creating .svd files in librarian?

Other Roland synthesizers, modules, keyboards, etc.
Post Reply
southernjoel
Posts: 88
Joined: 22:21, 10 December 2003

creating .svd files in librarian?

Post by southernjoel »

Hello again friends,

Since I have no midi compatible soundcard,nor a usb/midi interface....I havent played around with the librarian program yet. Downloaded the .svd file version of the XV-5080 patches from www.wilkesworld.co.uk last night.....WOW!! I actually like most of them better than the stock ones on the Fantom-s. My questions are twofold at this moment:

1. Is it possible to create your own .svd files in the librarian program on your pc,save it to disk....transfer this to card via a cardreader,then ulimately to the fantom-s? I am wanting to create a medley/mixture of my fave sounds from the XV-5080 patches I would like to load into my User and Card banks.

2. Is it feasible that any new patches offered here in the group be available in both .fls (librarian) and .svd format for those of us that arent midi hooked yet??

I was one of those folks who were sorta fearful after the realease of the Fantom-x,but after downloading the XV-5080 patches to my Fantom-s.......I am feeling very excited about my purchase now. I just hope I can keep finding new patches in .svd format....or somehow be able to convert .fls files into .svd format using the librarian(might be possible now as far as I know,but if not ...perhaps through an update for the librarian or OS updates in the future??)

Maybe we will get lucky,and some computer geniuses will get interested in the Fantom-s....and offer their own OS updates and patch libraries. Please excuse me if my questions seem stupid. After many years of financial difficulty,I am finally getting back into the electronic music scene(it aint a cheap hobby...lol). Its all been a learning curve...lol

THanks a zillion to all of you folks, this board has helped me TREMENDOUSLY!!

Joel C.
snowman
Posts: 10
Joined: 01:19, 18 January 2004
Location: Chicago, IL.

Re: creating .svd files in librarian?

Post by snowman »

Hey southernjoel,

Check out this thread:

http://forum.fantom-s.info/?action=show ... &page=last

Hope it helps,

snowman
Bruiser
Posts: 681
Joined: 07:53, 3 July 2003
Location: Kent, WA

Re: creating .svd files in librarian?

Post by Bruiser »

Joel -

Just out of curiosity, does your sound card have a joystick / game port on it? Most all of them do. If so, you can get a midi / joystick cable and use that for your midi interface. Thats what I do and it works fine.

It is not possible to create .svd file directly from the Librarian program, the FS does that. That file holds other info as well (performance data, layers, screen saver, etc). That is one drawback to moving .svd files in and out of the FS. It can reset things that you might not want reset.

I have often thought about the possibility of the hacker community figuring out how to "enhance" the OS of the FS. This would be a monumental task unless Roland provides some clues (yeah right...that's bound to happen).

My Stuff: http://dhsw.home.comcast.net
southernjoel
Posts: 88
Joined: 22:21, 10 December 2003

Good question bruiser

Post by southernjoel »

The pc I have to rely upon for music is a gateway,solo 1200 (800mgz,128k ram,windows ME)notebook ....at the moment. It appears to only have a extra monitor port and printer port. And of course 2 usb connections. Although I surf the net on an older desktop PC. I was torn between buying the F-S or going totally DAW for awhile since a dear friend of mine dontated quite a nice a bundle of software to me since he jumped platforms over to Apple and Logic. To be honest, I am not sure about this ,and cant find the specs anywhere.
Once I am over this financial obstacle that has screwed me for the past few years(divorce...lol) ...I plan on upgrading my system. I find placing sampling,and timing samples in songs easier on the PC anyway. I just have to do twice the work now since I can only run a few tracks at a time with my crappy ole pc.
Bruiser
Posts: 681
Joined: 07:53, 3 July 2003
Location: Kent, WA

Re: creating .svd files in librarian?

Post by Bruiser »

I know they make relatively cheap midi to usb adapter cables (< $75 I'm pretty sure) that should work with your gateway.

IMO, going the FS route instead a DAW is the right choice. Of course, an FS plus a DAW is just about the ultimate. The thing I like about keeping the FS as the creativity focus of your studio is that it allows you to keep going on a roll without being distracted by the more techically oriented DAW software. On the FS, everything flows nicely when putting a song together. I have to admit, however, that the final mastering of your song creation is faster and easier on the computer side. With both the FS and a DAW setup, you can isolate the creativity part to the FS and the technical part to the DAW and efficiently experience the best of both worlds.


My Stuff: http://dhsw.home.comcast.net
southernjoel
Posts: 88
Joined: 22:21, 10 December 2003

thanks bruiser

Post by southernjoel »

I knew about the usb/midi interfaces. Just opting to save up for a higher performance desktop. And I totally agree about your opinion about the F-S,at the least it can become one helluva a midi controller eventually. Although I love the accuracy and flexibility of DAW,It takes some of the spontaneity out of playing some(solos,composing original riffs,etc.) And I DO hope some computer savvy folks get some specs from ROLAND and try to max the Fantom-s to the limit!
Lawrencew
Posts: 1450
Joined: 19:02, 5 October 2003
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: creating .svd files in librarian?

Post by Lawrencew »

1. no the librarian cannot create SVD files unfortunately.

2. Nothing stops us sharing patches by posting the SVD files for people to download, except the SVD file contains all 256 user patches, and all the other user settings. So not ideal for sharing an individual patch.
It is possible of course.
I could
a. post an SVD with just one user patch in it - the rest initialised
b. You backup your existing SVD file on Card.
c. download my SVD and copy it to card.
d. copy the patch from it to your User area
e. restore your backed up SVD

But much easier to just get a midi cable IMHO :-)
southernjoel
Posts: 88
Joined: 22:21, 10 December 2003

midi interface might be in order

Post by southernjoel »

perhaps you are right Lawrencew,I will start checking those out online.
But still....is there anyway to compile a whole set of patches from various sources without using the librarian. And even with the librarian......it is possible right??
Starting to wonder if some of my fears of future OS updates are coming true too. I saw many back to back in a short period of time, I havent seen any since NAMM. I like my fantom-s alot,and dont plan on getting the X....I would rather buy another keyboard to get a good mix of sounds. But I DO DEMAND support. Thanks folks....excuse my rants....lol
Lawrencew
Posts: 1450
Joined: 19:02, 5 October 2003
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: creating .svd files in librarian?

Post by Lawrencew »

1. Repeat, NO. The librarian cannot create SVD files

2. is there anyway to compile a set of patches without the librarian. NO. Apart from inside the Fantom itself of course.
southernjoel
Posts: 88
Joined: 22:21, 10 December 2003

Lawrencew

Post by southernjoel »

Hi friend,

I think you may of misunderstood my last question .Perhaps I wasnt clear...sorry. I WASNT referring to creating .svd files in the librarian. I think I read somewhere that if I had a USB/MIDI hookup that I could exchange one patch at a time via MIDI using the librarian,which would ulitimately allow me to create my own custom set of banks using assorted patches from diff sources. Please correct me if I am wrong, Ive got to go back to synth class 101....lol. THanks for all the help :-).
I still think that it might be cool if they could somehow update the librarian program to be able to create .svd files. From what ive read(and again...I may be totally wrong) you have to send one patch at a time to your Fantom-s via midi using the librarian program. If you were able to create an .svd file ,you would be able to create a whole bank of 256 custom sounds,then upload the bank as an .svd file(saving lots of time in the process). I am not a computer genius,and just getting back into the electronic scene.....so please forgive me if anything I say in inaccurate.
Bruiser
Posts: 681
Joined: 07:53, 3 July 2003
Location: Kent, WA

Re: creating .svd files in librarian?

Post by Bruiser »

With the Librarian, you CAN exchange one patch at a time using MIDI. You can also exchange an ENTIRE USER BANK at one time using the same method. Where you might be getting confused is loading the patches into the SmartMedia card. Unfortunately, the Librarian can't access it directly. Thus, to move patches from the User bank to the Card bank, its one at a time. That is what got us started on copying the .svd file from the FS User memory to the same directory on the Smart Media card. That is the wrokaround for transfering an entire bank to / from the Smart Media card. Hope that clarifies things a little for you.

My Stuff: http://dhsw.home.comcast.net
Lawrencew
Posts: 1450
Joined: 19:02, 5 October 2003
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: creating .svd files in librarian?

Post by Lawrencew »

As it says in my tutorial where you downloaded the patches from, yes you can write individual, or groups of patches, or all the patches to the FS from the librarian - Selected means any one or more patches you have selected with the mouse.

Moreover, you can assemble the patch bank in the Librarian from lots of different patch file sources first, you don't have to send them to the FS until you have finished compiling your bank of 256 patches - then just write them all in one go.

However, you cannot open an .SVD file in the librarian, or copy selected patches from it. You need the librarian file (.fls) as a source of patches, or a Standard MIDI File (.mid) that contains them (you can import or export SMF files in the librarian that contain FS patches)
southernjoel
Posts: 88
Joined: 22:21, 10 December 2003

thanks Lawrencew

Post by southernjoel »

okay,cool... guess I quite grasp what they were saying at the www.wilkesworld.co.uk site concerning the librarian. I am glad that you are capable of compiling sound banks from different sources using the librarian. We get OS updates here,which is limitted due to the "hardware" inside the fantom-s. Perhaps someone will do an update to the librarian as well cause it would alleviate the need for a midi interface if you could create an .svd file. Thanks for the input.
Post Reply