Share Your Sound: Introducing Public Preset URLs and GitHub-Style Patches
Ever crafted the perfect, face-melting analog bass patch or a shimmering ambient pad, only to wish you could instantly share it with a collaborator, post it to a forum, or backup your setup to the cloud with a single click?
Historically, sharing hardware synth patches has been a tedious chore. You either had to take photos of your physical front panel, manually write down CC values in a spreadsheet, or export and email bulky SysEx dumps that require specialized software to reload. It's a friction-heavy process that gets in the way of collaboration and creative flow.
That's why we built the Preset Hub in closeby.1. It's a GitHub Gist-style patch sharing system designed specifically for synthesizer enthusiasts and music producers. Now, your custom presets have their own public address URLs, turning sound patches into shareable, interactive assets.
What is the Preset Hub?
The Preset Hub transforms how you store, document, and share synthesizer settings. When you create a preset in closeby.1, you can save it locally to your device or publish it to the cloud.
When you share a public preset's URL (like https://closeby.one/synths/moog-minitaur?preset=123), visitors are greeted with an interactive read-only preview board.
Here is what makes this workflow so powerful:
- Visual Match: All the parameter sliders on the page automatically adjust to display the exact CC value configurations of your patch.
- Read-Only Lock: The sliders are locked, preventing accidental adjustments so visitors see exactly how the patch was designed.
- Instant Auditioning: Visitors can hook up their own hardware synth and test the patch values in real-time.
- One-Click Forking: If a visitor wants to tweak your sound, they can click Fork Preset to copy the patch parameters to their own library, unlock the sliders, and begin customized tweaks.
How to Share and Fork Presets
We’ve designed this flow to be as frictionless as possible:
1. Save Your Patch
Whether you are tweaking virtual dials on a synth detail page or live-recording MIDI knobs inside the step sequencer's control panel, you can click Save Preset. Give your patch a name, add an optional description (like "use a high delay decay on your hardware unit"), and toggle it to Public.
2. Copy the Public Link
In the Preset Hub list in the sidebar, you will see a share icon next to your cloud patches. Click it to copy the direct URL to your clipboard.
3. Preview and Fork
When a collaborator clicks your link, they will see the preset's settings locked on their screen. To start editing or build their own version, they click Fork Preset. The page instantly clones the values into their library, unlocks the sliders, and cleans the URL so they are ready to edit their own copy.
3 Benefits of Presets Sharing
1. Seamless Studio Collaboration
Co-producing a track with someone across the globe? Instead of sending screenshots of knob positions or trying to describe your patch settings over chat, send them a public patch URL. They can preview the parameters visually, load it directly to their synth, and fork it to make adjustments for their section of the track.
2. Building Interactive Specs & Guides
Educators and content creators can use preset links to share classic patches for popular synths (like the Korg Minilogue, Behringer Pro-800, or Moog Minitaur). Readers can interact with the dials directly on the page, helping them visualize subtractive synthesis concepts in real-time.
3. A Centralized, Portable Sound Library
No more losing patches when you switch computers or perform live. Since presets are stored securely in the cloud, you can access your entire custom sound library from any web browser, load patches into your sequencer on the fly, and share them with other artists instantly.
Wrap Up
The Preset Hub turns closeby.1 into a collaborative playground for hardware synth lovers. By bridging the gap between hardware controls and web sharing, you can document your sound design journey and share it with the world.
Save your favorite patch today, grab the link, and share your sound with the community!