Yamaha DJX

I found myself looking for the manual for the first day or 2 and it was helpful and now it's pretty easy to work with

Pretty decent for a keyboard I just paid $75 Canadian from a music store! Get batteries or lose your edited data. Sample aspect is useless without internal memory which it doesn't have. For this money this thing is a blast and I might even be able to use it live in a pinch but it's mostly for jamming at home and maybe a little song writing inspiration. Having built in speakers with an input is also very cool as is the ribbon controller but it's not deep enough editing wise to really make the most of it but atleast there are 16 memory locations but as I said, load in those rather pricey 'D' batteries.

not great for this price range but what can you expect. I'd still say quite usable and a few are better than average. I like jamming with the accompaniments. It can really be fun and inspiring.

this one I just bought and it;s October 2008 and it feels brand new. Sure the keys are of lower quality and the pitch wheel is cheap but it still feels sturdy and I wouldn't hesitate to take it on the road as a practice board.

it's hit or miss here but from my experience, Yamaha Canada is pretty good.

For this price it's a great value but I wouldn't pay more than $150. Canadian for one as it really is more of a serious toy.

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.

I don't think there was a software update for this, but I was using whatever came with it. The onboard sequencer is really useless and kind of obtuse. I really don't mind this, though, but a backup battery WOULD have been very useful for saving the function settings so that you didn't need to memorize what you needed to set up every single time..., or at least choosing some better defaults (footsw default should be for Sustain, not for the "Tap" option!)... The manual was okay, I learned a lot from it, actually.

The polyphony was good enough for me, I think. The DSP effects were fun as hell, as were its limited sampling capabilities. I'm a classically trained pianist and as such I HATE the PSR-style keyboards for their lack of weightedness and action. One thing that annoys me is that I cannot turn the pressure/velocity sensing off completely - I tend to like having a constant dynamic for organ pads, etc. and the fact that I couldn't get this with, for example, instrument 174 was a pisser-offer.

I used it playing in my rock band - it got the job done, I guess (why did I buy a DJX? because it was CHEAP, that's why!) A lot of the synth effects, the square leads etc. are extremely cool. The piano sound just was altogether too bright and synthetic for me. Effects are neat. Aftertouch? Hah! no souch thing with this. Then again, the price was right.

I kind of HAD to rely on it, given that I'm broke and without a backup. It sometimes acts rather temperamentally and goes a bit weird and a reboot is necessary... One thing I'll give it is it's durable as hell. It's taken a beating, to the point where I've put a war-amps sticker on it.

Never needed to - never anything seriously wrong with it.

I'm planning on buying a Korg SP-300 soon, I may just keep this around for its samples and use the new one as a controller, or use this as a backup. I've been using it with a Peavey KB/A 30, which has done well as an amplifier for it. I have to say I like the knobs, they can be useful sometimes, as well as the scratch pad/bend wheel, a rock keyboardist sometimes doesn't realize how fun(and surprisingly useful) these "fringe" features can be. :) my main complaints would be the mode into which it boots up (god-awful stupid mixed DJX set of dance samples.. and part/pattern control on), not to mention the lack of an "off" setting for the touch sensitivity. Not a bad starter keyboard but a piece of crap in the long run.

I bought it in February 2000, I guess there's never been another Software Version... But well, we're rather dealing about its ease of use, aren't we ?
So, let's begin this way : my beloved wife considers I spend to much on equipment. I think she's right but it's because I actually got satisfied 2 weeks ago when I added some huge mastering processor to my home studio...
So, we were one day in this music shop and the Demo DJX simply waited there.
I started playing while my wife was browsing the book sections (she plays the flute and the classical guitar).
She got back to me 15 minutes later saying: "hey, there's some good electro stuff playing on the radio. not the kind I actually enjoy but this is groovy, though a little buggy at times..."
Then she realized I was "the radio".
She started playing, chose some style and quickly got around this...
This could have last for hours but it was already 16:00 and, on Saturdays, shops do close at this time, in Switzerland. We then bought it, also because of its ridiculously low price.

The polyphony is enough, they say it's 32, so I might be in the minimal stuff caus' I never suspected some of my notes to be eaten alive by the engine...
There are loads of effects which I happened to use when I began to read the manual. I guess it was quite easy to set up though I am more into knob'ing sounds than into menu option#blah, etc.
It can not be expanded, but why would you do that ?
It has MIDI so I can use whichever other synth I own, the FS1R, for example...
The dynamic keyboard, knobs and ribbon make it a perfect controller which it is samely priced as.
The onboard sequencer is rather a notepad, and, due to the lack of a backup battery, you cannot go too far with it.
But if I don't give it a 10, it's because I am jealous that Yamaha only gave the Tempo-bpm-detector (or whatever this is called) to the loathed DJX2 losers (the ones with no sensitive keyboard and other sounds) (I'll actually buy a DJX2b, one of these days, anybody has one for sale, please ??? ;-))

(note to the webmaster: this section reads "expresiveness" : an "s" is missing)

OK, the sounds.
How could I say it ?
I am into some nerdy electronic stuff which has no name.
SO ARE THE SOUNDS !!! :)
I love the way it sounds, it may be neutral but, this is a must if you want to mix it amongst other instruments !
My 2 favourite sounds are the B900 kit ("Boooooooooommmm") and the 303-Fish.
They overKILL !!!
This unit is an amazing source of inspiration to me : Don't just connect to a sound bank : torture every and each of the sounds, you'll be surprised at how far they'll take you.
Iguess that ost of the guys who blamed its sounds would also have thrown some Kraftwerk albums in 197x : the DJX IS TODAY's TB303 : AN UNCONSECRATED CLASSIC. I can't wait to find some guy who'd "Fish" it, by adding knobs, over-amplification, etc. Even though, until then, you can have loads of fun with a Rat dist and this.

No problem at all, never. But I stayed home.

Don't know, (see above).

OK, as there are still loads of shop selling these, I am planning to buy 2 or 3 others for, say... 100CHF each so that I can begin to have a furious play with their internals...
I guess that a moid'ded DJX should become the new Fish :-)
I love it, I'd not only buy it again if some guys risked his life by stealing it but I WILL also buy it again besides the existing one.

the sounds on the djx are very toy-ish.....but for the amount it cost this we become a classic as time goes on.edit sounds are simple due partly to the limited options and knobs right in front of you. the manaul seem str8 forward but i prefer hands on learning.

poly seems ok. the keyboard action is pretty toy-like but good for a beginning as i am. effect are cool and can really help get you limited point across.midi capabilities are str8 forward and limited. sequencer sucks cause of its simplicity. but easy as hell when you have no other sequencer to use. dollar for dollar the best value around.

sounds suck.....!

i wouldnt use out side of the bathroom.

no need.

if it were lost i would be upset cause i do feel this will be a classic for the lower end of instruments. it will be the family learning keyboard as the kids get older. i been playing maybe 3 years and i have/had ensoniq asrx, zoom st224(the best dollar for dollar sampler) roland s330, akai so1, alesis sr16, boss dr505, kord triton, yamaha qy70(cant live without it).

first you must admit to the fact that you have a brain. If you can admit to that fact, ...umm..well if at least you are able to say 'mmm...ddddd...ahhh...ehh', ..then you will be able to use the keyboard no problem.

I have not noticed any problems so far in polyphony. But i'm going to be getting another djx 'just in case'. keyboard action is ok. nothing spectacular. it does the job. i like the fact that there is pressure sensitivity, ..because of that I can at least see this as a real instrument. ...which is why you should stay away from the fucked up djx2, which has no pressure sensitivity. the djx has a good bit of midi capabilities for what it is. I like the fact that you can use the knobs to transmit midi data. not bad. ...i have never used the sequencer so i can't say anything there. ...i use this keyboard primarily for certain sounds (ie piano/strings dual sound on right, and slap bass on left...sounds nice) ...again this keyboard is easy to use. But you must be able to say "dddd...mmm...ehhhh...rrrr."

this sounds on this thing are decent. ...and you can pretty much use it for any style of music (not just dance) .....i don't use the onboard 'pre-set drum/bass paterns', ..because i think they suck. Maybe i think they suck because i didn't make it. I like to make my own shit, ..not some dumb fucks shit that was made in a factory.

well..... i don't know about reliabiltiy. Which is why I am thinking about getting another djx as backup. I have had no problems with this keyboard so far, ....but the outer casing and the basic makeup of the keyboard is less then 'reassuring'.

i have no experience with the yamaha people, other than ordering a music stand for the djx. ...they did that, ..so i guess they are not sleeping in their offices. ..but i will give them no grade here. I needed a massage on the back, ..they didn't give me :(

if it were lost or stolen, ..i wouldn't cry. I would get angry. I would call fire from hell upon the poor soul who touched the keyboard of the anointed one. For he does not deserve to live. No, ...No.

Not the easiest to use but with a little reading your up and rolling.

For the $109.00 I paided for a Factory reconditioned model, it's
some of the best money I ever spent. There must be alot of people
out there that are pissed off that they spent thousands on keyboads
and still don't have a ribbon controller like the DJX. I can't imagine
any other reason that this unit isn't getting better reviews. It gives
you many analog synth sounds and some usable GM sounds. If your broke
and can't afford to spend more-GET ONE OF THESE!!!!!!! You'll never
regret it. Many pro's and pro studios use these things--It also make
for a good midi controller. For the money it just KILLS!!!!!
I'm sooooo stoked!

Very good for the money.

Unknown

UNknown

There is no other keyboard on the market that even close for the money. This even blows many keyboards that cost 5X as much out of the water! Great idea generator-as well as multi-track recording fattener!
Don't forget a good midi controller too....

LFX: The keyboard looks like a toy ,,,but is a serious, high quality piece of equipment...You get your money worth and more with the presets...
I dont have the manual but internet support is great....

The Djx is hot to hiphop producers like me who want one machine to do alot of different things..(drum machine,keyboard,sampler,on the fly effects)
BUT THE BADDDD THING ABOUT THE DJX IS THERE IS NO METRENOME WHEN RECORDING...you have to have cakewalk or somethin....(but your not to serious unless your using cakewalk anyway so.....)

The Djx Got me 3 songs on the radio....right now 6/12/2002 ,i have a song at #1. It doesnt have too many sounds but the ones it has are quality..Radio Ready...F@#K A Korg!!!

Dont take it on the stage,,Keep it in the studio for maximum performance...Like I said you can depend on the sound quality...

Good Internet support..online manual

I OWE ALL MY THANX TO YAMAHA for making an affordable keyboard
that poor cats like me can build a studio around..Cant beat it for 200....
Your Sleepin if you dont like The Djx....
The keyboard is underated and Underpriced....

I do not think there is a version of software for this unit. Everything appears to be hard coded on chips. The presets are cool, they really lean to the Hip-hop/techno/trance/dance catergories. Not too bad overall. It has Chorus, Reverb, and other DSP effects that you can use. It also has a ribbon controller and entire keyboard setups which you can program. The speakers are pretty good, but price not withstanding, maybe they could have made separate Woofer/Tweeter systems on this board. The bass boost sounds more like a Mid-Bass Boost, until you plug into a system with a subwoofer. Then it gets really low and you end up turned to boost back. The manual is standard PSR series from Yamaha.

It has 32 Note Polyphony, and is multi-timbral. It has Chorus, Reverb, and other DSP effects, with are all separately adjustable. No expansion for this unit though. It really does not need any expansion, it is a 'turn on and play' type instrument. That is the beauty of it. It does have a rudimentary sequencer in it, and works okay I guess. I have tried to sync the drum track up to my other boards to make them more beefy (or tried to access the drum sounds from my other boards, and it does not work well), but it does send and receive MIDI messages. The real-time control knobs in this thing are cool too, but have found that they do not always work, and I have to shut off the unit and turn it back on. That kinda sucks.

Overall, the instruments are pretty good. The GM set is a little weak, but when layered, sounds pretty good. When I bring this unit to band practice, I have a couple pf presets that I have made; Piano with Strings (sounds pretty good), and the Sax Sound is great when you add a little chorus and verb to it. It is not the caliber of the synths out there, but it will do well in a mix. I really dig the beats that this thing makes; you can get some great stuff out of it. There are a lot of styles on here, and if I can figure out how to make the drums talk to my other boards, I could actually use it on some albums or something. The chordal combinations that this unit has are pretty cool too and work well, for the most part. There is nothing really to complain about on it, this unit is not a 2700 dollar Kurzweil. It is a fun groove box made in the same vein of the PSR Series play boards.

I do not hink I could use this on a gig replacing any of my gear now...The sounds would require too much time in setting them up the right way. But to lay down jam tracks or help with DJ'ing, I would use it.

Yamaha seems to have adequate customer support.

I might buy another one if it were lost or stolen, but right now it is sitting in a case against the wall and has not been used in at least 6 months. It was bought on a whim at the same time I was picking out a portable keyboard for my momma-in-law. It was one of those 'hey, I could have some fun with this keyboard' type thing and $200 is not that bad.

Pretty easy to use. Not real complicated. Just read the manuel, everything will make sense. even if not. pretty easy to figure out

Really cheap. Great Effects. Good Bass good built in speakrs. combine many sounds. Pretty cool stuff. Havnt played with the midi yet. Has a good line out. no expansion capabiity. GREAT Pitch bend.

NO realistic sounds. ALl very.. fake. I use the keyboard for hardcore. Even though its meant for amature deejays,and kids. Great effects for the newbie to synth. Very good cost. very great keyboard. I totaly dig. Its very active. And react well to velocity of pressure pushe unto keys.

It reliable. But its flaws:
Horrible memory. VERY short Sample length. My spring came loose on the pitchbend. BUT... thatwas my fault, i use it a LOT i my music. I abuse the mofo.

............

I would deffinitly keep this in my stack of keyboards. Its great. Love the keyboard. Love it. very unique. The makers didnt know what audence it was going for to start off.. So. its got a very childish shell. but its still very cool.

Styles sound very uptodate. Talking about voices most presets sound alike but as a good thing are all playable. Particularly good are split voice combinations. Apart from applying filters and effects the parts are not editable. The manual is good.

The keyboard action is OK for grand-piano playing but for electric pianos or synths it is not fast enough. Effects are hard to use because you have to scroll throug a lot of menues to get to them. The sequencer is just for sketches and it does not play midi files.

The sampler is excellent for Van-Hayden type of sound (try applying filter sweeps to a loop) Unfortunately it is designed more for sampling instrument voices than as a loop sampler. Grand piano is very expressive.

I droped a shelf on it, went dead on me a couple of times but it always repaired itself.

It's excellent value for the money with a lot of features. The main bad points are lack of floppy, proper sequencer and arranger of styles. It is best suited for playing covers and backings.

The Yamaha DJX. Lot's of people 'av em. For the money, there good keyboards. Don't expect Korg Triton for #150.I needed a master keyboard and thought might as well get this - I'm a bloke who likes playing with knobs and my DJX certainly pleases me. The DJX has 5 knobs - filter/reso/groove/assign and something else. You can't assign any controller numbers to them - they are fixed controllers but it's ok (remap anyway in Cubase or Logic). Don't expect 88 note hammer weighted action either. The manual is ok, very basic but so is the machine. Nice squidy buttons and LCD screen.

Word of warning UK people. There is a certain big music store selling these cheaply as 2nd hand/referb. Guess what? POWER SUPPLY NOT INCLUDED! Pay another #30 for the supply! It's a brick psu as well-so you can't be sure if your standard Argos #4.99 power supply will work. Anyway all I can say is you know who you are and you're ripping off punters for not advertising this in your advert. Nuff said!

IT has XG sounds/2MB set( I seem to remember) - 32 poly. They're ok but no Gigasampler 1GB piano on here! It's great for jamming - the drums - they rock mate! - if you're into a bit of Ringo and Paul you'll love the drums - they're raw and great for a bit of rock and roll. On board Speakers are loud too. Light keyboard - good for gigs. The action is well errrr as good as any other standard 5 octave master synth. ON board sequencer - well it's really basic. Easy enough to use. It's great just to sit down and play without the PC being on. I've done that alot I must admit. I bought this 'cos I've had 2 88 weighted pianos made by err a certain well known company and they've both died so I can't be bothered to fork out another #500 now.

I read about it and just bought one (they're hardly going to encourage you to demo this kit in a store for #150 are they?) . The filter is good for a machine this price - good 303 in there. Techno on the cheap. The drum kits are really good! God knows how to program any of them though. Man, Yamaha, please, no more "yeh" or "ooo" samples. Who the hell uses these sounds? Best of Ibiza from Woolworths Albums might make use of these sounds but I can't - and my cred went down when me mate heard these cheesy dance samples. Anyway back to the review, 3 velocity hardness settings, keys bit flimsy but it's cheap so great to gig around - very light as well. Ribbon Controller people! It's the poor man's Prophecy. Well err not quite.
Switch off the Reverb and Chorus - the effects are your stock XG - not bad but not great -reverb bit metallic. The demo tunes are good - even the trance tune sounds ok! WE WANT A PROPER DRUM AND BASS DEMO next time please Yamaha. Get someone British who knows about drum and bass (only joking fellow foreign musos!). In a dark smokey room you could be mistaken for playing a Novation Supernova II. It would have to be a very dark room though. The Rhodes all sounds identical with XG. Nice enough to play. Rock organ is good. Piano is ok, bit synthetic but I've used it alot as it cut's through things quite well. And the drums do sound raw and boomy like Ringo's kit.

Yes. Let's hope the PSU doesn't burn out eh?

I would use it at a gig. It's so cheap you could pour lighter fluid all over it and set it alight and then buy another just for effect. Most of my mates thinks it looks cool which is the main reason for buying music gear isn't it?. The knobs are useful - for quick reverb changes or filter changes.

Yamaha - they made so many of these. If it goes I will be a Korg Trinity ( yeh right! ).

If you are like me and you just read the review and then go and buy the thing go and get one! you can't go wrong at this price. Anyone on a budget should get one of these. The speakers are loud, you could in theory plug a mic into this and you've got your one stop solution for gigging. Don't rely on the on board piano sounds though - the whole Rom is only 2MB. Anyway it's good for the money, it works fine as a master keyboard, it's the same price as any other master keyboard with 5 octaves, and it has GM so go and get one all you skint musos!
Oh and do ask for a receipt and IF THE POWER SUPPLY IS INCLUDED!

Presets are very standard, especially when you compare the sounds to models like the PSR-630, which i also own. The built-in speakers on the DJX must be crap, coz they sound standard and they dont seem to have any bass-reflex for more dynamic "dance sounds", again which the 630/730 and even 530 have got!
Very easy to use, you dont even need to be able play properly, as this machine is full of budget-sounding dance sequence effects and stuff.

If Yamaha are flogging off a model for a cheap price with 32 note poly., 61 keys etc. then this is definetly budget. The psr 330 costed more than this, and that is crap, so there has gotta be something wrong!! My 630 has similar sequence patterns on the multi pads, and it sounds alot better when played than the DJX, the DJX is a total beginners keyboard/future DJs machine. Fairly good effects choice for the price though- I think.

Nothing is realistic really, this is really only for begginers creating standard "dance music". (Also see Ease of Use).

I wouldnt depend on it at all, I borrowed it from a friend for a while, and I'm glad I didnt make the mistake of buying the waste of plastic. I havnt played the DJX2 yet, but it must be better! (I hope)Hahah, I wouldnt want to take this pile of s*** to a gig, I would much sooner take my PSR-630, coz it sounds WAY better, and some of the effects are better, plus it has more possibilities ^_^!

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