American Audio Vms2
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- Manufacturer's product page, provides manual and drivers for download.
- Forum thread, for discussion of mapping options.
- Latest controller mapping, which this wiki page describes.
The American Audio VMS2 is a 2-deck all-in-one controller. It is a USB class compliant MIDI and audio device that works with GNU/Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows. It features a 4 channel input and 4 channel output sound card with 2 phono preamps. The main output has XLR and RCA outputs (do not use both at once). There is a separate RCA booth output. The VMS2 can also be used as a stand-alone mixer with analog sources without a computer by setting the USB/Analog switches on the front of the device to "Analog".
No driver needs to be installed on GNU/Linux or Mac OS X. However, on Windows, it is recommended to install the driver from the manufacturer to be able to use the ASIO sound API.
Unlike most controllers with built in sound cards, which rely on Mixxx to do all mixing in software, the VMS2 mixes signals from the sound card in hardware. To use it with Mixxx:
- Bypass the built-in hardware equalizer of the VMS2 (i.e. use Post-EQ Mode). Hold the forward search button on the right deck as you turn the VMS2 on to switch between Post-EQ and Pre-EQ modes. See section 15 of the manufacturer's manual for details.
- Set the USB/Analog switches on the front side of the VMS2 to "USB"
- In Mixxx's Sound Hardware Preferences:
- Set the sample rate to 48000 Hz
- Select channels 1-2 for Deck 1 output
- Select channels 3-4 for Deck 2 output
Note: You cannot use the preview deck to pre-listen in this setup, as Mixxx routes the preview deck to Mixxx's headphone output, which is not mixed with the Deck 1/2 outputs. You could use a separate soundcard and route the headphone output there to also pre-listen using the preview deck. Of course, if you do so, attach the headphones to that other soundcard instead of the VMS2.
The analog inputs are captured by the built-in soundcard as input signals. They can be used for timecode signals (e.g. timecode vinyl), as the VMS2 also features built-in phono preamps. FIXME I did not try that, please verify!
The microphone input is mixed directly into the master output signal of the VMS2 in hardware and cannot be captured through software. If you want to record voice over using the Mixxx software, you will need a different solution. You can use a separate microphone attached to the computer, but that signal will not be routed to the VMS2 and therefore not be on the VMS2 master output (but in the Mixxx recording from the software master/record output).
Mixxx's Deck 1/2 outputs are affected by the Mixxx software EQs. However, the VMS2's volume faders and crossfader (as well as the headphone buttons) control the VMS2's hardware mixer and do not affect Mixxx's Deck 1 and Deck 2 output signals. Therefore, a recording using the Mixxx software will sound different from what is played through the VMS2 master output, as the crossfader curve and signal mixing are not the same in hardware and software. If you require a recording that captures exactly what the audience will hear, use a separate soundcard and recording software to record from the VMS2 booth output.
The VMS2 has been fully mapped for Mixxx by the community. Different versions of the mapping exist. Most of them are linked somewhere in the Mixxx VMS2 forum thread. As of Mixxx 1.11, two mappings were included with Mixxx: the first one by Groschi, and a second, called "(Alternative)" by snu (that's me ;-)).
Groschis mapping mapped the controls also found on the VMS4 for the VMS2. The rotary knob in the middle section was left unmapped. The "Alternative" mapping improved on that by mapping all controls. The rotary knob was used for library browsing. It also featured EQ kill buttons on the secondary IN/OUT/RELOOP buttons and an obscure way switch between scratch mode and pitch mode.
As of January 2016, a new mapping has been proposed and a pull request is filed (see Links section). If everything goes well, it will be shipped with Mixxx 2.1.0, and replace both older mappings.
This description is for the latest VMS2 mapping, currently available in a pull request against master (see Links section). This is currently only a 2 deck mapping.
All main functions are mapped straightforwardly:
| VMS2 Control | Mixxx Control |
|---|---|
| Crossfader | Crossfader |
| Volume Fader | Volume Fader |
| Cue (PFL) | PFL |
| Cue Mix | Cue Mix (PFL / Master) |
| Headphone Gain | Headphone Gain |
| Channel Gain | Channel Gain |
| Master Gain | Master Gain |
As noted in the #Audio Setup section, these control the VMS2's hardware mixer. Although the state of the controls is reflected on screen in Mixxx, the actual mixing is done by the VMS2's hardware mixer.
Deck control is straightforward, too:
| VMS2 Control | Mixxx Control |
|---|---|
| Play | Toggle deck play/pause |
| Pause | Pause the deck |
| Cue | Cue Point (configure behavior in software) |
| Pitch +/- | Temporary pitch bend +/- |
| Pitch Fader | Pitch Fader |
| Range (Shift+Sync) | Cycle pitch fader range (+-8/10/30/100%) |
| Sync | Sync to other deck |
| Search <</>> | Search through currently loaded track |
| Keylock (Shift+Vinyl) | Toggle pitch independent time stretch (KeyLock) |
| Vinyl | Toggle between Scratch mode and Pitch mode |
| Platter | Touch sensitive platters! Scratch or Pitchbend |
| Shift + Platter | Scroll through library quickly |
In Pitch mode, moving the platters from either the top or side will only bend the pitch of the deck. In Scratch mode, the platters act like vinyl turntables and can be used for scratching. Touching and holding them from the top stops the deck. Moving them from the edge does not stop the deck.
Use the encoder in the center of the controller to browse through the library. Press the encoder to switch between library main window and sidebar. Unfortunately there seems to be no way to expand entries in the sidebar through the controller script.
Use the [LOAD] buttons to load the currently selected track into either the left or right deck.
The four directional buttons around the knob also control the library:
| Button | Library function |
|---|---|
| Up | Previous library entry |
| Down | Next library entry |
| Left | Previous sidebar entry |
| Right | Next sidebar entry |
If you hold Shift and then rotate a platter, you can scroll through the library much faster.
The per deck EQ rotaries are mapped to their software counterparts. The VMS2 has no dedicated kill switches for the EQ. However, in Mixxx, pressing the following buttons with Shift acts as EQ kill switches.
| VMS2 Control | Mixxx Control |
|---|---|
| Shift+IN | Kill Switch Low |
| Shift+OUT | Kill Switch Mid |
| Shift+RELOOP | Kill Switch High |
The VMS2 can control 6 hotcues per deck.
| VMS2 Control | Mixxx Control |
|---|---|
| 1 / 2 / 3 | Set/Jump HotCue 1 / 2 / 3 |
| Vinyl + 1 / 2 / 3 | Delete HotCue 1 / 2 / 3 |
| 4 / 5 / 6 = (Shift + 1 / 2 / 3) | Set/Jump HotCue 4 / 5 / 6 |
| Vinyl + 4 / 5 / 6 = (Vinyl + Shift + 1 / 2 / 3) | Delete HotCue 4 / 5 / 6 |
Pressing the vinyl/keylock button will not toggle scratch mode or keylock as long as a hotcue is deleted before releasing the vinyl/keylock button.
| VMS2 Control | Mixxx Control |
|---|---|
| IN | Mark beginning of loop |
| OUT | Mark end of loop |
| RELOOP | Leave / Reenter current loop |
| LOOP | Start a 4 Beat loop from current position |
| Smart (Shift + Loop) | Toggle quantize |
| (:2) / (*2) | Halve or double the current loop length |
As Mixxx currently only supports one active loop per deck, the secondary loop controls have been remapped to EQ kill switches.
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