Patch Base 3 Now Available
by Chadwick Wood
October 10th, 2018
Patch Base is the best collection of patch editors and librarians for a growing number of hardware synthesizers, and version 3 is a major update: adding new features including full undo support and patch bank backup and editing for most of the synths that Patch Base supports. Multitimbral / Performance editing and saving are now also supported for a wide array of synths. And a new affordable subscription option is now available, giving access to all of the editors in Patch Base at a low monthly or annual price.
Bank Backup and Editing
Patch Base has always enabled you to download individual patches from your synth and store them on your iPad. Now, you can download all of the patches at once from your synth, and store them as a single file. You can also rearrange the patches in the banks, add new patches, and completely swap out the sounds in your synth, all from inside the app.
You can also edit a single sound and save it directly to your synth's memory with the tap of a button.
Undo Support
Every edit you make to a sound can now be undone. Whether you changed a single parameter, loaded a new sound, or randomized the entire patch, you can now jump back to a previous state with the Undo button. And, you can jump forward with Redo! Undo support is also available in the bank editor, as well.
Multitimbral / Performance Support
Many synths now have full multi-timbral support as well. For example, now you can edit all 15 synth parts of your Roland JV-2080 and the Rhythm section, all at the same time, quickly switching between them to edit and save them.
And with Performance editing, you can create collections of sounds on your multitimbral synths, and get the perfect mix of levels, set up your effects sections, and more. Set up your Yamaha FB-01 as an 8-part FM drum kit. Use your Waldorf Blofeld as a 16-piece orchestra. Stack 8 sounds on your TX-81z to make an extra-lush pad or ridiculously massive (lately) bass patch. All of those complicated performance setups are now easy to visualize and edit.
Updated Look
The new home screen lets you order your synths just how you want them, and show only the editors that you use. All of the editors have updated, more-harmonious color palettes. The details of knobs, checkboxes, switches, and dropdowns have all been refined. And many editors have new layouts for easier use. All of the icons got some love, too.
New Subscription Offering
Patch Base's "All Access" is now available as a monthly or annual subscription, giving you access to every editor Patch Base offers at a low cost. Or, if you really just want a specific editor, individual editors are still available as one-time purchases.
A New Foundation
On a more technical note, the majority of the code in Patch Base has been rewritten to provide an updated and more flexible foundation for the future. Expect new editors to come soon, and with more features than before.
This update was supposed to take 2 or 3 months, but that turned into 8 or 9 months, because I wanted to get everything done right! Now that's it's out, I'm excited to get back to making new editors, and building more features. Stay tuned.