I haven’t used any MIDI editor/librarian package for a long, long time and I’m having a hard time finding something that seems to be up to the job, is reasonable well-made, looks decent, and runs on OS X 10.8.
Have these things gone completely extinct?
For example, Motu’s Unisyn is stuck on OS X 10.4, MIDI Quest XL looks like crap and has “small issues” with 10.7 and 10.8.
Am I overlooking anything? OSS maybe? Are there any modern “librarian only” tools?
@eelco That’s a fine tool for loading and dumping SysEx. However, a librarian traditionally understands the dump format of specific synths so that you can reorganize and rename patches as well.
Indeed, this is a “librarian only” tool … as in your last question.
Editing is a different thing altogether, and does depend on the synth, as you say.
Both MIDI Quest and SoundTower are expensive, but work for quite a few synths.
One option is to directly edit the SysEx files, with something like HexFiend (http://ridiculousfish.com/hexfiend/ ). Renaming patches that way should be easy, reorganizing them won’t be, though …
I guess I should have said “patch librarian” above. 
Maybe I should just write my own editor, the synths I’m needing this for aren’t overly complex.
Here’s a link to a Max-based editor with what appears to be limited librarian features (loading and saving single patches only, not banks):
http://www.smugrik.org/other-projects/shruthi-1-editor/
I don’t know much about Max and whether you need the full version of the program to use the editor. But if you do have Max, it’s worth checking out.
Hope this helps.
This thread does raise an good question, though. Why doesn’t Mutable Instruments offer a cross-platform editor/librarian for the Shruthi? It’s one thing to assemble a Shruthi. But writing even a simple software editor is probably more than the average DYI enthusiast can manage.
> Why doesn’t Mutable Instruments offer a cross-platform editor/librarian for the Shruthi?
How much would you pay for it?
> Why doesn’t Mutable Instruments offer a cross-platform editor/librarian for the Shruthi?
Hey, this is a DIY Forum. All Informations are available. Its open Source.
I wanted a 1Knob/Parameter Programmer and i did it.
André wanted a Ladder filter and he did it.
Adrian wanted metal Cases and he did it.
Martin wanted more FIlter Modes for the SMR-4MK2 and he did it.
You want a MultiPlatform Editor/Librarian… get it?
BTW, cross-Platform is a very humble wish…
Therein lies the rub: If you buy a commercially built synth costing hundreds or thousands of €$£ sometimes you get an editor for download. Others, like DSI and Möög have something you can pay for. Either it’s factored into the selling price, or not.
You decide if a kit costing a couple of hundred is in the included editor category. Methinks not.
> How much would you pay for it?
Although I still use SoundDiver for most of my editor/librarian needs, I just recently purchased editors from Rekon Audio and Monstrum for $80 each just to support the cause, so to speak. (I also appreciate the fact that these editors have nicer interfaces than what is available in SoundDiver and that SoundDiver will probably stop working altogether on a future Windows OS as it has on the Mac platform).
So to answer your question, for a full featured editor/librarian for a single device, I would be willing to spend between $49 and $100.
I guess the larger question is whether the Shruthi is primarily intended to be a device to create music or is really more of “kit” for fledgling builders to get their feet wet assembling a device. If the former, then I think an editor/librarian would go a long way to furthering that musical purpose.
I’m honestly not trying to be snide or snarky, btw. If the main purpose of the Shruthi is just to have fun building something, then that’s totally cool. That’s just not my focus. To me the Shruthi is a really unique-sounding musical instrument that would be greatly enhanced by the ability to edit and organize/save patches.
How many besides you would spend 75$ (average of your range) for a Editor/Librarian. Not me…
> How many besides you would spend 75$ (average of your range) for a Editor/Librarian. Not me……
You had asked me what I would be willing to pay. But I agree, that for most people something in the $30 range is probably more reasonable.
Now we get to the point…
How long would you assume it takes to code such a program that runs OSx and Windows. Including Documentation, testing in the different environments, writing a Manual, setting up a Webshop that can handle the Licenses and implement a Customer support structure for this. In other words: how high do you think the Investment is, before you can sell a single item?
I don’t think the Shruthi really needs an editor that badly; it’s very easy to navigate and program because of the way the buttons and knobs are laid out, and because of the way the menu system has been designed. @pichenettes really did an excellent job on this.
The reason I’m looking for a editor/librarian package that’s still being maintained is that my collection of 80s sound modules is slowly growing. It’s no fun editing an MKS-50 or an ESQ-M using the very few buttons on their front panel only…
To answer the Shruthi question; I’d probably pay up to $100 for a nice Shruthi editor/librarian. I do agree the market probably isn’t there though.
@Gadgetfriend… I think the shruthi is a real serious musical instrument. But you are assuming all people use it like you do. I use it as a serious instrument but would never use an editor or librarian for it. I love it that it works outside of the computer and everytime is use it i just start out from the basic patch or sometimes from another patch. Everybody uses instruments differently. I notice a lot of people here on the forum are keyboard players and approach the instruments from that way. I’m more of knob twiddler improviser and use sequencers a lot and therefore use it quite different again.
Id pay 30-50$ for a nice CTRL or MAXFORLIVE Or LEMUR patch that had wavetable and mod matrix settings.
The reason i asked about the amount of work above: Mutable Instruments has long time evolved from a more or less hobbyist level to a full professional run company that has to make money. So should MI invest time (4-5 weeks for this project…) and therefore Money for a product they have to sell at least 750 times to make some money from it to a target audience that is maybe just the same size.
O k, there are way over 2500 Shurthis out there, theoretically. That doesnt mean you have 2500 possible customers as I along have 9 of them and i know of many many who also own more than one…
So if you would have to decide to do such a product… well… you know the answer.
But the beautiful part about Open Source it you can do it yourselves, all information is available, and the guys around here (partly including me) are real nice most of the time and will promise not to derail your “My journey to learn programming to make a MultiPlatform Shruthi Editor Librarian”-Thread