Comments by detunes
Hey Markus, sorry I didn't reply to your mail earlier. You were asking for a MKS-80 editor, right? That would be cool indeed, though I don't have one here unfortunately. Building such an editor requires to test it with the real hardware to make sure the Sysex implementation is correct and the transmission speed is not causing buffer overload issues in these old machines. But maybe in the future, when I get my hand on a unit!
There's is Sysex Libarian (for Mac) or MidiOX (for Windows), both freeware that lets you send Sysex banks to your DX7. From there simply skip through the presets on your DX7 and the editor will update accordingly. Then save the sounds you like as a patch from the editor.
Hey junologue, my editors are all build with the latest versions of Max and Live, and I am constantly maintaining and updating them. I use them all myself for my own music, and of course I also want them to work for everyone who purchased them :-) Cheers!
Thanks for the kind words! I put a lot of effort into these editors and it feels really good to hear you guys enjoy them :-)
You can simply enable automation for the parameters of your choice in Max (click the control and enable "Parameter Visibility" – then it's visible in Ableton for automation). But be careful: I have not enabled this by default and do not recommend it cause it may freeze your synth. These early FM synths were never meant to be automated and the Midi interface is super slow – even changing a single parameter too fast can cause the Midi interface to overload and throw Midi buffer errors.
Another aspect to keep in mind is this: In these FM synths the note is calculated when it is generated. Everything you do after that does not affect the existing note, only the following note. So unlike an analog synth you can not modulate decaying sounds by turning knobs or automating stuff in a DX7.
Hope that helps!
Christian