Yamaha DX-200

Very simple. Although there are a lot of illogical aspects and limitations to this box, it's very straight forward and easy to use. Some things may seem a bit hard to figure out only becuase they are set up in a strange fashion..

The manual is a joke. On several ocasions it will directly give you a step by step instruction while missing an important step, leaving you going WTF? They need to either tell you the full truth, or nothing at all. Also, the manual is set up in this really annoying format that indexes topics by "Tip #" rather than page #. So when you quickly want to look in the index about something, it gives you the tip number rather than page number for you to go find it on. Arg, annoying. And BTW that's assuming that the topic you need is even in the index, chances are 50/50 it may be.

A lot of the logic behind this thing is so stupid. Patches are attached to patterns. Why WHY WHY?? It's just a stupid and annoying way of organizing things.

Yamaha should have taken a clue from roland.

But, this is not a groovebox, it's a "loop factory" and although I was hoping that it could be used the same way as a groovebox, it really can not.

Great... in theory.

I got it so that I could easily edit DX7 patches and use them right form a groovebox style instrument.

After I QUICKLY learned that was not going to happen, I was willing to settle for just a synth module.

It IS fantastic as editing dx7 patches (alhtough no envelope really), but getting those patches on here is very strange. I really don't get this one. When I put a DX7 patch on here, even if it's just 1 patch, it replaces the patches (wait sorry - PATTERNS :::rolling eyes:::) both previous and following the said spot. Read it again, it's true.

But here's the part that REALLY makes me hate the DX200 more than I can stand. The data knob. It's such a mess. I turn it clockwise up one notch and it goes backwards one notch. I turn it fast and it does nothing, I turn it hard and slow, it jumps aroud from 45 to 42 to 39, and mind you I'm supposed to be goign FORWARD! I got so mad at the thing that I took it to have an electronics guy check it out and replace the knob. No it still does it. It's a software problem he tells me.

And whats with having only ONE synth part per track?!? Do they think everyone makes acid house or jungle? Actually even those people would still use more than one synth track if given a chance. I'm sorry but seriously, LAME!

I don't think I have ever been so frusterated with a machine.

I HATE this thing!!!....HATE IT.... and that sucks because--->

It sounds AMAZING!

It's such a fantastic way to edit FM. If you can get and organize DX patches on there, it sounds great. The filters are kinda lame, but they do the job. The overdrive is the only one that soudns cheap to me, it makes everythign sound the same.

The drum kits were disapointing, but they still sound better than the other grooveboxes on the market.

For me tho, like I said I was hoping to have an all in one DX7 style grooebox. Sound wise, in theory it should be able to do that with the synth, but as for drums, they are geared towards modern (or early 2000s dance) raveish stuff. They are sample based, so of a noticably lower quality, and not replaceable.

I don't see how anyone could use this thing live. Even if my data knob worked, (and it never does), it still would be hard to imagine it being dependable in a live situation. Everything is made of cheap plastic, and it is very flimsey.

I called yamaha and they told me to go away. I bought it used, and it's old so whatever.

I wish I never would have gotten this thing. It has just frusterated me.

To be fair, I may just have a bad apple, because if it wasn't for the data knob, and patch replacement issues (that nobody else on here seems to have) it would be an ok synth module.

It can not be used as an all-in-one style grooevbox, so if you are into that get it out of your head now. It won't, and you will be sad.

I love the way it sounds, and I with they had a synth engine like this in an intuitive, comprehensive and logical box.

As a synth module, the DX200 seems reasonably easy to use (although I've only tried the step/realtime sequencing a little bit). Compared to the notoriously difficult DX7, The DX200's interface is a lot easier for doing minor tweaks.

I think the user's guide really should have included "quick start" instructions for the editing software/librarian. It took me a long time to discover that in order to access the editor, you first had to open "XG Works Lite" and then select the editor in the "plugins" section. Since I just use the DX200 as a synth module rather than as a groovebox, I also wish that the synth voice data was seperable from the sequencer pattern data...but it isn't. When you do a bulk dump to back-up your 128 user sounds it takes somewhere between 300K and 400K whereas if it were just voice data it would probably only require 20K - 30K. The storeage space is obviously no big deal but it takes at least 10 minutes or so to do the bulk dump via midi. I also haven't been able to figure out how to back-up just a single pattern at a time rather than all 128.

Overall the sound is extremely clean without any discernable background noise - a real improvement over the original DX7. However, occasionally in unison mode with effects applied there are some "popping" noises especially in the higher registers when multiple notes are being played - This isn't a show-stopper issue though. I would guess that it is just a case of too much demand for the processor or mabe I should just say too slow of a processor! The rubber keypad isn't velocity sensitive but I have it MIDIed up
to a controller keyboard and the expressiveness is good. (BTW, even the best MIDI control keyboards/synths don't send anywhere near the full 128 discrete values for velocity.)

FM's character in general may not be to everyone's liking but there are some types of sounds that FM is absolutely THE thing for: Basses (especially "slap" basses), bells and anything metallic, EPs and synth brass come to mind.

The DX200 can make some surprisingly warm sounds when you use the onboard filters. I have a generic "warm pad" sound that I would defy anyone without a highly trained ear to distinguish from analog (or at least from virtual analog).

IMO the preset sounds are mostly strange dance sounds not meant for general purpose use. (There are a few acoustic style sounds including a good DX EP (of course)and a decent acoutstic guitar.)

But for general purpose use, that's where the DX7 compatibility is such a huge feature. I've loaded (and tweaked) a lot of DX7 patches into the DX200's user bank and now I have a synth with a soundset that I wouldn't want to be without. Keep in mind that about 99% of the 10,000+ DX7 patches on the internet are garbage but if you patiently audition them and then tweak the decent ones you'll end up with a lot of good sounds.

There are also Yamaha PLG150DX patches included in the data folder on the included CD ROM although you would have never known it from what the manual covered.

All in all, you can cover a lot (but not all) of sonic ground with the DX200 as a synth module. Depending on the stly of music you do, you may or may not be able to get by with it as your only synth. It's synth section is mono-timbral so many musicians would probably want a second synth even if they only do dance music.

I typically try to resist making patches with heavy handed application of effects but FM especially seems to benefit from effects and the basic effects on-board can really add to some of the sounds. I've also found that unison mode is needed on about 80% of the sounds in order to give them presence. So, for most sounds, you have to think of the DX7 as having 4 voice polyphony rather than 16.

The DX200's sound does stand up well in the mix when playing live with other musicians.

No problems in nearly 10 months.

I've contacted Yamaha customer support several times and they've been very helpful...quite a contrast to Korg! (Sorry - I couldn't resist the opportunity to critcize Korg at the same time that I was complimenting Yamaha! )

As I said, I wouldn't want to be without it. It is a greatly improved, affordable, highly portable, version of the classic DX7. If you're into 80's music it's a "must have" synth.

BTW, I recommend the freeware program "DX Manager 1.0" (or the newer v1.1) available at www.fm-alive.com

I use this freestanding and with the included software.

This box really works for two audiences-loopers for live use, and as an inexpensive DX7/FM synth. It is in the latter capacity that I use it. To fully edit it, you have to use the included software. However, this software is serious-it is easy to use and complete. From the front panel there are lots of things that you can't do, but from within the software you have complete control of the algorithms, amplitudes, envelope generators, feedback, etc.

I wasn't impressed with the built in sounds, but when you start editing you begin to realize the power of FM.

Use it in the studio, don't bang it around, can't tell.

Never dealt with them.

I would buy it again; for $200 it is a bargain. Overall, it greatly expands one's synth capabilities. After all, a soft synth costs this much, and with the included software, it is like a soft synth except without the CPU load.

Software version: dunno. Yamaha doesn't upgrade these unless a major bug is found (I guess the sequencer bug, discussed in other reviews, isn't major enough to fix). Other (european) synth companies are quick to fix bugs and send out new eproms. Yamaha needs to catch up with the times.

Presets: Bitchen. They need to be, since you can't really create new ones from the front panel (see next paragraph). If you don't have a computer, just copy a workable voice from another preset and tweak.

Editing: You can't edit operator envelopes or ratios from the front panel, which sucks. You have to use the supplied (and actually rather good) ed/lib program. You'll want to do this anyway, since it takes DX7 patches and there are about a million of those on the net, usually on FTP sites that have been around since the BBS days (but I digress). Actually this won't bother most people 'since they won't try to program
FM anyway. Too bad for them.

Manual: It's OK for learning and not so good for reference, being broken up into numerous "tips". But it's better than most Yamaha manuals, which is not saying much.

Overall: The controls on the front do everything that you'd ever attempt to do live.

Polyphony: 16 notes via midi or the front buttons in keyboard mode, 1 note via the internal sequencer. Built in effects are the usual delay/chorus/flanger thing. The sequencer, by the way, is strictly groovebox- 1 bar, 16 note- but has lots of cool performance tweaks such as reverse and gate time adjust. You can even adjust the notes that are playing in real time using the front panel knobs in much the same way you would on an analogue sequencer. Way fun. I do wish it went to 4 bars at least though.

Expressiveness: Killer. Makes a great contrast to samples and virtual analogue. Lots of nifty tweaky noises are available (and automatable via the 4-track "free EG" knob tweak recorder (which goes up to 8 bars a track BTW)). Great bass source- cuts through w/o cluttering the bottom end the way analogue can. Filters are suprisingly good. Played from a controller it is as responsive as a DX7- which is to say, very responsive. Put some DX7 piano patches in it and I could use it as a piano module.

Seems pretty solid, but don't drop it- it's plastic.
Not much to go wrong with this one, except the knobs.

I was able to get a ROM update for my RM1x but I worked at a music store at the time. Ther're kinda hard to get a hold of, and don't offer OS upgrades as a rule.

I have two uses for this box.

One- as a groovebox for jamming and for my more techno projects. Obviously it's made for that and it does it quite well. I wouldn't use it as my only source of drums though. Really fun to tweak live.

Two- as a portable DX7 sound module. It has 256 user presets and it's the same thing as the dx7 plug-in card for the s30/s80/motif (i.e. an exact clone of a dx7). Only it's in a small box and has filters, effects and tweak knobs.

Gripes: I wish the sequencer went at least 4 bars (8 or 16 would be better), I wish the drums were better quality (the samples are OK, its the sound quality that's the issue, they're kinda muffled), I wish the drums were as tweakable as the synth (you can filter and effect them but that's it), and I wish you could fully edit the sounds from the front but that's probably impractical at this price point.

Overall: I have a ES-1, a Red sound Darkstar (very underrated synth IMHO), an E4K controller/sampler, and a RM1x. A compact setup is important to me as I don't like to emasculate my tunes when I play live. It adds some very cool sounds and options to my setup without taking up much space. It has its limitations but there is no other box that does what this does- I chose this over an AN200 for the unique qualities of the FM sound. At the going prices (around $200.00, 9/02)
it's great value.

This is a great machine for someone who wants the easy way of getting into FM synthesis.The presets sound great and with little twisting of the knobs and pushing of the buttons, you can get exactly what you want.If you really want to get more into creating original sounds, you will have to use the software that is included.

Even though it sounds great, you are oonly limited to one channel of FM synth and 3 channels of drums. I really wished for atleast 2 channels of synth.The effects are pretty clean and easy to use. I have never used the on board sequencer, but when changing patches via MIDI through my computer during song playback, it causes the proceeding note to sound a few seconds late. All of the front panel knobs functions can be replicated with a external MIDI controller or sequencer.

This is great for just about anything the old DX could do, plus some. Since it is backwards compatible with DX-7 sysex, this open a whole new world to people who aren't even into Electronic Dance music. This machine can give you everything from smooth, haunting pads, to sharp, punchy bass. Velocity is and expressiveness are beautiful. Patch 129 is a nice digital piano sound that rivals even some gear that cost 3 times as much. The drum sounds are pretty much generic dance and pop sounds. Nothing that would replace a real drum machine.

Only one small, but annoying complaint: My data entry knob was shot after about 3 months of medium use. It works when it wants.In a live performance, this would be unacceptable. In a studio, you can work around this.

I have never had to deal with Yamahas customer support (I guess that is a good thing), so I can't offer an opinion.

I am really addicted to this device. If it gets stolen, lost, or broken, I would replace it with this exact thing or maybe upgrade to one of Yamahas more serious synth offerings. I have had it for a year and I am still getting new sounds out of it. I only wished for more synth channels. One FM sound at a time is not enough!

A nice device,wich is at least easier to use as the original DX7.

For a groovebox,beside sound,the system is nice but lets some questions
open.
With PC/Mac soundsoftwaremthis device is great to use.A real alternative to the old
DX7.

A DX7 with more goodies and free EGs.

Well,this is DX7 rebirth.The sound itself is much better as from
the original DX7,because DA Converters are up to date.
From synthesis,there the DX 200 is the same as the DX7.
Only the Free EGs push it a little up.But the sounds and expression
is 100% DX7.Some knobs help to make fast changes,the character is
still DX7.
A good remake of the DX7.The DX200 sounds cleaner and is easier to
programm and to control in realtime.
A puristic DX crack does not need the Filtersection or the effects to
create great sounds.But they are helping tools wich can shape a sound
additionally,without external FX-devices like in DX7 times.

The sound is pretty good.What I miss is,that Yamaha forgot to let this
groovebox based on the FSR1 instead of DX7.
The FSR1 is the ultimate FM synth at all,but lacks of easy programming.

So I trace the DX200 as Retro FM synth,based on its original.

For the money a real good traditional.FM-synth

Yes

The DX200 coul have been a modern FM-Synth,if Yamaha had decided to use
the FSR1 as Soundmodule.What a machine would it be ? Yow...
Eight operators,flexible to route and with more detailed EGs.

The DX7 Basis is at all also not bad.Six operators fixed in 32
algorithms is a lot.Unfortunately the EGs are also like in the DX7.
The Casio VZ1 had already very flexible eight steps EGs.
But in order to be fully compatible to the DX7,yamaha decided to
take over the whole synthesis design.
Only the Free EGs make it more modern.

For a groove box this solution is great.I hope Yamaha will release
once a FM synth,wich will have Free EGs for every sound shaping
parameter.Then the design can be still based on the DX7.Because
the capacitiy of this synthesis is still not discovered at all.
A FSR1 with such mass of free EGs would be of course better.

The FM synthesis will get a second rebirth with such machines.

Modifying existing sounds: easy - there's plenty of knobs and buttons.

Creating new sounds: easy with the PC editor, not so easy if you don't have the editor since you don't have access to all parameters from the front panel.

Creating patterns: easy, but unfortunately patterns are only 1 measure long.

Creating songs: not so easy - in fact, I found creating songs in this thing to be a bit annoying.

Manual: Ok, but could be much better. At least there's a basic explanation of how FM synthesis works.

Polyphony is fine if you use it as a sound module, but the internal sequencer can only trigger one note at a time per track, so you can't play chords or bass/melody lines together (unless you use two tracks).

The effects are good for this kind of unit. Delays are good, Reverb sucks, Chorus, Flanger and Phaser are OK, Overdrive and Distortion are usable.

No expansion capabilities, and it seems the OS can't be upgraded either.

The sequencer is good but it has a bug where if there's a note on the first beat of a pattern, it will be skipped when changing to that pattern. However, I've found this bug to appear only in user patterns which have Unison mode enabled, so there's a workaround (disable Unison mode). Also, the patterns can only be 1 measure long, which is a pain in the ass.

The good thing is that there's a lot of parameters to play with in the sequencer (velocity, pitch, swing, etc...) and there's also the Free EG's (equivallent to the Electribes' Motion Sequencer).

Great machine for live performances.

The FM engine sounds great by its own and even better with the filter and effects. The drum sounds aren't great but sound much better with fx.

I've had it only for a few days but seems well constructed (better than my Korg ER-1).

Haven't dealt with Yamaha's Customer Support and I hope I'll never have to.

It was a bit expensive since I'm in Mexico and taxes are high, but I'd definitely buy it again. This is my first FM synth and it will add a new flavor to my sound.

It has its flaws, mainly the first-note bug and the 1-measure patterns, but those are compensated with a great interface and excellent sound.

I can't wait to use it live with my Korg MS2000R and ER-1.

Not sure what software version this is. I dont think there are other versions. Presets sound great. Editing is a breeze cuz its a DX7 with ALL knobs. Manual is excellent, Keyboard magazine was right about that.
I know that there is a bug in the software where the sequencer eats the first note off the beginning of a sequence or patterns. If you're making music in a critical situation, like in a studio with the clock ticking and the client is there, then yes, this will be an issue. Otherwise, it really isnt any sweat off my back. considering Korg wants $299.00 for the EA1, which is a casio compared to this thing, the sequence bug is a minor issue. But I gave it a 9 because of the sequencer thing.

1 note polyphony when stand alone. 16 note poly when used as a module. Rubber pads on the front are used to tap out synth, bass and drum sounds. No expansion. You have 4, 16 track sequencers. 1 for the synth, 1 each for the 3 rhythm parts, which can be any combo of bass, drums, percussion and basic rhythmic noises. Nice effects: Reverb, Delay, Flange, Chorus, Phaser, Distortion. Also, a "Free EG" feature that lets you record knob movement into the sequences, which can RADICALLY alter the sounds.
The one note of synth doesnt sound like much, but coupled with the bass and other noises in the rhythm sections, there is a lot going on.
Puts the Korg EA1 to shame and the EM1, in my opinion.
256 preset patches, 128 user.

Unlike the korg, these sounds can really evolve over time because they are 6 operator FM. I have a DX100 4 op mini-keys keyboard and now after hearing and owning the 6 op, its the only way to go. Like I saying, they evolve over time AND can totally change in timber depending on the octave of the sound. I noticed this on one of the patches where it sounded like 2 synths playing. But the sound, in the lower octaves has sound and noise comming out that you dont hear on the higher notes. So you have a melody line happily grinding away, and an odd, whooshy, bass sound at the same time.
Most sounds are geared towards electronic/dance type stuff, with some classic FM stuff thrown in. Killer basses. Killer leads. Turns real nasty real easy..in a good way. The swing feature is more versatile than the EA1. Has a backwards feature. But the best part, knobs, knobs, knobs. A DX7 with 24db filters and knobs for everything. You can just swing thur the presets with headphones and teak knobs for hours. It can also do really mellow ambient stuff. There's about 15 prestes in the 240-250 range that let you do Depche Mode/Nick Rhodes(Arcadia) stuff.

seems sturdy enough. Wouldn't drop it though

dont know. I've owned lots of yamaha stuff and never have problems with it.

MARS has 'em for $349, so its a really good buy. I think I'll be satisfied for a while with this on. Definately would buy it again.
Again, there is a bug in the sequencer software that eats the first not of patterns and sequences. But only the first note when you're changing patterns. You can stop and start them all day long. Its fine when you transpose also. But dj's and studio pro's who are trying to put together patterns in song mode need to be wary. I have no issue with this. I bought it as a songwriting tool and a sound module. I like when synths do things by themselves and I can have interaction while it does it. Take a pattern, hit transpose to make the chord changes, and write your songs.
I compared it to the EA1, the Darkstar and the AN200. More aural bang for the buck. The sounds comming out of both the EA1 and AN200 sounded like toys. Although the AN200 sounds great if Analog is something you feel like you must have. But to my ears, the DX200 will do everything the AN200 will do and more, so I went with it.
If you're on a limited budget, this is hard to beat. There are enough features to keep me busy for a loooong time, but the immediate gratification of knob twiddling is right there too. Great sounding filters, FM synth, distortion to dirty it up with, good sounding effects plus Free EQ and sequencer make this alot of bang for the buck

First off I want to make it clear that I don't know what OS revision I'm using. I only know that this is a fairly new synth, so I can guess that we're probably looking at version 1.0

This synth is part of the ?Loopfactory? series from Yamaha, which is obviously designed to go head to head against Roland?s grooveboxes and Korg?s electribe series. The DX200 is a synth/drum machine combo that is designed to sit on the desktop, similar in size to the Roland MC-307.

The unit is fairly straightforward to use, in fact it's very easy to simply turn it on and start tweaking away on its knobs to get some good sounds from the presets. It's clearly designed with DJ's in mind, and as a result it's a very tactile, tweakable box. It's very easy to control, and the well-written manual explains the functions in easy to understand language.

This would get a 9 or 10 but for a couple of bugs detailed below.

At the heart of the machine is a 16 voice FM synth ? it uses the same type of synthesis method that the old DX7 used, hence the name ?DX?. I think I may have read that it can use DX7 patches, although I can?t say for certain because I haven?t tried that yet. The neat thing about this is where the DX7 was a pain to program, the DX200 is a snap because it has 18 knobs for shaping the sound rather than the old membrane-buttons. There are the usual ADSR, Cutoff/reso/EG knobs, as well as FX controls, and FM synth controls.

In addition to the built in synth there is a drum machine built in as well. You have 3 tracks available for the drum machine per pattern, and 1 track for the synth.

At the bottom of the panel are 16 buttons that double as a 1 octave piano keyboard, and note toggles for the step sequencer. They have nice orange lights that flash as the sequence is playing- displaying either a step or a note as it?s played.

This box has a number of features which are geared toward dj?s: pattern retriggering, reverse, and swing beat modes. Pattern retriggering is particularly interesting because it only affects the synth track while the drum tracks play normally. It?s also easy to change the gate setting for the entire pattern on the fly which is a useful effect.

Now for the sequencer- the Achilles? heel of the DX-200 imho.

First off: there is a well-publicized bug in the two loopfactory synths (DX-200 and AN-200) where the first note of a pattern is clipped off whenever you switch patterns in a song. How a bug this serious could slip by the guys at Yamaha is beyond me. Hopefully it?s possible to upgrade the OS on these things, otherwise this unit is next to useless to me as a standalone.

Apart from that bug, I have another problem with the way the sequencer works. You can motion sequence knob tweaks, but only on a per-pattern basis ?not in song mode. Motion sequencing is done with the so-called ?free-eg?, which allows you to motion sequence up to 4 knobs in a pattern. The motion sequence can be as long as 8 bars, but since I rarely play the same pattern 8 times in a row that?s useless.

What I really wanted was the ability to have knob tweaks motion sequenced in the song mode- (like Korg?s electribes, or Propellerheads? Rebirth) which unfortunately this unit can?t do, and that?s a real shortcoming for me.

Another thing that?s a bit of a pain is arranging patterns in song mode. As stated I rarely play the same pattern twice in a row. This makes it difficult for me when I?m laying in patterns in the sequencer, because each time you go to the next bar the pattern counter defaults to ?----? which repeats the last pattern. You have to scroll through all the patterns again to get to the one you want. This could be avoided if you use an external sequencer or simply repeat patterns a lot, but if you?re just repeating patterns over and over you could almost get by without a sequencer.

Another reason why a you?d want to use this with an external sequencer is to take advantage of the polyphony. As it stands, the only way you can use it is to play one note at a time. You start to use the polyphony if one of the notes in your pattern has a long gate time and the others play on top of it. In keyboard mode you can play chords- but only one note at a time if you?re using patterns. Why couldn?t there be 2(or more) synth tracks?

The bundled software offers quite a few features which I haven?t had the opportunity to try yet. It looks like they spent a lot of time on it- and it probably simplifies a lot of the song editing hassles I experienced.

Another thing about this is there's no patch library on this. Your patterns are basically where the patches are stored, and you can copy the voice from pattern to pattern. The computer software takes care of the lack of a patch library function because you can send your banks to the computer, but to me it would've made sense to have a selectable voice menu built in.

I might give this a higher ratin

This is where this box excels. It can make some really smooth sweet sounding leads, and it can really growl with the proper filtering and distortion- which surprised me. It makes all those familiar DX7 type sounds. If you're into trance/goa you'll like the sound of this box. If you're familiar with Ray Lynch, you'll recognize the kinds of sounds he used on Deep Breakfast- although that's not exactly dance music, it shows how this could be a versatile piece of gear in your rig. Bottom line: I really like the sound of this synth.

The effects are pretty decent in my opinion. Better than some other onboard effects i've heard in similar synths. I'm sure you'd be happier with a really nice reverb unit and external filter, but these are really not bad, and the ease of automating them via midi control and the free eg are a real plus.

The drum machine has decent samples. Some basic 909 stuff, some fx, and a bunch of bass sounds that allow you to sequence a bass line in one of your drum tracks. Not much to say here. I didn't buy it for the drum machine.

This seems to be a sturdy little box- I wouldn?t be too rough with it though- because the top is made of plastic and looks like it would scratch easily. If you?re planning on gigging with this, a bag or case would be a very wise investment. I also noticed that this has the recessed knobs found on other Yamaha gear. I read in another review that somebody was having trouble with crud falling in there and gumming up the knobs. I don?t see this being a problem for me, but it could be bad depending on your environment I guess. Another issue with the knobs is that there is a pretty good chance you could break them off if you were rough with the unit. I don?t think anyone expects the knobs to be all that sturdy, but the knobs on some of my other gear seem stronger- and don?t wobble as much as they do on the DX-200.

I've never dealt with Yamaha, so I can't comment on this.

I'm taking the unit back to the store this weekend and getting my money back. I may buy this again- used, at some time in the future, but for I've abandoned my idea that this would be a good all in one solution. For me the lack of tracks, and the sequencer?s limitations make it difficult to use as a standalone.

I?d love it if Yamaha would come out with a similar unit that was cheaper and didn?t have the sequencer or drum machine in it, because I would only use it as a slave to another sequencer.