Reference Guide

802
Instrument Definitions
Instrument Definition Tutorial
When you import an instrument definition, it is added to the master instrument definition file
Master.ins. The contents of this file determines the list of instruments that appear in the Assign
Instruments dialog box.
Now let’s assign the XP-10 definition to some channels on a MIDI output:
To Assign the Roland XP-10 Bank and Patch Names to a MIDI Output
1. Choose Options > Instruments to display the Assign Instruments dialog box.
2. Let’s assign all 16 MIDI channels on output 1 to use the XP-10 bank and patch names:
• Drag through the first 16 items in the Port/Channel list to select them.
• From the Uses Instrument list, click Roland XP-10. A black line connects the two lists.
3. To save these changes permanently, enable the Save Changes for Next Session option.
4. Click OK to apply your changes.
From now on, any track that uses any of channels 1 to 16 on output 1 displays bank and patch
names from the XP-10.
To check this, assign a MIDI track in a project to Ch 1, assign the Output field to 1-Roland XP-10,
and then examine the drop-down lists in the Bank and Patch fields of the track. You should see
bank and patch names that are specific to the Roland XP-10.
Let’s check some of our bank and patch lists to see if they match up with what we see on the screen
of the XP-10. On the XP-10, let’s look at the Vari 1 bank: if we look at tone (tone means the same as
patch) #005 in the Vari 1 bank on the XP-10, we see that it is called Detuned EP1. If we change the
bank on a MIDI track to 128-Roland XP-10 Var #01, and look at the menu of patches in the Pch
field, we see that there is no name listed for patch #004 (Roland numbers its patches from 1 to 128;
SONAR numbers patches from 0 to 127, so patch #004 in SONAR is the same patch number as
patch #005 on the Roland). Let’s look at some of the other Roland XP-10 patch name lists in the
right window of the Define Instruments and Names dialog box to see if another one has the right
patch names in it, and rename it Var #01.
To Substitute and Rename a Patch List
1. Use the Options > Instruments command to open the Assign Instruments dialog box, and click
the Define button to open the Define Instruments and Names dialog box.
2. In the Names Tree window on the right, click the + sign on the Patches folder to expand the tree
of patch name lists.
3. Scroll down to the Roland XP-10 Var #08 list and click its + sign to expand it.
4. Compare the names on the Var #08 list with the patch names of the Vari 1 instruments on the
Roland’s display screen. You’ll see they are the same.
5. Let’s substitute the Var #08 list for the Var #01 list that SONAR currently lists as the XP-10’s
second bank, which has a bank change number of 128:
1. In the Instruments tree in the left window, click the Roland XP-10 entry to expand it, and then
expand the Patch Names for Banks list that’s directly under it.
2. Expand the Patch Names tree in the right window and find the Roland XP-10 Var #01 list (if
there is one) and right-click it to display the pop-up menu.