Here it is!
The easy guide to connecting up the DTXpress to a PC and doing all that MIDI stuff......
Contents
Connecting the DTXpress to a PC
Connecting the MIDI leads
Setting up the MIDI configuration
What is SysEx?
Using SysEx to upload a kit
Using SysEx to download a kit
Connecting the DTXpress
to a PC
In order to connect the DTXpress to a PC, you will need the following ingredients:
1) A PC (no, really?)
2) A soundcard with a MIDI connector
3) A good quality MIDI lead with MIDI In and MIDI Out plugs
If you also want to up/download user kits from this site
4) Sysex software - try Dumpster
or DTXchange
If you want to record or playback MIDI songs you will need:
5) Sequencing software - try Cakewalk or Cubase VST
The DTXpress allows 2 types of PC connection. The first is
via standard MIDI leads and the second through a PC-HOST adapter. Here we will focus on the MIDI lead method since
it is industry standard.
The soundcard MIDI connector is a 15-pin female D-type socket. The MIDI connectors on the DTXpress are standard
5-pin DIN sockets. So how do you connect them?
Easy. You need one of these:
Connect the D-type connector to the PC, the MIDI Out plug to the MIDI In socket on the DTXpress and the MIDI In plug to the MIDI Out socket on the DTXpress.
A word of warning: stay away from cheapo MIDI leads - the sort you can pick up for a few pounds (or dollars) from your local PC retailer. In order for everything to work properly, you need a good quality lead with a built-in opto-isolator. Unfortunately, there's no easy way to tell if the lead you're about to buy is one of these - apart from it being twice as expensive!
Go to your PC soundcard setup and check that the input and
output MIDI ports are enabled.
Your setup should look something like this:
It's important to make sure you've got the basic MIDI Out port set up (in this case SB16 MIDI Out [330]). I normally use the SBAWE32 MIDI Synth [620] on my PC when playing songs, but this port sends MIDI to my soundard synth and not the MIDI Out socket.
Now check the DTXpress end.
Make sure the HOST SELECT switch on the back of the brain is set to MIDI.
All the settings for MIDI in the DTXpress should be set correctly when you purchase the unit. Refer to the Reference
Manual (p30-33) if you need to change any settings.
The most important ones to check are:
| Manual section reference | Setting/Value |
| 3-4 | UT SEQ SETUP MIDI Control=on |
| 2-3 | UT MIDI RECEIVE PC=on SysEx=on |
| 2-7 | UT MIDI RECEIVE Merge Output=off |
| 2-9 | UT MIDI SETUP Send HH Ctrl=on |
| 2-6 | UT MIDI SETUP DevNo=ALL Locl=on |
If everything is OK, you should be able to transmit and receive
MIDI data. The easiest way to test your setup is to try and upload a drum kit using the SysEx method.
What is SysEx?
SysEx (System Exclusive) is a method used to transmit patch data to and from MIDI devices. It's called System Exclusive
because one type of SysEx message will only work for one type of manufacturer or model. The DTXpress SysEx feature
can be used to transmit and receive songs, kits and triggers. You can save received SysEx data as a file thus allowing
you to effectively "back up" any songs, kits etc. you have stored in the DTXpress.
The following examples use DTXchange as a SysEx utility. Any other SysEx utility will do the same job, although some might behave diferently.
In this example we will choose a kit from the DTXpress, upload it to a PC and save it as a file.
Step 1 - On the DTXpress, select a kit you like. It can be either a preset or a user-defined kit - it doesn't matter.
Step 2 - Press the Util button and Page down until you find the UT MIDI BULKDUMP page.
Step 3 - Initially, the "Fmt=" value will be set to "all data". Change this value so it reads "one drumkit"
Step 4 - Start DTXchange and click the MIDI SETUP button to set up the MIDI devices.
Step 5 - Now click on RECEIVE. The message "Start Bulk Dump on DTXpress..." will appear
Step 6 - Press the Save/Ent button on the DTXpress twice.
Step 7 - After a short delay, you should see the message "Loaded user kit" and the name of the kit underneath. On the DTXpress, you will briefly see the message "Complete !"
Step 8 - Press the Save button on DTXchange and choose a filename to save the data to. Filenames will have a .SYX extension
In this example we will load a kit from a .SYX file and download it to the DTXpress.
Step 1 - On the DTXpress, select a user location (49-80) to receive the kit.
Important - the location you select
will be overwritten with the new data. If you want to keep the user kits you already have, select an empty location
before continuing.
Step 2 - Using DTXchange (or your SysEx program) click the LOAD button and select a .SYX file.
Step 3 - Click on Open in the file dialog box. DTXchange will load the file and display its name.
Step 4 - Now click on SEND. The DTXpress will briefly display "BULK Receiving, please wait..."
Step 5 - After a short delay, DTXchange will display the message "User Kit Sent!". The DTXpress will display "BULK Received."
Step 6 - That's it! You can now play the newly downloaded kit. If you want to save the new kit, you must press Save/Ent twice on the DTXpress otherwise it will be lost when you move to another kit.