Description

GStation-Edit is a linux replacement for the J-Edit software from Johnson Amplification. J-Edit is an interface for the J-Station guitar / bass amp modeling and effect processing system.

The J-Station features a dozen of knobs to access the most common parameters. To get the full potential of the device, it is more convenient to use a computer based application. The application also allows saving / restoring parameters to / from files. The manufaturer ships the device with J-Edit, a Windows based application for that purpose.

Until recently, J-Edit couldn't be used properly on Wine. In 2009, I started implementing the basic functions in a Linux application. As of today, I think GStaton-Edit is feature complete (see the feature list below). I still have plans for enhancements under the hood, but they are on a low priority list. If you have ideas for new features, don't hesitate to declare an issue.

The application communicates with the J-Station over a MIDI connection, exchanging sysex and CC events. By design, sysex events are proprietary. As a consequence, most of the development effort was focused on understanding the exchanges, designing a communication framework and implementing the messages necessary for the application.

For latest versions, make sure to check the project at github. For archeology, you can check the initial project's page at sourceforge.

Screenshots

Check the screenshots at github

Features

• Search the J-Station on the available MIDI ports.
• Load user's bank programs.
• Modify parameters/program from the UI and update the J-Station.
• Modify parameters/program from the J-Station and update the UI.
• Rename a program.
• Undo or Store changes from the UI.
• Import and export a program in the same format as J-Edit.
• Import and export a programs bank in the same format as J-Edit.
• Program copy / paste.
• Update utility settings (digital output level, cabinet emulation, ...).
• Track changes with a * in the bank list.

Not supported

• Only firmware 2.0 is supported. If someone uses firmware 1.0, please contact me and we could have GStation-Edit compatible with both firmwares.

How to run GStation-Edit

Dependencies

Make sure your system includes the following dependencies: - python-2.7 (Python 3 can't be used due to the dependency on PyAlsa which is stucked to Python 2) - GTK 3.16 or higher - gobject-introspection - pygobject or python-gobject - pyalsa or python-alsa

Running from source

You can launch GStation-Edit from the download root directory (do this if you face problems as you will get log messages):

$ ./gstation-edit

Install

You can install gstation-edit in order to integrate with your DE. After the installation, there should be a "GStation-Edit" entry in the Audio and Video menu.

User install

From the dowload root directory:

$ ./setup.py install --user

System wide install

From the dowload root directory:

$ sudo ./setup.py install

Troubleshooting

Could not connect to J-Station

There are many reasons for not being able to connect to J-Station. This could range from a simple physical connection to conflicts with other MIDI devices.

Check the connection

1. Make sure the MIDI OUT link from the computer is connected to the MIDI IN port on the J-Station and vice versa.
2. Make sure the MIDI/J8 switch of the J-Station is switched to the right when looking at the back of the J-Station. The switch must be vertically aligned with the top mark next to the MIDI IN label.

Check that the MIDI interface is detected

The main window and MIDI select dialog doesn't show up

If nothing happens when you launch GStation-Edit (see how to run GStation-Edit above), you probably forgot to install a dependency. This should be explicit on the command line if you run GStation-Edit from source. If you get something not that obvious, drop me a message with the output from the command line.

The main window shows up

The MIDI ports detected by pyALSA should display In the comboboxes. If the comboboxes are empty, you probably have an issue with your MIDI interface. Drop me a message with any relevant information if you think your MIDI interface is properly installed and recognized by the OS.

If you can see the MIDI ports in the comboboxes but the connection fails when you try to auto-connect: - Disconnect any other MIDI device - Try different settings for the sysex device id. - Follow the J-Station User's Guide and change the MIDI channel (see Section 5 - Other Functions, p. 29 of the english version).

I've never been in this situation, so it is possible that GStaton-Edit is not robust to all cases. Send me a message with the details.