Tuning SysEx Messages

Historically, I've only dealt with synthesizers whose tunings can be edited
from the front panel and saved with the instrument. In the case of
Ensoniq's ASR-10 for example, which I've used quite a bit, you pretty much
have to create separate versions of each instrument for each tuning, since
you have to redistribute the boundaries of each "wavesample" to match the
tuning. I would therefore do that and create an easily-loadable "bank" of
so-customized sounds for each particular composition I work on.

To put it another way, when I work on, or play, a given composition, I load
the sequencer document into my computer and load the bank on the ASR-10.
That's very easy once you set it up the first time, but you end up with
lots of copies of what are, conceptually, the same sound. (Actually, I end
up doing other customizations to the sounds to make them more appropriate
for that particular composition.)

Anyway, I now have several synthesizers that don't really allow you to edit
tuning tables from the front panel, and in fact rely strictly upon SysEx
messages.

My question then is, what is the usual means of dealing with such SysEx
messages? I'm guessing that, assuming that the synth includes the tuning
information in a MIDI patch dump, the preferred approach would be to fire
up a MIDI patch librarian to configure your MIDI instruments for the
particular composition. Am I guessing correctly? Since I've always done
all synthesizer-internal stuff in the synth itself, I have to confess to
embarrassingly limited knowledge of patch librarian programs, although my
knowledge of MIDI and synths in general is pretty good.

Yes, you want a universal patch librarian. Many of them will even have
editing templates for the tuning tables, and if not you can usually
create your own.

John Loffink
jloffink@austin.rr.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Gary Morrison [mailto:mr88cet@austin.rr.com]
Sent: Saturday, January 05, 2002 2:10 PM
To: Tuning List; Brian McLaren; John Loffink
Subject: Tuning SysEx Messages

Historically, I've only dealt with synthesizers whose tunings can be
edited
from the front panel and saved with the instrument. In the case of
Ensoniq's ASR-10 for example, which I've used quite a bit, you pretty
much
have to create separate versions of each instrument for each tuning,
since
you have to redistribute the boundaries of each "wavesample" to match
the
tuning. I would therefore do that and create an easily-loadable "bank"
of
so-customized sounds for each particular composition I work on.

To put it another way, when I work on, or play, a given composition, I
load
the sequencer document into my computer and load the bank on the ASR-10.
That's very easy once you set it up the first time, but you end up with
lots of copies of what are, conceptually, the same sound. (Actually, I
end
up doing other customizations to the sounds to make them more
appropriate
for that particular composition.)

Anyway, I now have several synthesizers that don't really allow you to
edit
tuning tables from the front panel, and in fact rely strictly upon SysEx
messages.

My question then is, what is the usual means of dealing with such SysEx
messages? I'm guessing that, assuming that the synth includes the
tuning
information in a MIDI patch dump, the preferred approach would be to
fire
up a MIDI patch librarian to configure your MIDI instruments for the
particular composition. Am I guessing correctly? Since I've always
done
all synthesizer-internal stuff in the synth itself, I have to confess to
embarrassingly limited knowledge of patch librarian programs, although
my
knowledge of MIDI and synths in general is pretty good.