Question about patch data when recording MIDI

There a two different general approaches to this:

• Send a Bank- and Program-Change to select the correct preset from memory (e.g. ROM H-42). This approach is easy and fast, and works great as long as you don't change the patches in your synth. In general it's great for synths with ROM presets or General MIDI devices.
• Dump the actual patch information via MIDI SysEx and load that data before playback. This approach allows you to store all the patch information within your song for total recall, even if the patches stored in the synth were changed since you worked on the song. It's rather complicated, fragile and time consuming, but it works. It is more or less what the Virus Control plugin does in the background.

The fitst approach is rather easy, Ableton has even the capability to store a Bank/Program Change command on every clip!

The second approach is more involved and I haven't really worked with it on the Virus. There's a section in the Config menu where you can dump single patches or whole banks, all multis and configs. Plus there is the capability to dump the "Current Arrangement" which is the a Multi that's in the edit buffer (which means it's not stored in the synth). This is probably the best option to use because it stores all 16 patches plus their multi data (volume, pan, transpose and keyrange etc. ) in one go.

As said, I have no experience with that (totally love TI, except for the timing issues) but that's how I would approach it.

In that case it might be best to use the Virus in Sequencer mode (see below). Make sure that your Virus is configured to accept program change and volume events for parts:
CONFIG > MIDI 2/3 > MIDI Volume > Enabled
CONFIG > MIDI 3/3 > Program Change > Enabled

Then it's really straight forward: First put Virus TI into Sequencer Mode (press MULTI + SINGLE), then create a new project in Ableton Live and:

• create MIDI track
• set track MIDI To Virus TI and Ch. 1
• create Clip and add some notes
• in the Clip Notes info section set Pgm Change to Bank = 5, Pgm = 21

Now repeat steps 1 to 4 for another MIDI track:

• create MIDI track
• set track MIDI To Virus TI and Ch. 2
• create Clip and add some notes
• in the Clip Notes info section set Pgm Change to Bank = 5, Pgm = 3

That should get you started. The rest is really up to you.

For how to use Bank/Program Change event in the Ableton Live Arrangement view, please consult the manual (I've always used Live only in Session view).

Zitat von Access Virus TI Quickstart Manual

Single Mode
This is the default mode, in which the Virus will only play one sound at a time across the whole length of your MIDI controller keyboard.

Multi Mode
In Multi mode, you can have up to 16 different sounds playing at a time. Each of these 16 sounds is handled by a ‘Part’, and each Part has its own performance settings, such as volume, pan position, transpose etc. By assigning the same MIDI channel to each Part, you can easily create fantastic combinations of any of the available presets, which can be arranged in layers or split into different key zones.

The Virus TI has 128 slots for storing your Multi set-ups. The rst 16 (0-15) of these are ‘embedded’ Multis, by which we mean that they store all the data for the patches they use, so any edits you make to the sounds are automatically preserved when you store the Multi, so you need never worry about breaking a preset. Multis numbered 16 and upwards do not store the individual patch data, but instead refer to patches stored in the Single RAM/ROM banks.

Sequencer Mode
Sequencer mode is a simpli ed version of Multi mode designed for use with a software sequencer. Each of the 16 Parts is set to its equivalent MIDI channel, and the performance settings are mostly hidden, as it is expected that you would rather use your sequencer to control these things. The Virus TI will automatically switch to Sequencer Mode when Virus Control is activated.

Please note that you cannot store your settings in Sequencer mode - if it is important to do so, you should use Multi mode instead.

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Zitat von lordradish

In reference to "Bank = 5, Pgm = 3"... do the bank numbers start with the RAM's or ROM's? Would "Bank = 5, Pgm = 3" be the third program.
of ROM A?

Exactly.
RAM-A = Bank 1
RAM-B = Bank 2
RAM-C = Bank 3
RAM-D = Bank 4
ROM-A = Bank 5
ROM-B = Bank 6
...

Zitat von lordradish

What would I do differently if I wanted to use Multimode instead of seq mode?

Not much to do different in Multimode, except that you may want to store all your settings in a Multi, and only send the Program Change for the correct Multi. To do so, you need to set the global MIDI Channel of the Virus to the channel you want to use for that purpose and enable Multi Program Change.

Zitat von lordradish

Because what I might want to do is, since I have my keyboard set up split over three channels, be able to set up channels 1-3 as things I could use live, with channels 4 and up triggered by the sequencer. There's no way to do that in seq mode, is there?

You can do something similar with Sequencer Mode, I think. The question is how you split up your keyboard. There are three possibilities:

• Set up the splits on your keyboard, if it has that capability (Virus can be used in Sequencer Mode)
• Set up split and transpose information in your sequencer (Virus can be used in Sequencer Mode)
• Set up key range and transpose information in the Virus (this is only possible with Multi Mode)

As long as you have a software between your keyboard and the Virus, I'd rather use the software to define all the split points and desired transposition.