Midi Quest 9 & XL Highlights

Welcome to Midi Quest 9 , the most advanced editor/librarian available for Windows XP, 2000, NT, ME, and 98. This new version of Midi Quest now supports over 600 instruments from 60 manufacturers, includes over 70,000 patches and features the most advanced SysX editing and organizational tools found anywhere.

This page just covers the highlights of the new version. If you would like to see comprehensive list of the features that have been added to all versions of Midi Quest, click on Midi Quest 9. Click on Midi Quest XL for list of features unique to this new, professional version of Midi Quest.

Once again we would like to thank existing Midi Quest users for there suggestions for Midi Quest 9. Most of the requested features have been integrated into this new version.

The New Look

Midi Quest 9, Midi Quest XL, and UniQuest all share a new look. Virtually every window in Midi Quest has been redesigned and enhanced with a new and improved interface.

The Studio Window features a high quality graphic of each installed MIDI device. Mini-buttons are available to quickly load data from the instrument or disk and  to adjust instrument settings. The new AutoSense function allows Midi Quest 9 to automatically determine the appropriate MIDI port and channel settings for most instruments. Installation of new instruments is a breeze and is handled directly from the Studio Window. You can even connect to Sound Quest's web site, check if there are any new or updated instruments then download and install them directly into the Studio. Nothing could be easier!

The Bank Window features a new logical group of patches that matches the MIDI device's patch organization. Accessing any part of the bank is easy with the Smart Tabs so you don't have to waste time scrolling around looking for a particular patch number. Hierarchical patch editing is now 50% faster than in Midi Quest 8 and the new Find option allows you to quickly find patches by full or partial name.

The heart of Midi Quest, the Editor Windows have received the greatest enhancements. A completely new editor engine was developed from the ground up. It list of new features is too long to list here so we will just list some of the highlights: a redesign of every existing Midi Quest editor with popup expanded parameter names and help, a single "smart controller" can be used to edit all patch parameters, intellimouse mouse wheel support  improved popup menus combined with AutoActivate allows you to edit any parameter without a single mouse click, full keyboard editing control,  instantaneous screen draws, 50% faster editor load times, rotary editing for knobs, and finally complete integration of Tech Quest into the Editor Window so that Editors can be developed and modified from within Midi Quest. This is just a small sampling of the new features. For a more complete list, check out the Midi Quest 9 New Features page.

The Set Window (formerly the Group Window) now supports multiple instruments in a structured "tree" environment. This extremely effective environment allows you to easily store and the data from every one of your instruments in a single window. The expandable "tree" environment allows you to quickly and easily access to the data from any instrument.

Expanded name support for Sonar and Cubase

Midi Quest 9 is now capable of exporting a complete instrument description to Sonar's Instrument Name definition file. Instead of saving a bank of names at a time, Midi Quest 9 can now simultaneously save all of the banks of names in a correctly structured instrument definition that links the names to the correct Bank Select numbers.

Midi Quest 9 also includes support for Cubase's Patch Name script files and, similar to Sonar, can create a complete instrument definition including all banks for use with Steinberg's sequencers.

Midi Quest XL - the new Professional Version of Midi Quest

Midi Quest XL is the new professional version of Midi Quest. This version pushes the limits of Universal Editor/Librarians by offering an extensive collection of unique features.

The Midi Quest VST Plug-in allows you to run Midi Quest XL within any application that supports the VST 2.0 plug-in format such as Cubase and Nuendo,. This lets you use Midi Quest to integrate your hardware instruments into your sequencer. The VST plug-in allows you to perform all of the regular editing that you would do in Midi Quest as well as automate the transmission of SysX to your instruments at the appropriate times within a sequence. It also supports VST parameter automation so you can actually record and playback individual parameter edits for all of your instruments (new to XL).

Midi Quest XL - Patch Name Document Support

Midi Quest XL gives you the ability to create the new standardized MMA (MIDI Manufacturers Association) XML Patch Name Document files developed by Apple. Midi Quest XL is currently the only application to support this new file format currently used by DigiDesign's ProTools application. This format will soon become the new standard for sequencers to access and display instrument patch names.

If you are currently using ProTools you can set up Midi Quest on a PC to create the Patch Name description documents for use on your Macintosh.

Midi Quest XL Serves Up Names

So, how do you keep your sequencer in sync with the patches currently loaded in your MIDI instrument? The answer is Midi Quest XL's Name Servers.

In Midi Quest XL there are three Name Servers, one for Cakewalk's MASTER.INS file, one for Cubase Patch Name Scripts, and one for XML Name Documents. 

What is a Name Server? A Name server provides an automated way to keep all of your Patch Name files up to date automatically so you don't have to manually update the Patch names in your sequencer every time you send a new bank out to an instrument. All you have to do is set up the Name Server and you can forget about it.

How does it work? You tell the Name Server where the files are that your sequencer uses to provide patch names. Once Midi Quest XL knows this,  every time you send SysX data out to the instrument Midi Quest automatically updates the appropriate files. Its easy and your sequencer will stay in sync with your instrument

Additional Links

This was just an overview of the new features available in Midi Quest 9. For a comprehensive listing of all of the new features you can follow these links...

To order a Midi Quest 9 and Midi Quest XL upgrade, click here
To order a new copy of Midi Quest 9 and Midi Quest XL, click here
For more information on Midi Quest 9, click here
For more information on Midi Quest XL, click here
For Midi Quest's Instrument Support List, click here