Using Dexed to edit your hardware DX7/TX7 is a feature that isn’t talked about much. Using a well-laid out user interface (UI) like Dexed to perform this task, rather than paging for seemingly endless 2×16 LCD display pages, is very handy. Let’s get Dexed up on the ramps and edit some sounds.
The Background
Usually, when you are managing and editing preset data on hardware synthesizers, you need to purchase a separate Editor/Librarian application. Editors allow the editing of individual parameters in a synthesizer voice or patch. Librarians offer the ability to manage complete voices, making tasks such as backing up, creating a custom library, and loading new banks of sounds easy. Librarian tasks in particular are often challenging on hardware synths – mainly because the tasks require some visual “real estate” to make them straightforward. Fortunately, with Dexed, the designers had the foresight to include the SysEx MIDI communication and Librarian functionality in the plug-in. Once the connections are established, it just works, which is the best implementation.
The Setup
To connect your DX7/TX7 to Dexed, you need three things:
1. Two MIDI Cables
2. A MIDI interface on your computer
3. Proper setup and routing in your Operating System
I’m working on a Mac. The steps are similar in Windows, and I will attempt to offer details in that OS as well. Linux users, I apologize—you are on your own. I don’t have enough knowledge to offer any advice.
Step One: Connect the MIDI Out of your computer interface to the MIDI In of the DX7, and vice versa for the other MIDI Cable.
Step Two: Launch Dexed, either in your DAW or stand-alone. In my estimation, most users use Dexed in a DAW, so I will give examples using that setup.
Step Three: Hit PARM and set up the MIDI In and Out ports so that Dexed can transmit the SysEx messages for editing to your hardware DX7/TX7. I am using a MIDI Monitoring utility to confirm messaging and provide screenshots for this post.
Basic Librarian Operations
To send a sound to your DX7/TX7, press [CART], which essentially opens the “Librarian” part of Dexed. Along the bottom of this pop-up window, you will see the names of the voices currently loaded into Dexed. These are the current “Cart” voices.
Right-clicking on any program in this window provides a choice of two options – either sending the individual selected to the DX7, or sending the entire cartridge. This does not select the sound in Dexed. It sends the SysEx of the voice you are “hovering over” to your DX7 over MIDI.
Congratulations! We’ve now done a basic “Librarian” function of sending a voice from our computer to the DX7/TX7. There is more functionality to note in this window, however. Dexed uses the “Cartridges” folder on your computer as a source of its “CARTS” and voices. If you don’t already have your Dexed CARTS (read: DX7 SysEx files) in this directory, I recommend placing them here. Keep in mind Dexed CARTs are small. Pressing “SHOW DIR” opens the folder in either macOS or Windows, and you can drag-and-drop CARTS here.
Building a Custom Cart
While the 32 sounds along the bottom of this window are the currently selected CART, the area on the right side of the window is a “CART browser.” Selecting a .SYX CART in the window will provide a list of sounds in the selected (but not opened) cart. The same capability to send a single voice to your DX7 exists in this portion of the window, too. Sending the entire CART is only available when the CART is loaded. That said, there’s more “Librarian” functionality available.
With your loaded CART along the bottom of the Window, and the selected, unopened list of CART voices on the right, you can drag and drop voices from the unopened CART into the opened CART. This provides a way to pull your favorite voices from several CARTs and build a custom CART for gigging, a specific song, etc. If you want to explore this feature, browse several CARTs, drag and drop voices as you wish, then CLOSE the window. Once closed, you will go through the STORE process to name and save this new bank.
Back to the Editor
Returning to the CART window if you have changed windows, right click on a sound in the active CART (along the bottom of the window) and send it to the DX7. Once you have sent the voice over MIDI to the DX7 and you want to edit it, then select the voice by left-clicking on the voice in this CART window, and then press CLOSE. You now have the same voice selected in Dexed and active in your DX7/TX7.
At this point, you have the Dexed editor open. When edited, every parameter that maps directly to a DX7 parameter will transmit a short SysEx message to the DX7, keeping the VST and your hardware DX7 in sync. Here’s an example:
Voices will still need to be saved if you want to keep them. Depending on your workflow, you may need to save both on the DX7 and in Dexed. If you always save in Dexed and reload your voice via SysEx to the DX7, then you only need to save in Dexed. Complete voices sent to the DX7 are reasonably short messages—163 bytes—and parameter edits are even smaller—just 7 bytes. However, not all parameters in Dexed are sent over to the DX7.
Other notes
There is a group of parameters present in Dexed but not on your DX7, and therefore they don’t generate SysEx messages when you edit them. The Filter Cutoff and Resonance in Dexed do not have corresponding parameters in the DX7/TX7. Tune and Level are also not sent. Transpose works, but Monophonic does not, strangely enough. In my experience, all of the other available parameters generate SysEx messages and update the DX7 when Dexed is edited.
If there is a use case where you have used Dexed to create your perfect voice on the DX7, and now wish for Dexed to behave autonomously from the DX—perhaps as a sound generator with a different voice—you can disable MIDI communication and synchronization by pressing PARM and setting the DX7 In and DX7 Out parameters to “None.” This breaks the communication link between Dexed and your hardware.
Wrap-up
So we’ve covered a somewhat overlooked feature: the ability to edit your hardware DX7/TX7 using the Dexed interface. The value of this feature should not be understated. With few exceptions, hardware editors and librarians are not usually free by any means, and some can be quite expensive. If you have a DX7 or TX7, this is just another reason to keep Dexed on your hard drive.
Harnessing the power of Dexed as a voice editor and librarian for DX7 and TX7 hardware is a game-changer for electronic musicians. Dexed doesn’t just emulate the classic DX7—it propels them into the modern era. By bridging 40-year-old hardware to your current technology DAW, Dexed allows users to push the boundaries of FM synthesis, inspiring new creative options. The intuitive interface offers complex FM sound design into an accessible journey, saving time-poor creators precious hours while unlocking new ideas. Whether you’re a pro or a newcomer, Dexed’s vast library and editing capabilities offer tons of inspiration, echoing SoundEngine’s mission to provide tools that seamlessly integrate into your workflow.
As we continue to evolve and embrace cutting-edge audio technology, tools like Dexed represent the future of sound design—where the past and present combine to create tomorrow’s new sounds. Ready to elevate your FM synthesis game? Dive into Dexed with our Dexed Owner’s Manual at your fingertips, and take it step-by-step to become a Dexpert.
Resources:
- The Dexed plug-in:
- Our custom programmed Flywheel: Dexed bank:
- Our custom programmed Crankshaft: Dexed bank:
- SoundEngine’s Complete Dexed Owner’s Manual Series:
- FM Synthesis:
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