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Send/receive patches to/from synth

Leroy Casterline

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Leroy Casterline

Leroy Casterline

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Is it possible to send patches to and receive them from my synth (an Ensoniq SQ-80)? This old synth predates USB and uses a 3 1/4" floppy with a non-standard format that I can't use with my computer.  Thus, I have neither a good way to change patches in the synth nor to archive patches on my computer.

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

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msmcleod

msmcleod

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@Leroy Casterline - FWIW, In the past I've had nothing but problems with USB to MIDI cables and SYSEX. 

The issue is that a lot of these cables have a IC in them with an extremely small buffer size. They receive data from Cakewalk at full USB speed (480 Mbps), but are unable to send the data out at MIDI speed (32.125 Kbps) fast enough before their small internal buffer overflows.

There're two ways to remedy this:
1. Find a way of slowing the data down.  IIRC MIDIOX can do this, but in Cakewalk, you need to split the data up into much smaller chunks with delays in between.  This normally means not using SYSEX banks, but instead recording the MIDI directly from the device into a normal MIDI track so it can be sent back out at the speed it was received.  This may not always work if the device insists on sending the data out as one big chunk of SYSEX.

2. Use a better MIDI interface (e.g. M-Audio MIDISport series, MidiTech MIDIFace series, or if you've a MIDI interface on an external audio interface that will usually work too)

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Mark Peters

Mark Peters

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4 hours ago, Leroy Casterline said:

It does, and I've been successful in sending from the synth to Cakewalk. The problem I've had is going the other way, restoring a bank from Cakewalk to the synth. But you've given me an idea.

The SQ-80 has a Storage button, with a MIDI sub-button. Pressing that button brings up a page that implies I can only load from another Ensoniq instrument. I'll give this a try with Cakewalk. But even if that works, I still need to be able to send banks without touching the keyboard...

I have been down this path with my ESQ-1 and CbB.  I think there may be several ways to go about this, but here's mine.

First a comment: MIDI-Ox didn't seem to be straighforward enough for me, but I found Send SX worked like a dream. I think both of them can slow down transmission speed, which may or may not be crucial. I know that CbB is pretty fast when it comes to MIDI, and if there are problems it could be that the cable you are using just doesn't have the buffer size to deal with CbB's firehose. Everyone suggests you either get a Roland USB-MIDI cable, or use a proper interface. Still, let's assume that there are no bandwidth problems and that you just need to know how to put the bits together.

I store multiple banks of 40 Ensoniq programs in CbB. If I want to load a bank to the synth I do this...

  1. Set the synth into sysex mode (I think you know how to do this)
  2. Make sure that the MIDI channels of the synth and CbB match (I found that the defaults work for me)
  3. Set the synth to a program page (say, Internal 1)
  4. In CbB, open the sysex window by typing Alt-Shift-7 or selecting Views>Sysx from the main menu
  5. Select a program bank in the sysex window
  6. Click File>Send in the sysex menu

After a few seconds the programs should all appear in the synth's display.

 

Edited by MarkP
clarification of explanation.
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Promidi

Promidi

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On 9/30/2021 at 4:52 PM, msmcleod said:

@Leroy Casterline - FWIW, In the past I've had nothing but problems with USB to MIDI cables and SYSEX. 
 

I use sysex all the time via a USB to MIDI cable and I have never had issues with dropped data. 

In my case,  the sysex is to control effects on an SW1000XG installed on another PC.  I use MIDIOX to do the routing on that PC.

This is via a Roland UM-ONE mk2 USB MIDI Interface that I have had since mid 2015.

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Leroy Casterline

Leroy Casterline

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On 10/1/2021 at 5:13 AM, Promidi said:

I use sysex all the time via a USB to MIDI cable and I have never had issues with dropped data. 

In my case,  the sysex is to control effects on an SW1000XG installed on another PC.  I use MIDIOX to do the routing on that PC.

This is via a Roland UM-ONE mk2 USB MIDI Interface that I have had since mid 2015.

How large are your SysEx's?

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Promidi

Promidi

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1 hour ago, Leroy Casterline said:

Then it appears neither of us have tested the buffering on our USB/MIDI cables.

I still would not trust a cheap USB/MIDI cable.  Mine has always delivered what I have thrown at it - including all the sysex I can put in a project.

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