kingtubby.
Donald S. GriffinHow would I create a patch list for a device that has hundreds of patches on multiple MSB LSB settings ❓
Hopefully it can be edited as a text file so I can cut, copy, paste and edit in a word processor to create the file from a Cakewak or Cubase version already existing without TOO much fuss. This has been one of the most time consuming problems I have whenever working with a new sequencer or adding a new piece of hardware
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ZynewaveI can see the problem. Podium stores everything in the .pod binary format. What we need here is an import function in Podium, that can load a text file and batch create a bunch of preset objects. Which device are we talking about? I saw you mentioned you had an SW1000XG, which there already is a library definition for.
Donald S. GriffinActually I do have an SW1000XG but when I do my own patch list for it I include the patches for the VL daughter card I have installed onboard.
I also have an EMU Virtuoso 2000 with several other sound set cards installed inside that.
I have a Korg KARMA and I have a MOSS (physical modeling) circuit board installed inside that. I have created about 5 128-patch sets for the MOSS that I switch between so I have 5 versions of the KARMA sound set and I just use the one that matches the MOSS sound set that I have currently installed in flash RAM.
I sometimes like to use non-standard names that include the patch and even MSB LSB so I have some portability to programs that require I manually input that data to bring up the same patch.
Musicator lets you easily organize patches in sub menus so I like to do that when I can.
I also have a Yamaha VL-70m which I use with a controller so I like the patches for that handy as well. There’s also a Yamaha CS-6x and Kurzweil K2000s.
I use VSTi synths more and more nowadays but I try to avoid sequecers that place my hardware virtually out of bounds. 😕
ZynewaveTo implement this easily, it would be great if I can avoid designing a dialog in Podium for setting up import. An easy solution would simply be to require that there is an identification line at the top of the text-file with an identifier for Podium to validate the format of the file. The text-file could then simply be dropped on Podium or be loaded in the Import Media file dialog. So I need to see some examples of these patch lists from other sequencers. Email it to me or paste examples in this topic.
Edit: Actually if the preset definition text files from the major sequencer vendors use an identifiable header at the top of the text file, I can just implement support for that. Would be easier.
Donald S. GriffinI have the most complete collection for myself in the Cubase format. However. It is very similar to most of the other formats I have seen. I few lines of header info followed by (in various orders) patch name,MSB LSB, patch number. One problem is that each format uses a different order for that data and different conventions such as quotes or commas etc.
The only really tough one is Sibelius because of the way they have it organized.
I think Cubase and Cakewalk are the key formats to consider though.
I’ll try to dig up a couple of those for you tomorrow though I would be surprised if you did not have some sort of Cubase and Cakewalk, maybe even just demos, on your system just so you can understand what everybody else is doing and where your market niche delivers what they do not.
ZynewaveSorry, I was just being lazy. I guess what I wanted to know is what formats you prefer, and do you have your own customized patch files in a specific format?
I found the ‘Script documentation.txt’ file in my Cubase SX demo. I could not find a format description for the cakewalk .ins files, and from what I read on the net, there is no official docs from Cakewalk on this. There were some unofficial hints though.
The Cubase format is the cleanest and easiest to implement, but it does not support definitions for parameters. Cakewalk does this, but it would be a little tougher to implement import of .ins files. Would support for the Cubase format be sufficient for you?
Donald S. GriffinCubase format would be sufficient for me personally. I was also thinking that since you support VST plugins it is more logical for you to lean towards a steinberg file format support. Cubase is possibly the only format for which I have an ALMOST full set of files for the instruments I have with the combination of plugin cards I have installed.
One thing I have always wanted was an alpha search for patches. I have not delved far enough into Podium to know if you support that with patches that have been imported into Podium’s format. If not then its something for the wish list. See, that’s the problem with getting this stuff all in the right forums. What starts as a support question often becomes a feature request only after we find it is not already implemented.
ZynewaveI will try to implement Cubase script import for 0.92.
Alpha-search is not implemented, but I have just added it to the future plan.
See, that’s the problem with getting this stuff all in the right forums. What starts as a support question often becomes a feature request only after we find it is not already implemented
Discussing things here to see if there are ways to solve a wish/problem is fine by me. When the topic has been understood, and if it’s a complex feature request, it’s extra helpful to me if a user writes a summary in the future forum, like you did with the layered curves topic.
kingtubbyZynewave wrote:
I will try to implement Cubase script import for 0.92.
Has this been added yet? Either I’m dumb and can’t find it 😕 or it isn’t there yet.
MartinB
ZynewaveIt is not there yet. I added it to the future list. Donald wrote to me saying that he would wait a while before trying Podium again, so I decided to wait and see if there were others requesting this.
Would Cubase script import be useful to you? What synths are you using?
kingtubbyI have a Dave Smith Instruments ‘Evolver’ which I have a Cubase script for and have just aquired a Yamaha ‘FS1R’ 8). I don’t own either Cubase or Cakewalk though. TBH, it’s not a feature I’m desperate to see, I just thought it could be useful and wondered if it had been implemented.
I presume the alternative is to create my own hardware specific device-definition files, though how I do this and where I start I’m not too sure yet 😕
Hopefully we’ll see Donald around here again soon. He’s obviously a seasoned ‘old’ pro and it’s always interesting to read his contributions.
MartinB
ZynewaveUsing google I found cubase script files for Evolver and FS1R at:
http://www.davesmithinstruments.com/support/downloads.html
http://www.obscure.org/~riveted/patchscripts.html
I’ll see if I can implement script import quickly. If it turns out to be tricky, I may decide to postpone it.
kingtubbyThanks for the links. I have the Evolver script already but the FS1R one is new to me.
As I said before, it’s not that important really. If you can do it easily then great, but if not, it’s no big deal.
sugesI would definitely enjoy being able to import Cubase scripts, as my entire studio is already configured in that format.
ZynewavePodium 1.05 is now released adding support for Cubase patchname script files. I examined the Cakewalk instrument definition (.ins) format, but decided there would be little advantages in supporting this as well. Searching the net reveals that almost any device can be found in both Cubase and Cakewalk formats. The cakewalk format has the option to configure MIDI controllers and NRPN, but not all definition files use these. When importing Cubase script files, Podium will automatically create a collection of default MIDI parameters.