EXS 24 Logic Sampler Users Group

On a fine day, 08-05-2004, ben franklin wrote:

>  > Sascha Franck wrote:
>>  In EXS24 Program changes
>>  aren't implemented at all... which is pretty weird as a lot of third party
>>  plugins support program changes just fine, even inside Logic, once the
>  > appropriate bank is loaded.
>
>So what plug-in would u suggest to use that DOES support program
>changes? Any ideas?

I do understand people's frustration at not being able to use program 
changes with the EXS.  However, I also somewhat understand (I think) 
why they aren't implemented: with the 7-bit midi protocol, you can 
have 128 banks, each containing 128 instruments.  That gives 16384 
possible programs.  With todays large sample libs, heavy EXS users 
easily exceed that limit.

And: how would you expect banks to be implemented?  If it's just: 1st 
128 instruments is bank-1, next 128 is bank-2, then adding just one 
instrument would throw off all subsequent instruments by 1.  The only 
feasible way (and probably what most people want) would be the 
ability to define your own banks -- i.e. define your own collection 
of 128 instruments to be bank-xx.  I agree that this would be nice, 
but 1) I guess such a change would involve some major coding on the 
part of the EXS programmers, and 2) imagine having to hand-assemble 
your 10000 EXS instruments in 100 banks...

As for 1: yes, I do agree that some major re-coding of parts of the 
EXS (mainly the instrument editor) is long overdue anyway, so maybe 
this isn't really an argument after all :).  I just don't expect such 
re-coding to happen anytime soon, so, ehrm, maybe it _is_ an argument 
after all.  lol...

Oh, something else: program changes are used to 1) switch between 
different sounds in the middle of a song or 2) set up a synth at the 
start of a song.  As for 1: one can wonder if you really want to do 
that with a sampler.  What happens if you load a 500 MB piano while 
20 other virtual instruments are playing and your CPU load is near 
the max?  Right...  I think it's far better and wiser and safer to 
just load up a second EXS instance and thus avoid the need for a 
program change mid-song.
As for 2: since the whole setup is saved with the song there simply 
is no need to send the instruments a program change at song-start...

All in all I don't really see the need for program changes with 
virtual instruments.  The only thing I miss is a convenient way to 
select from a zillion patches.  The drop down hierarchical menus are 
a navigational nightmare, and program changes would be just _one_ of 
many possible ways to overcome that problem somewhat -- but it 
wouldn't be the best possible way imo.

-- 
Hendrik Jan Veenstra   h @ k n o w a r e . n l
Omega Art: http://www.omega-art.com/