I think I have mentioned this before, but we NEED a better patch manager for Analog Lab. The V collection pro comes with over 12k patches, not to mention any purchased patches or custom patches. This is great, but… there is no possible way for a person to remember the various sounds. Even categorizing them into groups like basses, leads, etc. just cuts them down to a slightly less intimidating number. I have over 1500 basses alone. If I were to audition each one for 10 seconds, it would still take over 4hrs get though them all, and that is just the basses. I am positive that there are thousands of patches I simply have not heard just because I don’t have the time to just sit down and listen to them all. It is so difficult to find patches that, in most cases, it takes less time to create a new patch from scratch than it does to find an existing patch.
The ability to select favorites provides marginal help but that is highly dependent on the mood/context at the time. A patch may sound great for one song but be completely wrong for another. More likely then not, someone starting a new project will need to simply go back and re-audition patches.
I would really like something similar to XO by XLN where patches are grouped by how they sound. Users could just click around on the map to find something close to what they are looking for, then zoom in and click the neighbors to find an even better match.
I feel your pain. The abundance of patches can lead to choice paralysis. Yes, you can drill down when searching by other attributes such as Genres, Styles and Characteristics but that can still lead to a lot of patches to audition. The Similar Presets function that @LBH mentions can help finding a patch to suit your needs.
I think you should capitalise on your experience of creating patches and perhaps start to build your own library of sounds. Its fun and it can lead to surprising results.
Things like patch management is more personal, it should match with your way of working and your type of collection. It is very difficult to create one which is good for everyone. I tried to vibe code a manager for myself, it is a typical case which the AI vendors promised would be very easy, but I failed. An open API would help, connect some sort of patch assistant to it.
Though there is always room for some refinement, I feel it’s still better than Omnisphere in that department. IF we exclude the sound match function. That helps Omni a lot.
I don’t see a way to improve the patch manager. If any posters have ideas, feel free to share. As to categorizing based on sound (many sounds can be correctly categorized more than one way), I go back to Elvis Costello’s quote: “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” We all have our own interpretations, and they may be far different from the person next to you.
I have auditioned every patch in V 11 and Pigments and AstroLab. Yes, it took me time, but I found lots of useful sounds and sounds that seemed ripe for modification, plus it gave me ideas. It also gave my fingers lots of practice.
I was pretty selective, and chose my favorites. I created a “playlist” for each instrument that consists of all of the patches that I chose as a favorite, just in case the “hearts” disappear, which did happen at one time.
Now, when I’m looking for the right sound, I have far fewer to audition. It’s a lot of work and time up front, but has saved a lot of time on the other side.
But if you can create patches faster than you can find them, more power to you. Be glad you have that talent.
Hello, given the number of banks I’ve purchased, I mark the ones I like with a heart so I don’t lose track of them;
Otherwise, I jot down the names in a notebook while working on a project, but taking the time to listen to them also gives me the chance to imagine how they might be used in a riff, an accompaniment, or the beginning of a melody.
It’s also great practice for improvisation and technique without spending too much time on categorization.
Best regards.
