E1 with Motif XF and Korg M3?

Instruments
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Hi! This is my first post.

I’m interested in purchasing E1 as a standalone controller (computer programmable) for my keyboard rack.

I mainly use Motif XF and Korg M3 keyboards, my synths include Virus TI, MicroKorg, Electribes, JX305 and Roland D2.

I also have two RM1x sequencers.

I have 32 midi channels (A1-16, B1-16) assigned accordingly between my devices.

I’d like to know how many “Sets” or “Patches” or “instances” you can store on E1. Can I store 256 or more presets as “songs”? More specifically can I store 256 accessible controller instances?

For each “instance”, can you program one button to transmit a global program change and Sysex commands across 32 midi channels?

Do I need pc to user program sysex or can I do in standalone mode?

I also read in Reddit thread this device has programablr sysex recal to revive data in addition to transmitting data, is this the case with hardware SYSEX devices?

As a recap, I’d like to know

  • How easy and accessible is changing controller instance presets?
  • Are there 256 or more instance preset locations?
  • can this send a bulk Program Change and SYSEX across 32 midi channels per preset instance?
  • does E1 support midi recall using Roland, Yamaha, Korg, Access sysex specification?
  • How reliable / versatile is E1 in standalone mode, no PC host?

I am deciding between this or a Bome NUK 2x2.

Thank you

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Hi,
I’m a user since october, I will give you my feedback so far:

How easy and accessible is changing controller instance presets?
I’m assuming here you refer to a ‘snapshot’ as used in the Electra definition, not a ‘preset’ ? I have no experience yet with snapshots.

can this send a bulk Program Change and SYSEX across 32 midi channels per preset instance?
Yes, you can send messages across 32 midi channels, by defining all 32 devices (2 ports * 16 channels). Out of the box, each controller will be assigned to only one device. So without coding you can perform 32 program changes, but you’d have to do it with 32 controllers. However, if you use lua coding, you could make one controller that addresses 32 program changes in bulk. It’s not that hard to do.

does E1 support midi recall using Roland, Yamaha, Korg, Access sysex specification?

I assume with ‘midi recall’ you mean being able to read settings from a synth patch into the E1 to visualise them.

  • Roland and Korg: yes, I did that myself
  • Yamaha and Access : yes, however I haven’t done it yet myself , but there are presets in the website demonstrating it (TX7, Virus)

The sysex limitation is not with the E1, but with the synths: If they have SysEx , you should be able to exploit them with the E1. So check your synths. I for instance did a Roland SE-02, which has a SysEx memory dump, but without documentation. By using a combination of Midi-Ox and the E1 patch editor functionality , it allowed me to reverse engineer the sysex buffer memory dump. But the latest boutique series from Roland don’t have SysEx anymore.

On the other hand a '90s synth such as a Yamaha SY77/TG77 has a very complex SysEx implementation, and thus it will prove to be a hard nut to crack. But not is not caused by the Electra, rather by the way Yamaha handled their SysEx. The same applies to Korg, that sometimes uses quite exotic implementations for sending negative values (on the Kingkorg f.i.). But I managed to overcome those quirks with the Electra 1 coding. I have no experience with the Motif in that regard.

How reliable / versatile is E1 in standalone mode, no PC host?
The PC is only used to program the E1, you do not need it to use it during gigging/playing.
So you can use the E1 without PC.
In my studio, I have the E1 connected via DIN MIDI ports into the MioXL. All connectivity with the synths, the keyboard, the DAW, the FX run through DIn MIDI. At the same time the E1 is connected via USB to the PC, but this connection is only used for programming the device, and for powering it.

This way I’m sure my setup works, even if my PC is not powered on (it still powers the E1 though)

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As for the Korg M3, I just checked the M3 sysex documentation. Impressive machine.

The CC’s are (as usual) very generic. Could be useful for Karma control though.

The SysEx documents both Parameter Change as well as Program Parameter Dump. These two together will allow you to build a preset. The Dump can set your controllers when you perform a Program Change, while the Parameter Change will send any tweaking of knobs to the M3.

However, the M3 is a beast of a machine, with a very very very large SysEx implementation. I would not recommend it as a first synth to make a SysEx patch parsing for. Its complexity is in the neighbourhood of a Yamaha TG77.
You better start with programming something more modest than that one :slight_smile:

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I would like to know why the “256 presets” question.

Is this because you’re thinking of storing a bunch of different patches on the E1 and then sending the patches to the synths for each song/section of a song?

The E1 is a great controller to let you edit presets in real time. So, if you have a preset that you are playing and wanted to change the cutoff or oscillator level mix, you can easily do that from the E1. But, that is different than using it to store and manage patches. I would not create 256 variations of an E1 patch to store particular presets.

There are ways to answer your questions, but I think we’d like to know more about what you want to do with the E1 (or Bome)

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Wow NewIgnis!

I love your thoughtfulness in responding. I really appreciate it. This could be my dream controller! I’ve been struggling with juggling patch and multi and combo programs between devices and the bulk program change feature alone it totally worth it for me.

Thanks!

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So about 256 presets I’m just accustomed to banks and I already program my outboard with similar presets in the same slot range for easy recall.

For example I usually make PC 1-32 my “go-to” favorite presets that I use most of the time and I use 101-127 pc presets for programming or experimenting.

As for “Song”, each song will utilize different controller assignments. I was looking for an easy “per song” controller preset solution across multiple devices. And this looks like it fits the bill :slight_smile:

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I think there’s a slight misunderstanding. You use a computer, so you’re familiar with editor/librarian software, right? It lets you edit patches, arrange them, save off banks, maybe even create song lists. Well, the E1 is half of that - it’s only an editor. it does nothing about storing patches/banks/etc.

The idea is that each machine should do what it does best. The synth/effect has memory and can store lots of patches and banks. But, it probably has a small screen and a few buttons to use for editing. So, the E1 gives you a big screen and lots of controls to use while editing and lets the synth/effect take care of the patch storage.

it is easy to create a control on the E1 to send a Program Change request to your synth to tell it which patch to use, but typically the E1 does not send down a new patch each time. The E1 is more like Adobe Photoshop and less like a DVR. It works well on a slice of all your data but does not store/manage all that data.

Depending on how many different machines and how many different controls you need, you should be able to create a large preset with multiple pages. 12 pages, 36 controls per page.

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