FA Series Editor

Early beta — v0.3.0-beta.1

Unofficial open-source Windows VST3 and Standalone hardware editor/MIDI bridge for Roland FA-06, FA-07, and FA-08.

FA Series Editor lets each MIDI track select one of the 16 FA Parts, routes incoming MIDI to that Part's actual Receive Channel, and provides safe read/write control of common Temporary Studio Set parameters.

The plug-in does not generate or return audio. Route the FA's sound to a separate audio track through USB Audio or an audio interface.

Русская инструкция

Download

Download the Windows x64 beta and SHA256SUMS.txt from the v0.3.0-beta.1 release.

The binaries are not digitally code-signed. Windows SmartScreen or antivirus software may show an unknown-publisher/reputation warning. Download only from this repository, verify the SHA-256 checksum, and continue only if you trust the asset.

To install the VST3, extract the archive and copy the complete FA Editor.vst3 directory to:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Common\VST3

Then rescan VST3 plug-ins or restart the DAW. The release contains no installer and performs no automatic updates.

Features

• Windows x64 VST3 and Standalone applications.
• One plug-in instance per MIDI track, independently selecting FA Part 01–16.
• Automatic routing of Note, CC, Pitch Bend, and other Channel Voice messages to the selected Part's Receive Channel.
• Multiple instances share one FA MIDI/SysEx session inside the same DAW process, including safe owner handoff.
• Level, Pan, Cutoff, Resonance, Attack, Release, Mute, and Reverb Send for every Part.
• Studio Reverb switch and algorithm.
• Explicit Pull from FA and Push to FA operations with SysEx checksum and read-back verification.
• Tone selection by list or previous/next buttons.
• A numeric 2,438-entry interoperability catalog without redistributed Roland factory names.
• Optional local tones.csv labels supplied by the user.
• DAW project-state recall and 179 automatable editor parameters.

Ableton Live: 16-Part workflow

1. Connect the FA through its normal USB MIDI ports, not the CTRL/DAW CTRL ports.
2. Add FA Series Editor to the first MIDI track.
3. Run Connect → Identify → Pull from FA.
4. Add a separate plug-in instance to every additional MIDI track you need.
5. Click Connect in each instance and select PART 01…16.
6. Leave MIDI clips on any input channel. The plug-in rewrites Channel Voice messages to the selected Part's verified Receive Channel.
7. Return the FA's sound through a separate Audio Track.

Before Pull, the safe fallback is Part N → MIDI Channel N. Pull reads the actual Receive Channel and Part Switch from the current Studio Set.

If two Parts use the same Receive Channel, both may sound together. If Part Switch is off, the editor warns but does not enable it automatically. Shared sessions work only between instances hosted in the same DAW process. Do not run the Standalone application while a connected VST3 instance uses the same ports.

Tone catalog and local names

The public build intentionally contains no Roland factory tone-name list. It uses numeric entries such as SN-A 001, SN-S 0001, and PCM-S 0001. Tone selection, arrows, and MSB/LSB/Program changes still work normally.

Optional names and categories can be added locally at:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\FA Series Editor\tones.csv

CSV header:

msb,lsb,program,name,category

msb, lsb, and program are raw decimal MIDI values from 0 to 127; program is zero-based. An overlay row changes only the local display name and category of an existing tuple. It cannot change MIDI addresses, catalog order, or hardware behaviour. Missing or invalid files safely leave the numeric catalog active.

Only enter data that you have permission to use. Do not submit tone-name tables or private CSV files in issues or pull requests.

Important beta and write-safety notes

Save your DAW project and Studio Set before testing this early beta in an important session.

• Connect and loading a DAW project do not write to the synthesizer.
• Push to FA requires Identity and a valid Pull, asks for confirmation, and verifies the result by reading it back.
• Live Write is off by default and turns off again when a project is loaded.
• The editor changes only the Temporary Studio Set. It does not perform User Write or write User Memory.
• Panic sends All Sound Off and All Notes Off.

Build from source

Requirements: Windows 10/11 x64, CMake 3.22+, Visual Studio 2022 Build Tools with Desktop development with C++, and a Windows SDK. CMake downloads the pinned JUCE 8.0.13 source automatically.

cmake -S . -B build -G "Visual Studio 17 2022" -A x64
cmake --build build --config Release --target FA07Editor_VST3 FA07Editor_Standalone FA07Probe
ctest --test-dir build -C Release --output-on-failure

JUCE-free protocol tests can be built separately:

cmake -S . -B build-core -DFA07_BUILD_PLUGIN=OFF
cmake --build build-core --config Release
ctest --test-dir build-core -C Release --output-on-failure

Read-only hardware and shared-session diagnostics:

build\FA07Probe_artefacts\Release\FA07Probe.exe
build\FA07Probe_artefacts\Release\FA07Probe.exe --verify-shared-session

Current limitations

• Early beta and unsigned Windows binaries.
• No macOS or Linux release.
• Shared sessions require instances in the same host process.
• The VST3 audio output is intentionally silent; hardware audio returns separately.
• No User Memory write.
• No complete Tone, MFX, PCM, or SuperNATURAL editor yet.
• No sampler, sequencer, SD/file, firmware, ROM, or librarian operations.
• Proprietary Roland tone names are not bundled.

Protocol references

• Roland FA-06/FA-07/FA-08 MIDI Implementation
• Roland FA-06/FA-07/FA-08 Parameter Guide
• Ableton: VST plug-ins on Windows

Licence

Copyright © 2026 vvintt and contributors.

FA Series Editor is free software licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 only (AGPL-3.0-only). JUCE 8.0.13 is used under its AGPL licensing option. See third-party notices.

Unofficial project notice

Roland, FA-06, FA-07, FA-08, and SuperNATURAL are trademarks or registered trademarks of Roland Corporation. This independent project is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or supported by Roland Corporation. Product names are used solely to identify compatible hardware.

Ableton is a trademark of Ableton AG. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Ableton AG.

No Roland manuals, factory tone-name tables, samples, firmware, ROM data, or expansion content are distributed with this project.