Share Presets

Hi everybody,

What about sharing our presets ?

I was used to Pod HD 500 from Line 6 , on their website you can download the presets of other users... Each one can rate the preset, the user define the guitar and the cab they use with the Pod HD 500...

Well internet is good to share files, no ? Why the developers of the Ipad GM 36 app did not include the sharing process in the app ?

Do you think that could be a good idea ?

Take care everybody

It`s possible. You can save a library, and though I can`t say for certain but I believe you can save a single preset, and they store as a .gm36 file. You (we) could host the files on a publicly accessible platform (dropbox?) and give other members the credentials to log on and get them. Then you just load the file into your own app/amp and let `er rip.

The app export method is certainly the simplest and having a central place like Dropbox to pop them onto is a great idea. I'm on the Valvetronix forum too and they actually have a repository area for just this purpose that can be accessed from within the forum itself. I wonder if it is possible to set this up for ourselves? However, there is another simple way to get round this for single voices. We could just post the settings in a standardised text form as they are easily available.

For a giggle just try opening one of those .gm36 files - in Notepad! You will find they are a simple text based listing of each setting in turn. Well done the developers for not choosing some invisible machine format for this when there is no need! So technically everyone's settings files saved from the app, whether .gm36 or .store formats, are readable by anyone else. When you find one you are interested in you can then just edit them into your own file manually from a visual listing. Here is the first voice copied and pasted direct from the factory .gm36 file:

[preset]
number=1
name=Super Clean
modIntensity=0
powerSoak=124
delayTime=0
channelType=84
noiseGate=0
channelBoost=0
bass=98
mid=241
treble=50
modType=0
resonance=58
presence=148
delayFeedback=0
volume=249
delayLevel=0
gain=81
reverb=92
fxLoop=0

Recognise it? Now where did I put that spreadsheet I wrote, it needs more work? I feel a conversion program coming on.

I too would appreciate sharing presets for the H&K Grandmeister 36, I just purchased mine and using it with the MS Windows app on my MS Surface 3 thru midi in-out into usb. Its a great amp very versatile, and being familiar with Blackstar ID Series and Fender Mustang v2 amps where there are communities that share presets created and uploaded, I feel can be beneficial with the H&K GM36 as well.

I've got this working and I have a process where we can do this!

As I pointed out above, the .gm36 file is just a text file with each preset starting with a "[preset]" line followed by each setting on a new line.  So you just do the following.

1. Export your settings to a .gm36 file using the app.
   
2. Open this with Notepad and Copy and Paste the settings you want into a simple .txt file.  (I would suggest Notepad rather than Word or even Wordpad as you may have to be careful about the end of line characters, I haven't had a chance to check whether the app is fussy about this but I would assume it is and simple programmes like Notepad use a different character to more complex word processors like Word.)
   
3. Upload it here using the standard steps in your post.  (If you're not sure of how to do that just ask.)
   
4. Even though a .txt file is not uploadable as is, the file will be converted automatically to a .jpg which the forum software can handle and display.
   
5. The settings will be displayed directly as a list in your post.
   
6. It is then possible to just manually add them to a new .gm36 file which you create manually in Notepad or some other text editor.  You could have a "Scratchpad.gm36" file permanently on standby to add suggestions to for you to explore.
   

(EDIT:  Or I suppose you could just Cut and Paste it direct from the .gm36 file into your post where it can be Copied and Pasted direct from the text but it isn't as pretty. )

Here are a couple of voices lifted at random from the factory default set posted using those exact steps:

It may be an idea to put in the guitar/pickup type you use it with and the guitar's settings too.  I am finding something both Jeff and H&K themselves pointed us to is very true, that your favourite voices change if you back off on the guitar volume, so say a Lead voice can offer a Clean at 3, Crunch at 6 and Screaming at 10 option if you just back off on the guitar signal.

In the meantime I'll look into ways of making this maybe less manual and time consuming but at least you can get posting.  (Especially you Jeff!  We can now really get the benefit of your ear and experience.)

Thanks BB, I`ll see what happens if inspiration strikes between takes hahaha!

I`m also going to put this out there now, good and early: tone is tone. That`s a given, but PERSONAL tone...well, that`s as individual as a fingerprint. We frequently speak of the quest for those ever subtle differences that will make a tone our own. Well, put the same rig in someone else`s hands and the subtleties change, giving the tone a new character. From the pickups (an impossibly minute difference. The pickup industry revolves around hype. Refer back to comment about subtlety) to the setup of the guitar to the way a player`s technique allows the note to blossom, everything will have a tiny effect on the tone. Add up a few of those and we have something quite different than it`s creator intended. Then add in personal preference. I use a sparkly but almost dark clean tone, and I prefer a rounder, more mid heavy almost vocal quality to my lead/melody tone. Think a high gain Eric Johnson lead tone. I play with such a light touch that I can get away with using more gain and really let the notes start to sing. A more aggressive player would turn my tone to mush!

So just remember as you start to emulate someone else`s tone, even though the setting are the same, you may not make it sound the way they did, for better or worse.

(incidentally, this is why I find all modelers sterile and boring. They give you EXACTLY what someone else sounds like, robbing you of being able to put your fingerprint on the tone and actually sound unique. I spent a great deal of time on a Kemper at NAMM this year, and while I could rally up a tone and have Dimebag Darrel`s exact tone coming out of the amp, I never related to what I was hearing. Sure it was entertaining to riff out on Cowboys From Hell, but I never felt like the amp was pulling any music out of me like when I plug into a more natural rig with a tone that reacts to my technique)

Here are the attachment types for Forumotion forums:

Pictures : .bmp - .png - .jpg - .gif - .tif
Sounds : .mp3 - .m4a - .wma
Videos : .mp4 - .mov - .m4v - .mpg - .3gp - .3g2 - .wmv
Documents : .txt - .doc - .docm - .docx - .pps - .ppt - .pptm - .pptx - .xls - .xlsb - .xlsm - .xlsx - .pdf
Misc : .zip - .swf

.gm36 cannot be added to the forum...  Bummer.  

But... There is nothing saying we can't attach the .gm36 files as .txt files and you rename them when you download them back to .gm36?  It isn't very graceful but works?

I will enable the attachment of files for this forum and lets see how it goes.  If it works then we have a solution.  Because this is a free forum it only allows us 20 meg, and I do not know if it is per user so we can try this?  I will create a test post here, with an attachment to see what happens...

Testing a .gm36 file.  Probable won't work.

Edit: Nope. It didn't work.

Sample .txt file attached...

The trick to make this work is that you have to "chose the file" first using the "chose file" button, then after selecting it you have to press the "submit" button right next to it to upload the file.  The it works.

.gm36 files do not work.

Rename the .gm36 file after you download it and let'er roll!

U DA MAN Hwy!!!  That's a proper solution.

Yes, the change in file extension is no problem.  The fact that the .gm36 files are already in plain text means that your worry about binary file parsing in the sticky should not be an issue.  I honestly think that most of us will be uploading just a few voice settings on an individual basis rather than a full amp's worth at a time.  This will involve just a bit of Cut and Paste of blocks into the text file in the first place.

Roll on some interesting sounds.

Ok, so here is my latest step forward.  I have written a small dialog based GM36 File Manager.  This is not an editor, the app does that magnificently.  It is intended to only be an organiser to allow us to open GM36 and text files, add elements from their contents to a compiling list, open other files and add more selections from them, re-order them in any way we want, then transfer them to a writing area and put them out into either .gm36 or .txt format for either using in our GM36 app/amps or posting here for others to use as a base.  This is a pretty raw piece of software and it has only had a day's work on it so don't expect perfection!

It does no verification on the file before attempting to load, that may come in a future "release" it relies on the original source file containing valid GM36 format data.  ([EDIT]  I'm working on file verification now!)  That is easy to check as you can open the GM36 files in Notepad.  The format is as follows:

• There is no header info, the file must start with the first voice/patch.
  
• Each voice/patch starts with a line "[preset]". (The " " are not part of the line, just there to show where it starts and ends.)
  
• Each setting is then on a separate line.
  
• There are no blank lines, one setting follows another direct and each voice follows another immediately.
  
• Field names must be exact to the original, no spaces are permitted and correct case must be followed.  This is starting with a small case letter but each subsequent word then has a capital, e.g. "channelBoost".  Beware, some have shortened forms in them, e.g. "modDelay".  The correct field names are actually listed lower down this post.
  
• Each line is of the form "fieldName=value".  There are no spaces.
  
• Each value is a number with the exception of the "name" field which is a string.  This name string has no punctuation around it, name=Super Clean is correct, name="Super Clean" to show it is a string is wrong.  Note that spaces are allowed in the names.
  
• I have not tested whether the order of fields is critical, I have just made the manager output to its file in strictly the same order as found in the "factory.gm36" file.
  
• Most values are numerical and most run 0-255.  Three On/Off types, (noiseGate, fxLoop, channelBoost), are 0 or 127.  channelType with four selections is 0, 42, 84 or 126.  As far as I know these are actually ranges but I stuck to the original values from the source files.
  

Some of the above is not crucial for the manager to work, it is pretty forgiving of some things, but it may be essential for the GM36 app and amp so I suggest you stick to those format rules in your working.  It won't matter for the manager but the order of fields is:

• number, mid, delayLevel, bass, presence, modType, treble, volume, resonance, gain, delayFeedback, modIntensity, noiseGate, channelType, name, delayTime, powerSoak, fxLoop, reverb, channelBoost
  

I have zipped up a copy of the .exe file and hosted it on Dropbox, you don't need an account to access it, just click on the link, you'll go straight to the file and choose [Download] in the top right corner.  [THE DOWNLOAD HERE HAS BEEN REPLACED BY A SPECIFIC THREAD NAMED "GM36 App file manager/editor program" WHICH IS NOW THE ONLY LINK TO THE LATEST VERSION],  There is no installation process needed, just unpack the Zip file and drop the only file in there, "GM36_File_Format_Converter.exe", anywhere you want.  Double click on it to run and do your worst!


GM36 FILE FORMAT MANAGER INSTRUCTION MANUAL.

Woah that looks good!  

Ok, some instructions on how to use it.  On the left is a tab pane with two tabs.  The first is "Read Voices" to open a .gm36 or .txt file to add in files as a source.  This has only a "Input from file" list and three buttons.  The second is "Write Voices" which has a separate "Output to file" list to output the compilation to a .gm36 or .txt file and its own buttons.  You should see some controls change with each tab as it is selected.

The first tab has a [Read File] button and an [Append File] button.  Read clears anything in the left pane before loading the file while Append leaves whatever is already there and adds onto the end.  That way you can take a number of small files with a few voices in each and add them together to act as a source of files for your new compilation file.  This window also has its own [Delete] button to trim the list down as you need.

Click the other "Write Voices" tab and the Read File button becomes [Write File]  This tab has its own new separate list.  What you see in there is what will be output to the new file.  It is correct that the Read Voices tab may show a list of voices while the Write Voices tab shows a completely different or even an empty list.

On the right is a Compilation list.  You highlight files on the left, the usual [Ctrl] and [Shift] key functionality applies to make multiple selections, and use the [>>Add>>] button to transfer the selection into the Compilation list.  This is always an append operation, existing compilation voices are never deleted while this is happening.  Once they are there you can select and re-order them with the [Up] and [Down] buttons, or delete some of them with the list's own [Delete] button.  Once you have the list as you want it select the Write Voices tab and the Add button becomes [<<Send<<].  Select the files from your compilation which you want to output for use and press Send.  They will be transferred into the Write list.  This is again an Append operation, any voices already in the Write list are not deleted.  Once there hit [Write File].  Select the location and whether it is a .gm36 or .txt file and you are there.  Remember .gm36 and .txt are effectively exactly the same inside, you can just rename one to the other in Windows Explorer without any penalty.

I am still working out some aspects of functionality.  For example the voices in the output file are numbered with their original numbers while working on them.  That way it keeps a trace on where they can be found in their original form.  I think this is the best approach but I'm not sure.  The app and amp may strictly need to see the voices numbered sequentially so during the output to file they are renumbered that way.  I need feedback on aspects like that, please let me know anything you find which is either an existing bug or just something wrong in the functionality.  And expansion is always a possibility where it is useful, time permitting.  With the app's ability to generate the voice settings in the first place I don't really think a Voice Editor is what we need, just a manager to select, compile and resave them.

It is written for Win XP, (yes I know, but I'm not a Luddite, I just hate cute and cuddly toy "mobile" type operating systems on Big Boy's computers!).  There is nothing exotic about any of it so I really don't see why it would have a problem running in Win7 (urrgh!   ) or Win 8 (Yuukk!   ) or even Win 10 (SHUDDER!!!   )  Let me know if it does show signs of distress.


[EDIT]  One bit of advice before I get lynched, when you first set oput to test it make a copy of your .gm36 files to play with, DON'T START OUT PLAYING ON THE ONLY COPY OF YOUR WORKING FILE!!!!!  (Of course I didn't really need to add that did I?   )


[EDIT-EDIT] This thread is now not the area to get the app from. There is a dedicated thread for it now. Look for a thread named "GM36 App file manager/editor program" The link to the latest version is in there.

I've just posted a new version, which now has a Validation section in it.  It can check your .GM36 files for correct format and also does so automatically when you Read or Append them in.  It will give you an idea of the location of the first error it finds so you can quickly repair any incorrect settings.  I've updated the link in the post above so it picks up the new version on Dropbox.

Here is a quick screenshot of the thing in action:

That looks excellent BB! Good workmanship!

My GM36 is in a box being sent to a land far, far away right now so I cannot play with this new tool. Beat it up gang! There probable is some serious work going on in this program. Parsing files can be a real pain.

Thanks BB!

Jeff: Maybe H & K should see this program? Your call since you know them and their interest level.

Thanks for that Hwy. It's started to take over a bit but it's great fun. I'm working on editing capabilities now so you will be able to select a voice in your compilation area and edit its settings. That's not as easy as you would think using the CListCtrl which is intended only for display, but I have ways of getting around that even if they are a bit clunky! Mind you, teh existing app is the thing to use for that side really, this is more just a convenience thing.

I've done a fair bit of work testing and fixing but there are inevitably going to be some simple bugs in there still. There is also the issue of using it in later versions of Windoze which I can't test here. Give me a couple more days and I will have it debugged and more stable, (not that it is particularly unstable now as the idea is so simple). I can pretty it up a bit too!!!

Hwy: I`ll see some of those guys at the end of this month. You can be sure I`m gonna put this whole forum in front of them again as we`re really getting into a level of end user support they may want a part of.

BB: your work on this is kicking A**!!!! I know what Fredo put into the windows control app and I know H&K were immensely grateful. Even if it becomes a fancy way to share voices I bet they would love to take a look.

Ooooohh! I'm getting nervous now. It needs a lot of work still.

I have the editing side working fully now, but the more it grows the more bugs appear. "Total Modularity of Object Oriented Programming" is a bit of a pipe dream. I'll keep on with it and repost as I can, updating as better versions come along. When I do upload a better version to Dropbox I update the link in the first post to the new version so you are always going to have access to the most stable. I should really keep some sort of tracking going in that original post. In my next edit I'll make sure to do that.

Still working on the manager app.  It's coming on as you make breakthroughs in aspects of the Windows side.  I learned that Windows List Controls still have a few bugs in them, do it your own way is the best route!  So here's an up to date picture:



You can see that we're displaying the compilation list as it would store into the GM/FM Bank system, ans we have the ability to edit the values in a separate dialog if we want to.

I need some information on something now and I wonder if there are midi savvy guys out there who can supply it.  I need to know what the values are for a few of the settings which involve set ranges.  I have used the midi monitor in the GM36 Windows app but what it tells me is confusing, I don't think all of the info is output.

It looks like all On/Off settings like Fx Loop output are 0 or 127.  The Channel Selection is an oddity.  It appears to be 0, 42, 84, or 126.  I expected the Modulation Type setting to be derived from the setting of the Volume Control acting as a Modulation selector.  I was expecting to see that Chorus would be 0-63, Flanger 64-127, Phaser 128-191, and Tremolo 192-255.  Looking into the existing settings that does seem to happen but it doesn't seem as though they match up with the existing app.  I also have no idea what the messages for the Power Soak setting are as they aren't even output from the app. Is there anyone out there who works with midi gear who can snoop on the messages and see what values are output when these are selected?