Working on a Windows KPA Editor - Details on ALPHA version

  • I've been working on a basic editor for the KPA so that I do not have to reach over and touch buttons as often. It can be downloaded here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/dcm6…%20Editor%20Prototype.zip


    Feel free to download and provide feedback. Here are the release notes for this ALPHA version:



    This app is FAR from complete, but being that there seems to be so much interest in an editor I'm choosing to make this available as a download.
    Keep in mind that this is an ALPHA release and there is much work still to be done. Between my full time job, family and musical endeavours my time to work on this is limited.
    Still, please feel free to use this app and provide me with any feedback via email at [email protected] or on the KAP board (user jifgriff.)


    A lot of hard work has gone into this, even at this early stage. I'm giving it away for free and do not expect any form of payment for the software. Having said that, if anyone feels they wish to donate "to the cause" you can make a PayPal donation to my email ([email protected]).


    On with the show:
    The file for the software is currently located here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/dcm6…%20Editor%20Prototype.zip
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    This software is licensed as Free Software in accordance with the MIT License as follows:
    Copyright (C) 2014 James Griffin


    Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:


    The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.


    THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
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    Knob user interface elements are courtesy of the AuSharp.Knob library.


    Version 0.0.2 Built on 5/15/2014:


    - The interface is bland and ugly. :) Sorry... I will improve this as time permits
    - Currently this is Windows only. It's been tested under Windows 7 & 8. I'm not sure that it will work with older versions of the OS, but feel free to try.
    - The software requires .Net 4 to be installed in order to run. You can download this here: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us…oad/details.aspx?id=17851


    - General Usage:
    - I haven't created an install program yet as it is far from complete. Still, you should be able to edit everything that has a midi definition from here. I basically started working on this so that I didn't have to reach over touch the amp as much.
    - To install, unzip the contents of the zip file into a folder and run the file named KPA Editor.exe. To make launching easier, create a shortcur to the file on the desktop.
    - Once open, use the drop down boxes to select the MIDI device that is connected to your KPA. Once set these should be remembered so you don't have to do this every time.
    - If you have a pedalboard you can also use the MIDI Thru drop down to select the input where this is connected so that the program will pass on midi messages to the KPA. RIght now this is only one-way communication to the KPA. This is useful for expression pedals and turning stomps on and off, but the stomp status is not currently ready from the KPA back to the pedalboard.
    - Note that even though the status is not sent back to a connected pedalboard, the interface itself updates the status of the KPA twice a second so that should always be accurate.
    - Once the MIDI options are selected, click the button for Open. This will start the polling process and continually read the current settings of the KPA.
    - After the MIDI options have been set once and the program re-opens, communication should begin automatically.
    - To toggle things on and off, simply press the yellow and grey buttons. If an item is on, the button will be yellow.
    - Changes made in the interface are sent up to the KPA.
    - Changes made in the KAP are read back into the interface.
    - To edit stomps and effects, click on the colored or grey outline surrounding the appropriate button. This will pull the current effect paramters into the middle panel on the interface.
    - There is a working preset system. In the upper right corner of the center panel you will see a drop down with the current presets. These are NOT automatically read FROM the KPA. The presets that are currently there I created by hand based on what was in my KPA when I initially built the software. To select a preset, simply select it from the drop down. To save a preset click the button with the "S" on it. To delete a preset click the button with the "X" on it near the presets. Eventually the letters will be replaced with icons.
    - Only parameters that can be sent via MIDI are included in the editor. Because of this you'll still need to use the KPA for selecting specific cabinets and amps.


    KNOWN ISSUES
    - I know this is buggy as hell. lol. I'm fixing things as I discover them, as as time allows. The day job gets in the way! ;)
    - The buttons at the top for the noise gate, clean and dist sens are not working yet.
    - I don't have an editor for user scales yet. That is on the todo list.
    - You'll also want to continue to use the Rig Manager to select and preview rigs. No real way around this at the moment.
    - The Stomps, Stack and Effects buttons under the specific stomp, amp and effects buttons do not currently work correctly


    PLANNED CHANGES
    - Complete stomp block presets
    - Complete effect block presets
    - Combined stomp/effect presets
    - Presets for Amp
    - Presets for Amp EQ
    - Presets for Cabinet settings
    - Rig buttons
    - Tap tempo and Beat Detector selection
    - Import and export of presets
    - UI Graphics overhaul



    Have fun!!
    Jim

  • I'm at work right now, but when I get home I will check this out. Thanks for your hard work!


    I know it's in alpha but, would it be difficult for you to make it usable for MAC users in the future? :)

  • I plan to make a MAC as well as ios version after I'm over the hump with the windows version. I'll probably get an ios version completed before a MAC version as I'm more familiar with the ios SDK than the MAC sdk.

  • Sorry guys. Like I mentioned, this is very ALPHA software.


    jbis... what OS version are you running, and have you installed .Net version 4.0?


    smfelton... I'm also running Win 8.1 64-bit. Are you seeing any kind of error message? Also, what folder have you unzipped the files into?


    I'm happy to help get these issues sorted out. I'm sure that I have plenty of things to fix with all the variations of OS versions and hardware out there. Feel free to email me at [email protected] as I check that much more frequently than the board.

  • I had a problem when I first unzipped it through Winzip. I tried to run it straight from the winzip window and it did not run. What I did was actually unzip it and created a folder on my desktop then ran it from there. Hopefully that works for some of you. I am on Windows 7.

  • Sorry about the bad binary image files. I had done some testing with 32 vs 64 bit and forgot to set everything back to 32 bit. I've fixed this and have uploaded an updated zip file. You should now be able to download and unzip again, and hopefully be able to launch the app.

    Edited once, last by jifgriff ().

  • It's mostly sysex, but there are some cc's being sent here and there, mostly just for the on/off states. I'm grabbing whole blocks via sysex for everything I can when I poll the unit, and then sending single parameter updates as knobs are turned and whatnot.



    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

  • Updated to version 0.0.3. Here's a snippet from the release notes with the changes...




    ** IMPORTANT ** If you are copying newer files over an existing instance of the app, either save or do not overwrite the following files as these contain presets:
    presetsbin
    delayPresets.bin
    reverbPresets.bin



    Version 0.0.3 Built on 5/18/2014
    CHANGES
    - Midi Thru will now pass stomp parameters back to a pedalboard if so connected. *** I've tested this with the FCB1010 and Eureka! prom. Can anyone test with an FCB using the UNO4KEMPER or UNO mod chip?
    - Removed defunct sliders for wah, pitch and volume.
    - Moved device selection to a more appropriate place on the window.
    - Removed defunct Get Rig button.
    - Removed noise gate, clean sense and dist sense for now. The KPA does not appear to respond to the documented NRPN messages or sysex commands.
    - Added Tuner button
    - Added Tap Tempo Button
    - Added Beat Scanner Button

  • The app allows you to edit all of the rig parameters on one screen, as well as store and recall presets for just about everything. It's limited to what is available via The KPA MIDI implementation so you can't do things like change cabs or specific amps. Full rigs still need to be managed via the Rig Manager or the unit itself, but if you are like me, and your units sits more than arm's length away when sitting at the recording desk, this comes in quite handy. The app also emulates bi-directional communication so if you make changes from the KPA, the editor is kept in sync.


    For me it has definitely opened up a lot of experimentation with different amps. Having the full amp and cab settings all visible at once I find it very easy to play with things such as high and low shift or sag. I've had great results with this.