u-he

Dysanfel · Post by **Dysanfel** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 2:08 pm

I was wondering if it is possible to automate a patch change Zebra2 in Ableton Live? I tried using the Bank/Sub-Bank/Program to change a patch and nothing happens.

Urs · Post by **Urs** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 3:58 pm

Dysanfel wrote:I was wondering if it is possible to automate a patch change Zebra2 in Ableton Live? I tried using the Bank/Sub-Bank/Program to change a patch and nothing happens.

Reports have me confused about Live's ability/inability to send MIDI Program Changes to plugins. It always works when I try myself, but it's possible that certain versions of Live don't send Program Changes.

Zebra2 will react on MIDI Program Changes to step through presets in its own "MIDI Programs" folder. Bank Changes (MIDI CC #0) will switch through subfolders.

The idea behind the MIDI Programs folder is that installing new preset banks doesn't mess up your old projects.

It is however important that the MIDI Programs folder is populated with presets *before* you start Zebra. A plugin can not access the hard drive upon a MIDI event, thus all programs are pre-loaded into memory on startup.

Let me know if this helps

cis-didge · Post by **cis-didge** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 4:15 pm

....as described page 15 in the Zebra manual. And it works in Live 8.2.2

Dysanfel · Post by **Dysanfel** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 5:05 pm

cis-didge wrote:....as described page 15 in the Zebra manual. And it works in Live 8.2.2

Thanks for that. But, where did you get a manual with page numbers? The best I can find is the online one.

EDIT: Page 15 of the online manual deals with LFOs, not patch changing.
http://www.u-he.com/zebra/manual/?page_id=15

cis-didge · Post by **cis-didge** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 5:29 pm

Dysanfel wrote:
cis-didge wrote:....as described page 15 in the Zebra manual. And it works in Live 8.2.2
Thanks for that. But, where did you get a manual with page numbers? The best I can find is the online one.

EDIT: Page 15 of the online manual deals with LFOs, not patch changing.
http://www.u-he.com/zebra/manual/?page_id=15

I got it here:

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=304206

Dysanfel · Post by **Dysanfel** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 5:51 pm

cis-didge wrote:
Dysanfel wrote:
cis-didge wrote:....as described page 15 in the Zebra manual. And it works in Live 8.2.2
Thanks for that. But, where did you get a manual with page numbers? The best I can find is the online one.

EDIT: Page 15 of the online manual deals with LFOs, not patch changing.
http://www.u-he.com/zebra/manual/?page_id=15

I got it here:

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=304206

That did the trick, works like a charm. Numbering your patches is a smart idea as well.

misal · Post by **misal** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 12:17 am

I put some presets in the "MIDI PROGRAMS"-Folder and reloaded Zebra2. But I can't select the presets from the plug-ins drop-down menu (the device in the devices' chain at the bottom of live). It is still greyed out.

Can anyone help?

I use Live 8.2.2, Mac OSX 10.6.8, Zebra2 VST

xh3rv · Post by **xh3rv** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:10 am

misal wrote:I can't select the presets from the plug-ins drop-down menu

That menu is just the standard .fxp loader, MIDI Program Change is in clips in Live (and not easy to spot, either ....). Check in the 'Notes' tab of a MIDI clip, underneath the BPM data, and set Bank -> None, Sub-Bank -> None, and Program to 1 for the first program.

[e] And the program changing clip can't be a dummy clip ... you can transmit a program change to an instrument on another channel if that's where the MIDI gets routed.

misal · Post by **misal** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 2:01 am

Thanks xh3rv!
Now it's working.

Stevee00 · Post by **Stevee00** » Sat Aug 13, 2011 3:08 pm

On the same topic, but slightly different problem. I use Live clips to changes patches in Zebra. Works like a charm. Used this feature for more than a year.

BUT, I can't get it to work now for new programs since I upgraded to 2.5.2. It still works for all programs I had set up previously, but not new ones I put into the MIDI programs banks. And, yes, I exited Live and rebooted everything a couple times to reset.

Also, I noticed a curious bug. Example: new program "Needles" I put in Bank 14, position 003. Make new clip in Live to call 14/003. It calls 13/003, "String Beauty." When I click on the clip for String Beauty, which calls 13/003, Zebra "correctly" switches to String Beauty 13/003 (after I switch it to something completely different).

What should I try next? What more info can I give to help troubleshoot this?

I use Live 8.2.2, Mac OSX 10.6.8, Zebra2.5.2 VST

Zebra is the only softsynth I use. All my other sounds are from keyboards and modules. Zebra kicks butt! I love the sound.

Thanks,

Steve

Stevee00 · Post by **Stevee00** » Sat Aug 13, 2011 3:32 pm

UPDATE: I tried it once more. Of course Zebra knows I'm troubleshooting and it suddenly cooperates. I got it to work when I put new programs into a different bank (bank 004), quit, rebooted. No problem. (Maybe saving the Live setup made the difference.)

But now here's the mystery: the original problem as described above between banks 13 and 14 still exists. Go figure.

So I guess I'm satisfied, but still a little bemused.

Steve

u-he

KVR Audio

Patch Changing