Mark of the Unicorn frequently updates its list of supported devices for
FreeStyle for Windows. Be sure to check our web site at
"http://www.motu.com" for the latest version of FreeStyle for Windows, which
will always contain the most up-to-date device support.

However, if you just can't wait for us to support a particular unusual or
brand new device, you can provide the support yourself if you're fairly
well-versed in MIDI and don't mind getting a little technical. In the future
we hope to provide a simple Windows application to automate this process,
but for now here are the six steps you need to take to add support for a new
device in FreeStyle:

1) Pick an abbreviated name for your device that is no more than 8
characters long (for example, "QSynth" instead of "QuadraSynth"). We will
use the name "mysynth" in the directions below.

2) Create a manufacturer folder. If your device is made by a manufacturer
that does not appear as an existing folder in "c:\windows\freemidi\defnames",
then add a folder with the name of your manufacturer to this directory. The
folder name cannot be more than 8 characters long, so abbreviate if necessary.

3) Create a file called "mysynth.dfn". This is what we call a "default
names" file. It will list the names of all the banks and patches available
on your device, along with a lot of numbers that tell FreeStyle how to
choose each patch on the device via MIDI. See the file
"c:\windows\freemidi\defnames\readme.txt" for a description of the format of a
default names file. For examples of correctly written default names files,
look at any .dfn file within a manufacturer folder in
"c:\windows\freemidi\defnames".

4) Put the "mysynth.dfn" file in the appropriate manufacturer folder within
the "c:\windows\freemidi\defnames" folder. (For example, "qsynth.dfn" appears
in the "alesis" folder.)

5) Create entries in the "defnames.map" file for your device and
manufacturer abbreviations. The defnames.map file appears in the
"c:\windows\freemidi\" directory. You need to do this step only if your 8
character device name (or a new 8 character manufacturer name) is hard to
understand. For example, you need to do it for "qsynth.dfn" so FreeStyle can
display "QuadraSynth" instead of "QSynth", but you don't need to do it for a
Roland "SC-7". Likewise, if you added a manufacturer in step 2 with an
abbreviated name, you need to add an entry for the manufacturer name in the
defnames.map file. The format of the defnames.map file is simple -- you just
add entries in the form "shortname=longer name". For example, you see
"TBS=Turtle Beach Systems" and "QSynth=QuadraSynth". Some entries are made
here just to preserve the upper and lower case spelling of manufacturer
names (like "Yamaha=Yamaha").

6) Create an entry for your new manufacturer & device combination in the
devices.ini file. The devices.ini file appears in the "c:\windows\freemidi"
directory, and it contains directions at the top that describe how to add
entries. Look at the body of the file for examples of entries for many
well-known devices.

7) Launch FreeStyle and choose "Studio Setup" from the "Setup"
menu to add a device of the new type to your studio configuration.