What is supported
drawbar was developed against a Nord Electro 5, and that is where its claims have been tested. Files from other instruments are supported from documentation and sample files. Connecting other instruments over USB has not been tried.
Files
| Files | What drawbar does | Tested on an instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Electro 5 programs, live slots, set lists and settings | View, edit, transfer | Yes |
| Stage 2, 3 and 4 programs and presets | View, edit | No |
Sample instruments (.nsmp, .nsmp3, .nsmp4) | Decode, edit, encode, audition, transfer | Playback of v2 files. Files encoded as v3 or v4 have not been played |
Piano libraries (.npno) | Decode, trim, split, rename, retune, remap, build from WAVs, transfer | Trimmed, built and re-encoded libraries play, mono and stereo, across every key they cover. Renames, retunes, remaps and a narrowed key range have not been played |
| Other Nord files | Recognised and kept byte for byte, without editing |
USB
Reading and writing programs, set lists, live slots, settings, samples and pianos works on the Electro 5 from macOS, Linux and the browser. Windows builds pass the protocol tests but have not been run against an instrument. No other instrument has been connected, so USB support for other models cannot be guaranteed.
What “tested” means
Every file drawbar writes is read back and checked to be identical, byte for byte. That proves the bytes survive. It does not prove that every value means what drawbar says, or that every new sound plays as intended. Where a claim has been confirmed by playing it on an instrument, this page says so.
Developers can read how the checks work in Testing and File formats.