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I'd greatly appreciate it if someone could take a few seconds and describe the exact sequence for saving an effects preset. Use the EQ for example. Seems like this should be a no brainer and yet I find myself having problems figuring this out. I've read the manual and spent more than a few minutes trying all the usual keystrokes and mouse clicks.

Thanks

Hmm.. 24 hours and no responses.

I guess that means:

A) No one else knows how to do this either
B) It's too stupid a question to respond to
C) All the above

OK. Fine. I'll make it worth your while to respond. The first person who can accurately and intelligently describe the exact sequence of keystrokes and mouse clicks needed to save and recall an effects preset without crashing the computer will get a copy of a CD produced in my studio (using the old version of tripleDAT) containing blues/rock tracks from a local band called No Mercy. This is no joke.

Hey don't worry, Friday-Saturday are always quiet here. I bet someone can help. I don't have the pulsar here at home so I can't help you eather.
Good luck!

Hey krizrox, you still having trouble with the preset saving thing? If so, I can run down the steps I use - other than annoying multiple "save preset list a/b blah blah" notices when I exit Pulsar (I thought I already save that thing) - it works fine.
/dave

There's 2 main preset list types. For 2.xnd 3.x devices. There's banks in each list, 'pools of presets'.

2.04 preset list
-> In this preste list, there's 4 main buttons below. From left to right:
-Delete Preset. This is not effective immediataly, but Pulsar works also w 'recycle' bin, which asks you at Preset List Closing if you want to empty the recycle
bin.
- Next button is in relief, lying 'under the surface, and it servers to save presets. It will give you the choise between overwriting current preset or making a new one.
- The 3rth button lets you export the list as a .pre list on your harddrive.
- The button named 'Device' savesliterally the whole device. Including current preset list and midi CC# settings.

You can assign program numbers to select the presets via midi. There's a general Voices setting below, if required you can add Voices next to the preset name too, for special patches who ie. require more voices.


version 3 preset list
This type of list is somehow different. It has a more convenient way of browsing, saving etc. If you delete the device or start a new project after having changed the list, the Pulsar OS will ask you to save the List. I always overwrite the lists. A new feature is the white button to the left og the list, you can use it to browse/select quickly. Doubleclicking takes longer than that makic button.

v3 devices can no more be saved, only their preset lists.

The Pulsar mixer has 5 preset lists (for one device!?)
-one for the channels,
-one for AUX channels/group,
-one for a compressor and one for EQ (per channel)
-one for the whole Pulsarmixer. This last one will reload your whole mixer, be patient after selecting a new Mixer preset!

Also, V3 effects sometimes have dry/wet ratio included in the preset list, some have 'mono/stereo input' switch included in the ppreset list, some don't. There's too much of them to discuss that now, but I hope this helps you getting started.

atom.

Nope - sorry - no winners yet. Maybe I should have mentioned I'm using version 3.01. Didn't realize they had changed the way this works between versions.

Maybe I am not explaining myself clearly. Let's try again from a different perspective. I don't understand why this is so difficult.

Let's say for example, I have a really cool EQ (PEQ4) setting that I came up with and I want to save that setting for future reference. Maybe in another project 3 months from now I want to use that exact same EQ setting. What do I do? How do I save that setting so that I can pull it up again later. I mean, there are already some presets programmed into the EQ. How did they get there in the first place?

A previous attempt to save a preset crashed Pulsar (I think it was the compressor).

Is this some sort of secret that only people who belong to a secret Pulsar society have access to? I like a mystery as well as anyone but not when it comes to software. If you tell me will you have to kill me?

And please, whoever responds, please use the "Pulsar For Dummies" approach as I am not as well versed as some of you.

The CD is still here waiting

Doesn't matter in which version OS you work. The way presets are saved, depends on the device OS version. Devices are mostly downwards compatible, you can load most 2.04 devices into 3.x. An updated device is usually improved.


Ok I'll try the explanation for V3.0 device preset lists :

There's actually two sublists on a preset list. A Bank and a Preset list.
-> Are you familiar with banks and presets or programs? A bank is simply a pool of presets. Most midi devices use the same.

So you made this real cool stereo parametric EQ for EzSynth. Your Pulsar project looks like Midi -> EzSynth -> EQ -> analog dest. You want to recall this preset anytime you want.
How? Open the PEQ 4 S PresetBrowser. This PresetBrowser contains no banks. It usually contains one Bank of Creamware presets, the 'PEQ 4 S' (Stereo 4band Parametrix Eq) PresetBrowser has no preset banks!? Like you need a disk to put your files on, you need a Bank to store your Presets. No problemo for a T P G.

1) Create a Bank: go to PresetBrowser->Click 'Bank'->Create
2) Open the Bank: click 'blue folder icon' named 'B' for 'Bank select/open'
3) to Store your Preset: Click 'Preset' -> Store.
4) Save the file permanently on a drive. Click File -> Save As -> PEQ4Scool.pre
5) Relax.

Next time you want to load it, load PEQ4S.dev. Open the Preset Browser -> File -> Load. Now your in the same PresetBrowser as you were before. Click 'B'. Click 'P'.
Congratulations, your PEQ4S is now in the same state as once you saved it.


If you do not store the file (Stored Preset) in the PresetBrowser, Pulsar will ask you to save it to a Preset File.

xtra's:
-> 2.04 PresetBrowser contains 'Save Device'. you can use it to save anything on the device: midi remote, midi channel, voices, inserts,... if you Save a 2.04 device, you can more easily make it 'custom'
-> OS 3 cset.ini can now include the Author of the Preset, for a default setting. As you can see, the default is set to 'unkn0wn'.
I put next lines in my Cset.ini:
[PresetInfo]
Author=at0mic
Now all of my presets are atomatically stores with... you got it.

-> and I haven't even read Pulsar's manual -> Program Dialogs -> Presets yet. It should be all there, even in colour and with pictures and done by pro'S


a t m i c

Atomic, your great, no doubt.

yeah, taught me a few things

And if you want the quick and cheap method then:

- click Preset
- click Store
- it'll ask "do you want to overwrite". Usually the answer is no
- if you have trouble renaming the patch just hit F2

The patch will now be available any time you drag this device into a project


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Spirit on 2002-01-20 01:35 ]</font>

On 2002-01-20 00:28, marcuspocus wrote:
Atomic, your great, no doubt.

Cheers mate

But hey krizrox, does it include the answer to your problem?

gtg to work urgently. don't want to. i wanna Pulsar.

Atomic - I'll give you credit for helping and you win the CD. Drop me a line with your address and I'll have it to you in tomorrow's mail. Your help is appreciated more than words can describe. HOWEVER.....

Your instructions weren't that clear. Here's a blow-by-blow description of how I managed to save a preset (after completely crashing my PC at one point - I mean I couldn't even reset it from the front of the computer - I had to disconnect the AC cable).


1) I load the Pulsar application. I have a default project window open.

2) I select the PEQ4S device from the Effects drop-down window at the top of the project window and it magically appears as a device box in the Pulsar project window. So far so good.

3) I double-click on the EQ box. The EQ pops up ready for action. I plop in a couple of sample EQ curves just for testing purpose. Here's where the fun begins.

4) I single-click on the "Open Preset List" icon in the upper right corner of the EQ window. A preset list window pops up (with nothing in it - appears to be void of any presets). Using your instructions above, I click on "Bank" and select "create" from the drop-down selection list.

5) OK, so now I have seemingly created a "Bank". It looks like a row starting with a small blue "B" inside a box in the first column, a negative one (-1) in the second column, a blank white field in the column labeled "Name", the word "unknown" under the "Author" column, today's date, and finally an empty description column.

6) So then, following the instructions above, I click on the little blue "B" box. OK. I click on it and viola! the row completely disappears. Now I have a completely blank pop-up menu staring at me.

7) Select "Preset". Select "Store" from the drop-down menu and now I have a different looking row that starts with a small white "P" in a little box, The words "new preset" under the "Name" column, and the same Author unknown, today's date and empty description fields.

So now I'm supposed to save this? With a preset called "new preset"? That doesn't make sense although I follow your instructions and sure enough, the next time I open the EQ, I see a preset called "new preset". OK, obviously a missing instruction somewhere.

9) I double-click on the word "new preset" (assuming I can change it to something else). Fine. Click once. Nothing happens. Click again. Nothing. Click many times. Nothing. Try left and right mouse buttons. Nothing. Try highlighting the word "new preset" with the mouse cursor. Apparently Pulsar doesn't use the same generic ASCII text editing functions like every other normal app. So, I'm left looking at something called a new preset.

10) Oh - wait a mintute, if I position my mouse cursor in a tiny little sliver of space right at the very most left hand side of the "Name" field I manage to pull up a text entry field with the usual Creamware hyroglyphic. Cool. So I type in the word "Test" and hit return.

11) There we go! Now I seemingly have a new preset called "Test". I naturally assume I must save this again by selecting "File" "Save" so I do that and then hit the little round X in the upper right hand corner of the preset window to close it. Then I close the EQ.

12) Now, just for grins, I double-click on the EQ again to see if I can bring up my test EQ setting.

13) EQ comes up. I click on the open preset icon again. There is my test preset. It works.

Does this sound right to you? And what is the -1 supposed to mean? Is that some sort of MIDI thing? I note the same strangeness in the author and description fields. In order to enter text, you must position the cursor in a sliver of section at the VERY left end of the input field. Am I missing something or is this how it's supposed to work?

I have to tell you, this is the most obtuse method of saving a user setting I have ever encountered. This looks like something from a really bad 1960's COBOL program. The fact that this isn't the first time I crashed my PC whilst trying to save a preset leads me to believe there is something amiss somewhere. Of course, I'm willing to accept all the blame. Maybe I'm not thinking clearly. Maybe this is the new state-of-the-art in user friendliness. Yeesh.

So, email me at lnlrecording@ameritech.net with a mailing address. You help was worth it. I don't mean to sound like an annoyed punk. But this was frustrating at best

Hit F2 to re-name

Thanks Spirit. Noted. Also thanks again Atomic.

After all this, I went back and read through the manual (yes, I had read it before, a few times).

Oddly, concepts that seemed alien to me then seemed to fall into place thanks to you guys. I don't know if it was temporary insanity or what. But my first few read-throughs on this subject left me a bit confused. Anyway, I think I now have a firm grasp on the subject. This forum rules. Thanks!

(double post)

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: atomic on 2002-01-22 03:07 ]</font>

You're welcome. Helping out people is a nice learning process for me too. Makes me test the Pulsar fully, sort something really out. It's fun.

Hi krizrox,

I got your cd in the mail this morning! You've done a great job on that production. Is that all Pulsar mastering tools used? I'm impressed

atomic.