Zen features requests

[elv]

So simple and so elegant.
I guess I should read the manual before posting again

[TabSel]

Any progress in Zen? X64? Use ALL plugs? Something like a Hub for a list of all Zened plugin instances for easy opening/navigating/Remote Controlling between any currently Zened plugs?
Switching presets by MIDI?

[Big Tick]

Any progress in Zen? X64? Use ALL plugs? Something like a Hub for a list of all Zened plugin instances for easy opening/navigating/Remote Controlling between any currently Zened plugs?
Switching presets by MIDI?

X64 is on its way (just migrated everything to vstgui4, which should make it easier).

Use ALL plugs is already available. So it switching presets by MIDI if you arrange your presets in a virtual bank.

I'm not sure I understand the Hub feature. Can you elaborate ?

[TabSel]

All plugins? How does it work? In settings, I can only select/activate some plugs, but not all I have installed...

Preset switching? By program change? Ok, I guess I should RTFM? *g* But couldn't the next/previous buttons not be MIDI learnable?

Hub? I guess, you would like to see Zen as a general plugin/preset Hub for any plugin? So instead the user instantiate a plug, he instantiate Zen. A user then have multiple Zen instances in a project, and Zen could keep track of the actual plugins. The Zen interface could act like a "server" to all the Zen/plugin instances, like tabs, on top of the interface, one tab for each instance. The user could switch to any instance by MIDI, like switching presets. The global controllers below control the automatable parameter of the plugin of the currenty active instance.

This way, you have ONE centralized interface for any plugin, preset management and immediately available remote control for 8 automatable plugin params.

(BTW, are they reassignable? I mean, can I assign any automatable parameter of a plug to any of the 8 global controllers? Or save/load such assignments (automatically) for a plugin type?)

[Big Tick]

All plugins? How does it work? In settings, I can only select/activate some plugs, but not all I have installed...

You just drop a plugin .dll into the synths list (on the main page, not the settings). If you have a designer key, you can then upload a preset for this synth, and this synth becomes public. Otherwise, this synth is local, but you can still import your own presets and manage them in Zen.

Preset switching? By program change? Ok, I guess I should RTFM? *g* But couldn't the next/previous buttons not be MIDI learnable?

They are. Just edit the zen.properties file and define the
zen.previousPresetMidiControl and zen.nextPresetMidiControl entries.

Otherwise, you can drag/drop any preset into one of the 1..128 slots to the left of the search results list. Then send a program change to switch to the associated preset. This is super useful since a single MIDI program change will switch vsti's and load the proper preset.

Hub? I guess, you would like to see Zen as a general plugin/preset Hub for any plugin? So instead the user instantiate a plug, he instantiate Zen. A user then have multiple Zen instances in a project, and Zen could keep track of the actual plugins. The Zen interface could act like a "server" to all the Zen/plugin instances, like tabs, on top of the interface, one tab for each instance. The user could switch to any instance by MIDI, like switching presets. The global controllers below control the automatable parameter of the plugin of the currenty active instance.

Ah I see. But actually, you can already instantiate many Zen in your project. So if I understand correctly, the only difference with what you describe is that each Zen has its own window, while you would like these windows to be grouped together in a tabs interface, right ?

(BTW, are they reassignable? I mean, can I assign any automatable parameter of a plug to any of the 8 global controllers? Or save/load such assignments (automatically) for a plugin type?)

Yes. Right-click on a slider to assign it. You can assign any vst control to it, and also assign it a MIDI control, so that in effect, it can add midi control to these plugins that don't have it natively.

The assignments are automatically saved, on a per-plugin basis.

[TabSel]

oh, I'm speechless as I underestimated Zens value and features...

wow

the only difference with what you describe is that each Zen has its own window, while you would like these windows to be grouped together in a tabs interface, right ?

mainly. But it would be a huge difference: you could use ONE control surface to switch between multiple Zen instances (instruments) and instantly control the instances sound controls and sounds, without cluttering the screen with multiple windows.

Zen, a "Sound Hub"

[TabSel]

...You just drop a plugin .dll into the synths list (on the main page, not the settings)...
They are. Just edit the zen.properties file and define the
zen.previousPresetMidiControl and zen.nextPresetMidiControl entries...

Thanks!

Make it more user friendly? MIDI learn for next/prev presets. "Plugin scan paths" option...

[TabSel]

Question:

in the properties file, there are 6 entries for

# The midi control assignments for the 6 user controls
zen.userControl1.midiAssignment: 21
zen.userControl2.midiAssignment: 23
zen.userControl3.midiAssignment: 23
zen.userControl4.midiAssignment: 24
zen.userControl5.midiAssignment: 25
zen.userControl6.midiAssignment: 26



but in the interface, there are 8...?


And how do

# The midi control assignments for the next/previous preset buttons
zen.previousPresetMidiControl: 0
zen.nextPresetMidiControl: 0

work? What is the syntax here?

are these MIDI CC#? Which values do what?
Or Note#?

[Big Tick]

Question:

in the properties file, there are 6 entries for

# The midi control assignments for the 6 user controls
zen.userControl1.midiAssignment: 21
zen.userControl2.midiAssignment: 23
zen.userControl3.midiAssignment: 23
zen.userControl4.midiAssignment: 24
zen.userControl5.midiAssignment: 25
zen.userControl6.midiAssignment: 26



but in the interface, there are 8...?

They are created automatically when you do a midi learn on the control, so I guess you only assigned a midi control to the first 6 sliders. You can either do the assignment from Zen, or (making sure you have no Zen running) manually create the missing entries for userControl7 and userControl8 in the properties file.

And how do

# The midi control assignments for the next/previous preset buttons
zen.previousPresetMidiControl: 0
zen.nextPresetMidiControl: 0

work? What is the syntax here?

They're midi CC.

Any value sent for the MIDI CC triggers the previous/next preset change.

[TabSel]

thanks.

They are created automatically when you do a midi learn on the control, so I guess you only assigned a midi control to the first 6 sliders. You can either do the assignment from Zen, or (making sure you have no Zen running) manually create the missing entries for userControl7 and userControl8 in the properties file.

doesn't work for me.

#7 and #8 are ignored, when I type them in manually, and are not saved on closing zen (standalone) even when assigned.



I remember there was a way to reassign the plugin dll zen loads... how was this done? I want to switch between different ways I use plugs. native, Automap mapped, jbridged from x64 to x32, jbridged AND automapped etc... just for testing purposes, what works, and what not...

[Big Tick]

ctrl-click the plugin in the settings list.

[TabSel]

thanks, and what about newly added plugs (by draggin them onto zen? how can I reassign these?

How can I delete a plugin completely from Zen, with all its presets?
How can I delete multiple (all) presets (of a given plugin)?
How can I delete (empty) the program bank list?

sorry for asking, I'm just digging deeper now, and meanwhile, I RTFM but can not found anything...

[TabSel]

ahh, after restarting zen, my added plugs are shown in the settings...

[Lichtreich]

doesn't work for me.

#7 and #8 are ignored, when I type them in manually, and are not saved on closing zen (standalone) even when assigned.

I wrote the same somewhere here before, but I believe BT thinks we are too stupid to solve the problem and it is not a kind of bug (or whatever).

[Big Tick]

Relax. I'll fix it.