Synthmaker bundle

[k brown]

To Spogg or anyone that's still haunting this thread and can help -

There's something about the SM Preset Manager that I still can't get to grips with. I get how the builder of the synth can load it up with presets, but can the end user of the plugin do so? If so, I can't figure how that's done. I've always just saved my presets as .fxp when using any plugin with vstHost.

If there's no way for the user of the plugin to load their own presets into the Preset Manager, and I'm not filling them with presets, then there doesn't seem to be any point having it there.

Is there something I'm not getting here?

Thanks

[TrendSetter]

Well I've reached an impasse, so I figured I might as well check out something here-

- I'm floored

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Yes, k brown, saving presets in SynthMaker with the preset manager works like it does in a host.
Presets save automatically when edited, even when another preset is selected with the <> Preset Manager buttons.
The Name button edits the preset name and when you select File > Save Program from the SynthMaker Preset Manager, it will use that name.
The presets are saved as .txt files, stating the position of each parameter.
Saving and opening a preset .txt file could possibly be a way to check for duplicate preset parameter names.
When loading a new instance of the VSTi in a DAW, the original presets that the instrument was created with will load, even if you change the presets on another instance of the instrument, or load all the preset .txt files on a previous instance.

Your instruments are incredible works of art. Sadly, people often judge synths based on their factory presets. It's the world we live in.

It didn't appear that the ones I saw of yours had velocity sensitivity. I could be mistaken. If anybody's interested,

How to make a SynthMaker Synthesizer Velocity Sensitive, Including a Toggle.
(Tutorial with bigger pictures here: http://imgur.com/a/WUowW )


For instant velocity sensitivity, first route all OSC amps into a VCA input, then the "Midi to Poly" Velocity into the VCA Level.
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Velocity Sensitivity Toggle Module Outer

Toggling velocity locking can easily be done externally with a midi controller or vst host, and here's one way of doing it within the SynthMaker synthesizer, using only a Switch and a simple Selector Module
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Velocity Sensitivity Toggle Module Inner

The Inputs of the Selector switch between the "Midi to Poly" Velocity and the input Level of the first OSC VCAs.
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Velocity Switch Nested OSC Input Level VCA Outputs Inner

To route a velocity locked signal without feedback, add a direct output from the OSCs VCAs input level - first here.
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Velocity Switch Nested OSC Input Level VCA Outputs Outer

Add the second output to all the OSCs VCAs, to be routed to the Selector Module.
Success!
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There's probably a better way of getting a switch to work but that's the first routing I found that doesn't cause feedback. Ideally this would be handled by a sensitivity knob, rather than a toggle.

[k brown]

Thanks for your reply -

I think I follow what your saying about the Preset Manager and could swear I've tried that, but couldn't get it to work without over-writing the original preset, and when I open the synth the next time the new preset isn't there.

I've added velocity sensitivity to a couple of the ones that I worked on most recently, but it would be a gargantuan task to go back and add it to all the others, and I only work on these very occasionally in odd hours. This is a perfect example of why I've included the SM schematics for all of them, so anyone with Flowstone can alter them to make them more useful to them.

[TrendSetter]

Yeah, I forgot to mention a couple more details you're bringing up about the presets. Edited.

The presets get burned in when you make the VSTi, but you can save and load banks and presets in each instance from the Preset Manager file menu as .txt files (if the parameters have unique names).

Sometimes, even when I make unique names for parameters it doesn't seem to register. Maybe this is this a bug.

Which synths of yours are velocity sensitive? Did you use a similar method or did you get a knob to work?

[TrendSetter]

A huge thanks to everyone here.
I'm just trying to help out any way I can.

Spogg brought up a great point about making your dream synth. The generous contributions here make that very realistic for a lot of people like me who don't have a lot of programming experience yet. It's very appreciated.

[RJHollins]

Saving and opening a preset .txt file could possibly be a way to check for duplicate preset parameter names.

This is something I learned back in SM daze, and is a great way to locate/check parameter assignments.

[k brown]

FWIW - someone over at Music Society showed me a cool trick in vstHost that displays the complete list of param names; you can instantly see if something didn't get named, or named incorrectly. For the record, everything on the sync.com link (and listed at KVR) has their parameters properly named.

I included velocity in Dark Four (and Dark Steps), DXWon (toggles with A-Tch), Cassini (a Dest choice in the Mod Busses) and 80-Vox (toggles with Mod Wheel in the section to the right of the VCAs). In Dark Four/Steps, velo is just another CV available in the drop-downs; can be applied to anything that's got a mod input. In DXWon, it can directly control Operator level or depth of LFO control of Operator level. In 80-Vox it directly controls VCF cutoff and/or VCA level. In all cases, the Velocity output of the MIDI to Poly module is connected to the target parameter through an adjustable vca.

Not sure what you mean by 'velocity locking' and 'feedback'.

What I will do is go back over the manuals for the more modern synths that I've done emulations of and try to add velo to the ones that had it on the hardware; there aren't too many of those. I tended not to add things like velo and aftertouch to plugins whose hardware inspirations didn't have them; though I 'cheated' with adding aftertouch to a lot of them because I like to play them with my ancient Casio Horn 'wind controller' which sends AT data.

[Spogg]

Just wanted to confirm in simple terms:

The presets you make in the SM/FS edit environment are “Factory Defaults” and are hard-coded into the exported dll plugin.

When you load a preset in a DAW/host it’s the host that handles this and it’s stored in the song file, NOT the plugin, because you can’t write to a dll file.

In Reaper, at least, at any time you can restore factory presets (only all at once) and any newly loaded or changed presets are lost.

I hope that helps to clarify stuff a bit.

Cheers

Spogg

[k brown]

Just added Velocity to :

- Insoniq EZQ-1
- Sovereign 1
- PolyStep
- tableBlend

Will soon add to :

- Kroma
- Cronus
- Rolend PG-238
- Luge
- Nebula K
- Joker
- Tyro

...and that will probably be it - those are the only ones whose inspirations had velocity.

[k brown]

Just wanted to confirm in simple terms:

The presets you make in the SM/FS edit environment are “Factory Defaults” and are hard-coded into the exported dll plugin.

When you load a preset in a DAW/host it’s the host that handles this and it’s stored in the song file, NOT the plugin, because you can’t write to a dll file.

In Reaper, at least, at any time you can restore factory presets (only all at once) and any newly loaded or changed presets are lost.

I hope that helps to clarify stuff a bit.

Cheers

Spogg

Great, so what you're telling me is that I went all that time and trouble to add the Preset Manager to all these for nothing because I didn't load them up with presets?