Cubase SX Device Panels Copying Patch Names

WARNING:
ADVANCED STUFF!! Care should be taken and no guarantee if this workaround works for every XML!!

PROBLEM :
You've got a patch name script (.txt). And you've created a Midi Device from that, with thousands of patches defined. Then you wanna add in a panel.
But when you define any parameters in the channel nodes, it only appears in 1 channel node and not across all 16 channels. (Since, for XML created from Patch Name Scripts txt files you cannot access the initial setting page, and it defaults to NOT having any identical channels.)
Or, you have a device with a panel done, and you wanna copy the patch banks from another patch names only XML.

Workaround:
With a little care, you can define a new device, with all 16 channels identical checked, then export the XML.
Then using a text editor, you can copy certain text/info from the other XML that has all the patch names, and paste them into this new XML.

Below it's an example / procedure of how this could be done.

2006/01

Preparations

There are a couple of things. Since at present, the Midi Device Manager cannot Export individual device, so you need to clear everything in the Midi Device Manager before starting to do anything.

This can be done by either pressing the Remove Device Button in Midi Device Manager, removing each of your existing devices one by one or by renaming the Midi Devices.bin file.

In any case, you should 1st backup your setup.
In Midi Device Manager, click Export, and save the whole thing somewhere, it will create an XML file with all your existing devices.

Then either, remove each existing device by pressing the Remove Device button or...

Quit Cubase SX, then goto your %APPDATA% folder, i.e., your User Applications Folder, usually located at:
C:\Documents and Settings\[USER NAME]\Application Data\

Go into the Steinberg\Cubase SX3\ directory.

Or you can click ''Cubase SX3 Application Data Folder'' shortcut in the Start Menu, under the Cubase SX Shortcut folder.

Here, you'll see a file called "Midi Devices.bin". Rename this file (to something like "Midi Devices.bin.bak").
Then restart Cubase SX. It will prompt you that your devices are missing. Just click cancel.

Now open Midi Device Manager and there should be no device listed.

Installing Device from Patch Name Scripts (.txt)

First we need to make a device XML file, installing from patch name scripts.
	You should already have your patch name script .txt file placed/copied to the "Scripts\Patchnames\inactive" folder, inside your Cubase SX3 Application Data Folder. Open Midi Device Manager, click on the Install Device button, this will bring up the Add MIDI Device list. Select the device you want here. In this example, I'll use the Waldorf Micro Q (altho I don't own one). Click OK and the device will be created, importing all the banks, patches, and patch names information. Then near the blue 'e' button at the top, on the drop down, select 'Patch Banks' This will take you to the Patch Banks editor page.
Note down what you have here. In this example, for the Micro Q, the root bank name is called Program, and it has Bank A, Bank B, Bank C. I renamed the root to 'Micro Q' for convenient sake.

Next, close the editor, and then EXPORT the device by pressing the Export Device button in the Midi Device Manager.

Creating The New Device

Next we need to create out new device.
	Open Midi Device Manager, click on the Install Device button, this will bring up the Add MIDI Device list. This time, select "Define New...". Click OK. You'll then be brought to the very important "Create New MIDI Device" pane.
	Enter the name of the device. MAKE SURE YOU USE A DIFFERENT NAME to the previous one. You can always rename it after everything is done. But it's better, to use a different name here, to avoid any more confusion. Now this is the important part: In order to have the device parameters to work across all 16 channels, and also when creating parameters, in order that a parameter is automatically duplicated across all 16 channels, you have to make sure all 16 channels on the left under Identical Channels are all highlighted. Under "Channel Settings", check Channel parameters. Leave the other unchecked. (Even though you're planning to build a panel later, but we're gonna be copying the patchnames first, any extra parameters added would confuse the copying stage, so it's better not to check any of these here, but add them later after all the patchnames/banks are copied). Preset Type, check Preset References. Global Settings, check SysEx Parameters. Preset Types, check Snapshots. (Well, basically, follow the image!!)
Clicking on OK will bring you to the Device page. Again we need to go to the Patch Banks page.
In the Patch Banks editor, it should default to an Empty Bank, no sub folders, no presets. Click the Enable Edit Button. Rename the 'Empty Bank' to the same name as the other device. (In this case, "Micro Q").
Since in this particular example, the previous device has 3 sub-folder banks, for convenient sake, I usually add a similar structure (but just one sub folder instead of 3). Either using the Commands drop down or right-click on the root bank and select New Folder. Rename this to the same as in the previous device.

Next, close the editor, and then EXPORT the device by pressing the Export Device button in the Midi Device Manager.
Now you should have 2 XML files. One with all the Patch Names but no identical channel settings, one with proper settings but no patchnames defined.

XML EDITING - Part 1 - Copying Patch Names

Open the XML with a text editor.
You can do it with Notepad, but you'll have a hard time searching for strings.
Something like Ultra Edit is good for this.

We need to first copy all the patch banks / names from one XML to another.

To do that you need to highlight (in the 1st XML), from where it says <list name="Banks" type="Obj">
This is usually around Line 22, immediately after the 1st chunk of stuff.

We need to copy from here, right down to just before the last ''Off'' preset that Cubase created by default.

This could be further down, maybe a thousand lines below, or some 4000 lines below. Use the Search/Find function to locate "Off".

Highlight from <list name="Banks" type="Obj">
to the </list> just above this <list name="Presets" ... value="Off"/>

...

Do a Ctrl-C / COPY.

Then open the new device XML. Locate, again, the first <list name="Banks" type="Obj">

You can see, since we created that Bank A, but no presets, the <list name="Presets" ... value="Off"/> is immediately below that Bank A value.
So, highlight this chunk, from <list name="Banks" type="Obj"> to </obj></list>.

Then do a Ctrl-V / PASTE and paste in the stuff that we copied from the other XML file.

XML EDITING - Part 2 - Copying Channel Parameters

I'm not sure if this is needed or not.
But under this value="Off" (the last preset), comes a whole chunk of stuff that are related to Midi Channels.
Usually, this is where the device panel parameters are, and are duplicated across the remaining midi channels.

However I found that in the other XML (that we imported the patchname script), there are the lines:

where "xxxxxxxxx" is the unique ID.

These 3 lines are not present in the new script, under the channel chunk, the lines are only right at the end (with a different ID). So we need to copy this, and paste this chunk under each midi channel 2 - 15.

First, look at the XML with imported patch names, a little bit after the value="Off", you'll see value="channel 2".
A bit further down, you'll see the <list name="Bank"...item value="xxxxxxxxx"/>

Highlight and copy this.

Then, we need to paste this to the new XML. Again a bit under value="channel 2", I usually do this just before the </obj> tag.

Paste the lines here.

Now REPEAT this paste for the next midi channel, until you're done with channel 16.

A little further down, you'll find these same 3 lines, BUT with a different Unique ID.

This is because, we've been copying from the other script, that uses another ID, so we need to replace this ID with the other ID as well:

Notice in this case, we replaced the ID from from 258564328 to 258862280.

XML EDITING - Part 3 - Copying the Midi Prog Change Commands

In the new script, after the last bit we've just replaced, the script has reached the end.

However, in the other script, there's a whole chunk of stuff after this. Starting at:
<obj class="MidiStandardMessageFilter"...

This chunk of stuff are the actual midi program change (and/or bank change) commands that Cubase would send out when it's selected. So again we need this whole chunk copied and paste into our new XML.

So highlight and copy, and then goto the new XML...

...and paste them in.

Save the new XML. Hopefully, we're done.

CHECKING / Final Thoughts

After all that's done (whew!), you can now import the new XML into Midi Device Manager.

NOTE:
If you've made a mistake in the copying/pasting process above, when importing, the Midi Device Manager would just ignore the whole XML if it detects some errors and it'll do nothing. It'll just refuse to load it.
OR
It might import and list all the BANKS but no patches. (In cases where the last chunks of commands weren't copied).
In that case, you need to go back and re-check all the above steps and make sure there are no mistakes!
(More on these below).

Well, good news is this example XML imported perfectly into Midi Device Manager.

A quick check - open the device, goto the Patch Banks page and see for yourself - all the banks and patches copied over.

Now you can start building a panel with this, and the device is set to have identical channels.

NOTE:
I've encounter a few cases where there could be some error. Below are a few cases.

1. If your new XML imported OK, but the Patch Bank is empty, it means, part(s) of the copying have mistakes.

In this case you have to re-check or simply re-do the copying and see if you get it right next time or not (!)

2. If the XML imported OK, but Patch Bank only contains sub-folders but not patches, it means, probably, you've copied all the patch names / banks correctly BUT, there're errors/mistakes in the Program Change commands part.

In this case, re-check the lower part of the XML. (See XML Editing 3).

3. If the XML imported OK, there are some Banks/Sub-Folders and Patches, BUT one or two sub-folders has no patches.

In this case, it's usually that you've missed one of the Unique ID or the
<list name="Bank"...item value="xxxxxxxxx"/>.
Recheck the XML...

Well, this is not a very good workaround. But it does work.
I guess, if the original script has many items, like multiple banks, complicated program changes / bank changes, then you're likely to run into more problems.
So far I have only encountered one or two complex scripts that can't be copied this way. Most other scripts worked.
At least it's easier than retyping every single patch names by hand!

Well, until Steinberg gives us proper copying / import / merge...

C u b a s e S X M i d i D e v i c e P a n e l s S o m e T i p s / H o w T o . . .

C u b a s e S X M i d i D e v i c e P a n e l s
S o m e T i p s / H o w T o . . .