Yamaha DX7
The Yamaha DX7 was a synthesizer manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1986. It was the first commercially successful digital synthesizer. It can be heard on many recordings from the 1980s. The DX7 was the moderately priced model of the DX series of FM keyboards that included the smaller DX9, DX100, DX11, and DX21 and the larger DX5 and DX1. Over 160,000 DX7s were made.
It was based on frequency modulation synthesis (FM) based on research by John Chowning of Wittenberg University. The DX7 was known for precision and flexibility of its bright, digital sounds, which were much clearer than those of the analog synthesizers that preceded it. The DX7 is well-known for its electric piano, bells, and other "metal striking metal" sounds. It was monotimbral and capable of 16-note polyphony. It had 32 algorithms, each being a different arrangement allowing the user to combine its six sound operators together dependently and/or independently.
Programming
Voices could be programmed by a user, and stored into a 32-voice RAM internal memory, or corresponding DX7 ROM cartridge. Several computer applications exist (mainly for Atari and Mac OS, and now Mac OS X) that can enable a user to load different presets into the keyboard from a computer via MIDI; the user can also store the keyboard's voices onto the harddrive to free up memory. The most prominent of these programs is Takashi Suzuki's DX7 Librarian 2.1.
MIDI
The synthesizer included MIDI ports, but was released shortly before the specification was completed, and had incomplete support for the standard: It only transmitted information on MIDI channel 1. It could receive information on any one of the sixteen MIDI channels at a time, but lacked 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. This lack of marking was corrected by 1984.
Additionally, players found it difficult to send velocity data beyond 100 (of the 127 maximum value defined by the standard) using its DX7 keyboard. This made recoding of dynamically expressive performances into a sequencer from the DX7 difficult to achieve. The DX7 would, however, respond appropriately to these high velocity values when sent from an outside MIDI source.
Variants
Three improved "DX7 II" models were released between 1987 and 1989, all of which featured updated internal circuitry and a new style case. These were the DX7 IID, which improved sound quality from 12 bit to 16 bit, 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. Third-party products for the DX7 also flourished in the 1980s, including Grey Matter Response's E! expansion board, which added sequencer functions to the keyboard. DX7 IIs 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.
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
Keyboardless versions of the DX7 were produced including the TX7, a simple desktop DX7 unit, with limited editing abilities) and a TX802, a DX7II in a 2-unit rack mount machine which featured 8 outputs, through the TX816 which consisted of eight DX7s in a large rack unit, with individual MIDI ports and balanced outputs for each module, via an XLR connector providing 128 notes of polyphony.
Electric piano emulation
The DX7 Rhodes, also known as DX Rhodes, FM Rhodes, FM E. Piano, or Digital Rhodes, is a synthetic Fender Rhodes emulation originally produced by the Yamaha DX7 (and TX-series rackmount) line of synthesizers. The "E. Piano 1" patch evolved into the famous DX7 electric piano sound. The distinctive, fresh sound was unlike any sound produced by an actual Fender Rhodes electric piano. 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.
Software Emulation
Native Instruments 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.
CSound also has opcodes for producing DX7 sounds.
Program piracy
Since the DX7 allows users to program different tones, it is possible to "steal" someone else's synthetic sound for use in your own piece. Skilled programmers would go to great lengths to protect their sounds. "Various DX7 programmers have told me that they "bury" useless data in their sounds so that they can prove ownership later. Sometimes the data is obvious, like weird keyboard scalings on inaudible operators, and sometimes it's not, like nonsense characters in a program name."
Notable users
A-HA (bass in "Take On Me" and "Touchy")
Beastie Boys
Bill O'Connell
Bon Jovi (Tubular Bells preset and string or harp patch in Livin' on a Prayer)
Brian Eno
Casiopea
Chicago - Hard Habit to Break - Chicago 17
Jools Holland of Squeeze
Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac
Chick Corea Elektric Band
David Paich of Toto
Clair Marlo, used extensively on her album Let It Go
Depeche Mode
Devo
Diane Warren.
Dire Straits
Elmer Bernstein, most notably on his score for the film Ghostbusters
Enya
Europe
Les Fradkin
Front 242
Geddy Lee of Rush
Harold Faltermeyer - Axel F
Herbie Hancock (on his 1988 album "Perfect Machine")
Howard Jones (Bass and tubular bells presets on What Is Love)
Icehouse
Jan Hammer used the DX7 extensively while scoring Miami Vice
Jean Michel Jarre used the DX7 on his 1984 album Zoolook
Jens Johansson of Stratovarius
Jerry Goldsmith
John Parr - "St. Elmo's Fire" (main bass)
Jimmy Jam (Bass sound and rhodes patch variations on many Jam & Lewis productions)
John Lawry of Petra
Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater
Kavinsky made his first EP (Teddy-Boy), with a DX7.
Kim Wilde
Kool & The Gang
Kraftwerk
VideoKids - "Do The Rap", "Cartoony Tunes" (main bass)
Ron Mael - Sparks (band)
Labi Siffre
Lux Voltaire
Les Misérables (musical)
Madonna (bass and bells in "Spotlight", bass in "Live To Tell" and "Crazy For You", also used a lot on her 3rd album)
Magne Furuholmen of A-ha
Men At Work Greg Ham Used through out their last album "Two Hearts" and the famous brass stabs on the track 'Still Life'
Modern Talking (bass in "In 100 Years", "Locomotion Tango", "Doctor For My Heart")
Michael Sembello
Mike Post
Mr. Mister (bass in "Broken Wings")
Mylene Farmer - used in her early songs such as "Plus Grandir", "On Est Tous Des Imbéciles"
Narada Michael Walden (Rhodes patch on Jermaine Stewart's single We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off)
Nine Inch Nails used the DX7 both in the studio and on stage
Observe & Control
Oingo Boingo - Weird Science (bass)
Patrick Moraz of The Moody Blues
Paul Young and Adrian Lee of Mike and the Mechanics
Pet Shop Boys
Pete Bardens used the DX7 on his album Seen One Earth
Phil Collins especially on the 1985 No Jacket Required album.
Philip Glass calls for a DX7 in the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th movements of Glassworks
Queen (beginning in "One Vision")
Richard Tandy of Electric Light Orchestra
Robert Rich
Roger Waters of Pink Floyd on his 1987 Album Radio K.A.O.S
Sade (E.Piano 1 preset used in Smooth Operator)
Sandra (bass in "Maria Magdalena", "Innocent Love", "Two Lovers Tonight", "Don't Cry")
Scooter
Simply Red (E.Piano 1 preset used in Holding Back the Years, Jericho, Come to My Aid, The Right Thing and others)
Sławomir Łosowski
Startled Insects
Sting
Stock Aitken Waterman (many variations of the Bass preset in their productions)
Sun Ra
Talking Heads
Tangerine Dream
Tetsuya Komuro
The Alan Parsons Project
The Crystal Method
The Cure
The Jacksons (on their 1984 album "Victory")
Sabrina - "Boys" (main bass)
Thompson Twins
Tony Banks of Genesis
Tony Kaye of Yes
Toto
Vangelis
U2
Underworld
Winter Palace
Zvuki Mu
Translation
The phrase "Yamaha DX7" occurs as such in the following languages: English, Catalan, Danish, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Finnish, Swedish.
Translation(s) in other languages: Persian: یاماها دیایکس۷, Japanese: ヤマハ・DXシリーズ.
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