1983: This thing sounds so hifi! 2022: This thing sounds so lofi, crunchy ect! Of course there was so much grunge back in the 80s with cassette noise, LP pops, crackles and hiss that we thought this was crystal clean!
The DX's are so perfect they sound thin, but a Stereo Chorus is all you need to fatten up the sound. Yamaha could have added variable note detuning (say a few cents of a semitone that moved around differnty for each note) to make the sound fatter (the DX1 is fatter as it is essentially 2 DX7s to make the fat sound) but they ran out of voice storage space to do it in a single DX unit. 256 bytes was allocated for a voice on the cartridges. Adding code to make it fatter was possible (there were aftermarket upgrades to do that), but Yahama could not add even add one byte to a voice else disrupt the whole DX series voice sharing and the number voices available on a cartridge or in memory. The DX7-II series added more memory so the wheels and such could be saved with each voice, this is called Performance Settings, the DX7 wheel and such settings are common to each voice so you have to set them up manually if you needed them to be different when changing voices. But for home, it was fine. In a concert, the sound director changed the voices and wheel settings via MIDI for the musician at the click of a button off stage, so it wasn't a big issue for large bands with big budgets.
My dad got me one of these about 15 years ago...I didn't understand FM synthesis at the time and a velocity-free keyboard wasn't a great midi controller. Boy did I underestimate this thing. What a retro treasure!
Beautiful DX9 and that "The Golden Age Of Wireless" behind there... everything is even more magical. Thanks for this video! From Buenos Aires Argentina.
You’re most welcome! It’s been a hidden and partly forgotten piece of my collection. Bought it in Stockholm while I was on an event job there in 2012… I actually filmed SAS dropping it and throwing it onto the cargo belt while waiting for the plane to get ready! 🙄🙈 Got a video of it somewhere on a backup disk. Will maybe share it sometime if I can find it. But it shows how well constructed it is… Yamaha meant business back in the day. 😉
Anders, do you have any videos on creating patches? Most of what I can find are for the DX7 which I do not own.. or for a very specific sound. I'm looking for a way to better understand what I'm doing so I can practice to make some patches that I'd like. I'm pretty sure DX9 cannot do the wub wub sounds from dub-step, although many of those are FM... but I would love any assistance to help me better understand my DX9. I'm getting frustrated with the lack of info.
This was my first ever synth. All I can still remember about it was how heavy it was. Brought back some nice other memories when I heard those patches. Thank you
In the Long Ago, we used to joke on a Christian music usenet group [I'm aging myself here aren't I?] about "The CCM Keyboard." A lot of contemp. Christian records had many of the same keyboard sounds, so the joke was that there was only one synth in all of CCM, a DX-7 owned by producer Michael Omartian. If you wanted to make a Jesus Music record, you borrowed that DX-7 from him, used it, then passed it on to the next group making a record. :D
@@mrz80 Ha ha. That sounds about right. I lived in So. California at the time, and the powerhouse CCM station was KYMS. I noticed exactly what you're talking about -- I'd say 8 out of 10 CCM songs back then had the same or almost the same saccharine, soulless synth sounds on them. It was like they used 2 or maybe 3 patches, and they were all awful. I couldn't stand them. Thankfully that changed eventually, but there was a dark decade or so of that DX7 suckiness in CCM.
@@rimmersbryggeri I was referring specifically to the synth sounds as being "soulless," not the artists themselves. Granted there are always a few bad apples in any large group of people, and there's no shortage of apostate frauds within the millions of people who claim to be Christians, but my previous comment wasn't an indictment on the sincerity or authenticity of the CCM genre as a whole.
@@Ken5244 That's fine. After all music is about making people happy. I'm swedish and here we have a certian kind of "dance music" that is very popular and does have a use but it's not very original or sincere. It does make alot of people happy when they go out to dance though and it keeps alot of great musicicians in pay. I guess it's kind of the same with CCM. Which make both good even if they are not for me.
This was my first synth. I learned how to program FM on it. I practiced jazz scales and harmony on it late into the night without disturbing my parents. I scored a TV theme with it using a Tascam 244 4-track tape recorder. $1495. 500 cheaper than the DX7. I traded it for a Rhodes Chroma!
@@musicandfilms9956 Yep, sure do. I have both the power supply and CC+ CPU upgrade that need to be installed. I have to get it from my mother’s house, however. I’m in Norway and she is in Texas. Won’t be cheap. Case, freight and total recap and upgrade installations. But TOTALLY worth it.
@@rachelar It came with a pre-MIDI interface that would link to a Mac, but two guys in the Chroma community developed the modern CC+ midi interface that upgrades the CPU and memory, as well. That and power new power supply are a must if you want to have a reliable Chroma.
Wonderful video! When you played that sounds you immediatly beamed me back to the 80's. It reminded me watching 80's VHS sci-fi movies on a Panasonic NV-333.
@@EspenKraft Maybe you will do it in one of your next episodes. I really love your channel and i also love the 80's technology, because i am also very much into 80's computer stuff.
@@rachelar Haha. I just really love gear! I actually loathe the workflow on an FM synth but the sounds you can create are unbelievable:) You must be a gear junkie too if you are watching Espens channel!
I love the choice of vinyl albums in the background (Thomas Dolby, Naked Eyes and Roxy Music). Thanks for sharing the DX9, I had wondered about it and now I have a good idea, thanks to your video Espen. :)
I couldn't afford a DX7 in 1985-ish, and ended up getting the DX9 for $1500. Huge mistake. In just weeks after the purchase Yamaha released the DX100, which did EVERYTHING the DX9 did, had 400 patch memories instead of 16, was touch sensitive when played from a touch sensitive keyboard via MIDI, and ran on batteries too! It basically reduced the value of my new DX9 from $1500 to around the price of the DX100, which was $395. I bit the bullet and traded my DX9 in for the DX100 and soon got an Ensoniq Mirage with touch sensitive keys to play/layer with it via MIDI. To be fair, both the DX9 and the DX100 sounded like the DX7 if you ran a stereo chorus on them. The extra two operators on the DX7 almost always were used to chorus/thicken the basic sound created by the first four operators, so slapping a chorus on the output of the DX100 and playing it through a touch sensitive keybed gave me the "DX7 sound" and it was great. I never felt the need to get the DX7 again, and the DX100 was a perfect second keyboard, even with mini-keys. I was able to get through the 80's with that rig just fine. Then, like almost everyone else in the late 80's, I got the Korg M1 and it dominated in the early 90s.
"400 patch memories instead of 16" >> Since nobody else seems to disagree, please explain to me how you mean that. Because as far as I know the DX100 had 192 preset patches (8 banks of 24 sounds each)...and you had to (sort of) "load" them into one of the 24 RAM slots (called INTERNAL memory, if not used for self-programmed patches) or use one of the 96 BANK memory slots (if not used for self-programmed patches from the INTERNAL area). Those 96 BANK slots are usually filled with the first four preset banks. By using "Shift" you can (alternatively) load the second bunch of 96 preset sounds into these BANK memory slots. If I understood that concept correctly it's not possible to have access to "400" (192 + 96 + 24 = 312) sounds at the same time. 🤔 BTW: The DX9 didn't have 16 slots...it had 20. 😉 (no offence)
@@sauermusicDE It means I'm old and didn't get the numbers right! But yeah, even with only 192 sounds, it blew the DX9 away. And yes, again you are correct, the DX9 had 20 patches. What I remember most was feeling like the DX100 completely obliterated the DX9 - and it did, in just about every way but the actual keyboard, which wasn't velocity sensitive, not even if played from a velocity sensitive keyboard via MIDI, which the DX100 did. The DX9 was overpriced, overweight, lacking in features, and just boring after about 15 minutes on it. I don't think I was ever happier getting rid of a piece of gear then when I traded that thing in.
Oh, the Rockman Stereo Chorus! I haven't used mine in ages, must try it out again soon. Thanks for the video, the DX-9 is an interesting synthesizer and it sounds great in your hands.
SY77 came out in 1990, so there were alterantives in the digital realm at that time. The DX1 though... first FM-Synth to be released and still relevant today imo, not even a Montage can sound that way.
@@-VCO- true, but the DX1 is just that tad bit better: higher quality casing, less noisy, polyphonic aftertouch, weighted action keys (a matter of taste on that point). I wasnt talking about price, the DX1 is definetly in another league over the other FMers.
@@rubonz7714 Production was also very brief for the DX-1, so finding one nowadays is rather akin to finding the proverbial needle in a haystack made out of other haystacks.
Some guy at a swap meet tried to sell me one of these. I wasn't too sure because I was more interested in a DX7, but this guy promised that the DX9 was the more superior model. Glad I trusted my gut and didn't buy what he was selling.
I remember being puzzled by the DX9 - But it was a common Yamaha product stratification at the time to create different price points. Honestly I believe that most of the cost saving for Yamaha was the keyboard mechanism itself - there's enough of the same electronics to make the cost similar except in the hardware (maybe some memory cost savings too.) The keyboard is also why it wasn't a consideration at all for me at the time - I could live without aftertouch, but velocity sensitivity was one of the major expressive paths of FM synthesis. Without that I thought it really didn't work.
Ironically the original DX7 preset bank makes very little use of velocity. Sure you could strike the keyboard hard or soft, but very few of the sounds changes even if you do. ;-)
@@SlowCarToChina That was SO annoying! I think the revered KX-88 controller (and probably the DX1 too, initially) suffered from 1-100 instead of 1-127 as well. It was fixed in the DX7II.
Great to see 'The Golden Age of Wireless' album on your shelf. Very under-rated album. Great memories of the DX9. My 1st introduction to FM back in the day,
I'd love to hear a Yamaha V50 in your hands too. It has some cool effects and sequencer functions but no filter. It also is a four operator FM synth. Highly under-rated I think.
I had a V50 in the early 1990s as a workstation for pub/club gigs. It was woefully underpowered for creating backing tracks, its display was minuscule, it sounded thin and weak except for basses and the floppy drive was often catastrophically unreliable. Mind you, one punter, CD in hand, approached me during a break and asked me to play it, apparently thinking that the V50 was replaying studio backing tracks. There, that's the V50 covered.
I bought a DX9 from a pawn shop years ago for $50 and sold it to another pawn shop not that long after for $150 as the store owner thought it was like a DX7! 🤪 Well in many ways, it actually was like a DX7!
See my main comment, the DX9 is the same as a DX7 but with less memory, so it only can do 4 Operators and only a handful of algorithms and less internal voice memory. It all came down to the DX9 simply had less RAM and ROM (to lower the cost) so it could do roughly 2/3rds of what a DX7 could do.
I love the DX9 - It's almost as if you can hear the structure of how the FM is working in each algorithm and patch. So simple and just has the something about it.
Love those old half rack Rockmans. Used to use them on my DX11. Still have several of them. Recently they came out with a nice sounding plugin emulation, the T-HU Rockguy.
I still have an old Rockman X100 from the 80s, never tried it with a synth but with a guitar, you get instant def leppard Hysteria sound (and most Boston guitar sounds of course). I really need to try it with a synth. I’ve always been curious about those rockman half rack effects, they are still pretty expensive on the used market.
I've owned a DX9, DX21, DX27 and DX7. They were all either trades or garage (boot) sale finds. I really wanted to like them but I never connected with any of them so they all got traded away. For my money the FB01, PSR-36, and PSS-480 have always provided usable and interesting FM sounds with a much more intuitive interface. Nice demo though!
I like the simplicity of 4 operator FM, perfect for bass and raw electronic tones, and much easier to learn dX-style FM programming on. just wish it had aftertouch. Someone should make an aftertouch ribbon to fit the the DX9 keybed and connect to the mouth pressure input.
@@oupahens9219 would that work? Was just thinking Mouth Pressure is probably already routed everywhere it needs to be, and just needs an analog input, like a ribbon controller.
I had one, and I liked it a lot. It was so much easier to program than the DX7, which I like too, and has 16 voices of polyphony. I have some videos of it here on youtube Yamaha DX9 - UA-cam
Sounds perfectly healthy with your hands though 😎 Also: I have a whole rack of Rockman stuff (including that chorus) because of Miami Vice. I HIGHLY recommend the Chorus and the Stereo Echo/Delay to anyone watching/reading-the latter being one of the best sounding delays I’ve ever had.
Hey man, I just noticed you have an old school San Diego Padres baseball cap hanging behind you. That’s cool. I’m from San Diego myself, and I too am the 80’s 😎
Hello Mr. Kraft.. I had not seen a DX9.. I know that Yamaha reassigned some of the labels when they were released but a 4 Operator DX! Wow.... any DX or FM synth sounds great with some good programming and FXs... looking good. Cheers Mr. Kraft.. as always well done video...
My first synth as a teenager in the 80's, eventually sold it during lockdown as lost most of my income. Nostalgia watching this, although I was always jealous of DX7 owners 😂
I have a DX21 and always thought, that the basic sound should be pretty close to the DX9. But probably they did something about the DA converter etc. and some changes in the programming features (I never had a DX9). Anyway the DX21 and the closely following 27 and 100 were probably a logical next step to bring the 4op FM scheme into an affordable (and very compact) format. As always: thanks a lot for another inspiring video!
I'll once again post a comment about the 1989 Yamaha V50. It's truly a magnificent synth. It's also a FM 4-op synth, but it's main advantage over other is that there's "performace" mode where you can layer up to 8 voices (at the cost of polyphony) which makes it a decent comptetitor to Roland's synthesis which also uses sound stacking. V50 with its internal effects, drum machine, floppy drive, breath control and sequencer is really a wonderful, unexpensive 80s workstation.
That layering functionality is also on the DX11/TX81Z/FB01/YS100/YS200/B200/TQ5/DS55. But they all have only 8 notes of polyphony while the V50 has 16 notes.
Hello - I have some old recordings I made with this synth and need help identifying the voices used, and ideally if there is a DX7 counterpart I might find on a modern virtual synth so I can recreate them as closely as possible with MIDI. Thanks!
I had one of these in '99 or '00I wasn't a fan of the sound, and not being able to easily get under the hood didn't help. I still think that the synth in this video originally sounded bad, but Espen's playing enhanced it to what we are hearing. ;)
Great video as always Espen! You made that DX9 sing! However, your Jupiter 8 high up on that stand worries me. I personally have never cared for those stands and have seen keyboards get knocked off of them. I have my JP-8 on a heavy double X stand. Those aren't my favorite either but this one's ok. It's held it up 23 years! ;-) I think the DX9 became the DX27 with half the polyphony. There's the DX21 that you can split or double the keyboard like the Jupiter 8. It also has a chorus. No velocity or after-touch. Yamaha made a bunch of 4 op low cost synths. The DX11 was a pretty good one. I had one. TX81Z is the rack version. I long since sold the DX11 but I do have a TX81Z and DX21. The latter being a freebie my sister picked up for me about 12 years ago.
These 4 op FM synths are cool As a keyboardist the lack of velocity would drive me crazy so my trusty TX81Z does a wonderful job (with an 88 keys master too...)
@@EspenKraft Thanks! Did the audio file, will do Sysex soon. Found a whole website dedicated to the DX9. This is the FM sound missing from my set up. Thank you Sir your videos are very helpful to me because most of my synths are 80s synths :-)
It pales (a little) compared to a DX7, but remember, at the time (and I was there), most polysynths didn’t have either velocity sensing or aftertouch. Plus the DX9 is a 16 voice polysynth, when almost all others were only 8 voice, tops!
I only had a DX21 for a while (as far as DX synths go). I made one patch I liked (I think I named it 'DIGIORGAN'), but ended up not liking it compared to analog synths, so traded it for something (can't remember). I did like that patch I made, though, and still have it saved on a cassette, so kinda wanna listen to it again. Same with saved Alesis HR-16 data dumps.
Is it just me or does the DX9 have more detune on tap (even without chorus) than the other four-sine Yamaha FM synths? I have a DX100 and I can't get detuned sounds like that on there.
It has a cut down engine directly from the original DX7 so it can fine tune an operator the same as a DX7 but it lacks the ablility to have fixed operators - the DX9 must always follow the keybed unlike the DX7. The DX9 has a simpler key-scaling (just a simple percentage across the keyboard similar to the DX21/27/100) so not as adjustable as the DX7. The DX21 had fixed ratios and a small amount of detuning within a patch (but you could dual two patches together on the 21 and detune entire patches for a fatter sound).
Thanks for another great video. That is a good idea to add chorus to the classic DX sounds - I had used reverb on my DX9 but I prefer your chorus box! I love my DX9, it has the gritty sounds of the DX7 mk.1 that none of the other DX models can match, but it is WAY easier to program and cheaper to buy than a DX7. I would love to hear what those patches were that you played and if they are available to download?
That's a good idea. I sold my DX7mk1 to get a mk2 for the stereo/performance features but I do miss that crunchy sound. Maybe I'll have to start looking into DX9's soon.
Can it use velocity & AT from a MIDI controller? Did Yamaha make a unique set of patches for it, or are they just altered versions of classic DX7 patches like E.PIANO1 etc?
I’d like to know exactly how much is lost for having operators 5 and 6 deactivated within the chassis of this synthesizer. D these same patches in the DX7 sound that much fuller with those two operators going?
Always had a soft spot for the 9. I can't say exactly why, but it might just be because it is/was the mungrel/underdog of the range! A bit like the Jupiter 6, it's having to fight it's bigger more opulent brother for air.
Hey Espen I bought a DX7S and it is great only thing is about 8 of the programming buttons came not working :(.......Do you have any advice on where to start with fixing synths? Love your videos and I thought you know more than I do considering I learn something new every time I watch them so I thought you would be the right person to ask.
It must be opened up and visually inspected for the obvious, like lose cables, connectors etc. After that it could be anything. Old tact switches needs replacing, but if it's a cluster of 8 buttons and the rest works I think it's something else. Take it to a tech if you're not experienced yourself. Best of luck.
That is is of course the classic Yamaha KX88 master keyboard from the same time. I have a video about that on the channel. You can see this master keyboard in pretty much any music video from the 80s where keyboards are shown.
1983: This thing sounds so hifi! 2022: This thing sounds so lofi, crunchy ect! Of course there was so much grunge back in the 80s with cassette noise, LP pops, crackles and hiss that we thought this was crystal clean!
This still sounds super HiFi to me
The DX's are so perfect they sound thin, but a Stereo Chorus is all you need to fatten up the sound. Yamaha could have added variable note detuning (say a few cents of a semitone that moved around differnty for each note) to make the sound fatter (the DX1 is fatter as it is essentially 2 DX7s to make the fat sound) but they ran out of voice storage space to do it in a single DX unit. 256 bytes was allocated for a voice on the cartridges. Adding code to make it fatter was possible (there were aftermarket upgrades to do that), but Yahama could not add even add one byte to a voice else disrupt the whole DX series voice sharing and the number voices available on a cartridge or in memory.
The DX7-II series added more memory so the wheels and such could be saved with each voice, this is called Performance Settings, the DX7 wheel and such settings are common to each voice so you have to set them up manually if you needed them to be different when changing voices. But for home, it was fine. In a concert, the sound director changed the voices and wheel settings via MIDI for the musician at the click of a button off stage, so it wasn't a big issue for large bands with big budgets.
My dad got me one of these about 15 years ago...I didn't understand FM synthesis at the time and a velocity-free keyboard wasn't a great midi controller. Boy did I underestimate this thing. What a retro treasure!
Beautiful DX9 and that "The Golden Age Of Wireless" behind there... everything is even more magical. Thanks for this video! From Buenos Aires Argentina.
Cheers!
You’re most welcome! It’s been a hidden and partly forgotten piece of my collection. Bought it in Stockholm while I was on an event job there in 2012… I actually filmed SAS dropping it and throwing it onto the cargo belt while waiting for the plane to get ready! 🙄🙈 Got a video of it somewhere on a backup disk. Will maybe share it sometime if I can find it.
But it shows how well constructed it is… Yamaha meant business back in the day. 😉
Yamaha gear from that time can survive anything it seems. ;-)
Anders, do you have any videos on creating patches? Most of what I can find are for the DX7 which I do not own.. or for a very specific sound. I'm looking for a way to better understand what I'm doing so I can practice to make some patches that I'd like. I'm pretty sure DX9 cannot do the wub wub sounds from dub-step, although many of those are FM... but I would love any assistance to help me better understand my DX9. I'm getting frustrated with the lack of info.
@@HrafnNordhri Sorry, no. I haven’t used this one that much and no editor hooked up. Got little time to edit sounds in general actually. :/
@@AndersEngerJensen OK thanks anyways.
Right I won't use SAS Airlines then
This was my first ever synth. All I can still remember about it was how heavy it was. Brought back some nice other memories when I heard those patches. Thank you
Cheers!
The DX always has that lush electric piano, which is featured on every keyboard they have pushed out since.
In the Long Ago, we used to joke on a Christian music usenet group [I'm aging myself here aren't I?] about "The CCM Keyboard." A lot of contemp. Christian records had many of the same keyboard sounds, so the joke was that there was only one synth in all of CCM, a DX-7 owned by producer Michael Omartian. If you wanted to make a Jesus Music record, you borrowed that DX-7 from him, used it, then passed it on to the next group making a record. :D
@@mrz80 Ha ha. That sounds about right. I lived in So. California at the time, and the powerhouse CCM station was KYMS. I noticed exactly what you're talking about -- I'd say 8 out of 10 CCM songs back then had the same or almost the same saccharine, soulless synth sounds on them. It was like they used 2 or maybe 3 patches, and they were all awful. I couldn't stand them. Thankfully that changed eventually, but there was a dark decade or so of that DX7 suckiness in CCM.
@@Ken5244 Soulless sounding christian pop. Imagine that. LOL
@@rimmersbryggeri I was referring specifically to the synth sounds as being "soulless," not the artists themselves. Granted there are always a few bad apples in any large group of people, and there's no shortage of apostate frauds within the millions of people who claim to be Christians, but my previous comment wasn't an indictment on the sincerity or authenticity of the CCM genre as a whole.
@@Ken5244 That's fine. After all music is about making people happy. I'm swedish and here we have a certian kind of "dance music" that is very popular and does have a use but it's not very original or sincere. It does make alot of people happy when they go out to dance though and it keeps alot of great musicicians in pay. I guess it's kind of the same with CCM. Which make both good even if they are not for me.
The stereo chorus definitely boosts most of those patches from despair into at least borderline respectability. :D
If you dont compare it to a DX7 it sounds perfectly valid and lovely
It does indeed.
😂
This was my first synth. I learned how to program FM on it. I practiced jazz scales and harmony on it late into the night without disturbing my parents. I scored a TV theme with it using a Tascam 244 4-track tape recorder. $1495. 500 cheaper than the DX7. I traded it for a Rhodes Chroma!
Good deal despite the chroma being non midi
I hope you still have that Chroma.
@@musicandfilms9956 Yep, sure do. I have both the power supply and CC+ CPU upgrade that need to be installed. I have to get it from my mother’s house, however. I’m in Norway and she is in Texas. Won’t be cheap. Case, freight and total recap and upgrade installations. But TOTALLY worth it.
Tangent but does the Chroma sync to anything as it doesn't have midi?
@@rachelar It came with a pre-MIDI interface that would link to a Mac, but two guys in the Chroma community developed the modern CC+ midi interface that upgrades the CPU and memory, as well. That and power new power supply are a must if you want to have a reliable Chroma.
Wonderful video! When you played that sounds you immediatly beamed me back to the 80's. It reminded me watching 80's VHS sci-fi movies on a Panasonic NV-333.
I was close to record this video on VHS tape, but I didn't have the time. ;-)
@@EspenKraft Maybe you will do it in one of your next episodes. I really love your channel and i also love the 80's technology, because i am also very much into 80's computer stuff.
I have done several videos on my channel in VHS. ;-) Cheers
Sounds great! I have a DX7 and a DX5 so once I get my DX27 I think I have all the DX bases covered but the 9 sounds great:) Thanks for the video
Cheers!
You're a real dx fan(atic) 😁
@@rachelar Haha. I just really love gear! I actually loathe the workflow on an FM synth but the sounds you can create are unbelievable:) You must be a gear junkie too if you are watching Espens channel!
@@mcdosia420 Espen is the main man.
I love the choice of vinyl albums in the background (Thomas Dolby, Naked Eyes and Roxy Music). Thanks for sharing the DX9, I had wondered about it and now I have a good idea, thanks to your video Espen. :)
Thanks man! Nice spotting of the albums. ;-)
@@EspenKraft The Golden Age of Wireless is stellar because in addition to great sounds it has legitimate songs.
I couldn't afford a DX7 in 1985-ish, and ended up getting the DX9 for $1500. Huge mistake. In just weeks after the purchase Yamaha released the DX100, which did EVERYTHING the DX9 did, had 400 patch memories instead of 16, was touch sensitive when played from a touch sensitive keyboard via MIDI, and ran on batteries too! It basically reduced the value of my new DX9 from $1500 to around the price of the DX100, which was $395. I bit the bullet and traded my DX9 in for the DX100 and soon got an Ensoniq Mirage with touch sensitive keys to play/layer with it via MIDI. To be fair, both the DX9 and the DX100 sounded like the DX7 if you ran a stereo chorus on them. The extra two operators on the DX7 almost always were used to chorus/thicken the basic sound created by the first four operators, so slapping a chorus on the output of the DX100 and playing it through a touch sensitive keybed gave me the "DX7 sound" and it was great. I never felt the need to get the DX7 again, and the DX100 was a perfect second keyboard, even with mini-keys. I was able to get through the 80's with that rig just fine. Then, like almost everyone else in the late 80's, I got the Korg M1 and it dominated in the early 90s.
"400 patch memories instead of 16" >> Since nobody else seems to disagree, please explain to me how you mean that. Because as far as I know the DX100 had 192 preset patches (8 banks of 24 sounds each)...and you had to (sort of) "load" them into one of the 24 RAM slots (called INTERNAL memory, if not used for self-programmed patches) or use one of the 96 BANK memory slots (if not used for self-programmed patches from the INTERNAL area). Those 96 BANK slots are usually filled with the first four preset banks. By using "Shift" you can (alternatively) load the second bunch of 96 preset sounds into these BANK memory slots. If I understood that concept correctly it's not possible to have access to "400" (192 + 96 + 24 = 312) sounds at the same time. 🤔
BTW: The DX9 didn't have 16 slots...it had 20. 😉 (no offence)
@@sauermusicDE It means I'm old and didn't get the numbers right! But yeah, even with only 192 sounds, it blew the DX9 away. And yes, again you are correct, the DX9 had 20 patches. What I remember most was feeling like the DX100 completely obliterated the DX9 - and it did, in just about every way but the actual keyboard, which wasn't velocity sensitive, not even if played from a velocity sensitive keyboard via MIDI, which the DX100 did. The DX9 was overpriced, overweight, lacking in features, and just boring after about 15 minutes on it. I don't think I was ever happier getting rid of a piece of gear then when I traded that thing in.
The Reface DX is in fact a DX 100 with less keys.
But when you added eventide to a dx7 with a GreyMatterE you got total magic.
@@wishusknight3009 Yes, I remember lots of people doing that.
Oh, the Rockman Stereo Chorus! I haven't used mine in ages, must try it out again soon. Thanks for the video, the DX-9 is an interesting synthesizer and it sounds great in your hands.
Many thanks!
I love my DX9. I've even done a patch management program. Available for free download.
I would be very interested to hear about how to download this program please?
Hi Pekka,
Where do we go to download your software please
I'd actually be willing to pay for it. I have had my DX9 since 1983.
I dont know if UA-cam/Espen allow links, but here it is https : / / modernretro . epizy . com
у меня MODX6 👍🏻
SY/TG77 was the pinnacle of yamahas digital synth technology for a long time, combining the DX heritage with samples, filters and effects.
SY99 was the pinnacle because you could import your own samples.
SY77 came out in 1990, so there were alterantives in the digital realm at that time. The DX1 though... first FM-Synth to be released and still relevant today imo, not even a Montage can sound that way.
@@rubonz7714 DX5 was pretty close to DX1, for quite a lot less money.
@@-VCO- true, but the DX1 is just that tad bit better: higher quality casing, less noisy, polyphonic aftertouch, weighted action keys (a matter of taste on that point).
I wasnt talking about price, the DX1 is definetly in another league over the other FMers.
@@rubonz7714 Production was also very brief for the DX-1, so finding one nowadays is rather akin to finding the proverbial needle in a haystack made out of other haystacks.
Some guy at a swap meet tried to sell me one of these. I wasn't too sure because I was more interested in a DX7, but this guy promised that the DX9 was the more superior model. Glad I trusted my gut and didn't buy what he was selling.
If it was the DX1 on the other hand 😉
@@moodyk1979 The owner clearly wouldn't be at a swap meet ;)
@@DarkSideofSynth I don't even know if it worked. He wouldn't let me test it out.
@@rolandserna7805 Not testing out used gear? That guy screams scammer from every possible angle and then some ;)
@@DarkSideofSynth I’m pretty sure he was
That intro sounds so cool man
Thanks! It's the chord progression to my most popular song ever. ;-)
@@EspenKraft Is there a preset in DX-7 that sounds the same?
I remember being puzzled by the DX9 - But it was a common Yamaha product stratification at the time to create different price points. Honestly I believe that most of the cost saving for Yamaha was the keyboard mechanism itself - there's enough of the same electronics to make the cost similar except in the hardware (maybe some memory cost savings too.) The keyboard is also why it wasn't a consideration at all for me at the time - I could live without aftertouch, but velocity sensitivity was one of the major expressive paths of FM synthesis. Without that I thought it really didn't work.
Ironically the original DX7 preset bank makes very little use of velocity. Sure you could strike the keyboard hard or soft, but very few of the sounds changes even if you do. ;-)
@@EspenKraft seriously???
This is another gltch in the Matrix.
@@EspenKraft and the MIDI maxed out at 100 instead of 127 for velocity values. Crazy.
@@SlowCarToChina That was SO annoying! I think the revered KX-88 controller (and probably the DX1 too, initially) suffered from 1-100 instead of 1-127 as well. It was fixed in the DX7II.
@@EspenKraft the presets were carp 🎏 anyway. You gotta program yer own like what Eno did
Thanks. All your videos are just perfect.
Cheers!
Great to see 'The Golden Age of Wireless' album on your shelf. Very under-rated album. Great memories of the DX9. My 1st introduction to FM back in the day,
RIP Matthew Seligman
I'd love to hear a Yamaha V50 in your hands too. It has some cool effects and sequencer functions but no filter. It also is a four operator FM synth. Highly under-rated I think.
I might do that next year. ;-)
I had a V50 in the early 1990s as a workstation for pub/club gigs. It was woefully underpowered for creating backing tracks, its display was minuscule, it sounded thin and weak except for basses and the floppy drive was often catastrophically unreliable. Mind you, one punter, CD in hand, approached me during a break and asked me to play it, apparently thinking that the V50 was replaying studio backing tracks. There, that's the V50 covered.
The Yamaha DX9 patch "Tub. Erupt." was heard in the song "Two of Hearts" (1986).
Very nice performance 👍👍👍 Have a great new week 😉 Greetings 😎
I bought a DX9 from a pawn shop years ago for $50 and sold it to another pawn shop not that long after for $150 as the store owner thought it was like a DX7! 🤪 Well in many ways, it actually was like a DX7!
😂
See my main comment, the DX9 is the same as a DX7 but with less memory, so it only can do 4 Operators and only a handful of algorithms and less internal voice memory. It all came down to the DX9 simply had less RAM and ROM (to lower the cost) so it could do roughly 2/3rds of what a DX7 could do.
Finally some decent DX9 video.
This synth deserves less hate.
Espen, it is really Miami Vice / Jan Hammer Style what you played. Love it!
I love the DX9 - It's almost as if you can hear the structure of how the FM is working in each algorithm and patch. So simple and just has the something about it.
Love those old half rack Rockmans. Used to use them on my DX11. Still have several of them. Recently they came out with a nice sounding plugin emulation, the T-HU Rockguy.
Those have been used on top-selling recordings for decades. Surprising how enduring the Rockman sound was.
They're so great and I should get more of them myself. ;-)
I still have an old Rockman X100 from the 80s, never tried it with a synth but with a guitar, you get instant def leppard Hysteria sound (and most Boston guitar sounds of course). I really need to try it with a synth. I’ve always been curious about those rockman half rack effects, they are still pretty expensive on the used market.
0:00 - 0:32 I can listen to this on loop all night! So simple yet so warm, dark and emotive! Love it!
Thanks. It's from my song Golden Boy.
@EspenKraft I knew I recognized it!!! Hey "Golden Boy" is such a smashing piece!!! It will never grow old!
I've owned a DX9, DX21, DX27 and DX7. They were all either trades or garage (boot) sale finds. I really wanted to like them but I never connected with any of them so they all got traded away. For my money the FB01, PSR-36, and PSS-480 have always provided usable and interesting FM sounds with a much more intuitive interface. Nice demo though!
Cheers
Interesting. The PSRs and PSSs were preset-only home keyboards weren't they? No editable parameters?
In some 1991 The Rockets bumpers, the Yamaha DX9 electric piano was heard.
I like the simplicity of 4 operator FM, perfect for bass and raw electronic tones, and much easier to learn dX-style FM programming on. just wish it had aftertouch. Someone should make an aftertouch ribbon to fit the the DX9 keybed and connect to the mouth pressure input.
How's about a pedal on CC 4?
@@oupahens9219 would that work? Was just thinking Mouth Pressure is probably already routed everywhere it needs to be, and just needs an analog input, like a ribbon controller.
Damn, this one sounds so nice.
As always a nice presentation of a forgotten synth. The DX7 shines but the DX9 should not stay in its shadow.
Cheers!
Thank you very much from France
Cheers!
I had one, and I liked it a lot. It was so much easier to program than the DX7, which I like too, and has 16 voices of polyphony. I have some videos of it here on youtube Yamaha DX9 - UA-cam
I guess if there is less you can do, then it's easier and you make do with what there is and make the best of it
Thanks for sharing this vintage stuff for those that are interested :3
Many thanks!
crippled twin brother?! that's worth a good chuckle.
Sounds perfectly healthy with your hands though 😎
Also: I have a whole rack of Rockman stuff (including that chorus) because of Miami Vice. I HIGHLY recommend the Chorus and the Stereo Echo/Delay to anyone watching/reading-the latter being one of the best sounding delays I’ve ever had.
Cheers man!
There's no doubt this keyboard was one amongst Tangerine Dream's arsenal.
Hey man, I just noticed you have an old school San Diego Padres baseball cap hanging behind you. That’s cool. I’m from San Diego myself, and I too am the 80’s 😎
Yes, I often wear baseball caps in my videos. I love the sport and my fans here sends me caps from their favorite teams to wear in my videos. ;-)
Hello Mr. Kraft.. I had not seen a DX9.. I know that Yamaha reassigned some of the labels when they were released but a 4 Operator DX! Wow.... any DX or FM synth sounds great with some good programming and FXs... looking good. Cheers Mr. Kraft.. as always well done video...
Thanks Jose!
It took me so long to realise somehow
but this synth is BROWN
and I love it
This brand new looking DX9!
That's really worth it!
That brown finish looks fricken wicked
Always wanted one of those rockman units! works like a charm on this rather small sounding DX
My first synth as a teenager in the 80's, eventually sold it during lockdown as lost most of my income. Nostalgia watching this, although I was always jealous of DX7 owners 😂
I have a DX21 and always thought, that the basic sound should be pretty close to the DX9. But probably they did something about the DA converter etc. and some changes in the programming features (I never had a DX9). Anyway the DX21 and the closely following 27 and 100 were probably a logical next step to bring the 4op FM scheme into an affordable (and very compact) format. As always: thanks a lot for another inspiring video!
Cheers!
DX9 though sounds more direct and defined. Got more parameters in the envelops and scaling functions.
Sounds good to me! Im not really a fan of velocity keys, im more of an on/off kinda guy, so thats no limitation for me at all
I can sympathize with that statement.
I'm a guitarist, so I could go with on-off keys and an expression pedal. 's just like doing volume swells on the guitar. :D
Boy that sure is a CLEAN example though, looks brand new!
PS - Sweet Rockman chorus!
It does look brand new. Must be the cleanest example of a 1983 synth I've ever laid my hands on. ;-)
The Rockman chorus is definitely awesome.
@@EspenKraft That chorus gives so much "space" (... or something ?) to that boring dry dx sound.
what a beautiful sound ❤
I'll once again post a comment about the 1989 Yamaha V50.
It's truly a magnificent synth. It's also a FM 4-op synth, but it's main advantage over other is that there's "performace" mode where you can layer up to 8 voices (at the cost of polyphony) which makes it a decent comptetitor to Roland's synthesis which also uses sound stacking. V50 with its internal effects, drum machine, floppy drive, breath control and sequencer is really a wonderful, unexpensive 80s workstation.
That layering functionality is also on the DX11/TX81Z/FB01/YS100/YS200/B200/TQ5/DS55. But they all have only 8 notes of polyphony while the V50 has 16 notes.
@@sauermusicDE Yes, Yamaha V50 is basically an expanded TX81Z module
I’ve been looking for a video on one of these for a while
The oboe, bassoon, french horn, flutes all sound great. Limited, sure, but in 1983 it was miraculous.
Espen Kraft - "How to make the 2nd hand prices of an old synth double with one simple video." :D
I want a good price when I sell my stuff so think of this as my advertising videos. ;-)
I have also a DX21, chorus and effects add a lot to the sound.
DX21 was a 4-op, roughly a DX100 with fullsize keys, right? I get 'em mixed up in my head nowadays :D
@@mrz80 If I remember right, the DX21 had split and layer options. Plus the chorus as Patricia mentioned.
Nice Sounds on a nice Synth
This is the first time I have ever heard a DX9 sound pleasant...
I need the patch of that piano at the beginning for my Reface DX! D:
I got a lot of good sounds out of my DX9, after learning to program it.
This was an old dear sight for me, I had the DX9 in the 80s, because I couldn't afford the DX7 :)
Hello - I have some old recordings I made with this synth and need help identifying the voices used, and ideally if there is a DX7 counterpart I might find on a modern virtual synth so I can recreate them as closely as possible with MIDI. Thanks!
0:01 Please midi for this melody 🙏
This is my most popular song called the "Golden Boy". I have in depth videos about this on my channel here.
@@EspenKraft
OK thnx ☺
Mr. Espen please tell me the name of the preset or a bank from 2:22, im looking for this one for years!!! Great video, as always!!!
It's one of the many tubular bells variations. Can't remember what bank. I used patches from at least 10 different banks. Cheers
@@EspenKraft Thanks for a hint, i will continue my reaserch :) Cheers!
Thank you for not labeling in the video when you had chorus on and off, kept me from being super lazy!
It was too much to edit. ;-)
the rockman chorus is a powerful upgrade for this synth
Nice Video! by the way... whats the name of the sound in the minute: 1:15? the dx7 also has the same preset?
Thanks! I can't remember, the DX9 does not show patch names on the display.
Love my dx9
Simple Fm and simple programming
Thx for a great review of a long
Forgotten fm synth
Cheers.
I ve always said this is a crippled DX7
It’s my first synthesizer. ❤️
Um, wait. Is that a Moog Memorymoog at far left at 0:33? Do we WANT to know how much you spent on that?
I did a couple of videos about it recently, here's one of the videos:
ua-cam.com/video/7ZCNQwBvJp4/v-deo.html
I had one of these in '99 or '00I wasn't a fan of the sound, and not being able to easily get under the hood didn't help. I still think that the synth in this video originally sounded bad, but Espen's playing enhanced it to what we are hearing. ;)
:D
you beat me too it! I picked one up not long ago
Sounds great.
Cheers :D
Great video as always Espen! You made that DX9 sing! However, your Jupiter 8 high up on that stand worries me. I personally have never cared for those stands and have seen keyboards get knocked off of them. I have my JP-8 on a heavy double X stand. Those aren't my favorite either but this one's ok. It's held it up 23 years! ;-)
I think the DX9 became the DX27 with half the polyphony. There's the DX21 that you can split or double the keyboard like the Jupiter 8. It also has a chorus. No velocity or after-touch. Yamaha made a bunch of 4 op low cost synths. The DX11 was a pretty good one. I had one. TX81Z is the rack version. I long since sold the DX11 but I do have a TX81Z and DX21. The latter being a freebie my sister picked up for me about 12 years ago.
Thanks!
From what I understand, the DX11 was actually pretty capable, other than reduced polyphony (8 vs 16 notes at a time).
@@Roboprogs I was a very capable DX :-).
The keyboard had a nice feel to it too. Kinda like a Korg DW8000.
These 4 op FM synths are cool
As a keyboardist the lack of velocity would drive me crazy so my trusty TX81Z does a wonderful job (with an 88 keys master too...)
Say what you will but that dx9 pulls some really nice synth brass like a Juno or oberheim if I dare say
Just got one today. Gotta load sound files to it via audio, kinda' like my Poly 61 I suppose.
Sysex works just fine.
@@EspenKraft Thanks! Did the audio file, will do Sysex soon. Found a whole website dedicated to the DX9. This is the FM sound missing from my set up. Thank you Sir your videos are very helpful to me because most of my synths are 80s synths :-)
Cheers!
It pales (a little) compared to a DX7, but remember, at the time (and I was there), most polysynths didn’t have either velocity sensing or aftertouch. Plus the DX9 is a 16 voice polysynth, when almost all others were only 8 voice, tops!
Great stuff, as usual EK! iS YOUR dx9 brown? Or is that the lighting?
Thanks! It's more the color grading. I did it exaggerated it a bit. ;-)
@@EspenKraft now i want one just to paint it that color brown ha
could we have a copy of your patch sysx files
Sorry, no.
I only had a DX21 for a while (as far as DX synths go). I made one patch I liked (I think I named it 'DIGIORGAN'), but ended up not liking it compared to analog synths, so traded it for something (can't remember). I did like that patch I made, though, and still have it saved on a cassette, so kinda wanna listen to it again. Same with saved Alesis HR-16 data dumps.
Still sounds great!
That first patch is heaven. Where on earth is that from.
It's a patch from a bank. The sound has been processed pretty hard though.
Is it just me or does the DX9 have more detune on tap (even without chorus) than the other four-sine Yamaha FM synths? I have a DX100 and I can't get detuned sounds like that on there.
It has a cut down engine directly from the original DX7 so it can fine tune an operator the same as a DX7 but it lacks the ablility to have fixed operators - the DX9 must always follow the keybed unlike the DX7. The DX9 has a simpler key-scaling (just a simple percentage across the keyboard similar to the DX21/27/100) so not as adjustable as the DX7. The DX21 had fixed ratios and a small amount of detuning within a patch (but you could dual two patches together on the 21 and detune entire patches for a fatter sound).
Thanks for another great video. That is a good idea to add chorus to the classic DX sounds - I had used reverb on my DX9 but I prefer your chorus box! I love my DX9, it has the gritty sounds of the DX7 mk.1 that none of the other DX models can match, but it is WAY easier to program and cheaper to buy than a DX7. I would love to hear what those patches were that you played and if they are available to download?
Thanks! I play patches from a variety of banks, some even modified patches from later DX models.
That's a good idea. I sold my DX7mk1 to get a mk2 for the stereo/performance features but I do miss that crunchy sound. Maybe I'll have to start looking into DX9's soon.
Receives velocity if other keyboard is hooked to it?
Right?
Wrong.
🤠✌🏻CLASSIC!!!!!!!!!!🤠✌🏻
Can it use velocity & AT from a MIDI controller?
Did Yamaha make a unique set of patches for it, or are they just altered versions of classic DX7 patches like E.PIANO1 etc?
It cannot. These are unique patches, but many patches are almost the same as patches can be shared (to a certain degree) between the DX7 and DX9.
Excellent
I’d like to know exactly how much is lost for having operators 5 and 6 deactivated within the chassis of this synthesizer. D these same patches in the DX7 sound that much fuller with those two operators going?
I show that in a more recent video.
Oh, I recognized this watch))
Nice color, brown... :)
Thank you for video. By the way (before i try to search :)) did you ever have a video on DX100? Thank you.
No, not the DX100, but I have a video on the TX81Z and FB01 which (in different ways) are the same as the DX100 except they're modules.
Always had a soft spot for the 9. I can't say exactly why, but it might just be because it is/was the mungrel/underdog of the range! A bit like the Jupiter 6, it's having to fight it's bigger more opulent brother for air.
Hey Espen I bought a DX7S and it is great only thing is about 8 of the programming buttons came not working :(.......Do you have any advice on where to start with fixing synths? Love your videos and I thought you know more than I do considering I learn something new every time I watch them so I thought you would be the right person to ask.
It must be opened up and visually inspected for the obvious, like lose cables, connectors etc. After that it could be anything. Old tact switches needs replacing, but if it's a cluster of 8 buttons and the rest works I think it's something else. Take it to a tech if you're not experienced yourself. Best of luck.
@@EspenKraft thanks Espen wish me luck!
1:15 Ooh, that's nice!
I often wonder if the difference in the synth engine Was simply a different firmware EPROM…
That's pretty much the truth, although there are some differences in the output circuitry.
what's the synth with the blue membrane buttons behind the DX9?
That is is of course the classic Yamaha KX88 master keyboard from the same time. I have a video about that on the channel. You can see this master keyboard in pretty much any music video from the 80s where keyboards are shown.
@@EspenKraft thanks! It looks really classy.