MICRODEXED - DIY 80s home studio in a nutshell

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Here's how to build and use the MicroDexed #diy #synthesizer based on a #teensy 4.1 microcomputer, plus a short demo improvisation. This kit will give you 2 virtual DX7 FM synthesizers, one virtual analog synth, a drum computer, an electric piano, a powerful sequencer and effects in one small, portable box (if you care to build the box). Table of contents:
00:00 intro
00:22 hello
01:04 list of required parts
02:47 software needed
03:06 software setup, library setup
03:47 setting up the project for compiling and flashing
04:25 assembling the hardware
04:49 connecting the screen
05:22 adding a USB port to the Teensy
06:09 connecting the encoders
06:32 general UI workflow
07:15 browsing some sounds: Dexed
07:46 MicroSynth
08:12 Drums
08:36 MDA E-Piano
09:46 internal effects
10:23 quick note on audio quality
10:46 the sequencer: song editor, chains and patterns
11:44 pattern editor - drum track
13:23 adding a MicroSynth track
14:45 shoutout to nexuslabs @positionhigh
15:14 adding a chord track
16:21 mute matrix
16:36 important things to consider
17:10 short demo track using all the onboard instruments
19:42 bye-bye
Software needed:
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
Hardware needed:
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
Join us on Woody Piano Shack's Discord server: discord.gg/CCHgUeU6qa
Get 7% off on DistroKid with this link distrokid.com/vip/floyd
PayPal.me www.paypal.me/alexselck
Shop a Huge Selection of Synths and Drum Machines at PerfectCircuit.com!
link.perfectcircuit.com/t/v1/3-262870-263009-9759
Here's what I have in my setup at the moment. Want to have that, too? Please use the followings links and support me:
Yamaha EX5 www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=yamaha+ex5
Kasser Synths Arcade www.tindie.com/products/kassersynths/dafm-synth-arcade-ym2151/
MPC One, Novation PEAK, Reface DX, Strymon Nightsky, Strymon Volante, Strymon Iridium, Zoom MS 70 CDR, Korg NanoKontrol 2, Korg NanoKey, Akai EWI USB, Zoom R24, Zoom H5, Yamaha MT7:
www.thomann.de/de/thlpg_3wyepuh6gg.html
Some bands / artists I've been following for a long time are (among others) Massive Attack, Pink Floyd, Pet Shop Boys, Archive, A-Ha, Yes, Porcupine Tree, John Mellencamp, Jean-Michel Jarre, Metallica, Peter Gabriel and Perturbator. So my music will kind of sound like those (without ever reaching the greatness of those artists, of course). :-)

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16 июн 2022

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Комментарии : 108

@mr_floydst 2 года назад

*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 ru-vid.com 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 2 года назад

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 2 года назад

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 2 года назад

@@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 2 года назад

You can watch videos about the project progress at: ru-vid.com/group/PLHTypoMU1QoGOXPli8bjR6MknPiQpubHl

@positionhigh 2 года назад

we got in some more oscillators: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WFc2IrTSYDQ.html

@CodemanRhodes 2 года назад

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 2 года назад

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

@bonaventura_AKA_ben 2 года назад

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

@Palooka37 2 года назад

@@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!

@Hostipal 2 года назад

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 2 года назад

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

@JonathanDotExe 2 года назад

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

@mr_floydst 2 года назад

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

@arcanics1971 2 года назад

Amazing work as always!

@mr_floydst 2 года назад

Thank you very much!

@toitoitoy 2 года назад

Editing an fm synth with two encoders :D

@positionhigh 2 года назад

..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 2 года назад

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

@mr_floydst 2 года назад

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

2 года назад

Very cool! Thanks for making this video.

@mr_floydst 2 года назад

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

@dolvaran 2 года назад

Thanks

@mr_floydst 2 года назад

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 2 года назад

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

2 года назад

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

@wavesequencer 2 года назад

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 2 года назад

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 2 года назад

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.

@tiraxca3002 2 года назад

Excellent

@mr_floydst 2 года назад

Thanks!

@Eleni_Be 2 года назад

cool project, genius!

@mr_floydst 2 года назад

Thanks!:)

@rodrigolaporte274 2 года назад

VERY COOL!!!!!

@mr_floydst 2 года назад

Thank you very much!

@SMFraser 2 года назад

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 2 года назад

Thanks for watching! And good luck with that project.

@positionhigh 2 года назад

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.

@robertparenton7470 Год назад

Thank You!

@mr_floydst Год назад

Thanks for watching!

@doordedeur 2 года назад

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

@mr_floydst 2 года назад

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

@wavesequencer 2 года назад

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 2 года назад

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 2 года назад

@@fcf8269 digital synths not analogue

@dingalarm 10 месяцев назад

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

@liouxliouxisgod 6 месяцев назад

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 6 месяцев назад

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. :-)

@thefumigator 2 года назад

Thanks!

@mr_floydst 2 года назад

Thank you very much! Much appreciated.

@BoringStranger Год назад

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 Год назад

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.

@yossajano3751 7 месяцев назад

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

@mr_floydst 7 месяцев назад

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

@stonedrecluse2833 2 года назад

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

@mr_floydst 2 года назад

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 2 года назад

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

@mr_floydst 2 года назад

Aaah, ok. Well, you can find that one in the "average RU-vidr'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 2 года назад

@@mr_floydst Thanks a lot!

2 года назад

Bedankt

@mr_floydst 2 года назад

Vielen lieben Dank! :-)

@_P_M_ 2 года назад

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 2 года назад

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

@fcf8269 2 года назад

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 2 года назад

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 2 года назад

@@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 2 года назад

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 2 года назад

@@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

@saucissecountryboy895 Год назад

THX !

@mr_floydst Год назад

Thanks for watching!

@Guckst_Du_hier Год назад

Woow. So tiny but powerfull.

@mr_floydst Год назад

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

@pocojoyo Год назад

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

@mr_floydst Год назад

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 Год назад

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

@arcanics1971 2 года назад

I clicked on this a day too early!

@mr_floydst 2 года назад

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

@HiddenDjinn 2 года назад

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

@mr_floydst 2 года назад

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HEXWRTEbj1I.html ;-) It's a great synth but still learning some things.

@morganbaskin6939 2 года назад

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 2 года назад

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 :)

@MrSuntask 2 года назад

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

@mr_floydst 2 года назад

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 2 года назад

I've gotta break out my teensy owo

@mr_floydst 2 года назад

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

@jozefsoucik3115 9 месяцев назад

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

@mr_floydst 9 месяцев назад

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 9 месяцев назад

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

@mr_floydst 9 месяцев назад

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

@jozefsoucik3115 9 месяцев назад

@@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 9 месяцев назад

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 2 года назад

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 2 года назад

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 2 года назад

@@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 2 года назад

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

@MaksimLin 2 года назад

Thanks!

@MaksimLin 2 года назад

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 2 года назад

@@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 2 года назад

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.