Yamaha DJX

It is quite easy to use when one remember the function number. But it is much better to program it and store all the settings into performance setups - the unit does not have battery installed so istead of countless button press after each start (my unit is almost 10 years old, the buttons are a little wore out today, you know), it is better to store setups into SysEx and then recall when required.
Manual is very clear, yes I like it.

The action started to make a plastic "click" noise, louder and louder as I've been using it for years. This is the cheap construction of plastic key but the most surprissing thing is that they make this weird click noise when they're moved slightly in horizontal direction, not vertical. Anyway it is a fast velocity dynamic action with really nice response (3 curves available). It has outstanding MIDI capabilities for the price; there are max 3 zones available (one split and one layer) transmitting on separate, fixed MIDI channel. 3 onboard knobs send very precise MIDI CC commands (one is assignable!). But the real reason I still own DJX, after almost 10 years is the ribbon controller. It is simply the best - assignable, sensitive, stable and digitally perfect (i.e. full 0-127 range; though X axis only).

The sounds selection is from good to average. No extremity IMO, although there are some high quality and stereo things. It is a dance/techno board, the styles are terrible and mostly unusable (most of them have bad chord control), with very few exceptions. The effects are really nice for the price; reverbs are quite convincing; some effects derive from XG, as I suppose; some effects are "hidden" and can be selected from ext. MIDI only with proper SysEx. The pitchbender's resolution is low (audible graduating during pitchbending).

I opened it many times (general cleaning / cleaning the contacts / replacing rubber contact / soldering the button). It is very reliable, no several damage; the things used very often (or even abused in past) must fail some day. Currently I have a problem with return of one key - it often generates another NOTE ON/OFF when released.

I ordered the ribbon controller without any problem, arrived on time. I don't like some Yamaha ideas so I like to struggle with support sometimes ;) I like them though, no problems.

I doubt I would find anything like this for the price. The control features are great. I never regret I bought it, but if I lost it today I would choose something different or not buy a replacement at all (it is not irreplacable in my studio). An aftertouch would be a wish. The comparison with DJX II toy would be a misunderstanding.

bought it on 2007.

I havent tried any of the midi options (bulk send an other thingies) but almost everything is covered in detail in the manual.

it is just select a sound, assign and effect and get to play.

The 32-note polyphony is enough for me.

There are many effects, various types of Distortions, Choruses, Reverbs as well as Cutoff, Resonance, Mod, Attack and Release. these can be used as "saved" settings for a sound and in realtime through a knob onboard or a ribbon controller. a Pitch bend wheel is also avaliable.

The keyboard is Velocity sensitive but there is no aftertouch.

it also has a tiny sampler of 3 seconds (+ other three seconds when splitting the keyboard).

song/style/sequencer are things that i dont use much.

Realistic built in voices are good but is definately not the strong point of this machine.

Since it is aimed at techo-dance music, synth leads, basses and pads are the really good ones. honours mention to the CP-10, Trance and Strings. I personally like the second Jazz Organ(n114) too.

these patches cant be edited beyond the effects mentioned above, but they are good enough to me.

I would have liked to have the ribbon controller next to the wheel, on even better another assignable wheel :B

Personally i had it difficult to et used to he keyboard action, because my previous keyboard was a casiotone XD.

I havent had any problems with the keys, the buttons, the adapter o anything.

I would depend on it. The case is hard enough to drop it a few times. It is like new since `99.
On a gig i??d take it with the six D type batteries, otherwise i would have to make the sounds quickly on the stage :D.
Also it would be difficult due to the lack of baclight in the screen.

Neva

If lost i wouldnt get another, but that is just common sense, it is obvious to try buying something better.

In the price range i had to choose between the E-203 an this one an after trying the other one i dont have ANY regrets. This blue buddy is the better price/features equation around.

I wish it had a better memory, backlight for the screen, and the ribbon cotroller position to be near the wheel. Also would??ve liked that touch sensitivitivitivitivity could be turned off.

I also hate the color and the too-much-playful design.

Great stuff, considering the price payed. Lots of things to play with and to try. (by the way, excuse me if I make any mistakes using the english language, I'm from the Netherlands). I use the realtime function a lot, to support me when I'm playing my bass or guitar along with it. When you take your time to study the (very readable)manual (like I did), you'll find there are lot's of things hidden in this blue (not very professional looking) body.

Polyphony is ok (in my case). Haven't connect it to my PC but I will definitly do so in the future, to find out what it can do. By the way, the kids love the effects and the sampling of there voices using the mic. Had to get familiair with the split keyboard, but a lot of practice pays off.

Piano doesn't sound great. Had other (PSR) Yamaha keyboards before and every time it's the same old song. Bad childish piano sounds. Don't know why Yamaha's wizzkids can't generate a natural piano sound. Before it broke down I owned a little realistic keyboard, which I bought (used) for about 20 euro's. It didn't had the features of the DJX but the piano sounded like the real thing. Strings sounds ok. Too bad there's is no aftertouch but hey, what can you expect for that kind of money? Used the DJX on my son's (birthday) houseparty. They loved it. The built-in speakers sound good enough, but I plugged it into a PA-system...WOW!(I'm still looking for the roof)

It still isn't broken and no malfunctions, so until now it's dependable. I wouldn't use the DJX without back-up on a gig. I would use the DJX as back-up. Maybe because of it's appearance? I'm not sure.(Friends had a look at it and every time the remark was : Did you buy a toy-keyboard for the kids....)and maybe because I'm not used to rely on "cheap" equipment.But let's face it...even the most expensive equipment can break down during a gig.(my worst nightmare)

I contacted them because I had problems with a Yamaha-electric guitar. Quick response and excellent service provided by the Dutch Yamaha-dealership. So I think that will be the same in case I have problems with the DJX.

If it was lost/stolen I wouldn't search the world to get the same.But if I would be looking around for another keyboard and the DJX would pop-up on my screen for a nice price, I would sure as hell buy it. I love the possibility's for that kind of money, I hate its looks and pianosounds. (and its very short sampletime). In addition to my guitar (that's my instrument) I have a lot of fun with it. I didn't really knew what I would get when I bought it but it was cheap. Overall : For me it is worth the money! If I would be a real keyboard player (on stage), I would prefer Roland (but it's not really fair to compare because of the difference in purchase-price) For this kind of money, the DJX is the best!

This thing doesnt take long to figure out if u have the manual.

For being a low-budget keyboard, this thing is amazing! It has a built-in sampler, loads of different effects, and a ribbon controller that lets you control effects in real time. It has 32 note polyphony, split and dual capabilities, and allows you to make pre-sets. The only real draw back is its memory is sometimes volitile.

This does not have the greatest piano of brass sounds but everything else is great. It has amazing drums, synths and sounds effects.

This thing is very dependable but the only issue again with using it on stage is if you are relying on the pre-sets, they may get erased on you along with any samples you have created.

Never dealt with them.

This is a great synth for someone on a tighter budget and is the best thing you can get for this price range. If it were lost or stolen, I would definatly buy another one.

Extremely easy to use. I love the whole edit your style section, where i can decide what sounds i wanna hear. Love it

Very cool

I'm a roland man, and a feel no sound sounds more real than those of roland's piano, or bass for that matter. But the DJX's synth sounds are phat, and they sound great

The keyboard has fallen from a car (stationary), and has fallen off the stage, and takes a good beating during performances as well. And everything is working 100%. just a few keys not working at the moment. My fault i guess :D

Never used them

Love this keyboard, and am looking for a new one. If anyone has one they wanna sell, please contact me. I'm SERIOUSLY looking for one of these. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

i love my djx!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i bought it for 180.00 at a pawn shop here in atlanta and they had no idea what they had. thought it was a toy probably.

even though its not a "professional" workstation, its features are close to some more expensive boards ive owned.

when i listend through headphones at the pawn shop i couldnt believe what i was hearing!, it took all of .0000000000000001 second to decide to snatch it up.

my adapter melted but that was due to faulty wiring in my apartment other than that, not one problem.

online manual? what more could i want?

im very fond of all equiptment i buy so id be very upset to lose this . my apartment was broken into and i lost my roland vs880 some keyboards, condenser mics amps etc. not cool.

Ok, I've got a DJX-1. The manual is on the whole excellent, although I'm having trouble with MIDI. The thing is that I'm using it with a Kawai Q90 sequencer and a roland sh-32. If I want a note to come out on the SH-32 and not on the DJX I don't know how to do it.

You can't really edit the patches apart from applying constant filter and a bit of VCA envelope, so if you're a completely purist, you might not be happy.

No problems with polyphony. The touch sensitive keyboard is pretty crappy, but you can change the dynamic range of the sensitivity. No aftertouch. No extensions possible. The midi is good, although my DJX wants to respond to signals from all midi channels. While I appreciate its work ethic, I don't want it to listen to all channels, and while I can change the patches from the sequncer using control change I'm not clever enough to get it to just ignore certain channels. Can anyone help?
It has an on board sequencer which is useful for ideas, although I can't get the tracks to loop, and I don't think they do. For this price, its definitely 10. A bloody sampler too!

About 12 good fat synth bass and pad presets, and the general midi noises are useful. The piano is actually pretty good. I would like a grittier electric piano, like an early dirty clavinova, the CP80 patch is OKish. But for this price it seems to be incredible value! The drums are great! I love some of the popping noises on the DJX kit.
Usable organs.

No problems yet. I got it second hand from a german and those guys seem to really know how to look after things. I'm not gigging.

Never used them.
touch wood (/iron)

Incredible value if you're looking to make funky electronic music of any kind. Some crappy controllers are going for 200 euros, why? Need a controller, buy a djx. Like I say I haven't mastered the midi totally, but when I figure out how to stop it from responding to every channel (help me please!) I'll be very happy.

Software version? Don't know - I don't think it really matters too much with these. It was purchased in 1999, however, I can say that.

The presets are pretty good and tweaking the sounds is generally quite easy, although certain settings must be assigned to the assign knob or ribbon controller (release, attack, etc.). The manual is well written and presents no problems.

The DJX is polyphonic (32 notes). Keyboard action is good, with touch-sensitive keys, but probably not anything really special. As for expansion, I don't know of any opportunities here. I haven't used the DJX with MIDI (yet), but it does seem to have sufficient capabilities. The on-board sequencer can record notes in real-time or step-by-step and is easy to use once you get the hang of it.

A sampler is also featured, although it is very limited (6 seconds total memory for low-quality samples, 3 seconds max for 1 sample)

For a keyboard that can now be had for under $200, it is very versatile.

Realism? Again, I wouldn't say anything too special, but sufficient. The included "voices" (patches) are very good, but the General MIDI ones are just OK. The DJX's sounds are intended for dance music, and should do well for that purpose. The on-board effects are excellent for a keyboard of the DJX's price - you have a selection between multiple DSP effects (delay, phaser, distortion, etc.), some of which are MUCH better than others, about 10 reverb types, and 4 chorus/flange modes. There's also a modulation effect (but no wheel for it) and a pitch bend wheel. It does react to velocity, and the responsiveness can be adjusted. Again, for a keyboard of its price, it's very, very, good here, so I'm giving it a 10.

I really can't judge here, but it's lived through a relatively safe environment for over 4 years now.

I've never dealt with Yamaha. Never had to.

It's a great synth.

This is a fairly easy keyboard to use, specially if you're after fully automated backings and chords. There are a few more button pushes required, however, should you wish to use a simple drum beat on its own for jamming together with a layer/split configuration across the entire range of the keyboard.

Preset sounds on the DJX are basically organised into two sections - DJX sounds and GM sounds. The DJX sounds are definitely the ones that draw the more professional keyboard players in, as some of these sounds are, in short, absolutely outstanding! Particular sounds to come to mind are #38: "Trance", which is a really thick synth pad, and #110: "CP80" which is a sample of the Yamaha CP-80 electric grand piano. The latter is particularly effective for dance riffs and also benefits from the addition of the built-in echo and delay type effects. The GM sounds are pretty much the same as you'll find on any lower budget PSR-series keyboards, but one of my favourite is #128: "Synth Pad", which benefits from increased resonance and a slower attack.

Unlike a true synthesizer, editing patches on the DJX is limited to Cutoff, Resonance, Attack and Release. Cutoff and Resonance are both provided as dedicated realtime performance knobs on the front panel, and then Attack and Release are accessed through an assignable knob. It is important to note here that while the assignable knob can only do one function at any one time, it is possible to alter the attack, for example, and then re-assign the knob to Release to then subsequently alter the release thereafter. The capacity to alter sounds with just these four parameters still makes for a much increased sonic pallette which would not be possible without them. I think it would have been nice to have been able to alter the decay rate as well though. For some presets which have a constant volume while a key is held down (i.e., no decay), it isn't possible to introduce decay which is a bit of a shame, and some sounds with a short decay would have benefitted from longer decays for my personal tastes. Unfortunately, this isn't possible and can't be changed.

The manual for the DJX is pretty good. After all, this keyboard was never aimed at professional musicians, although I think it's fair to say that there are probably a number of professional studios that use them. This therefore means that the manual is very clear when explaining the basic functions of the unit such as part control, performance editing, rhythm and voice select etc. What is more difficult to find out about the DJX is it's more in-depth features related to MIDI. I have heard rumours that when the DJX is used through a MIDI interface connected to a computer, there is a hell of a lot of extra functionality available, which isn't covered in the manual. For my own personal use, like all my other keyboards, I just pushed buttons and explored through experimentation without ever really reading the manual for any length of time.

The DJX features 32 note polyphony. This is fine for most of the type of performance I do with it, but if using sustained pads, and particularly if using the Dual Voice feature, note stealing is heard as the polyphony becomes exhausted. However, the polyphony copes pretty well with single sounds, even sustained piano.

The mechanical keyboard itself is a little more difficult to play than more professional units. The pivot point of the keys is only just beyond where the keys go out of sight below the front panel. This makes some chords more difficult to play because if your fingers are close to the pivot point then it's much more difficult to push the keys down all the way - for example if you play chord F#m7, the finger that sits on the 'A' key will be much closer to the pivot and it will be harder to push down. In my case, the result is that the 'A' will be quieter than the other notes. The keys also feel a little spongy, and if you look beneath the front lip of the keys, you can see the black notes which looks a tad cheap.

I do not currently know of any software updates that were made available for the DJX.

I'm not that good at explaining MIDI capabilities since I only ever trigger notes from another synth, but when I tried to play the DJX sounds over MIDI it wasn't possible and I could only 'see' the GM sounds. I needed to be able to play one of the DJX drum kits but could only see the GM one and was disappointed. On the other hand, I commonly use the DJX coupled up to a large master keyboard with 88 weighted keys and find that even the GM piano can sound quite authentic. The DJX is velocity sensitive, but does not feature aftertouch as far as I am aware, and it is also possible to generate MIDI note data from the arpeggiator - very cool!

As covered earlier, the DJX sounds are definitely the ones that sold this instrument. They are particularly good and sound pretty much like a fully fledged professional synthesizer at times. I read somewhere that the PCM samples are 22kHz, and yes, in the lower register there is some grit in some of the sounds - but this just adds to the character of the sound as far as I am concerned. Some sounds are static, particularly the GM sounds, but this is probably related to the fact that, at default they do not have any effects added and are completely dry. Play with effects, this is the key - you will be surprised at how you can turn a relatively boring sound into quite an interesting one. Other sounds, on the other hand, such as the aforementioned Trance Pad, are really rather cool. This is the one sound that I was completely transfixed by when I first used the DJX.

My most common use of the DJX currently is it's GM piano sounds, which I trigger through a master keyboard. With careful use of chorus and reverb, the pianos can start to sound quite authentic. If you listen carefully to the very end of the decay there seems to be a little too much resonance perhaps, but in general I don't find this too much of an issue.

The DJX is designed for dance music - and it does this really well, but the GM sound set also means that it can be applied to more conventional styles. It's an all-rounder really, but the high quility sounds are all geared towards dance music, as are the ROM drum patterns and backing styles.

Onboard Effects: Summed up in one word - Excellent! I think there are three independent effects processors as it's possible to have a reverb, chorus, and a delay/echo/mod effect all at the same time which is pretty cool for something in this price range. Even some older professional synths weren't as versatile in the effects department as this. It is also possible to change the effects in realtime.

There is no aftertouch on the DJX, and, particularly for piano, the correct velocity is achieved better through a heavier keyboard. I find that if I play the DJX's own keyboard, my performances sound quieter because of the slightly more awkward feel to the keys.

The DJX also has a built-in sampler. I used this once for one of my less serious recordings, but I found it difficult to use and quite limiting. It's nice how you can add all the effects to your sampled waveform, but unless you use the complete 3 second length I found that trying to trim the sample on the somewhat low resolution block display was just too tedious. You can zoom the display to 1/1024 of the waveform, but I still found this a problem because there seems no way of determining how far through the sample you are.

I think I would include this in my rig at a live show. I don't think I'd use it on it's own but that's only down to looks. It looks a little to 'home keyboard-ish' to be on a stage on its own, but as an additional keyboard, why the hell not? It's got great sounds which diserve to be played live! I might also point out here that the display isn't backlit so on a dark stage some soft of spot light would be needed to read the screen information.

I won't give a rating here because I haven't ever contacted Yamaha about the DJX or any of their other things. I think the DJX used to have it's own website but this may have given way to the newer, and somewhat poorer quality, DJX-2.

If lost or stolen I would be unhappy. I have come to know the DJX well over the years that I have owned it. It has a bright quality to a lot of its sounds which can be used to brighten up a mix, and the extensive array of built-in effects is definitely a boon. I particularly like the strings and piano sounds, and some of the synth basses are also worthy of serious use.

I have currently clocked up just over fifteen years of keyboard playing, and in that time I have collected the following gear besides the DJX: Yamaha DX7 synth, Yamaha PSS-470 synth, Korg 01/wFD workstation synth, Korg MicroKorg synth, Technics EX50 Double-Manual organ, Evolution MK-125 MIDI controller, Oberheim MC-1000 weighted 88-note master controller, Casiotone CT-101 Fostex VF08 digital multitracker and finally, a Behringer MX2004A analogue desk. So as you can tell my room is pretty cramped nowadays!

What I love about the DJX is its sounds and the fact that it can be used for instant jamming gratification without the need for programming drum beats into a workstation. I love the pads, the pianos, the effects...
What I rather more dislike about the DJX is its appearance. If only it could have been made of metal with the now obligatory wooden end cheeks this could really have been my dream synth. On the other hand the metallic blue paint job is pretty cool, and at least they kept the white keys white unlike those weird grey ones on the DJX-2!

I did not compare the DJX to anything else. My friend suddenly decided he wanted to sell it so I snapped it up because it was such a steal!

I wish it had been built into a more professional looking external cabinet, and I wish the memory wasn't volatile. OK, so you can insert six rather heavy and rather expensive batteries or leave it plugged in permanently (*not* recommended!) to preserve the contents, but I feel that there are too many parameters and settings for a volatile memory that forgets everything! The other solution of course is to purchase the external MDF disc drive which is an additional #300-ish.

The DJX does help me make music. I sometimes initially come up with a nice idea on this very portable keyboard before I start plugging all my rather heavier equipment in. This is why, for all the downfalls on appearance, the built-in speakers are pretty useful. They sound good as well unlike some cheaper keyboards.

My personal view on the DJX is that, like Korg's new microKorg, the DJX was Yamaha's freak of nature never to be seen again and, judging by the number of reviews I have seen for the DJX (there are more for the DJX than almost any other keyboard - professional or otherwise) it is surely one of the classic keyboards of the future.

I am a guitarist so I found it took a while a while to accustom to the protocols of keyboard use but this would be the same (if not, worse) for any keyboard.

I play about 1 or 2 songs per set on it- polyphony, DSP, filters are more than what I need- especially for the price. HATE the way it boots on 1 mode and that mode being completely useless. Even you set to a use preset mode, the pattern still stays on irrespective.

Most instruments are more than adequate- I mainly use piano and strings and they are fine, except the piano can sound a bit synthetic when at the end of the sustain.

I can always depend. I own 2 Yamaha guitars, a Yamaha 6-track and other miscellaneous toys and (I'm not kidding) I have never had a single problem with a single Yamaha. Even the RGX guitar I got that came with the body cracked down the middle by some clown still plays perfectly. I do not use it sufficiently to justify paying for a back-up.

Most manuals are available from the website and that's all I ask for.

I got it at a steal of a price because some pawnbroker dude thought it was a toy. Which it is in some respects. But the legitimate features more than suffice and it's got some gadgets that are fun as well. That's what you look for in this price range. I think Yamaha have hit a great balance.