Patch Editor Window

The editors for different synths naturally have lots of differences from one another. But they all share most of the same toolbar items, which are covered here:

From left to right, here's what each button does:

  • Section menu: this shows the name of the current "section" of the synth editor you're in. Each section has its own window. Click on this button, and you can select another section, which will open in a new window.
  • Keys toggle (Piano icon): this shows/hides the piano keys for the current editor. You can use these to play some test notes on your synth while you edit the sound.
  • File browser toggle (Papers icon): this shows/hides the File Browser in the right side of the window. The File Browser lets you load sounds from your sound library on your Mac.
  • Name bar ("Ah Super Saw" above): this shows the name of the current patch. You can type a new name in here and hit enter, and it will update the name of the sound on your synth (if your synth supports it).
  • Fetch button (Keyboard with down arrow): load the current patch from your synth into Patch Base.
  • Init button (Blank paper): load an "empty" patch into Patch Base, and also send it to your synth.
  • Random button (Dice): load a randomized patch into Patch Base, and your synth.
  • Send button (Tablet with up arrow): send the current patch loaded in Patch Base to your synth. Handy for when you turn on your synth and it hasn't saved the last patch you were working on in Patch Base.
  • Synth Bank selector / Save ("1: Ah Super Saw" and Disk icon above): this allows you to save the current patch loaded in Patch Base to your synth's memory. Click on the left part (the name) to see a menu of all the available slots in your synth's memory, and what is currently in each slot. Select a slot from the menu. Then, click the disk icon to save to that slot. Just selecting a slot from the menu does nothing; you have to click the disk icon for the save to occur. Please note that the patch names in this menu will only be accurate if you've fetched the banks from your synth's memory into Patch Base!

File Browser

The File Browser has 2 tabs: Patches and Banks. They serve similar purposes.

The Patches tab shows your collection of individual patch files saved on your Mac. You can double-click a Patch name in this tab, and it will be loaded into the Patch Editor and sent to your synth.

You can click the Disk icon at the bottom of the File Browser to save the currently loaded patch to your Mac. Doing so will save a sysex file with the patch data to the currently selected folder in the File Browser. If no folder is selected, the patch will be saved in the top-most folder. The folder for these patches is found at [Patch Base Home directory] -> Modules -> [Synth Name] -> [Section Name]. You can also save the patch by clicking File -> Save in the app's top menu. Doing it this way will let you rename the patch when you save; if you click the Disk icon, Patch Base will immediately save the patch with its current name.

You can create a new folder in the File Browser by clicking the Folder icon with a "+" in it, at the bottom of the window.

The Banks tab shows all of the Bank files you have saved in Patch Base. You can look at the contents of any of these bank files directly from the browser, and double-click on a patch to load it into the editor.

Computer MIDI Keyboard

The piano keys that can be shown at the bottom of the patch editor can be played using your computer keyboard. Select Options → Computer MIDI Keyboard from the top menu bar, and you can use the middle row of keys (a, s, d, f, etc) to play MIDI notes on your synth.

Next: Bank Editor Window

Previous: Patch Base for Mac