MICRODEXED - DIY 80s home studio in a nutshell

[@mr_floydst]

*PLEASE REMEMBER TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPERS - EVERYONE IS HAPPY TO GET A CUP OF COFFEE* :-) All the links you need: Software: MicroDexed: codeberg.org/positionhigh/MicroDexed-touch Arduino Development Kit: www.arduino.cc/en/software Teensyduino: www.pjrc.com/teensy/td_download.html Follow @positionhigh's channel for more news on this project kzbin.info Hardware: Teensy 4.1 amzn.to/3N05kPf Teensy Audio Shield amzn.to/39q3r0G Touch Screen amzn.to/3mRkPP5 Breadboard amzn.to/3MYTQLY Wires amzn.to/3OlV7Ot OTG cable amzn.to/3OdFsR6 SD Card amzn.to/3MWXu94 Audio adapter cable amzn.to/3tG0Jey USB 2.0 extension amzn.to/3NYBR9P 5 pin encoders amzn.to/3zFbpxC Korg Nanokey 2 thmn.to/thoprod/268270?offid=1&affid=330

[@positionhigh]

Very good link list, thank you so much. If there are any upcoming questions, our team will be available for chat in the premiere. Some very bleeding edge features are not covered, like multisample playback from serial flash chip. The next PCB will cover this topic and also an solution for the audio noise while encoders/display updates are happening. We have planned to switch to a common PCM5102 DAC instead of the audio board, as soon as this turns out to be a viable solution, after testing. This step will eleminate the need of the I2S Masterclock that seems to be the main reason for the noise issues.

[@NAM999DnB]

What is what makes the teensy 4.1 good for this project? What was it targeted by the developer, and not, nor i stance a Raspberry Pi, more powerful, and equally cheap. First the M8 Dirtywave, of which I made my headless version, and now this? I am curious why?

[@positionhigh]

@@NAM999DnB Hi Alex, actually microdexed exists since several years, Holger began developing it with the Teensy 3.6 with the wish to have a very portable DX7 (that was really heavy to carry around). So it was a natural development to continue that with the next Teensy Generation. As you might have seen, there is also Minidexed, that is based on the same code but was ported to the Pi. Their goal is to have kind of a TX816 (8 DX7) in a box. What i am trying here, together with Holger and another very dedicated developer, is to get a self-contained instrument/groovebox with as much features as possible we can squeeze in. Back to your question - For the Pi, there was no easy low-level development env. available. So you had to boot kind of a linux environment, first, like on your PC. We do like to have a instant-on experience. Now, this has changed recently, with Circle on the Pi, so this now i also possible to create there.

[@positionhigh]

You can watch videos about the project progress at: kzbin.info/aero/PLHTypoMU1QoGOXPli8bjR6MknPiQpubHl

[@positionhigh]

we got in some more oscillators: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXfGY3yoibiMerM

[@CodemanRhodes]

Hi, Holger here. I started the MicroDexed project about 5 years ago and ported Dexed and MDA EP to the Teensy (with much help of other users ❤️). I hope I can follow this video the whole time.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for creating this! Great work.

[@bonaventura_AKA_ben]

Hi it would be nice to get an assembled version. Anybody making a kit/assembled version?

[@Palooka37]

@@mr_floydst Holger was an absolute star in assisting with building his TeensyMidi board, I just want to put it out here how helpful the guy is!

[@dolvaran]

Thanks

[@mr_floydst]

Wow, thank you very much! You're officially the first one to use that button. I will screenshot this and hang it on my wall. :-)

[@dolvaran]

@@mr_floydst You are most welcome. Excellent content as always!

@@mr_floydst I didn't even know that button existed! 💰

[@Hostipal]

Very cool! Kind of like a mini DIY groovebox. Also love the MDA E-Piano, used to use the VST all the time before buying another one and wondering why I hadn't just stuck with such a good sounding free VST

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! Yes, that E-Piano is really great.

Bedankt

[@mr_floydst]

Vielen lieben Dank! :-)

Very cool! Thanks for making this video.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! This one was a lot of work and so many things went wrong first. ;-)

[@arcanics1971]

Amazing work as always!

[@mr_floydst]

Thank you very much!

[@JonathanDotExe]

Finally got around to watching it :). I love all those hardware synth using Raspi and co. videos you make recently.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks, Jo! KZbin suggested "more to come" as an automatic answer, so that's what I chose. ;-)

[@Eleni_Be]

cool project, genius!

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks!:)

[@MaksimLin]

Thanks!

[@MaksimLin]

Brilliant video as usual Floyd! Thanks for showing what the microdexed can do, I'd come across the project before but hadn't realised it was so capable! But oof that 2 encoder interface seems alot of work to use. I wonder if it could be easily adapted to work with a decent midi controller... ?

[@mr_floydst]

@@MaksimLin Thank you VERY much! I didn't show the step stequencer in this video. You can use your keyboard to record "live" or step by step.

[@positionhigh]

real time recording is currently an issue but at least you can fill up the patterns by a step recording mode from your favourite midi device.

[@tiraxca3002]

Excellent

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks!

[@wavesequencer]

Cool project - the MDA E-Piano sounds so good.. that would be enough for me to just a have a tiny box that defaults to that sound and nothing else/no UI other than a couple of knobs to control EQ/tremolo.

[@mr_floydst]

You could turn this project into that. This defaults to the EP on channel 1 anyway - adding some more knobs and changing the default screen to that of the MDA piano shouldn't be too hard.

[@positionhigh]

That is possible to do, also you could revert to the previous generation of microdexed for that purpose. I still would suggest to use a Teensy 4.x instead of the older Teensy since only that can run the much better internal software reverb.

[@toitoitoy]

Editing an fm synth with two encoders :D

[@positionhigh]

..might be at least better than on an original DX7 because of some graphical feedback :_)) however, currently it is limited to modify the attack and release phase as macros for the currently loaded fm instruments in realtime, i think that is what you usualy want to do while playing, anyway.

[@CodemanRhodes]

... and, if necessary, you can edit the Dexed voices via MIDI SYSEX and a free (web) editor.

[@mr_floydst]

You should try MiniDexed, the Raspberry PI project of similar origins. :-)

[@liouxliouxisgod]

Thank you for all your help and patience with me and all my questions. I just build all the physical parts to this and hit a roadblock. The software has been updated on microdexed and isnt compatible with the IDE version youre using in this video and the new one is even more confusing. They told me to use a hex file to upload to the teensy, thats not working either. Maybe its because I’m using my mac? Is there anything you’d be able to suggest that a super beginner would miss? . Compiling all this code without being able to follow your video is like rocket science. Im still trying though. I got the pcb and am already this deep😂 Anyway, just wanted to thank you for all your work

[@mr_floydst]

Hi, thanks a lot! Ok, let's walk you through this... 1) on Mac, please download this: www.pjrc.com/teensy/loader_mac.html follow the instructions on that page. 2) Now download this ZIP file: codeberg.org/positionhigh/MicroDexed-touch/archive/v1.6.74.zip Unzip this. Inside, you will find a /releases folder 3) connect the teensy to your mac with a USB cable. 4) launch the Teensy loader 5) drag the file named "mdt_DEFAULT_1_6_73.hex" into the Teensy loader 6) then again, follow the instructions on www.pjrc.com/teensy/loader_mac.html If you can complete this successfully, your Teensy is flashed. Please report back once that's done. :-)

[@rodrigolaporte274]

VERY COOL!!!!!

[@mr_floydst]

Thank you very much!

[@robertparenton7470]

Thank You!

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching!

[@SMFraser]

I happen to have a spare Teensy floating around since my M8 arrived. I guess I know what I'm going to do with it.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! And good luck with that project.

[@positionhigh]

There is a USB remote display-console included, howewer it has no web interface so far but is a simple script in processing. It is intended for development and debugging but you could use that to get quickly going without much else hardware to test out, if you like it.

[@saucissecountryboy895]

THX !

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching!

[@stonedrecluse2833]

Great stuff! Thanks! What was the squared 8-bit-like screen at the final jam?

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! That's the "mute matrix". Use the touch screen to quickly mute tracks. There's a chapter in this video on this :)

[@positionhigh]

@@mr_floydst i think what was meant was that blinkenlight LED matrix display showing some 32x32 or 64x64 pixel animations

[@mr_floydst]

Aaah, ok. Well, you can find that one in the "average KZbinr's survival kit" :-) This is a bluetooth USB speaker by a company named Divoom. You can edit and upload animations and they've got a big community of pixel artists.

[@stonedrecluse2833]

@@mr_floydst Thanks a lot!

[@BoringStranger]

Thanks for the video, as always. Nice to have an example before venturing on building one yourself. What do you think of the workflow as compared to the Dirtywave? The sequencing on the MDT seems inspired by trackers

[@mr_floydst]

It's kind of similar regarding the tracker, but I liked the UI of Microdexed more. It's a bit more inviting and self-explanatory.

[@Guckst_Du_hier]

Woow. So tiny but powerfull.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! It's a great DIY box (and it's not that expensive to build)

[@_P_M_]

This is interesting to me. I've wanted to get into kit building for some time and learn a little bit about electronics. How far does this kind of thing go? Are these modified code from open source VST's? So, for example could the Surge VST be put into a Teensy with a custom controller box? Or could a vintage software plug-in (like the Emu X sampler) be set up to run this way? I hope you continue to make videos like this.

[@mr_floydst]

Hi, thanks for watching. Yes, this is based on Dexed and MDA EP. Surge does require some CPU power, I think I'd rather use a Raspberry PI for that. There's a toolkit named Circle which enables you to compile software to run without an operating system. github.com/rsta2/circle

[@doordedeur]

A multifunctional synth with effects from so little components: what are the meanstream synth-manufacturers doing wrong?

[@mr_floydst]

I think they 're giving us more elaborate electromechanical user interfaces. :)

[@wavesequencer]

The cost of a commercially produced hardware synth though is mostly about everything else other than the electronic components these days - chassis/connectors/knobs/key-bed/tooling/manufacturing/shipping/marketing/distribution costs/re-sale partner cut, engineering team/developer/sales & marketing salaries (and if you open up a recent digital synth the PCB won't have all that much on it either - depending on the amount of IO/UI hardware/audio connectors).

[@fcf8269]

I am sure you realize the difference between a micro-controller based device and a synth with multiple logic paths, controls IO and filters :) You can peek at the Moog schematics and get an idea of what it takes to make even a simple monophonic device.

[@guccisquidbillytentacles]

@@fcf8269 digital synths not analogue

[@dingalarm]

​​@@wavesequencerSo would that mean that something like the Korg NTS-1 is still worth it? 🤔

[@yossajano3751]

Hi.I did not notice how you connected the midi keyboard to your teensy.Through added USB port?

[@mr_floydst]

I'm using a MIDI USB host by british company Hobbytech.

[@arcanics1971]

I clicked on this a day too early!

[@mr_floydst]

Apologies for revving up the hype machine - but this video was by far the most work intensive yet. Hope to see you tomorrow ;)

[@fcf8269]

I get no audio from the audio jack of the audio expansion board. did you change anything in the code to modify the audio routing? Looks like the new version microdexed (touch) is not using the Teensy audio shield but a different audio board.

[@mr_floydst]

Hi, thanks for watching - I'm not the developer of Microdexed, @positionhigh is. But browsing the changelog codeberg.org/positionhigh/MicroDexed-touch/wiki/Changelog: "Notice : The Code now defaults to compile for PCM5102. If you still want to use the Teensy Audio Board, change it in config.h" Hope this helps!

[@fcf8269]

@@mr_floydst Thanks a lot! I was following your video step by step and I guess that change happened after you made the video. Cheers!

[@positionhigh]

If you have any issues let us know in the issues tracker, also we have a chat group ready to help you out. Issues: codeberg.org/positionhigh/MicroDexed-touch/issues Chat group: signal.group/#CjQKID8_6_bax5W1WS2rcq7NokgSckC0kxh8uPdo20X_S4hKEhBnZ-9ZbTvMT2vacLZqn92N

[@fcf8269]

@@positionhigh Thanks; I think the key is in what Floyd posted; need to mod the header file to change the audio board parameters. Thanks for the info! Will give it a try this week

[@morganbaskin6939]

Guten Tag.Ich habe Nach ihre Video Gerät zusammen gebaut .Aber ich habe kleine Probleme , ich kann file von sd card nicht auf flasch kopieren. Weil gerät sieht sd card nicht.ich habe meer Fach probiert mit verschiedenen sd card leider kein Ergebnis. Bitte helfen sie mir.

[@mr_floydst]

Hi, did you format the SD card in FAT32? BTW let's just talk english here. Google translate is getting better but it's still not great :)

[@pocojoyo]

Hi. In which way is this better than your MiniDexed on a Raspberry Pi ?

[@mr_floydst]

Hi! I know sometimes we have no time to watch the video ;-) This is more like a groovebox. It has a tracker / sequencer and more synth engines, while the MiniDexed is strictly 8 Dexed plugins in a box and nothing else. For details, ...

[@pocojoyo]

@@mr_floydst lol sorry. And thanks. I will be doing the raspberry pi first. Thanks. This is too good

[@HiddenDjinn]

I see you got a micron. Do you like yours as much as I love mine?

[@mr_floydst]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fna7iIWKesedZ6s ;-) It's a great synth but still learning some things.

[@MrSuntask]

Can I buy one somewhere or does someone want build one for me?

[@mr_floydst]

Best is to find a group of 4 other people who want to build it and then together order the parts (as 5 often is the minimum number of PCBs / 3D prints you can order from online services)

[@trannusaran6164]

I've gotta break out my teensy owo

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching and good luck with building this! :)

[@jozefsoucik3115]

pls buy better solder iron...for example miniware T80P is very good choice. That battery powered one is little cringy.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for voicing your concerns, but I like that iron and have become quite used to it. The tip is thin, the heat builds up quickly and there's a small light which highlights the area I'm working on. Plus there's no cable getting in the way / pulling on the top end. The problem here was that I made the mistake of trying to attach the USB cable after I attached the audio board. Should have thought about that beforehand. :-)

[@jozefsoucik3115]

@@mr_floydst you probably have no idea about difference;-)

[@mr_floydst]

That's propably true. ;-) I will remember your recommendation should I ever feel the need to buy a better iron.

[@jozefsoucik3115]

@@mr_floydst I used to have similar like yours but results were always in the best effort not good... otherwise terrible. So I did research and found 2 crucial things I do bad. 1. position and type of the tip (cable is always between solder and the tip). 2. using flux always help to pour the solder into dips...so no bulbs stays on top.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for your advice! I'm trying to get better at this - I recently bought a microscope, a bottle of flux and isopropyl. But to be honest, most of the times, for these DIY projects I'm showing here, the small soldering iron is good enough. These things are needed for repairing damaged electronics (which I'll propably keep my fingers off until I've learned more)

[@jscan]

any chance your middle name is 'Rose', as in Axel? Because it's about that much originality.. BTW your English ain't bad, but the accent is a historical (hysterical?) laugh

[@mr_floydst]

Well thanks for your constructive criticism, which certainly will help me improve. :) The middle name, if there was one, would be _Jarvis_ , of course. (A very small subset of viewers will have a mild chuckle reading this).

[@jscan]

@@mr_floydst apologies - I was in a very cynical mood when I wrote this.. Appreciate your efforts on this and many other videos!

[@mr_floydst]

Accepted, and no harm done. ;-) Thank you.

[@thefumigator]

Thanks!

[@mr_floydst]

Thank you very much! Much appreciated.