Sysex Dump

encoder audio's icon

Hi Guys,

I'd like to modify an existing DX editor for my Volca FM.
Everything seems ok with the DX editor, it has all the paramters already sysex formatted.
The only problem is that the Volca can't accept real-time paramter change, so I have to create a patch dump somehow from all the sxformat objects.
Should I just use a really large pack object which dumps everything at once?

Jeremy's icon

I wou recommend using an Array in JS for this, it's much more comfortable.

encoder audio's icon

It is the standard way of creating a bulk systex preset dump?

encoder audio's icon

I mean, is there an easier way...

redhexagonal's icon

The zl objects are great for sysex stuff

encoder audio's icon

Yeah, I've tried, yet, zl's are, you know, one of those "blind" spots for me.
Actually, still don't know why the volca is not responding to only 1 parameter change at the time :S

Source Audio's icon

Volca FM accepts only complete bulk dump.
Sending several parameter sysex messages one after another will be of no help.
Some CC#c can be assigned as real time control, but that's it.

redhexagonal's icon

zl has a lot different functions but its very versatile for manipulating lists. Well worth learning to use. And yeah, javascript is great but harder to learn for me at least. My first javascript was a sysex formatting thing though, so it is possible for a noob.
The hardest bit is usually deciphering the sysex format from ancient photocopied midi specifications. Packing and unpacking data can be tricky too....and sometimes there is a checksum

encoder audio's icon

@SOURCEAUDIO
Yes, it can accept only bulk, but would be better having a dedicated max, m4l device instead of the others.
I'm still OK with hitting a bulk send button after tweaking some parameters.
I've found a M4L device for the DX7, where all the parameters are already formatted, I just have to compile them into a patch and send all the parameters at once as a preset.
The problem is that I'm a total n00b in the sysex world :S

Source Audio's icon

DX7 parameter sysex is not recognised by Volca FM.
Bulk Dump is totally different.
You can't link together individual parameters and get a Bulk Dump.
If that M4L editor can send a bulk dump than that's it.
If You want to capture it so to be able to store it or send it
from max, than all You need is to capture the sysex stream.
Capture after sysexin would do.
Just make sure to increase the buffer of the capture.
You can store the captured stream of numbers as text
and send (iter) it out .


encoder audio's icon

I see!
I thought it is like this, set all the parameters and send all the states at once as a sysex file to the synth...

Source Audio's icon

I have no idea what that editor is doing.
Yamaha DX7 bulk contains 32 presets.
Can You send that from that editor ?

Jeremy's icon

A single voice for the Mk1 DX7 is 0xF0 + a few header bytes + 155 data bytes + checksum + 0xF7. That's a lot of information to manage using zl. Either use a coll and index each byte, which you can then easily alter individually. Or just use a very simple js to maintain an Array of bytes, also easily individually addressable. Good luck!

encoder audio's icon

I see, thank you Jeremy, that is way to chinese to me, I'm just gonna buy PatchBase :D

Jeremy's icon

PatchBase is great software, you won't regret it. What I'm proposing isn't very hard once you understand the sysex format, anyway good luck!

redhexagonal's icon

I keep sysex dumps in a coll and manipulate them with zl mainly. Things like parsing and reformatting zl is great for