Good to see people getting the DX7! I've had mine since 1986, so it's been my buddy since. The DX7 is more than just those overused factory patches, so enjoy learning FM synthesis.
Liam Static Honestly, I’ve found that the many tutorials online aren’t too helpful. I’d recommend starting with an initialization patch and just adjusting each parameter individually to get an idea of what each one does. From there you can apply what you discover into making new patches. I also recommend reading up on timbre and harmonics so you get a basic understanding of why FM synthesis sounds the way it does.
Great content. I recently bought a DX7 mostly for reasons of pure nostalgia. Always wanted one but could never afford them in the 80s and 90s. I've purchased upwards of 15-20 synths in my life, currently own 6. But I learned my lesson back in the late 90s when I sold my Linn Drum for $600. It's now worth upwards of $5000. Now the DX7 may not skyrocket as much as the Linn, but at least i'll be able to say I own one of the most iconic pieces of electronic music gear in history.
Great video. I found one a Goodwill couple years back for about $35 working with the original battery. Needed a few keys and one octave board under the keys as well as a new battery. Previous owner had programed a "Jump" sound and an "axlF" sound. I was able to save those before pulling the battery. Works great now. Best deal ever!
I got a micromoog years ago from a person who kind of didn't know what they had. It was in really really rough shape but after many hours with it I had it working like new. I sold it 5-6 years ago and it is one of my biggest regrets.
Also just saw your Poly 61 video. We had one in my parents basement(was my brothers) and my dad threw it away because "it didn't work". Probably just needed a new battery
This is the review I have been looking for. Everyone else plays the piano and goes over all the good things but you actually went into why it’s great, why you don’t love it but also why it’s special. Thank you!
Some others can say "ITS A FREAKING HATSUNE MIKU!" over there too, lol. 😀😁 But im not much exposed to that here, tho. Being born in the end of this month of 1992, its a kidna sad irony, that the synth keyboard im myself are strongly devotes to, is a SY35, though. Its a both FM/AWM/Vector syntheis thing here, that stands between those two worlds here, though. Im personally dosen't hate the DX7 here, though i feel that she is deserves and requires a patience, consistency, passion, some skill, and most of all, the love, though. Im just believe, that if you wont truthly love your instrument you are playing/composing/writing on, you are wont go much far with it here, much like with a real life girl, or woman, or even your wife, or your child here, tho. ☺ P.S. Im a proud owner of a classic SY35 and PSR-E423 here too, though i "inally" met my true synth, only the 25 years after here, tho. And even yet being with partially-atrophied hands here, (im a disabled person now, since the 2017 here, tho. ) i am is still hope to regain, and learn on how to play on syntheiser keyboards here, first the SY35, of course. ☺😌💓
Do you people know if there was any synth prior to DX7 capable of do its Syn-Lead5 preset voice?? Yes, I'm searching for THE MOST MYSTERIOUS SONG OF INTERNET!!! 😉🎶
Watching this video in 2022 . I did the same thing in last two months with purchasing DX7II , D50 amd M1. And I am near 50 now. But still i am enjoying every second with these legends and bunch of new ones. No regrets.
That's really good! My friend has lended me his DX7 while he's out of the country and I love it so much. I'm a devout FM synthesis user, so I am very happy with it.
Awesome, legendary synthesizer and its awesome user. :) Congrats in the purchase and on the knowledge about it. It was nice to hear the sweet sounds of DX7.
Great video, thanks for sharing. Now that 80's tunes are getting appreciated, so are the synths of the time - DX7 and D-50. Both equally awesome as they are different.
I bought my fisrt DX7 used... a year and 1/2 old... $1200.oo... LOVED IT ! After about 15 years I sold it but bought another one, and found a TX7 too. Slightly out of tune and DX left/TX right was quite a sound... sold that DX7 a few years later to NineInchNails and bought another one soon after. Finally sold the 3rd DX and second TX while living in Europe to get back home to the States. After your video I'm thinking of finding another one. It had some great sounds, the action was great AND, I had wheels on one end of the road case and a handel on the other end made it MUCH easy to handle ! Thanks 4 the vid !
❤ awesome 😎 The 80s wouldn't exist without the Dx7, as well as Gorbachev and Reagan. So influential and functional peice of a beautiful music history 😊
DX-7 it's a every thing we like about 80s - movies, music, style and generally mood. This thing defined 80s. I finally found why 80s is so attractive, dx-7 sound are influensing the soul itself.
Duker Nuker if you watch Karate Kid part 1 from 1984 some of the background music sounds very much like a DX7 like on the beach scene and all through out the movie etc. but I can’t prove it lol
Same story here : I was 12 when the DX7 came out and I could only dream about it. That, along with the Emulator II... All my musical dreams came true after a long 30+yo wait 😊
No, not in a million years. It's capability and versatility is just so brilliant. Thick analog sounds, ticked, sampler-like sounds ticked! I've been promoting the true capability of the DX7 for many years now. Since I got my DX7 MK1 since 1986, I've been hooked with its deep FM synthesis.
oh it does believe me, I am big into vaporwave, retrowave and synthwave futurefunk and this machine has plenty of awesome potential. I just had a batery holder mod done to an OG brown one, along with a yahama fb01 4op synth that I got from my music teacher. Next Im having the same done to my yamaha ys200 and a kawai q80
Over the years, I have owned a DX7 Mk 1, a TX7, a DX7S and a TX-802 (plus a 4-op TX-81Z I never really got on with). Those 6-operator FM synths are truly incredible and really come alive when layered with other FM or analogue-style sounds and put through effects. I have transferred my favourite patches to a bank in my Korg Kronos (whose MOD-1 synth engine is compatible with DX7 sysex - 32-patch banks only) so FM fun is still going strong in my studio 30 years after I started using a DX7 in early 1988.
That electric piano sound is so mellow and relaxing to listen to, and the chords you played are really nice. I'm tempted to buy an original DX7. Good vid.
paid 175 CAD for mine. It was donated to a local thrift store by one of the old music schools nearby. saw the price and bought it instantly. dont regret it at all.
Nice choice. I love love love the DX-7 It was my first keyboard and I had no idea at the time how many variations of ep you could actually get till i jumped into the manual. For me it was like reading Greek but, when I discovered how to manipulate that ep and realized it would just about create any DX ep out there. It all came from that one board. Sadly I lost it when someone broke into my studio and took all 3 boards I had and it wen't with those. I think loosing that one DX hurt worse than the other two combined which i think were the original Motif and a Classic Triton 88 weighted board. I could midi up to anything and make even bigger sounds. I'd love to see that new montage to see how close they got with that and all the new features. Thanks for the soft and sincere presentation and hope you enjoy your new Christmas present! God Bless
I picked up a "broken" DX7-II myself last year too. Just paid around $50 for it. Had to do the exact same thing with the battery, and it works great now!
Nice video. This original DX7 was built like a tank, has a really nice keybed. They make nice midi controllers, which is what most people probably use them for in 2019.
Great video, at some point I had the 802 module which actually had an excellent display, the TX81 had an killer chase function and 4 operators Yeh 4 operators was easier to program, the TX802 was not but it had all sorts of output possibilities, tnx for the presentation, brings back memories
My first ever synth! Great memories! Had it new back in the day. Wish I kept it. I even had the breath controller! Think I ended up putting it in towards Korg M1? Cant recall now but I miss it! Great vid!
Similar to you, I didn't have the bucks to buy a Korg M1 back in its heyday, so several years ago I bought one, and although it was nice to be able to afford something that I couldn't afford when I was much younger, I ended up selling it for about what I paid for it because of its inherent limitations when emulating today's synth sounds for cover tunes. But, then I bought the Korg iM1 for my iPad and it's insane. I also purchased ALL of the M1 downloadable cards plus all the Korg T1 downloadable cards as well. It's an incredible, exhaustive collection of programs and combis for a very cheap price and they all sound great and true to the original sounds (see UA-cam videos of folks comparing the iM1 patches to the original ones). And, like one of the posters mentioned below, I also bought the Arturia V Collection 6, which now contains a DX7 and it's pretty sick. I now don't feel like I missed out on buying a DX7 back in its heyday day as well. But, thanks for posting this video. It's nice that you found such a great deal on a DX7 and fixed her up like new.
I put a deposit down on one before they came out, based on a one page ad in Keyboard Magazine: "FM Synthesis ..$2000" or whatever the price was, which was astounding in 1983. FM had been a holy grail, something you could do on your Minimoog for about three notes. Synclavier did it for $20,000. The DX-7 was revolutionary.
You're a man after my own heart, sir! I have that Model 100 that you present in the intro as well! Unfortunately I can't get mine to work anymore but still... I have great memories of going to Service Merchandise as a little kid and playing with the keyboards on display - nothing as fabulous as the DX7 here of course, but a lot of Casios. Even still - I totally resonate with your sense of nostalgia and I'm returning to these retro sounds. Like breakdancing music, for example - I could have cared less for it in my early teens when it was popular, but now it's dope! You should check out the Korg Volca series if you haven't already. The Volca FM pretty much is a DX7 - especially with a nice MIDI controller for the right tactile feel.
I bought one (a DX7 II) in about 2005 with some damaged keys. The keys have metal springs that I was able to bend them back. The II (1987-ish) models are built like a tank. I had the DX7 IID model, which you could play two sounds on.
the DX7 is still a great synth. it's really easy to program organ/piano and synth sounds. plus sound effects galore. also, the old Yamaha stuff is unbelievably well made and trouble free. they've held up really well over the years. I had over have a dozen back in the 90s, both the original and IIs. haven't had one for years but still like a lot of the sounds.
I had mine resurrected from its ashes a few weeks ago by a very competent technician. I bought it hardly used in 1992 and it's been my main MIDI controller ever since. I just love its design: it was so modern looking in its time... I dreamt of having one since I was a teenager and it was completely out of reach back then. But then I was able to pick up a TX 816 for a very reasonable price in 1994 and even though I don't use a lot of FM sounds in my productions, the DX/TX tandem is a real killer and it is among my prizest possessions!
I bought one new and still have it with 5 cartridges(the unit came with #3 and #4) then I got 103, 104 and 106 and still have their plastic cases. It took nearly a year to get the money together but I had to have it. I still have all the manuals and you sort of need the manual to dive deep into the menus to make your own sounds. my fav stock patch is #23 with the square wave modulation. These are great controller keyboards because they have aftertouch in addition to velocity sensitivity and they are built like tanks. I will never give it up. The battery is still good 37 w/e years later, crazy.... if anyone is curious, I did a what I call "wall of sound" jam with my old boss gm and old kawaii k4r modules, a korg x-50 and the DX7 (under the little sequencer). I used my favorite patch #23 for the ad-lib solo. check out how expressive the dx7 is. it rules (I use the foot controller on the korg and the sequencer is running the little boss module+k4r if I recall) here is the link to that video: ua-cam.com/video/aIQKisZvxuQ/v-deo.html
Funny - my experience was very similar. I had worked all summer in construction to get a used Korg Poly-800. But I was drooling over the DX-7, and the sounds it could do. Then, one day I found myself in a Canadian high school (I am German), and they had a DX-7 just sitting there. Now, more than 30 years later, I still remember how it felt to switch it on...
I taught programing on the DX7. I was one of the first to have one where I live. If you need some lessons I can help you. The best blend 2 keyboards are a DX7 and a Roland Juno106...
I couldn't afford it either I traded a bunch of keyboards and used part of a student loan. Congrats... My big thing was when we did Tom Sawyer and I used the DX7 for the lead...@@expat1432
I love my k1m. I picked mine up in the early 2000's. I need to replace the bat and replace the power jack as the previous owner bypassed it hooked the dc cable directly to the postive and the ground shild from heck.
I had one back in the day. I loved it. I really liked the feel of the keyboard itself. Good response. Now though if I want to play with FM synthesis I have it on my Korg Kronos. The cool thing is that if you can find the old DX7 sounds in s sysex format, you can load them right into the Kronos.
I still have one. I had an 1983, Got talked into selling it and buying a IIFD years ago for more organ presets. Still have it. Sounds great and not as heavy as the original. I also have a M1 and Juno 106. All of mine are vintage.
I love all the old stuff :) I personally like the D50 and when Roland released the D-05, I grabbed one :) I use to own a TX7 but had to sell it as I owed money for a Moog
I picked one of these up a few years back with 5 or 6 cartridges. It's pretty nice. A little noise in the signal but some of the sounds are lush. I mostly use it for bass sounds.
Still have my DX7II FD from '87. Soldered in a new battery socket a couple of years ago. Clean and going strong over 30 years later and is still sitting in my stack with my Access Virus, 505 Groovebox and KX8. Until I got my Virus the DX was my workhorse. Still an amazing machine and I know even after decades of use I have never gotten everything out of the machine that it has to offer.
There was something special about the synth sounds of the 80's. DX-7, Roland D-50, etc.I started with a DX-7, then added a TX-7 module. Sold the set up after I scored a great deal on a DX-5. For those unfamiliar, the DX-5 was essentially two DX-7's with a 76 note semi weighted keyboard ( same keyboard as the KX76 controller).
Wow, what a flashback, seeing the TRS-80 Model 100: was a RS store manager then with one of their computer centers in the store. Actually owned a 100 and used it in college to type up my class notes. Several people wanted to buy my class notes!
My method of quick and dirty programming was to find a patch close as possible to the sound I wanted. I then changed things like the feedback amount, or changed the algorithm (there are 32) . I came up with a lot of good sounds just exploring changing numbers and listening to the results.
I bought a VolcaFM for almost the identical reason. I always wanted to play around with FM synthesis. Shortly after I got it I found a book of 100 DX7 programs...
If you google for it, you will find literally thousands of DX7 patches, a lot of them in huge collections. You could start by downloading Dexed, and use the patch collection that comes with that - it's all free.
$157!!!!!! Bought mine new in 83, and still have it!!! And two TX7’s. I think I paid close to $2000 for it new. You can’t beat having the keyboard and the panel for playing live! You’re exactly right about the factory cartridge, I still have both of mine, as well as some aftermarket ones. But the best way is to download patches and load them from your computer. Smart to cut the battery out 1st, and then heat the solder joints to pull the stubs out. It was a dumb design for Yamaha to put in that soldier battery. Same situation with all my TX7’s, and some pro Casio equipment. ***There are a zillion DX7 patches out there. One of the best programmers in the 80s was a guy named Bo Tomlyn. He made a pretty good income from selling patches. Anyway his acoustic piano & B3 are about the best you’ll get with the 6 operator DX7. ***One thing about the DX7 most people don’t know is Yamaha misinterpreted the midi spec & designed the volume range, to be 0-100, instead of 0 to 127. Thats no problem when you’re playing the DX7 by itself. But if you want to use it as a controller, or send a midi track to it generated on another keyboard, you’ll have some unexpected results. They may have fix that with the DX7 II release. (I fix it whenever needed using Bome’s Midi translator software). You’re right about the 4K patches. Back in the Apple II days I designed an librarian, with a few other things in it, & sold it through keyboard magazine. ***One last thing about the durability of the Yamaha DX7, and about most Yamaha equipment in general, the DX7 still plays & operates like the day I bought it. It’s held up a whole lot better than my Roland arsenal of keyboards. The Fender Rhodes piano patch is probably the most famous patch used by recording artist. The bells on the DX7 are great. Used them when playing Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run”. So much more to say. Another piece of trivia, it’s amazing with just 6 operators that there’s a train steam engine patch out sound out there with the pistons swishing sound, the train whistle & bell. It’s pretty cool. We’re spoiled with sampler’s & VST’s these days, but back in the day the DX7 was the king. Yamaha did come out with the stereo FM keyboard, one of my grandsons has one. It has reverb on it too, the biggest complaint by most folks. But back in the day, keyboards didn’t come with reverb. If you’ve ever owned a Mellotron, mellow you know that reverb is an absolute must!! Sorry for all the trivia, this old arena rocker is retired and just enjoyed your post.
Always wanted to get a DX7 after realizing that's where "That 80's piano sound" as I used to call it, came from. So last week, I spotted one in an announcement for a junk sale. Me and my dad immediately went to the place 1st thing in the morning. We even managed to beat two guys to the punch, who also spotted the DX7 a few days before, but came in late. Needless to say, I am now a proud owner of a Mark I DX7!
@@rachelar lol that would've been one hell of a story. Nah, there were two guys who came to the shop for that particular DX, and I got to it before they did. I still remembered how their faces changed the moment I said that was the last one
I made the same experience. Now I bought an DX7IID first in 2017. And since Nov2019 I have also the original DX7 MK1 with SPX-Board with 128User Patches Internal. This Synth I feel have an own Charakter...amazing! You can hear this in my new Songs I released. I love the Synth-Basssounds.
I’ve had many of these & they are amazing....very heavy & sometimes a bit noisy but that sound when you here it is just sweet😎👍 Strange they didn’t add a chorus effect like Roland always did. I have a loads of patches some where.
Great find. Enjoy it. Like a kid getting a present on xmas. I have a similar sorry. Parents could not afford the keys i wanted. So as an adult i purchased several roland 80 synth and vst because i didnt want to deal with hw repairs. Im a big house fan. Chicago House. Bad thing is getting them to work from 32 bit to 64 bit. You could bridge them $20 or use a software to convert $99. I used the demo to convert it and it worked. It uses you 32 bit and makes a new converted copy that is 64 bit.
Im 22 years old and i play the DX7II yall. One of my favorites synths. The sounds i use are fulltines, DX tine and many more. Great keyboard. Midi controlling? Its ok
Hey Nathan I enjoyed your vid a lot! I have a DX-7II FD with e! and I love it, too bad it doesn't have on board efx so I have to use it with a ZOOM MS-70 CDR (I can't recommend it enough lookit up) but still it's a great keyboard. I wish it had more polyphony or more octave range but that's wishful thinking unless I find a DX-5. My keys are noisy, are yours too?
im pleased to say, that as i allso love the dx7 , that my kronos 2 has a dx7 engine in it and can load original standered dx7 banks of patches, so i have loaded in 3 banks, including the original factory patches, of patches allready. i downloaded to usb around 200 banks all for free off the internet. great instrament/sounds
Great info and even greater tainment. Anything from Yamaha is great, when they come out and whenever we can get our hands on them even if it is 20 years later. Starting 1990 and ending last year, I have bought only 4 Yamaha ever, and have hung on to all 4 - SH-10, Motif ES7, Montage, and Genos. I had also been considering a smaller board, like MX49 or the DX7 in the Reface version, but after watching your video, I am considering real DX7 instead of the Reface. What do you suggest? (as for sound palette, beside the above Yamaha sounds, I also have been hanging on to a Roland Fantom X6, a Korg M50 despite having added an Integra and a Kronos). Thanks!
4:56 'Sounds more like an EDM thing" yup, because FM made a big comeback a few years back and is in all kinds of DubStep type tunes it's crazy. Is cool to see people exploring FM, and what can be done with that style of synthesis given a more user friendly interface. Unfortunately IMO Yamaha still has a hard time with that. Congrats on getting your dream synth as a child! Very cool! Ps, according to an inflation calculator 2k USD would have been over 5K in today's dollars. Insane!!
can you post a video doing a dx7 manual adjustment on the voices, like tweaking the sounds by adding effects that are available within the keyboard itself?
I owned one from about '93-'98 or so. I wanted to get one in the '80s but I couldn't afford it. I got a smaller Roland or Korg (I honestly don't recall; it wasn't that memorable and I didn't use much more than presets). I liked, rather than loved, the DX7 though I admittedly didn't use it to its full ability. It did have the best synth action I ever played on a synth/controller. Its lack of multitimbral-ability and inability to function as a midi-controller (in fairness, not what it was designed to do) was the deciding factor in me getting rid of it. I sold it and got a Korg SG-Pro-X and did without a synth for a while until I picked up a Yamaha W5. Not sorry I sold the DX but I do have fond memories of it. I've had a TX7 for a number of years now in my studio and will finally hook it up (its been sitting for a while as I haven't had a chance to get my midi setup running). It has its limitations but I can use some of the DX sounds in what I produce now.
Thanks for the handy info here. I've been thinking about perhaps purchasing an old DX7... I love all those great '80s sounds! I didn't realize the DX7 was such a heavy keyboard. I have a serious spine condition...maybe I should opt for a Yamaha TX-7 instead (?).
You could consider a Yamaha Reface DX, it is small and light. But it has mini-keys and not as powerful as the DX7 6 operators. But it does have built in effects.
@@lumer2b Yeah I have one, It can do some very complex sounds. People keep complaining that it only has 4 Operators, however I think your right It might be just as powerful as a 6 Operator FM synth.
Nice video! I really like this synth, I'm thinking of buying one. I've watched another video from ujiie katsunori reviewing the DX7-II. It had really good sounds, but I think it goes for much higher prices on ebay. Looks like there is a big difference between DX I and II
Just watched the whole thing.Very interesting and entertaining. My fourteen year old daughter is into synth wave, 80’s and new retro wave music and she’s been asking me to buy her a keyboard so she can learn. Which ones do you recommend? Thanks.
Great vid... Thanks for posting.. I had one of these back in 1988... Nightmare to edit.. I had book with "1000 patches to program"...needles to say I lost about 3 years of my life to this ... I wish I had today's technology back then... I sold my original dx7 for an anniversary edition (Google it) ..it was brushed steel with backlight display ...glow in the dark keys ..(yes honestly) and I think it was 7 ocatve .. sold it to a guy from London in the end ..I wish I'd of kept it as I only realised after there were only 100 ? Ever made !!! Anyway you live and learn and it wasn't the sound I was after at the time .....😀😀... Thanks again .. Steve
When I was in high school(85-89),my classmates were dreaming about their first car.i was dreaming about my first synth.
and when did u get it¿
@@crazyspeedyjoe Well if we can call the Casio SK1 a synth,than it was,if I remember correctly,early 1988.
Good to see people getting the DX7! I've had mine since 1986, so it's been my buddy since. The DX7 is more than just those overused factory patches, so enjoy learning FM synthesis.
Yeah! Take my money!
where is a good place to start learning FM?
Liam Static Honestly, I’ve found that the many tutorials online aren’t too helpful. I’d recommend starting with an initialization patch and just adjusting each parameter individually to get an idea of what each one does. From there you can apply what you discover into making new patches. I also recommend reading up on timbre and harmonics so you get a basic understanding of why FM synthesis sounds the way it does.
Power DX7's tutorials. Extremely detailed and made by a guy who loves his instrument.
Lucky you. I've been writing programming code whole my life long. Finally, want to program something really interesting like DX7.
Great content. I recently bought a DX7 mostly for reasons of pure nostalgia. Always wanted one but could never afford them in the 80s and 90s. I've purchased upwards of 15-20 synths in my life, currently own 6. But I learned my lesson back in the late 90s when I sold my Linn Drum for $600. It's now worth upwards of $5000. Now the DX7 may not skyrocket as much as the Linn, but at least i'll be able to say I own one of the most iconic pieces of electronic music gear in history.
I always loved the DX7. The 80's in a box.
You are SO REAL! Your love of this instrument is apparent. Thank you, Buddy!
So happy your childhood dream came true...you deserve it!!!
Great video. I found one a Goodwill couple years back for about $35 working with the original battery. Needed a few keys and one octave board under the keys as well as a new battery. Previous owner had programed a "Jump" sound and an "axlF" sound. I was able to save those before pulling the battery. Works great now. Best deal ever!
Next up.. Jupiter 8 for 50.00... sold by a church who's pianist hated all the knobs and synth sounds...
I got a micromoog years ago from a person who kind of didn't know what they had. It was in really really rough shape but after many hours with it I had it working like new.
I sold it 5-6 years ago and it is one of my biggest regrets.
Also just saw your Poly 61 video. We had one in my parents basement(was my brothers) and my dad threw it away because "it didn't work". Probably just needed a new battery
@@bobthesalesclerk More than likely just needed the battery.. yes.. ugh
Sounds like one of my anecdotes
@@bobthesalesclerkthen why
This is the review I have been looking for. Everyone else plays the piano and goes over all the good things but you actually went into why it’s great, why you don’t love it but also why it’s special. Thank you!
Short answer... CAUSE ITS A FREAKING DX7!!!!
yes of course
Some others can say "ITS A FREAKING HATSUNE MIKU!" over there too, lol. 😀😁 But im not much exposed to that here, tho. Being born in the end of this month of 1992, its a kidna sad irony, that the synth keyboard im myself are strongly devotes to, is a SY35, though. Its a both FM/AWM/Vector syntheis thing here, that stands between those two worlds here, though. Im personally dosen't hate the DX7 here, though i feel that she is deserves and requires a patience, consistency, passion, some skill, and most of all, the love, though. Im just believe, that if you wont truthly love your instrument you are playing/composing/writing on, you are wont go much far with it here, much like with a real life girl, or woman, or even your wife, or your child here, tho. ☺ P.S. Im a proud owner of a classic SY35 and PSR-E423 here too, though i "inally" met my true synth, only the 25 years after here, tho. And even yet being with partially-atrophied hands here, (im a disabled person now, since the 2017 here, tho. ) i am is still hope to regain, and learn on how to play on syntheiser keyboards here, first the SY35, of course. ☺😌💓
Hell yeah!
Do you people know if there was any synth prior to DX7 capable of do its Syn-Lead5 preset voice?? Yes, I'm searching for THE MOST MYSTERIOUS SONG OF INTERNET!!! 😉🎶
Watching this video in 2022 .
I did the same thing in last two months with purchasing DX7II , D50 amd M1.
And I am near 50 now. But still i am enjoying every second with these legends and bunch of new ones. No regrets.
That's really good! My friend has lended me his DX7 while he's out of the country and I love it so much. I'm a devout FM synthesis user, so I am very happy with it.
Great demonstration and breakdown of the functionality and tips when for online purchasing. Thanks man!
Awesome, legendary synthesizer and its awesome user. :) Congrats in the purchase and on the knowledge about it. It was nice to hear the sweet sounds of DX7.
Great video, thanks for sharing. Now that 80's tunes are getting appreciated, so are the synths of the time - DX7 and D-50.
Both equally awesome as they are different.
I bought my fisrt DX7 used... a year and 1/2 old... $1200.oo... LOVED IT ! After about 15 years I sold it but bought another one, and found a TX7 too. Slightly out of tune and DX left/TX right was quite a sound... sold that DX7 a few years later to NineInchNails and bought another one soon after. Finally sold the 3rd DX and second TX while living in Europe to get back home to the States. After your video I'm thinking of finding another one. It had some great sounds, the action was great AND, I had wheels on one end of the road case and a handel on the other end made it MUCH easy to handle ! Thanks 4 the vid !
Thx for your video! I liked ervery second of your review. You provided good info and shared your love to music and this synth with us... thx a lot!
❤ awesome 😎 The 80s wouldn't exist without the Dx7, as well as Gorbachev and Reagan. So influential and functional peice of a beautiful music history 😊
Glad to hear you were finally able to grab one for yourself!
DX-7 it's a every thing we like about 80s - movies, music, style and generally mood. This thing defined 80s. I finally found why 80s is so attractive, dx-7 sound are influensing the soul itself.
Duker Nuker if you watch Karate Kid part 1 from 1984 some of the background music sounds very much like a DX7 like on the beach scene and all through out the movie etc. but I can’t prove it lol
Same story here : I was 12 when the DX7 came out and I could only dream about it. That, along with the Emulator II... All my musical dreams came true after a long 30+yo wait 😊
Good review! The DX7 doesn't get much love these days, but I still dig it. Kudos for bringing this one back from the brink.
Loving it. I have been using it with mainstage (mixed). Using the e-piano (DX7) and pads (mainstage) together. Love it....
No, not in a million years. It's capability and versatility is just so brilliant. Thick analog sounds, ticked, sampler-like sounds ticked! I've been promoting the true capability of the DX7 for many years now. Since I got my DX7 MK1 since 1986, I've been hooked with its deep FM synthesis.
oh it does believe me, I am big into vaporwave, retrowave and synthwave futurefunk and this machine has plenty of awesome potential. I just had a batery holder mod done to an OG brown one, along with a yahama fb01 4op synth that I got from my music teacher. Next Im having the same done to my yamaha ys200 and a kawai q80
@@coolelectronics1759 can the dx7 do darksynthwave or heavy sounds?
@@chinossynthesizer705 yeah man this machine is a beast.
Over the years, I have owned a DX7 Mk 1, a TX7, a DX7S and a TX-802 (plus a 4-op TX-81Z I never really got on with). Those 6-operator FM synths are truly incredible and really come alive when layered with other FM or analogue-style sounds and put through effects. I have transferred my favourite patches to a bank in my Korg Kronos (whose MOD-1 synth engine is compatible with DX7 sysex - 32-patch banks only) so FM fun is still going strong in my studio 30 years after I started using a DX7 in early 1988.
That electric piano sound is so mellow and relaxing to listen to, and the chords you played are really nice. I'm tempted to buy an original DX7. Good vid.
I love your enthusiasm for a classic keyboard!
Thanks for the video, I’m gonna try out a DX7 soon looks mint in the pictures.
great video!! Amazing synth. I remember when it came out, it was amazing.
Thats awesome that you ended up with one and you actually fixed it too great video. I have a Roland JV 90 no sound im gonna try and fix it myself
Great to listen to a good ol DX7
paid 175 CAD for mine.
It was donated to a local thrift store by one of the old music schools nearby.
saw the price and bought it instantly. dont regret it at all.
Nice choice. I love love love the DX-7 It was my first keyboard and I had no idea at the time how many variations of ep you could actually get till i jumped into the manual. For me it was like reading Greek but, when I discovered how to manipulate that ep and realized it would just about create any DX ep out there. It all came from that one board. Sadly I lost it when someone broke into my studio and took all 3 boards I had and it wen't with those. I think loosing that one DX hurt worse than the other two combined which i think were the original Motif and a Classic Triton 88 weighted board. I could midi up to anything and make even bigger sounds. I'd love to see that new montage to see how close they got with that and all the new features. Thanks for the soft and sincere presentation and hope you enjoy your new Christmas present! God Bless
I picked up a "broken" DX7-II myself last year too. Just paid around $50 for it. Had to do the exact same thing with the battery, and it works great now!
Nice video. This original DX7 was built like a tank, has a really nice keybed. They make nice midi controllers, which is what most people probably use them for in 2019.
Great video, at some point I had the 802 module which actually had an excellent display, the TX81 had an killer chase function and 4 operators
Yeh 4 operators was easier to program, the TX802 was not but it had all sorts of output possibilities, tnx for the presentation, brings back memories
DX7 on my bucket list / even more now after seeing your great video! thnx
Congratulations Man!!! Never is too late to meke your dreams true.
My first ever synth! Great memories! Had it new back in the day. Wish I kept it. I even had the breath controller! Think I ended up putting it in towards Korg M1? Cant recall now but I miss it! Great vid!
Similar to you, I didn't have the bucks to buy a Korg M1 back in its heyday, so several years ago I bought one, and although it was nice to be able to afford something that I couldn't afford when I was much younger, I ended up selling it for about what I paid for it because of its inherent limitations when emulating today's synth sounds for cover tunes.
But, then I bought the Korg iM1 for my iPad and it's insane. I also purchased ALL of the M1 downloadable cards plus all the Korg T1 downloadable cards as well. It's an incredible, exhaustive collection of programs and combis for a very cheap price and they all sound great and true to the original sounds (see UA-cam videos of folks comparing the iM1 patches to the original ones).
And, like one of the posters mentioned below, I also bought the Arturia V Collection 6, which now contains a DX7 and it's pretty sick. I now don't feel like I missed out on buying a DX7 back in its heyday day as well.
But, thanks for posting this video. It's nice that you found such a great deal on a DX7 and fixed her up like new.
THE 80'S MUSIC WAS MADE FROM THE DX7.
THANK YOU FOR THIS GREAT VIDEO, ONE OF MY DREAMS TO HAVE ONE 🙏.
SOME DAY 😃
Thank you for your informative video. It was very educational 👍
I put a deposit down on one before they came out, based on a one page ad in Keyboard Magazine: "FM Synthesis ..$2000" or whatever the price was, which was astounding in 1983. FM had been a holy grail, something you could do on your Minimoog for about three notes. Synclavier did it for $20,000. The DX-7 was revolutionary.
You're a man after my own heart, sir! I have that Model 100 that you present in the intro as well! Unfortunately I can't get mine to work anymore but still... I have great memories of going to Service Merchandise as a little kid and playing with the keyboards on display - nothing as fabulous as the DX7 here of course, but a lot of Casios. Even still - I totally resonate with your sense of nostalgia and I'm returning to these retro sounds. Like breakdancing music, for example - I could have cared less for it in my early teens when it was popular, but now it's dope! You should check out the Korg Volca series if you haven't already. The Volca FM pretty much is a DX7 - especially with a nice MIDI controller for the right tactile feel.
Man, I came here to share your love of classic keys, and I did...but god, I can't get past those bangs. Good lord, your haircut.
The fuck you gonna do about it
I bought one (a DX7 II) in about 2005 with some damaged keys. The keys have metal springs that I was able to bend them back. The II (1987-ish) models are built like a tank. I had the DX7 IID model, which you could play two sounds on.
the DX7 is still a great synth. it's really easy to program organ/piano and synth sounds. plus sound effects galore. also, the old Yamaha stuff is unbelievably well made and trouble free. they've held up really well over the years. I had over have a dozen back in the 90s, both the original and IIs. haven't had one for years but still like a lot of the sounds.
Which version of it do you prefer?
Great video. Great synth. I love the hair cut and green shirt!
Wow, virtually every single sound you played I recognize from Depeche Mode songs! Some of those just give me chills.
I had mine resurrected from its ashes a few weeks ago by a very competent technician. I bought it hardly used in 1992 and it's been my main MIDI controller ever since. I just love its design: it was so modern looking in its time... I dreamt of having one since I was a teenager and it was completely out of reach back then. But then I was able to pick up a TX 816 for a very reasonable price in 1994 and even though I don't use a lot of FM sounds in my productions, the DX/TX tandem is a real killer and it is among my prizest possessions!
I still hope my dream comes true one day ... a Dx7
I bought a DX7 from Japan in perfect conditon but just needed a battery, I love it and had always wanted one!
I bought one new and still have it with 5 cartridges(the unit came with #3 and #4) then I got 103, 104 and 106 and still have their plastic cases. It took nearly a year to get the money together but I had to have it.
I still have all the manuals and you sort of need the manual to dive deep into the menus to make your own sounds. my fav stock patch is #23 with the square wave modulation. These are great controller keyboards because they have aftertouch in addition to velocity sensitivity and they are built like tanks. I will never give it up. The battery is still good 37 w/e years later, crazy....
if anyone is curious, I did a what I call "wall of sound" jam with my old boss gm and old kawaii k4r modules, a korg x-50 and the DX7 (under the little sequencer). I used my favorite patch #23 for the ad-lib solo. check out how expressive the dx7 is. it rules (I use the foot controller on the korg and the sequencer is running the little boss module+k4r if I recall)
here is the link to that video: ua-cam.com/video/aIQKisZvxuQ/v-deo.html
Funny - my experience was very similar. I had worked all summer in construction to get a used Korg Poly-800. But I was drooling over the DX-7, and the sounds it could do. Then, one day I found myself in a Canadian high school (I am German), and they had a DX-7 just sitting there. Now, more than 30 years later, I still remember how it felt to switch it on...
Never seen somebody getting out of breath playing a synth, but fair play to you fella..
I taught programing on the DX7. I was one of the first to have one where I live. If you need some lessons I can help you. The best blend 2 keyboards are a DX7 and a Roland Juno106...
I couldn't afford it either I traded a bunch of keyboards and used part of a student loan. Congrats... My big thing was when we did Tom Sawyer and I used the DX7 for the lead...@@expat1432
Ryder you still available to do a lesson?
I had a Kawai K1 back in the day. Used to play with the DX7 in keyboard shops too ;)
I love my k1m. I picked mine up in the early 2000's. I need to replace the bat and replace the power jack as the previous owner bypassed it hooked the dc cable directly to the postive and the ground shild from heck.
Kawai k1 rocks ...still got my k4 ....love em'
Thank you for the plug about the graphing calculator. :)
I love this synth!
I had one back in the day. I loved it. I really liked the feel of the keyboard itself. Good response. Now though if I want to play with FM synthesis I have it on my Korg Kronos. The cool thing is that if you can find the old DX7 sounds in s sysex format, you can load them right into the Kronos.
Love my dx7 mk2, dx7 s are so verasatile.
New subscriber pal 👊👊
I still have one. I had an 1983, Got talked into selling it and buying a IIFD years ago for more organ presets. Still have it. Sounds great and not as heavy as the original. I also have a M1 and Juno 106. All of mine are vintage.
I love all the old stuff :) I personally like the D50 and when Roland released the D-05, I grabbed one :) I use to own a TX7 but had to sell it as I owed money for a Moog
I picked one of these up a few years back with 5 or 6 cartridges. It's pretty nice. A little noise in the signal but some of the sounds are lush. I mostly use it for bass sounds.
Ironically as its 16 voice poly
I purchased one in 2018 the 2d model. It's fun to play on.
Still have my DX7II FD from '87. Soldered in a new battery socket a couple of years ago. Clean and going strong over 30 years later and is still sitting in my stack with my Access Virus, 505 Groovebox and KX8. Until I got my Virus the DX was my workhorse. Still an amazing machine and I know even after decades of use I have never gotten everything out of the machine that it has to offer.
I had a DX5! :-) Two DX7:s in one, a really beautiful instrument.
There was something special about the synth sounds of the 80's. DX-7, Roland D-50, etc.I started with a DX-7, then added a TX-7 module. Sold the set up after I scored a great deal on a DX-5. For those unfamiliar, the DX-5 was essentially two DX-7's with a 76 note semi weighted keyboard ( same keyboard as the KX76 controller).
They can be cool but most of the time they sound cheesy in pop songs but if that’s the expression the artist is intending it works
IT guy. That explains why you referred to the firmware as the BIOS ,Ha. Much respect for you and thanks for sharing.
Wow, what a flashback, seeing the TRS-80 Model 100: was a RS store manager then with one of their computer centers in the store. Actually owned a 100 and used it in college to type up my class notes. Several people wanted to buy my class notes!
Proudly own a DX7 II FD. Also purchased a plain DX7, waiting for delivery from Europe.
Did you get them?
pics please did younget it?
Most iconic synth of the 80's if not of all time.
No the Korg Poly 800 was the Beast!!!!!!
I thought its the Roland Jupiter
The Yamaha CS80 for me
@@mikkywhalan I have to say I've never seen that one being used by any synth pop legends of the 8os and early 90s
@@katakisLives just my opinion is all lol. It was used in the sing Africa and i think Billie Jean. And may be a few others
Liked because of the XR-18, I use it as well and love it!
A fantastic synth sir
My method of quick and dirty programming was to find a patch close as possible to the sound I wanted. I then changed things like the feedback amount, or changed the algorithm (there are 32) . I came up with a lot of good sounds just exploring changing numbers and listening to the results.
at 11:15, absolute pure 80s bliss, those voice pads were used on almost every top 40 song back around 1985 1986. :) :)
What song is that?
I bought a VolcaFM for almost the identical reason. I always wanted to play around with FM synthesis. Shortly after I got it I found a book of 100 DX7 programs...
If you google for it, you will find literally thousands of DX7 patches, a lot of them in huge collections.
You could start by downloading Dexed, and use the patch collection that comes with that - it's all free.
great video! I wanted a dx7 so much in 1985 but it was too much money and I was 12 years old.
Its Rico from Napolian Dynamite, trying to relive your youth
BTW, I really like your intro and outro music.
Thanks, I made them with GarageBand.
$157!!!!!! Bought mine new in 83, and still have it!!! And two TX7’s. I think I paid close to $2000 for it new. You can’t beat having the keyboard and the panel for playing live!
You’re exactly right about the factory cartridge, I still have both of mine, as well as some aftermarket ones. But the best way is to download patches and load them from your computer.
Smart to cut the battery out 1st, and then heat the solder joints to pull the stubs out. It was a dumb design for Yamaha to put in that soldier battery. Same situation with all my TX7’s, and some pro Casio equipment.
***There are a zillion DX7 patches out there. One of the best programmers in the 80s was a guy named Bo Tomlyn. He made a pretty good income from selling patches. Anyway his acoustic piano & B3 are about the best you’ll get with the 6 operator DX7.
***One thing about the DX7 most people don’t know is Yamaha misinterpreted the midi spec & designed the volume range, to be 0-100, instead of 0 to 127. Thats no problem when you’re playing the DX7 by itself. But if you want to use it as a controller, or send a midi track to it generated on another keyboard, you’ll have some unexpected results. They may have fix that with the DX7 II release. (I fix it whenever needed using Bome’s Midi translator software).
You’re right about the 4K patches. Back in the Apple II days I designed an librarian, with a few other things in it, & sold it through keyboard magazine.
***One last thing about the durability of the Yamaha DX7, and about most Yamaha equipment in general, the DX7 still plays & operates like the day I bought it. It’s held up a whole lot better than my Roland arsenal of keyboards.
The Fender Rhodes piano patch is probably the most famous patch used by recording artist. The bells on the DX7 are great. Used them when playing Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run”. So much more to say.
Another piece of trivia, it’s amazing with just 6 operators that there’s a train steam engine patch out sound out there with the pistons swishing sound, the train whistle & bell. It’s pretty cool.
We’re spoiled with sampler’s & VST’s these days, but back in the day the DX7 was the king.
Yamaha did come out with the stereo FM keyboard, one of my grandsons has one. It has reverb on it too, the biggest complaint by most folks. But back in the day, keyboards didn’t come with reverb. If you’ve ever owned a Mellotron, mellow you know that reverb is an absolute must!!
Sorry for all the trivia, this old arena rocker is retired and just enjoyed your post.
Always wanted to get a DX7 after realizing that's where "That 80's piano sound" as I used to call it, came from. So last week, I spotted one in an announcement for a junk sale. Me and my dad immediately went to the place 1st thing in the morning. We even managed to beat two guys to the punch, who also spotted the DX7 a few days before, but came in late. Needless to say, I am now a proud owner of a Mark I DX7!
You beat up two guys?
@@rachelar lol that would've been one hell of a story. Nah, there were two guys who came to the shop for that particular DX, and I got to it before they did. I still remembered how their faces changed the moment I said that was the last one
I made the same experience. Now I bought an DX7IID first in 2017. And since Nov2019 I have also the original DX7 MK1 with SPX-Board with 128User Patches Internal. This Synth I feel have an own Charakter...amazing! You can hear this in my new Songs I released. I love the Synth-Basssounds.
I’ve had many of these & they are amazing....very heavy & sometimes a bit noisy but that sound when you here it is just sweet😎👍 Strange they didn’t add a chorus effect like Roland always did. I have a loads of patches some where.
Great find. Enjoy it. Like a kid getting a present on xmas. I have a similar sorry. Parents could not afford the keys i wanted. So as an adult i purchased several roland 80 synth and vst because i didnt want to deal with hw repairs. Im a big house fan. Chicago House. Bad thing is getting them to work from 32 bit to 64 bit. You could bridge them $20 or use a software to convert $99. I used the demo to convert it and it worked. It uses you 32 bit and makes a new converted copy that is 64 bit.
I bought mine in '84... Still use it on stage!
Im 22 years old and i play the DX7II yall. One of my favorites synths. The sounds i use are fulltines, DX tine and many more. Great keyboard. Midi controlling? Its ok
Great keyboard. I had the chance to regularly play the DX-1 back in the nineties.
They're very rare.
Hey Nathan I enjoyed your vid a lot! I have a DX-7II FD with e! and I love it, too bad it doesn't have on board efx so I have to use it with a ZOOM MS-70 CDR (I can't recommend it enough lookit up) but still it's a great keyboard. I wish it had more polyphony or more octave range but that's wishful thinking unless I find a DX-5. My keys are noisy, are yours too?
im pleased to say, that as i allso love the dx7 , that my kronos 2 has a dx7 engine in it and can load original standered dx7 banks of patches, so i have loaded in 3 banks, including the original factory patches, of patches allready. i downloaded to usb around 200 banks all for free off the internet. great instrament/sounds
Great info and even greater tainment. Anything from Yamaha is great, when they come out and whenever we can get our hands on them even if it is 20 years later. Starting 1990 and ending last year, I have bought only 4 Yamaha ever, and have hung on to all 4 - SH-10, Motif ES7, Montage, and Genos. I had also been considering a smaller board, like MX49 or the DX7 in the Reface version, but after watching your video, I am considering real DX7 instead of the Reface. What do you suggest? (as for sound palette, beside the above Yamaha sounds, I also have been hanging on to a Roland Fantom X6, a Korg M50 despite having added an Integra and a Kronos). Thanks!
4:56 'Sounds more like an EDM thing" yup, because FM made a big comeback a few years back and is in all kinds of DubStep type tunes it's crazy. Is cool to see people exploring FM, and what can be done with that style of synthesis given a more user friendly interface. Unfortunately IMO Yamaha still has a hard time with that. Congrats on getting your dream synth as a child! Very cool! Ps, according to an inflation calculator 2k USD would have been over 5K in today's dollars. Insane!!
can you post a video doing a dx7 manual adjustment on the voices, like tweaking the sounds by adding effects that are available within the keyboard itself?
Working on a video with the DX7 and a few others looking at the methodology. Coming soon.
I owned one from about '93-'98 or so. I wanted to get one in the '80s but I couldn't afford it. I got a smaller Roland or Korg (I honestly don't recall; it wasn't that memorable and I didn't use much more than presets). I liked, rather than loved, the DX7 though I admittedly didn't use it to its full ability. It did have the best synth action I ever played on a synth/controller. Its lack of multitimbral-ability and inability to function as a midi-controller (in fairness, not what it was designed to do) was the deciding factor in me getting rid of it. I sold it and got a Korg SG-Pro-X and did without a synth for a while until I picked up a Yamaha W5. Not sorry I sold the DX but I do have fond memories of it. I've had a TX7 for a number of years now in my studio and will finally hook it up (its been sitting for a while as I haven't had a chance to get my midi setup running). It has its limitations but I can use some of the DX sounds in what I produce now.
Thanks for the handy info here. I've been thinking about perhaps purchasing an old DX7... I love all those great '80s sounds! I didn't realize the DX7 was such a heavy keyboard. I have a serious spine condition...maybe I should opt for a Yamaha TX-7 instead (?).
You could consider a Yamaha Reface DX, it is small and light. But it has mini-keys and not as powerful as the DX7 6 operators. But it does have built in effects.
I got it on my Yamaha montage
@@garyleaver3714 It's debatable that it's less powerful. It has fewer operators but there is feedback for all of them. Plus the effects.
@@lumer2b Yeah I have one, It can do some very complex sounds. People keep complaining that it only has 4 Operators, however I think your right It might be just as powerful as a 6 Operator FM synth.
U look happy!! :D Nice video!!
Nice video! I really like this synth, I'm thinking of buying one. I've watched another video from ujiie katsunori reviewing the DX7-II. It had really good sounds, but I think it goes for much higher prices on ebay. Looks like there is a big difference between DX I and II
The tubular bell sound was on the Top Gun Soundtrack too! :) It's in the Top Gun Anthem
also what case fits the DX7II? my roland 6 octave case is too big :(((
When you are of a certain age (i was 20 at the time) when it came out only one synth will do, the dx7.
I have got a mk1 too, and i love it,
Just watched the whole thing.Very interesting and entertaining. My fourteen year old daughter is into synth wave, 80’s and new retro wave music and she’s been asking me to buy her a keyboard so she can learn. Which ones do you recommend? Thanks.
Great vid... Thanks for posting.. I had one of these back in 1988... Nightmare to edit.. I had book with "1000 patches to program"...needles to say I lost about 3 years of my life to this ... I wish I had today's technology back then... I sold my original dx7 for an anniversary edition (Google it) ..it was brushed steel with backlight display ...glow in the dark keys ..(yes honestly) and I think it was 7 ocatve .. sold it to a guy from London in the end ..I wish I'd of kept it as I only realised after there were only 100 ? Ever made !!! Anyway you live and learn and it wasn't the sound I was after at the time .....😀😀... Thanks again .. Steve