dpPatchChanges.

pages " Tuesday, February 16, 2010

MIDI Patch Change Messages
Tell Synthesizer and Effects processors to change Algorithms. It could a Piano to a String
sound or a Reverb effect to Flanger. To have control over your sequences and ensure they
sound the same each time you work on them, insert a Patch Change at the beginning of every
MIDI track. If multiple tracks output to the same Channel, only one channel needs a Patch
Change.
Patch Changes have 3 parts - Channel, Bank and Patch Number. Synths with only one bank
ignore Bank messages.
In DP, towards the bottom edge of
the MIDI Graphic Editor (Shift G)
window, in the “Choose what type...”
drop down menu, set the Pencil Tool
to draw Patch Changes.
In the image, “Choose what type” is
set to Pitch Bend, you want Patch Change. If Patch Change is grayed out, open the View
Filter (Apple F) and enable Patch Change.

In the MIDI Graphic Editor, identify the Median Strip

(between Note and Data Grids).
Activate the Pencil Tool (PP) or select it from the Tool Bar
(Shift O for “ools”).
With the Pencil, click in the Median Strip to insert a Generic
Patch Change.
Median
Switch to the Arrow/Marquee tool (AA). Click and hold on the
Generic Patch to see a patch listing. Some synths wonʼt show patch
names. Kurzweils, Modulo and Bass Line should. xPander wonʼt.
Regardless, the synth doesnʼt care about the name, MIDI devices
only care about the Bank and
Number.
Select the desired patch
change number. This sets a
Specific Patch change.

NanoSynth does not respond to Patch Change messages.

Itʼs very easy to click twice with the
Pencil Tool and insert the same
Generic Patch in the same place.
DP displays these duplicate or
Dupe Patch Changes as in the
image. Itʼs best to get rid of Dupes Dupe Generic Specific
and send one change at a time.

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dpPatchChanges.pages " Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Switch to the Arrow/Marquee tool (AA). Roll over the duplicate. Click and
drag down a little bit and DP should reveal the Patch Changes.
Sometimes this is a little “fiddely.” Roll over the one you want to delete,
release the mouse button to select, press Delete. Repeat as needed.
Patch Change Exercise
Create a DP project, include your name and PatchChange in the project name.
Add a couple of MIDI tracks (Apple Shift M)
Set their outputs to the Kurzweils or xPander. Use two hardware synths, K2vx and K2500r
would work.
Use the pencil tool to insert or record some notes. Save your work.
Go to the MIDI Graphic Editor, use the Pencil tool to insert some patch changes.

Insert several different changes in each MIDI track. Find out what happens when a patch
change occurs during a note-on (whatʼs the behavior?)
Once your first change is inserted you use hold the Option key and drag to create a copy of an
existing change. Try it. Add to Apple key to temporarily disable snap to grid.
Try Copy (Apple C) and Paste (Apple V). Select the Desired Patch change, Copy it to the
Clipboard, Deselect by clicking off to the side, move the Wiper to the new location (dot method
is handy, Paste.
Make several audio recordings of your results. Name audio tracks before recording.
Use well-named Takes to store multiple examples in the same track.
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Make an Instrument Track for the DP softsynth, Modulo. Set its output. Set one of your MIDI
track outputs to Modulo. Experiment with sending Patch Changes to Modulo.
Make several audio recordings of the results.
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Take a look in the Sequence Editor (Shift S) to see another way DP displays Patch changes.
Try changing patches in the Sequence Editor.
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From the MIDI/Graphic Editor window, take a look in the Event List (Shift E) to see yet another
way DP displays Patch changes. Try changing patches in the Event List. Try Inserting a Patch
Change in the Event list, use the “I” Insert button in the Information Bar.
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