Show HN: I built an online patch backup tool for vintage 80s synths

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knob.monster | The iCloud for Vintage Synthesizers

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Now supporting DX7, Juno-106, Korg M1, Jupiter-6 & Casio CZ-101

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The iCloud for your

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vintage synthesizers.

Back up, organize, and search patches from your 1980s and 90s hardware directly in your web browser. No<br>desktop software downloads or driver installations required.

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3+<br>SYNTH<br>MODELS

32<br>PATCHES/DX7<br>BANK

100%<br>BROWSER<br>NATIVE

INSTALL<br>DRIVERS

physical hardware<br>Connection via Web MIDI

Connect your synth's MIDI ports to<br>your laptop and read patch names directly from RAM memory bank registers.

cloud librarian<br>Secure SysEx Database

Store, search, and recall your<br>backup soundbanks in a private cloud archive. Filter presets and restore them with a single<br>click.

THE FRICTION<br>Why backups feel stuck in 1995.

Synthesizers are built to last forever, but the digital tools to manage them didn't keep up.

Archaic Desktop Utilities

Requires installing desktop utilities or legacy driver configurations.

Requires manually cataloging cryptic .syx files with no visual search or metadata tags.

Requires configuring custom buffer pacing and millisecond delays to avoid packet loss.

knob.monster Flow

Zero-installation. Connects natively inside any Chrome/Edge tab.

Hex-to-ASCII Parser decompresses dumps automatically to extract patch name tags in real-time.

Audition sounds directly inside the browser using Web Audio previews before sending.

lossless<br>preservation<br>Every byte preserved<br>exactly as it left the CPU.

Our SysEx engine records standard MIDI dumps byte-for-byte. Every parameter is preserved exactly as it left your synthesizer's microprocessor, with data pacing calibrated to avoid buffer overflows on legacy 8-bit chips.

HOW IT WORKS<br>Abstracting 40 years of hardware<br>friction.

The MIDI Handshake

Plug in your synth using a standard USB-to-MIDI adapter. Open knob.monster: the browser<br>Web MIDI API initiates a handshake immediately.

Index Extraction

We send specific low-level request sequences to dump presets. The parser instantly<br>extracts text characters from the registers in real-time.

Single-Click Recall

Hit Sync to write sound banks back. We flash the entire hexadecimal data payload,<br>overwriting hardware RAM registers instantly.

SOCIAL PROOF?<br>Opinions of varying enthusiasm.

We refused to invent fake reviews from stock-photo humans. Here is the exact feedback we have so far.

★★★★★

4.9 / 5 rating based on 18 reviews from synth engineers.

"Finding editors like this back in the day was always super exciting… glad that devs continue to support these old boards."

Gearspace

bgood

BrothersBrim Studios • Gear Guru

PRICING<br>A pricing system built for fellow synth heads.

FIRST 100 MONSTERS: PRICE LOCKED FOREVER (PRICE DOUBLES AFTER 100)

Monthly

Yearly<br>-37%

King of Knobs

For sound designers and collectors

$8<br>/ month

☕☕ per month

$5<br>$8<br>/ month

☕ per month (billed annually)

Cancel anytime with a single click. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Unlimited Soundbank slots

All parsers (DX7, Juno, M1, Generic)

Web Audio patch simulator

Single-click MIDI flash recall

Direct backup downloads (.syx)

Hell Yes, Let's Do It

30-day love it or full refund

Subscriptions with annual billing instead of monthly billing periods receive a 37% discount valuing up to $36/year in<br>savings.

FAQ<br>Frequently Asked Questions

What is knob.monster?

knob.monster is a browser-native cloud SysEx librarian and patch manager designed for vintage synthesizers from the 1980s and 90s. It eliminates the need for legacy drivers, desktop software, or complicated MIDI-OX configurations by connecting your instruments directly to the web.

How does browser-native Web MIDI work?

Modern browsers like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Opera support the Web MIDI API. This allows our website to communicate directly with your physical USB-to-MIDI interface cables and hardware synths without running any local background utilities or installing manual USB drivers.

Which synthesizers are fully supported?

We feature dedicated name-decoding parsers for the Yamaha DX7 (and compatible synths like DX7II, TX7, TX81Z), Roland Juno-106 , Korg M1 , Roland Jupiter-6 (Europa-modded), and the Casio CZ series . We also feature a universal Generic Scan that works with almost any vintage synthesizer by scanning raw SysEx bulk dumps for readable ASCII character arrays to extract patch names automatically.

Do I need a special MIDI interface or cable?

Any standard, class-compliant USB-to-MIDI interface will work. However, we highly recommend avoiding low-cost, unbranded interface cables, as they lack internal timing buffers and frequently drop or corrupt long SysEx byte blocks during large memory dumps.

How do I prevent "Buffer Overflow" errors?

Older synthesizers utilize slow microprocessors and are easily overwhelmed by high-speed USB data. knob.monster's MIDI transmission...

midi patch knob monster synthesizers from

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