Universal Freeware Midi-SysEx Utility

[Nakatsu_Hime]

The title says it all really.

I have recently regained possession of my old synths, drum machines and sequencer, but I also now possess a rather porky PC, something I certainly did not possess back in the late 80s to early 90s.

I would like to have a utility that accepts SysEx patch / performance dumps from the following machines (or those that can indeed send SysEx data):

- Yamaha DX7s
- Kawai K1m
- Alesis HR16
- Yamaha RX11
- Kawai Q-80
- Cheetah MS6
- Casio VZ-1
- Yamaha REX-50

It would be nice to find a good and simple to use utlity for accepting and storing Midi SysEx data from these disparate sources for safekeeping.
Any recommendations from you lovely lot?

[garranimal]

I use MidiOx. Check out my video.

[Nakatsu_Hime]

That looks simple enough for an old clutz such as me.

Thanks hun
xxx

[Virgule]

Bome's SendSX

It's what worked best with old synths for me.

[madtheory]

- Kawai Q-80
- Yamaha REX-50

Small point, the Q-80 doesn't transmit its own data as sysex, although itself can be used to save sysex from other synths. The disk format is proprietary so won't even load in your PC. The Q80 mark 2 used MS-DOS format though. Nice workflow on these sequencers IMO, I had both mark 1 and 2 for a while.

The REX-50 has no sysex support, which is a shame because it is an SPX90 mark 1 (same converters and DSP) with a distortion algorithm added. Still a cool sounding effects unit. The pitch shifter played from a MIDI keyboard can do some very cool things, especially with a sampler.

If you replaced it with an SPX90 you'd have sysex support, but no distortion.

[Hyde]

To avoid stating another thread...(Hope you don't mind) I have the same issue but I have a MAC. What are the MAC options ? Thanks

[desmond]

The REX-50 has no sysex support, which is a shame because it is an SPX90 mark 1 (same converters and DSP) with a distortion algorithm added. Still a cool sounding effects unit. The pitch shifter played from a MIDI keyboard can do some very cool things, especially with a sampler.

Not quite - it is actually an SPX50d (this was my first FX processor) which is different to the more expensive at the time SPX90. It does have some coolish things, but it lacked some of the SPX90's cooler features.

I used my SPX50 for delays, reverbs, and a nice thickening pitch shifter. The distortions weren't that useful. I still have it in it's box somewhere, should chuck it up on ebay...

Some of these old FX units are fun to revisit for their quirks. I really like my old Zoom 1201 as it had this thing where when you changed the delay time when a delay was still audible it would do this cool stuttering cut up effect as the buffers changed in realtime. I've not found any software ti replicate this to date...

[madtheory]

Best Mac sysex tool:
http://www.snoize.com/SysExLibrarian/

but it lacked some of the SPX90's cooler features.

Oh right. I think the only algorithm missing from the REX50 and SPX50d is reverb freeze. All three use the same multiplexing converter that was improved with the SPX90II.

Yes the distortion is not very useful. There's a nice filter on the delay feedback, but I always felt 500ms was a little short for a delay- although it was huge at the time! The compressor has character though

I like the SPX90 a lot, but not enough to keep one in the rack, although I do wish there was a plugin version of the Symphonic algorithm (it's probably just a micropitch shifter though). I sampled mine before moving it on. I do have an Alesis Quadraverb+ that is a pretty cool box for grungy things.

[desmond]

Oh right. I think the only algorithm missing from the REX50 and SPX50d is reverb freeze. All three use the same multiplexing converter that was improved with the SPX90II.

I can't remember without looking it up. I think the SP90 has a sampler mode which wasn't on the SPX50, and there were some other things but those have fallen out of my brain these days!

I like the SPX90 a lot, but not enough to keep one in the rack, although I do wish there was a plugin version of the Symphonic algorithm (it's probably just a micropitch shifter though). I sampled mine before moving it on.

Yeah. I used the +8/-8 thing quite a bit but I think I'd prefer other (software) for that at a higher quality now.
Just looked up some YouTube demos and forgot that the reverb time could go up to 99secs - that's pretty cool!

I'll dig mine out, have a play, record some audio, do a video, and then chuck it on ebay I think...

Edit: I had a quick look at the manuals of both SPX50D and SPX90. While there are a lot of similarities in effects type and parameters, the main limitation on the SPX50 is the very limited pitch algorithms, eg no Pitch Change algorithm or associated Delay Vibrato stuff. No Reverse Gate either, and no Freeze so none of the (albeit limited) sampling stuff you can do on the SPX90.

On the algorithms that are basically the same, most of the parameters are the same, but on some there are a few extra parameters on the SPX90 in some cases.

Plus you get the (mostly horrible) distortion algorithms which Yamaha were proud enough to add a "D" to the model name. They needn't have bothered, really..!

[madtheory]

I bet you'll end up keeping it after making the video LOL! Agreed, the distortion is mostly terrible, but the chorus and delays are classics.

[Mooger5]

Does anyone know the definitive configuration for the buffers in MIDI-OX to send sysex to the Wavestation AD?

[Virgule]

Try with Bome SendSX if you're under windows.

[Mooger5]

Thanks. I use Ubuntu and WINE... will try that.

[Mooger5]

It's not working with the WS... I'm trying to install the factory presets and only the first performance (Ski Jam ) gets transferred to RAM1...

[desmond]

It's not working with the WS... I'm trying to install the factory presets and only the first performance (Ski Jam ) gets transferred to RAM1...

What are you sending? In the main, a WS ram dump consists of three sysex dumps - the performance bank, the patch bank and the waveseqeunce bank (all eg for RAM1).

If any of those fail, you'll get a sysex checksum error displayed by the WS, and it won't change the memories.

if you are getting one performance dump correctly and no errors, chances are you're only sending the sysex for that one performance...