I’m not sure what your workflow is. Stage (Omni) mode allows you to control a chain (and any it is cloned to) based on which is selected in the Zynthian UI. All MIDI from all controllers go to this chain (and it’s clones). You can filter what CC are cloned and each chain has keyboard range filtering and transpose.
In multi-timbral mode, each MIDI channel controls one chain based on the chain’s MIDI channel and this also controls any chains it is cloned to. This way you can use different controllers to drive different chains (note on/off) whilst all CC from all controllers are mapped to any chain parameter. Very flexible but we would love to hear workflows that are not met by these options.
In my particular case I only use it for keyboards and the basic CC for pedals and modulation.
I need more than 20 presets with just 4/5 engines, so I use ZS3 snapshots called with a Program Change.
I’ve found two ways to send Program Change:
-programming this MIDI controlker (easy and straightforward)
-programming the MIDI keyboard to send the Program Change (a little more cumbersome as you have to dial through the numbers)
A keyboard input with a litlle display screen would be ideal in my case.
I would like to use another keyboard to be able to play different instruments at the same time but then I’d have to change the MIDI channel for each preset on the keyboard, I can’t see any easy solution.
I was thinking in a TV remote control. Like if you press the first digit it will wait until you press the second digit. And if you press two digit, it will send the program change inmediatly.
And, following the TV remote control example, I think the idea here is also have program change up and down (last program change +1;-1).
I was thinking in the following scenario.
Let’s assume that you will play in a gig, you set 30 ZS3 states for the gig. During the gig you can navigate through the ZS3 states using program change up or down. But if someone accidentally disconnect the Zynthian where you are in the ZS3 N° 15, you can send the Program change 15 and continue the show.
I also think that the idea of dial a number and press enter is a good solution too. Both are good options to me, because are meant to be used exceptionally, that’s my opinion.
Maybe I’m wrong and all my ideas are useless. But I will apreciate both features in zynthian (program change with a numeric dial and program change up and down or last program change +1 and -1)
I tend to want to go directly to a preset immediately, not just up/down, e.g. the piano is on Program 1 and I am now on Program 9. I use a banked system where 8 buttons switch between 1…8 and another 8 buttons shift the selection, 9…16, 17…24, etc. This gives fast, direct access with few buttons. It would actually be better with 8x9 buttons to cover the 128 possible programs. I don’t like the TV remote timeout idea because you don’t get instant access to the first 10 (usually most frequently used) programs and to cover the full range it work need 3 key presses which losses immediate access to the first 99!
There is also bank selection which is another complication.
We are close to have “per MIDI device” filtering. I mean, you would be capable of selecting what MIDI devices are listened on every chain. This is a game-changer feature, as you can have several keyboards in the same channel and still play different instruments (chains) with each one. Once this feature is deployed, we have to re-think stage and multi-timbral mode, Perhaps you would like to enable stage mode only for certain devices, etc.
Of course, all of you are very welcome to think about it and propose your ideas …
I don’t really see the problem. If you are in Program 9 and the piano is in program 1, then you have to clone the program 1 to program 10. You can have the same preset in as many programs as you need.
I think in songs. Let say that you have a songlist for a gig.
Song 1:
Program 1: Piano
Program 2: Piano+PadSynth
Song 2:
Program 3: Hammond Organ (Clean)
Program 4: Hammond Organ+Leslie
Program 5: Hammond Organ+Leslie+Overdrive
Program 6: Hammond Organ (Clean)
Song 3:
Program 7: Piano
Program 8: Splited PadSynth/Lead
Program 9: Piano
etc…
Then you only need program up/down to go to the next preset (or previous, if accidentally press next and you need to return).
Maybe I’m biased here. I’m talking in my experience with the band I play. We play really simple songs. There is only one song where I use six differents presets. Is very rare for me to use more than 3 preset changes per song. Most songs I use only one preset for the entire song. So, the probability to use all the 128 program changes is very low, even if I repeat the same preset in various programs.
That sounds great too. But if you want to hear my opinion, I would prefer a number of buttons multiple of 10.
This way you can think in pages like: 10*page+n.
So let’s return to the numeric keypad, the numbers send Program Change 0-9 (in page 0 by default). But if you switch to page 1, now they send Program Change 10-19.
I think that you can use buttons like + - to change pages.
But finally, you are the programmer here, I’m only suggesting ideas.
Sequential programs only work if you have a fixed order of performance. If you are on stage and someone says, “Let’s do this number now” you don’t want to be stepping through loads of programs to find the required sound. Or in rehearsal you don’t want to be the awkward one that is never ready. And if you are improvising or song writing you want to get to your sounds before the artistic whim dissipates.
But I think that there is never a solution for everything without limitations. If you use snapshots, the limitation is the load time. If you use ZS3 subsnapshots in a non sequential order, the limitation could come in two ways: if you use a lot of presets the problem is memorize all program for all ZS3 subsnapshot, if you use less presets, you could sound repetitive.
The other problem I have. If you have programs in a non sequential order is to have a way of quick changes without taking the hands off the keyboard (or take them off for as short time as possible). For example, if you are playing in a combination of organ and lead synth, and you need to quickly change to a Rhodes in the middle of a song.
I don’t think there is a perfect solution. And I don’t trying to convince anyone. But I think that is more convenient to organize presets by songs than by instrument type (General MIDI style). Even if you play the songs in a different order you only have to remember the first program of every song or use a cheat sheet.
For rehersal I used one snapshot per song and for new songs I use a General Purpose snapshot with the sounds that I use most (Piano, Rhodes, FM Piano, Organ, PadSynth and lead).
