SOLVED: WARNING! A BUG MAY BE PRESENT THAT DESTROY LAYER B ON EXPORTS!!!

[Razmo]

I've contacted support about this... but when I load my new soundbank file back into my REV2, all layer B data is scrambled when I look at edit buffer dumps of the programs from the loaded bank... when I look at the same program that was already in my REV2 (have not been dumped out via .syx), then they are all fine.

The reason could be a bug in the exporting of programs, so that the resulting file is damaged itself... it could also be that it's the versioning code that reads from the bank in memory, but I'm beginning to doubt this as my original bank in memory is not scrambled.

I have contacted support about this, but I wanted to make sure everyone is aware of this, becaue IF it is a bug that scrambles all on the way out via SysEx, then you could potentially destroy everything you've made, if you later load that bank back into your REV2 and overwrite your original programs.... luckily I did not do that with my new REV2 soundbank, so anyone who purchased it; DO NOT WORRY! I can create a working file as soon as Sequential has fixed this bug.

I've attached a picture of two instances of my editor showing you the edit buffer content... the top is the working program, the bottom show the same but layer B-destroyed version after .syx import ... yes it's scary!

[Razmo]

I did further testing... do not worry... there is nothing wrong with exporting a bank... the data in an exported .syx bank is fine... the bug is in either the importing of a SysEx bank file, or when the OS is reading the programs from an imported bank into the edit buffer...

I know this now because i tried reading an exported bank into my editor, and send programs to the edit buffer from this bank... and then the B layer is working just fine... nothing is scrambled in the exported bank files... but something is scrambled in the bank file if it is imported into the REV2 via SysEx...

This is my findings as of yet...

[maxter]

Killer bank Razmo, apparently! 

[maxter]

Seriously though, I wonder what the result would be if importing on an OS which has that sysex 2 or 1 revision?

[Darrolav]

Hey Razmo,

To be clear, is there a problem with your bank when I imported it in My Rev2 unit by sysex?

[Razmo]

Hey Razmo,

To be clear, is there a problem with your bank when I imported it in My Rev2 unit by sysex?

You can test this very easily... just find some programs that have layer B active... play it, and see if the B layer makes a sound or not... if it does, there is no problem... if not, there may be a problem...

The files I sent has no errors in them... which is the strange thing about this... but i think now that the actual reason one might get a non-working (and scrambled) B layer has to do with something completely different... the transfer speed at which you send the bank to the REV2... especially if you send them via USB.

I am still testing this... but I can asure any buyer, that there is nothing wrong with the eight banks I sent you at all... I have a way to test the banks and have done so, they are all fine and exactly how they should be...

If anyone experience layer B not working on my bank after being dumped, then something is causing this to happen, and it is either something in the REV2, or more likely; because the bank was sent way too fast to the REV2 via USB, so that it simply clogged in the data on it's way in...

[Razmo]

Seriously though, I wonder what the result would be if importing on an OS which has that sysex 2 or 1 revision?

That I cannot say... only Sequential would know that... but my initial guess would be that there would be some problems because how would an earlier OS be forward compatible? ... it's not really possible to do that.

But I am less certain now that it has to do with the actual OS SysEx versions... the tests I've done on my bank suggest that it is because the REV2 is getting the bank file sent too rapidly via USB... many probably think that a bank file is just one .SysEx message... but it is not... it is actually a series of 128 separate single program SysEx dumps, that is sent, each with their own SysEx header and all... if you send these faster than the REV2 can process them and save them into flash memory, something may go wrong... and apparently are.

Most software for sending SysEx files allow you to insert a delay in between messages... but not all... i just sent my bank file via the SysEx handler in Cakewalk Sonar to the REV2, and it just sends the whole shit in one fast big burst... the result was EXACTLY the same as my customer experienced... first program in the bank which had layer b active worked, but the rest did not... and it's a telltale sign of too fast sending because the first program is first in line, and the REV2 did not reach clogging point within receiving the first program in the bank...

[Razmo]

So my current conclusion (if one can have that?) ... is that DON'T WORRY! ... export and import is most likely working fine... just make sure that you do not send a bank file too fast to the REV2... not that it will hurt anything, it will just result in a scrambled B Layer on every program stored, except the first one in the bank.

If you did this anyway... just send the bank again with some kind of software for SysEx that allow you to insert delays in between messages... like MIDI OX for example...

[Darrolav]

I did some tests, patch 2 avian forest layer B no sound, patch 16 layer B no sound, still testing others but nothing wrong until patch 35 for now

[Darrolav]

So my current conclusion (if one can have that?) ... is that DON'T WORRY! ... export and import is most likely working fine... just make sure that you do not send a bank file too fast to the REV2... not that it will hurt anything, it will just result in a scrambled B Layer on every program stored, except the first one in the bank.

If you did this anyway... just send the bank again with some kind of software for SysEx that allow you to insert delays in between messages... like MIDI OX for example...

How do you enter delays in midiox?

[Razmo]

So my current conclusion (if one can have that?) ... is that DON'T WORRY! ... export and import is most likely working fine... just make sure that you do not send a bank file too fast to the REV2... not that it will hurt anything, it will just result in a scrambled B Layer on every program stored, except the first one in the bank.

If you did this anyway... just send the bank again with some kind of software for SysEx that allow you to insert delays in between messages... like MIDI OX for example...

How do you enter delays in midiox?

I just sent the bank with MIDI OX... (the bank that also gave me layer B errors earlier when sent from Cakewalks SysEx handler)... i did not make any settings to MIDI OX, I just sent the bank by going into the menu "actions/send/SysEx File" and then sent the file to the REV2... now the bank works perfectly.

So the bug has been dismissed... there are no bug... the problem is if you sent the bank file too fast.... you do not have to make any delay settings because MIDI OX already has a reasonable delay configured... and you can see that when you look at your REV2 display while it dumps the bank file... there is a considerable delay between the names change on the display.

So you simply just sent the bank with MIDI OX, and you should have no problems... and please check the sounds out again, they probably sound way different many of them after that