Podcast Episode 50: What is a Yamaha DX7, and why was it such a big deal?
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- Опубліковано 5 тра 2023
- To celebrate my 50th episode, we’re going to explore the synthesizer that started me on this synth obsession- the iconic Yamaha DX7! In this video we’ll go over its history, features, and why it was such a game-changer in the world of electronic music. From its revolutionary, frequency modulation synthesis engine to its ubiquitous sound in ‘80s pop hits, we’re going to dive into what made the DX7 so special and why it continues to be relevant today. Whether you're a seasoned synth enthusiast or just curious about the history of electronic music, this video will give you a deeper appreciation for the Yamaha DX7 and its impact on music production!
As always, thanks for taking the time to listen in! We play with sound, we have some fun, and we learn some new stuff!
The goal of this podcast is to just explore sound and have fun while creating... No musical experience is required to enjoy!
I also welcome suggested topics for future episodes!
You can find new episodes here every Saturday.
Don't forget to subscribe to my channel!
Music Intro/Outro Credit
"End 2 End" by SoundPaint
Video Production
Kewlacious Video Productions
www.kewlacious.com
Hardware I use in this video:
Keyboard:
Arturia KeyLab 88 MkII 88-key Weighted Keyboard Controller
www.sweetwater.com/store/deta...
Moog DFAM
www.sweetwater.com/store/deta...
Microphone:
AUDIX CX112B Large Diaphragm Microphone
www.cymbalfusion.com/audix-cx...
Software I use in this video
Ableton Live 11 Suite
www.sweetwater.com/store/deta...
Arturia Analog Lab V
www.sweetwater.com/store/deta...
Tags: #Music #musiceducation #electronicmusic #musicpodcast #musicschool #dx7 #yamaha #80smusic #80ssynth
The DX7 is one of my favorite synths, one correction however, it wasn't used on the X-Files, that was an E-MU Proteus 2 preset called "Whistl'n Joe". And for those who can't afford, or don't want a hardware DX7, and don't want to pay what the Arturia costs, there's a free VST called Dexed. It's 100% patch compatible with the DX7, and nails the sound 100%. it's literally a free DX7.
Yes, but since the Proteus was a Rompler, it probably was a sample of a Yamaha DX synth. It has that DX sound about it.
It even imports DX7 sounds
Greatly enjoyed your story about your dad. Thank you.
Thank you so much for the support! 🤍
Bought my DX7 new in 1985. Added an E! board (from Grey Matter) and still have it to this day. The various VST plugins are close but won't have quite that same 12 bit A/D gritty sound. For those wishing to delve into programming a DX7, UA-cam guy Madfame put out a series of tutorials worth watching. Once you understand understand FM and learn the DX7 's quirky interface it becomes less mysterious.
I love that!! I always say that understanding music tech (or music theory) creates such a great foundation to build a freedom of expression! Thanks for the recommendation… I’ll have to check out Madfame’s videos!
1983-2023. Yeah, time to learn Yamaha FM synthesis. Never too late.
The DX7 is one of the greats, along with the original Moogs and Buchla synths of the late 60s/early 70s. The Fairlight is also important IMO as the first practical sampler.
Let's face it, music technology hasn't improved much since the early 80s, we had 90% of what we have today. The only thing we didn't have back then was physically modelled stuff like the SWAM VSTs, for example!
Death of autotunes, death to protools.
For about five or six years after its release the DX7 was on every other record production. That's because it was affordable and it had a bunch of sounds
that nobody had ever used before. In the late 80s and early 90s the competition got bigger. More songs were recorded on a D50, an M1 and other synths.
I like the DX7V but I prefer a VST called Dexed. Not only is it free, it also reads original DX7 sysex data. So, you can get a ton of sounds on the internet
without spending any money.
Thank you so much for sharing this information! And thanks for the recommendation… I’ll definitely look into Dexed!
@@soundpaintacademy my pleasure
I recommend using Ops7 as a DX7 emulator. It reads classic DX7 SYSEX files more accurately and overall it has a more detailed/accurate DX sound. Plus it allows layering patches, like a DX7 mk2.
Congratulations on this great episode. My first synthesizer was also a Yamaha DX7. It's nice to see that there are still more people who appreciate this synthesizer so much
Awesome, man! It’s always good to find new fellow DX7 lovers!! 🎶 🎹
Thank you for covering this. Please consider making it a mini series, so you can cover the DX7 tubular bells, clavinet, flute and other great sounds in addition to the electric piano you covered. I got one of the first DX7 synthesizers. It was my first and only polyphonic for a long time. Now that its programmability has been made more friendly and accessible to many of us in the form of the Korg Volca FM and OpSix, I think we are going to hear more of what 6-operator FM can do.
Awesome! I love that idea, and I will consider it! Happy sound exploring!
My first synth was a DX27. I was 19. It was all I could afford but I was thrilled to have it. Today my main synth is a Kodamo EssenceFM, which is 6op and very similar to a DX7, with more functionality and a user-friendly programming interface. FM synthesis always takes me back to the good times I had in the 80's. Even the arcade games that used the Yamaha chip for sound had those distinctive sound quality to them.
Awesomeness!! That FM sound is so so so good!! 🎶 🎹
50 episodes?? well... now i have a lot to listen to
Congrats! love this format
Aww thank you so much for the support!! Hope you enjoy the content! 🎶
I had a DX7 long ago. It's why I got a DX plugin board for my Motif, and why I got a MODX+ with it's FM-X engine. But... I still love subtractive synthesis, and a synthesizer that has knobs that lets me adjust anything while playing.
I have an Arteria KeyLab Essential 88 and upgraded Analog Lab to V Collection. Great combination of software and hardware. But I still have my two hardware synths, both chosen because they have a combination of things I can't do with the software I have, the MODX+ and the Pro 3.
I couldn’t agree more! Arturia and Analog V is absolutely amazing! But at the same time, sometimes you need to physically get your hands on those knobs! 🎹
@@soundpaintacademy The Sequential Pro 3 SE I have is a wonder to behold. Powerful mod matrix scratches that itch I have to go Eurorack.
@@delscoville I actually don’t have any experience with the Sequential Pro 3! I just looked it up, and it does sound pretty sweet! And the temptation to build a eurorack is so strong 😂. If this curbs that appetite, that’s amazing! Haha Thanks for recommendation!
I had a DX27 for a bit, sold it as soon as the FM7 virtual instrument came out and it could load all the presets. Kind of regret it now. I keep going back to the old FM sounds though. Even played synth bass in an 80s band recently. And I have mini dexed set up on a raspberry pi.
Yeah, those old FM sounds are amazing! It’s difficult to find something that compares. That’s so cool you played bass synth (I actually just set up my pedal board to create a synth sound on my electric bass)! Keep creating, my friend!!
whoever coined the term " decorating a hallway thru the letterbox " summed up the digital synth era.
A great episode, Dx7 was my first synth too , loved messing around with it , now I’ve got the Modx which gives me all the sounds again, I had a sound bank that emulated the d50 , that was awesome , I remember a patch called OK Corale ,
Thank you! I always love meeting a fellow DX lover! Happy sound exploration to you!
♥️I LOVED THIS♥️
1:45 "It was the first synthesizer that was accessible to musicians" ... I think the MiniMoog would have something to say about that.
The DX7 was a 180 pivot in the synth world and that's why it was so successful. It prioritized price, performance and portability over programmability and allowed musicians to replace many keyboards and synths in the studio and on tour with just one. The downside, as expressed by Trent Reznor elsewhere on UA-cam, was that it actually stifled creativity ... it got mostly used as little more than a glorified preset organ and other manufacturers rushed to replicate its success with hard to program but very expressive digital synths and we had a decade of music across many genres sounding largely the same.
FM synthesis is addictive, onc I start on the Quantum playing with the Kernels, I´m gone for ours....and then with Voltage Modular, trying to do al sorts of FM synthesis tricks with all sorts of oscillators.....but I would never want to have a DX7, only looking at it, it just shouts, inaccessible button thing...but the technology....great.... Arturia DX7, great, dive in...made me familiar with FM synthesis...
I love it! Yeah, FM is addictive IF you can really get your hands in there and modify/shape your sound! Keep on exploring!
😎✌🏼
Shout out to the Casio CZ synths of the same period. Easier to program and a little grittier than the DX…..And to Arturia for giving us access to all these synths again…the more things change the more that stay the same. And ….Thanks for your video…..And the Froggie Moog…
Would be good to mention DX7 was the first affordable DIGITAL synth. There were other digital synths before, not only from Yamaha but also Synclavir. Before DX7 there was DX1 which was expensive as hell. So, this is why it was a breakthrough - first ever versatile affordable digital synthesizer.
Correct. ABBA member Benny Anderson. Had been playing a monster GX1 keyboard back in the mid 70s. But it couldn't be afforded by many.
@@fender1000100 Yamaha GX-1 was full analog synth. But it was expensive as hell. Much more expensive than DX1.
Hey there Soundpaint ( didn't catch your name or a name you wanted to go by so going with that :D ). Nice job on your 50th video! I love the DX7 (yeah I was a kid of the 70s) something about is still sounds magical. I will have to check out some of your other videos and see what else you've got going on. I subbed and liked ;D
Awesome! Thanks, man!
If you didn't have a DX7 you weren't cool. Saw MANY bands rocking a DX7 and a Juno 106.
Absolutely! It was THE sound to use in the 80s!
I have two mark I DX7s: (beautiful brown color) one of the earliest 1983 versions and a 1986 (late SN) … the sound is just unreal on these (I prefer it over the successor mark iis) because of the bit rate and converters. The original DX7s have a floating point DAC with a 12 bit mantissa and 15 bits of dynamic range. The next models went to 16 bit and just sound different.
I’d recommend the Supermax expansions and a backlit lcd swap. They are addictive to edit, just pickup “patchbase” for iPad and you will open up new worlds.
Wow! That’s incredible! I didn’t know that difference between the mark I and the mark II. And I’ll look up the Supermax expansions. Thanks for the info!
IM working on building a Yamaha DX/FM Keyboard stand with 8 Yamaha DX/FM synthesizers. I have a Yamaha DX7 MK 1, DX7 IID, DX11, DX21, DX27, TX7, FB-01, SY55 all on one Jaspers Keyboard stand with all 8 keyboards being controlled from my M-Audio Axiom 61 midi controller throgh a iConnectivity mioXL 8x12 USB/Networkable MIDI Interface. I have not completed the stand yet because my DX7 IID and DX11 are in the shop being completly rehabbed, Once I get those back IM going to get it all set up in my studio and run the keybaord setup through my DAW AVID Pro Tools.
Amazing!! Happy sound exploring to you!! 🎶 🎹
Sounds amazing! Don’t forget the DX5 (if you can fit it lol)I’ve always wanted one. Have two mark 1s w Supermax expansions (highly recommended!) best wishes on your project
I was there when the dx7 released.....it WAS The Synth you had to have to be considered Pro
Those tones yah get out of the DFAM would be what I call "squishy squonk" Great stuff.
I recall from the time the band "Aha" getting in a bit of trouble with Yamaha for scratching the 'YAM' off the back of their DX7s for TV performances.
That’s hilarious…but how could they not??😂
Hahaha I think I remember hearing that story.
i have 2 dx 7..
the best sounds i ever heard.
now i will buy a v50 ;d
I love the Arturia DX7 one of my go to instruments
I love how accessible it is for people who can’t just buy one!
Pops doing bespoke dx7 sound design is amazing. Nerd dads ftw.
Also, the tiny little volca fm synths are essentially 3 voice dx7s, with onboard sequencing, simplified tweaking, and powered by AA batteries. Pocket nostalgia sounds.
Nice video! IMHO the DX7 isn't that hard to program/tweak, once you get the hang of it. That being said, Arturia DX7 V does make things a lot easier (but I guess I'm somewhat biased, being on the DX7 V development team).
Technically, the DX7 modulates the phase.
Not really… the casio cz range of synthesizers worked that way but fm is frequency modulation, audio rate vibrato.
Programming the 7 was tons of fun!! Sure it was nitpicky, but the results are YOUR OWN sounds... Smoke weed and mess with it.
It wasnt accessible for a year or two as studios had all pre ordered it. It was the first widely available digital,one tho
Greetings from an Opsix-user, a modern FM synth with an easier interface.
Am interested in all things FM since I got mine.
Had to look up the Arturia version because I saw “wave” on the screen.
The original only had sine. The other waveforms make a worthwhile difference.
FM Synthesis is so fascinating! It’s always so good to meet other enthusiasts!! I will definitely look into the Opsix!
Great video! I loved how you covered the history and your dad seemed really cool. I have a DX7 MK1 myself and I really do like it even compared to some of the newer synths I have. I learned something when you showcased the Arturia DX7 V plugin. That is pretty mindblowing and anyone who wants a DX7 should really check it out especially considering that an actual DX7 weighs 33 lbs.
Thank you! Yeah, sometimes newer isn’t always better… just improved in some ways. The price tag for one is a huge improvement for the plugin! I believe it runs around $200. But I can’t help but also feel there’s a bit of that original authenticity lost. Just a bit of the trade off I suppose. Happy sound exploration to you either way!
It's a trip to think that the DX7 came out the same year I was born 😂👍 even though I couldn't program it to save my life... Long live FM synthesis! 🎹🎚️✌️
DX7 can do a lot more than bell tones….just takes some work 😊. Bought original DX7 in January 1986 spent a lot of time programming it. Ha
Ha! That’s great! Hope you still have it in your arsenal! 😉 🎹
@@soundpaintacademy still there along with other vintage digital
If they used knobs instead of buttons....it would have been easy to program
Good point!!
When the Dexed DX7 emulator came out I made this demo for an FM-unbelieving friend I wanted to show the versatility of FM:
ua-cam.com/video/kwNGIbZzVqg/v-deo.html
Oh my gosh, those sound are CRAZY!! Awesome job, man!!
Best Song on a Yamaha FM-Synthesizer is „Die Tänzerin“ bei Ulla Meinecke and Edo Zanki played on a GS-1. But even it sounds familiar with all those FM-Rhodes we know and love, this sound is something special. It‘s so dynamic and changes with velocity imho like no other synth: ua-cam.com/video/fjr7SvWNJKQ/v-deo.html
Seems like the DX7 still has a lot of followers if the jump in viewers has any bearing.
Hmmm.
Subbed
For reasons
It wasn’t the first commercially successful synthesiser, or the first affordable synthesiser. Not sure where you got that information
With respect: If you do a simple search, nearly all of the results will confirm that it was, indeed, the first commercially successful synth.
It was the first commercially successful digital synthesizer. Digital guys. She actually gets various things wrong about the dx7.
@@effervescentelephant917 I don’t strive for perfection (I actually find it annoying), and I don’t claim to be an expert of synthesizers, just an appreciator encouraging others to also appreciate.
@@soundpaintacademy Sure, there's no problem with appreciating synthesizers and vintage gear, but you gotta admit you are misinforming your viewers (specially amateurs who are getting into synths) with your made up facts like the X Files Sounds, those were made on a Proteus, even when you bring up the Moog you say (Because they're friends) but they are the total opposite, you just explained FM Synthesis in a theoretical way but you don't mention Operators, Carriers, Algorithms, you don't even know what to do to the Arturia DX7, you just point out how crazy it looks and no, this is not being perfectionist. It is called being dedicated to what you love, and truly appreciate every intricate part of what you say you love, so if I think of making a podcast to encourage appreciation towards something meaningful such as the first synthesizer I laid my hands on (Which is what you say) I would make my best effort to elaborate on it and make it have the best content and accuracy so everyone who watches or listens to it can rely on it and don't make a fool of themselves out there in the real world. But don't mind my comments, I'm just an appreciator encouraging others to also appreciate ;)
@Soundpaint And perfection is something everyone should strive for in order to become competent in such a big world with a lot of conformists who are happy with medium-quality art, music, movies, etc. Don't be another brick in the wall and be perfectionist.
He would not need to "gut" or modify the dx7 to change parameters, it's not that hard to operate it
Totally wrong example at 8:00. This whistle sound in X-Files comes from E-Mu Proteus 2. Composer Mark Snow proved this fact himself several times.
You think this was good try a yamaha tx816
I will look into it! Thanks!
I really don't know it is rubbish when you look at what we've got now.
I would say that what we've got now is the rubbish you are talking about. Today's modern technology has come to a point where just the expensive stuff is the good stuff and the affordable gear that almost every musician can afford today is pretty generic material based on something vintage (Korg OPSix, Yamaha MODX, Roland Boutique series, Behringer Clones, etc) with a questionable source of quality. So what we got now it's a lot of amateur room musicians who call themselves 'producers' with affordable and good looking equipment doing basic/generic and hollow material just like our friend from this video and probably you too my friend! Vintage gear is the best and today's 'cool stuff' sucks. Peace.
@@effervescentelephant917 love your comment
If you’re going to demo out sounds from the dx7 you should not bring a subtractive synth like the moog to try to accompany it. You could try and add drums but those moog squelches interfere with the sounds from the dx7 plugin. Even at the end you realized you played more with the moog than the DX7. Maybe less Alien sounds and more elaborate demos.