Yamaha DX-7

Not the most intuitive interface, for sure. But once you get passed the obvious challenges of FM and a one-parameter-at-a-time approoach, it's not too bad. I've owned three DX7s (inluding a DX7IIFD) over the past twenty years, and I can confirm that the DX does get progressively easier to use if you stick with it. A patch editor, I'm sure, helps - but I've done all my programming on board without too much problem. Just takes a lot of patience - especially on the Mark I.

The manual? This is Yamaha, after all - known for some of the greatest, most innovative products and some of the worst, most indecipherable and useless manuals even created by man. But the DX manual is not too bad in explaining its basic functions. Look elsewhere, though, for in-depth info on FM.

A couple stand-out, especially for a 1983 instrument: 1) velocity sensitive; 2) aftertouch (!) - pretty rare at the time; 3) MIDI - the DX7 was the trailblazer here (though the implementation was pretty basic on the Mark I)

No on-board effects - but how many synths in '83 had them, aside from a chorus? (You can get a reasonable "chorus" by detuning the operators, though.)

Phenomenally clean sound; great biting leads, wonderful percussive-like patches, bells, great Hammond emulations, evolving pads; you can program remarkable responsive patches using aftertouch and/or velocity; Rhodes piano (yes - done to death in the 80s, but still a good patch)

Like all Yamaha synths, built like a tank; metal casing; no problem with gigging - or dropping. Extremely reliable. The only "repair" issue I ever had to deal with on any of my DX7s was battery replacement - after many years!

Never had to deal with Yamaha, thankfully. They're probably no better or worse to deal with than Roland, Korg, etc.

I've just sold my third DX7. A great synth, but I've found myself spending more time on my recently-acquired SY77, which has more depth at FM. The DX is a classic, though, capable of far more than the cheesy (and overused) presets heard on so many '80s records. In many ways, it was a victim of its popularity - and its relative difficulty to program. Once you get your head around it, though, it can do some amazing things.

Yes, OK, as many before have noted, the DX7 is more difficult to program and offers much less real-time performance control than the typical analog (and VA) synth. That being said, once you get your head around FM a bit - and get used to one-parameter-at-a-time editing - the DX is not all that difficult to coax some phenomenal sounds out of.

Compared to the manual of the DX7IIFD (which I also owned at one point), the Mark 1 manual is pretty good. It actually has a fairly decent section that tries to explain the principles of FM synthesis and how to apply these to the DX.

I agree with the consensus that the presets were, by and large, a mixed bag: some good, a few great, many thin/crappy/unusable. Unfortunately, many have judged the DX7 based on the cheesy "DX Rhodes" preset that were used on nearly every record in the '80s.

Polyphony, at 16 voices, was great for '83 - when all the other polyphonic synths were 4, 6, or 8. Not so hot now but it still gets the job done.

No effects - but then, how many synths from '83 have on-board effects? A few have chorus (e.g., the Junos), but that is about it.

The first synth (I believe) to implement MIDI. Very basic, though. Has an odd 0-99 velocity limitation and can only transmit on channel, though. (All of which was corrected in the DX7II.)

As many others have pointed out, the presets are (at best) a mixed bag: some good (e. pianos [not the Rhodes - aarrghh!], synth brass), some great (bells, biting leads, evolving pads), many thin/crappy/unusable (strings, guitars,). But that's not the point. The truth is that the DX7 is capable of truly great stuff: extremely realistic organs (I have a couple of great B3 emulations); biting, analog-like leads; warm, evolving pads. The presets - particularly the "DX Rhodes" sound heard on every ballad recorded from '83 to about '89 - really sell the DX's capabilities short.

Keyboard is responsive to velocity and aftertouch; good, solid feel to it (not as "plastic" as some other synths).

Well, it's a Yamaha - doesn't get more reliable than that. Built like a tank. Aside from battery replacement, never had an issue with any of the three DX7s (including a DX7IIFD)I've owned.

Never had to contact Yamaha - though I've heard they're better than most companies to deal with.

Since I'm on my third DX7, I guess you could say I'm a fan. I would absolutely try to get my hands on another one. I've been playing piano for 30 years and have owned synths (off and on) for the last 25 years. I own (or have owned)a Yamaha SY77, DX7IIFD, Motif 6, Motif ES Rack, MO8, Clavia Nord Rack 2x, Alesis Quadrasynth, and Alesis QS8. Even today, I think the DX7 can hold its own in any setup - and in any style.

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