Hello Harmon,

Not sure what you're getting at here.

I assume that the loaded SYSEX data come from running some sort of loader, maybe a midi file containing the SysEx, or a specialised SysEx loaded prog that reads a data file and send the data accordingly. The data that WAS loaded has gone (for whatever reason) and you wish to reload it.

I take it you have 'hex files', are these just the binary data, or do they include the SysEx headers etc as well, as there may be specialised format, or memory addresses to send as well?

Lomg ago, with my Roland LAPC-I card, I uses both methods to load bulk SysEx (instrument patches), I certainly still have variants of different loaders, and also have midi files containing 'ready-to-go' SysEx - if I remember correctly. I was also writing programs to convert one type of data file into another - i.e. some files were totally raw data, and the loaded would add the SysEx headers, checksums, etc, another file might have these xtras built into the data and the whole file could be sent byte-by-byte.

Just a simple matter to work either way, to match the prog to the data, or vice-versa. Then I was working as a programmer back then, doing similar things with various other types of data files.

Anyway, mayne I can help?

Geoff

Bob, you mentioned owning an Alesis QS6 in a post. I have a 1997 QS8 that spontaneously lost all of its original USER sysex files. Have you had this problem? I once set out to decipher the hex files and hand-program them, never followed through. Apparently it's a common problem. I would love to know your thoughts. Regards, Harmon G.

I will check them out. Thanks.

There are a number of hardware devices that might fit your needs.

The Korg Volca sampler, the Teenage Engineering OP1, some if AKAI samplers and some percussion modules like the Yamaha DTX M12 or Roland SPX could all do what you want.

We recommend looking at some of these on the web and then contacting a retailer.

You may want to be very specific about asking for non volatile or flash memory.

Alright Fellers.... Thanks for your input and suggestions. I've been working with MIDI since 1986, but I haven't kept up with hardware updates and new (or improved) sound modules. I just thought after all these years, the manufacturers of MIDI equipment would have made the use of sampled sounds easier to import into a sound module and more user friendly, but apparently that's not the case. I upgraded my MIDI system a couple years ago to take advantage of the UFS libraries and I really like the new sounds however, they are very large files and again they are not easily transportable. I guess I will make an attempt to put my sampled instrument on a PCMCIA card and plug it into my old QS6 Alesis keyboard. I've never tried to do that, but I should be able to figure it out..... eventually! ) Thanks again. BobT

May I suggest you take a look at a free program called Sforzando by a company called Plogue.
It's here https://www.plogue.com/products/sforzando/
The program can play back samples of your own making and allows you tailor playback using the public domain sfz format.
It's possible too to change the GUI of the program by entering new xml code.
You'll need e.g. a laptop to implement it.

So, you CAN actually do pretty much what you want to do, but it's not as portable/convenient as you'd like!

I'd rather suspect you'll have to stick with that, and maybe find as portable/convenient a laptop, or tablet, or whatever, as you can.

A hardware solution is always going to be restricted by the hardware available, and that is substantially determined by the market for such things as keyboards, modules, samplers etc. Software is much more flexible.

I'd rather suspect that most units will be restricted in the number of sounds/samples/channels they can handle at once. Once this was 16 (as that's all basic midi can handle), then with USB links etc it became 32, I think I've seen reference now to 64 (but the LATEST module will have the LATEST price-tag). And, I don't think that any current units are configured naturally to do the sort of note/sound assignments you're looking for, they're just not programmable in THAT way.

New units are coming out all the time. Keep your fingers crossed?

Geoff

Thanks for your response, Geoff. To clarify... the 53 samples are 53 notes of the instrument, ranging from C1 to E5. In other words, the instrument range is from C1 to E5 and I have sampled each note. I currently have the instrument running in UVI Workstation/MOTU's Digital Performer on a tower computer and it works perfectly with my USB keyboard, however it is not very portable and requires all the ancillary equipment (i.e. monitor, QWERTY keyboard, USB MIDI keyboard, etc.). The UVI Workstation allows the user to assign various .wav files to various MIDI keyboard notes and save it as a part or patch, which is basically what I'm looking for. Bottom line is, I want to use the instrument on stage in live performances therefore I need to find something smaller and more portable. I could probably use my laptop, but I was hoping to find a module or as you say, a sampler box, that would store the instrument so that I can play it thru MIDI Channel 1 (or whatever channel I choose). Does this describe my quest better?

Well, I'm tempted to just say 'No' here, but...

You might be able to get somewhere near, if you can find the right sampler box.

And, if the 'samples' you've got (53 of them ?) either are, or can be made, compatible with the sample format of the specific sampler.

Then, you could load as many of your samples as the unit can take (maybe not all 53 on line at once)?

Then, you assigned each sound to a different channel, or maybe you might find a unit that might allow you to swap between samples on one channel during playback.

I don't think you could assign a specific sample to a specific note number UNLESS you use the separate channel approach, and then on your playback device send the appropriate note to the appropriate channel.

Gets VERY convoluted!!

Most existing devices NOW (that are viable commercially) have their various sounds in ROM, and usually a specific sound will have, as part of it's components, one or more samples, which are then manipulated/modified by other components to give a range of tones. The approach you're thinking of gets a bit like the Mellotron idea, where each key can have it's own sound source (in the case of the Mellotron it was tape). Don't know what a device like that would cost nowadays.

There was a rather fancy instrument mentioned a little while back on this forum, some form of Synth/percussion instrument (marimba or something like) and that was based on samples - that might get close to your spec, but they were somewhat expensive.

Geoff