Contents

SysEx Console

SysEx (System Exclusive) messages are the special MIDI commands that set up a synth's reverb, chorus, drum kits, channel parameters, and a good deal more. They usually fly past unseen. The SysEx Console catches them live and translates them into plain English, so you can actually read what a file is telling your synth to do.

Open it with ⌘3 (Display → SysEx Monitor).

What it shows#

The SysEx Console window, listing decoded SysEx messages in plain English (such as GS Reset, Master Volume, and reverb, chorus and delay parameter changes) with timestamps, an Auto-scroll toggle and Save and Clear buttons, and a detail panel below breaking one message into its manufacturer, model, address, checksum and colour-coded raw bytes.

The window has two parts: a scrolling list of messages at the top, and a detail panel below that expands whichever message you select. The list has no column headings, but each row packs several pieces of information into a fixed layout. Here is how to read one.

PXR decodes Roland GS, Yamaha XG, universal, and many other messages into named parameters with sensible units, so there is no need to squint at raw hex.

Reading a message row#

From left to right, a decoded message shows:

Direction arrow. An up arrow (pink) is a message going out from PXR to your synth. A down arrow (cyan) is one coming in from a connected device.
A coloured icon and dot. These tell you at a glance what kind of setting the message changes. The colour is the quickest cue (see the table below).
The message name. The plain-English decode, for example "GS Reset", "Master Volume" or "Reverb Send Level to Chorus".
Playback time. How far into the current track the message was sent, in seconds (for example 1.234s).
Byte count. How long the message is, in bytes (for example 11B).
A faint hex preview on the line beneath, showing the start of the raw message.

What the colours mean#

The icon and dot are tinted by the kind of message, so you can scan the log by colour:

Colour	Kind of message
Red	Reset (such as GS Reset)
Grey	System (master volume, tuning, pan)
Purple	Effect (reverb, chorus, delay and insertion effects)
Green	Voice or tone selection
Orange	Drum kit settings
Teal	Part settings (per-channel parameters)
Cyan	Display (text sent to the synth's screen)
Pink	PLG expansion board messages
Blue	Universal (General MIDI On and similar)
Brown	Bulk dump (a full setup sent in one block)
Faded grey	Unknown, or not yet decoded

Other kinds of row#

Not every row is a decoded message. You will also see:

Track separators, a faded purple line with a music note and the file name, marking where each new file's messages begin.
Voice fallback rows, flagged with a yellow warning triangle, for a message PXR could identify only partially, shown with its raw bytes alongside.
Connection events, marked with a blue cable icon, when a device connects or disconnects.

The detail panel#

Select any message and the panel below breaks it right down. Depending on the message, you may see:

A heading naming the manufacturer, model and section, with the specific parameter beneath it.
Value, the raw number and its readable meaning (for example 08 → 8), together with its Range, Default and a short Description where PXR knows them.
Manufacturer, Model, Device, Section, Part and Address, identifying exactly what the message targets.
Checksum, tagged Valid or Invalid, so you can spot a corrupt message.
Direction, Date/Time and the Playback position.
Raw bytes, colour-coded so you can match each part of the message to its meaning, with a legend underneath:

Colour	Byte region
Grey	`F0` / `F7`, the start and end markers
Green	Manufacturer
Yellow	Device number
Purple	Model
Cyan	Address
White	Data

Everything in the detail panel can be selected and copied.

Helpful features#

Track separators mark where each new file's messages begin, so you can tell which file sent what.
Auto-scroll keeps the newest message in view.
A resizable detail panel so you can make the decode area larger.
You can clear the log or save it to a file.