Free FM Synthesizer Dexed (VST Windows and Mac)

[BlackWinny]

I hate to bring this up, but are there any legal issues with using factory DX7 presets? I've tried asking Yamaha USA but they don't seem to understand what a preset is. All the ones on the net were technically created by a user when they were transferred to the pc?

No, there are no legal issues there. Yamaha have never engaged any pursuit against the authors of these conversions in the 30 years of existence of the DX series. They are free, and these original Yamaha presets which are converted into PC/Mac files are a part of the remaining fame of the DX synths yet today. And Yamaha had even published themselves the structure of the sysex to allow this full activity around their DX series. A thing that Roland has never understood, keeping jealously the copyrights for themselves (except for the Juno series if I recall correctly). What is done with the original Yamaha sysex files could never be done with the original Roland sysex files, they behave totally differently with the users.

If I recall correctly Dave Benson, Bobby Blues and Jack Deckart (who all three can't be suspected of anything illegal) had explained that many years ago in Telnet discussions.

[fmr]

And what about a new GUI, that allows a better programability of the synth? How are things going in that department?

[toothnclaw]

SO..., how's it going?

It's running. The search for duplicates and the regrouping of collections which are scattered everywhere is the hardest part of the job. But it progresses. A new version of my collection will be ready probably in the middle of the coming week with around 250 new sysex files (8000 patches) in addition.

Great, I very much admire your efforts, BlackWinny!
Please make this the best library that ever was, and ever could be, the DX deserves it!

Have you considered using version numbers? This would allow you to build up on the work you've already done, if necessary. That and a descriptive naming of the archive file would be important, as I'm sure you understand. Maybe a changelog could be of some use too.

[BlackWinny]

SO..., how's it going?

It's running. The search for duplicates and the regrouping of collections which are scattered everywhere is the hardest part of the job. But it progresses. A new version of my collection will be ready probably in the middle of the coming week with around 250 new sysex files (8000 patches) in addition.

Great, I very much admire your efforts, BlackWinny!
Please make this the best library that ever was, and ever could be, the DX deserves it!

Have you considered using version numbers? This would allow you to build up on the work you've already done, if necessary. That and a descriptive naming of the archive file would be important, as I'm sure you understand. Maybe a changelog could be of some use too.

Yes, I agree. But I'll do it when the first real version is released, to avoid a changelog file containing already hundreds of lines at the very first days. We can consider that for the moment it is a little progression of two or three prereleases without number, the work being currently in progress. Then I'll suggest to you all to make little random tests to validate the state of the collection, add some suggestions of improvements that I could do to ease everyone (trees, names, etc.), and if globally it is an OK for almost everyone, I'll number it as a 1.0. Then will begin the ability to document a changelog when I later add new sysex files.


What I'd like also would be the modification of Dexed to apply my suggestion made here. It would be a huge improvement for everybody, opening very wide horizons. Not only for my work to create this collection but also to allow everyone to add one's own zip files found independently a bit everywhere throughout the web or created from scratch by one's own.

[toothnclaw]

What I'd like also would be the modification of Dexed to apply my suggestion made here. It would be a huge improvement for everybody, opening very wide horizons. Not only for my work to create this collection but also to allow everyone to add one's own zip files found independently a bit everywhere throughout the web or created from scratch by one's own.

I view Dexed primarily as a librarian that loads, plays and organizes pre-existing sounds, and only then as a synthesizer to work with.
That's why I also think that its browser should be flexible and give the well-known options of a general purpose file browser.

That and, of course, your collection (when released) = FM heaven!

[electro]

I view Dexed primarily as a librarian that loads, plays and organizes pre-existing sounds, and only then as a synthesizer to work with.
That's why I also think that its browser should be flexible and give the well-known options of a general purpose file browser

Precisely. The ability to control DX7 parameters with mouse and keyboard is a nice bonus.

[dumbledog]

SO..., how's it going?

It's running. The search for duplicates and the regrouping of collections which are scattered everywhere is the hardest part of the job. But it progresses. A new version of my collection will be ready probably in the middle of the coming week with around 250 new sysex files (8000 patches) in addition.

Ha I was doing this exact thing with the patches Dave Benson hosts about two weeks ago. Wrote a Python script to manage the files around after I'd converted to .nfm8, auditioned and threw out adjacent identical files and that took care of about 6000 dupes, but there's still a lot more. I suppose if I really wanted to get into it I could figure out the SYX format, find what parts of it make up the waveform and write a script to delete that way but damn, effort.

Doing God's work man, hats off to ya.

[dupont]

Any date for an AU version ?
I'd like to use DEXED with Logic X !

[asb2m10]

Please make a global "Hide keyboard" option (as in "set and forget")!
Please optimize processor usage when idle (now is almost the same as when playing), or even make it to auto suspend.
Please include copy/paste for individual patches.

Thanks!

EDIT: Also, please notify host after program/cartridge change, i.e. that the project is modified -> ask to save on exit.

THe processor optimization is already there. It is your program that have the L4 > 0 on the envelopes that causes the CPU consumption.

The "Hide keyboard" will be added in 0.8.0

Hi,

I tried 0.7 this morning and I found some sounds attack clipping when in mono mode, mostly when sound is in the low frequency, like bass sounds with short decay.
Any plan to solve this ?

It will be fixed in 0.8.0

Any date for an AU version ?
I'd like to use DEXED with Logic X !

I don't know yet. I have a weird bug with AU. With-in the 0.8.x releases.

What I'd like also would be the modification of Dexed to apply my suggestion made here. It would be a huge improvement for everybody, opening very wide horizons. Not only for my work to create this collection but also to allow everyone to add one's own zip files found independently a bit everywhere throughout the web or created from scratch by one's own.

It will be done, but not in 0.8.0; that's a lot of work. 0.8.1 will explicitly address the preset browser/editor.

0.8.0 should be out in mid october. Sorry if I did post any teaser, but I wanted concentrate on the coding.

Btw, if you have a bug, I strongly suggest opening a ticket on github (Dexed home page). This helps me tracks the changes, if not, it gets lost in this conversation.

[BlackWinny]

What I'd like also would be the modification of Dexed to apply my suggestion made here. It would be a huge improvement for everybody, opening very wide horizons. Not only for my work to create this collection but also to allow everyone to add one's own zip files found independently a bit everywhere throughout the web or created from scratch by one's own.

It will be done, but not in 0.8.0; that's a lot of work. 0.8.1 will explicitly address the preset browser/editor.

Thank you! The essential is that has been understood the interest of the thing.


The time to make it is of course something totally different, yes.

[toothnclaw]

THe processor optimization is already there. It is your program that have the L4 > 0 on the envelopes that causes the CPU consumption.

What? Did not understand, sorry. What is "my program"? And "L4 > 0" ????

Btw, if you have a bug, I strongly suggest opening a ticket on github (Dexed home page). This helps me tracks the changes, if not, it gets lost in this conversation.

I just found a bug in FL Studio 11. Cannot change presets with the Fruity Wrapper left/right arrows.


(Will try to join github later.)

[arkmabat]

I hate to bring this up, but are there any legal issues with using factory DX7 presets? I've tried asking Yamaha USA but they don't seem to understand what a preset is. All the ones on the net were technically created by a user when they were transferred to the pc?

No, there are no legal issues there. Yamaha have never engaged any pursuit against the authors of these conversions in the 30 years of existence of the DX series. They are free, and these original Yamaha presets which are converted into PC/Mac files are a part of the remaining fame of the DX synths yet today. And Yamaha had even published themselves the structure of the sysex to allow this full activity around their DX series. A thing that Roland has never understood, keeping jealously the copyrights for themselves (except for the Juno series if I recall correctly). What is done with the original Yamaha sysex files could never be done with the original Roland sysex files, they behave totally differently with the users.

If I recall correctly Dave Benson, Bobby Blues and Jack Deckart (who all three can't be suspected of anything illegal) had explained that many years ago in Telnet discussions.

Very useful and informative answer! Thank you.

[arkmabat]

Btw, if you have a bug, I strongly suggest opening a ticket on github (Dexed home page). This helps me tracks the changes, if not, it gets lost in this conversation.

I just found a bug in FL Studio 11. Cannot change presets with the Fruity Wrapper left/right arrows.


(Will try to join github later.)

Yeah I've had that issue too. I think it may only be when it's bridged.

[arkmabat]

http://tamw.atari-users.net/dx7.htm

Presets and DX7 tips.

[BlackWinny]

http://tamw.atari-users.net/dx7.htm

Presets and DX7 tips.

Yes, but the tools, beware: they are very, very old. All that worked well at the time of Windows95, Windows98, Windows Me and Windows 2000.

Just the side " technical informations" remains really interesting.

And for their sysex, they are in my collection...

...and without the dupes in the sysex (there will remain a few dupes only in some patches, to not alter the sysex which contain them).

So this site is interesting, yes, but it remains interesting in 2014 only for the technical informations that it contains.