For a black box no larger than your hand, Forefront Technology's Patch Commander has a surprising range of applications. But what the hell is it?

IT'S NOT A lot to look at, I'll grant you, but then how should a Patch Commander look? I suppose the first thing to establish is exactly what a Patch Commander is. According to Forefront Technology, it's "a compact, handheld, battery-powered unit intended for use as a general-purpose MIDI controller." Well, it's certainly in keeping with the external features of the FT3 Patch Commander Plus: a hand-sized black box with a ten-digit (plus asterisk and hash keys) keypad and red LED on the font panel; MIDI In and Out, mini jack socket and on/off switch on the rear. The next thing to ascertain is what a Patch Commander should do...

The obvious purpose of such a unit would be to allow you to change patches via MIDI from a hand-held remote controller. This the FT3 appears to be ideally suited to as it takes the form of a hand-sized black box with a ten-digit (plus asterisk and hash keys) keypad and red LED on its front panel, and MIDI In and Out, mini jack socket and on/off switch on the rear. But remote patch changing is only one of the FT3s nine operating modes. In addition to Patch Commander mode (Mode 0), the FT3 has System Filters (Mode 1), Channel Filters (Mode 2), Pre-defined Messages (Mode 3), a Beats per Minute Generator (Mode 4), a Cable Check (Mode 5), Input Activity Check (Mode 6), Channel Activity Check (Mode 7) and Panic! mode (Mode 8). One final function is available from Mode Select mode, and that is a Cancel, which returns you to the last Mode should you make a mistake or become lost in a long series of key presses. Perhaps a Patch Commander should have an LCD to help you navigate your way around its features.

IN COMMAND

BEGINNING WITH PATCH Commander mode, the FT3 allows you to transmit a patch number (0-128) on any or all of MIDI's 16 channels. Channel selection is achieved by pressing the asterisk key followed by the required channel number (channel 00 acting as Omni mode). This use of the non-numerical keys on the keypad is typical of the FT3's operation. Patch Commander mode also has eight memories which will store not only a patch change number but also the MIDI channel on which it was transmitted - useful. These memories are accessed by pressing the asterisk key and a memory number (keys 2-9) following the selection of a channel and patch number. To recall the required memory you simply press the key representing the required patch; as the FT3 requires that you enter patch numbers in three-digit form (to select patch 64 press 064), keys two to nine do not require the non-numerical keys to qualify their use.

Changing mode is achieved by pressing both the non-numerical keys followed by the required mode number. So by pressing the asterisk and hash simultaneously followed by the number one, we can enter mode one: System Filters. To use both the system and channel filters, the FT3 has to be connected in the MIDI chain so that it can process the information passing through it. The unit's MIDI Out, therefore, is actually operating as a MIDI Thru in this context.

Once in System Filters mode, pressing the hash key followed by zero sets all the FT3's eight filters on. Alternatively, they can be toggled on and off using keys 1 to 8. Specifically the filters are as follows; Clock Start/Stop/Continue, Active Sensing, System Reset, Tune Request, Timecode (MTC), Song Select, Song Position and SysEx. Running status information can also be removed from the datastream using key 9.

As System Filters mode enables you to remove system information from a MIDI signal, Channel Filters mode allows you to remove channel-specific information. Again there's a global enable/disable control in key 0, but keys 1 to 7 specifically filter Note On/Off, Channel Aftertouch, Poly Aftertouch, Program Change, Pitchbend, Control Change and All Notes Off.

Moving on to Mode 4, we find one of the FT3's particular talents. From this mode it's possible to transmit a variety of useful messages: All Notes Off, Start, Stop, Continue, Portamento On/Off, Modulation On/Off, Omni Mode On/Off, Poly Mode/Mono Mode, Local Control On/Off and Reset Controllers. Meanwhile, Mode 4 is a MIDI clock generator. In this mode, the FT3 will generate MIDI clock at any tempo (in whole bpm increments) between 39 and 255 beats per minute. Once the tempo is set, MIDI Start and Stop commands can be sent using the asterisk.

There are three different cable checking routines to be found in the FT3s Cable Check mode: Single Cable Check, MIDI Chain Check and MIDI System Check. A cable (or system) is connected to both the unit's sockets and MIDI Note On/Off messages are sent through it on each MIDI channel in turn. If the cable is good, then the red LED stays lit constantly. A flashing LED indicates corrupted information and therefore a fault in one of the leads or connections. The system check differs in that the FT3 times the delay between transmission and receipt of the messages (if the delay is short no note is heard from any connected instrument). Leaving the return connection (MIDI In) unmade allows the unit to sound the note (middle C) for a period of time followed by a one-second pause before moving to the next channel.

Input Activity (Mode 6) and Channel Activity (Mode 7) perform in a similar manner to the system and channel filters - the first is not channel specific, the second is. In each case, the FT3 provides a visual indication of MIDI activity through its LED.

The final mode of operation of the Patch Commander is Panic!. Simply - but very usefully - this mode sends out a MIDI Note off message for every note on every channel in turn. The whole process takes about four seconds, and in certain circumstances they will be four seconds well spent.

IN THE FIELD

LOOKING AT THE Patch Commander simply as a device for transmitting patch changes to your gear, it performs flawlessly. Specific applications will probably be as varied as the number of people who buy one, but I could see it being particularly useful in a live situation were you may need to make quick changes to gear that's out of reach - the programmable channel and patch combinations would be invaluable in this context.

"It's quite possible that you'll buy a Patch Commander to do one job and find it doing something completely different in the future."

Another function that's well suited to live performance is the program increment facility. The rear panel jack (which you thought I'd forgotten, right?) is for connection of a footswitch. The footswitch can be used to increment the currently selected patch, and will wrap around to patch 1 from patch 128. While the required footswitch doesn't come supplied with the FT3, an adaptor cable allowing you to connect a footswitch with a standard quarter-inch jack does. Good move, Forefront.

Moving out of Patch Commander mode and into bpm Generator mode, I connected the FT3 to an Atari running C-Lab's Creator. Putting Creator into MIDI sync mode (where it syncs to incoming MIDI clock), it was happy to be driven by the Patch Commander across the full range of its specified tempo range. Checking the bpm that Creator thought it was running at, however, suggested that its interpretation of 120bpm (say) was slightly faster than the FT3s. The discrepancy was so slight that it was impossible to make a judgement on which was more accurate. It's not likely to have any practical consequences, I just thought I'd mention it...

What's most surprising about the Patch Commander is the range of uses to which it can be put - lead testing, filtering, generating MIDI clock... It's quite possible that you'll buy a Patch Commander to do one job and find it doing something completely different in the future. Look at it as being the antithesis of built-in obsolescence.

Because of its flexibility it's difficult to start suggesting likely uses for the FT3. Obviously, the fact that it will function as a MIDI filter is going to ensure that it will get used to filter MIDI information. But what conclusions can we draw from its ability to generate MIDI clock? Clearly its uses are many and varied, and it's down to you to decide whether or not it fits into your scheme of things MIDI. One thing that shouldn't deter you is the cost.

The Patch Commander is pretty easy to use. It needs saying because, without dedicated buttons for the functions, it could have been a nightmare. That's not to say that it wouldn't be easier to use if it did have dedicated buttons or an LCD screen, but both of these would have added to the cost of what's obviously intended to be a very cost-effective unit. As it is, I found that after ten minutes or so I was using most of its functions without referring to the manual or the key reference sheet which is thoughtfully provided. I'd call that a tribute to the design.

On the subject of the manual, while the paperwork that came with the review unit was of the stapled, photocopied variety, it was logically presented and readily understandable.

VERDICT

IT HAS TO BE said: regardless of the thought and ingenuity that has evidently gone into the functions of the Patch Commander Plus, its aesthetics have been sadly neglected. It's no reflection on the unit's performance, but it looks more like a prehistoric TV remote than the MIDI accessory to be seen with in 1991.

That the FT3 has been carefully and thoughtfully designed, however, is indisputable. Quite apart from the wealth of functions it offers, the provision of the footswitch for patch incrementing came about from a suggestion made by one user. Forefront aim to be helpful in this respect - not only are they happy to listen to your suggestions, but they also run a "customisation" service to modify any of their devices to suit your particular needs.

Sometimes it's easy to identify exactly who is likely to benefit from buying a particular piece of gear, but in the case of the Patch Commander it's almost impossible. That's not to say that it won't appeal to a lot of people - quite the opposite. The range of potential uses is huge and the cost is low. It's not often you can say that about a piece of kit.

Price £39.95 plus £2 p&p

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