Tip: how to share individual tones/one studio set

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lipi
Posts: 55
Joined: 08:22, 19 October 2017
Location: Hungary
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Tip: how to share individual tones/one studio set

Post by lipi »

Hi there!

As you already know, there is no librarian for FA.
As you know there is no possible to export one tone or one studio set separately from FA for sharing. Or yet? ;)

There is a trick... ;)
If you ever seen how the demo song "Pythagoras" is started, you now know how to do that :)
There is no studio set for that song in the FA studio set memory. The studio set is creating "on the fly" by system exclusive messages when you play the song!
Fortunately these sysex messages are containing the tones itself (all parameters, tweaks, etc.) not just the bank/program numbers!
And of course You can make songs like that!

You can record your FA's MIDI dump, then you can export it as smf.
Then you send this smf to your friend, group, etc...
In a new song if this smf is imported and played, your own tones and studio set settings there will be in the temporary memory. It's happening in the first demo song for eg.
You can use/save any tone from this temporary memory while you don't change the actual studio set.
If you accidentally though change the studio set, just play again the song with sysex messages, and you get the data back in to your FA's temporary memory. ;)

The know-how:
0. Make a studio set with the tones what you want to share. (Single, Dual, Multipart mode is doesn't matter)
1. Make a MIDI loop. Connect the FA MIDI OUT port to the FA MIDI IN port with a MIDI cable.
2. Go to Menu, Utility, Bulkdump. Execute it... (It's just necessary for the quick access the function later...)
3. Go to Sequencer, open a new song...
4. Switch the loop to OFF
5. Start the recording, and meanwhile your sequencer tick the precount
6. Press Menu, Utility, Bulkdump
7. When you are in RECORDING phase (after precount), execute the dump
8. When its done, stop the sequencer.
9. Export the song to SMF
10. Share this smf as you want...

If you get a smf like that:
1. Open a new song
2. Import that smf
3. Let's play it
4. Save the tones what you want ;)

For example here is one of my own tone.
One of my favourite song is the "To the unknown men" by Vangelis
Vangelis use a "guitar like" CS-80 sounf for the main theme. I tried to make some similar...(Right click, Save as...)The FA's synth engine is not a komplex VA so you will never can make "authentic" CS-80 sounds on it, but I think it's a pretty close tone...

I hope it will help you to sharing your own tones, studio sets without the unnecessary data and you'll easier collaborate with other FA users! :)

Anyway this method is also good to archiving your songs with your own/tweaked tones and studio set. If you lose the user memory in the future (by system, reset, preset overwrite, file losting, etc) all the tones and studio set settings are in the smf what you can import any time ;)


Best Regards!
LiPI
Skijumptoes
Posts: 681
Joined: 11:08, 21 June 2010

Re: Tip: how to share individual tones/one studio set

Post by Skijumptoes »

Cool idea, but Is it not easier to just use a SysEx Librarian and dump straight to that? That's all i do, i can then save that file with a DAW project, or send it on if i ever wanted to share. Takes seconds.

Not sure if there's a sysex librarian out there which outputs to SMF and how the FA would deal with it, but that may be an easier way if people wanted to share studio set-like song files?
lipi
Posts: 55
Joined: 08:22, 19 October 2017
Location: Hungary
Contact:

Re: Tip: how to share individual tones/one studio set

Post by lipi »

You are right Skijumptoes!
Your method is easier way when you use PC or MAC daily for music... :-)
Why I preference my method?
- of course, if you did sharing a lot of times or usually, you should use computer. But if it's a rare event, you don't want to setting up a DAW or SysexLibrarian for those tones...
- for example me (and many of other "dawless" musician) less and less use DAW. I'm an IT engineer so I have to see displays all the day in my workplace - I don't want to see one more display at home when I make music ;-) A lot of times I don't switch on my computer at home at all.
- when you share a sysex file, the musician who get it must be also have to use a computer/SysexLibrarian etc. to use it. With my method doesn't need any 3rd party software. There are many people who are not hands on these softwares... They are "just" musicians.
- there are many DAWs on market. They are usually not compatible with others. So, you have to convert your DAW recorded data to an universal format, e.g.: MIDI format.

(Anyway I'm working on a Java based librarian for FA. It's will using system exclusiv messages for import/export data between the FA and the computer... It will have some cool feature too, like SN-S randomizer, etc... I hope the first pre-alpha version will work in weeks...)
Skijumptoes
Posts: 681
Joined: 11:08, 21 June 2010

Re: Tip: how to share individual tones/one studio set

Post by Skijumptoes »

Oh of course, i know how you feel as i work with screens all day. So you gotta wonder why you're spending time creating a librarian in Java as a hobby lol - just admit you love screens!!! :))))))))

And yeah, as i figure it, if you want to back up some data, or send it to someone across the internet you're gonna want to use a computer there somewhere along the line, so for me i just use the SysEx librarians and it's done in seconds.

If there was something out there for patch/studio set/song sharing then it would be great - i too have thought about doing it, and an editor for the FA - but then i realised that it's music that i enjoy, and i've deliberately spent the past few months NOT procrastinating around music, NOT tweaking things, NOT trying to create apps to help me, NOT looking at classifieds for secondhand gear etc.

Instead now just enjoy playing and writing songs and increasing my musical theory skills. And as someone who sits coding all day, it's so much better that i've taken that approach, far more rewarding and a completely opposite of my working day.

So before you lose too much time working these little tricks out and creating apps, just make sure that it's worth doing - because if you turn a hobby into part of your work obsession you're not getting the mental time out that you probably deserve, even if it feels rewarding.

I think for people in covers bands etc. it would be a really good resource, however. And i'm in no way putting down what you're doing, i think it's a great idea - but we may be only a few who feel that way so don't forget your own happiness! :-)
lipi
Posts: 55
Joined: 08:22, 19 October 2017
Location: Hungary
Contact:

Re: Tip: how to share individual tones/one studio set

Post by lipi »

I agree with you Skijumptoes! :)

The JAVA now is on my "should I learn to..." list, so I decided to make something for my FA instead of meaningless practices... :)

Thanks for your friendly advices! :)
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