Yamaha DX-7

Out of the box: pretty low(1). With a computer, unisyn, midiquest vst, and especially FM Alive - editing is awesome(10). I recently managed to put a Midi controller in charge of its parameters to give it knob control. Editing without an aid gets real tedious, real fast. The DX-5 has a much better interface.

1 and 10 split them in the middle

For 1984, the polyphony and the keyboard action with sensitivity and velocity, was ahead of its time. Sysex and MIDI make this board easy to implement and control remotely. I used it as a master MIDI controller for a long time.
MIDI is amazing, no sequencer (that's why I had the Roland MC-500)

No effects, but the presence of effects on a keyboard don't amount to much. I'd much rather use external gear whose sole purpose is effects algorithms to process fx. This is of course an exception with Roland's amazing on board choruses.
I love FM sounds, so I am biased. I think realism shouldn't be an object with synths. Synthesizers sound like synthesizers. If you want a guitar sound, hire a guitarist. There is a wide variety of sounds here, most of which are wild and highly unexplored due to their sheer weirdness. You can get some of the wildest unheard of noises with FM. FM is harsh and metallic a lot of times, but can be warmer with some careful programming.
The keyboard offers so much control over the sounds. Velocity and aftertouch are awesome!

No question. This has to be one of the most reliable machines in the history of electronics. I know some will bash me, but I got my DX-7 when I was 16, and dragged it EVERYWHERE. The beast is scratched all to pieces, has dents all over it, and has been dropped from all kinds of heights. The machine still works perfectly. You will have to try really hard to destroy a DX-7 (think of Trent Reznor). If your MIDI controller fails, this is your backup.

I say a 9 here. Yamaha is still helping users out with these (as reported on sites like these). The fan base for these synths is amazing. There are literally dozens of experts all over the internet with incredibly in depth understanding of these that are more than able to help you. Some electronics geeks were able to put Grey Matter in the beast.

If it were stolen, so help me, you should pity the thief if I were to find him. Also, good luck trying to run off with a keyboard that weighs close to 50 pounds. I've played the piano since I was 6. I'd love to post a gear list, but unfortunately it's grown out of control. There's too much crap in this room to list.

I love the sounds, the expressiveness of the keyboard, and the ability to have some 6,000 patches readily available to download and tweak with computer or external knob-based MIDI controller.

Other fun FM products that you should try to get: The FS1R. Get an editor, though, 2,000 parameters with 4 knobs is NOT fun, but the sound quality is amazing. Software synths are a cheap thrill, but can't imitate the discrete D to A converters. Recently, I came across the skills needed to build a Midibox opl 3 module. Fun stuff.

I sometimes wish it had a filter. Sometimes, you can get some PPG-esque noises running it through a filter (and without a filter, I might add). Most of us don't have the funds to get the blue beast, and the Cheetah is interesting but no comparison.

Tough to program. Don't like the multiple function per button thing or the action of the slider to select parameters. It's easy to skip over the parameter you want to edit.

I do like the feel of the keyboard is has good action and the fact that it has the slot for optional ram cartridges. I like the ability to switch between Mono/Poly. The velocity/aftertouch is also a feature that I like.

Very good at metallic,special effects and bell like sounds. I also like the organ sounds I can get out of it. The elec piano is good as well. It can try to sound analog but I play a DX7 and Juno 106 side by side and the Juno is much more pleasing to the ear. The Dx7 does have its place though.

Built like a tank. No other words can describe it!

Not needed.

If it broke, I would not miss it and get something else. It has it's place, but I much prefer the sound of analog synths. I have been playing for about 15 years and play everything from classic rock to techno to experimental. It can't compare to my Juno for warmth but it can fit in in many songs I play. I never did understand why everyone would rave about this synth at one time. I guess it was so different when it hit the market that people just thought they had to love it.

The fact that you can't really build a patch in your head like you would with an analogue synth is obviously a bit of a problem. Basically, it boils down to algorithm arrangements, and the manual (downsized considerably from the first-generation DX7) won't be of much help in this respect. Everything else, such as the interface or the carrier/modulator envelopes is much easier, and the LFO works just like on any other synth. To be honest, I programmed very few patches from scratch, and I think my time would be better spent just going through the patch banks from the internet, or editing the classy presets.

The fast but firm keyboard with velocity and channel aftertouch was very much to my taste, and its excellent MIDI capabilities with two data sliders sending programmable CC's make it a competent MIDI controller even today. It accepts ROM and RAM cards to expand or back-up the 128 on-board patches.

A common fallacy about the DX7 is that its sound is a matter of opinion, i.e. either you like it or you don't, simple as that. For a synth that can produce such an amazing variety of sonic textures, I think that's a very conceited thing to say. Obviously, if you're an analogue zealot, you're going to hate it just because it's a DX7 but with the upgraded 16-bit D/A converters and the poly unison/random pitch features, I have a hard time imagining anyone really hating the DX7's sound. It's versatile, it's tight, it goes really deep (the sine wave is the perfect sub-oscillator, after all), it's got lots of polyphony that it can put to good use, and it cuts through the mix better than anything else. I love it.

The DX7s is an extremely reliable instrument, and also a very sturdy one. Unfortunately, this means it's a bit heavy to lug around, especially in a hardcase (the original one was even worse). The only service my unit ever required was to replace some of the membrane buttons which stopped responding due to dust build-up, and its internal construction was so neat that I could disassemble it and take out the PCB myself in order to save on the shop's labour costs.

Being twenty years old, it's obviously no longer supported directly by the manufacturer but fortunately, the after-market service in Slovenia is good for Yamaha instruments.

The mark two DX7 is a brilliant and supremely expressive synths and ranks as one of the most well-rounded instruments ever. If I had to choose a desert island synth, there are very few others in the world - and none I could afford - that could jeopardise its number one spot.

i have an original dx-7. the presets are really cheesy, but i didn't buy it for the presets, i bought it so i could create sounds i haven't heard before. after sitting down with it 3 or 4 times i had a good grasp on creating patches. it was very, very easy for me. i used the manual a little bit, but found it more exciting to stop using it. i never had any other synth before this one, though, so if someone was used to something else it might be hard.

it has a 16 key polyphony, but the MIDI isn't very good. if you're using a sequencer you can only use one voice, and it's not multitimbral. :( i sort of wish i knew that before i bought it. you can get the greymatter e! update which makes the MIDI 100%, but i haven't been able to find one yet, unfortunately. the keys are amazing though. i love the way it feels to play it. it's very fitting and very comfortable to play.

i rememebr right away thinking that the factory presets are very expressive. i hate pressure sensitivity in keyboards though, and i like to have my sequencer play the most important parts, so i won't give an opinion here.

i would definitely use this at a gig without a backup. i have a rom cart and combined with the internal memory i can hold plenty of sounds to play live with. i've tripped over it, almost dropped it... it seems like it would hurt me more than it would hurt itsself if i dropped it.

never had to use it

this was absolutely worth $250. i would definitely buy another, but if i did i would look for one with the greymatter e! upgrade. i've only had this for a few months, and it's my only synthesizer, but it works well with my sequencer and drum machine. the only thing i dislike is the limitations in its MIDI capabilities, such as stated before. i think it's very easy to use, and that all you'd need is a fresh mind to get ahold of it... the sounds are great. sometimes it sounds really analog to me, but i'm not a synthesizer expert. i love the minneapolis funk sound, and i can get some really great janet jackson "control" era sounds on it.

I just found one behind some boxes at a music exchange here in southern CA. Whaen I ask ed about the price (no sticker) , the woman at the store said make me ANY offer. I did just that . . .
Like the last poster, I have wnated one o these since 1987. Spounds like an 80's synth, and as everyone notes - it sucks to program. There are about four or five good patches someone already modded

MIDI was supposedly put onboard before the standard was adopted, but hey, I am no Trent Reznor. I am using it as a controller, the leys work well and the bottins show little sign of use.

Velocity is okay, seems slightly delayed - there is no aftertouch.

Doubles as a weapon! this thing is a tank. I think I got a hernia from picking it up. After 20+ years and this unit works this well? Sold! Much like everyone else who posted here, this thing is bulletproof, and as such, requires no backup on the road.

N/A

Lost/Stolen - I could live without it.
Been playing since I was five , but seriously for the last 15 years on and off. I currently have a 1960's Wurly EP-100 (it's red) and a Yamaha DX7 (finally). Previously owned a Roland D-20, JD-800; Ensoniq EPS 16+(clunky); and some Casio from the early 90's.
I offered $100, and she said it's a deal before I even finished the sentence. Gotta be the cheapest DX7 ever bought! However, no expr, breath controller, or ROMS, but who cares. I needd a MIDI controller and Gutar Center has some two octave POS for $149 that I almost bought last week.

I have always wanted a Yamaha DX7 since I was a kid. I was only 10 when they first came out and remember seeing them on Top of the Pops (played by all the big bands of the day). Just last week my dreams came to reality when I bought my first DX7 off eBay.
The synth is not that difficult to programme like people say. Of course I own other digital synths (one of them being a Casio VZ-1) so I am used to the editing structure.
The synth is 16 note polyphonic which was big way back in 1983 and uses FM (Frequency Modulation) as its sound synthesis but most of the presets are crap. There are only a few good presets like Tubular Bell being one of them. To get the sounds sounding really good I have to edit and programme them myself and then feed them through an effects processor with chorus and reverb. I use my Zoom 1201 fx processor for that. I don't really read manuals so I figured it out myself.

Once I programme my own sounds on the DX7 and put them through an external fx processor the sounds are absolutely stunning, impressive and beautiful. I can get a range of sounds from Industrial distortion to ambient metallic atmospheric sweep textures. The variety of sounds is so unlimited. The MIDI is a bit basic but considering that this was one of the first synths to use MIDI it is understandable. The synth looks good aswell with its futuristic looks and the futuristic original DX7 logo written on the synth. The later DX7 logo used on the DX7s and II FD is not as futuristic looking as the old DX7 logo. The synth is also a dark brown colour.

I have to plug my DX7 into my Zoom 1201 FX processor to get the sounds sounding excellent after I have programmed my sounds to my taste. The sounds are stunning and can sound from Industrial distortion to atmospheric sweep textures. FM is my favourite form of synthesis aswell as Casio's iPD used on the Casio VZ-1.
Not only has the DX7 sound been used on pop records through out the 1980's but the DX7 has been used on television and film soundtracks aswell. It was used alot by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in the 1980's on shows ranging from Doctor Who to wildlife programmes.

The DX7 is built like a tank. I would have to use an external FX processor with the DX7 if playing live.

Never used it

Excellent!! Classic retro looks and that excellent sound.

The DX-7 is a complicated Synth, especially if you're used to Analogues like me. Pain in the arse to program but it can be done.

You are going to have to put a lot of time and effort into this classic if you want it to shine.

The owners manual is just as complicated as the synth and makes using the DX-7 no easier (unless you read it for ages and ages).

A lot of things to keep you happy with your DX-7.

The DX-7 has a mounsterous 16 voice polyphony so there is no need to worry about running out of voices.

I don't know anything about the DX-7's MIDI but apparently it is very good.

Its a shame there is no arpeggiator but that does'nt bother most people.

So many DX-7 sound cards to get so you never run of new sounds.

The DX-7 is a unique sounding Synthesizer. Nothing sounds quite like a DX-7 (not even a D-50!).

There is a bank of internal sounds which in the DX-7 i played were all organ sounds and lots and i mean lots of external sounds to get which are on sounds cards.

The organ sounds are actully very realistic and you can edit them using the charicter button and make them sound Synthy.

I don't know anything about the DX-7's reliabillity either so no opinion.

Suposablly very good. I know the sound cards are easy to get hold of and cheap.

I did not own the DX-7 i played but i got quite a lot out of it and was very impressed with this legendary FM Synthesizer.

Get one because they just sound awsome. They are cheap, easy to get hold of and great sounding.

A total pain the the arse to edit without soundiver.

Well its unique , sounds like nothing else and has all the features expected.Full midi sopec - no worries here.

Amazing - unique frosty and cyberspace drones.Bells that shiimmer and alien bird noises.Yoiu nakme its got it but will need some work or emagic soundiver to get th ebst from it.I love its sounds - yamaha dx and tx sounds are unique and like nothing else on earth.

solid

never needed it!

Overall its amust have it few love synths and old retro gear like i do.I would advise really taking the time to get into it and also try soundiver with it.The best advice is get the cd thats sold by these guys.Its has 50,000 dx sounds and various editors to program with a pc including soundiver.

http://tinyurl.com/8jjy3

I've owned this keyboard now for almost four years since I last posted a review here and I'm back really just to say that this synth really kicks butt!

The flat control panel isn't like your button-per-function analogue synthesizer I agree but, all the buttons that are available are clearly labelled. You can't do much in the way of realtime editing on the DX7 as is the case with analogue synths or other synths with more controls, but the value slider, if assigned to an edit parameter while in edit mode can be used to alter the sound in realtime. Compared to some of the later digital synths of the early to mid 1990s, there are comparatively more controls atop this synth.

Most of the presets are pretty good, but really shine once we bring multi effects processors (or even just basic chorus and reverb to be honest). Without effects at all the DX7 sounds pretty dry but the effects add depth and make the sounds more natural to the ear.

Editing is done one parameter at a time which in a way makes things easier because you can determine systematically which parameters do what to the sound, in a step by step manner. Programming really is just a case of commiting some time to sitting down at the console and working your way through so if you want to create new sounds in a live situation, this might not be your cup of tea... but I like it and don't find it in anyway difficult - just a bit more lengthy than with an analogue-style control surface.

I managed to download a manual in PDF from Yamaha's website and printed it and bound it in the same way as the original. There is a lot of detail about the FM tone generating system, but I think this is good. I bought a DX7 because I was interested in the physics of this type of sound so for me the manual was an interesting read, which seemed clear and logical. For those wanting to edit and change the sounds straight from the box, this more methodical manner may be a hindrance. I had the manual after I found out how to do the programming so trial and error is also a winning solution here.

Also, the fact that so many people have found the DX7 difficult to program is another reason why I bought it - some commital is required rather than just being able to plug and play like you can with today's things. The additional knowledge you need to make a DX7 sound so good is ultimately what makes this synth retain its professional status more than 20 years after it came off the production line back in '83.

The DX7 is 16 note polyphonic, over the six oscillators (operators in DX-terminology). Since the synth can only handle one timbre at a time then in a lot of instances this isn't much of an issue. For sustained piano lines note-stealing will become audible but for many other types of music this is sufficient. Back in 1983 most other synths were still at maximum eight note poly, many still 1 to 4.

There are no built-in effects on the DX7 which is what makes it sound dated because it sounds so dry. By cleverly using the six operators though, all having independently controllable ADSRs, it is possible to achieve delays and echoes, and with detune, chorus can be implemented, albeit to a limited degree.

Expansion was through the third-party manufactured GreyMatter E! card which I know little about except for you could store 320 sounds in local memory (more to recover if your internal battery dies) and, I think it allowed multi-timbral operation and it could send on any one of the 16 MIDI channels rather than just channel 1 - but I can't be 100% sure - my DX7 doesn't have this.

No sequencer on the DX7 but it does have velocity and aftertouch sensitive keys. The physical keyboard itself is one of the best of its type and even after all these years the keys still retain a fluid, fast motion that caters for fast solos or the tenderest of piano solos. They don't make 'em like this anymore!

Expressiveness... this is what the DX7 was renowned for. With many of the sounds, the harder you play the keys, the more the sound will 'bite'. Take for example the preset program number 15 - Bass 1. If you play harder, the attack will become notably more sharp and achieves a sort of slap effect. The Rhodes electric piano also becomes noticably richer the harder you play the keys.

The architecture of the DX7s sound generating system is also what lends itself to the synths ability to create sounds of uncanny realism - in some respects. Take for example the sound Piano 3 (button 10). In factory default the decay length is a little short so I lengthened it a bit. By dropping the octave down so that you can reach the equivalent octave you'd get on a grand piano, you will be amazed at the way the sound decays, which just isn't possible on a sample based implementation. You've got six operators that are independently tunable, have independent ADSRs and that can be configured to create complicated feedback loops which just isn't possible on some of the more modern stuff (except NI's FM7 which is also great).

Pads were always a weak point for the DX7, but that was before effects processors became cheap. Run some of the string sounds through chorus and delay and you will be surprised at what you can achieve.

Finally, the analogue versus digital war - this is just totally beyond the point. The sound of the DX7 certainly is very unique and (sorry in advance to any analogue fanatics) in some cases much more interesting than analogue implementations. I don't think you can get the same types of animation in the sound as you can with the DX7. At the end of the day, just like any other synth, the DX7 has certainly earned it's place and I will always be a fan of its sounds.

It's also 14bit output on the DAC - so what? this adds another dimension to the character of the sound...

This is pretty well made. I had to tighten a few screws up as I could hear the metal grounding plates rattling in the end cheeks. I'm loathed to say it's built like a tank because if you put any weight on the control panel you can see it move. The whole thing is made from steel and weighs in at over 14KG but some of the aluminium synths such as the Korg 01/w and the Roland D10 feel solid even if you place excess weight on the front panel.

I would probably have used this on a gig without a backup twenty years ago but I'm not sure now as it's getting on a bit and I cannot afford for this synth to die. I would probably sample out the sounds I needed to use the most and get round it that way except being samples, you'd lose that expressive bite.

No comment

This really is a great synthesizer, made even better for those who are enthusiastic about the older, more obscure technologies. FM synthesis isn't something we hear about on the grape vine very often these days but there are countless studios out there who still rely on that famous, unforgettable sound. It came up in computer sound cards and even the Sega Megadrive had an entire FM synthesizer built into it for it's music and sound effects.

Aesthetically, I think this is a great looking machine and still seems somewhat futuristic, in an old-fashioned kind of way if you know what I mean. The membrane control panel has been a frequent gripe by many users but there really are real buttons beneath that surface that have a real click to them. The membrane makes the whole panel perfectly flat and the buttons haven't suffered the same bad contact problems as some of the other older synths like the Roland D50. It still retains professional respect - seemingly to those people who are willing to delve more into the science and physics of sound generation and praise the DX7 for its strengths rather than limitations.

Whether it's to do with the looks, the feel of the keys or just the fact that it is still the most famous synthesizer the world has ever seen, there is still a great feeling from standing behind and playing a DX7. It was a synthesizer that was built in the very heyday of the technology - at the cutting edge of everything, it took 15 years to design... How many other synths can you say that about?

I've had no problem using my DX7, but ther is one little problem. Appearantly there's a button or combination of buttons that mutes it, and I cannot figure out how to un-mute it. This has happened to both of the DX7s that I have used (though it was never me who muted it), so it seems like a pretty standard problem. But other than that, it's real easy to use and is quite self-explanitory.

All of the features are great, except not even the real owner of the keyboard can figure out how to use the memory card. But everything sounds really cool on it. You can change the pitch and the tone, and you can even get realistic car and train sounds. The laser is pretty neat, too.

All of the sounds on the DX7 are very crisp and clear, and have been prgrammed in tune. Everything sounds the way it should, even the #12 setting of flute sounds like a flute would if it went real low.

This keyboard works great for my garage band and for my school jazz band. So long as it's only used by those who know how to use it (it's quite easy to learn how) and so long as you don't press that button that it won't make a sound (unlikely that you would push it) there's absolutely NO need for a backup of any sort. It's good for bass and as a sound-effect tool, too.

I just can't get it out of the soundless mode, but other than that, it's fine.

If this keyboard were lost, I would buy it again, but I'm not all too suree that they even make them anymore, so buying a new one would be very difficult. I don't own any other Yamaha products, but I do have a Baldwin piano and a selmer guitar, clarinet, and trumpet. What I love about the DX7 is thatit's very versital and is easy to play. The only thing the I hate is that it can get muted somehow. It comes in much handiness when I'm writing music and when I need sound effects for a presentation that I can tape-record.