Seven Items EVERY VS-2480 User Should Own! - Roland VS-2480 Tech Support Help Site

Eight Items EVERY VS-2480 User Should Own!

1. UPS (Battery Back-up System, Surge/Brown-out Protection)

Surge protectors alone are not enough. Brown-outs (sudden drop in voltage) or Black-outs can cause you to lose data, or worse, corrupt your hard drive. You can get a basic UPS in the $50-$100 range that will do the job. Small price to pay to keep your 2480 safe.

These are HEAVY... I recommend getting one locally, or from www.staples.com which has free shipping for purchases over $50. (search for 'UPS' at Staples)

2. External Hard Drive Back-up System

Let's face reality... the VS-2480 is a hard disk based system, and hard drives can have 'hiccups' from time to time. Most user's do not back-up their work often enough.. Burning CD back-ups just takes too long and is too expensive to do every day. If you've just spent 6 hours on recording a project today, and plan on spending more time working on it tomorrow... who wants to spend an hour backing-up to CD's, when they will be obsolete after tomorrows mixing/overdub sessions.

But who wants to risk losing today's hard work either?

An external hard drive back-up system allows to you quickly send a copy of your project(s) to a second hard drive. It's fast, easy, and simple! Peace of mind in a matter of minutes... and 7-10 times faster than CD back-ups.

I recommend the VS Song-Vault Pro as a fast and easy back-up system
.... a "must have" for any VS-2480 based studio.

3. Flat Panel (or Regular) Monitor

If your are tracking and mixing on a VS-2480 using the LCD screen... you really need to get yourself a monitor. Your recording and editing experience will dramatically improve with the use of a Monitor. It doesn't just duplicate the LCD only larger... it gives you so much more access to controls and visual cues regarding your projects.

Added benefits include being able to share the mixing experience with the whole band (huddling around the LCD just doesn't work)... plus, you'll probably use the mouse more, which means less wear and tear on the 2480's buttons.

A basic 15" LCD monitor or 17" CRT monitor will work fine. I recommend getting one locally, or from www.staples.com which often has some great deals on monitors plus free shipping for purchases over $50.

4. External DVD/CD Combo Burner

For Long Term back-up and archiving... there is no substitute for CD or DVD media.

If your 2480 has a CD burner, you know how slow it can be to burn CD backups... how unreliable it is to span multiple CDs... etc...

I recommend the Song-Vault DVD/CD Combo Burner. It burns audio CDs and allows you to export .wav files to CD... just like your current burner... but in addition, you can backup to 4.7GB DVD-R disks... saving you time and giving you reliable, "all on one disk" backups.

Currently, this is the only Brand New external CD drive available for the Roland VS 2480. So, if your external or internal drive is starting to fail, you either have to take your chances with a used burner, or purchase a new Song-Vault DVD Combo drive.

Song-Vault DVD info

5. Padded Arm Rest

Don't let THIS happen to your VS-2480. It makes your unit look ugly, unprofessional, and will ruin the resale value.

Not only great protection for your 2480, this padded arm rest cuts down fatigue during long mixing/recording sessions.

Easy installation, just peel and stick. Vinyl covered foam looks and feels great. Once applied, looks like it belonged on the 2480 all along.

More info and photo here

6. Video Owner's Manual on DVD

This site has a bunch of tech info, www.VSPlanet.com is a great source of info, and the manuals that come with the VS-2480 are OK... but sometimes, it takes watching someone demonstrate the features of the 2480 to figure it... or at least, figure it out faster.

The Video Owner's Manual on DVD is a great resource for learning the in's and out's of the 2480. Since it is in DVD format, it is really easy to skip ahead to the exact topic you need help with. It is jam-packed with nearly two hours of instruction and tips for using the VS-2480.

If you ever feel "lost" when using the 2480, or simply would like to have a better understanding of the functions of the unit, this Video Owner's Manual on DVD is a "Must Have".

DVD Owner's Manual info

7. Dust Cover

Don't let dust and dirt ruin your 2480. The motorized faders are prone to sticking over time if not kept clean. The easiest solution for this problem is prevention, and a Dust Cover is an easy and inexpensive solution.

Roland VS-2480 Dust Cover info

8. 120GB Hard Drive (for 2480HD Owners)

If you own a 2480HD and still have the original 30GB IBM hard drive, you should seriously consider upgrading your hard drive to 120GB.

These are fast, quiet, and reliable. Many 2480HD users (including myself) have these drives and are very happy with them.

Check out my Roland 2480 120GB HD Upgrade Kit