MQ Tutorial MQ_yes MQLT_yes MQLib_yes

Saving the Studio

If you have reached this portion of the tutorial, we will assume that you have successfully transferred SysEx from at least one piece of MIDI hardware to Midi Quest. Congratulations.

Midi Quest will automatically save the SysEx stored in the studio both when the iPad switches to a different app and when the app is closed. The SysEx is also automatically loaded when Midi Quest is started. This also the program to restart in exactly or very close to the same state it was left.

At some point, you will want to start creating multiple Studio projects so that instruments can be configured in different ways for liver performances or different studio projects. To save all of the SysEx for all instruments in the Studio, press the Studio-Save Save button on the Studio button bar. The save button will display a dialog listing the existing Studio files and allow you to name or rename the current Studio before saving it.

Studio-Save Dialog

 

press the Ok button to save the Studio. You have successfully saved the SysEx in the Studio. You will now be able to restore your SysEx at any time in the future. This is important should you make a mistake while learning Midi Quest and inadvertently lose part or all of the contents of the instrument.

Now that you have saved the SysEx for one instrument, you should repeat the process for each of the instruments in the Studio as well. Once all of the SysEx has been loaded from the MIDI hardware in Midi Quest. Save the Studio again. The reason? You always want to have a backup of your studio's entire memory should something unexpectedly happen.

Loading a Studio

With a successfully saved Studio, It is a good idea to verify that the SysEx has been successfully saved.

Press the Studio-Add Add button in the Studio button bar and choose "New" from the pop-up menu. Tap "Yes" to verify that all instruments should be removed from the Studio. Press the Studio-Open Open button in the Studio button bar to display a list of Studios you have saved.

Studio-Open Menu

Select the Studio that you just saved and the Studio will return to its previous state.

 

Editing a Bank

Bank Editor D-50

With the Studio reloaded, double tap on the instrument that had SysEx loaded in Tutorial 1. From here we will edit one of the Banks in the Set. For this demonstration, it would be best to choose the Bank containing the instrument's Sound Patches. This is often called the Patch Bank. Click on the Patch Bank line in the Component list and a Bank Editor is displays the Patches in the Patch Bank.

Above is an example from the D-50 but this will obvious vary depending on the instrument.

Auditioning Patches in a Bank

Midi Quest lets you quickly listen to Patches in a Bank or Library, we call this auditioning. When you click on a Patch in a Bank or Library, the Patch is immediately sent to the instrument. Midi Quest then automatically plays a chord so you can hear the selected sound. Go ahead, try it.

If you would like to play specific notes, from the iPad, edge swipe up from the bottom of the display to show the Status view. Alternately, the Status view can be opened by pressing the Back Back button to return to the Studio view and tapping the Studio-MonitorView Status button to display the view. With the Status view open, if the Monitor view is currently displayed, tap on the Keyboard button keyboard button in the upper right side to switch to the Keyboard view. Tap on the keyboard to play it.

Bank Editor D-50 with kbd

 

Swap a Patch in the Same Bank

One of the more common activities you will be involved in, while editing Banks, is organizing your Patches. This is accomplished by either pasting or swapping Patches within the same Bank or with another Bank.

In this example, we will swap two patches in the Bank you have opened to edit:

Tap on the second Patch in the Bank
Tap and hold on the second Patch again to begin the drag
Begin the drag and dual arrows will appear to indicate that a drag is in process
Point over another patch in the bank a release your finger
You will see that the locations of the two patches have been swapped

 

Creating New Patches with Mix All

Mix All is one of five different Randomize functions in the Bank. Each of these Randomize functions processes Patches in a different way to quickly produce a Bank of new Patches. No editing knowledge is required. This is a fast way to create or try out new sounds in a piece of music. To create a Bank of new Patches using Mix All you will need to select two or more patches in the bank:

Tap on the name of the first patch you wish to select. This will select that patch and deselect all others
To add patches to the selection, tap on the number of each additional patch to add it to the selected patches
Tap the Mix All Mix All button
Midi Quest creates a new Bank of patches and displays them in the Patch Audition dialog as displayed below

Bank Patch Audition Dlg

You can now try out the different patches you have created. Tapping on each Patch will audition it to the instrument and play a chord on the instrument. Any patch you wish to keep must be saved to either the Collection or Library by tapping the appropriate button. When the dialog is closed, the bank is removed from memory.

For more information on Bank editing click here.