Sooooo nostalgic listening to the original DX-7 Roms!!!❤ I had the first in the country when it was originally released. Now I'm considering one of these!
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.
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.
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.
Using heat shrink tubes is the more proper way to do it. Also, the soldering would probably have looked better if flux had been used. But this video is not about soldering, so I don’t think it matters much.
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 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.
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
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.
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.
Very cool project! My only complaint is that it took until halfway through before we got to hear what it sounded like. Auditioning a few patches at the beginning as a teaser would have been nice.
Cool little gadget! I’m wondering though, how would you program new sounds when using this thing? That little LCD looks sufficient for scrolling through already existing patches, but interacting with all the FM operators and programming new sounds would require using a computer, I suppose?
Thanks for watching! The presets are text files in the project. I’ve only played through the existing ones so far, but I haven’t made my own yet. You’re right-programming sounds would probably need a computer.
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)
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.
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 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.
You set the values here github.com/probonopd/MiniDexed/blob/62074b6cd8337f760a16d72e632dabb62704b0a9/src/minidexed.ini#L117 One thing to check is that MIDIChannels might be off by 1 since Some MIDI devices count starting from 0 and others starting from 1. Good luck!
Oh, I wrote a response. I'm not sure why it didn't show up. In the minidexed.ini file it has the MIDI Button Navigation options. On some controllers the MIDI Channel starts at 0 and others on 1. Check to see if the channel off-by-one issue is happening. Also it says MIDIButtonNotes should be greater than 0. My settings are at 5:31 in the video.
@@mobypixel thx ill check my settings and put them here....my question also is do I need to use a control change or a program change, because I used a control change (cc) on my novation keyboard, on the pads. when in boot minidexed I see that the changes are loaded, but my keyboard doesn't respond. did you change anything on your keyboard settings? why do you the midi channel on 17 that's omni right...but your using your drumheads on the Arturia, ands that's midi channel 10. im confused.
@@zwannieboy That link is to the main repo, not my local copy with the changes from the video. It says for MIDICC changes "NB: Off < 64 < ON" I think that means you would have to send a MIDICC value above 64, then below 64 for it to complete a single "press" of the button. I don't think button presses would work well for MIDICC updates in the script the way they have it. On Github they have a discussion section that might have more info. In the case of my MIDI controller the keys and pads are MIDI notes played on different MIDI Channels.
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
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.
@@runnerup15 On the MiniDexed GitHub page they say “Raspberry Pi 1, 2, 3, 4, or 400. Raspberry Pi Zero and Zero 2 can be used but need HDMI or a supported i2s DAC for audio out. On Raspberry Pi 1 and on Raspberry Pi Zero there will be severely limited functionality (only one tone generator instead of 8)”
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.
The menus are navigated and parameters changed using the pads on the MIDI controller. Alternatively you can use a rotary encoder like Floyd Steinberg's video, but it requires some additional components.
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)
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
I see a full rack one in very good condition recently sold on eBay for over $2k. Reverb has several listed with one over $3k but who knows if it will sell for that.
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 for watching!
Get MiniDexed on GitHub: github.com/probonopd/MiniDexed
Nice to see a video like this where the dude can actually properly play
Thanks holotape! 🙌
Thanks for your shoutout! Great video!
My pleasure! MiniDexed is such a cool project. Thanks again for sharing it with the community!
Sooooo nostalgic listening to the original DX-7 Roms!!!❤
I had the first in the country when it was originally released.
Now I'm considering one of these!
That’s awesome! I hope you enjoy this one if you decide to go for it. 🙌
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).
That's kinda what I was thinking...this has far more capability than this shows!
Hi, did you mean 48 operators, 128 voices polyphony?
Sounds like you're describing Korg's Opsix, WaveState, ModWave, Multipoly and others all powered by a RPI.
@@straighttalk2069 The OpSix is the only FM synth, no? And it's 6 operators?
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.
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 is cool!! Happy to find your killer channel too!! 🙌🐀
Thanks, I really appreciate it! Good luck with your channel too-keep up the great work! 🙌
This content deserves more views! 🔥🙌
Thanks, Matthew! It all hangs in the Algorithm’s tiny robot hands.
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. 😂
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.
sound quality is so good!
I know, right? Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for checking out the video. 🎵
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.
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.
OMG, the QY-70! I miss mine, the ultimate Musician's Gameboy. ❤
Love the santa cruz stickers! Great video will try to build!
Thanks! Good luck with the build!
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!
Using heat shrink tubes is the more proper way to do it. Also, the soldering would probably have looked better if flux had been used. But this video is not about soldering, so I don’t think it matters much.
AMAZING! Are you getting the Reverb frin MiniDexed as well? I didn't know they had FX. Subbed!
Thanks! Yes, reverb and compression are built-in. Glad you enjoyed the video-welcome to the channel! 🎉
I have built a couple, great video !
Thanks, Autodafe!
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.
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. 😅
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.
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
Oooh, that pad at 8:09 is delicious!
Thanks @dudfaz! Yeah, they did some amazing job designing the presets.
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!
Leaves my TX7 for dead. Have to build this into a 19' rack case and improving to 1/4 inch outputs!
I Made one in a 19’rack
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.
Beautiful!
Thanks @Humble_Electronic_Musician! 🙌
Very cool project! My only complaint is that it took until halfway through before we got to hear what it sounded like. Auditioning a few patches at the beginning as a teaser would have been nice.
Thanks for the feedback-I appreciate it! That’s a great idea, and I’ll keep it in mind for future videos.
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!
Cool little gadget! I’m wondering though, how would you program new sounds when using this thing? That little LCD looks sufficient for scrolling through already existing patches, but interacting with all the FM operators and programming new sounds would require using a computer, I suppose?
Thanks for watching! The presets are text files in the project. I’ve only played through the existing ones so far, but I haven’t made my own yet. You’re right-programming sounds would probably need a computer.
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.
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.
Kind of want to make a rack mounted one.....!
That would be awesome! Anything is a step up from cardboard. :D
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.
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.
Very cool 😎
Thanks SonicVibe!
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.
Hi There, for some reason I can't get my midi keyboard to use to navigate the menu...can you point me in the right direction? thanks in advance
You set the values here github.com/probonopd/MiniDexed/blob/62074b6cd8337f760a16d72e632dabb62704b0a9/src/minidexed.ini#L117 One thing to check is that MIDIChannels might be off by 1 since Some MIDI devices count starting from 0 and others starting from 1. Good luck!
:-) ? so...can you point me in the right direction...?
Oh, I wrote a response. I'm not sure why it didn't show up. In the minidexed.ini file it has the MIDI Button Navigation options. On some controllers the MIDI Channel starts at 0 and others on 1. Check to see if the channel off-by-one issue is happening. Also it says MIDIButtonNotes should be greater than 0. My settings are at 5:31 in the video.
@@mobypixel thx ill check my settings and put them here....my question also is do I need to use a control change or a program change, because I used a control change (cc) on my novation keyboard, on the pads. when in boot minidexed I see that the changes are loaded, but my keyboard doesn't respond. did you change anything on your keyboard settings? why do you the midi channel on 17 that's omni right...but your using your drumheads on the Arturia, ands that's midi channel 10. im confused.
@@zwannieboy That link is to the main repo, not my local copy with the changes from the video. It says for MIDICC changes "NB: Off < 64 < ON" I think that means you would have to send a MIDICC value above 64, then below 64 for it to complete a single "press" of the button. I don't think button presses would work well for MIDICC updates in the script the way they have it. On Github they have a discussion section that might have more info. In the case of my MIDI controller the keys and pads are MIDI notes played on different MIDI Channels.
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
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!
How much compute power does this need? Could I build this with an original pi or pi zero?
@@runnerup15 On the MiniDexed GitHub page they say “Raspberry Pi 1, 2, 3, 4, or 400. Raspberry Pi Zero and Zero 2 can be used but need HDMI or a supported i2s DAC for audio out. On Raspberry Pi 1 and on Raspberry Pi Zero there will be severely limited functionality (only one tone generator instead of 8)”
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.
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.
You can always wire it differently and use a metal case.
Totally! I’d like to do that at some point. I actually have some metal enclosures for guitar pedals I might use.
It's cool but the issue I have is no controls so what's the point. Am confused.
The menus are navigated and parameters changed using the pads on the MIDI controller. Alternatively you can use a rotary encoder like Floyd Steinberg's video, but it requires some additional components.
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: th-cam.com/video/HUx9L4WTU-8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=9T9shn2baobYm9XC&t=172
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 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!
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.
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
Nagyon tetszik jó a videó és az
eszköz csak nem tudom hogyan lesz nekem ilyenem ??
I wonder what my TX816 is worth now.
I see a full rack one in very good condition recently sold on eBay for over $2k. Reverb has several listed with one over $3k but who knows if it will sell for that.
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.
IT IS JUST LIKE CHEATING A NEW SYNTH🤑😍
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.
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.
Danger zone and Take my breath away written by the same guy.
Oh cool! I didn't know that.
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