position (backwards).
Next
An instruction to the VS-880EX to locate to the next
marker position (forwards).
Tap
A button on the front panel used to enter marker
locations during recording or playback.
Loc 1-Loc 4
These buttons correspond to Locator position # 1-4.
Holding [SHIFT] plus these buttons selects Locator
positions # 5-8.
Loop
A loop indicates a section of a song that has been
designated by the user to play over and over.
Loop Punch
The ability to instruct the VS-880EX to play a
particular section of your song over and over while
you rehearse a punch-in. It then allows you to record
the punch-in section as many times as you want.
Auto Punch I/O
This is the command to set the location for punching
into and out of record mode.
Master
The two channel stereo section of the VS-880EX
which is what you listen to in your headphones or
speakers.
Master Out
The two channel stereo mix output from the VS-
880EX.
Media
Media is the term used to indicate the actual surface
or device your song is recorded on. For example, a
cassette tape is a recording media. The VS-880EX
uses digital recording media such as computer hard
disk drives, removable drives, magneto-optical
drives, etc.
MIDI In
The connector where an external MIDI signal can be
sent into the VS-880EX.
MIDI Out/Thru
The connector where the MIDI signal is sent from the
VS-880EX to some external device.
Mute
Turn the signal off.
Numerics
This button allows you to use 10 front panel buttons
for quick entry of the numbers 0-9 into the LCD
display, location makers, etc.
Now Line
The vertical black line in the center of the LCD
display indicates the current VS-880EX position in
your song. It is similar to the ‘playback’ head of a
tape recorder with the tape passing over it.
Pan
A control on the VS-880EX that allows you to
position a mono recording somewhere in the stereo
field.

14 VS-880EX Application Guide
Parameter
A Parameter refers to some setting within the VS-
880EX that you can modify (e.g., EQ frequency is a
Parameter, Aux Send level is a Parameter, etc.).
Peak
The maximum recording level of the VS-880EX when
digital clipping (distortion) occurs.
Phones
The volume control for headphones which can be
connected to the rear of the VS-880EX.
Play
The play button controls the playback of the VS-
880EX recorder section.
Play List
The play list is the complete set of instructions built
by you during editing to tell the VS-880EX what
tracks and recordings to play and when to play them.
Post Level
The audio signal level after it exits the front panel
fader. Fader movement will affect the signal level.
Pre Level
The audio signal level before it enters the front panel
fader control. Fader movement will not affect the
signal level.
Preview - Scrub
The ability for the VS-880EX to play a short
continuous loop of audio over and over. This loop
can be moved in real time through your song to aid
in finding a specific location for editing (see Owner’s
Manual page 141).
Preview To
The ability to play a short section of audio directly in
front of the current time location (see Owner’s
Manual page 140).
Preview From
The ability to play a short section of audio directly
following the current time location (see Owner’s
Manual page 140).
Preview Thru
The ability to play a short section of audio centered
on the current time location.
REC
The master record button to instruct the VS-880EX to
record on all tracks that have been selected to record
ready mode.
Restart
After the VS-880EX has been properly shut down, the
Restart command can be used to reload your song
into memory and make it available to play without
turning the power off and on.
REW
Short for rewind. The ability to move the current
“now time” backwards in your song (same as rewind
on your cassette recorder).
Scene
An automation function in the VS-880EX providing
an “instantaneous” snapshot picture of every control.
This scene snapshot can be recalled to “reset” the VS-
880EX to the same settings as when the scene
snapshot was stored. Scenes cannot be recalled while
the VS-880EX is in play mode.
SCSI
Small Computer System Interface - The connection
on the VS-880EX to allow for addition of storage
devices (hard disks) or for creating audio CD’s with
the Roland VS-CDR (optional).
Shift
A button to allow for selection of the alternate
function of many front panel buttons.
Shut/Eject
The Shut/Eject command instructs the VS-880EX that
you wish to finish recording or editing. This
command is important since it instructs the VS-
880EX to close all the data files you have been
working on (do some housekeeping) and to eject any
removable media you might have attached . You
should always use the Shut/Eject command before
turning off the power.
Solo
This button function allows you to listen to a single
channel of the VS-880EX by temporarily turning off
the audio from the other channels.
Song Select
This command selects which song you want to work
on from all those stored on your hard disk.
SongNew
This command is used to begin a new song.
SongName
A command to enter the name of your song using
alphanumeric characters.
Song Copy
A command to provide the ability to copy a song
from one recording media to another.

15
Chapter 1: Important Information
Song Erase
A command to erase a song and all its’ associated
recordings from your hard disk.
Song Optimize
A command to erase all unused recordings from a
song to recover the disk space for additional
recording.
Song End
The location of the end of your song.
Song Top
The beginning of your song.
Source
A mode of each channel allowing you to listen
directly to the incoming source for your recording
(e.g., microphone, guitar, synthesizer, etc.).
Status
A mode selection to choose the monitoring and
recording condition of each VS-880EX channel. e.g.
Record Ready, Source, Play, Mute.
Stop
Stop playback of the recorder section.
Store
This command instructs the VS-880EX to
permanently store all the edits you have made to
hard disk. (Similar to the SAVE command of your
word processor). This command is important. If you
lose power to your VS-880EX during your editing or
recording session, you will loose everything you
have done since the last time you executed the
STORE command.
System
A section of the VS-880EX that refers to the overall
settings related to your song such as sample rate,
sync source, etc.
Time Compression/Expansion
The ability to compress or expand the playback time
of a section of your song with or without affecting
the pitch.
Time/Value Dial
A rotary dial used to move forward and backwards
in time as well as change the value of parameter
settings.
Track Copy
A command to copy all or part of a recorded track to
some other location in your song.
Track Move
A command to move all or part of a recorded track to
some other location in your song.
Track Xchg
A command to exchange the audio from one virtual
track with the audio on some other virtual track.
Track Insert
A command to insert blank time in your song at any
location and of any length.
Track Cut
The command to eliminate all or part of a recorded
track. The remaining audio past the cut portion, will
move backward in time to fill the gap left by the cut
command.
Track Erase
The command to erase or eliminate all or part of a
recorded track. The remaining audio past the erased
portion, will not be affected and will remain in its
original time location.
Undo
A command to eliminate a previous action,
command, or recording. e.g. Pressing the UNDO
button will return the VS-880EX to the condition
immediately previous to your last action or last
many actions.
Vari Pitch
The ability to play back your song at a pitch different
from the original recording. The playback time will
also be affected by the change in pitch.
Virtual Tracks (VTrack)
8 layers of recording capability on each primary
recording track.
Vocoder
The primary use of a Vocoder is to analyze a spoken
or sung human voice, then use the information to
shape the harmonic content and envelope of a second
musical signal (usually an electronic instrument),
giving that instrument the ability to simulate singing.
Zero
A command to instruct the VS-880EX to return to
ZERO time location.

16 VS-880EX Application Guide
VS-880EX Commonly Asked Questions
•“I just want to record - what do I do?” (See Application Guide page 37.)
•“How do I record with effects?” (See Application Guide page 40 for external
effects and page 45 for internal effects.)
•“I plugged my foot switch into the VS-880EX and it won’t punch into record -
what do I do?” (See “Footswitch,” Application Guide page 31.)
•“How does the auto punch work?” (See Application Guide page 49.)
•“How do I record digitally into the VS-880EX from my DAT?” (See Application
Guide page 57.)
•“What is the best way to have EVERYTHING as a default setting so I can always
walk up to the VS-880EX and start a new song?” (See “Default Song,” Application
Guide page 33.)
•“How do I bounce tracks?” (See Application Guide page 68.)
•“How do I bounce tracks with effects?” (See Application Guide page 69.)
•“Can I plug a mic directly into the unit? What will I need?” (See Application
Guide page 32.)
•“How can I use my existing outboard effects units with the VS-880EX in record
mode and mix down mode?” (See Application Guide pages 40 & 93.)
•“I move the faders but they don’t seem to work. What am I doing wrong?” (See
“Nulling”, Application Guide page 26.)
•“What are ‘Virtual’ tracks and what are they used for?” (See Application Guide
page 23.)
•“How do I sync my VS-880EX to my sequencer, drum machine, etc.?” (See
Application Guide beginning on page 52.)

17
Chapter 1: Important Information
•“When I try to recover songs from DAT, I lose all the data on my Internal drive.
What am I doing wrong?” (See Application Guide page 98.)
•“How do I use the locate buttons to set loop and auto punch points?” (See
Application Guide page 49-51.)
•“How do I get the VS-880EX to follow tempo changes in my sequencer?” (See
Application Guide page 103-105.)
•“What type of DAT machine is required for DAT backups?” (See Owner’s Manual
page 55.)
•“What types of hard drives/storage devices are compatible with the VS-880EX?”
(See Appendices page 5.)
•“What are ‘From’ and ‘To’ points used for?” (See Owner’s Manual page 90 and
Application Guide page 24.)
•“Is there a particular procedure to turning the VS-880EX on or off?” (See Quick
Start Manual pages 4-7.)
•“How can I add more recording time to my VS-880EX?” (See Application Guide
page 113.)
•“How do I begin a new song in my VS-880EX?” (See Application Guide page 32,
Owner’s Manual page 40, or Quick Start Manual pages 12-13.)
•“What are “default settings” in the VS-880EX and why is it important how I set
them?” (See Application Guide page 33.)
•“How do I erase the demo songs?” (See Application Guide page 138.)
•“How do I update the system software?” (See Application Guide page 139.)

18 VS-880EX Application Guide

19Chapter 2: Understanding Your VS-880EX
Understanding Your VS-880EX
This chapter is extremely important. It will explain the necessary concepts you will need to know in order
to operate your VS-880EX efficiently, effectively, and creatively.
Sections of the VS-880EX
First, you should familiarize yourself with the VS-880EX front panel.
There are three types of devices on the front panel of the VS-880EX.
CONTROLS – Controls make changes to the value of settings. For example, they change volume,
amount of EQ, panning position, etc. The only variable controls on the VS-880EX are the
channel faders, pan pots, input sensitivity, headphone volume, aux send, and the Time/
Value dial.
COMMANDS – Commands instruct the VS-880EX what to do next. For example, pressing the
[PLAY] button instructs the recorder to begin playback. Pressing the [UNDO] button tells
the VS-880EX to reverse the last action.
VISUAL INDICATORS – The LCD display provides information to the user about song position,
editing parameters, song information, etc. Panel mounted LED’s indicate command modes,
peak recording, etc.
Chapter 2: Understanding Your VS-880EX

20 VS-880EX Application Guide
Important Concepts to Understand
Understanding The Mixer
In order to make best use of your VS-880EX, an understanding of the built-in digital mixer is required. This
will save you valuable hours later when you are trying to figure out why you can’t hear the reverb, why
there is EQ on the bass drum, and why you cannot hear anything in your headphones.
The term ‘MIXER’ is normally applied to any electronic device that ‘mixes’ one or more audio sources and
routes them to one or more destinations.
Signal Flow
What is signal flow and why do you need to know anything about it? Signal flow describes how your
music (the signal) flows through the VS-880EX.
There are six important signal flow concepts to understand:
DIRECTION – In order to understand the signal flow of your VS-880EX or any audio device, you
should first understand that the audio signal (your music) is always traveling in one
direction. It might travel from point A to point B to point C to point B to Point D to Point A,
etc.; however, it is always travelling FROM one place TO a different place. It may even
travel to one or more destinations at the same time, but it is always travelling FROM > TO.
INPUT – Where your music travels ‘TO’ is called an INPUT. Every audio amplifying, processing, or
mixing device has one or more inputs. You “put a signal IN” to an INPUT. Many terms are
used to describe an audio signal going IN to an INPUT. e.g. You ‘feed’ the guitar into the
guitar amp. You ‘send’ the signal to a reverb device. You ‘buss’ the piano track to an
equalizer. Whatever term you use, you will notice that your music is always traveling
towards an INPUT. Even when the music is played through a speaker, it is traveling to your
ear - an INPUT. Some devices have multiple inputs, some have analog and digital inputs,
and some have different ‘level’ inputs (discussed later).
OUTPUT – Where your music travels ‘FROM’ is called an OUTPUT. You receive an audio signal
from an OUTPUT. For example, the speaker terminals on the back of your Hi-Fi amplifier
are the OUTPUTS of the amplifier, the phone jack on your guitar is the OUTPUT of your
guitar, etc.
SIGNAL PATH – The signal path is the wire (conduit, pipe, conductor, etc.) that carries your audio
signal (the music) from an OUTPUT to the next INPUT. For example, the wire between your
Hi Fi amplifier and your speaker is a SIGNAL PATH. This wire carries the music from the
amplifier to the speaker. Your guitar cord is a signal path. It carries the OUTPUT of the
guitar to the INPUT of your guitar amp or VS-880EX.
BUS – A BUS is a special type of signal path to which a number of inputs may be connected for feed
to one or more outputs. In a mixing console a BUS is usually a long piece of wire to which
any input channel may be connected by means of a switch or push button. The end of the
wire (bus) goes into a combining amplifier or summing amplifier to combine all the INPUTS
together. The combining amplifier then feeds one of the console outputs.
LEVEL – The last item to consider about signal flow is the level or volume of the signal.
Audio signals can be very low level (the output of a dynamic microphone if you whisper into it) or
extremely high level (the output of your 400 watt power amplifier).
There are two basic audio levels of interest when using your VS-880EX – Microphone Level and Line
Level. The term of measurement for level is the decibel (dB). This is not the place for a complete
description of the decibel, however, a few numbers are handy to remember.