XCent FAQ
Compatibility
What formats and platforms does it run on?
- Windows: VST3, CLAP and Standalone
- macOS 15 or later: AU, VST3 and CLAP — universal, so they run on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs
- iOS and iPadOS: AUv3 and Standalone
- Linux: CLAP and LV2
Is there an AAX version for Pro Tools?
Only if enough people want one. There is no AAX build and no date for one; if Pro Tools support matters to you, say so with Report an Issue in the About box, which takes feature requests as well as bugs.
Is it finished?
It is in beta. The sound engine has been checked against a real DX100; the changelog on the product page is the best record of what has landed recently.
Sound
Why does it sound so aliased and gritty?
Because the DX100 did. The FM engine runs at the chip's native 55,930 Hz sample rate, so sidebands fold back into the audible range exactly the way they did on the hardware, and the output goes through an emulated YM3014 DAC and NJM072D reconstruction filter. That grit is the sound, not a fault.
If you want clean FM instead, set Engine Mode to Modern in Settings → Sound. Modern bypasses the analog output stage; Vintage keeps it.
How close is it to a real DX100?
Close. In level comparisons against a real DX100, 93 of 95 qualifying factory patches came in within ±3 dB. The engine is a modified fork of Nuked-OPM — an emulation of the YM2151, the DX100's close cousin — corrected for the DX100's own YM2164. A handful of voices still differ by a few dB where the two chips genuinely behave differently.
Why are some patches really quiet?
Some factory voices were programmed for the DX100's breath controller and expect MIDI CC 2 to open them up. Send CC 2, or map a controller to it, and they come to life. That is how the hardware behaves too.
Patches
Can I load my DX100 patches?
Yes. XCent imports DX100 SysEx — single voices (VCED) and 32-voice banks (VMEM) — and FB-01 banks as well. It exports VCED and VMEM too, so patches you make can leave again.
Are the factory sounds included?
Yes — all 192 factory voices from the original ROM. No, we are not sorry about the basses.
Privacy and support
Does XCent phone home?
It sends anonymous usage data by default, and you can switch that off. The first time you run it, the onboarding tour ends on a privacy slide with an opt-out, and Settings → Privacy turns it off at any time after that.
Events are keyed to a random per-install ID. No name, no email address, no IP address. The details are in the privacy policy.
How do I report a bug?
Use Report an Issue in the About box, which opens a short form.
Not answered here? Read the XCent manual.