Well, after a lot of blood sweat and tears it's finally available on the
EX5Tech Exclusive Downloads Page.

Features new to ex.factory 3.0 are:

• Support for S1A (Synth All) files.
  
• Support for S1Y (Synth) files.
  
• Support for S1M (Sample) files.
  
• Support for S1S (Song) files.
  
• Support for S1P (Pattern) files.
  
• Support for S1R (Arpeggio) files.
  
• Bonus Feature: Support for importing AN1 (AN1x Voice format) files.
• EX Preset Voices, Waves, VL Waves, Samples and Arpeggios are available in a special Window and can be used in drag operations.
  
• The status bar has been extended to show status on free/used Waves, Layers and the amount of Sample memory used in S1A and S1M files.
  
• EX5 System Settings can be moved copied between files, and can be saved to disk for reloading later.
  
• Drum Elements can be listed and manipulated by note groupings.
  
• Extension of print to HTML for all file types, and selection of what is listed for S1A, S1Y and S1M file types.
  
• Voices now display Arpeggio data, and Apreggios can be dragged onto a Voice.
  
• Performance Part links to User Voices are adjusted when Voices are moved, inserted or deleted within S1A or S1Y files.
  
• Wave Layer links to User Samples are adjusted when Samples are moved, inserted or deleted within S1A or S1M files.
  
• Drum Voice Element links to User Samples are adjusted when Samples are moved, inserted or deleted within S1A files.
  
• Keymap links to User Samples are adjusted when Samples are moved, inserted or deleted within S1A files.
  
• Voice Element links to User Waves are adjusted when Waves are moved, inserted or deleted within S1A files.
  
• Voice links to User Arpeggios are adjusted when Arpeggios are moved, inserted or deleted within S1A files.
  
• Keymap links to User Patterns are adjusted when Patterns are moved, inserted or deleted within S1A files.
  
• When Voices are moved within an S1A or S1Y file then Performance Links to User Voices are updated.
  
• When Samples are moved within an S1M file then Wave Layer Links to User Samples are updated.
  
• When Samples are moved within an S1A file then Wave Layer, Drum Element and Keymap Note links to User Samples are updated.
  
• When Patterns are moved within an S1A file then Keymap Note links to User Patterns are updated.
  
• When Arpeggios are moved within an S1A file then Voice links to User Arpeggios are updated.
  
• When Performances/Parts are dragged to a different S1A or S1Y file then referenced User Voices are also moved/copied as well.
  
• When Waves/Wave Layers are dragged to a different S1A or S1M file then referenced User Samples are also moved/copied as well.
  
• When Voices/AWM Elements are dragged to a different S1A file then referenced User Waves and Arpeggios are also moved/copied as well.
  
• When Drum Voices/Elements are dragged to a different S1A file then referenced User Samples are also moved/copied as well.
  
• When Keymaps/Keymap Notes are dragged to a different S1A file then referenced User Samples and Patterns are also moved/copied as well.
  
• Fixed a "feature" in Java. Java child windows usually only become active when you click the title bar of the Window. I've added some code that activates the Window if you click anywhere inside it (this is to emulate Windows operation).

Well, thanks, guys and gals, for bearing with me whilst I put this together. It took longer than I hoped, but I trust the results are worth the wait.

Some credits are due:

• Airy Andre for helping me out on drag and drop on Mac OSX (I just hope it still works on this version!)
• BassMaestro for helping me out testing the AN1x conversions (and I'm still jealous because he has an AN1x as well!)
  
• Gary Gregson, Author of AN1xEdit for helping me out on the AN1 file format
  
• Torus for making those wonderful splash pictures (just as well as I can't fraw for toffee!)
  
• All of you who hang out at EX5Tech for making the site such a great place.
  

Hey, what was that I just heard? Was it JW spontaneously combusting?

Enjoy, and let me know what you think.

[ June 25, 2002: Message edited by: Da'Cook ]

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Hats off to Da'Cook

(moved to here)

And I looooooooooooooooooove the AN1x feature!

Guess I have to reorganizing to do now with all my zip files.

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If you love the AN1x feature, what do you think of the lovely TorusGraphic(TM) in the topic post which shows an AN1x morphing into the EX?

Get organising! This tool is certainly what I've been waiting for before taking on the task of sorting all of my EX patch downloads.

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Congratulation Derek, and thank a lot for your great job.

Airy

BTW: Just a reminder to all, I posted previously that on Java 1.4 for the PC there seems to be a performance hit in ex.factory with drag and drop, the cursor movement and imafge update is very jerky, but it still works. The recommended Java version for ex.factory is 1.3. You can have several flavours of Java on your computer, so (assuming you're launching via a dsesktop icon) you may just need to tweak the shortcut command line to ex.factory to use the right version.

I will shortly be migrating ex.factory to Java 1.4 and will be looking at this performance issue then. I know that Sun has changed the DnD implementation on 1.4 from 1.3, so I'm hoping that changing ex.factory to match the new implementation should restore order.

Also another hint, whilst I remember: If you're loading large S1A, S1M files (e.g. Mel-Labs) then Java can run low on memory. If you get an error message from ex.factory complaining about lack of memory, you will need to tweak some Java parameters. The ex.factory documentation details what you need to do.

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What a package! Can't wait to try it out!

A couple of questions before I do though...
Should I delete your previous Factory from my PC before installing this? And somehow my Java Runtime got damaged when I had installed it (when I do Disk Clean Up, it shows up.) but yet your previous Factory seemed to work okay with it? I'd like to turn a new leaf and also reinstall the RT 4.0, but can't remember the link address. Can you supply me (and others) with that here again please? Oh-oh, here it comes again....

I must confess I haven't looked much beyond the AN1x factory set I was using as a test bed. I converted a couple of others just to ensure the process worked on them as well, but sheer lack of time has prevented me from going through the whole lot.

Ski and I also have zip files of AN1x voice banks we have each grabbed, but I thought of providing the links instead for users to find their own way to the files, because (to me) it preserves proper credit for the originators of the voices.

JW, different versions of ex.factory will happily coexist, as all the required resources for each program (apart from the Java JRE) are embedded in the program file.

The best JRE to reinstall for ex.factory is currently 1.3.1, which can be found at Java 1.3.1 download

[ June 25, 2002: Message edited by: Da'Cook ]

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Pro

This is the most exciting news I've had in a long time... FWIW, here's a zipped set of AN1X voices I collected at lunch:

AN1X.zip

jeff

[ June 25, 2002: Message edited by: idealord ]

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jeff

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He wrote a program to sort out our sounds,
and what does he charge...why! not even a pound!
He's a star, a magician and bakes good bread,
"add three cups of cacti" the talking slate said.

Ive just downloaded the aforementioned program
and only just released nothing ryhmes with...
He's a jolly good chap, and bakes excellent delights
much better than Jamie Oliver's bagS of..... 's

Idealord, thanks for the zip-file, I found a lot of interesting
sounds there. The files that are midi-dump's (for example the
JP8000 sounds), is it possible to get those sounds into the EX5
in some way? (or is this something that we can wish for in the
next release of exfactory?).

can't wait to try them out...

but if we've got midi dumps in there we'll have to have somebody with an AN1X take them and save them out as patch bank files.

jeff

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Just grabbed the 'factory and had a quick gander over a cup of char, I'm speechless...

Well, not quite, got a very old friend I've been wanting to sample for a while but I've been waiting for ex.factory to help with the job.

Respect!

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Looks like I hit the mark!

Uncle Vic, I loved the rhyme!

Staffan, the controller mapping on AN1x conversion gave me the biggest headache, due to differences between the two synths and what I believe is an EX bug. Effects settings were also a challenge due to difference again between the two synths.

Regarding the mod wheel, it depends what's been programmed into the patches, I'm reading the values directly. I'm certain the mod wheel has effect on some of the patches I've tried, but I'll go back and check.

Regarding AN1x MID files, I've scribbled that down on the features list, as the AN1 format is a repository for all AN1x MIDI data (the AN1x has no disk/SCSI), but it stores more than just the voice data. So it would be quite easy (he says!).

In the meantime, if you can't wait, it might be worth grabbing Gary Gregsons AN1xEdit program (have a look on any Yamaha web site under downloads, and you should find it). I'm not certain, but I would presume you may be able to use it to read in MIDI files and save AN1 banks.

If not, holler and I'll get the AN1x MIDI format into the next release.

[ June 25, 2002: Message edited by: Da'Cook ]

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I really don't know whats caused this lock up but I recon you should avoid importing the AN1x voices until it can be looked into.

Tommorow I'm going to remove and replace the ram see if that sorts it. If not i'll have to do the same thing with the flash... damn, I think that's what it'll be!

I'll keep you updated...
btw, re: my site, keep trying!

ex5-an1x

This is a fantastic program!

Jeff

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Any advice would be appreciated at this crucial time.

Everything is ok again.

Your right Idealord, a great program.

Thanks for all your hard work Derek!!
Can't wait to try it out.

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staffan - When Derek was working on the AN1x to EX converter a while back, I nabbed quite a few AN1x voice banks. I haven't yet looked at idealord's offering, but I may have some additional banks if anyone is interested (I think we had somewhere between 20 and 30 files). You can probably find the same stuff by searching the web, though, because that's what I did.

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Friendly yours,
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staffan and others - I checked, and I still have the collections of AN1x Patch files. There are well over 50 files, 44 of which are in .an1 format.

What's that you say? You'd like to have a copy? Last I checked, "AN1x" sorts to the top of the list on our downloads page. Go get them!

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If you feel brave, could you repeat the exact process again with the same files and note what you do along the way?

If it locks up again, if you could write up those steps and send me a copy of the offending files then I'll look into it.

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I'd like to say thanks to Da'Cook and all the other contibutors to this wonderful program. Time to get cracking and pushing it to its limits.

Cheers
Brian Cowell

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99 patch banks translated to s1v format. Thanks to Da'Cook!

jeff

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One other discovery - if anyone is having trouble opening EX factory. I use WINRAR for unzipping some files. One of its associated file types is a .jar file. Each time I double clicked on EXfactory.jar I went into the WINRAR program. I took me a while, but I finally figured out what I was doing wrong. Just disable the .jar file type from the files recognized by WINRAR.

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