Hi rharv. Yes, hopefully, someone that's using the JV-1080 with biab will come along. I have a hunch I'm just missing something very simple here. I've been using softsynths previously and have just recently ventured into the hardware synth realm.

The scant 2 pages of instruction in the Roland manual about using the JV-1080 with a desktop computer system states to initalize the GM mode (press >shift>GM) "to play midi scores". This works fine for selecting the limited GM patch bank - 128 patches - through the biab gui. Of course, I'd like access the higher bank patches and expansion card patches through the biab / rb gui for another 1000+ patches.

All the JV's bank and exp card bank patches can be "demoed" directly from the JV's headphone output (or the audio outs into an amp) and pressing the vol button on the JV. Every 4 note demo plays ok. So they all work.

As mentioned before, I've tried all the appropriate Roland .pat files in the bb folder and on pg's .pat file page without higher patch joy. Some of these .pat files are written for a different exp card configuration, so I've also dabled with editing these. No joy in GM mode.

Don't know if it matters, but in configuring the synth in preferences, biab asks to select a .dk file from the pull down menu. There isn't a .dk for the JV-1080, so I've used "Roland Gen MIdi", "JV-1010", "JV-2080" and some others.

Recently, I downloaded and converted a cakewalknet .ini file to .pat. Essentially, the same result in GM mode.

(The converted cakewalk .ini > > .pat doesn't match my expansion card configuration, either and looks to have been somewhat edited/customized, so I know it will need further editing. Also, opening the converted patch file in notepad, it is formatted differently than the .pat available in the bb folder. It appears that there are several formats used for a .pat file.)

BUT, in a "Performance" mode setting on the JV, I CAN select higher patches through biab gui ("+") and many of the patches change - some sound close to what is expected, others are obviously not correct and some change (by default, I guess, when there is no valid higher patch?) to a regular GM bank patch.

At this point, it appears that I need to have the JV in "Performance" mode to access and select the higher banks through the biab gui. There are 64 "performances" that can be scrolled through with the JV value dial. They're all preset with different patches but I CAN select and change the instruments through bb gui - except the drums - though many of them are obviously wrong.

If I am on the right track with this theory, then what I need are JV-1080 settings required and how to enter those settings on the JV.

Google returned hits from a sonar forum where they were talking about setting up a "default performance mode" on the JV itself to use the JV with the sonar gui patch selection. If something similar is required for biab (/RB), that's the info I need.

Again, any advice will be appreciated, especially from JV-1080 users.