Export (Common Elements)

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Purpose:

All of Midi Quest's editor windows (Set, Editor, Bank, Library, and Collection) are capable of exporting SysEx in an extensive selection of formats. All exports are performed by selecting a sub-option from the active window's "Export SysEx in" or "Export Bank Names in" menus. After selecting the desired export option, a File Save dialog is presented to select a location and name for the file to be created. Keep in mind that for some formats, the file name and location must be very specific in order for the host DAW to find and open the file.

The purpose of the export facilities is to get information contained within Midi Quest to other applications. This is currently accomplished through the support of an extensive selection of formats which allow for the export of both the SysEx itself as well as patch name information stored within the SysEx.

The following chart shows which alternate file formats can be saved by each type of window.

mid = Standard MIDI File format

syx = MIDIX Format - Cakewalk compatible

.fxb = VST plug-in data storage format

txt = Only the names of the Patches are saved in ASCII text

ASCII = All SysEx saved to disk as an ASCII text file

Cakewalk names - Names only in Cakewalk v 1.0/2.0 format

Sonar and Cakewalk names v3 - Names only in Sonar and Cakewalk v3.0 (and higher) .INS format

Cubase Name Script - the standard format for importing patch names into Cubase 5.0 and higher

midnam file - the MMA standard for exporting patch names. Supported by Pro Tools, Performer, and other applications

logic = logic environment file

.ReaBank = Reaper bank name format

.dev = Jammer bank name format

Names to Clipboard = same output as Names in ASCII Text except the result is copied to the clipboard

.MID (Standard MIDI File) Format

Export the SysEx in standard MIDI file (.MID) format when you wish to import the SysEx into a sequencer or other program which is capable of extracting SysEx from this format.

.SYX (MIDIX) Format

Export your SysEx in MIDIX (.SYX) format when you wish to import the SysEx into a sequencer or other program which is capable of reading SysEx as a binary image file. For example, Sonar and Cakewalk support this format.

When saving in .SYX format from a Bank, a dialog is displayed which gives you the option of two different saves. You can save the entire bank as a single MIDIX file, or you can save the selected patches in the bank and individual MIDIX files. If you opt to save selected patches individually, The patches are auto numbered in order to create unique files.

.TXT Format (Full SysEx)

Export the SysEx in ASCII text format with 16 values per line.. This is required when you would like to display the SysEx in an ASCII legible format for inclusion or printing from another file of in situations where anther application can only import SysEx in a text format. Each byte in the SysEx is written as a two character hex value.

.fxb Format (VST2 file)

Export the entire Set's SysEx in a VST compatible .fxb format file. This allows applications supporting the .fxb file format to open the file directly on the VST side.

.TXT Format (Bank Names only)

Export the bank names in .TXT format when you wish to import the names of a Bank or Library into a word processor for subsequent editing or formatting before printing.

When saving Patch names from a bank then after entering the name of the text file to use and pressing OK, you will be given the option of having the patch names separated by a <RETURN> in which case each patch name will appear on a separate line in a word processor. Alternately, you can choose to have the patch names TAB separated. This is useful if you plan to import the names into a database. In this case, each name will fill a record entry.

When a bank is saved, the numeric patch numbers are also added after the names.

.INI Format (Cakewalk v1.0/2.0)

This is now an extremely old format used by the earliest versions of Cakewalk (v1 and 2) and Power Tracks. Its purpose is to write all of the patch names in the bank into an .ini file that can be read by Cakewalk so that the name can be displayed in the track window without having to write them in manually.

This information is written directly into the Cakewalk PATCHES.INI file so they can be viewed directly from within Cakewalk. The INI option will only work for Cakewalk v1.x and v2.x. To write the Patches into the .INI file, choose the .INI option, move into the WinCake directory, and double click on PATCHES.INI. The program will add the Bank's Patch Names into the file. It will not overwrite any other information in the file.

.INS Format (Sonar and Cakewalk v3.0 and higher including all versions of Sonar)

This option is only available from the Bank window and exports the Patch names in the bank to an .INS file to be read by Sonar or Cakewalk.

The Bank's patch names can be transferred to Sonar/Cakewalk in one of two ways. If the "MASTER.INS" file is selected, the bank's patch names are merged into the existing file with no loss of information. Alternately, you can create a new .INS file and then merge the names into Sonar/Cakewalk using that application.

Steps for using both methods are as follows:

1) Writing Patch Names directly into the MASTER.INS file

Remember that for this system to work, the MASTER.INS file that is currently being used by SONAR is the file that must be updated. There may be other MASTER.INS files on your hard drive. Modifying one of these will have no effect.

2) Writing Patch Names into a separate .INS file

i) Choose Options/Instruments

ii) Click the Define button in the Assign Instruments dialog

iii) Click the Import... button in the Define Instruments and Names dialog

iv) Select the .ins file you just created in Midi Quest and load the instrument

More information on creating and using Instrument Definition Files can be found on Cakewalk's web site at:

https://www.cakewalk.com/Documentation?product=SONAR%20X2&language=3&help=Instrument_Defs.04.html

.TXT Cubase Patchscript

Cubase name scripts were added to Cubase 5 and higher and allow for an extensive instrument description including the linkage of multiple banks to their appropriate bank select messages. As Cubase requires a fully integrated file, Scripts must be written from Midi Quest's Set Window which contains the corresponding information.

Note: Cubase is particular about the location of the script files. Depending on the version of Cubase you are using, the files must be stored in the following locations:
Note: Cubase appears to be particular about file names. File names should be lower case and not excessively long.

Windows examples:

Cubase prior to SX: <app>/scripts/patchnames

Cubase SX prior to v1.05: <Documents and Settings>/Administrator/Cubase SX/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive

Cubase SX: <Documents and Settings>/<username>/Application Data/Cubase SX/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive

Cubase SX 2: <Documents and Settings>/<username>/Application Data/Cubase SX 2/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive

Cubase SX 3: <Documents and Settings>/<username>/Application Data/Cubase SX 3/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive

Cubase 4: c:/Users/<username>/AppData/Roaming/Steinberg/Cubase 4/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive

Cubase 5: c:/Users/<username>/AppData/Roaming/Steinberg/Cubase 5/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive

Cubase 6: c:/Users/<username>/AppData/Roaming/Steinberg/Cubase 6/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive

Cubase 7: c:/Users/<username>/AppData/Roaming/Steinberg/Cubase 7/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive

Cubase 8: c:/Users/<username>/AppData/Roaming/Steinberg/Cubase 8/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive

Cubase 8 x64: c:/Users/<username>/AppData/Roaming/Steinberg/Cubase 8_64/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive

Cubase 9: c:/Users/<username>/AppData/Roaming/Steinberg/Cubase 9/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive

Cubase 9 x64: c:/Users/<username>/AppData/Roaming/Steinberg/Cubase 9_64/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive

Cubase 10: c:/Users/<username>/AppData/Roaming/Steinberg/Cubase 10/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive

Cubase 10 x64: c:/Users/<username>/AppData/Roaming/Steinberg/Cubase 10_64/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive

Cubase 11: c:/Users/<username>/AppData/Roaming/Steinberg/Cubase 11/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive

Cubase 11 x64: c:/Users/<username>/AppData/Roaming/Steinberg/Cubase 11_64/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive

note 1: Cubase .5 releases use a slightly different location with a ".5" as part of the path.
note 2: Windows ships with Explorer configured so that the Application Data folder is not displayed. In order to display it, you must:

A similar organization is use with the Macintosh as well.

Macintosh examples:

Cubase 4: ~/Library/Preferences/Cubase 4/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive
Cubase 5: ~/Library/Preferences/Cubase 5/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive
Cubase 6: ~/Library/Preferences/Cubase 6/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive
Cubase 7: ~/Library/Preferences/Cubase 7/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive
Cubase 8: ~/Library/Preferences/Cubase 8/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive
Cubase 9: ~/Library/Preferences/Cubase 9/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive
Cubase 10: ~/Library/Preferences/Cubase 10/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive
Cubase 11: ~/Library/Preferences/Cubase 11/Scripts/Patchnames/inactive

note 1: Cubase .5 releases use a slightly different location with a ".5" as part of the path.
note 2: The "~" character in the paths above represent the user root folder and can be expanded to "Macintosh HD/Users/<username>" on the hard drive
note 3: The "Library" folder is hidden by default. Check the internet for instructions on how to display the folder based the the version of the macOS being used.

The exported patchscript file must be stored in the appropriate location for your version of Cubase or Nuendo or the DAW will not be able to find the DAW.

After creating the patchscript file, it must be imported in to Cubase in order to be used.

To utilize a Cubase script file, please follow the instructions in Cubase Name Server.

.midnam XML Instrument Description (Midi Quest Pro)

XML Instrument descriptions (midnam files) are a standard format for describing instrument names and configurations. As this format takes a complete instrument view, it can only be created from a Midi Quest Set which provides the required instrument structure information.

To utilize an XML instrument definition, please follow the instructions in XML Name Server.

When midnam files are created on the Macintosh, Midi Quest also automatically creates a .middev file in case it is required to correct access by the host. For more information, please see the MIDIDevice page.

On the Macintosh, midnam files need to to stored in the /Library/Audio/MIDI Patch Names folder in order for the information to be accessible to the sequencers. In current Macintosh OS versions, this folder also requires higher level administrator security in order to write to the directory. As a result, you will need to write the file to a location with user access such as the desktop. Once written, you will then need to manually copy the file into the /Library/Audio/MIDI Patch Names folder (or a sub-folder of that folder) to be used.

For Digital Performer on the Mac, the .midnam files are expected to be in the /Library/Audio/MIDI Patch Names/MOTU folder, or in a sub folder of that folder.

For ProTools/Avid products on the Mac, the .midnam files are expect to be in the /Library/Audio/MIDI Patch Names/Avid folder, or in a sub folder of that folder.

Midi Quest Bank Names.ini

Each Midi Quest instrument now has an ini file associated with it. This ini file can store the default names for preset banks and the drum key assignments for the default drum sets. This information is automatically used when creating name files for various platforms including Cakewalk .INS files, Cubase Patch Name scripts, and MMA XML Name files (frequently called midnam files).

To use this function effectively, you should write to the ini file found in the instrument folder using the same name as displayed for the instrument in the Studio window.

A good  example of one of these files can be found by installing a Yamaha Motif 6 series instrument. Once installed, you will find a "Motif 6.ini" file in the CS6x folder. There you can see all of the Preset bank names and drum key assignments for the instrument.

Logic Environment

Midi Quest can create a Logic template containing an environment which is used to display banks of patch names for use in a logic project. Like other patch name systems such as midnam, patchscript, and ins, this allows you to select patches by name within Logic.

Midi Quest creates a template file which is compatible with older versions of Logic. Logic X uses a newer template/environment format. If you are using Logic X, selecting a Midi Quest generated template will result in Logic automatically creating a new Logic X compatible template file to use.

Versions of Logic prior to X store template files in "~/Application Support/Logic/Project Templates". This is where Midi Quest will attempt to write the new template files by default. If you are using Logic X, you should change the location of the Midi Quest created template file to "~Music/Audio Music Apps/Project Templates" in order for your version of Logic X to find and use the file.

Compared to other systems, the Logic environment has a major limitation. There is a limit of 15 banks per bank type. For most instruments this is not an issue. However, for the Kronos which has up to 21 banks, it is not possible to create a listing of all of the banks from each of the instrument modes,

Using Clipboard Text (the Alternate Way to Export names to Logic)

Patch names can also be exported to Logic by the simple transferring of text from Midi Quest to Logic. This can be effective if there are only a couple of banks to transfer and you know how to configure the multi-instrument in Logic's Environment with the correct bank select information.

In Logic 8/9, Patch names can be added manually to a project by following these steps:

1. From the main menus choose "Window / Environment" to open the Environment window
2. In the upper left corner of the Environment window, click the drop icon and choose "MIDI Instr." from the pop-up list
3. In the Environment window, click the "New" drop down list and choose "Multi Instrument" to create a new multi instrument
4. Double click on the header bar of the new "multi instrument" to open its editor
5. In the editor, replace the "Device Name"parameter with a unique name (possibly the name of the instrument eg. Korg Kronos)
6. Switch to Midi Quest and right click in the Bank Editor that has the names to transfer to Logic
7. Right click in the editor and choose "Bank Names As / Text to Clipboard" from the pop-up menu
8. Switch back to Logic and in the upper right of the multi-instrument editor, click on the options button
9. Choose "Paste All Names" from the pop-up menu
10. In the multi-instrument editor, the patch names from Midi Quest will appear
11. Close the multi-instrument editor and activate the desired MIDI channels in the multi-instrument
12. Return to the track window and select a track that is defined as an "External MIDI" track
13. Right click on the track and in the popup menu select "Reassign Track Object / MIDI Instr. / <name of the new object created> / All MIDI Channels" (eg. Korg Kronos)
14. Expand the property list for the track, click on the program selector, the patch list will name contain your custom list

In Logic X, Patch names can be added manually to a project by following these steps (which are very similar:

1. From the main menus choose "Window / Environment" to open the Environment window
2. In the upper left corner of the Environment window, set the Layer to "MIDI Instr." from the pop-up list
3. In the Environment window, click the "New" drop down list and choose "Multi Instrument" to create a new multi-instrument
4. Double click on the header bar of the new "multi-instrument" to open its editor
5. In the editor, replace the "Device Name"parameter with a unique name (possibly the name of the instrument eg. Korg Kronos)
6. Switch to Midi Quest and right click in the Bank Editor that has the names to transfer to Logic
7. Right click in the editor and choose "Bank Names As / Text to Clipboard" from the pop-up menu
8. Switch back to Logic and in the upper right of the multi-instrument editor, click on the options button
9. Choose "Paste All Names" from the pop-up menu
10. In the multi-instrument editor, the patch names from Midi Quest will appear
11. Close the multi-instrument editor and activate the desired MIDI channels in the multi-instrument
12. Return to the track window and select a track that is defined as an "External MIDI" track
13. Display the Library panel if it is not already displayed, search for, or find the newly created mulit-instrument object (Korg Kronos) and select one of its channels
14. The track will now be assigned to the new object
15. Displaying the track panel and selecting the Program pop-up list will display patch list

Reaper Bank Names

Reaper now supports its own bank name format. When created from a bank window, the file contains just the information for that bank. When created from the Set, the file contains information on all of the banks in the Set that meet the file creation criteria.

Jammer Bank Names

Jammer supports its own bank name format (.dev). The .dev files are created from Midi Quest Pro's Set window and contain all of the relevant bank name information.

Names File
The bank's patch names are written to disk and displayed as an .html file. When this option is selected, a file selector is displayed. Enter the name for the file and press save.

The Windows version of Midi Quest also includes a "Save as Type" selector in the File Save dialog. Choose "Comma Separated (*.csv)" to save the names as a comma separated text .csv file. The csv file can be imported into data bases and spreadsheets for additional organizational options. Choose "ASCII Text (*.txt)" to save the names in a standard ASCII text file.

Names and Properties File

The bank's patch names and all associated Properties are written to disk and displayed as an .html file. This includes: comment, all eight tags, author, copyright, song, musician, band, and long name. When this option is selected, a file selector is displayed. Enter the name for the file and press save.

The Windows version of Midi Quest also includes a "Save as Type" selector in the File Save dialog. Choose "Comma Separated (*.csv)" to save the name and property information as a comma separated text .csv file. The csv file can be imported into data bases and spreadsheets for additional organizational options

Names to Clipboard

The bank's patch names are copied to the computer's clipboard so that they can be pasted into a document.

Names and Numbers to Clipboard

The bank's patch names and numbers are copied to the computer's clipboard so that they can be pasted into a document.

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