Yamaha DX7
Encyclopedia
The Yamaha DX7 is an FM Digital Synthesizer
manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1986. It was the first commercially successful digital synthesizer
. Its distinctive sound can be heard on many recordings, especially Pop music from the 1980s. The DX7 was the moderately priced model of the DX series of FM keyboards that included DX9, the smaller DX100, DX11
, and DX21 and the larger DX1 and DX5
. Over 160,000 DX7s were made, and it remains one of the best-selling synthesizers of all time.
Tone generation in the DX7 is based on linear frequency Modulation Synthesis
(FM) based on research by John Chowning
at Stanford University.
The DX7 was known for precision and flexibility of its bright, digital sounds
, which were much clearer than those of the analog synthesizer
s that preceded it. The DX7 is well-known for its electric piano, bells, and other "struck" and "plucked" sounds which emphasize complex attack transients. It is capable of 16-note polyphony. While the instrument is monotimbral, the manner in which the sound of a single DX7 patch can change either subtly or wildly along the length of the keyboard or when played with different velocities can make it sound multitimbral. The DX7 features 32 algorithms, each being a different arrangement of its six sine wave Operators, allowing for a great deal of programming flexibility.
internal memory, or corresponding 32-voice DX7 RAM
cartridge inserted into a front panel access door/port. Pre-programmed ROM cartridges could also be inserted here and the original DX7 shipped with two of these cartridges with two banks of 32 voices (sounds) each, for a total of 128 voices available. Several computer applications exist for various operating systems (Atari, Mac OS, and Windows) that can enable a user to load different presets into the keyboard from a computer via MIDI; most computer based midi recording software can also load to or save from the DX7.
ports, but was released shortly before the specification was completed; thus, its MIDI implementation is quite modest: It only transmits information on MIDI channel 1; it can receive information on any one of the sixteen MIDI channels at a time, but lacks the OMNI feature that enabled later DXs in the series to receive on all MIDI channels simultaneously. Very early DX7s manufactured in 1983 were distinctive for not having "MIDI Channel" inscribed next to the button that opens this function (button 8). This lack of marking was corrected by 1984 .
Additionally, the maximum MIDI velocity value that the DX7 will transmit is 100 (of the 127 maximum value defined by the standard). The DX7 will, however, respond to the full range of velocity values when sent from an outside MIDI source. This means that when using the DX7 as a MIDI controller to play external sound modules, the patches on these modules will have to be adjusted to be more sensitive to velocity. It also means that when playing the DX7's own sounds using an external MIDI controller or sequencer, the velocity values will have to be rescaled before input to the DX7, or the DX7 patches would have to be adjusted to be less sensitive to velocity.
functions to the DX7II keyboard, and increased patch memory and a vastly improved MIDI implementation in the original DX7. DX7 IIs could transmit and receive on any one of 16 MIDI channels at a time. The DX7 family remains popular to this day with many recording and performing artists.
The upgrade to 16-bit digital-to-analog converters helped to solve one of the original DX7's shortcomings: noisy output. The instrument's 12-bit DAC's generated a fair amount of hiss, and some users would put a noise gate in its signal path to quiet the unit when it wasn't playing.
Yamaha wisely designed the DX7 II series so that voices produced on the original DX7 were 100% compatible with the new "II" models, which allowed users to immediately experience improved sound quality from existing DX7 patches via the increased resolution and fidelity of the new 16-bit system. Further, this meant that DX7 II owners had access to a vast base of thousands of existing DX7 sounds, which amounted to a major selling point for the new units.
In 1988, in celebration of the company's 100-year anniversary, Yamaha released the DX7 II Centennial. It was a DX7 II FD with a silver case, gold painted buttons and sliders, and 76 glow-in-the-dark keys. Only 100 were made and they were priced at US$3995.
Both the TX216 and the TX816 were capable of multi-timbral operations, but only if used with a sequencer
which had multiple MIDI outputs, such as Yamaha's QX1.
Rack-mountable sound modules which, while not identical to the DX-7 series, produced sound using similar algorithms include the TX802: a DX7II in a 2-unit rack mount machine which featured 8 outputs. The unit was capable of 8-part multi-timbral operation, similar to its predecessors, but because each part could be assigned its own MIDI channel, only one MIDI input was necessary.
This distinctive, fresh sound, while by no means an exact duplicate of the ever-popular Fender Rhodes electric piano, was nevertheless very reminiscent of it and has become, arguably, the single sound with which the DX7 is most identified. This sound was subsequently edited and expanded upon to produce the now-famous DX7 Rhodes sound.
DX7 II (and DX7S) released in 1987 made a distinctive, bright, overtone-rich version of the "E. Piano 1" sound available as a preset. On the DX7 II this sound became known as "Fulltines."
Variations of the DX7 Rhodes sound were produced by individual artists and programmers, as well as manufacturers of other synthesizers. Though not always produced on Yamaha DX/TX equipment or using FM synthesis, the family of sounds based on Yamaha's "Fulltines" became ubiquitous in popular music from 1984 through the early 1990s. Most synthesizers and home keyboards included an "electric piano" patch that imitated the DX7 Rhodes sound. In the 1990s, improvements in sampling
technology, decreased emphasis on synthesized sound in popular music, and a resurgence of interest in vintage keyboard instruments led to the sound falling out of favor.
Because the "E. Piano 1" DX7 preset only faintly resembled a real Rhodes Piano
, and the subsequent "Fulltines" even less so, devotees of real vintage electric pianos often express their distaste for the DX7 Rhodes sound. Its strong presence in synthesizer-heavy popular music, especially pop ballads, during the 1980s has led to the sound being labeled a cliché
.
Notable pop songs that use the preset are: "After All" by Al Jarreau
, "Here and Now" by Luther Vandross
, and Chicago's "Hard Habit to Break
" among others.
has developed a popular software synthesizer, the FM8
(2006) (previously the FM7 (2001–2006)), that emulates the DX7's digital circuitry and can load original DX7 patches. It also improves on its predecessor in that it can also load patches from Yamaha's 4-operator FM synths, including the TX81z, which was the first FM synth to allow non-sine wave operators.
CSound
also has opcodes for producing DX7 sounds.
"Various DX7 programmers have told a person that they "bury" "useless" data in their sounds so that I can prove ownership later. Sometimes the data is obvious, like weird keyboard scalings on inaudible operators, and sometimes it's not, like nonsense characters in a program name."
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1986. It was the first commercially successful digital synthesizer
Digital synthesizer
A digital synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses digital signal processing techniques to make musical sounds.Electronic keyboards make music through sound waves.-History:...
. Its distinctive sound can be heard on many recordings, especially Pop music from the 1980s. The DX7 was the moderately priced model of the DX series of FM keyboards that included DX9, the smaller DX100, DX11
Yamaha DX11
The Yamaha DX11 was one of the latest models of the DX series that Yamaha produced in the 1980s. This synth has been reported to be the most upgraded 4-OP synth of the DX series ....
, and DX21 and the larger DX1 and DX5
Yamaha DX1
The Yamaha DX1 is the top-level member of Yamaha's prolific DX series of FM synthesizers. It featured two sets of the same synthesizer chipset used in the DX7, allowing either double the polyphony or dual simultaneous instrument patches. In addition, it contained twice the amount of patch memory...
. Over 160,000 DX7s were made, and it remains one of the best-selling synthesizers of all time.
Tone generation in the DX7 is based on linear frequency Modulation Synthesis
Frequency modulation synthesis
A 220 Hz carrier tone modulated by a 440 Hz modulating tone with various choices of modulation index, β. The time domain signals are illustrated above, and the corresponding spectra are shown below ....
(FM) based on research by John Chowning
John Chowning
John M. Chowning is an American composer, musician, inventor, and professor best known for his work at Stanford University and his invention of FM synthesis while there.-Contribution:...
at Stanford University.
The DX7 was known for precision and flexibility of its bright, digital sounds
Digital audio
Digital audio is sound reproduction using pulse-code modulation and digital signals. Digital audio systems include analog-to-digital conversion , digital-to-analog conversion , digital storage, processing and transmission components...
, which were much clearer than those of the analog synthesizer
Analog synthesizer
An analog or analogue synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog computer techniques to generate sound electronically. The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s such as the Trautonium were built with a variety of vacuum-tube and electro-mechanical technologies...
s that preceded it. The DX7 is well-known for its electric piano, bells, and other "struck" and "plucked" sounds which emphasize complex attack transients. It is capable of 16-note polyphony. While the instrument is monotimbral, the manner in which the sound of a single DX7 patch can change either subtly or wildly along the length of the keyboard or when played with different velocities can make it sound multitimbral. The DX7 features 32 algorithms, each being a different arrangement of its six sine wave Operators, allowing for a great deal of programming flexibility.
Programming
Voices can be programmed by a user, and stored into a 32-voice RAMRam
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
internal memory, or corresponding 32-voice DX7 RAM
Ram
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
cartridge inserted into a front panel access door/port. Pre-programmed ROM cartridges could also be inserted here and the original DX7 shipped with two of these cartridges with two banks of 32 voices (sounds) each, for a total of 128 voices available. Several computer applications exist for various operating systems (Atari, Mac OS, and Windows) that can enable a user to load different presets into the keyboard from a computer via MIDI; most computer based midi recording software can also load to or save from the DX7.
MIDI
The DX7 includes MIDIMusical Instrument Digital Interface
MIDI is an industry-standard protocol, first defined in 1982 by Gordon Hall, that enables electronic musical instruments , computers and other electronic equipment to communicate and synchronize with each other...
ports, but was released shortly before the specification was completed; thus, its MIDI implementation is quite modest: It only transmits information on MIDI channel 1; it can receive information on any one of the sixteen MIDI channels at a time, but lacks the OMNI feature that enabled later DXs in the series to receive on all MIDI channels simultaneously. Very early DX7s manufactured in 1983 were distinctive for not having "MIDI Channel" inscribed next to the button that opens this function (button 8). This lack of marking was corrected by 1984 .
Additionally, the maximum MIDI velocity value that the DX7 will transmit is 100 (of the 127 maximum value defined by the standard). The DX7 will, however, respond to the full range of velocity values when sent from an outside MIDI source. This means that when using the DX7 as a MIDI controller to play external sound modules, the patches on these modules will have to be adjusted to be more sensitive to velocity. It also means that when playing the DX7's own sounds using an external MIDI controller or sequencer, the velocity values will have to be rescaled before input to the DX7, or the DX7 patches would have to be adjusted to be less sensitive to velocity.
Variants
Three improved "DX7 II" models were released between 1987 and 1989, all of which featured updated internal circuitry and a restyled case. These were the DX7 IID, which improved sound quality from 12-bit to 16-bit, increased the internal patch memory and allowed bi-timbrality; the DX7 IIFD, which was identical to the DX7 IID except that it also had a floppy disk drive; and the DX7S, which had improved sound quality and the updated case, but otherwise had the same essential functionality of the original DX7 and in that sense, was its true successor. Third-party products for the DX7 also flourished in the 1980s, including Grey Matter Response's E! expansion board, which added sequencerMusic sequencer
The music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...
functions to the DX7II keyboard, and increased patch memory and a vastly improved MIDI implementation in the original DX7. DX7 IIs could transmit and receive on any one of 16 MIDI channels at a time. The DX7 family remains popular to this day with many recording and performing artists.
The upgrade to 16-bit digital-to-analog converters helped to solve one of the original DX7's shortcomings: noisy output. The instrument's 12-bit DAC's generated a fair amount of hiss, and some users would put a noise gate in its signal path to quiet the unit when it wasn't playing.
Yamaha wisely designed the DX7 II series so that voices produced on the original DX7 were 100% compatible with the new "II" models, which allowed users to immediately experience improved sound quality from existing DX7 patches via the increased resolution and fidelity of the new 16-bit system. Further, this meant that DX7 II owners had access to a vast base of thousands of existing DX7 sounds, which amounted to a major selling point for the new units.
In 1988, in celebration of the company's 100-year anniversary, Yamaha released the DX7 II Centennial. It was a DX7 II FD with a silver case, gold painted buttons and sliders, and 76 glow-in-the-dark keys. Only 100 were made and they were priced at US$3995.
Rack mount and desktop
The TX7 and the TF1 are keyboardless versions of the original DX7, both of which are binary-compatible with the DX7 patches, and produce sound in exactly the same way as the DX7. The TX7 is in a desktop case with a slanted front, which was not designed to be rack mounted. The TF1 is in a small vertical form factor, designed to be inserted into a special chassis which could accommodate up to 8 TF1s. This chassis, fully populated with 8 TF1s, was sold as the TX816, and was also available as the TX216 with two sound modules which could be customized by inserting more TF1 modules, purchased separately.Both the TX216 and the TX816 were capable of multi-timbral operations, but only if used with a sequencer
Music sequencer
The music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...
which had multiple MIDI outputs, such as Yamaha's QX1.
Rack-mountable sound modules which, while not identical to the DX-7 series, produced sound using similar algorithms include the TX802: a DX7II in a 2-unit rack mount machine which featured 8 outputs. The unit was capable of 8-part multi-timbral operation, similar to its predecessors, but because each part could be assigned its own MIDI channel, only one MIDI input was necessary.
Electric piano emulation
The DX7 Rhodes, also known as DX Rhodes, FM Rhodes, FM E. Piano, or Digital Rhodes, is a Fender Rhodes emulation originally produced by the "E. Piano 1" patch on the Yamaha DX7 (and TX-series rackmount) line of synthesizers.This distinctive, fresh sound, while by no means an exact duplicate of the ever-popular Fender Rhodes electric piano, was nevertheless very reminiscent of it and has become, arguably, the single sound with which the DX7 is most identified. This sound was subsequently edited and expanded upon to produce the now-famous DX7 Rhodes sound.
DX7 II (and DX7S) released in 1987 made a distinctive, bright, overtone-rich version of the "E. Piano 1" sound available as a preset. On the DX7 II this sound became known as "Fulltines."
Variations of the DX7 Rhodes sound were produced by individual artists and programmers, as well as manufacturers of other synthesizers. Though not always produced on Yamaha DX/TX equipment or using FM synthesis, the family of sounds based on Yamaha's "Fulltines" became ubiquitous in popular music from 1984 through the early 1990s. Most synthesizers and home keyboards included an "electric piano" patch that imitated the DX7 Rhodes sound. In the 1990s, improvements in sampling
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
technology, decreased emphasis on synthesized sound in popular music, and a resurgence of interest in vintage keyboard instruments led to the sound falling out of favor.
Because the "E. Piano 1" DX7 preset only faintly resembled a real Rhodes Piano
Rhodes piano
The Rhodes piano is an electro-mechanical piano, invented by Harold Rhodes during the fifties and later manufactured in a number of models, first in collaboration with Fender and after 1965 by CBS....
, and the subsequent "Fulltines" even less so, devotees of real vintage electric pianos often express their distaste for the DX7 Rhodes sound. Its strong presence in synthesizer-heavy popular music, especially pop ballads, during the 1980s has led to the sound being labeled a cliché
Cliché
A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,...
.
Notable pop songs that use the preset are: "After All" by Al Jarreau
Al Jarreau
Alwin "Al" Lopez Jarreau is a seven-time Grammy Award winning jazz singer.- Background :Jarreau was born in Milwaukee, the fifth of six children. His web site refers to Reservoir, Inc., the name of the street where he lived. His father was a Seventh-Day Adventist Church minister and singer, and...
, "Here and Now" by Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...
, and Chicago's "Hard Habit to Break
Hard Habit to Break
"Hard Habit to Break" is a song written by Steve Kipner and John Lewis Parks produced and arranged by David Foster and recorded by the group Chicago for their 1984 album Chicago 17, with Bill Champlin and Peter Cetera sharing lead vocals. Released as the second single from the album, it reached...
" among others.
Marimba emulation
The DX7 Marimba preset was also used extensively in 1980s electronic and commercial music. In a similar fashion to the E. Piano 1 preset, percussionists typically react negatively to this "hard mallet" version of a Marimba sound, instead preferring the more mellow, round and warm "yarn-wound" mallet sound used by concert Marimbists. The DX7 is easily capable of producing such a sound, but the difficulty of FM synthesis programming combined with the immediacy of the stock DX7 sounds usually meant that players performed and recorded with the sounds they had at their fingertips; thus the stock DX7 sounds flourished in recorded music in the 1980s.Software emulation
Native InstrumentsNative Instruments
Native Instruments is a technology company that develops software and hardware for music production and DJing. The company has originally been identified mostly with software instruments, but has also expanded to various other music equipment segments in recent years.Current products of Native...
has developed a popular software synthesizer, the FM8
FM8
FM8 is a commercial, proprietary software synthesizer from Native Instruments. It is the successor of FM7, a software emulation of the Yamaha DX7. FM8 includes many new features, for example: an arpeggiator, real time morphing, effects, a preset browser, and an updated interface...
(2006) (previously the FM7 (2001–2006)), that emulates the DX7's digital circuitry and can load original DX7 patches. It also improves on its predecessor in that it can also load patches from Yamaha's 4-operator FM synths, including the TX81z, which was the first FM synth to allow non-sine wave operators.
CSound
Csound
Csound is a computer programming language for dealing with sound, also known as a sound compiler or an audio programming language, or more precisely, a C-based audio DSL. It is called Csound because it is written in C, as opposed to some of its predecessors...
also has opcodes for producing DX7 sounds.
Program piracy
Since the DX7 allows users to program different tones, it is possible to copy someone else's synthetic sound for use in your own piece. Skilled programmers would go to great lengths to protect their sounds from copying."Various DX7 programmers have told a person that they "bury" "useless" data in their sounds so that I can prove ownership later. Sometimes the data is obvious, like weird keyboard scalings on inaudible operators, and sometimes it's not, like nonsense characters in a program name."
External links
- DX7 page on Vintage Synth Museum A photograph, samples of DX7 sounds and a few technical details.
- Dave Benson's DX7 Page A huge DX7 resource, with service manuals, circuit diagrams, and auxiliary software.
- Yamaha DX7 Resource Centre - A site dedicated mainly to the mark 1 DX7 (formerly www.thedx7.co.uk, now re-hosted)
- welcome at the DX1 world - all about the flagship of Yamaha DX series: the Yamaha DX1!
- Roundsquare - The home of DX7 Librarian, the ultimate DX7 interface for Mac OS X.
- Les Miserables Keyboard Research Blog entry explaining use of DX7 and its patches in the musical Les Misérables.
- owners manual