I'm just about to get gigging, but I'm having problems with the sequencer on my XP-60.

First of all, I'm new here, so hi everyone. Hopefully I can help out when needed. My setup: when I play solo, I use the XP-60 on top, a Yamaha S80 on the bottom, my VS880EX for all effects & mixer (although the preamps suck), and various guitars. I sequence oldies & top-40 stuff, and sing.

Here are my problems with the XP-60 sequencer, to which I have yet to find a solution (and I'm getting REALLY frustrated):

1) I usually sequence the songs on the computer (actually, a friend of mine did a lot of them, he's incredible) as MIDI files (in GM format), then refine them on the XP-60 sequencer. When I resave them on floppy on the XP-60, they turn into .SVQ files. Sometimes, when I load them under Sequencer (or even if I fully load them from Disk), the parts get all mixed up, and the bass line is played by a piano, etc, or only a few of the tracks play (and, say, the drums are left out). If I take the disk out and turn the keyboard off and then on again, and load the song again, it's usually fixed. My question: How can I avoid this? There's got to be something I'm either doing wrong or not doing at all. I guess this leads into question #2...

2) How do I actually assign patches to different tracks, and then save it? Dumb question, but am I restricted to only the GM sounds? If not, how do I assign the other great Bank patches to the tracks? Honestly, assigning patches sounds like a simple operation, but nowhere in the manual have I been able to find out how to do it.

3) Mixing volumes. Crucial. I understand that you have to use the four sliders to set volumes of particular tracks. But these volume settings never seem to be saved. Often when I take a song from the computer to the XP-60, I have to tweak the volumes on the XP-60. But I can't get the settings to save. How do I do this? (Again, probably simple, but I've yet to figure it out).

I'd be ETERNALLY grateful for any help you can give me. I've been losing sleep over these things! I'm ready to get out and play, but these small things are holding me back! So thanks in advance!!

Lots of questions, many of them basic. You might first want to have a look at
http://www.rolandus.com/support/support_docs/index.asp?CatID=8&SubCatID=36&ProdID=XP-60

(1) Once you start saving between .mid and .svq and back again, you are losing/adding various parameters not mutually included in the two formats. Pick a format and stay in it, otherwise you'll be having problems. Know also that if you use .mid, some of the Roland-specific sequence parameters won't be available to you.

(2) This is covered in the Roland notes above.

Generally: The easiest ways are (1) to save Song + Sound, but then you can't save as a .mid file, only as .svq; this will save all your patch assignments at the beginning of your sequence, but it generally takes a long time to load the song;

(2) use Bank Select messages (CC 0, CC 32, PG) at the beginning of your sequence in your setup measure to assign (call up) your various patches to the various parts.

Note: You are assigning PATCHES to PARTS, not to TRACKS. You can then assign the various PARTS to specific TRACKS. Big difference. Make sure you understand this concept.

(2)Use Part Volume (in your Performance itself) and then CC 7 (at the beginning of your sequence in the setup measure) to set volume levels for various parts. It's a balancing act. But your Performance has to be saved to save the assignments for part volume, and then your sequence has to be saved to save the controller messages (CC 7) for volume tweaks (you can enter these messages anywhere in a sequence).

Lotsa questions. Read the Roland notes, these suggestions, and then get back to us with specific other questions.

Good luck.