DDV’s TR/RE-909 Sysex Librarian

Thanks for checking out my MIDI Sysex-based Librarian for the Roland TR-909 and Din Sync RE-909! This is the app we've all been waiting 40 years for! With this librarian you can avoid the hassles of trying to get Tape Load/Save working on the finicky 909, and still backup, restore and move banks around on your 909 over MIDI!

You will need to connect two MIDI cables to your 909: From comaputer (MIDI OUT) to 909 MIDI IN and From 909 (MIDI OUT) to Computer MIDI IN.

Data loss disclaimer: Please be aware that when Transmitting (XMIT) banks to the 909, you will OVERWRITE THE CURRENT BANK.

macOS and Windows Version 1.52 released!

Version History: 1.52 adds warning when opening non-909 SysEx files (e.g. TR-707/TR-727). Version 1.51 adds better handshaking and timeout handling. Version 1.5 has many under-the-hood improvements. File format is now standard MIDI SysEx file (.syx). Files saved with prior versions can be opened by holding "opt/alt" when clicking the Open Button. Version 1.0.5 fixes some incorrect MIDI ACK messages; version 1.0.1 fixed some timing issues with certain Mac MIDI interfaces as well as improves the UI. If you have a simple MIDI setup, and the IN/OUT devices are correct, you no longer have to confirm them in the MIDI setup dialog, and the window can be closed.

Download DDV 909 Librarian v1.52 for macOS (64-bit Universal)

Download DDV 909 Librarian v1.52 for Older Mac OS X 10.5 - 10.11 (32-bit)

Download DDV 909 Librarian v1.52 for Windows

(note: Windows users will need to either install Max [free demo] or run the Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable Package. See README for details.)

How to do a full-backup:

The Sysex transfer works only on the currently-selected bank. Therefore if you want to back-up both banks, you should do the following:

Ensure the Librarian’s MIDI settings are correctly set to your MIDI Interface
Select Track Play mode on the 909
Select Bank I
Click RCV on the Librarian to receive the current bank
Click SAVE on the Librarian to save the current bank (buffer) to a standard .syx file
Select Bank II
Repeat steps 4-5 for Bank II data.

Testimonials

DDV 909 Librarian is the app that all TR/RE909 owners have been waiting decades for. Now we can save/load all songs/patterns in a matter of seconds. The interface design is great and couldn't be easier to use. Thanks for this great app!

-- CV Karl, Madrid