FA Editor

Forum for Roland FA-06/08
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cello
Posts: 1487
Joined: 11:47, 1 August 2011
Location: Glasgow, UK

Re: FA Editor

Post by cello »

The JP-80 editor does not handle effects.

Yes, the Super Saw Detune slider only has an effect if the super saw wave is selected (but you can still operate the slider if another waveform is selected but it obviously has no effect).

It also only works at tone level - it does not work with livesets or registrations.

There are in fact only two screens - attached below

Image

Image
BigBANGtheory
Posts: 36
Joined: 10:11, 5 December 2014

Re: FA Editor

Post by BigBANGtheory »

fyi this chap looks like he got the principle FA style knob graphic working in Ctrlr i.e. with the central part displaying the value whilst the outer part highlights a persistent colour:

http://ctrlr.org/access-virus-ti-snow/

If that proves too complex plan B could be to copy the physical knob somehow :
http://cdn.roland.com/products/fa-08/im ... 8_hero.jpg
bennyseven
Posts: 699
Joined: 18:01, 19 April 2014
Location: Germany

Re: FA Editor

Post by bennyseven »

Thank you all for your contribution. First I will concentrate on the TONE edit screens and will complete editing for all tone partials, as in the moment it works only for TONE PARTIAL 1. I will use the standard components in CTRLR.

Can somebody check the JP edtor if it has a WRITE button. If so, it would be good to Midi-monitor the sysex commands, so we can check if we can write to the user memory. It is for shure a secret memory location and value. This will also enable us to build something like a FA librarian.
Or someone with a Fantom X and its Roland delivered editor (hey, it is an editor from Roland.).

Now I know about these knobs. We need 127 images, one for each value (0-127 i.e.) in a row (look at the CTRLR ressources tab, look for image location on your hard disk. Select one file an you see how knob graphics work).
So we can hand-make these original FA or JP knobs later.
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cello
Posts: 1487
Joined: 11:47, 1 August 2011
Location: Glasgow, UK

Re: FA Editor

Post by cello »

No - the JP-80 editor doesn't have a write button.

It transfers your iPad app changes in realtime over wifi to the JP-80. If you like the edits, you use the write button on the instrument to save the changes.
bennyseven
Posts: 699
Joined: 18:01, 19 April 2014
Location: Germany

Re: FA Editor

Post by bennyseven »

ok, so it would be same (wifi or usb) for the FA, unless we know more about write operations.

please ask if somebody need assistance with the CTRLR app itself. There are five basic steps to get the FA editor to work. 1) download the app at http://www.ctrlr.org for your platform (Windows, Linux, OS X) and install. 2) Download FA panel (above) and 3) open it in CTRLR. 4) Set Midi input and output to the FA driver. And 5) Switch panel mode with CTRL-E or CMD-E keys.
Now you can use the editor. For the moment there is no sync between FA and CTRLR. But you can use all knobs and combos. If you select the appropriate screen on the FA you can see the remote control works.
andyr1960
Posts: 55
Joined: 09:46, 5 March 2009

Re: FA Editor

Post by andyr1960 »

I wrote the FA Supernatural Synth Editor for MIDI Designer (iPad) - I did try CTRLR, but the learning curve was too steep for me, I just didn't have the time to dedicate to it at the time.

Maybe I'll take another look at it.
BigBANGtheory
Posts: 36
Joined: 10:11, 5 December 2014

Re: FA Editor

Post by BigBANGtheory »

bennyseven wrote: Can somebody check the JP edtor if it has a WRITE button. If so, it would be good to Midi-monitor the sysex commands, so we can check if we can write to the user memory. It is for shure a secret memory location and value.
Benny I'll have a go at monitoring my FA08 to see if I can capture the SysEx command, off the top of my head it would seem to be a little more involved as you surely need to select a User bank / location to do the write which could be different for each owner.

...update
So using the editor built into the FA08 writing to the write destination "USER 0512:INIT TONE" gives the following captured SysEX commands:

F0 41 10 00 00 77 12 18 00 20 06 5F 03 7F 61 F7
F0 41 10 00 00 77 12 18 00 20 06 5F 03 7F 61 F7

please note that is the same SysEx command issued twice

also note that this is 16 in length not 14 like the cutoff command

so if we apply my filter logic from earlier (F0 41 10 00 00 77 12 <4 pairs of data address for Cutoff control> XX Z5 F7) it is the underlined bit we are interested in:

F0 41 10 00 00 77 12 18 00 20 06 5F 03 7F 61 F7

61 = Z7 Ctrlr/Roland checksum in theory

18 00 00 00 Temporary Studio Set
00 20 00 Studio Set Part (Part1)
00 06 Studio Set PC (PC)
--------------
18 00 20 06

Though interestingly when I play the SysEx command back after changing a tone parameter it does not appear to write the new settings it reverts to the original settings. Need to give this some more thought but on the face of that experiment it seems to suggest I captured the wrong SysEx command (or it was not transmitted) or simply that you cannot perform a write with SysEx because Roland have blocked it somehow...

Make of that what you will.
epostmiba
Posts: 12
Joined: 19:06, 24 March 2014
Location: Sweden

Re: FA Editor

Post by epostmiba »

Hi!

I have been working with a librarian and Studio Set editor for the FA for some time, but have paused due to lack of time. However, I have learned a lot during this work. As far as I can understand there is no way to save changes via SysEx. I have tried all variations I can think of. Roland has either blocked it, or made it very difficult to figure out.

I think this editor looks very promising. I have never used CTRL but I have attached an Excel-file that might become handy when figuring out which SysEx to use for each parameter. It's an compilation from the documentation from Roland in a more readable format. I also have the whole AdressMap in Excel-format if you think it would be of any help.
Attachments
Parameters_FA0608.xlsx
(92.69 KiB) Downloaded 289 times
ducker
Posts: 21
Joined: 07:44, 28 May 2013

Re: FA Editor

Post by ducker »

If you enable sending changes it sends out via sysex the commands when you use the on screen editor. (Sending sysex changes is off by default). Have you tried midi monitoring the FA (with sysex changes ON ) and see if it records anything.
bennyseven
Posts: 699
Joined: 18:01, 19 April 2014
Location: Germany

Re: FA Editor

Post by bennyseven »

Yes, i have tried. But WRITE is not transmitted as sysex.
But the write operation could be remotely invoked by the Fantom X Library Software, so there might be some sysex ways for it. Someone must Midi monitor this Setup. I sold my Fantom...
BigBANGtheory
Posts: 36
Joined: 10:11, 5 December 2014

Re: FA Editor

Post by BigBANGtheory »

ducker wrote:If you enable sending changes it sends out via sysex the commands when you use the on screen editor. (Sending sysex changes is off by default). Have you tried midi monitoring the FA (with sysex changes ON ) and see if it records anything.
That is exactly what I did a few posts above.

You see a repeated SysEx command which I posted, but when you play it back to the FA it seems to reinitialize the partial rather than write a new one.

I don't see it as a big thing myself as you can still do the tricky edit controls on a nice big PC screen then go back to the Roland for the final stage of writing. If you can figure it out though great...

btw it looks like the Integra 7 iPad editor can write if you look at the interface, perhaps that would be a better system to monitor?
Image
bennyseven
Posts: 699
Joined: 18:01, 19 April 2014
Location: Germany

Re: FA Editor

Post by bennyseven »

yes right, pressing WRITE button is not much action. I was thinking about librarian editor, so this will only work with automated write operation. For the editor (which I am still working on) it is not a must have.
Español
Posts: 140
Joined: 17:27, 4 September 2014
Location: Alicante, España

Re: FA Editor

Post by Español »

bennyseven wrote:There are five basic steps to get the FA editor to work...
Hello bennyseven:

You can put the latest version here you have your panel Ctrl editor?

Thank you.

By the way, what do you think the editor who published the "Arkzero" user?
viewtopic.php?f=55&t=50984
Better or worse than your Ctrl panel?
bennyseven
Posts: 699
Joined: 18:01, 19 April 2014
Location: Germany

Re: FA Editor

Post by bennyseven »

Hello there,
I didn't try Arkzero's editor but I think anyone who is able to work on this will help us people who would like to edit the FA from remote.

I tried CTRLR because of its cross platform support, and ready to use widgets.
But at the end I got stuck with this LUA language and its crazy interface to the widget controls.
At the end I gave up my proof of concept project.
As a matter of fact, I did not notice much enough demand from this forum about a Ctrlr based editor.
Maybe I am wrong.

Anyone here with Lua skills? I would appreciate any contribution on how to build up ctrls in-memory structures when download from the FA temp. memory.
cheers,
Benny Seven
Skijumptoes
Posts: 681
Joined: 11:08, 21 June 2010

Re: FA Editor

Post by Skijumptoes »

Where are people with this?

I've currently got a panel running, but struggling with the PCM Waveform selection, but once i'm passed that i should have a pretty good implementation running.

Just wanted to make sure no-one else is doing anything currently that could be of help.
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