Can you help me find a good patch editor/librarian for my Yamaha TX81Z 4‑operator FM synth module? I really would like to manage all these parameters with a graphic interface instead of killing my eyes on the LCD!
Jerome
SOS contributor Derek Johnson replies: I know the feeling, Jerome! I wouldn't get rid of my TX81Z for anything, but it's no fun to edit when it's stuck in the rack. I think Yamaha might be onto something with their new DX200 FM desktop synth module... Anyway, back to the TX. You don't say what platform you'd prefer your software to run on, so I'll do a quick run through for several!
First of all, commercial options include multi‑MIDI device editors such as Emagic's Sound Diver and Mark of the Unicorn's Unisyn, which are both available in versions for Mac or Windows PCs. A large, and regularly updated, collection of drivers for MIDI equipment new and old is included with these packages, and either would be a good addition to any computer‑based MIDI studio with more than a couple of MIDI devices. Sound Diver was available at one time for the Atari family, but your only hope there is to find a copy second‑hand; if you do, it will have a TX81Z driver.
Another cross‑platform universal editor is Sound Quest Inc's MIDI Quest. This one has a long history, and has been available for Atari, Amiga, Mac and PC at one time or another. I've spotted the latest v8 for PC in British retailer Turnkey's advertising (+44 (0)202 7419 999, web www.turnkey.uk.com); this version will apparently integrate closely with Steinberg's Cubase VST and Cakewalk's sequencing software. MIDI Quest's web site (www.squest.com/) is worth a visit if you're not a PC user, though: Mac, Atari and Amiga versions of the software are still available direct, and TX81Z drivers are included with all three versions. I know you're from France, Jerome; Sound Quest's local distributor is Synthe Diffusion (www.synthediffusion.com).
Yamaha's 4‑operator synth family is also particularly well‑served by dedicated editor/librarians, both commercial and shareware. There isn't space to list and describe all the options, but the net is a good place to start. Try Shareware Music Machine (www.hitsquad.com/smm/) first — shareware TX81Z editor librarians for Mac, PC and Atari are amongst their huge collection of MIDI and audio software. Ataribased TX81Z owners should discover YSEditor Plus if they don't already know about it; it's a mature package capable of editing any 4‑operator synth (there's even a version for FB01), as well as loading virtually any format of 4‑op synth patch file, and is located at www.telebyte.nl/~mt/yseditor.htm.