Frequently Asked Questions

The following suggestions are offered if you experience problems downloading or using files from my pages. As other problems are identified, I will update this page.

Problem 1: Contents of MIDI file displayed by browser during download.

Problem 2: Downloaded patch banks won't load into Proteus unit.

Problem 3: Patch bank won't transfer to Proteus unit.

Problem 4: Patch bank doesn't sound or is incomplete.

Problem 5: Patches in bank sound the same or not as its name implies.

Problem 6: Distorted sounds or Proteus unit lockup (Proteus Initialization Procedure).

Problem 7: Other things to check.

Problem 8: How do I setup my Proteus to play GM midi files?

Problem 9: Will Proteus/1 and Proteus/2 presets work on other Emu Proteus sound modules?

Problem 1: Your web browser attempts to display the contents of a .WRK or .SYX, file on your monitor screen after you click on its name to download it. You then use the "save as" function in your browser to save the file only to find later that the file is corrupted when you use it with your midi setup.

Answer: Your web browser is not configured to properly handle these file types. Make changes in your web browser for .SYX and .WRK file types. Netscape has a "Helpers" tab for doing this under the "Options -> General Preferences" menu item. Define the .SYX and .WRK file types and specify the "Save To Disk" action for each.

Alternative: If you don't want to change your Netscape configurations, select the .WRK or .SYX file using the -right- mouse button. For single button mouse users, click and hold the mouse button down to popup a menu. This will give you the opportunity to "Save link as ..." and direct the links output to a disk file. Important! Make sure the "Save link as ..." format selection is set to "Source".

Problem 2: You download the .SYX files OK but you are unable to load the patch files into your Proteus unit. Your computer software can't handle a .SYX file.

Answer: Check the links on my page for a standalone Sysex dump utility program.

Problem 3: You are not able to transfer the patch bank to your Proteus. The MIDI indicator illuminates during the actual transfer. When the transfer completes, the Proteus still contains the previous patches in locations 64 through 127.

Answer: Check the Unit ID setting on your Proteus unit. The unit ID is located by pressing the Proteus front panel Master button and scrolling with the Data knob. All patch banks on my page were saved using ID setting 00. Your Proteus must be set to ID 00 to load the patch banks. If you normally use a different unit ID in your setup, resave the patch bank using your ID setting.

Problem 4: You are able to transfer individual patches (256 bytes) from your computer to your Proteus. When you transfer a full patch bank (16k bytes), some or all of the patches don't work or sound incomplete.

Answer: Your computer based sequencer program may be sending the the Sysex data too fast for the Proteus sound module. This generally results in parts of the Sysex data being lost. Check your sequencer software configuration settings for the ability to "slow down" the transmission of Sysex data. Cakewalk, for example, allows for the insertion of a delay both between sysex bytes and/or after a specified number of bytes have been sent. Check in your sequencer program documentation.

Problem 5: You are able to transfer full patch banks (16k bytes) from your computer to your Proteus ok. Some of the patches don't sound like their name would imply or multiple patches sound the same.

Answer: Make sure that the patch bank is the correct one for your Proteus unit. A Proteus/2 patch bank will appear to load correctly but will not function properly on a Proteus/1. The Primary and Secondary waves specified in a patch must be available on your Proteus unit.

Problem 6: Your Proteus unit produces unexpected distortions after loading .SYX file patches. Powering off/on the unit does not correct the problem. Attempts to reload factory patches does not correct the problem.

Answer: Most probably, a .SYX file became corrupted during download or transfer to your Proteus unit. While this is rare, it has happened to me a few times. The corrupted sysex data "scrambles" the Proteus NVRAM such that the internal processor can not properly function. A Diagnostic Mode Initialize may be the only way to correct this condition.

Proteus Initialization Procedure:: WARNING! The following will reset ALL user configurable settings and user patches to factory default values.; 1. Power off the Proteus unit.; 2. While pressing and holding down the "Master" and "Edit" buttons on the Proteus, power on the unit.; 3. The Proteus unit powers up and displays "DIAGNOSTICS".; 4. Scroll through the diagnostic menu to the item "Initialize".; 5. Press the "Enter" button to select the initialize function.; 6. Press "Enter" again to perform the initialization.; 7. When completed, power off/on the Proteus unit.

Problem 7: Still not working. What else can I check?

Answer: All of the patch banks on my page use .syx for the file type. If your bulk sysex program requires a different file type, you can safely rename the file type as appropriate. The patch bank contents are in Proteus binary format and the file name/type is not used.

If you can load the patch bank into the program, then the problem is related to the midi side. When you send the the patch bank, does the MIDI activity indicator on the Proteus light? If not, then the bulk sysex program isn't using your midi interface properly. I would check the program configuration settings for the midi port address and other parameters. Also check the midi cable connections. Midi out from computer to midi in on Proteus.

If the Proteus MIDI activity indicator does light, then the patch bank data is being sent out onto the midi cable and the problem is on the Proteus end. Double check the Proteus unit ID is set to 00. Isolate the computer midi interface and Proteus on the midi cable in question.

Problem 8: How do I setup my Proteus to play GM midi files?

Answer: The stock Proteus/1, Proteus/2, and their XR versions pre-date the GM standard and do not contain all of the necessary instruments in the sound ROM's to support the standard. At one time, a "Proto Logic" upgrade was available that could add additional sound ROM's to the Proteus/1 to permit a close approximation of the GM standard. It involved creating some user presets and then using the Proteus preset map to reassign patch locations 0 through 127. Unfortunately, this upgrade is no longer manufactured.

As an alternative, the Creative Labs Sound Blaster "Live!" and "Audigy" are based upon the Proteus chip sets and provides a GM standard patch set. They also support a large selection of patch sets (SoundFonts) for additional sounds. See the SoundFont Catalog. SoundFonts are created from E-mu Emulator sampled sound libraries (like the Proteus). There's even a money back guarantee.

Problem 9: Will Proteus/1 and Proteus/2 presets work on other Emu Proteus sound modules?

Answer: You can load Proteus/1 and Proteus/2 presets into other Emu Proteus sound modules. Whether they will sound as intended depends on the fundamental sound entries contained in your Proteus wave table ROMs.

Each preset in the Proteus unit can be composed of up to 2 fundamental sounds; the primary and secondary. You can view these settings for a particular preset by pressing the "Edit" button on your Proteus and turning the "Data" knob to display the 'INSTRUMENT pri' and 'INSTRUMENT sec' settings. Your Proteus manual lists all of the fundamental sounds contained in your units sound ROMs. Lacking a manual, you can view the fundamental sound names using the Proteus front panel and the following procedure.

1. Press the "Edit" button on the front panel.

2. Rotate the "Data" knob to display 'INSTRUMENT pri'.

3. Press the "Cursor" button to move cursor to the lower display line.

4. Rotate the "Data" knob to display sound wave number/names in your unit.

5. Press the "Edit" button to exit edit mode.

If your Proteus unit contains both of the fundamental sounds required by a particular preset, then the preset will sound correctly when loaded on your unit. If only one fundamental sound is present, then only the contribution that the fundamental makes to the overall preset will be heard. If neither fundamental sound is present, then you'll hear the sounds of silence.

The Proteus units have a number of fundamental sounds in common with each other; especially the wave forms and overtone series. The newer units have some of the better fundamentals from the older units.

Experimenting could yield some unexpected and unique sounds. Who knows what you might get if you cross a woodwind preset with a bagpipe!

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