How would your ideal DX7 voice editor need to be?

[probonopd]

As I am working on the MiniDexed Service Utility, I've been spending way too much time thinking about how an ideal DX7 voice editor would need to work, look, and feel. Personally I think it may be possible to improve over the user interface that Dexed on the PC is currently offering. I am trying to create something that has more of a DX7 look and feel, albeit a modern-day DX7.

So this is what I came up with so far:

• Only vertical sliders like on the DX7 - hover the mouse over a slider and operate the mouse wheel
• Algorithms and their parameters are visually grouped in lines
• Carriers and modulators have different colors
• Hovering over sliders provides helpful information including book references
• The diagrams on the DX7 front panel (which hardly anyone understood back in the day) are dynamically changing as one changes the parameters, making them easily understandable

Would love to hear your thoughts.

[soyersoyer]

Looks cool! Any control that only has two states (Op Enable, Osc Mode, LFO Sync, OSC Sync, AfterTouch/BreathController/FootController/ModWheel Pitch/EGBias/Amplitude) could be displayed as a switch to make it clearer.

[probonopd]

Was considering that, but then, the DX7 also used the slider for that...

[soyersoyer]

The Jellinghaus DX Programmer has switches.

[Banana71]

Yes, that looks good. Although Dexed will be hard to beat.
@soyersoyer is right about the switches.
The frequency data (Tune, Coarse, Fine) should also be directly readable. The breakpoints should be visible as note values. The four different scaling curves for each OP are certainly difficult to display, as is the LFO waveform. The feedback belongs to the algorithm and should therefore also move to the top left. What does the left edge of the window look like if Algorithm 32 is selected?

About the operation:

Manny "Dr. Synth" Fernandez, one of the undisputed masters of this subject, has stated publicly that for him the ideal user interface for a FM synth is a spreadsheet

When I read that, I immediately pictured a spreadsheet with a cursor and cursor key controls. Values ​​can be entered using the numeric keypad or +/-. Switches can be toggled using the spacebar. Or, of course, with the mouse.

[probonopd]

Thanks for your feedback, will think about it.

What does the left edge of the window look like if Algorithm 32 is selected?

Considering to put in a "Manny Mode" button...

...but then, not everyone is Manny Fernandez who knows which numbers to punch in where :-)

[Banana71]

but then, not everyone is Manny Fernandez who knows which numbers to punch in where :-)

And in the newer version of the editor, combined cursor/mouse control would not be possible?

[probonopd]

Possibly, but let me focus on the other priorities first.

[probonopd]

What do you think about this concept? Less frightening?

[Banana71]

It's available for testing now.

Things I noticed right away. (Windows Version)

MIDI routing:

• MIDI In is not routed to MIDI Out.

Graphics Editor:
TL:

• TL not working.
• The TL label is poorly chosen. (OPL - Operator Level).
• I would position TL between E and PM.

OPI:

• OPI is not working properly (does something with the Pitch Envelope).
• The OPI label is poorly chosen. (OKS - Oscillator Key Sync)

Pitch Envelope:

• Everything is mixed up. PR1 changes an Operator Level, PR2 switches a frequency between 0 and 1, PR3 goes to OP1 - PC.

Operator Envelope:

• OP1 R1 also changes OP6 R1, OP2 R1 also changes OP5 R1, OP3 R1 also changes OP4 R1.

Parameter Rate Scaling (RS) is missing for all operators.

[probonopd]

Thanks for your feedback. Everything should be fixed.

With regards to the naming, I will stick to the names in the VCED format:

[Banana71]

• MIDI routing works perfectly.

• No matter which operator parameter you change, it only affects OP6.

• Pitch envelope doesn't work.

I'm looking for a way to save an edited voice. Is this feature available?

[probonopd]

MIDI routing works perfectly.

Well... not so sure about this feature. To send and receive MIDI, the port to which MiniDexed is connected needs to be selected as MIDI In and Out. When MIDI routing is one, wouldn't that result in an endless loop when the performance editor is opened? This is an area that requires further thought. What do you use the MIDI routing for? Would we need the possibility to set two or more MIDI In (one for MiniDexed and the other for whatever you want to forward, e.g., your MIDI controller(s)?

Looking into the bugs.

Performance saving is not implemented yet but you should be able to save the edited performance on Dexed itself.

[probonopd]

I hope the bugs are gone.