Sonar Fx Loops - Roland VS-2480 Tech Support Help Site

Sonar Effects Loops

Here is a great way to utilize the RPC-1 card(s) as a send and return for external FX using Sonar XL. This can be achieved with any Audio Sequencer. Just make sure that you turn the software's Input Channel Monitoring on! This allows you to hear the Aux send signal coming in to the audio track, as well as sending it back to the VS-2480 selected Input Channel Fader for mixing.

First off, make sure that you are syncing Sonar to the VS-2480. Not essential, but it will start your audio sequencer for you every time you press play on the VS-2480.

VS-2480: EZ Routing Screen

Attach your AUX Sends 5/6 & 7/8 outputs to your R-BUS outputs 5/6 & 7/8.

Attach your R-BUS inputs to your Mixer Channels 5,6,7 & 8. These can be stereo sends or returns (Channel Link for stereo), but in this scenario I am sending my AUX sends as 4 mono sends, and returning them as mono also, panned center on the VS-2480.

Check that your AUX master send faders are at 0dB, as well as your Mixer Channel input faders 5 - 8. On my VS-2480, Track 14 is my snare drum, and I want to send it to my PC audio sequencer for a special reverb effect. To do this, I merely open up the AUX 5 on that channel. This sends the snare drum along the AUX 5 master to the R-BUS Output (5), and into my PC.

In Sonar, I make a new song and call it Aux Sends. I then make 4 tracks and assign them as follows:

Track 1 is named AUX 5, through to Track 4 (AUX 8). Pan each track accordingly (1L, 2R, 3L, 4R) in Sonar. This will send the track back to the VS-2480 R-BUS as a mono signal, and will not therefore "bleed" into its neighboring channel.

For the input routing in Sonar, choose Track 1: Left Roland RPC-1 Multichannel 5/6, Track 2: Right Roland RPC-1 Multichannel 5/6, Track 3: Left Roland RPC-1 Multichannel 7/8, and Track 4:Right Roland RPC-1 Multichannel 7/8.

For Output Routing in Sonar, choose Track 1: C (Roland RPC-1 Multichannel 5/6), Track 2: C (Roland RPC-1 Multichannel 5/6, Track 3: D (Roland RPC-1 Multichannel 7/8, and Track 4: D (Roland RPC-1 Multichannel 7/8).

Arm Track 1 in the track window, to allow the signal coming from the VS-2480 to trigger the Track 1 VU meter. Press play on the VS-2480. You should see the VU signal, although you will not hear anything yet, until you have selected your tracks as Input Monitoring On. This is done via the Options/Audio/Input Monitoring tabs in Sonar.

Choose the Roland RPC-1 Multichannel for each of the R-BUS inputs you require. In this case, it's 5/6 & 7/8. You should now be able to hear your snare drum.

Now you need to insert a reverb on Track 1, so do that via the FX rack directly under the Track i/o bars. In other audio sequencers, simply insert the reverb in the Tracks channel FX insert. You should be able to hear the dry snare, and the Reverb effect coming in on the VS-2480 channel 5. Make sure that Channels 5 - 8 are panned center for Mono signal returns.

That's it! As long as you have followed the above carefully, then there should be no reason that it fails to work. If you cannot hear the effect in the designated VS-2480 channel, I suggest that you check for signal routing, both in your audio sequencer and the VS-2480.