Getting started

What you need

• A Roland V-Synth running system version 2.0 or a V-Synth XT.
• A MIDI interface connecting the Mac to both the V-Synth's MIDI IN and its MIDI OUT. The app sends to the instrument and reads its replies, so it needs both directions.

You can explore the app, edit patches and work with libraries and project folders without the instrument connected. Only loading, sending, Live Edit and the Musical Keyboard need a V-Synth.

1. Check the V-Synth's MIDI settings

On the instrument, open SYSTEM and look at the MIDI USB page:

• Rx Sys-Ex must be on, or the V-Synth ignores everything the app sends.
• Note the Device ID. It is 17 unless someone has changed it.
• Turn on Tx Edit if you want edits made on the instrument's panel to appear in the app while Live Edit is on. It is off by default.

2. Choose the MIDI ports

1. Choose V-Synth Patch Composer › Settings… (⌘,) and click MIDI.
2. Under Output, choose the port connected to the V-Synth's MIDI IN.
3. Under Input, choose the port connected to its MIDI OUT, or leave All MIDI inputs chosen.
4. Set Device ID to match the instrument. If you are not sure, click Find. The app asks every connected V-Synth to identify itself then sets the ID if one answers.

If your V-Synth is behind a MIDI router or patch bay, its port may appear under the router's name. The app looks for "V-Synth" in the port names, but you can choose any port by hand.

3. Load a patch from the V-Synth

1. In the sidebar, under Temporary Area, select Part 1. The V-Synth defaults to playing Part 1.
2. Click Load from V-Synth in the editor's header, or press ⌘L. A whole patch takes about five seconds to load. A progress bar appears next to the button.

When the load finishes, the Part shows a green check meaning the app and the instrument have the same data for that Part.

4. Edit, listen and send

• Change anything in the editor. The Part gets an orange pencil, and so does each group, tab and setting you changed. Press ⌘Z to undo.
• To hear each change as you make it, turn on the Live Edit switch above the group list. See Loading, sending and Live Edit.
• To play without reaching over to the V-Synth or external MIDI keyboard, open the Musical Keyboard (⇧⌘K).
• When you are done, if Live Edit is off for the Part you're playing, click Send to V-Synth to send the whole patch to the instrument. If Live Edit is on, all of the changes are already sent to the V-Synth.

5. Keep your work

Everything you do is kept as you go, and is still there the next time you open the app. To keep a named copy of the library that you can open again, back up or move to another Mac, choose File › Save Library (⌘S). See Libraries and V-Synth projects.

Where to go next

• The patch library: what the sidebar's three sections hold.
• Editing patches: the two editor layouts, zones and the drawings you can drag.
• Troubleshooting: if the V-Synth does not answer.