Dave Smith Instruments SYNTHESIZERS

I think the editor works fine, for what it is.  The editor is not perfect,  
but it is also relatively inexpensive for software, and especially for  
complex and specialized software required to interface with a particular  
hardware device (the Evolver) over another hardware device (whatever MIDI  
interface you have).

Since I started using the editor, I have not programmed the Evolver using  
the front panel AT ALL.

I have successfully drawn waveforms by hand and using straight lines (this  
is a very cool feature), and been able to store them both in the evolver  
and on disk.  There is a "curves" option in the waveform editor, but it is  
currently disabled.

Certainly, some improvements could be made:
* UI is not exactly intuitive in terms of layout
* Patch management is clunkier than it should be - display is hard to work  
with
* "Initialize" function doesn't set every value to "zero", it sets some to  
-99! (I'm sure it's a value of "0" in the EVOLVER, but this is not exactly  
what we're after!)
* Definitely something a little wacky with the edit buffer
* Some LFO speeds have names that change (SEQ -> SEQ/16) from editing to  
setting

I wish you could...
* ...set some parameters by note name/number (C4, A3, etc.) instead of  
only numbers
* ...save blocks of delay + LFO settings as "effects presets"
* ...name/rename the digital waves
* ...change the color scheme
* ...use CTRL-click to "center" some of the values
* ...change colors/ID patches more so I could see at a glance what's a  
sequence, a synth, etc.

...but on the whole it is FAR easier than knob-turning and the numeric LED  
display.
It has a number of nice, advanced features that aren't well-documented  
(virtual banks, for example).  I have been so busy making sounds and  
playing around that I haven't really explored the rest of the editor's  
functions.

I am likely to incite a flame war here, but as someone who develops  
software for a living, I can tell you that it is much harder and more  
expensive than you would think.  I had some problems initially with the  
software, and the SoundTower people were responsive and helpful.

I would still say everyone who buys an Evolver should buy the editor.