by Chadwick Wood
April 29th, 2016
Patch Base version 1.5 is available now, and it adds editors for two wonderful FM synths, one old, and one new.
I’ve received several emails asking for Volca FM support in Patch Base, so here you go! The editing interface is built the same as that of the Yamaha DX7, since internally the patches are exactly the same. You get the full layout of your ops, based on current algorithm selected, and you can zoom in on an op for easier parameter editing. Each edit you make is transmitted directly to the Volca. Because of MIDI limitations on the Volca, there is a short audio delay when you make parameter changes, meaning this editor is for sound design, but not really for real-time performance. For that, you still have the handy knobs on the Volca itself! See a demo of using Patch Base with the Volca FM below:
The editor for the TX81Z is built on the same concepts as its more-complicated sibling, the DX7. You get your 4 ops, algorithmic layout, and global controls like feedback and LFO settings at the bottom. I recently purchased a TX81Z myself, and Patch Base has been helping me get some really great, strange percussion sounds out of it. The multiple waveform choices add possibilities that you can’t get with the DX7!