Question

Hi,

because many of us have external MIDI-Hardware, I would like to see the possibility to use Patchname-Scripts like in Cubase or Instrument-Definitions like in Sonar for external Hardware. There was already a user in the old forum who build an instrument definition manager for V2, but with V3 nothing happened. Here ist the link to the old post:

http://forumsarchive.presonus.com/posts/list/36236.page

As I read in many other posts, this is a missing feature who keeps many users away from using S1, because they want to use their external gear an easy way. I wrote my wish also in the german presonus forum an explained it to Ari some months ago. I hope Presonus will learn how important this little feature is. And I think this is also not difficult to code. Maybe with a future user scripting, some users have the chance to build such a thing for the community, if Presonus won't do it.

Timo

Answer 1

Hi,
there are good news to all waiting for this feature.
Since version 5.2, there is the new feature sound variations with key switches. With those it is easy to create patchname-scripts like in Cubase oder instrument-definitions in Sonar. And it gets better. Lukas Ruschitzka who has direct contact to presonus created "Studio One Toolbox", a new homepage with the possibility to convert "Cubase - Patchname-Scripts" and "Sonar-Instrument Definitions" into the file-format for keyswitches - just by dragging it into the field on the homepage.

http://s1toolbox.com

Just take a look at his video.

Introducing Studio One Toolbox | s1toolbox.com - YouTube

I hope Studio One will have further developments in this direction and those features will be market to the public. For me it is the right way.

Timo

Answer 2

I support this! This is very convenient and it would be nice to expand the list of presets of external devices from among the popular MIDI controllers / keyboards, synthesizers and workstations.

Answer 3

Thank you for the feature request. 

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Answer 4

Hey! I'm a long time (mid 90's) Sonar/Cakewalk user. Due to issues with backwards compatibility, stability and performance I am kind of getting fed up with Sonar and I'm looking into new DAWs. Studio One has definitely got my attention!

Trying out the free version, I just ran into this Instrument Definition problem, and I can't believe this isn't in the software already... I mean, VSTs are great, but we really need to be able to use hardware instruments in a convinient way and it's not possible at the monent. Until this is implemented I'm not able to switch to Studio One, but Presonus, Implement this feature, and you'll win me over!

Cheers!

Answer 5

Hi,

yes it is a little pity that Studio One doesn't support this feature at this moment. I talked with Presonus two weeks ago and made them attentive that here are four different feature request wishing the same. Together there are nearly 60 votes for this, not so bad. Presonus now acknowledged this and I really hope they will implement this feature in the nearly future.

For a workaround with using instrument definitions - files from Sonar/Cakewalk I found on KVRAUDIO a quite new vst-plugin called SELECTOR, which uses INS-Files for switching between the banks and programs on your external midi-hardware. A little disadvantage is that in S1 you have to use two tracks for it. One Instrument track (MIDI) for your external Hardware and one track with the SELECTOR-plugin. You have to monitoring both tracks and of course the input and output channel have to be configured correctly. Then you can use the plugin with your favorites INS-files to switch between the sounds on your external MIDI-hardware.

Here is the link to KVRAUDIO. A short description by the author how to use it in Studio One can be found at the bottom of the site under "discussion".

https://www.kvraudio.com/product/selector-by-vague-software

Answer 6

This feature gets my vote. I am coming from SONAR and I still use several external keyboards and modules (e.g. Yamaha Motif XF-8, Triton Le). The lack of supporting instrument definition files means I have to look up the MSB/LSB bank change and program change for any patch I want to use. I spent an hour on this issue with Studio One and finally figured out how to initialize each track to its proper patch.

Competing DAW Reaper supports this feature, a built-in Notation View, and the MIDI Event Viewer.

I'm finding workflow and editing easier in Studio One, but adding these missing MIDI features would help with my SONAR transition.

Thank you.

Answer 7

Hi

i hope PreSonus will integrate a Patch Name Editor to using external MIDI-Instruments like an DX7, M1 or a JV-1010.

This will be a better workflow when changing the sounds in a MIDI File.

Sorry about my bad english...

Zobel

Answer 8

I agree with DavidWhite20. I’m currently testing multiple DAWS for my studio upgrade and Studio One is so far my favorite but there’s too many MIDI features missing (like external instruments patch name and lack of the midi event list for example) to become the tool of choice for musician like me using mostly real keyboards and sound modules. Let’s hope this could be addressed soon because I will be sad to have to go to Cubase just for a couple missing features that could probably be implemented pretty easily. S1 workflows are more natural to me. Thanks

Martin, an hopefully new S1 user.

Answer 9

I know I have requested this in other threads earlier as well. It should be so simple to develop this for PreSonus.

I love using my hardware instruments - so I am quite annoyed that a simple thing as reading data from text files with hardware instrument patch lists is a very complex problem to build for PreSonus. They could just use the format from Cubase or Sonar - then they dont have to reinvent the wheel...

Answer 10

I also support this request.  the way logic does it, allowing the user to define custom messages for banks and create the patch names is the easiest way for users.  Midnam is good for factory sounds but to edit a midnam file isn't as easy for new users.  Logic simply allows you to type in your patch names for up to 15 banks.  This is the only feature that I'm definitely hoping comes to S1.

Answer 11

How hard can it be for Presonus to add an importer for the myriads of .ins files that already do exist? Its just a matter of keeping a miniscule database of strings that translate to patch/bank/program numbers.After I had been stupmed for AGES about how to send Midi data to my Yamaha in the first place (having to create a dedicated instrument as an output is ridiculous), now I am unable to tell tracks what patches to use? Seriously? Makes me wanna go back to Sonar 8. And that is now WAY OVER TEN YEARS old ... so, @Presonus: *pretty please* gift us with a instrument definition file reader for Midi Gear :) Its Christmas soon, you know? ;-)

Answer 12

Have you noticed "Look Mom, No MIDI!" in Studio One Reference Manual? It was a major design decision: once MIDI events arrive to Studio One, it converts them into it's own internal format, and converts back to MIDI when sending out. I don't understand this decision at all. Better support for virtual instruments? As far as I know, Kontakt and anything else not PreSonus is still controlled by MIDI. 

Anyway, there is no MIDI inside your songs in Studio One! That's why patch names are unsupported. Yes, unsupported -- I saw their suggestion how to add Program Change automation in your Instrument Tracks. It comes with a formula for MSB, LSB and Patch number:  (100 / 128) x MSB. What they failed to see is that 128 is greater than 100, so you won't be able to select some banks and patches because of rounding errors.

Also, there are no Event Lists, for the same reason: there is simply no MIDI in your songs. Also, there is no SysEx support, and it won't be added, ever. So in Sonar I could auto-select the right song in my Kronos sequencer or load/save it's setup, and in Studio One it's not possible, and I have to turn to the instrument, enter Disk mode and load/save the Sequencer there.  

PreSonus is not going to revert this design decision (which was hubris, IMHO) and rewrite Studio One. For one, it would require to add a converter for existing songs to switch to the new (old) MIDI format. So don't say "it should be easy to add this or that" - it's not.

Answer 13

They just need to do like Opcode did, make a home made librarian

Answer 14

I agree 100% !

One of the things that made me buy Opcode Studio Vision at first sight was the click-and-hold patch selector. It was awesome having all my patch names pop up, dragging to my choice and letting go. So simple! It even used Sysex to retrieve all the names.

I’ve been kind of wandering aimlessly on DAWs for decades since Vision went away.

I just bought into PreSonus gear and Studio One.  All my guitar player and drummer friends use Studio One. I had no idea there’s not even a patch name option in Studio One, I just assumed it did.  This was my first night digging into it and without a doubt, not having patch names feels somewhat slow and crippling.

Could someone make a plugin or something that does this?