Hexter, and using the gazillions of sounds

[slowpick]

Hexter is a great sounding softsynth rompler, no editor,
but a fortune in classic FM Synth sounds are free to download from the
Dave Bensons DX7 soundbank resource

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/~mth192/html/dx7.html

download these

sysex.tar (from the SYXfiles link)
DX7EXTRA.zip
all-syx.zip
deckard.zip
dx7.xip (from the zicweb link)

install hexter, make a folder for the above soundbanks, and unpack them
start hexter

jack-dssi-host /usr/lib/dssi/hexter.so

click the file menu, and Install Patch Bank

when the file is selected, you will be prompted for a program number,
where hexter will begin loading the 32 possible files in the bank.

Hexter came with 70 sounds, so use the up/down widget to choose #71, the first open slot.

Click the Import button. A button ' Load Patch File succeeded' appears,
press the Dismiss button, and Hexter, with a new bank is ready for action.
128 possible sounds.

Make connections in qjackctl. Hexter is mono, so make sure to route
to both left and right, and take advantage of creative fx routing.
The sounds are often excellent, and really come alive
with the many linux fx that are available. Take notes, so the best banks and sounds don't get forgotten.
Renaming the .syx files and folders, can get the best ones to load first, if you use aa to preface names.

[briandc]

Wow.. thanks for the advice. I've used Hexter in the past, but adding new sounds should really make it enjoyable!

BTW, what do you mean with

jack-dssi-host /usr/lib/dssi/hexter.so

in your post?
Is that supposed to be run in the terminal?


Thanks!
brian

[varpa]

Thanks also to Slowpick for the information how to add additional sounds to hexter.

Yes, "jack-dssi-host /usr/lib/dssi/hexter.so" is a terminal command to create a standalone instance of hexter. It will create Jack midi an audio connections to the standalone instance. In general jack-dssi-host will create a standalone instance of any dssi plugin. Alternatively, you can run dssi plugins in hosts which support dssi like qtractor.

[briandc]

Thanks also to Slowpick for the information how to add additional sounds to hexter.

Yes, "jack-dssi-host /usr/lib/dssi/hexter.so" is a terminal command to create a standalone instance of hexter. It will create Jack midi an audio connections to the standalone instance. In general jack-dssi-host will create a standalone instance of any dssi plugin. Alternatively, you can run dssi plugins in hosts which support dssi like qtractor.

Yes. -Actually, thanks to everybody on this website! I have a Yamaha synth I bought in 2001, but now I see that (I believe) the future of synths is to be found with computers. It's fascinating, and this forum is a BIG help. And I really hope to be able to contribute more in the following months.

For now, thanks for the pointer about "jack-dssi-host." I'll try it.
I have been using Jack for a few months, now, but I never knew about this file. -Is it not added when Jackd and QJackCtl are installed in synaptic?

Brian

[varpa]

In AVLinux which is based on Debian Squeeze, jack-dssi-host is in a separate package in synaptic. But different distros may package it differently.

[briandc]

In AVLinux which is based on Debian Squeeze, jack-dssi-host is in a separate package in synaptic. But different distros may package it differently.

But is jack-dssi-host necessary for certain apps? It's strange that the Jackd installation doesn't automatically include it..


brian

[briandc]

Some of these sounds are really incredible. This is the future of synths!
The DX7 package is especially good. Some really quality work.

BTW, did I not read somewhere here that these patches can be dumped into Phasex and modified??


brian

[octapult]

Some tips for Gentoo users:

Hexter is from pro-audio overlay.

Opening hexter with jack-dssi-host defaults to command line user interface (hexter_text). I don't know how to make GUI as default. So I just simply emerge hexter without readline option:

Code: Select all

USE="-readline" emerge hexter


By doing this, the dssi host would call hexter_gtk when it starts up.

If your DAW system is the only one computer in your home studio and localhost is your host name. Add the following line to your /etc/hosts:

Code: Select all

0.0.0.0 craphost


By doing this, OSC messages can be sent between host and GUI. So the hexter's GUI would show up properly.
And of course, you can change "craphost" to any name you like

[StudioDave]

A late addition to this thread. I've been using Hexter a lot recently, it's revived the sounds I made for my TX802 thanks to its ability to import patch banks created for Voyetra's editor/librarian software. Plus, routing Hexter's output through JACK-Rack is a simple and effective combination.

Alas, I've two gripes about it that I've yet to resolve. First, its output is mono-only, unless I'm missing something (?). Second, I can't seem to change its default patch set - I want it to start with a different set but haven't found out how to do that.

So, any suggestions from fellow Hexter users ?

Best,

dp

[briandc]

A late addition to this thread. I've been using Hexter a lot recently, it's revived the sounds I made for my TX802 thanks to its ability to import patch banks created for Voyetra's editor/librarian software. Plus, routing Hexter's output through JACK-Rack is a simple and effective combination.

Alas, I've two gripes about it that I've yet to resolve. First, its output is mono-only, unless I'm missing something (?). Second, I can't seem to change its default patch set - I want it to start with a different set but haven't found out how to do that.

So, any suggestions from fellow Hexter users ?

Best,

dp

I've wondered the same things! XSynth is also mono.. Of course, you can send it to both left and right outs, but it is indeed strange that it is set up as mono.
As for the patches, I don't know if you can by-pass the presets; it's a lot of back-and-forth. But you could make a note of your favorites, and create a bank that has just those patches in it. That might help..


brian

[StudioDave]

... I've two gripes about it that I've yet to resolve. First, its output is mono-only, unless I'm missing something (?). Second, I can't seem to change its default patch set - I want it to start with a different set but haven't found out how to do that.

I've wondered the same things! XSynth is also mono.. Of course, you can send it to both left and right outs, but it is indeed strange that it is set up as mono.
As for the patches, I don't know if you can by-pass the presets; it's a lot of back-and-forth. But you could make a note of your favorites, and create a bank that has just those patches in it. That might help..

I wrote to Sean Bolton and got a fix for the default bank issue. It involves a custom utility to convert my bank to a file in Hexter's source code (dx7_voice_patches.c) then recompiling Hexter. It's all very simple, but it breaks the DSSI spec for portability, i.e. the identity of the default bank has been altered.

I forgot to ask Sean about the mono output, but I'll guess it's a strict emulation of the original DX7, its audio output was monaural-only. I'll see if we can get a configuration option.

Best,

dp

[briandc]

... I've two gripes about it that I've yet to resolve. First, its output is mono-only, unless I'm missing something (?). Second, I can't seem to change its default patch set - I want it to start with a different set but haven't found out how to do that.

I've wondered the same things! XSynth is also mono.. Of course, you can send it to both left and right outs, but it is indeed strange that it is set up as mono.
As for the patches, I don't know if you can by-pass the presets; it's a lot of back-and-forth. But you could make a note of your favorites, and create a bank that has just those patches in it. That might help..

I wrote to Sean Bolton and got a fix for the default bank issue. It involves a custom utility to convert my bank to a file in Hexter's source code (dx7_voice_patches.c) then recompiling Hexter. It's all very simple, but it breaks the DSSI spec for portability, i.e. the identity of the default bank has been altered.

I forgot to ask Sean about the mono output, but I'll guess it's a strict emulation of the original DX7, its audio output was monaural-only. I'll see if we can get a configuration option.

Best,

dp

Cool! Keep us posted, as I really enjoy Hexter too!


brian

[StudioDave]

I forgot to ask Sean about the mono output, but I'll guess it's a strict emulation of the original DX7, its audio output was monaural-only. I'll see if we can get a configuration option.

Cool! Keep us posted, as I really enjoy Hexter too!

I received some more information from Sean today. He's considering a couple ways to implement stereo output, but nothing definite now.

You might like to know that he's also working on another synth.

Btw, thanks to your enthusiasm I got into WhySynth too, another excellent native Linux synth. And thanks for your amSynth banks, I've been a fan of that one for a while.

Best,

dp

[briandc]

I forgot to ask Sean about the mono output, but I'll guess it's a strict emulation of the original DX7, its audio output was monaural-only. I'll see if we can get a configuration option.

Cool! Keep us posted, as I really enjoy Hexter too!

I received some more information from Sean today. He's considering a couple ways to implement stereo output, but nothing definite now.

You might like to know that he's also working on another synth.

Btw, thanks to your enthusiasm I got into WhySynth too, another excellent native Linux synth. And thanks for your amSynth banks, I've been a fan of that one for a while.

Best,

dp

Thanks, dp!
I just corresponded with Sean today, too. I was suggesting he might add noise capability to Xsynth which, although similar to amSynth, has a different character, and potential.
Nick has been very nice indeed, adding lots of new capabilities to amSynth. Anyone not following the upgrades will be shocked when it comes out "officially." I love synthesizers, and it's neat that he's has been so willing to develop it further.

Making sounds is addicting. My hope is that people will be inspired to make music with the sounds. So if you're using it more now, I guess I'm on the right track!
--- I just hope to hear some of the works that people make with them!

I was sifting through some of the banks today, and I really felt inspired by a sound called "FM4." I was running amSynth through Calf's vintage delay.. it took me away! I hope to be putting together an idea or two to record and post, sometime soon.. when I'm not tweaking..

If Sean's going to add still another synth... all the better!


Best to you,
bri

[Shadow_7]

I ran into an issue where the gui for hexter wasn't launching. So connecting jackd to hexter only gets you the first bank without any options to change anything. You could launch hexter_gtk with -test, but it didn't do anything useful. I googled it and something about a lib not being able to resolve the hostname or defaulting to ipv6 if it appears to be there (even if it's non-functional). So basically commenting out all the ipv6 lines in /etc/hosts allowed the gui for hexter to launch. So /etc/hosts only contains the lines for localhost and the one for the domain as defined in /etc/hostname. Debian sid in my case, YMMV.

Basically I got it working, thanks for clueing us in on this option. 90% of the battle in linux is knowing that something already exists. But I'm still at a loss why everything has to be a network application these days. We didn't have network admin classes when I went to music school. But we did have midi classes.