Getting back to VSTi default settings

[Jonotespere]

Hi,
I'm obviously a n00b and obviously i have a problem.
I tried to search the forum, but i didn't find the answer (if there actually was an answer, i didn't found it and i beg your pardon), so i'm here, asking.
The question is: is there a way to get back to the default settings of a VSTi loaded through Live?
I try to make myself clear:
I use Live through an Axiom 49 midi controller. Lately i began to use the midi-learn functionality in Live (which works great) to change on-the-fly my VSTi parameters like filter cut-off, filter resonance, volume, mixer noise and so on and so forth.
This is not the problem, the problem is that i'd like to go back to the previous settings of my VSTi without having to manually reset filter cut-off, filter resonance and everything else through the knobs of my controller.
To be more specific, i'm using Native Pro-53 in a song, and when i go into the solo part of the song i start to change the parameters of my VSTi to give more dynamic to the solo. The problem is when i get back to the chorus, for example, in which i have to play my VSTi without all the parameters changed, in a sort of "default state".
I hope i made myself clear... Is there a way to make a "screenshot" of a particular state of the parameters of my VSTi, then alterate them through Live and my controller, then going back to normality as quickly as possible?

Thank you so much!

[theophilus]

almost all external VSTs support programs or patches. Save the 'default' as a program or patch, tweak it at will, then recall the patch/program.

[LT3]

so on the subject of vsts. how do i load a vst into abelton? ive downloaded a copy of native instriments 'massive' vst and ive got it working on my cpu as a seperate synth and can make all the sounds and change parameters etc but for some reason i cant get it into abelton itself! am i just being stupid or is it really easy to do this??

[theophilus]

it's very easy.
do you remember the VST plugin folder you specified when you installed massive?
if you left it at the default, likely live already knows about it (if you've restarted live since installing).
in the quicklaunch section, there's the >, then the little box for the library, and right below it should be a little
picture of a plug. click on it, and any installed VST plugins will appear. just double-click on massive, or drag it to
an empty track just like any live preset.

if you didn't leave it at the default -> options/preferences, file/folder, set 'use custom VST plugin folder', and then
set the folder. rescan plugins, voila, should work.

[Jonotespere]

almost all external VSTs support programs or patches. Save the 'default' as a program or patch, tweak it at will, then recall the patch/program.

Hi theophilus,
First, thank you for the kind answer. I was wondering if recalling the patch/program is a task that can be assigned as a midi-learn function, but i think it isn't.
Do you know, and this is the nature of the question I posted, if there's a way in Live to simply press, for example, a pad in my Axiom 49 and recall a midi-learn function to "go back to the previous settings" of my VST? Just like you can assign a midi-learn function to "arm" a track...
This is because is simply impracticable to grab the mouse as you're playing and selecting the command to recall the patch/program.

[theophilus]

don't really know (still kinda new to live, no real controllers yet) but you can embed a program change into a clip, so I've heard of people doing this with launching dummy clips? maybe that would work? program change is actually a midi message, just like note on/off etc. so maybe you could program the controller to do it manually. a lot of VSTs support way more than 128 presets though, and not really in banks, so for those I'm not exactly sure how it works.

[mojofunk]

There are several good suggestions here. Also, you may wish to investigate the Axioms "snapshot" function. Some vst's respond to program and bank changes from the Axiom, some do not. Perhaps by re-sending the program change command from the axiom you may reinitialize the patch, or you could go up to the next patch and then right back to the original patch (now reinitialized). Good luck - I have the Axiom 25, and find it really easy to set up and manipulate its midi after reading the manual.

[LT3]

thanks for the advice theophilus but for some reason it just doesnt want to work!! cant figure it out! i guess im gonna have to wait til i can make a visit to my mate in england so he can show me! im living in thailand and dont know anyone that uses abelton over here!

it's very easy.
do you remember the VST plugin folder you specified when you installed massive?
if you left it at the default, likely live already knows about it (if you've restarted live since installing).
in the quicklaunch section, there's the >, then the little box for the library, and right below it should be a little
picture of a plug. click on it, and any installed VST plugins will appear. just double-click on massive, or drag it to
an empty track just like any live preset.

if you didn't leave it at the default -> options/preferences, file/folder, set 'use custom VST plugin folder', and then
set the folder. rescan plugins, voila, should work.