using MIDI to toggle patches?

[bpblog]

hi everyone,

is there a way to change a patch (program) using MIDI controls? the Helix patch system is indeed useful for organizing patches into different banks, but having to use a mouse all the time can be a pain.

[sunhome]

+1

Regards, James

[MaliceX]

This actually used to be a feature (beta) but was since removed in preference for the current patch loading system. I kinda wondered about that myself, though there were load spiking issues when switching between patches at the time.

Perhaps maybe a system that incorporates the best of both worlds... preloading a number of favourite patches to a bank in memory, which can be switchable (or possibly layered) via program change or MIDI channel? (Oh boy, multitimbrality.)

[JonasNorberg]

hi everyone,

is there a way to change a patch (program) using MIDI controls? the Helix patch system is indeed useful for organizing patches into different banks, but having to use a mouse all the time can be a pain.

There is no way to do this in helix I'm afraid... it makes sense if you have midi-banks and midi-patches, but the organization of patches becomes compromised.

[MaliceX]

hi everyone,

is there a way to change a patch (program) using MIDI controls? the Helix patch system is indeed useful for organizing patches into different banks, but having to use a mouse all the time can be a pain.

There is no way to do this in helix I'm afraid... it makes sense if you have midi-banks and midi-patches, but the organization of patches becomes compromised.

Actually, now that I think of it, Hypersonic kinda has the best of both worlds with the way it handles patch organization.

Bank MSB controls patch category (CC0/Bank Select I think)
Program Change controlling patches respectively.

Though Helix deals with this in two category levels rather than one..what would you say would be the difficulty of having a system setup like this?

Bank MSB (CC0) - Bank select
Bank LSB (CC32) - Subcategory select
Program Change - Patch select

Of course this would mean each dimension of the array would have to be limited to 128 (0-127) selectable choices each, but we're talking a theoretical maximum capacity of 127*127*127 patches anyway.
I'm not sure if there were other synths with a similar preset organizing system, that also could respond to MIDI program change. :3

Anywho, just my two cents. :3

PS: if it were implemented, that would be more of a reason to make a GM-friendly Helix soundset. xD