SYNTH ZONE FAQ

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• General Aims

  Synth Zone is an attempt to ease the search for synth resources on the Internet . If you can't find the information or resources here then please check out Harmony Central , Music Machines and Synth.Site as all have very comprehensive information and resources for midi synthesizers. And despite unavoidable overlap, each site has some very unique features that are essential to check out. Support them and make good use of them !!
  
  You may have noticed advertising now at Synth Zone. For the site to grow and become a more useful tool this has become necessary, though will be limited to page top banners. As with all info on Synth Zone, advertising will be pertinant to synthesizers and electronic music so please visit those that interest you as it supports Synth Zone as well as our sponsors. This is how Synth Zone will always remain a free service to you.
  
  Sorry to those who enjoy heavy graphic content but the intention is to provide information and resource links as efficiently as possible. Given current bandwidth that most users contend with, graphic enhancement beyond basic presentation is not appropriate. Currently page changes are quite fast even using low speed (9600-14000 ) connections. I wish to also keep individual pages to a minimum length so load times of the HTML text itself does not rise too high.

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• Content

  My intention is to concentrate on synthesizer resources such as patches & associated software, however the nature of modern synthesis requires that computer sequencing, recording and associated audio applications be given attention. I will continue to provide up to date links to both commercial & shareware/freeware software and also provide links to hardware manufacturers. The other area of coverage which will also see development in the very near future is support for effects processors and MIDI controllers, and will be providing links to editor/librarians and patches when available.
  Any suggestions for new areas will always be considered.

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• General Software

  For music software check out my Software Page which are links to commercial & shareware sites with info & demos as well as software archive pages & ftp sites. Another good place to start looking for audio or midi software (such as shareware sysex & sequencing programs) is the Mac Sound Tools Page which also has a very comprehensive PC Sound Utilitites Page. You may need some of these tools to trasmit patches you find on the Internet to your keyboard.

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• Uploading Materials

  My home provider RAIN has been kind enough to provide me with an FTP area so that I can make files available. Files can be sent to me via email, and I will make them available.To be fair about my use of system resources I must insist on a few basic rules. (yeah I know, I hate rules too but if sites like this are to survive there's got to be a little give & take).
  
  
  1. Goes without saying but I'll say it. Absolutely NO unauthorised commercial software or patches. This is not only unfair to the authors, but would also risk Synth Zones future.
     
     
  2. Please make sure that the files you wish to send are not already available on the Internet at alternate sites. A simple link to the files would be more appropriate. The exception to this would be overseas sites that continually have very poor access.
     
     
  3. Email me first before sending the files to let me know a little info about the material that you wish to send, in case it is already available or I have received it from someone else.
     
     
  4. No samples .... sorry but that would chew up much more space than I can afford to use. There are already quite a few good sample archives ( to which I provide links ) and can generally be converted between the various sample based synths. The exception to this would be particular files unavailable anywhere else, I would mount temporarily by request.
     
     
  5. Not a rule, but if possible provide authorship of the patches sent. This not only helps establish the non-commercial status of the patches/programs but also allows me to provide credit to the author with the link. Where possible provide patches/programs in sysex form so they are useable by everyone. Proprietry editor file formats are often not a lot of use to the majority of users. If shareware/freeware software is being sent ,try to provide the platform it's intended for as well as any specific configuration requirements. A brief email description or readme.doc will suffice.
     
     

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• Requests

  Generally except for some older model synths, what you see linked on Synth Zone is all there is available on the Internet at present. New models never usually have much available until they have been out for a year or two, and resources will be linked as they become available. All pages at Synth Zone are oriented towards the need of keyboardists, including the Misc Links . Otherwise feel free to contact me for assistance. I will try and reply as promptly as possible, though sometimes the volume of email make this difficult. At these times, I tend to answer those that I know I can help. But I will always try to respond to all email when possible.
  Please don't ask me how to operate particular synths, as although I've used quite a few there are many models that I provide links for, that I haven't ever used. It is always best to contact Webmasters at sites that specialize in your particular model. If you don't receive an answer from me it may be that your mail was never received by me, my response to you was bounced back to me as undeliverable or I may have inadvertently overlooked it or lost it due to system problems. Please recontact me if you this has happened to you.

DISCLAIMER : I have no commercial affiliations or interest with any of the companies referred to in my pages, with the exception of banner ads with accompanying sponsorship reference. I also accept no responsibility and make no guarantees about any software or resources found either here or via Web links. The user is responsible for protecting him/herself against any potential dangers and use resources at their own risk. All brand names and trademarks are the property of the respective owners.

Always protect yourself by backing up any important data before trying unknown software or sound dumps.