Preset Editor
Status: draft. Concrete reference content + structural placeholders; flesh out the prose + screenshots when ready.
Purpose
A visual whole-preset overview for the VL3X's 21 effect blocks, laid out as cards on one page. Each card shows the block's key parameters at a glance; expanding a card reveals a custom visual editor for blocks where shapes carry more meaning than numbers (harmony voice maps, EQ curves, reverb envelopes, delay timelines, mixer strips, comp transfer curves).
The Preset Editor is dual-mode, like VocalShaper / GuitarShaper:
- PRESET mode (blue chip) — edit a stored library preset. Edits save into your library row immediately; click Push to Device to send.
- LIVE mode (amber chip) — edit the VL3X's currently-active preset directly. Edits go to the device in RAM via SysEx, the same way VocalShaper's and GuitarShaper's LIVE modes work.
Use it when you want to see what's going on across an entire preset in one screen — without diving into the deep per-block tabbed editing that VocalShaper / GuitarShaper provide.
VL Studio difference — seeing the whole preset at once
On the VL3X, editing means pressing the Vocal or Guitar button, navigating through one effect's edit screen at a time using the Arrow buttons, and tweaking values with the Mix Knobs. To see what's going on across the whole preset you have to walk through every effect screen in sequence — and even then, you're getting numeric values on a small LCD.
The Preset Editor shows every effect block on one page with its key parameter summary. Expand any block to get a custom visual editor: a harmony voice map you can drag around, a reverb envelope you can shape, a stereo delay timeline, an EQ curve with draggable nodes, a compressor transfer curve. The device can show you a number; VL Studio shows you the shape.
Walk-through
- Open a preset — Library page → click any row's Open action. The Preset Editor opens in PRESET mode with that preset loaded.
- Left sidebar — a browsable list of your library presets, with a search box at the top for substring matching. Click any preset to switch to editing it without leaving the page. (Clicking from LIVE mode auto-switches back to PRESET mode.)
- Header — the preset's name, an editable backing-track name field, an AI description with a Regenerate action, the PRESET / LIVE mode chip, and the Push to Device button (PRESET mode) or Refresh from Device button (LIVE mode).
- Category tabs — Pitch / Tone / Time / Texture — narrow the card grid by the type of effect (see Category tabs).
- Visual Editors quick-access bar — labels for each block that has a visual editor (Harmony, Reverb, Delay, Mixer, EQ, Comp). Click a label to jump to and expand that card.
- Card grid — every effect block as a card, in a fixed canonical order (vocal blocks first, then guitar). See The cards below.
- Edit, save — click any card to expand it; drag nodes on the visual editor, or use the per-card ON / OFF chip to bypass / enable the block. Where edits go depends on the current mode.
PRESET vs LIVE mode
The mode chip in the header determines where edits go:
| Mode | Chip color | Reads from | Writes go to | Device touched? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRESET | Blue | Library row | Library row | No — push from the header's Push to Device button |
| LIVE | Amber | Device's active preset (SysEx dump) | Device's active preset (SysEx) | Yes — every edit, immediately |
Switching modes:
- PRESET → LIVE — VL Studio runs an inspect against the device's active preset and dumps its full parameter set. The card grid refreshes to reflect what's actually on the VL3X.
- LIVE → PRESET — re-inspects whichever library preset is currently selected in the sidebar.
- Clicking a sidebar preset while in LIVE mode — auto-switches back to PRESET mode so the surfaces don't blur.
LIVE-mode edits are RAM-only
LIVE-mode writes change the device's active preset in RAM. They don't persist to the device's preset slot until you long-press Store on the VL3X itself (the device's normal save flow). This matches VocalShaper / GuitarShaper LIVE semantics — experiment freely on stage, then commit if you want to keep the change.
Push to Device (PRESET mode)
A single-click action — no confirmation modal. The button:
- Sends the library row's full parameter set to the preset's device slot.
- Auto-allocates the first unused slot if the preset has no slot assigned.
- Shows a transient green toast on success (
Pushed "Name" to slot N) that auto-dismisses after 4 seconds. - Shows a red toast on error.
- Reflects any slot auto-allocation back into the local preset list immediately.
Refresh from Device (LIVE mode)
Re-runs the device dump and inspector analysis. Use this if you've made changes on the device hardware (knob turns, footswitch presses) and want the page to catch up. There's no automatic polling in LIVE mode — refresh is a manual button click.
The cards
The Preset Editor renders 21 effect block cards — one per effect block on the VL3X:
| Layer | Cards (in canonical order) |
|---|---|
| Vocal (11) | Harmony, Doubling, Reverb, Delay, HardTune, Choir, Synth, MicroMod, Transducer, Rhythmic, Stutter |
| Guitar (10) | Amp, Reverb, Delay, Compressor, Boost (Drive), Wah, MicroMod, Octaver (Shift), Rhythmic |
Card order is fixed and not user-reorderable.
What each card shows
- Effect label and target — block name on the left, emerald Vocal or amber Guitar badge on the right.
- ON / OFF chip — emerald-green when the effect is enabled, dark grey when bypassed. Click to toggle (see below).
- Amber "(estimated)" badge when the block is HIT-gated — see HIT-gated status.
- A summary of key parameters when the card is collapsed — the most important 3–5 values for that block (e.g., reverb: style + decay + level).
- A visual editor + a knob row when the card is expanded.
ON / OFF chip
Every card has an interactive ON / OFF chip next to the effect label:
- Emerald-green "ON" — the effect block is enabled.
- Dark-grey "OFF" — the block is bypassed.
Click the chip to toggle. The write target depends on mode:
| Mode | What the toggle writes |
|---|---|
| PRESET | The block's bypass parameter (e.g., Global.Voc_Harmony) on the library row. The device isn't touched until you Push. |
| LIVE | The same parameter, sent directly to the device's active preset via SysEx. Audible immediately. |
The toggle is optimistic — the chip flips on click. If the write fails, the chip reverts and an error toast appears.
Clicking the chip does not expand the card (the click is intercepted so toggling and expanding are independent actions).
HIT-gated "(estimated)" badge
When an effect block has a non-zero HitControl.X value (its on/off state is tied to the device's HIT button), the card shows an amber "(estimated)" badge next to the effect label.
Tooltip text distinguishes the three HIT-gated modes:
hit_control value | Tooltip |
|---|---|
| 1 | "HIT-gated: this block is on when HIT is OFF (verse). Audible state depends on HIT button." |
| 2 | "HIT-gated: this block is on when HIT is ON (chorus). Audible state depends on HIT button." |
| 3 | "HIT-gated (toggle): each HIT press flips this block. Audible state depends on HIT button." |
| other | "HIT-gated. Audible state depends on HIT button." |
The badge shows in both modes because HIT-gating is a property of the preset, not just the live device state. The ON/OFF chip reflects the configured bypass bit; the audible result depends on the HIT button's current state when the badge is present.
Expand and collapse
Click anywhere on a card's title bar (other than the ON/OFF chip) to expand it. Only one card is expanded at a time — clicking another card collapses the first. Clicking the same card again collapses it.
The 6 visual editors
When a card expands, a custom editor renders for the blocks where shapes communicate more than knob readouts. Six visual editors are wired into the Preset Editor:
| Editor | Used by | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Harmony Voice Map | Harmony | Drag each voice circle vertically to set its interval; drag horizontally in the stereo panel to pan; drag the level readout to set the voice's mixer level. Voices set to Off are hidden. |
| Reverb Envelope | Vocal & Guitar Reverb | Drag the envelope nodes to shape pre-delay, early reflections, decay, and tail. |
| Delay Timeline | Vocal & Guitar Delay | Drag stereo tap positions and feedback amounts on the timeline; values are tempo-synced to the master clock. |
| Mixer Strip | Harmony (combined with the Voice Map) | Per-voice level + pan strip for harmony (H1–H4) plus wet sends to the major destinations. |
| EQ Curve | Amp (Guitar Pre + Post overlay) | 3-band parametric with draggable nodes. Outer ring sets frequency (horizontal drag), inner sets gain (vertical drag). Double-click a band to reset it to flat (0 dB). |
| Comp Curve | Guitar Compressor | Read-only transfer curve (input dB → output dB) for the current Threshold / Ratio / Make-Up. Attack and Release are time-domain and not plotted. To adjust values, use GuitarShaper → Comp. |
Knob row
Below the visual editor, every card has a knob row for parameters that don't have a dedicated visual representation (modulation rates, secondary EQ values, send levels not on the strip, etc.). Drag, Shift-drag for fine, wheel for one step, double-click to reset.
Category tabs
Above the card grid, four tabs let you narrow the view by effect family:
| Tab | Cards shown |
|---|---|
| Pitch | Harmony, HardTune, Synth, Octaver — anything that affects note pitch |
| Tone | Reverb (vocal + guitar), Amp, EQ, MicroMod — character / colour blocks |
| Time | Delay (vocal + guitar), Rhythmic (vocal + guitar), Stutter — time-based effects |
| Texture | Doubling, Choir, Transducer, Comp, Boost, Wah — everything else |
Categories overlap on intent rather than mutually exclude — some blocks may sensibly fit two tabs; the tab system prioritises the most likely use case for each.
Visual Editors quick-access bar
A horizontal strip of labels above the card grid: Harmony, Reverb, Delay, EQ, Comp (the blocks that have visual editors wired). Click any label to jump straight to that card and expand it — useful when you're hunting for a specific editor in a big preset.
Backing track name
The header includes an inline-editable backing-track name field. Set this to label the track you've associated with the preset (e.g., "Verse loop 90 BPM" or a file name). This is a label only — the actual backing-track audio file is set elsewhere (per-cue on the Songs page; see Songs → Backing track).
AI description + Regenerate
If the preset has an AI-written description (from the Library's AI Describe All or via AI Chat), it appears in the header. A Regenerate button asks the AI to rewrite it. Useful after you've made significant changes and the existing description no longer fits.
Reference
How the Preset Editor differs from VocalShaper / GuitarShaper
| Surface | Scope | Visual editors | Style browser | LIVE mode | Push to Device |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preset Editor | Whole preset on one page | Yes (6 editors) | No | Yes | Yes (PRESET mode header) |
| VocalShaper | Vocal chain in tabs | Yes (full per-tab editors) | Yes (per tab) | Yes | Yes (Preset mode) |
| GuitarShaper | Guitar chain in tabs | Yes (full per-tab editors) | Yes (per tab) | Yes | Yes (Preset mode) |
Three editing surfaces, three jobs:
- Preset Editor — cross-block overview, inline visual tweaks, ON/OFF toggles, dual-mode editing.
- VocalShaper / GuitarShaper — deep per-chain editing with style browsers and per-tab fine control.
These complement, not compete — most users will reach for both depending on the task.
Card grid layout
Cards are rendered in a fixed canonical sequence — vocal blocks first (Harmony → Doubling → Reverb → Delay → HardTune → Choir → Synth → MicroMod → Transducer → Rhythmic → Stutter), then guitar blocks (Amp → Reverb → Delay → Compressor → Boost → Wah → MicroMod → Octaver → Rhythmic). The sequence isn't user-reorderable.
For signal-chain order (as the device processes the audio), use VocalShaper or GuitarShaper — their tab strips match the device's effect-block sequence.
Preset browser sidebar
The left sidebar lists every preset in your library with a substring search at the top. Click any to switch the editor to that preset without leaving the page. Searches match name. Clicking a sidebar entry while the editor is in LIVE mode auto-switches back to PRESET mode.
Edit Parameters callback
The Edit Parameters button in the header (PRESET mode only) is a hand-off action for the Library to launch a deeper editing flow.
Settings affecting the Preset Editor
No prefs currently change the Preset Editor's behaviour.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|
| Push to Device button is greyed out | No preset is loaded, or a push is already in flight. Wait for the current push to complete, or click a preset in the sidebar. |
| Push succeeded but the device sounds the same | The push wrote the parameter set but the audible result depends on the device receiving and processing it. Check the Mixer's Reconnect button if MIDI feels hung; check the Device page's effect grid to confirm the new state took. |
| LIVE mode entry fails with "Live read failed" | The VL3X isn't connected, or it didn't respond to the SysEx preset dump within the timeout. Plug in the device, click the Mixer's Reconnect button, then try the LIVE chip again. |
| LIVE-mode edits don't survive a device power-cycle | Expected. LIVE edits are RAM-only on the device — long-press Store on the VL3X to commit them to the slot. |
| ON/OFF chip doesn't flip after I click | The write to the device or library failed. An error toast appears at the top of the page; the chip reverts to its previous state automatically. |
| ON/OFF chip clicks expand the card too | The toggle should consume the click — if it isn't, refresh the page. The card-click and chip-click are intentionally separate. |
| Amber "(estimated)" badge persists after I toggle HIT | The badge reflects the preset's HIT-gated configuration (the HitControl.X value), not the live HIT button state. To remove the gating, edit the block's HIT-control value in VocalShaper / GuitarShaper and set it to 0 (not HIT-linked). |
| Cards seem to be in the wrong order | Card order is fixed by canonical sequence (vocal blocks first, then guitar). Use VocalShaper or GuitarShaper if you want signal-chain order, or the Device effect grid for the device-layout view. |
| EQ band won't grab when I drag | The drag is on the inner part of the node (gain) or outer ring (frequency). If you're missing the click target, zoom your browser or click slightly off-center. Double-click resets a band to flat (0 dB). |
| Card visual editor doesn't fill the expanded area | The Preset Editor renders editors at compact size by default — they fit in the card grid. For full-screen visual editing, use the matching tab in VocalShaper or GuitarShaper (the same editors render larger there). |
| Comp transfer curve is visible but I can't drag it | The Comp curve in the Preset Editor is read-only — it shows the curve for the current Threshold / Ratio / Make-Up but doesn't accept drags. Adjust values in GuitarShaper → Comp. |
| AI description doesn't match what the preset actually sounds like | Click Regenerate in the header to ask the AI to rewrite based on the current parameter set. The AI re-inspects the preset on every regenerate. |
| Switched to a different preset in the sidebar and my changes vanished | Edits save automatically as you make them (to the library in PRESET mode, to the device in LIVE mode). If a parameter looks wrong after a switch, switch back and verify — the value you set was persisted. |
| The "configured" label is missing on a block I edited | The label appears for blocks where parameters differ from the current style's defaults. If you edited a parameter and then re-selected the same style, the style installs its defaults and your edit is reset. |
See also
- Library — browse, push, pull, and pick which preset to open in the editor.
- VocalShaper / GuitarShaper — tab-based per-signal-chain editing with style browsers and deep per-block control.
- Device — the live MIDI surface; effect grid for at-a-glance bypass state.
- AI Chat — generate, describe, suggest, and modify presets via natural language;
set_preset_param/set_mixerwrite surgically. - Songs — for the per-cue backing-track audio file (the Preset Editor's track name field is a label only).