PG-8X without sound (Mac, standalone)

[herr_dreier]

Hi,
A question for beginners:
Is the standalone Mac version a pure remote or does it have the same sound engine as the plugin?
I can edit my JX-8P with it, but the app doesn't make any other sound.
I can't even tell if it's a midi or audio problem as the app doesn't seem to have a midi in indicator LED and I can't check if the master keyboard is coming in.

I have checked all settings regarding midi in and audio out x times.
I have also deleted the ini file as a test. The app remains without sound.
Other standalone apps (Halion, Korg Legacy, Bestservice Engine...) work perfectly.

Thanks

MacOS 10.6.8
PG8X version 2.0.13, from ML Website

[herr_dreier]

Ok, question partially answered by myself:
it seems to be a midi problem.
I have sent a simple standalone sequencer to the PG-8X via the virtual midi output.
Now it outputs sounds.
However, why the master keyboard does not arrive and all other apps do is a mystery to me

[muki]

it is working here (mojave that is)
but i had to delete the .ini file first
then reconfigure the MIDI settings in the preferences of the app

the volume is very very low though...

does not work in 10.6.8 (snow leo)
instant crash with crash report
no idea whats going on there...

[Supercollider]

I haven't been following the status of the PG-8X plugin on the Mac very closely. I had heard that the developer made the code "open source." Is that true? And if so, has any other larger software developer (for example, Arturia) picked it up?

I used to own a Roland MKS-70 (rackmount version of the JX-8P with double the polyphony). The PG-8X was the only "JX-8P" plugin that came even close to the sound of my MKS-70.

The current Roland Boutique JX-08 and JX-8P Roland Cloud plugin sound nothing like the JX-8P to me. They sound awful, in fact. So it would be awesome if someone created Apple Silicon native (and VST3) versions of the PG-8X.

[muki]

Ok, question partially answered by myself:
it seems to be a midi problem.
I have sent a simple standalone sequencer to the PG-8X via the virtual midi output.
Now it outputs sounds.
However, why the master keyboard does not arrive and all other apps do is a mystery to me

same here
i reinstalled it under snow leo and now he satdnalone is working
but no audio out or midi(keyboard) in or whatever

again:
works with a keyboard in mojave

[muki]

I haven't been following the status of the PG-8X plugin on the Mac very closely. I had heard that the developer made the code "open source." Is that true? And if so, has any other larger software developer (for example, Arturia) picked it up?

there's a dedicated (long) thread where iirc this is kind of discussed:

viewtopic.php?t=463227

[herr_dreier]

@muki
ok thanks for testing

[muki]

@herr_dreier
was a pleasure

[NikkiA]

Ok, question partially answered by myself:
it seems to be a midi problem.
I have sent a simple standalone sequencer to the PG-8X via the virtual midi output.
Now it outputs sounds.
However, why the master keyboard does not arrive and all other apps do is a mystery to me

Check if you've (accidentally) changed the midi channel the master keyboard is sending on, not all plugins respond to every channel, some only respond on channel 1.

[jamcat]

I haven't been following the status of the PG-8X plugin on the Mac very closely. I had heard that the developer made the code "open source." Is that true?

The short story is this: every 18 months or so for the past 8 years, give or take, the developer has popped up to say he’s been busy, has moved to new country, has changed jobs, has family obligations and life is hard, but he’s finally going to update PG-8X, or open source it, or hand it off. Then he hems and haws and disappears again, and nothing happens for another 18 months. Rinse, repeat.

[Supercollider]

I haven't been following the status of the PG-8X plugin on the Mac very closely. I had heard that the developer made the code "open source." Is that true?

The short story is this: every 18 months or so for the past 8 years, give or take, the developer has popped up to say he’s been busy, has moved to new country, has changed jobs, has family obligations and life is hard, but he’s finally going to update PG-8X, or open source it, or hand it off. Then he hems and haws and disappears again, and nothing happens for another 18 months. Rinse, repeat.

I guess it's his product to do whatever he wants with it. But still, it has so much potential that it's a shame that he can't seem to hand over the reins to another developer or company that could develop it to its full potential.

It seems obvious that money isn't his primary concern which is never a good thing in terms of product development as potentially crass as that sounds. I get it. If this was my "baby," then I would probably be reluctant to relinquish control of it, money be damned.

If I had that sense of ownership over the product, the worst thing I could imagine is if some shitabg company like inMusic or heaven forbid, Behringer got their grubby hands on it and then dropped into the "circular file" because they are either too stupid and/or incompetent to see its potential. That outcome would be worse for me personally than to just see PG-8X languish because I don't have the time to devote to its develop even though I keep fooling myself that I do.

Anyway, hopefully someone will pick this up and further its development. Because the Roland Boutique JX-08 and Roland Cloud JX-8P "Zen-Core" plugin sounds like utter shite to me. Those "synths" don't sound even remotely like a JX-8P or MKS-70 and are obviously not patch compatible with the hardware.

I'm honestly thinking of picking up another MKS-70 and installing the Vecoven mod because I absolutely loved that synth. I should have never sold mine. But that would cost a fortune given the current prices for MKS-70s which is ridiculous when you consider that the MKS-70 is a DCO synth that doesn't even do Pulse Width Modulation without the most expensive version of the Vecoven mod.

Even though I really don't use my Vienna Ensemble PC anymore after getting an Apple Silicon Mac, it's almost worth hanging on to just to run PC-only plugins like PG-8X and Viper.

[jamcat]

I think our best bet at this point is if TAL does a JX-8P. The JX-8P is a close relative and contemporary of the Alpha Juno, which Patrick really nailed with TAL-Pha.

[Supercollider]

I think our best bet at this point is if TAL does a JX-8P. The JX-8P is a close relative and contemporary of the Alpha Juno, which Patrick really nailed with TAL-Pha.

Holy shit! When did TAL release the "TAL-Pha"? This is EXACTLY what I have been waiting for in terms of an Alpha Juno / MKS-50-inspired plugin. I was holding out for a shitty Roland Cloud emulation of the Alpha Juno, but thank God the good man at TAL beat them to the punch!

Simply AWESOME!

Instant purchase. I don't even need to listen to TAL-Pha based on the fact that I own every other TAL synth/sampler/drum module and know the quality of their plugins. I honestly use the free TAL Chorus on every hardware synth I own that doesn't have built in FX. That's the shit. And it's free!

[muki]

Holy shit! When did TAL release the "TAL-Pha"?

february
viewtopic.php?t=607097

[muki]

back on topic...:

Check if you've (accidentally) changed the midi channel the master keyboard is sending on, not all plugins respond to every channel, some only respond on channel 1.

i think it's rather about the standalone version than the plugin
anyway, i did further tests
and could not get it to work under snow leo
i've tried it now also on another mac mini with snow leo - to no avail

occasionally it also refused to output sounds under mojave
after deletimg the *.ini file it worked again

and yes:
in the standalone hit cmd-, (Preferences) and make sure the correct keyboard is selected
and midi-in and midi-out have "All" as channels selected

so...
the standalone seems to be a little bit sensitive
and deleting the ini file helps (under mojave)