Boss VF-1 Effect Processor

Someone asked if the Soundiver VF-1 driver actually worked. Well, 
I've tried it and right now I'd have to say NO! You can't request a 
patch or a bank of patches or send them to the unit. You have to 
initiate a dump from the front panel. I don't know if this is a 
limitation of the VF-1 or of the guy who wrote the driver. I haven't 
actually figured out how you send just the edited patch to the VF-1 
and have it accept it. When you click on a patch to edit it you get a 
window that, at the top, shows you the patch name, the algorithm 
and the category. Below that you have three algorithm chains 
shown, but they are the same three for all patches chosen. They 
also aren't the one that actual patch uses (I've been trying to edit 
some patches I wrote for bass using the Bass Multi algorithm. All I 
ever get in the edit window is Guitar 1, Guitar 2 and Acoustic 
Multi). This means that unless you are using one of those three 
then you can't edit your actual algorithm. Lastly, the effect chain of 
each algorithm is much wider than the window (at least on my 
laptop at 1024X768), which means you have to move the window at 
least 3 times to see all settings. The bottom line to me is that the 
VF-1 driver is pretty useless at this point. I have used Soundiver 
with my D-110 (which is a much better written driver) and it seems 
to do much better. Whether it is because the D-110 has a better 
MIDI implimentation for editing or it was just written by a better 
programmer I can't say, but where Soundiver is useful for the D-11, 
it isn't for the VF-1. 

However, in looking around in my VF-1 I think I may have found 
why all the patches I've written have been lower in volume than the 
factory patches, a condition that has really caused a problem in 
using it in my effects chain with my bass amp. 

That's my view on this. If anyone else has tried it and found it really 
useful for editing the VF-1, please do let us all know.


Steve KS4KJ

Yeah..  It's really only good for editing for guitar sounds.  You 
can't request any patches from the VF-1.  When you have an edited 
patch you want to keep in the VF-1, you have to press the "WRITE" 
button on the VF-1.  Then you can store it in a diffrent user 
location if you want.

  I set up different window configurations, in SoundDiver (v.3), 
where I have that long VF-1 patch editor stuff split into 3 parts 
stacked on top of each other on my monitor screen.  I only have to 
press a keyboard number key to switch between the 3 available 
algorithms. Once you set up a window config. and lock it in place, 
all of the sub-windows within that window retain their size, and 
position within that algorithm.

 I also have most of the on-screen knobs a sliders controlled by CC's 
from a 'Dopfer Pocket Dial'.  This uses the 'increment/de-increment' 
rotary controllers, so moving the dials wont' make the parameters in 
SoundDiver jump clear away from their original positions.  With 16 
knobs, and 4 buttons for 4 diffrent bank numbers, I have 64 
controllable parameters per algorithm mapped within SoundDiver.  I 
made a color coded chart that shows which knob controls which 
parameter in the VF-1.

  It's really nice tweaking or building patches this way, and beats 
the heck out of using the buttons & knob on the VF-1, or using a 
mouse on those little knobs on the computer screen.