NS3 Synth Presets and Program loading

[Hlaalu]

This could be a silly question, but I'm finding myself wondering as following:

If a Program contains a Synth Preset, the name of the Synth Preset is stored as part of the information contained in the Program. Now the NS3 doesn't just save the Preset as a name and then "points" to it in the Synth Presets memory, but rather it saves the actual values of the Synth parameters as they are, so that if they are moved to another Stage 3 which doesn't physically have that particular Preset, the Synth sound is still the same. In this case, no Synth Preset name is shown, instead the waveform is. So far all good.

But what would happen if I move such Program into a Stage 3 that happens to have a Synth Preset with an identical name, but different parameters? So, suppose my NS3 Synth has a Preset called ABC, and my friend's has also a Preset called ABC but completely different in sound, and they are part of two different Programs. If I handle my Program to my friend, what will his NS3 do with that Preset? I guess the sound would be mine, as the single paramters are read, but wouldn't the fact that indeed his board does have a Preset with an identical name make it appear on the display? My friend would then be deceptively thinking he's using his own Preset ABC when in fact it would be my ABC's sound.

Any thougths?

[Hlaalu]

Re-thinking about it, it would probably show the "E" indicating the Preset has been edited for that Program.

It was sort of a silly question indeed.

[FZiegler]

Not silly, I think. But no clue what the answer is.

[ericL]

I have not tested this with the Synth Presets, but this is how it works with Programs and Songs, so I'd guess Nord applies a similar logic across the rest of the machine. If I create Programs or Songs with the exact same names, the NS3 will add a number beside the second one and so forth. For example, I like to have all my Songs initially set up the same as a "prefilled template" in which I place five Program pointers to my most used sounds (piano, organ, CP80, synth, etc.) and then I simply copy those across many empty Songs, using the same name...each subsequent save gives an incremented number. This is how Nord solves for duplicate names. I bet it works that way for Synth presets as well?

[Hlaalu]

The thing is that in the scenario I was depicting there is no "transfer" or Presets whatsoever. A preset transfer with identical names would indeed yield the outcome you describe. But my doubt was rather what happens to synth presets as part of a Program transfer, as described in the first post. There is no way I can test this myself unfortunately, because by definition I can't have two different Presets with the same name on the NS3.

[FZiegler]

Hlaalu,

I thought it would be simple. I'm just not so much into synth sounds that I need to know it.

What about:
- Setting up a preset;
- saving it (or save a program where it is included);
- change that preset on your instrument;
- download the original file;
- see what happens.

Something wrong with this attempt?

[maxpiano]

The thing is that in the scenario I was depicting there is no "transfer" or Presets whatsoever. A preset transfer with identical names would indeed yield the outcome you describe. But my doubt was rather what happens to synth presets as part of a Program transfer, as described in the first post. There is no way I can test this myself unfortunately, because by definition I can't have two different Presets with the same name on the NS3.

Uhm.. you can test that maybe, if you:

1. save the Program with a given Synth Preset on your computer using Nord Sound Manager
2. remove that Program from NS3 but not the Synth Preset
3. modify that Synth Preset (enough to hear the difference and to put yourself in the "condition of your friend")
4. reload the Program from NSM

EDIT: I see Fziegler just suggested the same while I was writing

[Hlaalu]

Indeed that could be the way to test it. I must have been too caught up into the thoughts spiral to figure that out. I'll try out soon and report back!

[anotherscott]

You said,

"the NS3 doesn't just save the Preset as a name and then 'points' to it in the Synth Presets memory, but rather it saves the actual values of the Synth parameters"

and you also said if the Programs is moved to another NS3 that doesn't have have the Preset,

"the Synth sound is still the same. In this case, no Synth Preset name is shown, instead the waveform is."

That would seem to answer the question. I mean, it sounds like when you move it to another NS3 where preset ABC does not exist, it does not *create* a preset ABC, it just generates the sound based on the saved parameters that happen to have been ABC on the originating Nord, right? (Otherwise it would be able to show a synth preset name, not just a waveform.) So then, if it does not *create* a synth preset ABC on the second Nord, where would any naming conflict come from in the first place?

[FZiegler]

I understood the 2 cases in a different way:
a) copy a program with synth preset onto an instrument that doesn't have the preset - what happens?
b) copy a program with synth preset onto an instrument that has a preset with the same name - what then?