[sdiy] Generic preset storage / converting presets between synths

[Scott Gravenhorst]

I had done some work in this vein a few years ago, more because I wanted a
editor and librarian for several digital synths I have.  I started with a
Roland D-110 and then did the same for U-110, GR-50 and Korg WaveStation.

What I can tell you is that there is often precious little similarity
between synth models even under the same manufacturer.  Much of what you
can do sound wise depends greatly on it's internal architecture.  I.e., an
LFO in a D-110 structure modulates specific components and these
paramaters are not always (or at all) analagous to those of other models.
  For (1), I was able to create programs that can manipulate all of the
parameters for one (eg.) D-110 tone (all 4 partials) with all of the data
required present on the screen at the same time.  This was a MAJOR
improvement over the standard itty bitty 2 line LCD display on the synth
in which one gets lost easily (best case) or worst case, you wind up
accidentally clowning up the work you spent the last 20 minutes tweaking.
 The program also saves and loads from disk.  The program was easily
adapted to a GR-50 since the internal structure is nearly identical to a
D-110 except for memory addresses.  The program saves sounds in such a way
that they are interchangable between those two synths.

As for (2), I found that the U-110's structure to be completely
incompatible with D-110 to the extent that this synth would never be able
to make sounds similar to a D-110 (U-110 is a rompler).  In my lab, the
only other choice was the Korg Wavestation.  Again, a very different beast
and difficult at best to make sounds on it like a D-110 and vice versa. 
It was possible to make _some_ sounds that were similar, but only by
having a good understanding of the synth's inner workings and hand
tweaking parameters.  I'd never tried to make a program that can move
sounds "cross species" so to speak because of this difficulty.

Also each synth model will have a certain "special" nature, it will do
things others simply will not.  Sounds which rely on these features will
not be easily transferred to others (if possible at all).  Digging this
deeply into these boxes taught me a valuable lesson, there is a reason why
they sound different and that is that the hardware is very different from
other synths.  There may be some overlap where the sounds are rather
simple.  Pads, flutes, strings etc., which rely on simple waveforms and
common modulations and a simple patch structure, can possibly be
transmuted.  In my world, this has been something I've done occasionally
by understanding the structure of both synths and then hand assembling the
parameters required, then finalizing the patch by ear.  I wind up with
sounds that are usable and perhaps close enough.

To the point of attempting to do this automatically using a program, I
think you'd be better off to think about which synths you want to make
what noise and program them accordingly with a decent patch editor,
storing the patches with names that make sense.  IMHO, I think it would
take more time to write the translator than to do the sound work and save
the results.  This work multiplies in complexity for each new synth type
you need translations for.  Deciding which synths should produce what
sounds is part of the work of composition and takes thought and planning
before you commit them to a piece.  I use the near-copy approach only when
I have run out of voices on the box which best makes that sound in the
first place.

So much for my $.02.


Kenneth Martinez <kmartinez at bency.com> wrote:
>Those who believe presets are the bane of creative synthesis - please 
>avert your eyes (and avoid a flame war)...
>
>Here's my wish: for my synths with preset storage and the ability to 
>dump & load presets via midi sysex, I'd like to be able to feed the 
>sysex of a synth into a software program which can (1) display the sound 
>parameters in a meaningful form, and (2) convert the sound into the 
>sysex format of any of my other presets synths.  That's not too much to 
>ask, is it? ;-)
>
>Does anyone know of any existing software, commercial or otherwise, 
>which can do this?
>
>I don't feel the need to do this a lot, but there are times when I'd 
>like to know the actual settings of a preset... after all, the knobs 
>don't move themselves when I switch to another preset.  Many preset 
>synths don't show the values, you have to find them again by turning 
>each knob (e.g. Prophet 5, Nord Lead); and for those modern synths with 
>LCDs which do show the actual values (e.g. Andromeda, Virus), I'd still 
>have to page around its menus until I saw all the values.
>
>If I have one, I can use a free or commercial sysex librarian / editor 
>program to view the parameters, but those are in the "native tongue" of 
>each synth (typically, arbitrary units from 0 - 127).  If I want to make 
>a very similar sound on another of my synths (hardware or software), 
>I'll probably still spend a fair amount of time converting it to the 
>other synth's format by adjusting parameters and listening.
>
>So again - I want software that can display meaningful values for the 
>parameters (filter envelope amount = 1/2 octave, envelope 1 attack = 
>50ms, etc) and convert between these values and a given synth's sysex 
>(as much as possible - resolution probably isn't good enough to get 
>envelope attack to exactly 50ms on each and every synth, and envelope 
>shapes vary between synths, etc).
>
>I figure if I've thought it would be useful, someone else has probably 
>already done it at least once ;-)  Anybody know of anything like this?
>
>

=========================================================  
- Hydrogen is pointless without solar.
- That which gets rewarded, gets done.
- What good are laws that only lawyers understand?
- The media's credibility should always be questioned.
- Governments do nothing well, save collect taxes.

-- Scott Gravenhorst | LegoManiac / Lego Trains / RIS 1.5
-- Linux Rex         | RedWebMail by RedStarWare
-- FatMan: home1.gte.net/res0658s/FatMan/
-- NonFatMan: home1.gte.net/res0658s/electronics/