5 the vfx software – SM Pro Audio V-Machines User Manual

Page 49

Advertising
background image

 

V-­‐Machine  Operating  Manual    

Page  49  of  88  

SM  Pro  Audio

 

 

5 The  VFX  Software  

The  VFX  Application  is  a  Windows  and  MacOS  compatible  application  with  which  you’ll  create  

and  configure  VFX  Library  folders  for  use  on  the  V-­‐Machine  hardware.  

Although  the  V-­‐Machine  is  designed  to  be  used  in  stand-­‐alone  mode,  using  the  pre-­‐installed  

plugins  with  which  it  is  shipped  from  the  factory  is  not  really  the  point.  The  point  is  to  create  
your  own  Presets,  Banks,  and  Libraries  using  the  VFX  Application  and  then  load  them  into  the  

V-­‐Machine  in  order  to  play  music.  The  VFX  Application  is  also  a  great  place  to  start  learning  
about  the  architecture  of  the  V-­‐Machine’s  software  signal  path.  

The  V-­‐Machine  does  not  have  to  be  connected  to  your  computer  for  you  to  use  the  VFX  
Application.  You  can  design  and  audition  Preset  sounds  in  real  time  using  your  computer’s  
built-­‐in  sound  card  or  connected  audio  interface,  and  any  MIDI  controller  hardware  attached  to  

your  computer.  

As  Figure  24  suggests,  the  VFX  Application  provides  tools  with  which  you  can:  

Create  VFX  Library  folders  (.vfxlibrary  folders)  for  use  on  the  V-­‐Machine  hardware.  

Libraries  can  be  edited,  saved,  exported  to  the  V-­‐Machine,  and  imported  from  the  V-­‐
Machine.  Libraries  that  don’t  make  use  of  copy-­‐protected  plugins  can  be  freely  shared  
with  other  V-­‐Machine  owners.  

Import  plugins  to  the  software,  so  that  they  can  be  used  in  the  V-­‐Machine.  Later  in  this  

chapter  you’ll  learn  exactly  how  to  import  plugins.  

Create  new  Preset  sounds,  which  can  use  plugin  chaining,  layering,  keyboard  mapping,  

and  mixing.  

Audition  your  Presets.  

Synchronize  and/or  export  VFX  Libraries,  Banks,  and  Presets  to  the  V-­‐Machine  or  
external  media  (USB  thumb  drives,  etc.).  

It  is  important  to  understand  that  you  can  save  as  many  Presets,  Banks,  and  Libraries  to  your  

computer’s  hard  drive  as  you  want.  Normally  you’ll  transfer  only  one  library  at  a  time  to  the  V-­‐
Machine,  but  you  may  want  to  have  separate  libraries  for  different  musical  situations  –  one  for  
club  gigs  and  another  for  recording  sessions,  for  instance.  

The  basic  process  for  using  the  VFX  Application  is  visually  represented  in  the  diagram  shown  
on  the  next  page.  

5.1 Installing  the  Software  

Please  install  the  software  before  connecting  the  V-­‐Machine  to  your  computer  using  the  
supplied  USB  cable.  If  you  connect  the  V-­‐Machine  to  the  computer  before  installing  the  

software,  your  computer  may  fail  to  identify  the  V-­‐Machine,  or  may  try  to  use  an  incorrect  
driver  with  it.  

Most  of  the  images  used  in  this  chapter  are  taken  from  the  version  of  the  VFX  Application  
designed  to  run  on  the  Windows  operating  system.  Although  most  of  the  concepts,  processes,  

Advertising