MIDI Target Manufacturer(s): E-MU Systems
The Proteus 2000 was one of E-mu's last romplers. It has the legendary Z-Plane filter, a filter which defined the sound of R&B during the late 90s. This panel implements most of the E-mu sysex, although there are a few controls I left out that I found useless for this day and age. This panel turns the Proteus into an actual synth that you can make new sounds on. It really helps to know 'how' the Proteus works, so a refresher of the layering system may help. This panel only sends values so it doesn't update when you change something on the front panel manually.
E-mu implement a separate buffer between Sysex changes and front panel changes so its easy to change layers for example on the MidiDesigner panel, and the changes wont update on the units front panel display until you scroll through the menu.
There is an extra page (Banks) in the layout which uses standard Preset/Bank select midi protocol (no Sysex) so you can select any of the 1024 presets. The reason this page was added is because E-mus Sysex does not let you select Factory based presets from the Multicontrol page, only User presets. If you use the Banks pages to select any Factory preset, just remember to change the midi channel selector, depending on which Multi Channel you want to change. User based presets are selected using the MultiChannel edit page and this is done using Sysex.
Note:
- Your Proteus must be on Sysex ID 00.
- You may also have to play around with the midi sysex data rates. I had a couple of errors now and then because the buffers filled to fast from midi data speed. There is literally a setting inside the Proteus Master menu to adjust Sysex rates in milliseconds for this reason. You could also throttle using MidiDesigners config page I suppose, but I can only assume the E-mu designers added the menu option because they themselves ran into problems back in the early 2000s.
- Be careful with the amplifier envelope. The envelope is hard wired to the VCA (no modulation cord) and if you extend the release stages to infinite (full), it will cause an infinite loop in the sample. This is normal behaviour, because you are essentially holding the VCA open.
- Technically, because the sysex is identical across the entire E-mu rompler range on V2.26 firmware, this layout will work with the E-mu X-treme Lead, Planet Earth, MoPhatt, Orbit3, Morpheus, Audity 2000, B-3, Virtuoso 2000. Obviously, the program/instrument listings will be wrong, but the pickers will still work, as they fire the correct sysex. The filter types, Envelopes, LFO wave forms, Arps, FX pages etc are all the same. Please feel free to butcher this layout for another model and upload it.
- If you have problems with knobs not working (Volume, Filter Freq etc) clear ALL your cords (modulation). Many of the presets have modulation cords hooked up which literally override common controls like the VCA and Filter. For example, I couldn't get the Filter Freq to do anything to the sound. I later found out that there was a cord from a Midi Controller holding it high. * v1.6 Edit - I have added a Send All button on the cords page to easily initialize all cords.
Ver 1.5 Changes
- Redesign of the envelope stage to make it easier to understand.
- Some other slight GUI mods.
Ver 1.6 Changes (Final version)
- I've add two buttons (one per page) on the cords page that will send all values on the page. You cannot initialize a single preset on the Proteus. I have found that when creating new sounds, many of the previous patches modulation cords can play havoc with the the VCA and filter and they are tedious to disconnect. The blue buttons with the numbers reset each individual cord, but they DO NOT send the reset values to the device if they are already at the Default position (no modulation) because MD thinks there has been no change. The new Send All button sends all the current cords to the synth. Simply zero out all cords, then hit Send All. I highly recommend you do this if you are sound designing new patches.
I LOVE this program! Midi Designer has given the Proteus a new lease on life!
