This page gives an overview of getting Patch Base set up on your Mac.
When you launch Patch Base for the first time, it's a blank slate. The first thing you'll want to do is add an editor for one of your synths. This is done in the Synth Editors window, which can be opened via the Window menu (Window -> Synth Editors) or by pressing cmd+0 on the keyboard.
In the Synth Editors window, click the "Add Editor" button in the top right. From there you'll see a list of all the synthesizers that Patch Base currently supports. Choose the synth you want to add by clicking it, then click the "Add Editor" button at the bottom of the window.
Now that you've added an editor, you'll see it listed in the Synth Editors window. There are many ways you can open the editor. The simplest is by double-clicking the editor. Doing so will open up the default editor window for that synth.
Or, if you'd like to open a part of the editor other than the default window, you can right-click on the editor in the Synth Editors window, and you'll see a menu of the different sections of that editor. Choose a section from the menu, and it will open.
Or, you can select the Window menu in the top menu bar, and under the "Synth Editors" item you'll see a menu for the editor you added. From there, you can open any of the sections of that editor.
In the Synth Editors window you can click on the name of any synth editor, then type a new name to change it. Use any nickname you like, and Patch Base will remember it. This is especially useful if you have 2 of the same synth (lucky you!). You can name them differently to keep track of which is which.
Each editor in Patch Base can have its own MIDI interface selected. To specify the MIDI In and Out for an editor, open that editor. When a window for that editor is active, you'll see a menu in the top menu bar with the name of the selected synth (e.g. "Roland JD-Xi"). Click it, and you'll see sub-menus for Midi In and Midi Out. All of the active MIDI interfaces connected to your Mac should appear here. Select the one that your synth is connected to. A little more info on MIDI Setup for Patch Base Mac here.
A quick way to test whether your MIDI setup is working is by fetching a patch from your synth. To do this, open the patch editor window for your synth, and click the Fetch button in the window's top toolbar (it looks like a keyboard with a down arrow, for "download"). When you click it, you should see the controls in the editor update to match the current values on the synth.
If, after a second, a "Fetching..." dialog appears and it looks like nothing is happening, then there's probably something wrong with your MIDI setup. Make sure you have the correct MIDI In and Out selected, and check that your MIDI cables are plugged in correctly.
For some synths, there might be some extra set up needed under the "Global" window for that synth (e.g. setting the MIDI channel or Device #).
A lot of synths only listen to sysex/editor messages on a specific MIDI channel, or for a specific Device ID. If Patch Base doesn't seem to be talking to your synth correctly, the Global window for that editor is a good place to look. Look for a "Global" menu item for that editor. You can find it in multiple places:
Once you open it, depending on your synth, check to see that any setting for MIDI channel or Device ID in Patch Base matches what's currently on your synth.
Next: Patch Editor Window