Is there a way to send multiple SysEx strings from VST-Live 2.0 or 3.0 to the Yamaha MONTAGE7?
In the Layer interface, there is a SYSEX window where I can enter a SysEx string — though it appears that I can only send one at a time.
My idea was to create a track that, immediately after switching to the next song, sends a specific message to the MONTAGE7 at the very beginning of that song. Ideally, this would allow me to send multiple SysEx strings in succession.
I tried it - in the Track area, I created a track using the Pencil tool (one bar in length). Double-clicking on the track opens the Editor window.
From the top menu, I selected EDIT > MIDI LIST EDITOR; however, I could not find a suitable window for entering SysEx messages.
I am certain that I am either looking in the wrong section of VST-Live or making a mistake somewhere.
Does anyone know anything about sending Sysex-messages to a hardwareinstrument from VST-Live?
Best regards
Axel
Add a MIDI track to your song and put your sysex to position 1.1.1. Every MIDI message at 1.1.1 is send as soon as the song gets activated. You can add more SysEx lines at 1.1.1
Thank you for answering,
Maybe that is the problem. I do not have any song which I could add a Miditrack to. I usually play alive and do not use any playbacktracks. So I tried to create a MIDI Track without a vehicle for it. The Miditrack is the whole activity.
Anyway - what I am searching for is an editor where it is possible to fill in the Sysex-Codes.
Here is what I did:
- I go to TRACKS
2.) … " + " - define it as a Midi Track - After selecting the Miditrack by doubleclicking I get a window on the bottom-area but no Sysex-window.
- The top menu offers a “MIDI List Editor” but even there I open a window, get a new menu (+ / - “Controllers” etc.) and change “Controllers” to “Sysex”.
- “Enter Time” - The only thing that seems to be asked for: I enter 1.1.1.0 (for an early starting point) and nothing else happens - especially no window for Sysex-Messages.
What can I do to fill in a Sysex-String at that point?
Hi Axel,
Open up the bottom window where you would normally see the MIDI Notes. Click in the bottom left section of that (where it normally says Velocity) and select SysEx. Then use the pencil tool to create an entry, double click that to enter your string.
@Spork I notice that sysex can only be added on the quarter beat and can’t be moved around - is that intentional?
Thank you - that seems to work. I will work on that.
I think you solved my problem!
Best regards and many thanks
Axel
… well, yes and no 
But we will change the behavior. It should be possible to move SysEx events.
Thank you,
Michael.
Also doesn’t appear to be a copy/paste option for sysex events unless one copies the contents of the event.
Not true. Can add on any grid. Switch snap off and add 64 messages per bar!
Little workaround (while standard copy/paste is in production) - doubleclick on message, select all, copy, draw new message wherever you want, doubleclick, paste.
Hey Arthur!
I stand corrected - was turning snap off in the wrong place.
As for copy - that’s what I meant 
Hi VST Live Team,
I went on working on what I asked here for at the startingpoint of the thread. Again I have some problems that I tried to solve using GOOGLE-AI. After facing these problems I asked the AI to summarize what we already treid to do and where we had to face these problems:
Here is the AI-based summary:
I am experiencing a severe UI issue and an endless loop in VST Live when attempting to send SysEx messages to my hardware synths (Yamaha Montage 7 / Oberheim Matrix 1000) using a dedicated MIDI track.
My project contains 30 songs. To optimize the initial project loading times (avoiding the MIDI bottleneck at startup), I wanted to move my SysEx data from the global layers into a dedicated MIDI track utilizing the “Trigger on Select” feature. However, the UI is blocking me completely from doing so.
Here is the step-by-step behavior I am encountering:
-
The Double-Click Deletion Bug:
I switch to the TRACKS view, create a new MIDI track, set the routing to my hardware synth, and use the Draw tool (pencil) to create a small MIDI clip/container at bar 1.1.1. When I switch back to the Selection tool (arrow) and double-click the clip to open the editor, the clip simply vanishes into thin air instead of opening. -
The “Enter Time” Endless Loop:
To bypass the glitchy clip behavior, I tried opening the editor via the top menu: EDIT → MIDI List Editor.
-
VST Live correctly prompts me with an “ENTER TIME” dialog box.
-
I type in
1(or1.1.1) and press Enter. -
Instead of creating the event and opening the tabular list editor, the window simply closes.
-
Clicking the track again or reopening the menu brings up the exact same “ENTER TIME” prompt, creating a soft-lock/endless loop where no event is ever actually saved or displayed.
System Specs:
-
MacBook Pro (M4 Pro Processor, 1TB SSD)
-
macOS TAHOE 26.5
-
VST Live Version: 3.0.40
Is this a known UI rendering bug between recent updates on Apple Silicon, or is there a specific trick to manually inject a SysEx event into the list editor without the software deleting the parent MIDI container?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Best regards
Axel
Update on the issue:
I did some deeper testing and maybe found the technical reason for the endless loop and the disappearing clips.
When I manage to bypass the UI loop and open the MIDI List Editor via the EDIT menu, the event type dropdown column lists the following standard MIDI commands:
- Note off, Note on, Poly Press, Controller, Pgm change, Aftertouch, Pitch bend.
“SysEx” is missing from this dropdown menu (STAUTS where normally CONTROLLER can be seen).
This might explain why VST Live gets stuck in the endless “ENTER TIME” loop or deletes the container clip upon double-clicking: The software is trying to handle a System Exclusive command in a regular MIDI channel editor where SysEx is apparently not integrated or allowed by design.
This seems to be a missing feature in the current List Editor implementation. Maybe there is a way (an update in the future) to add native SysEx support to this dropdown list, so it becomes possible to utilize the “Trigger on Select” feature for hardware sysex-dumps without relying on external file imports.
Best regards
Axel
Hello Kai-Schwirzke,
that’s not the Dropdown menu that I wrote about.
If you stay in the midi-list-editor (after creating a midi-event) please go to STATUS (beween “Length” and “Channel”. After creating the midi-event you see the line below that menu. Clicking on the word CONTROLLER (which seems to be the default for that menu) you get a second dropdown menu where you saw the word CONTROLLER before.
I hope that I understood correctly that this second dropdown-menu defines the content for that line. There are all the menu-points that I wrote about in my “Update” on the issue":
Note off, Note on, Poly Press, Controller, Pgm change, Aftertouch, Pitch bend.
The line below DATA-1 offers all known Midi-Controllers, when CONTROLLERS is shown. If you choose PGM CHANGE you get 0 - 127. It seems to be a definition for the DATA-Field.
I did not find a field yet where it is possible to fill in a Sysex-String for the midi-list-editor. However I do not rule out the possibility that I made a mistake at some point during this entiere time.
Best regards
Axel
The screenshot I attached, and attach again, shows the MIDI List Editor. Simply choose “sysex” in the upper row (you have to do it there!). Then add the event (click on “+”) and enter sysex data under “Data 1”. You can also change the start time without problems (at least that’s happening here on my Mac).
Unfortunately, you can’t change the event to sysex in the event list.
Hello Kai-Schwirzke,
First - I thank for going on with the work you do according to my problem!!
Second - I am not sure what the real problem can be. Maybe I have to change something in the preferences or anything like that.
In my Program-Versions (2.2.120 / 3.0.40) the Sysex-Parameter next under the STATUS-column is not available. I cannot tell you why. What I can tell you is what I do to get there:
-
I take a Layer from the Media-Bay where my Montage-7 is “installed” - the Sysex-Strings (one of them woudn’t be problematic…) shall be adressed to the Montage.
-
TRACKS - There I create a Miditrack, using the Mouse with the DRAW-Option.
-
At the Bottom of the window there is a Midi-Editor (with the same Mouse-Options). There I create a small Midi-Event, by using the mouse (draw-option 2nd time).
-
Now I go to the upper menu and choose the Edit-Pulldown-Menu, to activate the Midi-list-editor.
a) Upper Menu - change to SYSEX
I see two rows, in the STATUS-column I see Note on (row 1) and Note off (row 2)
b) After clicking with the left mousebutton I get a new window that shows:
Note Off
Note On
Poly Press
Controller
Pgm Change
Aftertouch
Pitch Bend
At that point I can only ask two questions.
- Where is my mistake - if I made one?
- How did you get the Sysex-Option in the STATUS-Column?
I am convinced that I am doing something wrong or maybe not the right thing but I don’t know what it is - that means, I don’t know what I can do to get the Sysex-Option there.
I will take a second post for a screenshot.
Perhaps I solved it.
I deleted everything (both rows), filled in a new line and in THAT (not those two rows that could be found after opening the Midi-List-Editor) I got the Sysex-Option.
But even at that point Sysex appears in the column but not in the menu…
The “mistake” might have been to work with the rows that already were there…
Thank you for answering!
Best regards
Axel