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Yamaha DX7
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Yamaha DX7

Digital Synth from Yamaha belonging to the DX series

Will Zégal Will Zégal

«  Awesome dinosaur is not for everyone »

Published on 09/12/12 at 04:35
- Monophonic and polyphonic digital synthesizer
- 5 octave keyboard with aftertouch
- Wheels pitch bend and modulation
- Inputs controlling breath and sustain pedal
- MIDI I / O
- Memory only 32 sounds (much more expansion cards with "DX Max" and "Super Max".
- Mono output only

UTILIZATION

Use side, it was really a two-sided coin:

one hand, the sound: it is a horror. Anything made by menus on a small LCD screen. And must control the FM synthesis, which is not small beer (but not Everest either).
Otherwise, there are publishers that make things PC. Warning: freeware does not work on OS necessarily recent. But you can use an old laptop running XP. It may also be used to store your sounds.

The other, the game There, it's all good. Unless your model has a keyboard rinsed, DX-7 keyboard is excellent. Very nice, very responsive, with aftertouch quite progressive. 's All good.
In addition, the input controlling breath provides great expressiveness.

Controlling a breath is a thing in which breath and sends a value to the synthesizer as a function of the breath. You can assign this value to its various parameters.

SOUNDS

The sounds are very questionable ... and awesome.

If you are looking to make realistic sounds or sounds fat analog typed, go your way.

For cons, the DX-7 excels on its metallic percussion. Not only elsewhere, but this is where he is king. In this area, it has a inimitable, except by other synths (or virtual instruments) based on FM synthesis. They are not legion.

Default anyway DX-7 first version there is a significant blow to its output. This is not a problem with the powerful sounds, it can become with sounds very "light".

OVERALL OPINION

The DX-7 synthesizer is not for everyone. Read the negative reviews, they are quite accurate. Whenever rave reviews.

Basically, we love it or hate it. Both attitudes are equally legitimate.

A you know clearly what you want.

The big downsides are difficult to control synthesis and blast the output.
The big positives are the particular and inimitable strength at any given event and expressiveness. The DX-7 is also a good master keyboard, but beware: its speed is limited to 100, which may require going through a management software like MIDI MIDIOX to reach 127.

Note that there are expansion cards "DX Max" and "Super Max" that provide additional functions.
DX Max: 8 banks of 32 sounds and the ability to stack 4 oscillators to thicken the sound Detuner for chorus, etc..
Super Max brings more arpeggiator, eight additional banks, etc..

If you do not want em .. quiquiner with learning FM, know that there are thousands of presets for DX-7 easily findable and free on the net. Plenty to do and have fun, even if test many sounds to select favorites takes considerable time.

The DX-7 has undergone several changes. Besides versions rack, DX-7 II, DX-7 DX-7 IID and IIFD bring interesting developments, but are generally at prices that do not seem so interesting that the DX-7.