Hey. Do you think it might be possible in the future version of Zebra to add the ability to control program change buttons (arrow left and arrow right in the upper side of the UI) with MIDI CC or other MIDI messages...?
For me the workflow goes like this, I play with a patch, both with notes and modulation wheel, then I change a patch. Now I have to move my right hand from MIDI keyboard to computer keyboard arrow up/down buttons, aim fingers, press down arrow and then move back hand to the MIDI-keyboard. Believe it or not but this make workflow MUCH slower than using + and - keys of the MIDI keyboard. This keys send program change messages which many synths (like Albino) change patch. Urs explained in another topic why it is not possible to use program change messages to choose a patch in Zebra.
But it would be possible to add the arrow buttons to those VST plugin parameters that are automatable. Then you could for example assign two uppermost notes of your keyboard to the arrow buttons for patch changing (in Live).
I know Zebra is not the only plugin that lacks this, I think almost every other plugin have the same thing.
Well if you have some other solution to remove this workflow bottleneck, I am all ears. Btw.. using Ableton Live.
Zebra program change buttons, midi controllability...?
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- KVRAF
- 4197 posts since 23 May, 2004 from Bad Vilbel, Germany
But it IS possible - use the MIDI Programs folder! See page 15 of the manual.golemus wrote:...Urs explained in another topic why it is not possible to use program change messages to choose a patch in Zebra.
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 498 posts since 6 Feb, 2010
OK, so I didn't know that it is possible to have many folders for different banks under there, interesting...Howard wrote:But it IS possible - use the MIDI Programs folder! See page 15 of the manual.golemus wrote:...Urs explained in another topic why it is not possible to use program change messages to choose a patch in Zebra.
Anyway Zebra seems to load the whole bank (all 128 patches to memory). Do you have any idea how much would this increase memory (and CPU..?) consumption of a Zebra instance in average...? With pretty much random patches consisting mainly of the factory presets.
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- u-he
- 30219 posts since 8 Aug, 2002 from Berlin
The MIDI presets in memory only hold the active elements (as in "save active only"). I would therefore reckon that an average preset with 2 oscillators costs about 8-10 kiloByte (the biggest chunk are 16 x 128 samples = 2 kB for wavetables per oscillator). Thus a full bank with 128 presets will be about an MB of RAM.
The MIDI programs are shared among instances, so this comes up only once, regardless of how many Zebras you herd.
I haven't checked in a long time, but I think that an instance of Zebra adds about 4MB of memory with closed gui and another 2 or so MB for the gui. Plus (again only once) maybe 5 MB for shared graphics.
Hmmm... we should measure that once. I'm pretty sure though that Zebra's memory consumption is neglectable at today's RAM capacities of 2+GB
Urs
The MIDI programs are shared among instances, so this comes up only once, regardless of how many Zebras you herd.
I haven't checked in a long time, but I think that an instance of Zebra adds about 4MB of memory with closed gui and another 2 or so MB for the gui. Plus (again only once) maybe 5 MB for shared graphics.
Hmmm... we should measure that once. I'm pretty sure though that Zebra's memory consumption is neglectable at today's RAM capacities of 2+GB
Urs-
- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 498 posts since 6 Feb, 2010
Yeah, I wonder what kind of magic tricks you used to get all of that into 10MB of RAM (or 20MB if GUI is open)Urs wrote: Hmmm... we should measure that once. I'm pretty sure though that Zebra's memory consumption is neglectable at today's RAM capacities of 2+GB
, I don't know any other synth with such high quality components that would consume so little memory. I mean so many synths nowadays use just loads of memory, for example Z3TA+ 2 GUI only takes like 400MB =D and Spectrasonics stuff, Alchemy, etc.. are also memory hogs.-
- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 498 posts since 6 Feb, 2010
and another thing, if I make a song with Zebra, then I change the patch folder structure (e.g. move a lot of stuff under MIDI programs, rename patches, move patches from one folder to another, etc...), would Zebra still find the patch for the original song after this..?Urs wrote:...
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- u-he
- 30219 posts since 8 Aug, 2002 from Berlin
Well... if you send MIDI Program Changes within the song and you then alter the MIDI Programs, you'll harvest a mess.golemus wrote:and another thing, if I make a song with Zebra, then I change the patch folder structure (e.g. move a lot of stuff under MIDI programs, rename patches, move patches from one folder to another, etc...), would Zebra still find the patch for the original song after this..?Urs wrote:...
If you don't send MIDI Program Changes (other than to select the preset once) and save the settings in the song, then you'll be fine.
That's btw. one of the reasons why there's a MIDI Programs section - you set it up *once* and it won't be altered if you download/install new soundbanks from the web.
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- u-he
- 30219 posts since 8 Aug, 2002 from Berlin
Oh... Zebra is a purely a synth, so it doesn't load big sample libraries or anything.
Also I think that some synth developers chop up the guis into slices for each state of each element, e.g. 100+ knobs times 100+ images = 10000+ images. I don't do that, so my guis are very economic. Even when I use knobs, e.g. in Uhbik, I try to create inbetween states by rotation/blending to save memory (and to accelerate loading time)
Also I think that some synth developers chop up the guis into slices for each state of each element, e.g. 100+ knobs times 100+ images = 10000+ images. I don't do that, so my guis are very economic. Even when I use knobs, e.g. in Uhbik, I try to create inbetween states by rotation/blending to save memory (and to accelerate loading time)