Can someone please help with some DX Sys-Ex?

[The Elf]

I have two banks (of 32 patches each) of DX/TX 6-op sounds in Sys-Ex format (.syx), but no matter what I do I can't import them into Dexed or my K2700, both of which should speak DX. Dexed dissplays corrupted patch titles, and my K2700 just refuses to load them, saying they are not in the correct format.

I *think* (memory fails me) that these banks came from my old TX-802. Can anyone please offer to try to get these banks into a 6-op FM synth for me, see if they can be read, and maybe create new Sys-Ex files for me?

[Eddy Deegan]

Later tonight I can try them on a MODX and an SY77 if you mail them to me mate (I think you should have my address, PM me with a link to them if not).

[The Elf]

Thanks, mate. I'll drop you a PM.

[sonics]

Is software any good? I could see if FM8 reads them. I also may be able to find my old copy of MIDI Quest.

[The Elf]

Is software any good? I could see if FM8 reads them. I also may be able to find my old copy of MIDI Quest.

Thanks. As long as I can get the sys-ex into a form I can use I don't mind what reads it!

My best guess is that my TX has created a difference to the older DX7 Sys-Ex. I need to get it into a vanilla DX7 format.

I'll drop you a PM also.

[N i g e l]

Later tonight I can try them on a MODX....

I think you need to do a conversion first for that on YAMAHAs web converter

"The Yamaha FM Converter allows you to use contents from the DX7, DX7II, TX802 and TX216/816 on your new Montage/Modx"

if the convertor works its probably an indication that the files have some semblance of sanity.

[The Elf]

Thanks for that suggestion. However:
(File) does not contain any convertable data

I don't get this. These files definitely once worked!

[The Elf]

In the meantime I've been looking at these files. They look very odd - clearly not standard DX sys-ex. Somehow I've managed to get these corrupted with something else.

So now I'm wondering if I can somehow get these out of FM8, where at some point I've successfully imported them, but FM8 has no export feature.

[The Elf]

I'm now convinced that the .syx files I have are not DX native format. There's some spurious data in there that has nothing to do with DX. Clearly I've managed to save the wrong files at some point in the past few decades.

So I do have these two banks in FM7 and FM8 format, but seemingly no way to get them back out into the real world!

[Eddy Deegan]

No luck here either I'm afraid

[The Elf]

Yep, I'm pretty much resigned to having lost them at this point. A couple of the patches (which I was hoping to use) didn't convert cleanly, so I was hoping to go back to the hardware sys-ex and try Dexed, but alas not.

It's not so long ago I still had my TX-802, but I sold it along with the cartridges of my banks.

I do appreciate you trying for me.

[N i g e l]

If you can see the data in a synth context you could "knife and fork" it with a manual transfer, but DX FMs arent strictly parameter compatible, eg the FM modulation intensities, so some tweaking might be required.

Patch transfer in the days of DX7.................

(do you have an apprentice that needs to do some detention ??)

[sonics]

The files look like MIDI files to me. I've converted them for you. PM contains the links for you to try.

[The Elf]

Wow! Sonics has waved a magic wand over these files!

Now I have the sounds both in Dexed (which, as suspected, has done a better conversion job than FM8), and my K2700.

There is much rejoicing in the Toadstool.

Thanks to all of you who offered help and suggestions. It is much appreciated.

Now to back these up in a dozen places...

[Eddy Deegan]

Hurrah!

[Martin Walker]

Now I have the sounds both in Dexed (which, as suspected, has done a better conversion job than FM8), and my K2700.

That's an interesting observation Monsieur Elf - I have both FM8 and Dexed, so I should obviously spend some more time with Dexed.

[muzines]

Glad you got this sorted - I didn't see it until after a solution was found, otherwise I'd have helped out.

And if you're into vintage DX7 stuff, Plogue currently have OPS7 for half price for BF - £26 and you can have arguably the best, bit-accurate DX7 software emulation, emulated to a crazy degree.

https://www.plogue.com/store.html

As I'm a sucker for having good emulations of classic synths, I picked it up as I'd been eyeing it for a while.

(I doubt I'm going to convert all 120,000+ Dexed Logic presets for it... not right now anyway, it took a few months to churn through the Dexed cartridge as it was...)

[The Elf]

Now I have the sounds both in Dexed (which, as suspected, has done a better conversion job than FM8), and my K2700.

That's an interesting observation Monsieur Elf - I have both FM8 and Dexed, so I should obviously spend some more time with Dexed.

One example: There's a delayed vibrato on one patch - important, since it keeps the start of each note in tune. In FM8 the vibrato is there all the time, making it sound horribly out of tune. Dexed translates it perfectly.

[The Elf]

Glad you got this sorted - I didn't see it until after a solution was found, otherwise I'd have helped out.

And if you're into vintage DX7 stuff, Plogue currently have OPS7 for half price for BF - £26 and you can have arguably the best, bit-accurate DX7 software emulation, emulated to a crazy degree.

https://www.plogue.com/store.html

As I'm a sucker for having good emulations of classic synths, I picked it up as I'd been eyeing it for a while.

(I doubt I'm going to convert all 120,000+ Dexed Logic presets for it... not right now anyway, it took a few months to churn through the Dexed cartridge as it was...)

Tempting.

My world of FM sounds is really all about these two banks, collated (and some created) by myself way back in the 80s. I think Dexed is probably good enough.

One of the patches appeared on a very famous movie-related record of the 80s...

[Arpangel]

Is software any good? I could see if FM8 reads them. I also may be able to find my old copy of MIDI Quest.

FM8 does read them, I loaded in all my DX7 sounds, seems to work fine.
I had them on Alesis Data Disc originally, they are useful things to have around, if only as Sysex playback devices.

[The Elf]

Is software any good? I could see if FM8 reads them. I also may be able to find my old copy of MIDI Quest.

FM8 does read them, I loaded in all my DX7 sounds, seems to work fine.

That wasn't the problem. The problem was that the files *I* had couldn't be read by FM8. And FM8 doesn't have an export function.

[bonefixer]

What a wholesome thread (like most on these boards, to be fair)

I wish I knew what you were all on about though. FM is a mystery to me (I’ve read about it, watched videos explaining it, and loopop reviews of FM things, but still…)

[The Elf]

Just download Dexed and click on some presets - there's no need to understand it to use it.

FM is all about snappy, twinkley, glassy, bell-ish tones. It does those fabulously. Not so hot for pads, strings and the like.

Cue other posts disagreeing with me in four... three... two... one...

[muzines]

Cue other posts disagreeing with me in four... three... two... one...

I agree with you (which is quite common*, tbh)

The plucky, attack transientey, mallety, belly and plucky things is what classic Yamaha FM really excels at (and why eg David Gamson used the DX's for exactly that, layered with analog for depth and warmth and thickness).

* But not about the K1, sorry...