The DX7 MK 2 is the greatest ahievement in synthesiser history. Here you have crystal clarity and fat expressive sounds. What the DX7 lacked that a Jupiter 8 had was a chorusing feature. A unison detune function. To fatten the sounds. The DX7 MK2 corrected this.is the GREATEST PURE SYNTH EVER. No sampling rubbish.
You have one synth to rule them all. From the fattest heavyest basses to lush pads and strings. And in your face metalic sounds out of the future. Even awesome sweeping sounds.
The DX7 is hard to program BUT not hard to edit. I took a sound on my DX7s called ANALOG X. And made what I think is one of the best pad sounds ever. I will be looking to demo the sounds I have created on here in the near future. It is already the king for bass, bells and electric piano. But it is also capable of some awesome strings and pads. You have to know how to release its power. Especially editting the EG and Algorithm sections. Adding unison detune and poly unit. to bring out the magic.
Yes, FM is very difficult to program. Much of the basic operation of an FM synthesis engine is based on calculus and linear algebra. This is why perhaps some of the best music produced using FM was made by advanced computer programmers.
Just posted a video response, hopefully it gets approved. It's a track entirely made from a DX7, even the drum sounds. I tried to avoid using the cliche electric piano sound and went for something that sounded "warmer" to show the analog-heads what digital is capable of!
@bilbring Agreed! I love my analogue dinosaurs but I also love my various FM synths. I even have a couple little Casios that sound great. Just like everything else in life, diversity makes things interesting. Besides, as long as you're making music it's all good.
i just got a dx7IIfd with no cartridges, just the internal factory voices and i have nothing that sounds like these sounds on my dx7. WHY? are these cartridge sounds? are the custom edits? im new to this instrument. can someone help me, because i love these sounds but the ones on my dx7 are boring as hell.
@retrosound72 the DX-7 chip, I would say, *is* similar to those. The ones on early soundcards were using Yamaha YM3812 chip, which has a decent FM engine.
Not at all. The synthesis engine is drawn out among several different chips. There is one FM chip for each voice. Each one is individually programmable. It is perhaps the most advanced FM synthesizer ever made.
Anyone know of a web site that archives the programming parameters to different presets for the DX7? I want to know how to make cool sounds on mine, without having to pay 50 bucks for new cards. Thanks for any help.
@rezisehtnys No, the DX line of synthesizers also used phase modulation. In a digital synthesizer design, you'd have to be crazy to use audio-rate FM for timbral control when you can use PM with all the benefits of FM minus all the negative quirks and with a lot less computational complexity.
played one of these beast at guitar center today. my first time playing a vintage synth. i played a motif and a new roland juno, then the dx7. i prefer this one over a new synth anyday.
To Oxygene65 : wrong, FM synthesis can make warm sounds !!! Just use a one line algorithm, and respect the spectrum slope of the harmoniques along and trough the modulators link. Never use strong among of output in the low part of the algorithm. Try, try, and try again. The graal is behind a long work.
You can also make orchestral sounds !!!
You don't believe me ? Listen my demo on my website : search "maitrisez-la-fm" on Google and you'll find it.
@tvnp4 I checked out your website, very good patches. I spent years programming a DX100, and the odd DX7 too along the way. FM can create some fantastic sounds, I agree with you there. I managed to coax some great sounds out of my little old DX100, with only 4 operator algorithms compared to the DX7's 6. It just doesnt have that warmth and character that some analoge synths have.
Любые музыкальные инструменты новые и б.у. В наличие и под заказ. Почти все бренды. Большой выбор и гибкие цены. Звуковое, световое, DJ и студийное оборудование лучших мировых производителей. Акции и распродажи. Ремонт и тех. обслуживание. Подробнее на gibsons.ru
DX-1 or 5 would be cool for sure. :) Something cheaper that i've been searching for a while is TQ-5 -otherways similar to TX81Z but pitch envelope is included. So it's kinda more like DX11 but with those good DAC's.. it had some basic effects and sequencer as well. But it was ugly! :D Looked like old telephone /fax or something.. . .
@DJPeteJames it just takes a keen ear and a belief in the synth that it can actually do it, and as long as you stay positive youll make it through the dead spots that can arrise.
The best FM synth ever and the worst to program! Yamaha has a very geekie way of doing things... even now days, the first Motif is a pain to program... YET they sound superb..
This Yamaha synth has been recorded about a trillion times... Rival by the Roland D50
@DJPeteJames : Tell me about it---I have an SY77 which is basically one of these plus some prerecorded samples (no sampling capability, only playback). So much to work with, but so complicated! I wound up buying voice disks from eBay.
@cookie123456789012 yamaha makes great stuff! I.. sold their stuff for 5 years,, but nothing beats roland.... that dx 7/2 when it came out vs roland d50 was a nothing.. it was a an expensive peice of crap compared to the d50,, and then the m1 came out it creamed both of them!
the easiest DX7 to program is actually the repackaged groovebox version called DX200, it is identical 6 operator DX7 engine, but with better sound quality and user interface
I see your point, and it's not even sure you're missing out on something.
While intriguing, FM (or its Yamaha counterpart) is so devastatingly abstract that most programmers cut it out after some time.
I learned it (even taught it in college before the DX7 was out), own an FM machine (8-timbral - now that's business) and NEVER use it. It's just way too much work with way too many parameters.
Maybe check if there are VST plug-ins with quality graphics of the wave developments...
Ha! I didn't look down this far to see you are a music teacher! I play the guitar, NOT the keyboard, but message you posted here to "v8bert",does replicate what I said about the Oberhiem, with the fact that the digital sound of the Yamaha can't do what the analogue Oberhiem does. "It takes a very skilled programmer" (your words)
In other words..... the Oberhiem CAN do what you want it to do, where the Yamaha cant.
As for the build quality, the YAM is not too hot where the OBE has heavy keys
Some of the sounds I love most were done on Oberheim, so don't misinterpret:
Do you think that every source in a mix sounds gutsy?
Do you think that every music type needs gutsy sound?
Now I don't prefer DX7 over Oberheim, but I can tell you that an all-DX7 album most probably will sound better than an all-Oberheim album, and that that album can incorporate may more musical styles.
The Oberheim is better for an all-gutsy album though. :-)
I stand corrected, yet remember to all that gave me neg f/b..... that was just MY opinion! I just felt that the sound was too "watery" or thin compared to the fuller mor rounded sound of the oberhiem, which can also be calmed down to sound the same as the yamaha. In other words the oberhiem has more capability to adapt and tweak core sounds.
That's totally up to you. You seemed to care about negative feedback, and I tried to give you may take on what often generates negative feedback. That was meant as a friendly gesture from my part. It's up to you how you take it and what you do with it.
I have always been personal, and sometimes I get negative feedback too. My take is awareness about the fact that people on YT come from all over the world, and have *vastly* different reference frames culturally, educationally etc.
LOL I could tell, you type in a very structured style, and can get your point across quickly yet informed. By the way, I went to Oslo on my honeymoon in 2005, and have plans to climb Galdhoppigen, but i hear it is very hard to get to as there are no main roads?
There are no main roads, but there is a tollroad to Juvasshytta (you start from Lom community). From Juvasshytta people often use 3 to 4 hours up and 2 hours down again.
My guess is the tollroad is open only parts of the year.
That said, Oberheims and DX7's are great synths, lol.
If you're interested, here's an all DX7 track, recorded with the first (simplest) DX7, but many of them. Some of the bass parts used three DX7s - indicating that bass is hard on these.
It's at watch?v=cEJESVS6nso&fmt=18
Same user has several vids with the same guys (Toto, but without the right to use the name 'cause it was a Yamaha demo).
If you use &fmt=18 at the end of the links, you'll get the version with better sound.
A digital machine mimicken the workings of an analoque one, can come relatively close.
The algorithms of the DX7 however easily lead you further and further away from "analogue" sound.
It takes a very skilled programmer and a lot of time to even remotely resemble analogue, and it will never be any good. But it can do certain things that analogues can too, and a lot of stuff that analogues can't.
coz the DX7 used FM (Frequency Modulation) synthesis. Which produces very good clear, cutting and percussive sounds, but just doesnt have that warmth of an analogue synth. Its a completely different type of sound generation, a world apart from programming an analog synth. Even today, in hardware terms, you cant get an all singing, all dancing, synth. You need different synths to do different jobs.
@oxygene65: The Yamaha Synths use phase distortion, actually. The label FM was a marketing gag. But that doesn't matter as PD and FM are close relatives.
@oxygene65 From what I've heard, the Roland Fantom-Gs seem to sing and dance pretty well, although for that price they should also make the coffee...
Otherwise, Yamaha's EX5 came pretty close 12 years ago - admittedly its VA emulation was only duophonic, the onboard sequencer was a bit iffy and sampling was an afterthought; but on the other hand you got VL synthesis and the unique FDSP on top of AWM2 and a lovely 76-note keyboard. And EX5s regularly go on eBay for £350, i.e. top value!
@mcrh0des I suppose so ! Maybe someone has produced a virtual instrument with all this in. After all you've already got the Korg Legacy collection which contains a virtual korg wavestation, polysix and MS20 in one package. Which has been out for years.
@oxygene65 The synthesis method in the DX7 series is not FM (frequency modulation) but PM (phase modulation). The reason is that FM produces side effects whereas PM doesn't so Yamaha decided to go with PM instead.
@ikazlar Oh please. The famous DX7, the first digital synth and, therefore, the first to be able to put the FM sound producing theory into practice. And that's what Yamaha dared to do at the time.
The rest is history ...
So please, don't tell that the DX7 series relies on PM modulation.
@Sarahxxx666 You are wrong. FM is licensed from Stanford University because Yamaha funded professor Chowning's research on FM synthesis. If you dig around however, you will see that the DX7 doesn't use FM. It used Phase Modulation. Phase Modulation produces the same results as FM, but it doesn't have the ugly artifacts that FM has. So, it's actually PM that made it into the DX series and NOT FM. You can find plenty of information about this on the internet.
@Sarahxxx666 Wrong on all points. It's definitely not the first digital synthesizer, it's not the first to put FM into practice (even if it was really an FM synthesizer which it technically isn't) and yes, it uses phase modulation.
But as I'm certainly not the only one that would have thought so (first digital, first to rely exclusively on FM to produce its sound, FM instead of PM), please give us some information to feed our minds. Such as examples of digital synthesizers commercially released before for example.
Thank you anyway, I really believed all I wrote and it's fine to learn new things.
@Sarahxxx666 No, there's absolutely no need to be sorry - these are all very common misconceptions! :)
A good example of an earlier digital synthesizer is the Synclavier. And the difference between FM and PM is just a technicality for the end user - but PM means a lot less works for the engineers and gets rid of some of the artifacts inherent to FM. For example you don't have to scale the modulation index according to the frequency when using PM.
@mmmuuusssiiikkk I don't really know what to tell you about that since I've never played a Synclavier, but they sound really good from recordings in my opinion. The DX7 is definitely more practical, though :)
@oxygene65 It depends, if you have a synth with decent analogue modelling, FM synths, and wavetable, you have most of what's to offer. The Roland D50 did some pretty unique stuff too though I think.
Also some FM synth sounds can sound kind of warm, especially if you put a filter after it, which you really should.
yes and no. depends on how simple the analog synth is that you want to copy. you can probably make that identical patch in the dx7 BUT the dx7 is using doing everything in digital. like every thing that happens is different. for example, the way an analog filter sounds is not easily duplicated in software. so as a result, its going to be almost obvious on every patch that its a digital synth. just remember that when it comes to synthesizers, if its not %100 analog its just software in a box.
DX7 is digital synth and the sound generation is made by math so it's "perfect, Unlike analog synths witch have more character cause of some "flaws" like oscillator drifting etc. also the wave shapes aren't always exactly what it says, thats just the way analog circuitry is, not the way most people consider perfect...
KhanSlayer - if all that the DX series did was to produce straight sine waves, it would be very boring! But the FM synthesis system used sine waves to interact with each other to produce very complex sounds. Detuning the carrier operators is one way to get a thicker sound - a bit like chorus. I used a TX816 - a rack of 8 DX7s, where I could layer similar (or different) sounds, each Voice slightly detuned, to create some staggeringly powerful and beautiful results.
i still have mine in mint condition purchased 1984 rarely use are they making a come back i may need to dust it off, i had effect unit with it. not sale for sale just curious on there returns
The DX7 debuted late in 1983 but was proceeded by the GS1 & GS2 FM synths in 1981. Before that there was the Fairlight CMI (sampling, additive) in 1979, Synclavier (FM/Additive) and the Crumar GDS (Additive) in 1980. The DX7 was the first one that didn't cost more than your house. In fact, it cost less than most analog polysynths at the time and did sounds nobody had heard before. In the days before affordable samplers nothing else did better emulations of acoustic instruments.
Analog is typically warmer tho, isnt it? Yes I am a beginner but im curious. To me the JX-8P and D-10 are a hell of allot warmer than the DX7. Just my opinion.
I also have a JX-8P which is analog yes, but not particularly "warmer" than the dx7. It is a different synth with a different sound. I like the jx8p just as much as the DX7, but it's difficult to compare them.Both total different synths.
It's a completely different sound, used to make pretty different music. Which one you like better is up to you, but you'll be able to tell them apart pretty easily.
Yes, but you don't always need a warm sound. Sometimes you need a nasty clang sound. :D Digital synths have their uses, I think they both have specific sounds. It's like the difference between a flute and a violin, they have different timbres, doesn't mean one is better than the other.
Some synths in the the 80's used samples for their initial waveforms, but they were then manipulated through analoge circuits. I think Korg's DW8000 and DSS1 were like that, not too sure though!
I feel your pain ... in high school I had to sell all my musical equipment to pay of speeding and stunting tickets to the local insurance company. At 25 I've aquired everything back. Like you I too will NEVER sell anything again!
Nach Dr. Böhm´s self- destruction- Stylophone, die reinste Ohrensalbe :) :)
Nun suche ich nach Yamaha.
Mein Erster war der CS-5 = 1-Finger- Quietscher (Uups, sorry, ich liebe die Analogen wirklich!) Da gab´s damals gleich eine Tonne Papier dazu. Der steht doch ziemlich sicher auch noch irgendwo bei Dir, oder? Und immer wieder: Superviele Dankeschön´s , für die Live- Einblicke in die Retroszene. Lauter Schätze der Synthiegeschichte.
@retrosound72 hello can you explain me if there is differences between dx7 II and dx7 classic? Thanks i have liked the cold sounds made by this old machine.
Are the patches from a classic DX7 compatible with DX7 IID or IIFD or, if not, can be converted with a certain software? Do you have any ideea what's the difference between IID and IIFD models?
Yes should be compatible from DX7 to DX7II. I do remember using a lot of DX7 sounds on the DX7II. The DX7II has a couple of extra patch parameters (panning, split, tuning, ...).
This and the Roland D50 were THE sound in just about every style of music and movie soundtracks in the 80s. What an incredible sounding synth. I couldn't afford one but I did get a Casio CZ 1000! Which was probably just as complicated to program. God, I love the sound of a good synth in the right hands.
The DX7 MK 2 is the greatest ahievement in synthesiser history. Here you have crystal clarity and fat expressive sounds. What the DX7 lacked that a Jupiter 8 had was a chorusing feature. A unison detune function. To fatten the sounds. The DX7 MK2 corrected this.is the GREATEST PURE SYNTH EVER. No sampling rubbish.
You have one synth to rule them all. From the fattest heavyest basses to lush pads and strings. And in your face metalic sounds out of the future. Even awesome sweeping sounds.
fender1000100 2 weeks ago
@fender1000100 Well I couldn't agree more with you sir!
kolossaeis 1 week ago
Great job retro...love your vids!
synthartist69 1 month ago
@synthartist69 thank you! :)
retrosound72 1 month ago
Jan Hammerish
Hot80s 2 months ago
The DX7 is hard to program BUT not hard to edit. I took a sound on my DX7s called ANALOG X. And made what I think is one of the best pad sounds ever. I will be looking to demo the sounds I have created on here in the near future. It is already the king for bass, bells and electric piano. But it is also capable of some awesome strings and pads. You have to know how to release its power. Especially editting the EG and Algorithm sections. Adding unison detune and poly unit. to bring out the magic.
fender1000100 2 months ago
I have a somewhat broken one i found that still works!
FurryWereWolf93 3 months ago
someone gave one to me but i'm not a fan of that kind of synth. I would sell it if its value was more than like 300 dollars lol
AUP68 3 months ago
Yes, FM is very difficult to program. Much of the basic operation of an FM synthesis engine is based on calculus and linear algebra. This is why perhaps some of the best music produced using FM was made by advanced computer programmers.
douro20 4 months ago
Just posted a video response, hopefully it gets approved. It's a track entirely made from a DX7, even the drum sounds. I tried to avoid using the cliche electric piano sound and went for something that sounded "warmer" to show the analog-heads what digital is capable of!
tritonrecordings 4 months ago
Oh man.. I'm getting one of these for wayyyy too cheap in a few days. Plus it's the FD (floppy disk) version. Excited.
ionmyke 4 months ago
I love this synth. Do they still sell it?
keyboardjeff 6 months ago
@keyboardjeff ebay.
sillyboy2009 2 months ago
Those 20 or so analog wankers negging every digital synth video, are mentally ill.
bilbring 7 months ago 10
@bilbring Agreed! I love my analogue dinosaurs but I also love my various FM synths. I even have a couple little Casios that sound great. Just like everything else in life, diversity makes things interesting. Besides, as long as you're making music it's all good.
Cheers!
PaulFitzZaland 4 months ago
@bilbring I find you get the best sound by mixing both, both have different strengths.
dentistguba 1 month ago
@bilbring yeah they are all good! love both analog and digital - how could one not?
syzygywell 2 weeks ago
How would you compare this synth to the VZ1 from casio?
I own a VZ1 bought new in 1990!! I will never sell it!
sargetech 8 months ago
this keyboard made history in the industry of music....
escuipo 8 months ago 4
Very good first 20 seconds. Mystical and mysterious sounds :-) Thanx!
SimmonsDrums 9 months ago
I use this alongside an M1 and man they rock. Old stuff but they still get the job done if you know your stuff.
cyberhmoob 9 months ago
I will never forget this synth ,every player wanted it ..Still sound good..I use the sounds in my production still check me out !!
JACKSON2012music 10 months ago
HOW ABOUT SOME BASSES????
GanEdenAustralia 11 months ago
i just got a dx7IIfd with no cartridges, just the internal factory voices and i have nothing that sounds like these sounds on my dx7. WHY? are these cartridge sounds? are the custom edits? im new to this instrument. can someone help me, because i love these sounds but the ones on my dx7 are boring as hell.
lnally01 11 months ago
I care not for FM synthesis.
LIGHTRONIX 1 year ago
Tangerine Dream use on Firestarter soundtrack. Awesome!
southernfmradio 1 year ago 2
what is the value of a dx7? cause maybe I would sell mine
AUP68 1 year ago
very nice sounds
MLAOTNMCC 1 year ago
DX7IIFD = teh schecks
Pighood 1 year ago
does the DX-7 use similar FM chips as most video game systems in the 80's and is it similar to the portasound range of home keyboards?
namco21gamefreak 1 year ago
@namco21gamefreak
no the DX-7 has a much more complex fm engine
retrosound72 1 year ago
@retrosound72 the DX-7 chip, I would say, *is* similar to those. The ones on early soundcards were using Yamaha YM3812 chip, which has a decent FM engine.
romwell32 1 year ago
@retrosound72 although the sega genesis' sound chip was yamaha designed
rhinonose 1 year ago
@retrosound72 the DX-7 is a 6 operator synth as I recall
Yamaha were the suppliers of the older gaming chips, but they were commonly 3 and 4 operator synths.
DalekSam 10 months ago
@namco21gamefreak
Not at all. The synthesis engine is drawn out among several different chips. There is one FM chip for each voice. Each one is individually programmable. It is perhaps the most advanced FM synthesizer ever made.
douro20 4 months ago
@namco21gamefreak i have read the Sega consoles had FM chips allowing for much more rich music.
patto2k 2 months ago
@patto2k Sega machines just had one basic FM yamaha chip.
raymangold22 1 month ago
Anyone know of a web site that archives the programming parameters to different presets for the DX7? I want to know how to make cool sounds on mine, without having to pay 50 bucks for new cards. Thanks for any help.
culturaleyes 1 year ago
@culturaleyes "dx7 librairian" in google it is the first link...
;)
camillerrrr 1 year ago
although programming is very time consuming it's a joy once you have that sound you're after. great demo!
kingofkeyboards 1 year ago
@kingofkeyboards
thanks :)
retrosound72 1 year ago
The Yamaha DX line utilizes FM for sound creation. It was the Casio CZ line that used PM...
rezisehtnys 1 year ago
@rezisehtnys No, the DX line of synthesizers also used phase modulation. In a digital synthesizer design, you'd have to be crazy to use audio-rate FM for timbral control when you can use PM with all the benefits of FM minus all the negative quirks and with a lot less computational complexity.
storerestore 11 months ago
played one of these beast at guitar center today. my first time playing a vintage synth. i played a motif and a new roland juno, then the dx7. i prefer this one over a new synth anyday.
HypeRhymz 1 year ago
To Oxygene65 : wrong, FM synthesis can make warm sounds !!! Just use a one line algorithm, and respect the spectrum slope of the harmoniques along and trough the modulators link. Never use strong among of output in the low part of the algorithm. Try, try, and try again. The graal is behind a long work.
You can also make orchestral sounds !!!
You don't believe me ? Listen my demo on my website : search "maitrisez-la-fm" on Google and you'll find it.
French only, sorry !
tvnp4 1 year ago
@tvnp4 I checked out your website, very good patches. I spent years programming a DX100, and the odd DX7 too along the way. FM can create some fantastic sounds, I agree with you there. I managed to coax some great sounds out of my little old DX100, with only 4 operator algorithms compared to the DX7's 6. It just doesnt have that warmth and character that some analoge synths have.
oxygene65 1 year ago
Richard Wright was a fan of this, I believe.
ChemHandbook 1 year ago
This is what Van Halen used... To epic effect :D
MaxB1195 1 year ago
@MaxB1195 really? ive been trying to find that out! thanks!
HyperSonic707 1 year ago
Любые музыкальные инструменты новые и б.у. В наличие и под заказ. Почти все бренды. Большой выбор и гибкие цены. Звуковое, световое, DJ и студийное оборудование лучших мировых производителей. Акции и распродажи. Ремонт и тех. обслуживание. Подробнее на gibsons.ru
Gibsonsru 1 year ago
The DX11 was a little easier to program than this, which makes for a pretty fun synth and somewhat similar sound.
Slashe50 1 year ago
@Slashe50
Yeah, but it was more like TX81Z with pitch envelope added -and lower quality DAC's.
drtritri 1 year ago
@drtritri Yeah, but still a great synth. I'd love a DX1 though.
Slashe50 1 year ago
@Slashe50
DX-1 or 5 would be cool for sure. :) Something cheaper that i've been searching for a while is TQ-5 -otherways similar to TX81Z but pitch envelope is included. So it's kinda more like DX11 but with those good DAC's.. it had some basic effects and sequencer as well. But it was ugly! :D Looked like old telephone /fax or something.. . .
Tri3Dr 1 year ago
@Tri3Dr This looks like a job for...
CASE MOOOOOOOD
Slashe50 1 year ago
now thats a baby
Serpico261 1 year ago
@DJPeteJames it just takes a keen ear and a belief in the synth that it can actually do it, and as long as you stay positive youll make it through the dead spots that can arrise.
rouncer81 1 year ago
Is this the same sound of the regular yamaha dx???
979899 1 year ago
The best FM synth ever and the worst to program! Yamaha has a very geekie way of doing things... even now days, the first Motif is a pain to program... YET they sound superb..
This Yamaha synth has been recorded about a trillion times... Rival by the Roland D50
girotube 1 year ago
every 80s horror film
ybot1983 1 year ago
@DJPeteJames : Tell me about it---I have an SY77 which is basically one of these plus some prerecorded samples (no sampling capability, only playback). So much to work with, but so complicated! I wound up buying voice disks from eBay.
thefonz003 1 year ago
anyone seen Escape From New York? ;D
lexichronicle 1 year ago
SOOOOOOO DIGITAL!!!!!1!!!
cookie123456789012 1 year ago
@cookie123456789012 yamaha makes great stuff! I.. sold their stuff for 5 years,, but nothing beats roland.... that dx 7/2 when it came out vs roland d50 was a nothing.. it was a an expensive peice of crap compared to the d50,, and then the m1 came out it creamed both of them!
amygdala3290 1 year ago
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MiguelKertsman 1 year ago
the easiest DX7 to program is actually the repackaged groovebox version called DX200, it is identical 6 operator DX7 engine, but with better sound quality and user interface
speedtribejp 1 year ago
It sounds good! I had one of theese, but sold it. Reaon is it's so damn hard to program!
rBennich 1 year ago
I can see why Brian Eno used one of these. Simply amazing sounding! so ambient yet fierce at the same time! brilliant!
kingofkeyboards 1 year ago 2
@DJPeteJames
I see your point, and it's not even sure you're missing out on something.
While intriguing, FM (or its Yamaha counterpart) is so devastatingly abstract that most programmers cut it out after some time.
I learned it (even taught it in college before the DX7 was out), own an FM machine (8-timbral - now that's business) and NEVER use it. It's just way too much work with way too many parameters.
Maybe check if there are VST plug-ins with quality graphics of the wave developments...
v8bert 1 year ago
Ha! I didn't look down this far to see you are a music teacher! I play the guitar, NOT the keyboard, but message you posted here to "v8bert",does replicate what I said about the Oberhiem, with the fact that the digital sound of the Yamaha can't do what the analogue Oberhiem does. "It takes a very skilled programmer" (your words)
In other words..... the Oberhiem CAN do what you want it to do, where the Yamaha cant.
As for the build quality, the YAM is not too hot where the OBE has heavy keys
Everestlad 1 year ago
@Everestlad,
My message didn't replicate that.
Technically speaking, the DX7 II can do way more than the typical Oberheim. However, it's a moot point.
In practical situations, you'd use the Oberheim for typical analogue sounds and the DX7 for its own typical sounds.
A skilled analogue programmer can partly mimick the DX7.
A skilled FM programmer can partly mimick an analogue synth.
There is no "trying to come up to the level of" here, but "trying to resemble".
A good advice is: use both.
v8bert 1 year ago
Native Instrument's FM8 vs DX7
thoughts?
gr8ape 1 year ago
same.
bombur792 1 year ago
sorry but that sound is shit, the oberhiem sounds 10 times more gutsy
Everestlad 1 year ago
@Everestlad
So... for gutsy sound use the Oberheim.
Some of the sounds I love most were done on Oberheim, so don't misinterpret:
Do you think that every source in a mix sounds gutsy?
Do you think that every music type needs gutsy sound?
Now I don't prefer DX7 over Oberheim, but I can tell you that an all-DX7 album most probably will sound better than an all-Oberheim album, and that that album can incorporate may more musical styles.
The Oberheim is better for an all-gutsy album though. :-)
v8bert 1 year ago
I stand corrected, yet remember to all that gave me neg f/b..... that was just MY opinion! I just felt that the sound was too "watery" or thin compared to the fuller mor rounded sound of the oberhiem, which can also be calmed down to sound the same as the yamaha. In other words the oberhiem has more capability to adapt and tweak core sounds.
Everestlad 1 year ago
@Everestlad
My take: negative feedback generally is not so much for opinions as for the way they're expressed.
In general, reasoned arguments get better response than one-liners with strong and/or negative wording.
It's just how things work. You could contemplate using more reasoned arguments next time.
A short vid can't show the vastness of possibilities in a DX7 II.
"More capability to adapt and tweak" is a statement you will have a hard time defending.
You like it better. That's cool.
v8bert 1 year ago
Ok, I will use less colourful expressions in the future, using a less personal approach, with more focus on factual info, is that right?
Everestlad 1 year ago
@Everestlad
That's totally up to you. You seemed to care about negative feedback, and I tried to give you may take on what often generates negative feedback. That was meant as a friendly gesture from my part. It's up to you how you take it and what you do with it.
I have always been personal, and sometimes I get negative feedback too. My take is awareness about the fact that people on YT come from all over the world, and have *vastly* different reference frames culturally, educationally etc.
v8bert 1 year ago
Where are you from mate, and are you a teacher or something like that?
Everestlad 1 year ago
@Everstlad
Hahaha, you look right through me!
Norway.
v8bert 1 year ago
LOL I could tell, you type in a very structured style, and can get your point across quickly yet informed. By the way, I went to Oslo on my honeymoon in 2005, and have plans to climb Galdhoppigen, but i hear it is very hard to get to as there are no main roads?
Everestlad 1 year ago
@Everestlad
Txs for the kind words.
There are no main roads, but there is a tollroad to Juvasshytta (you start from Lom community). From Juvasshytta people often use 3 to 4 hours up and 2 hours down again.
My guess is the tollroad is open only parts of the year.
That said, Oberheims and DX7's are great synths, lol.
v8bert 1 year ago
LOL i will look you up if i ever go accross to do it cheers mate!
Everestlad 1 year ago
@Everestlad
I'll wait for you at the top, with hot cocoa. :-)
If you're interested, here's an all DX7 track, recorded with the first (simplest) DX7, but many of them. Some of the bass parts used three DX7s - indicating that bass is hard on these.
It's at watch?v=cEJESVS6nso&fmt=18
Same user has several vids with the same guys (Toto, but without the right to use the name 'cause it was a Yamaha demo).
If you use &fmt=18 at the end of the links, you'll get the version with better sound.
v8bert 1 year ago
thanks for blamming my comment, assholes
JohnnyMidnight1 1 year ago
@JohnnyMidnight1
Questions are regarded as lazy, Googling as good.
First, separate digital and DX7.
A digital machine mimicken the workings of an analoque one, can come relatively close.
The algorithms of the DX7 however easily lead you further and further away from "analogue" sound.
It takes a very skilled programmer and a lot of time to even remotely resemble analogue, and it will never be any good. But it can do certain things that analogues can too, and a lot of stuff that analogues can't.
v8bert 1 year ago
kinda reminds me of soul reaver and myst :)
gitsata 2 years ago
why can't a digital synth like the dx7 sound like an analog synth again? it theoretically should be capable of replicating any conceivable sound yes?
JohnnyMidnight1 2 years ago
coz the DX7 used FM (Frequency Modulation) synthesis. Which produces very good clear, cutting and percussive sounds, but just doesnt have that warmth of an analogue synth. Its a completely different type of sound generation, a world apart from programming an analog synth. Even today, in hardware terms, you cant get an all singing, all dancing, synth. You need different synths to do different jobs.
oxygene65 2 years ago 27
@oxygene65 hey everyone is it posible too split a dx7 in 2? meanin to the sound!
rockawayy 1 year ago
@rockawayy the DX7 II could be split 2 ways or the TX802 rack version could be split 8 ways but you still only had 16 note polyphony in total.
I love DX7's. Did loads of tracks with my TX816, a Serge and an ARP 2600.
Amazingly good synths to fit in a mix. They cut thru and fill an area that most other synths don't.
buchla300 1 year ago
@oxygene65: The Yamaha Synths use phase distortion, actually. The label FM was a marketing gag. But that doesn't matter as PD and FM are close relatives.
albedoshader 1 year ago
@oxygene65 very well said
sendfx 1 year ago
@oxygene65 From what I've heard, the Roland Fantom-Gs seem to sing and dance pretty well, although for that price they should also make the coffee...
Otherwise, Yamaha's EX5 came pretty close 12 years ago - admittedly its VA emulation was only duophonic, the onboard sequencer was a bit iffy and sampling was an afterthought; but on the other hand you got VL synthesis and the unique FDSP on top of AWM2 and a lovely 76-note keyboard. And EX5s regularly go on eBay for £350, i.e. top value!
thisisnev 1 year ago
@oxygene65
It should be possible to integrate all these known
sound generation technologies into a module, hardware
and or software. No?
mcrh0des 1 year ago
@mcrh0des I suppose so ! Maybe someone has produced a virtual instrument with all this in. After all you've already got the Korg Legacy collection which contains a virtual korg wavestation, polysix and MS20 in one package. Which has been out for years.
oxygene65 1 year ago
@oxygene65 The synthesis method in the DX7 series is not FM (frequency modulation) but PM (phase modulation). The reason is that FM produces side effects whereas PM doesn't so Yamaha decided to go with PM instead.
ikazlar 1 year ago
@ikazlar Oh please. The famous DX7, the first digital synth and, therefore, the first to be able to put the FM sound producing theory into practice. And that's what Yamaha dared to do at the time.
The rest is history ...
So please, don't tell that the DX7 series relies on PM modulation.
Sarahxxx666 1 year ago
@Sarahxxx666 You are wrong. FM is licensed from Stanford University because Yamaha funded professor Chowning's research on FM synthesis. If you dig around however, you will see that the DX7 doesn't use FM. It used Phase Modulation. Phase Modulation produces the same results as FM, but it doesn't have the ugly artifacts that FM has. So, it's actually PM that made it into the DX series and NOT FM. You can find plenty of information about this on the internet.
ikazlar 1 year ago
@ikazlar Thank you :)
You are right ...
I never knew ^^ Yamaha always claimed that they were using FM, and even the new VSTs from Native Instruments (e.g.) are called "FM7" and "FM8".
But this is PM which has been implemented in the DX7 actually.
Thanks for having pointed this out :)
Sarahxxx666 1 year ago
@ikazlar Does that apply to the rest of their digital synths in that era like the Tx81z, DX100, DX5 etc? Thanks
maccagrabme 1 year ago
@Sarahxxx666 Wrong on all points. It's definitely not the first digital synthesizer, it's not the first to put FM into practice (even if it was really an FM synthesizer which it technically isn't) and yes, it uses phase modulation.
storerestore 1 year ago
@storerestore I'm really sorry for all my mistakes.
But as I'm certainly not the only one that would have thought so (first digital, first to rely exclusively on FM to produce its sound, FM instead of PM), please give us some information to feed our minds. Such as examples of digital synthesizers commercially released before for example.
Thank you anyway, I really believed all I wrote and it's fine to learn new things.
Sarahxxx666 1 year ago
@Sarahxxx666 No, there's absolutely no need to be sorry - these are all very common misconceptions! :)
A good example of an earlier digital synthesizer is the Synclavier. And the difference between FM and PM is just a technicality for the end user - but PM means a lot less works for the engineers and gets rid of some of the artifacts inherent to FM. For example you don't have to scale the modulation index according to the frequency when using PM.
storerestore 1 year ago
@storerestore :
So which keyboard sound better? Synclavier or DX 7? I already have Dx-7 and I'm wondering if I could buy a Synclavier II.
Thanks
mmmuuusssiiikkk 1 year ago
@mmmuuusssiiikkk I don't really know what to tell you about that since I've never played a Synclavier, but they sound really good from recordings in my opinion. The DX7 is definitely more practical, though :)
Hope it helps some!
storerestore 11 months ago
@oxygene65 It depends, if you have a synth with decent analogue modelling, FM synths, and wavetable, you have most of what's to offer. The Roland D50 did some pretty unique stuff too though I think.
Also some FM synth sounds can sound kind of warm, especially if you put a filter after it, which you really should.
TheSmallBombs 6 months ago
yes and no. depends on how simple the analog synth is that you want to copy. you can probably make that identical patch in the dx7 BUT the dx7 is using doing everything in digital. like every thing that happens is different. for example, the way an analog filter sounds is not easily duplicated in software. so as a result, its going to be almost obvious on every patch that its a digital synth. just remember that when it comes to synthesizers, if its not %100 analog its just software in a box.
Ureallydontknow 2 years ago
@Ureallydontknow
DX7 uses Yamaha's "version" of FM synthesis. One can NOT make roughly the same patch as on an analogue machine.
You seem to think that it mimicks an analogue synthesizer in a program.
It doesn't.
Virtual analogue machines like that do exist in abundance btw, but the DX7 is not one of those, and predates them 10 or 15 years or so.
No space here to explain, but if you're interested, there are enough articles on the net, I'm sure. Just look up FM synthesis.
v8bert 1 year ago
DX7 is digital synth and the sound generation is made by math so it's "perfect, Unlike analog synths witch have more character cause of some "flaws" like oscillator drifting etc. also the wave shapes aren't always exactly what it says, thats just the way analog circuitry is, not the way most people consider perfect...
gemis94 2 years ago
if u want analog , buy a minimoog , if u want FM buy a DX7 ;)
BaumDerProllige 2 years ago 2
KhanSlayer - if all that the DX series did was to produce straight sine waves, it would be very boring! But the FM synthesis system used sine waves to interact with each other to produce very complex sounds. Detuning the carrier operators is one way to get a thicker sound - a bit like chorus. I used a TX816 - a rack of 8 DX7s, where I could layer similar (or different) sounds, each Voice slightly detuned, to create some staggeringly powerful and beautiful results.
harmonise55 2 years ago
A synth is a device that makes sound by adding different types of sine-waves. Wikipedia has longer and more accurate answers.
alexander256 2 years ago
@alexander256 The wave form doesn't have to be a sine, it can be a square, saw etc
RetroRepair 1 year ago
You can make square waves from adding enough sines, ref fourier.
alexander256 1 year ago 2
What is a synth simply put. No joke intended
MrJackanthony 2 years ago
my college tutor played one of these on top of the pops
lab32 2 years ago 4
i still prefer analog synths
handel1111 2 years ago
Very nice demo! I love the DX7 sound, but I'm terrible at programming it...
ec101dm 2 years ago
@ec101dm hahaha. I remember the first time i tried ...I thought i was gonna die. Got those algo's and operators down pat eventually.
eltonjam 2 years ago 2
the people saying the dx7 isn't warm but ive made warm sounds on it that would beat anything out of a real analogue
vegunited06 2 years ago
i still have mine in mint condition purchased 1984 rarely use are they making a come back i may need to dust it off, i had effect unit with it. not sale for sale just curious on there returns
drnubian 2 years ago
When did digital synths come out?
offthelinegt 2 years ago
In the early 80's.
Since then we've seen an Analogue revival, Virtual Analogues, & now sadly .. music by mouse virtual (software) only.
xoio 2 years ago
The DX7 debuted late in 1983 but was proceeded by the GS1 & GS2 FM synths in 1981. Before that there was the Fairlight CMI (sampling, additive) in 1979, Synclavier (FM/Additive) and the Crumar GDS (Additive) in 1980. The DX7 was the first one that didn't cost more than your house. In fact, it cost less than most analog polysynths at the time and did sounds nobody had heard before. In the days before affordable samplers nothing else did better emulations of acoustic instruments.
mfitz1969 2 years ago
thanks for the info
handel1111 2 years ago
yeah i totally have no idea about DX7 sorry for that
handel1111 2 years ago
i dont' like digital synths
i prefer analog synths that has knobs and sliders
analog synths gives warmer sounds than digital synths
handel1111 2 years ago
Well, you dont have a clue about the DX7 right? I've got one of these and it can sound really warm, and it's a fully digital synth.
What you are saying right now about digital synths is a typical "beginners"quote.
majorhostage 2 years ago 6
Analog is typically warmer tho, isnt it? Yes I am a beginner but im curious. To me the JX-8P and D-10 are a hell of allot warmer than the DX7. Just my opinion.
offthelinegt 2 years ago
I also have a JX-8P which is analog yes, but not particularly "warmer" than the dx7. It is a different synth with a different sound. I like the jx8p just as much as the DX7, but it's difficult to compare them.Both total different synths.
majorhostage 2 years ago 2
Gotcha, thanks!
offthelinegt 2 years ago
It's a completely different sound, used to make pretty different music. Which one you like better is up to you, but you'll be able to tell them apart pretty easily.
Superphilipp 2 years ago
Eso es verdad, pero no es toda la verdad...
It is true, but it is not all the truth...
mariosilveyra 2 years ago
i agree with that
TerrorDrift07 2 years ago
Yes, but you don't always need a warm sound. Sometimes you need a nasty clang sound. :D Digital synths have their uses, I think they both have specific sounds. It's like the difference between a flute and a violin, they have different timbres, doesn't mean one is better than the other.
metabog 2 years ago 2
Some synths in the the 80's used samples for their initial waveforms, but they were then manipulated through analoge circuits. I think Korg's DW8000 and DSS1 were like that, not too sure though!
KCJazzKeys 2 years ago
first seconds sounds of beat it intro by michael jackson
09KNU 2 years ago
make some cool FM sounds :)
tatsujincorp 2 years ago
Love those clav sounds...
ScareMouth 2 years ago
I miss my old DX7s :(
RoboticSolutions 2 years ago
Why u get rid of them? Hell, I miss my old tx802. but i am looking for a F1SR to replace my tx802
MadCobraProductions 2 years ago
lol...DX7"S" (ONE!) suffered terminal damage after some bizzare cleaning accident...the mother board was a complete write off! Grrr!
RoboticSolutions 2 years ago
oh i c. that sux. Yeah, i bought back some of the fm synths ive had before. i will never NEVER trade in my shit on anything else.
I will save and save to buy what I want. I only wind up missing what I traded in :)
MadCobraProductions 2 years ago
Thats ok,so long as you have the space to keep it..good luck with that!
RoboticSolutions 2 years ago
I feel your pain ... in high school I had to sell all my musical equipment to pay of speeding and stunting tickets to the local insurance company. At 25 I've aquired everything back. Like you I too will NEVER sell anything again!
offthelinegt 2 years ago 2
Awsome. AWSOME!
telecaster1963 2 years ago 5
legend synth
emotio2008 2 years ago 4
Unfortunately programming sounds isn't inutive or easy. Its like becoming a decent musician, it takes work.
catofdoos 2 years ago 6
Sorry champ.Last D-50 I had was over 15 years ago!! Just a fond memory now:)
mimoocho 2 years ago
0:50-60 magic music i love it
pavel280488AA 2 years ago 2
nice demo. what about the choir and bell sounds of the DX7 ?
MrFeathers89 2 years ago
Exelent Machine ¡¡¡¡ i need you DX7 ¡¡¡¡
subwoofer1975 2 years ago 3
Nach Dr. Böhm´s self- destruction- Stylophone, die reinste Ohrensalbe :) :)
Nun suche ich nach Yamaha.
Mein Erster war der CS-5 = 1-Finger- Quietscher (Uups, sorry, ich liebe die Analogen wirklich!) Da gab´s damals gleich eine Tonne Papier dazu. Der steht doch ziemlich sicher auch noch irgendwo bei Dir, oder? Und immer wieder: Superviele Dankeschön´s , für die Live- Einblicke in die Retroszene. Lauter Schätze der Synthiegeschichte.
Viele Grüße, Bertram.
BoertiV 2 years ago
Dankeschön. Freut mich wenn`s gefällt.
Ich habe keinen einzigen Yamaha CS. Frag mich nicht warum.
retrosound72 2 years ago
@retrosound72 hello can you explain me if there is differences between dx7 II and dx7 classic? Thanks i have liked the cold sounds made by this old machine.
DerLOLXM 1 year ago
Are the patches from a classic DX7 compatible with DX7 IID or IIFD or, if not, can be converted with a certain software? Do you have any ideea what's the difference between IID and IIFD models?
johnspecker 2 years ago
The FD-Model has a floppy drive for storing presets AFAIK.
Triursaighead 2 years ago
Yes should be compatible from DX7 to DX7II. I do remember using a lot of DX7 sounds on the DX7II. The DX7II has a couple of extra patch parameters (panning, split, tuning, ...).
Luke48 2 years ago
FD has a floppy disc, the patches of the old DX7 can be loaded in, the DX7II has more synthesis options so the other way around is not possible
salamandos707 2 years ago
best FM synth ever..... It defined pop music as you know it...
1980 best synth
girotube 2 years ago 4
This and the Roland D50 were THE sound in just about every style of music and movie soundtracks in the 80s. What an incredible sounding synth. I couldn't afford one but I did get a Casio CZ 1000! Which was probably just as complicated to program. God, I love the sound of a good synth in the right hands.
mindstormsabrewin 2 years ago 3
The D50 came out 5-6 years after the original DX7 at end of '87. It started the wave based synths we still see today.
Luke48 2 years ago
D50 had the best 'Harmonium' patch Ive ever heard. Still can't find one that matches it today! At least Roland got something right :)
mimoocho 2 years ago
Sounds way better than my DX21 ;] Well, DX21 wasnt the top model
Yunneck 2 years ago
what does "programmable algorithm synthesizer" mean?
MrSynthfreak 2 years ago 4
its a synth that uses algorithms to create FM synthesis and it is programmable
super7am 2 years ago
actually its the sounding operators that can be programmed in different algorithms, carrier/modulator orders of the operators.
FM synthesis is sooooo easy :-)
RundFyrkant 2 years ago 2
easy? are you insane? there is nothing intuitive about it...it was/is a nightmare.
Analog is where it's at.
MARANTZamp 2 years ago 3
MOTU's Unisyn will help out. Plus analog is just a whole different sound.
exactspace 2 years ago
a much more useable sound.
dx's are all about bell sounds.
MARANTZamp 2 years ago 2
easy my ass
MARANTZamp 2 years ago 4
without knobs, it isn't very programmable.
it's a REAL HEADACHE in fact...a nightmare.
MARANTZamp 2 years ago 6
the dx7 is pretty cool...
eldorado303 2 years ago 12
do a review of the access virus TI (NOT THE SMALL WHITE ONE, THE OTHER ONE!! )
lodnaellid2 2 years ago