Important first steps | Download VFX Software | Items of note | Change Log |

 

 

Demonstration plug-ins have been pre-installed to the V-Machine's internal memory prior to shipping. You can connect a MIDI keyboard via USB or a standard 5-pin MIDI cable and begin exploring the Banks and Presets right away. Explore the interface, edit some plug-in parameters, and get a general feel for the hardware and button user interface.

To get the most out of the V-Machine, involves uploading compatible plug-ins to the unit. This is where the VFX Application comes in. The VFX Application has been designed to configure the V-Machine hardware. It allows for installation of compatible plug-ins, configuration of the on board mixer, and the auditioning of Banks and Presets prior to uploading to the V-Machine via direct USB synchronisation or memory stick.

This is a very important step as the plug-in needs to be installed and made available to the VFX Application to function correctly. Follow the installation and authorisation as per the instructions included on the Sampletank CD. You will need to register your plug-ins on the IK Multimedia website   Please Note: You can find your Sampletank 2 SE serial number on a sticker attached to the CD cover/sleeve.   Note: If you don't want to play SampleTank SE within the VFX Host Software you can skip this step!

Administrator privileges may be required on the PC to install some plugins.  If the VFX Application is run under normal user privileges, it will cause a runtime error or crash when importing those plugins into the VFX Application. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to log in as Administrator or users that have Administrator privileges to run the VFX Application.

In order to import SampleTank into the VFX Application, it must be installed into the default directory C:\Program Files\ and copy ALL sound libraries into C:\Program Files\SampleTank 2 SE\ST2SEInstruments.

To import plug-ins that require external/data files into VFX Application, they need to construct or acquire required wizard files. Importing a DLL that requires external/data files, without an appropriate wizard file, may crash the VFX Application and/or the v-machine when loading those plug-ins.

If a plug-in is imported improperly into the VFX Application, there is no way to re-import it unless the plug-in is deleted first. A way to get rid of the plug-in on XP boxes is to go to directory C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\Application Data\vfx\vmachine\plugs and delete the corresponding plug-in folder. (For Vista boxes, the directory will be C:\Users\[User Name]\App Data\Roaming\vfx\vmachine\plugs)

Be aware of using plug-ins in demo on both the VFX Application and V-Machine. Updating chunk files may cause the demos to stop working.

The use of demo version plug-ins may halt the V-Machine if they stop functioning after a time-out period.

Having a plug-in work on the VFX Application is not an indication that it will work on the V-Machine as well. It is strongly recommended to use the plug-ins that have been tested and published on the website.

Power on V-Machine before the VFX Application is launched and close VFX Application before V-Machine is powered off, to avoid some issues.

It is recommended to disconnect other MIDI controllers from the PC while upgrading firmware or synchronizing from VFX Application to V-Machine.

It is strongly recommended to use a USB stick to synchronize large plug-ins from the VFX Application to V-Machine.

Avoid turning off the V-Machine when saving presets, updating firmware and synchronizing Preset/Bank/V-Machine from VFX Application to V-Machine.

It is strongly recommended to wait a minimum of 10 seconds after saving a preset on V-Machine before removing external mass storage or powering off.

Please DO NOT pull out USB stick while saving presets to stick or loading presets from stick.

Please DO NOT pull out USB cable or press buttons on V-Machine while upgrading firmware or synchronizing from VFX Application to V-Machine.

Be aware of saving/loading banks/presets/V-Machine into/from invalid drives or folders.

Make sure that direct sound driver is installed properly before using the VFX Application.

Avoid modifying preset, plug-in wizard files manually.  In particular, the line end format and white-space must be left intact.

It is recommended to install plug-ins into C drive and under default directory.

If the VFX Application does not run, go to C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\Application Data\vfx (For Vista users, the directory will be C:\Users\[User Name]\App Data\Roaming\vfx\), delete vfxoptions.vfx file and try again. If it still fails to launch, please go to “Windows Task Manager” and kill the vfx.exe process. Wait a minimum of 10 seconds before restarting the VFX Application (or restart Windows).

• Various gui and functional fixes

• Save overwrite confirmation on Windows

• App checks connected V-MACHINE's build number

• Global V-Machine state persists to disk

• Input gain save/load

• Select and confirm before loading new preset

• Windows app has transparency
  Windows users please note: The PC versions menu system has changed from previous versions. Menus are now available by "right mouse clicking" the orange "power icon". Clicking the icon without the right mouse button will close the program. This change was necessary to keep the Mac and PC code base in sync whilst adhering to the recommended Mac GUI guidelines.
  

• 3rd party plugin V-Machine plugin support fleshed out (message popups, authentication, etc)

• Plugin MIDI chaining

• Importing plugins from stick correctly detects already imported plugins

• Only internal plugins ever get deleted

V-MACHINE

• Added memory usage to System Info menu

• Changed   to lower noise floor.

• A lot of optimizations

 

VFX Application - PC

• Fixed stability issue when changing between audio drivers

• Fixed font rendering issue occurring on some systems

• Fixed minor bug allowing some problematic plugins to load

• Options menu with ASIO devices.

• Added more descriptive prompts while importing plugins and running license tools

• Ability to enter serial numbers into the plugin on request and save into wizard automatically

• Fixed a regression that caused app to hang after importing a plugin

• Fixed a regression that stopped a plugin being listed immediately after being imported

• Added prompt to relocate a file/folder if it can't be found during plugin import

• Sampletank importation feature now works.

• Sync preset now installs missing plugins on v-machine even if they a referenced by a different preset.

• Fixed assert on midi keyboard hotplug

• Fixed gui fail after 64 banks or presets (limits to 64)

• Fixed intermittent hang after sync (PC app)

• SampleTank import fixed once again

• Can clone presets from same bank.

• Syncing fixes.

• First bank renames ok.

• New intelligent update mechanism that can handle updating the linux kernel and user partition

• Sync progress indicator (spinning line)

• Sync works despite having bad MIDI-OUT devices connected

• Create new folder when creating new bank from GUI.

• Plugin deletion more robust

• Updated busy messages

• Mouse on MIDI channel and splits works again

• Confirmation menus on delete operations

• Hourglass cursor shows when app is busy, gui operations are ignored when busy

• Last slot of main mixer is useable once again

• Clear preset, clear bank, delete bank, and clear V-Machine in a nice front panel menu.

• Delete plugin works from front panel in PC application.

• Clear all presets in a bank

• Delete all banks

• User guide packed with app installer

• Running the application while an instance is already running will simply bring the existing instance's window to the foreground instead of a second erroneous instance being launched.

• Clicking "Help" opens the FAQ in a browser.

• Removed master solo

• Renders more intelligently so there is no big delay on OS-triggered screen updates (vista fix)

• Renamed save/load to import/export in menus and dialogs

• Table window is enabled in floating editor mode.

• Sampletank doesn't export again - it didn't do it properly in 20081205

• Removed "FOO DEV" message in candidate builds

• New wine version - Wine 1.1.9

• New kernel –including hotplug - 2.6.26.2