microKorg Editing – Hardware Synth Software is BLAH

I’m thinking of writing a longer post about the state of hardware synth editor software – but the below is interesting to me.

Here’s a quick video demonstration of someone using the Windows version of the microKorg editor.

Now check out this shot from the OSX version.

You basically drill down into each patch – and since every property is a new window it gets real messy real fast. It’s a lot different than their Windows software.

The current microKorg OSX software also hasn’t been updated since 2002 – yet the microKorg is still one of the most in-demand synths today in 2008. 6 years – no development.

Here’s an example of patch editing on the OSX microKorg software:

Which is similar to our old buddy, SoundDiver:

Perhaps Korg asked the eMagic people to make a modified Sounddiver for the microKorg – and since SoundDiver isn’t actively developed anymore it has stagnated.

Granted – It seems like it’s been that long since the Windows Software was updated, too.

I think this whole hardware synth editing problem could be fixed if hardware synth developers started doing the following:

1. Put a CD (or download code) of the VSTi or Audio Unit version of the same synth in the box
2. Let users edit the synth through the software synth interface
3. Let users load those settings they make on the software directly to the hardware synth in an easy way that doesn’t mention anything old-skooly, like ‘sysex’)

I might buy a lot more hardware.