Reading Jupiter-80 sound sets on a PC/Mac

[kimsnarf]

I have noticed also a 7-8 bit conversion in Korg MIDI files and probably that is the reason: MIDI is based on 7 bits instead of 8 bits and uses this conversion.

This sounds like the only sensible reason why they stick with this old format. MIDI is perhaps so time-sensitive that converting to/from MIDI on-the-fly is too risky. Instead they keep everything stored in a MIDI-compatible format (also internally) to avoid issues.

I wonder when we can finally move beyond MIDI. There has to come a clean break at some point. Or perhaps someone creates a real-time compatibility layer to interface with the old stuff.

[kimsnarf]

Yay! I got my byte-replacement implementation working with bit-shifting. This means I can now swap live sets, with their dependencies to registrations intact, without affecting any other parameters.

The main issue now is the GUI. The Renoise ViewBuilder is very limited in its ability to present lots of data. And in the Jupiter-80 the data is measured in the thousands. I'm currently pondering my options.

[cello]

Great progress kimsnarf - well done :)

If I were you, whilst pondering your options, I would consider making this a commercial venture.

Every JP-80 owner I know, knows they need such a thing - ie a native application (not dependent on Renoise) to manage their sounds.

$30 to $50 seems like a reasonable range. I would be first in the queue!

Worth thinking about... ?

[zardoz505]

I would fork over $100.00 for a decent librarian for Ju 80.
After many hours of sorting out the reg's and getting "burned" by the dependancies
quirk! hours of wasted time ...
But it sounds too good to get rid of !!!
Z >>>>

[ostrovitch]

I would fork over $100.00 for a decent librarian for Ju 80.
Z >>>>

Interesting, so be patient, it's happening ;-)

[Jambo]

Great progress kimsnarf - well done :)

If I were you, whilst pondering your options, I would consider making this a commercial venture.

Every JP-80 owner I know, knows they need such a thing - ie a native application (not dependent on Renoise) to manage their sounds.

$30 to $50 seems like a reasonable range. I would be first in the queue!

Worth thinking about... ?

Yup!!! As a new JP80 owner I can't believe there isn't a librarian software available. I sure hope this project doesn't fall to the waist side. Considering how few recent posts there are here regarding the JP80, I'm concerned if I may have been the last person to get one

[Rodan]

Welcome to the clan, Jambo.

I suppose we all worry that we just bought what everyone else is getting rid of, but the JP-80 is one of those boards that is so special that it actually makes you feel more confident as time goes by. You start to realize that you are one of a select group, those privileged to own this board. You're going to love it. May you make great music with it.

Rodan

[cello]

What Rodan said ^^

[Devnor]

There is little forum activity because the JP80 works as advertised, doesn't reboot itself, there are no nagging keybed/hardware issues or the need to buy expensive sample libraries. Nobody here is trying to sell you anything or promote their products. Mods here don't have a vested financial interest in what's said on our site. That's the Roland Clan difference :)

In a few weeks I'm coming up on my 3 year anniversary of creating music on my Jupiter 80. Maybe I will make a post and we can gush about the awesomeness of this unique Roland synthesizer.

[cello]

The JP-80 is also not a cheap re-hash of a superior quality predecessor... ;) Nor has Roland royally shafted a user community quite like Korg did...

The JP-80 is unique and powerful. Play mine every day, never once getting bored.

I like the idea of a JP-80 birthday thread - count me in!

[kimsnarf]

Version 0.4 of my Jupiter-80 Librarian is now available.

New in this version:

• Added menu option to swap live sets (including dependencies).
• Added menu option to show inverse dependencies (e.g. tones used by live sets).
• Added menu option to show independent sounds (e.g. tones not used by live sets).
• The Jupiter-50 SVD file format is now supported.
• Added "Open..." button to dialogs to open a new SVD file.

Renoise 3.0 is now out of beta, so anyone can download it for free and install this plug-in.

Is this tool actually useful to anyone but me yet at this stage? :) In any case, I would be grateful for any feedback from those who decide to try it out. Does it work as intended?

[Jambo]

Version 0.4 of my Jupiter-80 Librarian is now available.

New in this version:

• Added menu option to swap live sets (including dependencies).
• Added menu option to show inverse dependencies (e.g. tones used by live sets).
• Added menu option to show independent sounds (e.g. tones not used by live sets).
• The Jupiter-50 SVD file format is now supported.
• Added "Open..." button to dialogs to open a new SVD file.

Renoise 3.0 is now out of beta, so anyone can download it for free and install this plug-in.

Is this tool actually useful to anyone but me yet at this stage? :) In any case, I would be grateful for any feedback from those who decide to try it out. Does it work as intended?

You're the man Kimsnarf!!! I'm on my iPad right now but I'll be checking this out when I get out to my studio where my Mac and JP80 currently reside. You mention Renoise being out of beta. Will I need to download that as well to run this software or are your efforts a standalone app? I can't wait to dig into it and give you the assessment of my experience :)

[Jambo]

There is little forum activity because the JP80 works as advertised, doesn't reboot itself, there are no nagging keybed/hardware issues or the need to buy expensive sample libraries. Nobody here is trying to sell you anything or promote their products. Mods here don't have a vested financial interest in what's said on our site. That's the Roland Clan difference :).

Just my 2 cents (which ain't worth much) I purchased the JP80 to compliment my Kronos x61. I need 2 keyboards when I perform live. I couldn't be happier than I am with the Kronos and my user experience is nothing but positive, I've never had any key bed/hardware issues nor have I felt the need to purchase any of the extra sample libraries. I'm also falling in love with the Jupiter (it's still very new to me). Obviously both have their strengths and weaknesses but I for one find that there is very little overlap in these areas.

I can totally understand the viewpoint of someone who went out and spent the $$$$ on an Oasis to have it replaced by the Kronos. I'd be pissed too! But I would never have purchased the Oasis myself just due to size and weight... The reason why I went with the 61 version Kronos in the first place. Had the 73 had synth action keys, I would have gone that route and looked for a 61 note second board. But then I would never have found out the awesomeness that is JP80 :)

[kimsnarf]

You mention Renoise being out of beta. Will I need to download that as well to run this software or are your efforts a standalone app?

This tool uses Renoise as its host for MIDI and GUI (as well as cross-platform support), so you need to install Renoise. However, this host forces me to build a suboptimal GUI, so I have started looking into other options. Specifically, I would like to convert the Lua code to run as a standalone application, using a cross-platform GUI library like GTK+.

Unfortunately my time is very limited. I definitely don't have the time to create a premium application. For me this is just one of many hobby projects. Therefore it would be useful to get some feedback on whether people actually find this approach useful, i.e. reading and writing SVD files. I know everyone wants a full-featured librarian connected to the synth, but this SVD file-based approach is the best and only one I know of for the Jupiters due to a very limited MIDI specification (i.e. no bank download/upload).

I can't wait to dig into it and give you the assessment of my experience :)

Please do! I have yet to receive a single response on whether this tool actually does anything useful yet. :)

[kimsnarf]

I guess I need to write a short tutorial. :)

First, download and install Renoise. Renoise is cross-platform, so you can install it on OS X, Windows and Linux.

After you install Renoise, double-click on the xrnx-file to install it. In the Renoise top-menu you will then find the "Jupiter-80 Librarian" under the Tools menu. Each function has its own menu entry. I know this is not optimal, but it's the best I can do at the moment.

JP80-menu.png (153.85 KiB) Viewed 4033 times