If the RPI is capable of hosting *8* DX7s emulations -- that's 288 operators configured into 48 voices, each with 6 operators -- surely it's capable of more advanced FM synthesis? Dexed is open-source, so it should be pretty easy (for a competent programmer) to tweak it to emulate the FVX-1 or even better, a fully multitimbral, 24-voice, 8-operator instrument, with the algorithms of the FVX-1 and the waveforms of the TX81Z (if not more).
Can't overstate how nice the performance patches are, and touch sensitive. And the reverb is the icing on the cake. Also there's a way to change performances with program changes.
Thanks! Yeah, honestly the only challenge was getting the audio into my Mac for recording since it doesn't take a 3.5mm cable as an input, and my Focusrite only has mono inputs. I got a 3.5mm to split XLR cable and that did the trick.
For future reference, the header on your audio board is made for female jumper wire connectors. You could have connected it to the pi with female to female jumper wires instead of soldering it.
Thanks, @System-1541! I did that when prototyping, but the female ends didn't seem to make a solid enough connection on the I2C LCD. The LCD would reset with the slightest bump. I should have used heat shrink though for sure. 😅
Quick tip on your soldering job. After soldering the wires, you could insulate them by using some hot glue. If you get your fingers wet by licking them, you can very quickly press on the hot glue to mold it to whatever shape you need.
Now take it and integrate it into the keyboard. I'm still hoping to do that. Integrate a small NUC that can support VSTi's into a keyboard controller and have it all powered internally. So you turn on the keyboard and it powers the NUC then auto loads a synth. Any VSTi you want to load on it. I've done that externally with a small Beelink NUC and a lightweight DAW that auto loaded when the NUC booted (to Windows 11) that then auto loaded a default project where I had several different VSTi's loaded on individual channels.
Hi! When you load the original DX7 ROMs, do you go through all TGs and load the same voice on all of them, or do you turn off TG2-8 somehow? I tried loading a DX7 ROM voice on TG1 but when I play it sounds like TG2-8 are still playing the original voice, messing up the sound.
Very cool build! I am trying to map an Arturia MiniLab the same way - quick question, is the rotary function of the rotary knob being controlled by MIDI? In other words, were you able to control any of the parameter value using a knob or slider on your Arturia? What a time to be alive!
I think menu navigation and parameter setting is done by button presses, a tick from the rotary encoder, or "Specify MIDI CC to act as a button NB: Off < 64 < ON." So you can use a MIDI CC knob as a button but it seems cumbersome the way they describe it. (github.com/probonopd/MiniDexed/blob/e03122a3d232e7b20e5ccbb54de6f0dff5f7666f/src/minidexed.ini#L113) There might be more information about it on the MiniDexed Discussions tab on their Github page.
That's cool! And pretty surprising for a big name like Korg. They also made a synth/game for the Nintendo DS. I know a lot of people also like Korg Gadget on iOS, but I haven tried it.
What is a digital hardware synth but a software synth running on a computer, at this point? There's not really much functional difference. The selling point is more the control surface than what's going on inside. Might as well use a cheap mass-produced multi-purpose SBC when it's easier than bothering with custom chips.
Hey Moby Pixel! Great video. I got everything working just as you showed except the MIDI button navigation. I have the exact same midi keyboard as you (Arturia Keylab 61 Essential), and I can play the default TG1 with the keys, but I cannot navigate with the pads even though I set the MIDI button settings to the exact same as in your video. Did you do any other changes to the MIDI controller that I might have missed?
Is the keyboard sending the pad/notes to MIDI Channel 10? That is the way it was setup on my keyboard, but I can't remember if it was the default. It might be different depending on the which Map you have selected on your Arturia.
@@mobypixel I can play the MiniDexed with the keyboard when I have set the MIDI Channel to 10 in minidexed.ini. So I assume that is the right channel since you are using the same channel with the same keyboard. But I'll see if I can get it to work with some other channel.
@@mobypixel Ok, I changed the keyboard to use channel 9 for the pads (they were set to channel 10) and I set the MIDIButtonCh=9 and now it works! I don't know why it didn't work for channel 10 but at least I got it working now. :)
@@mags_artist My keys and the pads are being sent to different MIDI channels. My MIDI cable is hiding right now so I can't test it. Try holding Map Select then tap the third pad. This will set the pads' MIDI channel to 10 by default. The keys MIDI channels are set by holding the MIDI CH button then the corresponding keys. I'm guess your pads are not going to the correct channel.
The one I bought came that way. It only requires running 4 wires. www.amazon.com/Hosyond-Display-Module-Arduino-Raspberry/dp/B0BWTFN9WF The other LCDs will work, but you might need a port extender. That's how Floyd did in his tutorial linked in the description.
The smaller board is called the "i2c backpack" As you can see, the LCD itself takes many many more pins(14 I think), and that backpack is soldered to the LCD(along the upper edge, see all those solder joints) driving those pins. So the RPi sees the backpack as an i2c device over it's 4 pin connection and sends the backpack display commands, then the backpack controls the LCD in turn.
Thanks! I'm not sure about the touch screen and sound module, but MiniDexed has a forum that might have some answers. github.com/probonopd/MiniDexed/discussions
Maybe not in this case, but audio Pimoroni should be used more widely. Four navigation buttons and a screen. All compact and ready to use. Really worth a try. Thank you.
It's worth asking in the MiniDexed Discussions on GitHub: github.com/probonopd/MiniDexed/discussions I don't think the display would work out of the box, but maybe someone over there has experience with it.
Im trying this out. Audio and display is working fine. Managed to get two of the buttons to work. Im shure the other two will work too, when I figure out what GPIO they correspond too. The display and buttons needs some editing in the .ini file to work.
Go@@Jonny-y4mGo (quot). The point is to have three complete synth project (Samplerbox, Fluidsynth sfz reader and Minidexed) all with one Raspby4 and a Pimoroni Headphone audio/screen.
I believe this is the newer version of the one I got. It looks like the PCB is blue now. It should work just the same. www.amazon.com/dp/B09T33LJQM?tag=goodswave08-20&th=1
It's not too bad. You set it up in the minidexed.ini file: github.com/probonopd/MiniDexed/blob/afa72d21aa81a9876b3f9e50f3bd6f4cd56cdac0/src/minidexed.ini#L113 The other option is navigating with a rotary encoder like Floyd Steinberg did in his video. To see the Patch Name I navigated to the performances tab and selected it. I'm not sure of a shortcut for seeing the names if you are deep in the menu stack, but you can change patches with a button press.
@@mobypixel Thanks. I see two pins there for the encoder, so that would cover turning it, but nothing for the encoder button or built in switch... Is it defined as one of the other buttons? I don't really get how all those other buttons can be replaced with just an encoder, but I assume it has at least the usual built in button in the encoder to do something. I've looked at the documentation a few times but I haven't really got all that far with understanding it.
@@mobypixel Okay, I've found a bit in Wiki Files, that says "ButtonPinShortcut defines the pin that is used for rotating the rotary encoder knob while the button is pressed. Probably you will want the button that is built into the rotary encoder to be used for shortcuts." I really have no idea what that's trying to say so I guess I'll just have to try it and see what happens.
@@TooSlowTube Yeah, a the rotary encoder is an endlessly turning potentiometer that can be pressed as a momentary button. I think in MiniDexed one click selects and a double click goes back in the menu. I used one in my Teensy Synth build recently.
The people on the Discussion section of the MIDIDexed Github page will know more but the description says: • Put SD/microSD card into Raspberry Pi 1, 2, 3 or 4, or 400 (Zero and Zero 2 can be used but need HDMI or a supported i2c DAC for audio out) • Attach headphones to the headphone jack using SoundDevice=pwm in minidexed.ini (default) (poor audio quality) • Alternatively, attach a PCM5102A or PCM5122 based DAC and select i2c sound output using SoundDevice=i2s in minidexed.ini (best audio quality) • Alternatively, attach a HDMI display with sound and select HDMI sound output using SoundDevice=hdmi in minidexed.ini (this may introduce slight latency)
@@mobypixel Thanks very much, I have just found a PWM 5122 on ebay for 11Great British pounds(I have no idea why they call their money that, its weird)
Thanks for a great video! But you aren't really putting its full power to use, if you have a groovebox (or even a daw) handy that can sequence at least 8 channels of MIDI you could really put the minidexed through its paces as a 8 multitimbral synth! 🙂
I think Dexed has a default limit of 16 voices like the DX7. So this would have 16*8 voices at once for MiniDexed. I think the Pi might start to struggle with much more.
9:43 With your miniDexed you can play the intro of “Michael Jackson - Man in the Mirror” with the performance 005_Aftertough from Greenhouse Bank. (A replica of the Roland D50)
Sorry for the delay! I don't think that you can control parameters with separate MIDICC values currently. The people on the MiniDexed Discussions page might have some better insights: github.com/probonopd/MiniDexed/discussions
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Thanks for watching!
Get MiniDexed on GitHub: github.com/probonopd/MiniDexed
Thanks for your shoutout! Great video!
My pleasure! MiniDexed is such a cool project. Thanks again for sharing it with the community!
Wow, this is awesome! What a cool project. I totally want to build this now. Thank you!
Me too! Do you have founded all the necessary hardware?
Thanks, Erik! Yeah, it's not as convenient as just firing up Dexed on desktop, but the stacked voices gives it some rich, unique sounds.
This content deserves more views! 🔥🙌
Thanks, Matthew! It all hangs in the Algorithm’s tiny robot hands.
If the RPI is capable of hosting *8* DX7s emulations -- that's 288 operators configured into 48 voices, each with 6 operators -- surely it's capable of more advanced FM synthesis? Dexed is open-source, so it should be pretty easy (for a competent programmer) to tweak it to emulate the FVX-1 or even better, a fully multitimbral, 24-voice, 8-operator instrument, with the algorithms of the FVX-1 and the waveforms of the TX81Z (if not more).
My first watch of this video, I jumped straight to the sound tests. Gawd I love the sound of this synth so much... Thanks for this! :)
Thanks, @jdmaze1! Yeah, they did a great job with the presets.
Nice to see a video like this where the dude can actually properly play
Thanks holotape! 🙌
Can't overstate how nice the performance patches are, and touch sensitive. And the reverb is the icing on the cake. Also there's a way to change performances with program changes.
Fantastic overview. Did not know sound is now so straightforward with the Pi.
Thanks! Yeah, honestly the only challenge was getting the audio into my Mac for recording since it doesn't take a 3.5mm cable as an input, and my Focusrite only has mono inputs. I got a 3.5mm to split XLR cable and that did the trick.
Soldering is on point! lol. This thing sounds amazing! Also the video production/presentation is second to none (:
Thanks homie! The performance patches really make it sound unique. I’m working on another synth project that I’ll hopefully have out next week.
For future reference, the header on your audio board is made for female jumper wire connectors. You could have connected it to the pi with female to female jumper wires instead of soldering it.
Thanks, @System-1541! I did that when prototyping, but the female ends didn't seem to make a solid enough connection on the I2C LCD. The LCD would reset with the slightest bump. I should have used heat shrink though for sure. 😅
That's a great video and nice to see the performance presets getting a proper showdown :)
Kevin
Thanks, Kevin! Yeah, those presets really take this build to the next level. Instant Phil Collins. 😂
Quick tip on your soldering job. After soldering the wires, you could insulate them by using some hot glue. If you get your fingers wet by licking them, you can very quickly press on the hot glue to mold it to whatever shape you need.
Thanks for the tip!
Now take it and integrate it into the keyboard. I'm still hoping to do that. Integrate a small NUC that can support VSTi's into a keyboard controller and have it all powered internally. So you turn on the keyboard and it powers the NUC then auto loads a synth. Any VSTi you want to load on it.
I've done that externally with a small Beelink NUC and a lightweight DAW that auto loaded when the NUC booted (to Windows 11) that then auto loaded a default project where I had several different VSTi's loaded on individual channels.
Love the santa cruz stickers! Great video will try to build!
Thanks! Good luck with the build!
Hi! When you load the original DX7 ROMs, do you go through all TGs and load the same voice on all of them, or do you turn off TG2-8 somehow? I tried loading a DX7 ROM voice on TG1 but when I play it sounds like TG2-8 are still playing the original voice, messing up the sound.
I turned off TG2-8 in the default performance patch script.
@@mobypixel Thanks!
Incredibly well made video, thank you ❤
Thanks, Peter! I love the demos on your channel. I remember coming across them when I was thinking of building this.
Kind of want to make a rack mounted one.....!
OMG, the QY-70! I miss mine, the ultimate Musician's Gameboy. ❤
Very cool build! I am trying to map an Arturia MiniLab the same way - quick question, is the rotary function of the rotary knob being controlled by MIDI? In other words, were you able to control any of the parameter value using a knob or slider on your Arturia? What a time to be alive!
I think menu navigation and parameter setting is done by button presses, a tick from the rotary encoder, or "Specify MIDI CC to act as a button NB: Off < 64 < ON." So you can use a MIDI CC knob as a button but it seems cumbersome the way they describe it. (github.com/probonopd/MiniDexed/blob/e03122a3d232e7b20e5ccbb54de6f0dff5f7666f/src/minidexed.ini#L113) There might be more information about it on the MiniDexed Discussions tab on their Github page.
Korg’s Fm synth the Opsix as far as I am aware is pretty much just a raspberry pi in a fancy case.
That's cool! And pretty surprising for a big name like Korg. They also made a synth/game for the Nintendo DS. I know a lot of people also like Korg Gadget on iOS, but I haven tried it.
akai mpc also
What is a digital hardware synth but a software synth running on a computer, at this point? There's not really much functional difference. The selling point is more the control surface than what's going on inside. Might as well use a cheap mass-produced multi-purpose SBC when it's easier than bothering with custom chips.
Hey Moby Pixel! Great video. I got everything working just as you showed except the MIDI button navigation. I have the exact same midi keyboard as you (Arturia Keylab 61 Essential), and I can play the default TG1 with the keys, but I cannot navigate with the pads even though I set the MIDI button settings to the exact same as in your video. Did you do any other changes to the MIDI controller that I might have missed?
Is the keyboard sending the pad/notes to MIDI Channel 10? That is the way it was setup on my keyboard, but I can't remember if it was the default. It might be different depending on the which Map you have selected on your Arturia.
@@mobypixel I can play the MiniDexed with the keyboard when I have set the MIDI Channel to 10 in minidexed.ini. So I assume that is the right channel since you are using the same channel with the same keyboard. But I'll see if I can get it to work with some other channel.
@@mobypixel Ok, I changed the keyboard to use channel 9 for the pads (they were set to channel 10) and I set the MIDIButtonCh=9 and now it works! I don't know why it didn't work for channel 10 but at least I got it working now. :)
@@mags_artist My keys and the pads are being sent to different MIDI channels. My MIDI cable is hiding right now so I can't test it. Try holding Map Select then tap the third pad. This will set the pads' MIDI channel to 10 by default. The keys MIDI channels are set by holding the MIDI CH button then the corresponding keys. I'm guess your pads are not going to the correct channel.
@@mags_artist Awesome! That makes sense. I’ve heard that user interfaces start MIDI Channels from 1 but are programmed to start from 0.
Leaves my TX7 for dead. Have to build this into a 19' rack case and improving to 1/4 inch outputs!
This is really cool! What is the black board behind the i2c LED screen? I have this screen kicking around, but not that one
The one I bought came that way. It only requires running 4 wires. www.amazon.com/Hosyond-Display-Module-Arduino-Raspberry/dp/B0BWTFN9WF
The other LCDs will work, but you might need a port extender. That's how Floyd did in his tutorial linked in the description.
The smaller board is called the "i2c backpack" As you can see, the LCD itself takes many many more pins(14 I think), and that backpack is soldered to the LCD(along the upper edge, see all those solder joints) driving those pins. So the RPi sees the backpack as an i2c device over it's 4 pin connection and sends the backpack display commands, then the backpack controls the LCD in turn.
Great video. A question, could the build be done with a touch screen and an external usb sound module?
Thanks! I'm not sure about the touch screen and sound module, but MiniDexed has a forum that might have some answers. github.com/probonopd/MiniDexed/discussions
yes this is awesome
Thanks DECIMA1! I was just checking out your video on the MIDI Goblin. It's a great time to be a music tech tinkerer!
Oooh, that pad at 8:09 is delicious!
Thanks @dudfaz! Yeah, they did some amazing job designing the presets.
Hi! It's great a video, and thanks for it. But only a few question... What's about the latency? What is the lowest level?
Thanks! I didn't notice any latency while playing, and I'm usually pretty aware of bad latency because it throws me off.
Beautiful!
Thanks @Humble_Electronic_Musician! 🙌
Great project. Is it possible to use a Pimoroni Audio Headphone (audioboard+lcd without any cable) instead of Raspyaudio Hat?
The audio should work as it is an i2s DAC. The display could get difficult, but it is worth a try.
Maybe not in this case, but audio Pimoroni should be used more widely. Four navigation buttons and a screen. All compact and ready to use. Really worth a try. Thank you.
It's worth asking in the MiniDexed Discussions on GitHub: github.com/probonopd/MiniDexed/discussions I don't think the display would work out of the box, but maybe someone over there has experience with it.
Im trying this out. Audio and display is working fine. Managed to get two of the buttons to work. Im shure the other two will work too, when I figure out what GPIO they correspond too. The display and buttons needs some editing in the .ini file to work.
Go@@Jonny-y4mGo (quot). The point is to have three complete synth project (Samplerbox, Fluidsynth sfz reader and Minidexed) all with one Raspby4 and a Pimoroni Headphone audio/screen.
I am new to raspberry pi projects. I have a 3b and I am wondering where I can get the raspiaudio DAC hat for this project?
I believe this is the newer version of the one I got. It looks like the PCB is blue now. It should work just the same. www.amazon.com/dp/B09T33LJQM?tag=goodswave08-20&th=1
Nagyon tetszik jó a videó és az
eszköz csak nem tudom hogyan lesz nekem ilyenem ??
5:30 does it need all of those buttons setting up? That seems a lot, just to navigate the menus. What do you have to press to see the patch name?
It's not too bad. You set it up in the minidexed.ini file: github.com/probonopd/MiniDexed/blob/afa72d21aa81a9876b3f9e50f3bd6f4cd56cdac0/src/minidexed.ini#L113 The other option is navigating with a rotary encoder like Floyd Steinberg did in his video. To see the Patch Name I navigated to the performances tab and selected it. I'm not sure of a shortcut for seeing the names if you are deep in the menu stack, but you can change patches with a button press.
@@mobypixel Thanks. I see two pins there for the encoder, so that would cover turning it, but nothing for the encoder button or built in switch... Is it defined as one of the other buttons? I don't really get how all those other buttons can be replaced with just an encoder, but I assume it has at least the usual built in button in the encoder to do something. I've looked at the documentation a few times but I haven't really got all that far with understanding it.
@@mobypixel Okay, I've found a bit in Wiki Files, that says "ButtonPinShortcut defines the pin that is used for rotating the rotary encoder knob while the button is pressed. Probably you will want the button that is built into the rotary encoder to be used for shortcuts." I really have no idea what that's trying to say so I guess I'll just have to try it and see what happens.
@@TooSlowTube Yeah, a the rotary encoder is an endlessly turning potentiometer that can be pressed as a momentary button. I think in MiniDexed one click selects and a double click goes back in the menu. I used one in my Teensy Synth build recently.
What's the tune at 7:18 ? I recognise it but it's driving me crazy and Shazam etc. are no help
Yeah, it does sound familiar, but it is nothing specific. Maybe it is similar to Cold As Ice by Foreigner or What A Fool Believes.
Hey man!
Any cheaper alternatives for the audio hat?
The people on the Discussion section of the MIDIDexed Github page will know more but the description says:
• Put SD/microSD card into Raspberry Pi 1, 2, 3 or 4, or 400 (Zero and Zero 2 can be used but need HDMI or a supported i2c DAC for audio out)
• Attach headphones to the headphone jack using SoundDevice=pwm in minidexed.ini (default) (poor audio quality)
• Alternatively, attach a PCM5102A or PCM5122 based DAC and select i2c sound output using SoundDevice=i2s in minidexed.ini (best audio quality)
• Alternatively, attach a HDMI display with sound and select HDMI sound output using SoundDevice=hdmi in minidexed.ini (this may introduce slight latency)
@@mobypixel Thanks very much, I have just found a PWM 5122 on ebay for 11Great British pounds(I have no idea why they call their money that, its weird)
Can dexed use any of those old patches or sounds from the sega genisis chip?
Yes! You can use those patches. I go into more detail about it in this video: ruclips.net/video/HUx9L4WTU-8/видео.htmlsi=9T9shn2baobYm9XC&t=172
Thanks for a great video! But you aren't really putting its full power to use, if you have a groovebox (or even a daw) handy that can sequence at least 8 channels of MIDI you could really put the minidexed through its paces as a 8 multitimbral synth! 🙂
Thanks, maksmakes! Yeah, that would be a cool setup. It's kind of how Floyd used MiniDexed in his demo.
Very cool 😎
Thanks SonicVibe!
How many voice polyphony does this have?
I think Dexed has a default limit of 16 voices like the DX7. So this would have 16*8 voices at once for MiniDexed. I think the Pi might start to struggle with much more.
@@mobypixelwow, that’s pretty impressive!
9:43 With your miniDexed you can play the intro of “Michael Jackson - Man in the Mirror” with the performance 005_Aftertough from Greenhouse Bank. (A replica of the Roland D50)
Oh cool! That’s good to know. I still have a lot to explore with it. There are a lot of familiar presets mixed in.
Can you somehow control this synth's parameters with midi cc knobs?
Sorry for the delay! I don't think that you can control parameters with separate MIDICC values currently. The people on the MiniDexed Discussions page might have some better insights: github.com/probonopd/MiniDexed/discussions
@@mobypixel thanks!
Hey Nick, that's a great project. We want to feature it on our channel. Leave a reply, if this idea seems good.
Yes, that would be great! Thanks for checking out the project and good luck with your video!
@@mobypixel Hey Nick, we've published the video featuring your project. Check it out.
Can it use the cases with a 3.5" screens ?
I'm not sure, but MiniDexed has a forum where I saw people talking about alternative screens. github.com/probonopd/MiniDexed/discussions
@@mobypixel Thanks
Nice, what a fun project. Have to try it out. 👊
Thanks Jakob! Yeah, there are a few Raspberry Pi synths, but this one brings something unique that we can't even get on desktop.
Which Pi?!
It is the Raspberry Pi 3 but should work with 4 and 5.
@@steffanjansenvanvuuren3257 oops I said the wrong board earlier. Edited the answer.
IT IS JUST LIKE CHEATING A NEW SYNTH🤑😍
Danger zone and Take my breath away written by the same guy.
Oh cool! I didn't know that.
Taco Bell