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Networking

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probonopd edited this page Nov 16, 2024 · 30 revisions

There is an experimental version of MiniDexed that adds networking support. (To get the latest experimental build, scroll all the way down on that page and use the latest "Build for testing".)

NOTE: This functionality is not in the main release of MiniDexed yet. This page is a work in progress.

NOTE: ⚠️ This is very insecure and should only be used in your private network in which you are the only user. Currently anyone on your network can access your MiniDexed device and can read the WLAN password in clear text from it. Furthermore, anyone with physical access to the microSD card in your Raspberry Pi can read the WLAN password in clear text.

WLAN support

Circle, which MiniDexed is based on, has WLAN support for the following Raspberry Pi models:

  • Raspberry Pi 3A+
  • Raspberry Pi 3B
  • Raspberry Pi 4B
  • Raspberry Pi 400
  • Raspberry Pi 5
  • Raspberry Pi Zero W
  • Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W

Functionality

  • rtpMIDI a.k.a. "AppleMIDI" (currently without DNS-SD service discovery a.k.a. "Bonjour", "Zeroconf")
  • UDP MIDI
  • FTP (e.g., to update without taking the microSD card out of the Pi)

Configuration

In the file minidexed.ini, edit the configuration:

# Network
NetworkEnabled=1
NetworkDHCP=1
NetworkType=wifi

Set NetworkEnabled to 1 if you would like to activate this feature.

In the file wpa_supplicant.conf, edit the configuration:

#
# wpa_supplicant.conf
#

#country=DE

network={
	ssid="my-ssid"
	psk="my-password"
	proto=WPA2
	key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
}

Uncomment the line country= and set the correct country code for your location. Replace my-ssid with the SSID of your WLAN and replace my-password with the password of your WLAN.

NOTE: Failure to set the correct country code may result in inability to connect to certain Wi-Fi networks, especially 5GHz access points.

NOTE: ⚠️ This is very insecure and should only be used in your private network in which you are the only user. Currently anyone on your network can access your MiniDexed device and can read the WLAN password in clear text from it. Furthermore, anyone with physical access to the microSD card in your Raspberry Pi can read the WLAN password in clear text.

If the network configuration is working, MiniDexed should show the IP address assigned to it via DHCP when booted:

image

You will need this IP address to connect to MiniDexed over the network.

rtpMIDI

rtpMIDI (also known as "AppleMIDI") allows you to send MIDI data from a host computer to MiniDexed.

This allows us to send MIDI e.g., from DAWs, Dexed on the PC, or even sysex for voices from the web browser using sites like patches.fm.

It is also possible to use MiniDexed in conjunction with Dexed on a host computer. This allows you to send voices from Dexed to MiniDexed over the network, and to use Dexed as a GUI "programmer" for MiniDexed, meaning that any changes in Dexed are immediately reflected in MiniDexed.

Windows

RTP-MIDI on Windows 11 using loopMIDI and rtpMIDI works very nicely as described here. Playing MIDI from REAPER to MiniDexed over the network.

image

and Dexed like this

image

macOS

  • Open Audio MIDI Setup
  • In the MIDI Studio window, double-click Network
  • In the MIDI Network Setup window, MiniDexed will appear after a while in "Directory". Set it up like below.

mac

Tested with Logic Pro 9.1.8 on Mac OS X 10.6.8. Unfortunately GarageBand does not support sending MIDI data to external MIDI devices.

NOTE: As DNS-SD service discovery a.k.a. "Bonjour", "Zeroconf" is currently disabled, you will need to enter the IP address of your MiniDexed device manually by clicking "+" under "Directory".

Linux

(Section to be written)

UDP MIDI

Like rtpMIDI, UDP MIDI also allows you to send MIDI data from a host computer to MiniDexed.

FTP

FTP allows you to access the contents of the microSD card inside the Raspberry Pi over the network (e.g., to update the firmware and/or modify voices and performances without taking the microSD card out of the Raspberry Pi).

Username: admin, password: admin.

Unfortunately, the FTP clients built into Windows 11 and macOS are known not to work with the FTP implementation currently being used in MiniDexed. The following FTP clients are known to work:

  • Total Commander for Windows
  • WinSCP for Windows

Limitations

  • The FTP implementation is very rudimentary and does not work with all FTP clients, especially those built natively into operating systems. A more robust (S)FTP implementation would be welcome. A pull request enabling this would be appreciated
  • FTP is always on. We should find a way to only enable it when required, either trough the menu system, or a pin configuration at boot time. A pull request enabling this would be appreciated
  • Currently you can only send MIDI data from the host computer to MiniDexed, not the other way around. A pull request enabling this would be appreciated
  • DNS-SD service discovery a.k.a. "Bonjour", "Zeroconf" is currently disabled. We hope that circle can be fixed upstream to allow for this feature without causing unwanted side effects such as "stuck notes"

Acknowledgements

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