A preset of course contains all the information needed to recall a specific mix of analog and digital parameters, etc. to achieve a certain sound. The preset editor allows you to get a much higher level view of your settings than previously possible with just the unit's LCD display. You can tweak them, store them on your computer, and send them to the SGX2000.
The preset editor is opened from the main window by either selecting a stored preset file, downloading one from the unit, or by explicitly starting a new preset. You can actually open multiple independent preset windows. From within the preset window, you may save your edits to a file and/or send them directly to the unit (using the MIDI output port selected in the main window). If you started with an existing file, the filename will be shown in the save dialog window. You may keep it under the same name or save it to a new name.
You can verify the current state of analog effects by looking at the check list in the top center of the screen. The analog effects tab (on the bottom half) will contain sub pages for those which are checked on. To add an analog effect, simply check it on. It's tab page should then appear within the analog tab. You can then click it and edit it's parameters. To remove it, click it off and the tab page will disappear.
As mentioned before, digital effects can only be selected in valid combinations. You have most likely realized this if you've spent any time editing presets from the unit. You can start with an empty preset, add the phaser for example, and then notice that reverb is not available to be added as the next effect. Shucks. Well, the SGX2000 is great, but doesn't do everything. These are limitations designed into the unit by the ART engineers for whatever reasons were appropriate at the time. This editor cannot make the unit do anything that it was not designed to do.
So therein lies the reason for the two digital effects list boxes. The one on the left contains those effects which are available to be added to the current preset. The one on the right lists the selected effects. Click on the desired effect and use the arrows between the lists to move the selected effect from one to the other. You can also double-click an item to select and move it. Following our previous example, create a new preset, select the phaser, and you will notice that more than just the phaser has been removed from the available list. The digital effects are in fact restricted to a finite set of digital "groups". To make it easier to learn these and help you select from them, a list can be brought up by clicking on the group selection button below the selected list (the one with the little hand). You can click on a listed group and click OK to use that group. Note that any effects you had selected previously which are not part of the selected group are removed. The currently selected group number is always shown next to the group selection button.
The SGX2000 has 11 analog effects and 25 digital effects. Each of these has anywhere from one to nine parameters. Managing all these parameters is the main objective of this thing. Parameters have a range of values from which you can select. Most of these are shown as track bars or sliders. Click your mouse on the slider "thumb" and drag it up or down to the desired setting. The selected value is shown adjacent to the slider. Other parameters are shown in radio-button format, where all the choices are shown and you click the desired one. Note that you can always use the tab key to navigate to each parameter and then use the arrow keys to adjust the values.
The various parameters for individual effects should be familiar to you if you have spent time editing effects from the unit and/or reviewing the documentation shipped with the unit. I need not repeat those details here. Each sub-page is a little different depending on the quantity and type of parameters.
This is a complex area, worthy of a few details here. The tab page for performance MIDI data contains a list of currently defined controller effects. The SGX2000 allows up to eight parameters to be controlled via real-time controller messages such as those generated from the pedals found on the X15 foot controller. Trust me, this is a great alternative to switching between several saved variations on the same preset.
To edit an existing controller, select it (click it) in the list. The exact effect and parameter it controls will then be shown and highlighted (selected) in the adjacent list boxes. To add a controller, click on the left button above the controller list. A new controller is created with the MIDI Monitor selected by default (just like the SGX2000!). From there, you may select the specific effect and parameter you wish to control, and it's value range. To delete a controller, first select it the list. Then click on the button on the right to delete it.
When a controller is selected, the effects list will show all currently selected analog and digital effects plus the mix and MIDI monitor parameters which are always available. By clicking on an effect, it's list of parameters appears in the list box to the right. Click on a parameter to assign that parameter to the controller. To reiterate, a controller, effect, and parameter must be selected to create a valid assignment. Given this, you may then set the minimum and maximum values for the parameter. The current value for the parameter is also shown for your reference. Normally your range will contain this value. Note that as with the unit itself, the maximum value can actually be less than the minimum, giving a reversed range. This is useful for example to fade one effect out while fading another in. Try it!
Controller assignment refers to the specific MIDI controller number (not to be confused with the eight performance controllers themselves). This is essentially an arbitrary message "type" or identifier that the unit will "listen" for to identify the messages targeting the selected parameter. The MIDI Manufacturer's Association (MMA) has made some standards regarding usage of these controller numbers. This is where the default names you'll see originated. You may however edit these names to your liking directly in the controller list. Note that these settings are not part of a preset. They are saved in the Windows Registry and will be in effect for all presets. The SGX2000 and X15 by default communicate on two controllers - #04 (Foot controller) and #11 (Expression controller). You can select other controller numbers if you intend to send controller data to the unit via a sequencer or some other means. You can select the appropriate controller from the list to be assigned. The two buttons below represent the two pedals on the X15 so you may easily select the correct controller (#04 = left, #11 = right) when configuring your presets for use with the X15. You can think of the controller numbers as you would channel numbers. If a message comes in with the correct channel, then the associated parameter is adjusted accordingly within the specified range.