Saving modified MIDI patch information within track data itself

Question

I'm new to software sequencing and am currently evaluating Sonar X2 to control an external module (Roland MC-909) via MIDI.

What I would like is to be able to save any modification I make to the patches (such as ADSR, cutoff, resonance ..) within the tracks themselves. This is because on the first load the patches take the default values saved in the MC-909.

The only workaround I found is to add the events manually in the 'Event List' view for each track before the first note is played. However this is a bit of an nuisance and goes against my workflow (eg. it's more natural to use to ADSR controls on the MC-909 itself instead of guessing values in the Event List)

Is there a way I can achieve this without having to manually add these events for each track? I am open to using any other software sequencer which offers such feature.

Answer 1

Unfortunately, I don't believe it's possible. In principle, the only interface between your software and the Roland MC-909 is sending MIDI data back and forth. Because of this, sending data over MIDI parameters is the only way any software can automatically configure the instrument for you.

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EDIT: If your Roland lets you save configurations, and its MIDI specification includes a command to load a configuration, you could do this:

1. Configure the Roland using its interface until you have the sound you want.
2. Save the configuration on the Roland.
3. Include a MIDI message at the beginning of your song to reload the configuration.

This would work with any software. It depends on whether the Roland can do this. I hope you can get it to work!