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Pd patches for controlling a guitar synthesizer live rig

These are Pd patches that I use to control a combination of guitar synthesizers and amplifiers for a performance live rig I use. This configuration is obviously tailored towards my equipment and needs, but I'm publishing it as potentially to be of benefit to others wanting to use Pd to "tame" their configuration of gear. I obviously make no claim on the usefulness, or benefit for anyone else. It's also offered for free, with a MIT license, so that is a statement of it's potential value, too...

The application is that I have two guitar synthesizers (an Axon AX-100MKII, and a Boss SY-1000) that are connected to a Primova GX-2 GK-13 switcher. I use a number of older Roland 24 pin guitars, such as the Roland G-202, G-707, G-808, Ibanez IMG-2010 models, via a Wayne Joness BX-13-VC 24 pin to GK-13 adapter. Each guitar has differing hexaphonic pickup levels which the Primova GX-2 can be set to adjust gains for, and each synthesizer is configured for best tracking on both of the synths. In addition, I run a Tama classical guitar equipped with RMC hexaphonic piezo pickups into the GX-2 that can control the synthesizers, as well as the magnetic pickup guitars.

The problem to be solved is that all three devices need to be changed if a guitar is changed. The Primova GX-2 actually performs some of that function, but has no support for the Axon AX-100. The solution was to produce a set of Pd patches which allows sending System Exclusive (SysEx) MIDI messages to both synths to change to the guitar settings which have been preprogrammed for each guitar, and to send a patch change to the GX-2 to select it's patch that is configured for that guitar. This is the patch Guitar_switcher.pd.

Additionally, I run the "normal" (mono pickups) guitar of the SY-1000 "sub" output into two valve ("tube") amplifiers, which both have footswitched channels for clean and distortion. In order to use the different amplifier channels, I replace the manual amp footswitches with a MIDI controlled relay array that I built from a MSA kit by Highly Liquid (now defunct, but the code is now open source). This allows changing the amps between the clean and distortion channels by also sending a patch change MIDI command to the relay array. This is the patch Amp_switcher.pd.

All the remaining Pd patches are subpatches used by these two main patches.

There's obviously plenty more that can be done, perhaps most pending, triggering all of these patch changes from a foot pedal controller. Again, plenty of ways this can be achieved, particularly with commercial software, but I wanted to do this using a portable open source event manager like Pd, and with sufficient UI so that manual overrides can be performed in rehearsal & improvisation, without having everything locked down to a particular patch for a "song".

Hope something of this can be helpful for others!

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A set of Pd patches for controlling a guitar synthesizer live rig.

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