HEXBOARD / GET STARTED

Less setup. More playing.

Start playing, update your firmware, and find the tools for your next musical rabbit hole. No code required.

Hardware 1.1 and 1.2 use the same current firmware files. Choose by your installed firmware version, not the number printed on your board.

Latest 2.0 beta

Firmware 2.0.0-beta.4

Browser editing, custom tunings and layouts, a deeper wavetable synth, and smoother everyday use. This is beta software; the optional sequencer build is less thoroughly tested.

Recommended: Factory

Use Factory to install 2.0 beta 4. This is the recommended choice unless you are switching between the standard and sequencer builds of beta 4.

Factory erases saved settings, presets, tunings/layouts, wavetables, and sequences. Export anything you want to keep where your current firmware supports it. Installation can take several minutes.

Download standard Factory (.uf2)
Already on beta 4 and switching builds?

Only use Update when switching between the standard and sequencer builds of 2.0 beta 4. For every other installation, use Factory above.

Stored files are kept, but incompatible settings may return to defaults. Back up your work before updating. Update does not install the complete factory library.

Download standard Update (.uf2)
Optional sequencer downloads

These builds add the onboard sequencer and are less thoroughly tested. Choose Sequencer Factory unless you are already running beta 4 and switching builds. Factory erases saved data; Sequencer Update keeps the stored library. The same changelog below applies to both builds.

Download Sequencer Factory (.uf2) Download Sequencer Update (.uf2)
Changelog — 2.0.0-beta.4

Changes since beta 3

  • Faster, non-blocking OLED updates and smoother command-wheel and progress displays.
  • Tuning support expanded to 1,024 divisions while using less memory.
  • Per-profile synth state persistence.
  • Improved preset and wavetable browsing, editing, validation, and live control.
  • Expanded factory library with additional presets and a wavetable.
  • Improved tuning editors, drag-and-drop organization, and transfers in HexBoard Sync.
  • More natural square-law audio fades.
  • Refined startup lighting and storage/settings behavior.

The optional sequencer files include the same firmware update with the sequencer enabled. That build is less thoroughly tested.

A FILE COPY. THAT’S THE WHOLE INSTALLER.

How to update

  1. Download Factory above. Only choose Update if you are already running 2.0 beta 4 and switching between its standard and sequencer builds.
  2. Save anything you want to keep. Use HexBoard Sync to export supported libraries if your current version can connect. Make a note of important settings. Older firmware may not support every backup workflow.
  3. Connect with a USB data cable. Plug HexBoard into your computer and open Advanced → Update Firmware on the board.
  4. Open the RPI-RP2 drive. It appears in Finder on macOS or File Explorer on Windows. If your firmware does not have the update menu, use the button method below.
  5. Copy the downloaded .uf2 file onto that drive. Copy the file itself, not a link to it. You do not need to open it or install an app.
  6. Wait for HexBoard to restart. The drive will disappear automatically. Keep USB power connected while the file copies and the board restarts. Factory installation can take several minutes.
  7. Check the version and settings. Reopen Advanced, confirm the installed version, and check your tuning, MIDI, and sound settings before playing.
No update menu, or the board will not start?

Use the physical bootloader button instead:

  1. Unplug the HexBoard.
  2. Hold the bootloader button while plugging the USB cable back into your computer.
  3. Release the button when the RPI-RP2 drive appears, then copy your chosen .uf2 file onto it.

Hardware 1.1: the button is next to the USB port.
Hardware 1.2: the button is underneath the board near the ports; press it through the opening with a paperclip.

The button location differs. The current firmware download is the same for both hardware revisions.

The drive did not appear, or the download did not work
  • Try a known USB data cable. A charge-only cable can power the lights without letting your computer see the board.
  • Try a direct USB connection and another port.
  • Repeat the physical bootloader-button method above if the normal menu is unavailable.
  • If your browser asks what to do with the download, save the .uf2 file, then copy it to RPI-RP2.

Still stuck? Send me your hardware revision, previous firmware version, and the filename you tried. Those three details save a surprising amount of guesswork.

START SIMPLE. GET WEIRD LATER.

Your first notes

Play the built-in synth

  1. Power the board over USB-C.
  2. On hardware 1.2, connect headphones and start with the volume low. Hardware 1.1 can use its onboard buzzer.
  3. Select an onboard synth sound and make sure the synth is enabled.
  4. Start with 12 EDO, choose a layout, and play a few notes. Pick a scale and try Scale Lock when you want to keep your exploration inside it.

Play a software instrument

  1. Connect HexBoard to your computer with a USB data cable.
  2. In your DAW or instrument, enable HexBoard as a MIDI input.
  3. Load a sound, select the track, and enable monitoring or arm the track.
  4. Start in 12 EDO to confirm that notes reach the instrument. Then explore other tunings with the setup notes below.

USB carries MIDI and power. To hear a computer instrument, use your computer or audio interface’s audio output.

Microtonal MIDI: what needs to match?

For HexBoard-controlled microtonal tuning, the receiving instrument must keep each note’s pitch bend separate. An MPE-compatible synth is the simplest starting point.

  1. Enable MPE in both the DAW input path and the receiving instrument where required.
  2. Match the instrument’s per-note pitch-bend range to HexBoard’s MPE Bend Range. A common setting is ±48 semitones; the important part is that they agree.
  3. Choose a tuning on HexBoard, then hold two notes to check that one does not drag the other out of tune.

If your instrument merges all MIDI channels, microtonal chords may behave incorrectly. If pitches are much too sharp or flat, check the bend ranges. If you use a DAW’s own tuning system, avoid applying a second layer of retuning from HexBoard.

MPE tuning support does not add velocity sensing or aftertouch to the mechanical keys. Ask about your particular DAW and instrument if you need a hand.

Connect to HexBoard Sync

HexBoard Sync is optional for ordinary playing. It gives you a larger workspace for tunings, layouts, colors, synth presets, and wavetables.

  1. Install compatible 2.0 firmware using the downloads above.
  2. Connect HexBoard by USB and open Sync in a desktop browser with Web MIDI SysEx support, such as Chrome or Edge.
  3. Allow MIDI/SysEx access when the browser asks, then select your HexBoard in the app.
  4. Download/export existing items before changing them, then use the app to edit and transfer your library.

If the browser cannot connect, try opening Sync in its own tab.

Open HexBoard Sync ↗

THE FIRMWARE ARCHIVE

Previous firmware

Prefer the 1.x releases, or need a specific older version? Downloads are below. Older builds do not include the 2.0 editor workflows. Back up before changing versions; downgrades may reset settings or be unable to read newer saved data.

Latest 1.x release

Firmware 1.3.0

Expanded onboard synth, saved synth presets, a built-in metronome, played-note display, and faster menu feedback.

Download 1.3.0 (.uf2)
Changelog — 1.3.0
  • Expanded synth controls: drive, vibrato, smoother pitch bend/modulation, and improved tone shaping.
  • AHDSR amplitude envelope with a Hold stage and envelope times up to four seconds.
  • Two modulation envelopes can affect tone, vibrato, and pitch.
  • Save and reload synth presets on the instrument.
  • Built-in metronome with beep, brightness, and side-button modes and selectable time signatures.
  • OLED played-note display with 12-EDO chord-name detection.
  • Diatonic LED color mode and live feedback while editing many settings.
  • Startup animation toggle and LED diagnostics.
  • Centered headphone output, smoother sine interpolation, reduced audio warble/stutter, and 10-bit audio output.
  • Improved MIDI-input lighting performance and flash handling; calibrated LED current limiter.
  • External delegated control of buttons and LEDs via SysEx.
  • CRC-protected settings/preset storage, safer migration handling, and expanded documentation.
Previous release

Firmware 1.2.0

Save and load profiles, more flexible MPE settings, improved synth performance, and MIDI-input lighting.

Download 1.2.0 (.uf2)
Changelog — 1.2.0
  • Multiple save profiles, autosave, and load-on-boot.
  • Adjust resting and out-of-scale key brightness.
  • Incoming MIDI notes can animate the keys.
  • Synth improvements: volume ADSR, adjustable arpeggiator speed, and dynamic/BPM-synced just intonation.
  • MPE can be disabled for alternative tunings that use external tuning software.
  • Configurable starting MIDI channel, MPE channel range, and MPE bend range down to one semitone.
  • Low-priority MPE mode and Extra MPE mode with static CC74 and channel-pressure messages.
  • Hold the encoder for two seconds to send a MIDI/synth panic and clear notes.
  • Corrected several isomorphic layouts, especially Compressed Bosanquet.
  • Faster scanning, higher system clock, reorganized menus, renamed Zeta Peak tunings, and a simpler boot sequence.
Previous release

Firmware 1.1.0

More layouts, tunings and animations, dynamic just intonation, and fixes for ghost key presses.

Download 1.1.0 (.uf2)
Changelog — 1.1.0
  • New animations, lighting modes, tunings, and dynamic/BPM-synced just intonation.
  • New layouts with flip, mirror, and rotation options.
  • Adjustable MPE pitch-bend range; default changed to ±48 semitones.
  • Selectable MIDI channel for 12 EDO and optional MPE in 12 EDO.
  • OLED sleeps after 16 seconds to help prevent burn-in.
  • Higher selected-scale contrast and reorganized menus.
  • Fixed the column ghost-press bug and removed neutral pitch bends on note-on in 12 EDO.
Legacy release

Firmware 1.0.5

Fixes neutral pitch-bend messages being sent with note-on events in 12 EDO.

Download 1.0.5 (.uf2)
Changelog — 1.0.5
  • Fixed neutral pitch-bend messages being sent with note-on events in 12 EDO.
Legacy alpha

Firmware 1.0.2-alpha

An early test build with a ±48-semitone default MPE bend range and lighting changes.

Download 1.0.2-alpha (.uf2)
Changelog — 1.0.2-alpha
  • Changed the default MPE bend range to ±48 semitones.
  • Added new animations.
  • Changed the Tiered color mode in 12 EDO.
Legacy release

Firmware 1.0.1

Added hardware 1.2 detection, headphone and hardware MIDI output support, and encoder and brightness options.

Download 1.0.1 (.uf2)
Changelog — 1.0.1
  • Added automatic hardware detection and support for the 1.2 board revision.
  • Added Invert Encoder and corrected rotation direction for each board.
  • Added a lower brightness option and dimmer defaults on hardware 1.2.
  • Enabled hardware MIDI output and the headphone jack.
  • Added adjustable MPE bend range in the Advanced menu.
Historical archive

Firmware 1.0.0

The original 1.0 release. Predates the hardware 1.2 support added in 1.0.1; retained here for historical reference.

Download 1.0.0 (.uf2)
Changelog — 1.0.0
  • Buzzer volume and pitch-bend controls, waveform selection, pulse-width modulation, and up to eight-note polyphony.
  • A large selection of alternative tunings with MPE retuning.
  • Perceptual LED color calibration, tuning-specific palettes, and smoother animations.
  • Separate layouts and scales for each tuning.
  • Reworked modulation, velocity, and pitch command wheels.
  • Context-sensitive menus and menu-selectable USB bootloader mode.
  • Major firmware code overhaul.

Need a hand? Contact me. Tell me what you are trying to do and what is connected to your HexBoard.