I am really hoping the wealth of JV-90/Cakewalk users can give me some insight. I have a JV-90 with a VE-JV1 installed, and sequence with Cakewalk. I've finally got almost everything running happily except....

The VE-JV1 is reported to have 128 performances and 8 rhythm kits. Unfortunately, the VE-JV1 performances and rhythm kits are not accessible from the front panel (at least as far as I can tell). I've been able to access the performances from Cakewalk (although I don't see a real use for this), but cannot access the rhythm kits. Well, actually, if I choose the JV90 Rhythm set in my instrument definition, I can access 4 of them....sort of. The problem seems to be that, while the VE-JV1 instrument definition includes VE-JV1 Rhythm, it does NOT include the banks and patches for the actual rhythm kits.

So, my questions are:
1. How do I access the 8 rhythm kits on the VE-JV1 from Cakewalk?

2. Is there a way to access these kits and the additional 128 performances from the front panel?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

"The VE-JV1 is reported to have 128 performances and 8 rhythm kits"

I think these numbers are wrong. The VE-JV1 essentially adds another JV90 internal synth (or JV1000) to your JV90:

= "The VE-JV1 adds 512 sounds (from the JV-1000 and JV-80), another 28 voices and 8 parts multitimbrality"

from http://www.frisbee.net.au/jv/resources/jv_xpfaq.html

The "128 performances" seems a bit odd. I don't have the board (I have the VE-GS1 in my JV1000), but my understanding has always been that it just duplicates the internal synth engine.

Did you get any literature/brochure with the board?

"2. Is there a way to access these kits and the additional 128 performances from the front panel?"

Check your JV90 manual; it tells you how to access whatever is on whichever expansion board you have installed.

-I think these numbers are wrong. The VE-JV1 essentially adds another JV90 internal synth (or JV1000) to your JV90:

Actually, I've found the same info from several sites, but here's the actual Roland data sheet:

[http://www.rolandus.com/support/docs/supnotes/jv90seq.htm

Notice first "The VE-JV1 provides 8 multitimbral parts, 512 Patches, 128 Performances, 8 Rhythm Sets and comes with its own effects processors and 28 voices of polyphony."

-my understanding has always been that it just duplicates the internal synth engine.

Essentially yes. As the Frisbee site said, it's pretty musch like adding in a JV-1000.

-Did you get any literature/brochure with the board?

No. Which, of course doesn't help matters. Unfortunately, Roland has never been very good at documentation anyway.

"2. Is there a way to access these kits and the additional 128 performances from the front panel?"

-Check your JV90 manual; it tells you how to access whatever is on whichever expansion board you have installed.

I also do not have the JV-90 manual, and they are not easy to come by. However, at the link above, here is what they had to say:

"Note: There are also 128 Performances and 8 Rhythm Sets. These V-EXP Performances can only be accessed via MIDI using Program Changes sent on the Control Channel 1."

Unfortunately, my questions still remain. But thanks for trying.

Okay; my bad. But in any case, to access the performances from Cakewalk (strange that it's on channel 1, but whatever), you'll need to send the synth "bank select messages" = CC 0, CC 32, and PG.

So see if this helps:
http://www.rolandus.com/SUPPORT/DOCS/SUPNOTES/JV90SEQ.HTM

True. The bank changes from CakeWalk work for the performances. The only problem there is that the instrument definition has no bank/patch information for the VE-JV1 Rhythm group. To define the instrument "VE-JV1 Rhythm", I can use the banks/pathes from the JV90, but that only gives me four of the kits. I've been comparing the two instrument definition files, and itlooks like the one for the VE-JV1 is missing a section to "predefine" the rhythm sections. My next step will be to make a copy of the INS file and try adding this section in. I'll let you know what happens.

BTW - I figured out how to access all 8 JV1 kits from the panel. In V-EXP mode, you have to cursor over to part 8, then select patches A-D, or press V-EXP and A-D for kits E-H. Kind of a lame integration, or lack thereof, with the panel. As far as accessing the 128 performances from the front panel...haven't figured that one out yet.

I DID IT!!!! I had to add an entire section to the instrument definition for the VE-JV1 at the bottom of the "Patch Names" section for the Rhythm set, and edit a bit in the "Instrument Definition" section for the Rhythm set, I can now fully access all 8 rhythm kits of the JV1 from Cakewalk (as well as from the front panel - see previous post). If anyone's interested in this properly rewritten INS file for the Roland VE-JV1, let me know. I'll be happy to e-mail it to you free of charge, just to know that I may have saved someone else the same frustrations I've had for the past few days.

OK. I still haven't figured out how to access all the VE-JV1 performances from the front panel (where they'd be worth something). I can access them through CakeWalk (where they are worthless to me). So, any ideas there would be helpful.

ROCK ON!!!

scion: Good for you, dude. Let me check out my JV1000 and see if the manual says anything about accessing the VE performances from the front panel. I always thought the front panel operation of the two instruments was the same except for the sequencer section on the JV1000.

Back later.