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SysEx Librarian

Download Version 1.5.2

SysEx Librarian is an app to let your Mac communicate with MIDI devices using System Exclusive messages, also known as SysEx. The most common use is to backup patch data from synthesizers, although there are others (such as sending firmware updates).

It's easy to keep a library of the SysEx files you use most often, and to record new SysEx files.

SysEx Librarian is free to download and use. The source code is available as Open Source, under the BSD license.

System Requirements

Documentation

News

1.5.2
21 October 2023

  • Now requires macOS 10.14.6 or later. If you're using 10.13, use version 1.5.1 instead.
  • Fixed a hang at launch when the library contained files on an unmounted network volume.

1.5.1
29 December 2022

  • Now requires macOS 10.13 or later. If you're using 10.11 or 10.12, use version 1.5 instead.
  • Fixed the "Listen for program changes" feature, which simply didn't work.
  • Updated SysEx manufacturer names.

1.5
18 December 2021

  • Now requires macOS 10.11 or later. If you're using an older version of macOS, use version 1.4.1 instead.
  • Modernized the code. Rewrote the app in Swift, and upgraded to newer APIs. This will improve reliability, and will make it easier to add new features. I want to keep SysEx Librarian working for another twenty years!
  • The app is now distributed as a disk image. This works better with macOS’s current security systems, and makes it easier to install the app by dragging to the Applications folder.
  • SysEx data is now displayed using a view supplied by HexFiend, rather than plain text. It looks much nicer, and lets you copy the data as either hex bytes or text, not both mixed together.
  • Fixed a bug on Macs with Apple Silicon (aka M1 or ARM) processors: when many MIDI messages were received at the same time, recorded sysex data might be corrupted. (I received no reports of this bug from any users in the wild, so it was probably unlikely to encounter it in practice.)
  • Shows the full name of MIDI devices and ports, better matching other apps.
  • Updated SysEx manufacturer names.
  • Updated the app icon. Aqua-style bubbles are out, flat design is in.
  • Other small bug fixes.

1.4.1
8 November 2020

  • Updated to support macOS 11.0 "Big Sur" and Apple Silicon Macs.

1.4
22 September 2018

  • Updated for macOS 10.14 Mojave, including Dark Mode.
  • Now requires macOS 10.9 or later. If you're using an older version of macOS, use version 1.3.1 instead.
  • Bug fixes:
    • Allow setting the buffer size for sending sysex. Some MIDI interfaces may work better with a smaller buffer size.
    • Added menu items and key equivalents to play and record. Press space to play, r to record, R to record all.
    • At startup, if sysex files can't be found, don't ask the user to find every single one.
    • Updated MIDI manufacturer names and IDs.
    • Show program changes as 1-128 or 0-127 depending on a preference.
    • Increased the maximum interval between sent messages up to 5 seconds.
    • Improved error handling at launch when the library directory doesn’t exist or isn’t writable.

1.3.1
20 August 2014

  • Modernized UI slightly: lists now fill the whole window.
  • Fixed behavior of split view in sysex details.
  • Now requires Mac OS X 10.7 or later. If you're using an older system, use version 1.3.
  • Updated app signature so it launches without warning on Mac OS X 10.9.5.

1.3
3 September 2012

  • Picked a better font for the long data views.
  • Added automatic updating via Sparkle.
  • Built for 32- and 64-bit.
  • No longer works on PowerPC or 10.3 or 10.4, sorry. If necessary, get version 1.2.3, which does.
  • If the SysEx Librarian directory can't be created, the error message is now more informative.

1.2.3
5 November 2011

  • Updated the list of manufacturer IDs.

1.2.2
28 September 2009

  • SysEx Librarian can now listen for MIDI program changes from other applications, and will react by sending sysex files. This feature is intended for use with MainStage, but may be useful in other situations too. Thanks to Robert Chin for the code.
  • Updated the list of manufacturer IDs.
  • Fixed a race condition in incoming MIDI processing, which could lead to a crash.

1.2.1
18 August 2009

  • Fixed a bug: in the Destination menu, some one-port MIDI interfaces did not have names.

1.2
9 September 2008

  • Show progress when sending sysex via "Act as a source for other programs". to avoid confusion. (It happens instantaneously, but without feedback, it wasn't clear that anything was happening.)
  • Spin progress indicators while waiting for incoming sysex, so it doesn't look like the app is stuck.
  • Simplified some threading code, which makes the app more stable, especially as MIDI devices are added and removed.
  • Updated the source code to work with Xcode 3.1.
  • Now requires OS X 10.3.9 or later. If you're still on 10.2, use the old version, 1.1.

1.1
10 September 2006

  • SysEx Librarian is now a Universal application. It is 100% native on Intel and PowerPC.
  • The source code is now available.
  • You can now change the sysex transmission speed, on a per-device or per-port basis. A few older MIDI devices may need the speed to be turned down to work consistently.
  • Added a "save as .syx" feature, just like the existing "save as standard MIDI file". Now you can convert .mid to .syx!
  • We now show checksums at the bottom of the sysex data in the details window, to make it easier to check if two sysex dumps are the same or different.
  • Rewrote some code to remove dependencies on the Omni frameworks. This makes it easier for me to distribute the code, and easier for others to build the code. It also makes the application slightly smaller.
    • The downside: SysEx Librarian now requires Mac OS X 10.2 or later. I don't think this will be a hardship since most MIDI drivers and applications are now built for 10.2. If you need a version which runs on 10.1, download it here.
  • Fixed an undo problem: undo looked enabled but did nothing.