Free FM Synthesizer Dexed (VST Windows and Mac)

[jbraner]

Hi Tilikum,

What DAW do you use to load Dexed?
Can't you use the DAW to trigger sysex dumps from Dexed?

I'm not sure exactly how this works, and I haven't used sysex dumps (or hardware synths) in a long time - but I reckon it's worth a little investigation.

[Tilikum]

What DAW do you use to load Dexed?
Can't you use the DAW to trigger sysex dumps from Dexed?

I'm not sure exactly how this works, and I haven't used sysex dumps (or hardware synths) in a long time - but I reckon it's worth a little investigation.

Thanks for the reply. I am on a Mac an use logic. I wonder how I would trigger the dumps in an other way then MIDI. But I will think about that.

[jbraner]

Check how to do it in logic.

You should be able to do a sysex dump from the Volca in to Logic. You would push some buttons (on the volca) to manually trigger the dump - and "record" it in Logic. Then save it to a file (they're *.syx in Windows). Logic might say you "export" to a file.

Then you should also be able to send these sysex files from Logic to the Volca. You would load them in to Logic at the beginning, or anywhere you like - and Logic should be able to send them out the MIDI port to the volca.

Depending how the volca handles MIDI you might have to send entire banks - or maybe you can do individual patches.

This is how it was done in the "good old days"

I would think that all DAWs should be able to do this - but maybe the MIDI sysex handling functionality has been disappearing (?)

[Tilikum]

Hi everybody. Actually I found a solution, how to transfer a DX7 program to my Volca FM automatically and it works great on my Mac with Logic as the DAW and host for Dexed. Maybe someone finds it helpful, as it basically provides a kind of "fake" MIDI program change function for the Volca FM.

1 Make sure you activate IAC-Driver on your Mac
2 In Dexed choose the same IAC-Bus for input and output in the PARM menu
3 In Logic activate the Dexed track and klick on "record"
4 Open the Dexed interface, go to CART menu and right-klick on the program you would like to transfer, send the program to DX 7
5 Logic will record this event as a small region-snippet, you can stop the recording then.
6 Use the recorded region-snippet on the track/channel that you use to send MIDI to your KORG Volca FM
7 When you play, the recorded command will be reproduced and send to the Volca FM, so the program will be transfered within a second.
8 I use the snippet at the beginning of a track or to change the instrument in the middle of a running track. The snippet might actually also work in any other DAW (and without Dexed).
9 Note that transfered programs will not be stored automatically on the Volca FM unless you use its save function.

Have fun.

volca FM dexed.jpg

[mcbpete]

Nice find/guide !

[jbraner]

[JamSpy]

Thanks !

[Obsolete236871]

Does anyone have a "Lately" style bass patch for Dexed?

[BlackWinny]

Does anyone have a "Lately" style bass patch for Dexed?

• On the bottom left corner of the GUI, click "CART"
• Browse down the folder "SynprezFM"
• Choose "SynprezFM_05.syx"
• Select the preset "BassAirMan" on the righ-hand column
• Click the button "CLOSE"

[Obsolete236871]

Thanks!

[izonin]

Does anyone have a "Lately" style bass patch for Dexed?

• On the bottom left corner of the GUI, click "CART"
• Browse down the folder "SynprezFM"
• Choose "SynprezFM_05.syx"
• Select the preset "BassAirMan" on the righ-hand column
• Click the button "CLOSE"

Don't expect it to sound exactly like "Lately Bass" though. AFAIK Dexed only has a sine waveform for it's modulators. The hardware that "Lately" originates from has a few more, and one of those forms is used in that bass preset, giving it a very specific sound character.

[Obsolete236871]

Does anyone have a "Lately" style bass patch for Dexed?

• On the bottom left corner of the GUI, click "CART"
• Browse down the folder "SynprezFM"
• Choose "SynprezFM_05.syx"
• Select the preset "BassAirMan" on the righ-hand column
• Click the button "CLOSE"

Don't expect it to sound exactly like "Lately Bass" though. AFAIK Dexed only has a sine waveform for it's modulators. The hardware that "Lately" originates from has a few more, and one of those forms is used in that bass preset, giving it a very specific sound character.

Thanks!

To my ears that patch sounds pretty good. Don't know how close it is to the original. About the different waveform: I said it in the other thread - I do believe the only different waveform is one that looks like a sinewave at double the normal speed. Should be doable by adjusting playback speed / rate of a standard sine?

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=529820&p=7637096#p7637096

[izonin]

Thanks!

To my ears that patch sounds pretty good. Don't know how close it is to the original. About the different waveform: I said it in the other thread - I do believe the only different waveform is one that looks like a sinewave at double the normal speed. Should be doable by adjusting playback speed / rate of a standard sine?

Nope, I don't believe you can do it by adjusting the rate.

The sine wave looks something like this ^v^v^v^v^v

and the wave used in Lately is ^v~~^v~~^v~~^v~~^v~~

[planetearth]

From what I've read, Lately Bass was originally from the TX81Z, and used one of the other waveforms that synth offered. Also, some of the modulation options are different between the TX81Z and the DX7, so it may be difficult to emulate it "perfectly".

This thread on Gearslutz might be helpful in getting close(r) to the sound you want within a DX7 emulator: https://www.gearslutz.com/board/electro ... e-dx7.html

Steve

[hermetica]

I'm the Dexed author

Hi asb2m10, I do not know if this is the right place for a feature request. I use Dexed to transfer patches to my KORG Volca FM and it works fine. Great work. Actually it seems that Dexed is the most recommended tool on the internet for working with the Volca FM.

I just have a problem: I would like to use the Volca FM in a live set up and unfortunatly it does not respond to ProgramChange MIDI commands. The follwing feature for Dexed really would be great: If Dexed would react to any kind of MIDI command and then triggers the "send program XY to DX7" with the active program, I could automaticly send programs from my DAW to the Volca FM in real time. I think a lot of other Volca FM users would love that feature, too.

as far as I know, it works with this unofficial firmware (which is a big improvement)
https://www.reddit.com/r/volcas/comment ... ugfix_and/