Yamaha DX7

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yamaha DX7
DX7 by Yamaha
Synthesis type: Digital Frequency modulation
Polyphony: 16 voices
Timbrality: Monotimbral
Oscillators: 6 operators
Filter: none
Attenuator: 6 envelope generators
LFO: 1
Keyboard: 61-note with velocity
and aftertouch sensitivity
Left hand control: pitch-bend and modulation wheels
Velocity sensitive: Yes
Aftertouch: Yes
External control: MIDI
Memory: 32 patches
Onboard effects: none
Produced: 1983 - 1986; 1987 - 1989

price = Approx. US$ 2000

The Yamaha DX7 was a synthesizer manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1986, based on FM synthesis developed by John Chowning. It was the first commercially successful digital synthesizer, with its sound included in many recordings from the 1980s. The DX7 was the moderate priced model of the DX series of FM keyboards that included the smaller DX9, DX100, DX11, DX21 and the larger DX5 and DX1.

One major reason for the success was the precision and flexibility of digital sounds. Although the DX7 was not a sampler, its bright sounds were much clearer than the analog synthesizers that preceded it. Yamaha claimed that the DX7 used FM, but it actually implemented phase modulation synthesis. The DX7 is well-known for its electric piano, bells, and other "metal striking metal" sounds. It was monotimbral and capable of 16-note polyphony. It has thirty-two algorithms, each being a different arrangement allowing the user to combine its 6 sound operators together dependently and/or independently.

Voices can be programmed by a user, and stored into a 32-voice ROM internal memory, or corresponding DX7 ROM cartridge. Several computer applications exist (mainly for Atari and Mac OS, and now Mac OS X) that can enable a user to load different presets into the keyboard from a computer via MIDI; the user can also store the keyboard's voices onto the harddrive to free up memory. The most prominent of these programs is Takashi Suzuki's DX7 Librarian 2.1.

The synthesizer included MIDI ports, but was released shortly before the specification was completed, and has incomplete support for the standard: It only transmits information on MIDI channel 1. It can receive information on any one of the sixteen MIDI channels at a time, but lacks the OMNI feature that enabled later DXs in the series to receive on all MIDI channels simultaneously. Very early DX7s manufactured in 1983 are distinctive for not having "MIDI Channel" inscribed next to the button that opens this function. This lack of marking was corrected by 1984.

An additional DX7 MIDI oddity is that the keyboard will not send velocity data beyond value 90 or so, while the maximum value permitted in MIDI is 127. The implication of this is that a user recording an expressive piano passage (or one consisting of a similar expressive voice) into a sequencer from the DX7 would not be able to achieve true fortissimo dynamics; most other MIDI keyboards could achieve this easily. The DX7 will, however, respond appropriately to these high velocity values when sent from an outside MIDI source.

Several improved "DX7 II" models were released between 1987 and 1989, most notably the DX7 II (FD) which improved sound quality and allowed bi-timbrality. Third-party products for the DX7 also flourished in the 1980s, including Grey Matter Response's E! expansion board, which added sequencer functions to the keyboard. DX7 IIs can transmit and receive on any one of 16 MIDI channels at a time. The DX7 family remains popular to this day with many recording and performing artists.

Rackmount versions of the DX7 also exist, ranging from the TX7 (a simple desktop DX7 unit, with limited editing abilities) to the TX802 (a DX7II in a 2-unit rack mount unit, with 8 outputs) and even the TX816 (eight DX7s in a large rack unit, with individual MIDI ports and balanced outputs for each module (via an XLR connector), giving the musician a massive 128 notes of polyphony).

In 1988, in celebration of the company's 100-year anniversary, Yamaha released the DX7 II Centennial. It was a DX7 II FD with a silver case, gold painted buttons and sliders, and 76 glow-in-the-dark keys. Only 100 were made and were priced at US$3995.

Contents

[edit] Software Emulation

Native Instruments have developed a popular software synthesizer, FM8 (2006) (previously FM7 (2001-2006)), that emulates the DX7's digital circuitry and can load original DX7 patches. The sound is not completely identical to the actual instrument, however.

[edit] Program piracy

Since the DX7 allows users to program different tones, it is possible to "steal" someone else's synthetic sound for use in your own piece. Skilled programmers would go to great lengths to protect their sounds. "Various DX7 programmers have told me that they "bury" useless data in their sounds so that they can prove ownership later. Sometimes the data is obvious, like weird keyboard scalings on inaudible operators, and sometimes its not, like nonsense characters in a program name."[1]

[edit] Notable users

 This article does not cite any references or sources. (March 2008)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Cox, C and D Warner. (2006). Audio Culture: Readings in Modern Music. New York: The Continuum Publishing Group Inc. ISBN 0-8264-1615-2

[edit] External links

  • Roundsquare - The home of DX7 Librarian, the ultimate DX7 interface for Mac OS X.