J-ELLO

The J-Station Editor / Loader / Librarian for OS X

J-ELLO is Mac OS X control and librarian software for the too long neglected J-Station, a guitar amp modeling and multiFX unit produced by the late Johnson Amplification.

More info can be found on the J-Station website, including short sound demos, an archived user forum, FAQs, and patch library.

J-ELLO is $10 shareware, available from Panuru Labs.

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J-ELLO vs. JEdit: Weak Sync

Just a few notes on J-ELLO's design and interface, which is quite a bit different from JEdit's...

JEdit would sync with the J on launch, after which changes either in JEdit or on the J-Station would change the patch on the other (if I remember correctly... it's been years since I've had a setup that runs JEdit properly).

J-ELLO does NO two-way syncing with the J. When a patch is selected, it sends that patch's info to the J as MIDI control changes instead of sysex. Basically, it's the same as editing from the J's front panel or deep level editor. The patch number on the J stays the same, but its parameters are overridden (but not SAVED unless you hit the Store button twice... just like regular edits).

The upside to this is that the 30-patch limit of the J becomes meaningless within J-ELLO. You can have a "set" ("folders" of patches in J-ELLO) of hundreds of patches and hear any in seconds by selecting it... no sync required.

J-ELLO only overwrites information on the J from the "J-Station->Upload..." menu. This gives you the option of either uploading the currently selected set (the first thirty patches the set contains), or the currently selected patch to any patch location on the J.

J-ELLO Notes: Bronze Letters / Selective Memory

There are a few controls whose labels and values are colored bronze. These settings can be set, saved, and transmitted from J-ELLO, but they aren't saved to patches on the J-Station or exported to sysex.

BPM
This one is just for convenience. Punch in a tempo, select the note value from the pop-up menu, and the milliseconds is automatically calculated. BPM isn't saved on the J, nor does it sync to MIDI tempo.

S/PDIF Out
Disabled by default, this control can be enabled in preferences. Unlike the other bronze controls, this value *is* saved to the J, but the setting is global and not per-patch. Still, it gets to be bronze to show it's different from the other children.

(Wah) Sweep
Know how to set sweep in the J's deep level editing mode? Hint: Johnson Amplification Catalog part#BRM00157: J-Station broom attachment. It's a trick question! There's no broom accessory for the J, nor is there a way to set wah sweep other than an external MIDI signal. Just as well, since the J won't save sweep to a patch, either.

In addition to the above, the v2.0 amplifier and cabinet models are "bronzed out" if you have v1.x firmware mode selected in preferences.

I should probably explain a bit about v1.x firmware mode. As hinted in preferences, v2 amp and cabinet models can be selected, but "other" models are sent in their stead. To be more precise:

ampType - 19:18::20:7::21:11::22:16::23:10::24:2
cabinetType - 12:1::13:11::14:2::15:7::16:9::17:7::18:8

I hope that clears things up.

(But seriously, I'll answer any and all questions anyone has... just ask, or post a comment below!)