One of the key things that makes the DX7 so awesome is its granite hard attack/snap. At the same time it can produce lush pads and gorgeous guitar like tones. Vangelis CS80 in nature. But its that hard metalic edge that has allowed me to reproduce the key sounds of the TR808 drum machine. Including that funny cowbell, snare, claps, closed hi-hat, claves and of course that booming bass drum.
Story on the cover. It doesnt get any better than those presets. And all owners of these synths ever did was twiddle and slide and switch to their hearts content but get nothing worth a hoot but the same resonating sqealchy sounds weve heard a million times. The DX7 on the other hand is a dark knight. Its magic lays inside YET TO BE UNCOVERED. And those with the patience and perserverance emerge with sounds that would make and synth owner proud and inpired. And thats my job now after 20 years.
@ajantred, I have never been afraid of the DX7S reputation of being hard to program. This was a cop out by the analogue brigade because they rightly saw their precious overpriced synths trounced by the DX7. Like you aforementioned, those who dive into those parameters will be rewarded with sounds that make the presets that came with the DX7 sound like toytown.
You see the lazy analogue squad boast the JP8 and the monster CS80 had/das great presets. And its true they do. But they tell their
only for sections 1, Algorithms 2,Freq fine/coarse 3,EGRS/EGLS and Output level mixer. And in the case of the DX7S you have the poly unison mode. Which is what puts it on par with an analogue synth. As this fattens a sound and detunes it. Much like the chorus and detume features on a Jupiter 8 do. This makes for some huge lush sounds or basses that will make a mimimoog sound like nothing special.
So again learn what areas really shape a sound and this idea about a DX7 being hard to program goes
@fender1000100 I have found the DX7 laborious to program through the LCD, so I wired it up to my Atari ST and used a software editor so I could keep track of what I was doing, plus load sysex patches others had made. I'm impressed with the amount of effort people put into patches I never dreamt of hearing from the DX7. Prior to using a software editor, I did get right into synth and learnt how the envelopes, the key scaler could be used to make interesting FX and pads. Patience is the key :)
What you do with the DX7 is learn what parameters are the equivalents to analogue parameters. For instance instead of having ATTACK, DECAY, RELEASE, SUSTAIN knobs or sliders. You have EGRs for each of the 6 opperators. These really shape a sound.
Then you have individual output volumes for each of the 6 opperators. Again just by experimenting with those you can change the charactor of a sound dramatically. I have built a library of impressive sounds by simply tweaking factory patches using.
@fender1000100 Yeah I knew how the EGs worked before I bought it 3 years ago (has it really been that long ago?!). I find these kind of envelopes, in many respects, superior to the ADSR as they allow for more complex envelope patterns as each level is independent. Making a pad or a soundscape with slow moving envelopes plus some hall reverb sounds really lush and heavenly. Add some chorus to give it some weight and the DX7 really comes into it's own.
@ajantred I have the DX7S model which is in between the MK1 and MK2. I created this sound a 20 years ago while messing around on my friends DX7S and at the time I owned a Roland Jupiter 8 AND Juno 106. They got sold shortly afterwards and I bought a DX7S and to this days its my only synth. And It does everything in my music from the drums to the strings. It can sound like Vangelis or Vince Clarke. I have a demo coming at the end of february please check it out and tell me what you think.
@fender1000100 Haha! I've never played on the JP8 or the Juno, though I am aware of their timbre, the JP8 sounds BIG when playing PWM string patches. I'll be sure to check your vid!
The MK2 model is the greatest synth of alltime. I have got sounds out of it that no analogue or modern synth can take. Yamaha knew what was lacking in the MK1 model and corrected it. The sounds you can get out of a mark 2 model are off the chart. I have a demo coming up called Starship Enterprise that will show the power of this legend.
@fender1000100 Yeah I've had a go with the MK2, it is a great improvement in terms of functionality but to my ears it sounds a bit colder/harsher. It can still make what I think are warm, bassy sounds but it's too clean, the MK1 has a subtle lo-fi feeling, plus depending on the settings, it glitches, VSTs like FM8 don't recreate that. I'm not bashing the MK2, it's perfectly good but I simply do prefer the sound and functionality of the MK1. If I was to ever ditch the MK1, i'd get a TG77 :P
the greatest synth of all time for me...........super keyboard.i have a dx9 also.most people think they're poor but if you resign yourself to the fact that it's not a dx7....it actually becomes quite usefull.i love both the dx7 and 9.
@Bunchy777 Thanks :) What I tend to do is break down the sound that you may have in mind e.g. the frequencies you want each operator to be at, which algorithm/ order you want the operators in, what kind of modulation you want applied etc. Many people do say that the DX7 is hard to program but you really need patience with it. Bare in mind when creating a patch is that the DX7 is a completely different architecture to synths like Moogs or ARPs so don't expect parameters that relate to them.
I am very thankful of your detailed response, I am really looking forward for doing this mod, but havent found accurate instructions anywhere until now thanks for that. Just a doubt, I found the HD44780 lcd on the local electronic shop just guessing if there is the need to solder any extra wires to power the leds on the backlight or if the backlight powers up from the dx7 colorful wires itself? thanks again.
@antoniomichelena Thanks :) You need to buy a 16x2 character LCD that uses the HD44780 parralel connection. Just unscrew the screws on the top and back of the synth, open it up and youll see a colourful wire going to the LCD's circuit board. Disconnect this (it is a rather stiff connection) and unscrew the bracket from the four standoffs that hold the LCD and LED displays onto the synth. Then, using a hairdryer to soften the glue, remove the glass fascia from the LCD. Continues in next comment..
@ajantred Now unscrew tthe LCD itself from the bracket and then keep it for spares. Attach the new LCD in the same place (and orientation) and reglue the glass fascia, lining it up with the 7 seg display and both lines of the LCD. You may notice that backlite ones are thicker so the glass won't attach to the 7 seg. Also, the extra thickness means that the bracket will not reach the standoffs. This is overcome buy cutting up a BIC pen or some thing that can slip over the standoffs. Continues...
@ajantred Next, line up the glass fascia and LCD with the hole in the front panel (careful not to scratch the glass) and screw down the bracket. Reconnect the cables to the LCD pins (you may have to solder connector pins to the LCD for the cable to attach to) and then you can close up the synth. Plug in, turn on and pray the LCD works. Have fun ;)
@antoniomichelena For me, the backlight on the MK1 LCD is useless. It only shows the name and source of the current sound, the number is repeated on the bigger LED number display at the left, wich is perfectly visible in dark. A musician in a dark stage only needs to know the number of the sound, as it's shorter and easier to remember than the whole name. Also is very rare that you need to use more than a sound bank, 32 for a single perfomance is enough.
@antoniomichelena For me, the backlight on the MK1 LCD is useless. It only shows the name and source of the current sound, the number is repeated on the bigger LED number display at the left, wich is perfectly visible in dark. A musician in a dark stage only needs to know the number of the sound, as it's shorter and easier to remember than the whole name. Also is very rare that you need to use more than a sound bank, 32 for a single perfomance is enough.
@antoniomichelena For me, the backlight on the MK1 LCD is useless. It only shows the name and source of the current sound, the number is repeated on the bigger LED number display at the left, wich is perfectly visible in dark. A musician in a dark stage only needs to know the number of the sound, as it's shorter and easier to remember than the whole name. Also is very rare that you need to use more than a sound bank, 32 for a single perfomance is enough.
@antoniomichelena For me, the backlight on the MK1 LCD is useless. It only shows the name and source of the current sound, the number is repeated on the bigger LED number display at the left, wich is perfectly visible in dark. A musician in a dark stage only needs to know the number of the sound, as it's shorter and easier to remember than the whole name. Also is very rare that you need to use more than a sound bank, 32 for a single perfomance is enough.
One of the key things that makes the DX7 so awesome is its granite hard attack/snap. At the same time it can produce lush pads and gorgeous guitar like tones. Vangelis CS80 in nature. But its that hard metalic edge that has allowed me to reproduce the key sounds of the TR808 drum machine. Including that funny cowbell, snare, claps, closed hi-hat, claves and of course that booming bass drum.
fender1000100 2 weeks ago
Story on the cover. It doesnt get any better than those presets. And all owners of these synths ever did was twiddle and slide and switch to their hearts content but get nothing worth a hoot but the same resonating sqealchy sounds weve heard a million times. The DX7 on the other hand is a dark knight. Its magic lays inside YET TO BE UNCOVERED. And those with the patience and perserverance emerge with sounds that would make and synth owner proud and inpired. And thats my job now after 20 years.
fender1000100 2 weeks ago
@ajantred, I have never been afraid of the DX7S reputation of being hard to program. This was a cop out by the analogue brigade because they rightly saw their precious overpriced synths trounced by the DX7. Like you aforementioned, those who dive into those parameters will be rewarded with sounds that make the presets that came with the DX7 sound like toytown.
You see the lazy analogue squad boast the JP8 and the monster CS80 had/das great presets. And its true they do. But they tell their
fender1000100 2 weeks ago
only for sections 1, Algorithms 2,Freq fine/coarse 3,EGRS/EGLS and Output level mixer. And in the case of the DX7S you have the poly unison mode. Which is what puts it on par with an analogue synth. As this fattens a sound and detunes it. Much like the chorus and detume features on a Jupiter 8 do. This makes for some huge lush sounds or basses that will make a mimimoog sound like nothing special.
So again learn what areas really shape a sound and this idea about a DX7 being hard to program goes
fender1000100 2 weeks ago
@fender1000100 I have found the DX7 laborious to program through the LCD, so I wired it up to my Atari ST and used a software editor so I could keep track of what I was doing, plus load sysex patches others had made. I'm impressed with the amount of effort people put into patches I never dreamt of hearing from the DX7. Prior to using a software editor, I did get right into synth and learnt how the envelopes, the key scaler could be used to make interesting FX and pads. Patience is the key :)
ajantred 2 weeks ago
What you do with the DX7 is learn what parameters are the equivalents to analogue parameters. For instance instead of having ATTACK, DECAY, RELEASE, SUSTAIN knobs or sliders. You have EGRs for each of the 6 opperators. These really shape a sound.
Then you have individual output volumes for each of the 6 opperators. Again just by experimenting with those you can change the charactor of a sound dramatically. I have built a library of impressive sounds by simply tweaking factory patches using.
fender1000100 2 weeks ago
@fender1000100 Yeah I knew how the EGs worked before I bought it 3 years ago (has it really been that long ago?!). I find these kind of envelopes, in many respects, superior to the ADSR as they allow for more complex envelope patterns as each level is independent. Making a pad or a soundscape with slow moving envelopes plus some hall reverb sounds really lush and heavenly. Add some chorus to give it some weight and the DX7 really comes into it's own.
ajantred 2 weeks ago
@ajantred I have the DX7S model which is in between the MK1 and MK2. I created this sound a 20 years ago while messing around on my friends DX7S and at the time I owned a Roland Jupiter 8 AND Juno 106. They got sold shortly afterwards and I bought a DX7S and to this days its my only synth. And It does everything in my music from the drums to the strings. It can sound like Vangelis or Vince Clarke. I have a demo coming at the end of february please check it out and tell me what you think.
fender1000100 2 weeks ago
@fender1000100 Haha! I've never played on the JP8 or the Juno, though I am aware of their timbre, the JP8 sounds BIG when playing PWM string patches. I'll be sure to check your vid!
ajantred 2 weeks ago
The MK2 model is the greatest synth of alltime. I have got sounds out of it that no analogue or modern synth can take. Yamaha knew what was lacking in the MK1 model and corrected it. The sounds you can get out of a mark 2 model are off the chart. I have a demo coming up called Starship Enterprise that will show the power of this legend.
fender1000100 2 weeks ago
@fender1000100 Yeah I've had a go with the MK2, it is a great improvement in terms of functionality but to my ears it sounds a bit colder/harsher. It can still make what I think are warm, bassy sounds but it's too clean, the MK1 has a subtle lo-fi feeling, plus depending on the settings, it glitches, VSTs like FM8 don't recreate that. I'm not bashing the MK2, it's perfectly good but I simply do prefer the sound and functionality of the MK1. If I was to ever ditch the MK1, i'd get a TG77 :P
ajantred 2 weeks ago
@KodyBoy555 They certainly do :D However the YM2612 is like having 6 monophonic DX9's as it only has 4 operators whilst the DX7 has 6.
ajantred 7 months ago
the greatest synth of all time for me...........super keyboard.i have a dx9 also.most people think they're poor but if you resign yourself to the fact that it's not a dx7....it actually becomes quite usefull.i love both the dx7 and 9.
music8stuart 1 year ago
Whoever says that the DX7 sounds thing, go to hell. This thing has serious balls!
dvamateur 1 year ago
Awesome patches!! Especially that last jam. Any hints on how to approach these?
Bunchy777 1 year ago
@Bunchy777 Thanks :) What I tend to do is break down the sound that you may have in mind e.g. the frequencies you want each operator to be at, which algorithm/ order you want the operators in, what kind of modulation you want applied etc. Many people do say that the DX7 is hard to program but you really need patience with it. Bare in mind when creating a patch is that the DX7 is a completely different architecture to synths like Moogs or ARPs so don't expect parameters that relate to them.
ajantred 1 year ago
I am very thankful of your detailed response, I am really looking forward for doing this mod, but havent found accurate instructions anywhere until now thanks for that. Just a doubt, I found the HD44780 lcd on the local electronic shop just guessing if there is the need to solder any extra wires to power the leds on the backlight or if the backlight powers up from the dx7 colorful wires itself? thanks again.
antoniomichelena 1 year ago
@antoniomichelena The DX7 powers it over the coloured wires so no need to worry about hacking the powersupply to drive the LEDs.
ajantred 1 year ago
great sounds, how do you mod your dx7 for having backlight LCD?
antoniomichelena 1 year ago
@antoniomichelena Thanks :) You need to buy a 16x2 character LCD that uses the HD44780 parralel connection. Just unscrew the screws on the top and back of the synth, open it up and youll see a colourful wire going to the LCD's circuit board. Disconnect this (it is a rather stiff connection) and unscrew the bracket from the four standoffs that hold the LCD and LED displays onto the synth. Then, using a hairdryer to soften the glue, remove the glass fascia from the LCD. Continues in next comment..
ajantred 1 year ago
@ajantred Now unscrew tthe LCD itself from the bracket and then keep it for spares. Attach the new LCD in the same place (and orientation) and reglue the glass fascia, lining it up with the 7 seg display and both lines of the LCD. You may notice that backlite ones are thicker so the glass won't attach to the 7 seg. Also, the extra thickness means that the bracket will not reach the standoffs. This is overcome buy cutting up a BIC pen or some thing that can slip over the standoffs. Continues...
ajantred 1 year ago
@ajantred Next, line up the glass fascia and LCD with the hole in the front panel (careful not to scratch the glass) and screw down the bracket. Reconnect the cables to the LCD pins (you may have to solder connector pins to the LCD for the cable to attach to) and then you can close up the synth. Plug in, turn on and pray the LCD works. Have fun ;)
ajantred 1 year ago
@antoniomichelena For me, the backlight on the MK1 LCD is useless. It only shows the name and source of the current sound, the number is repeated on the bigger LED number display at the left, wich is perfectly visible in dark. A musician in a dark stage only needs to know the number of the sound, as it's shorter and easier to remember than the whole name. Also is very rare that you need to use more than a sound bank, 32 for a single perfomance is enough.
HambertHM 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@antoniomichelena For me, the backlight on the MK1 LCD is useless. It only shows the name and source of the current sound, the number is repeated on the bigger LED number display at the left, wich is perfectly visible in dark. A musician in a dark stage only needs to know the number of the sound, as it's shorter and easier to remember than the whole name. Also is very rare that you need to use more than a sound bank, 32 for a single perfomance is enough.
HambertHM 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@antoniomichelena For me, the backlight on the MK1 LCD is useless. It only shows the name and source of the current sound, the number is repeated on the bigger LED number display at the left, wich is perfectly visible in dark. A musician in a dark stage only needs to know the number of the sound, as it's shorter and easier to remember than the whole name. Also is very rare that you need to use more than a sound bank, 32 for a single perfomance is enough.
HambertHM 1 year ago
@antoniomichelena For me, the backlight on the MK1 LCD is useless. It only shows the name and source of the current sound, the number is repeated on the bigger LED number display at the left, wich is perfectly visible in dark. A musician in a dark stage only needs to know the number of the sound, as it's shorter and easier to remember than the whole name. Also is very rare that you need to use more than a sound bank, 32 for a single perfomance is enough.
HambertHM 1 year ago
these sounds are what brings the keyboard makes or had to plug it into a pc?
betux2010 1 year ago
@betux2010 all of the sounds in this demo were programmed without a PC, if that's what you mean.
ajantred 1 year ago
cool sound ^^
sinkEP1 1 year ago