Damn, what can't the DX7 do?

[actual]

This bloke makes me happy

[JereFuzz]

This bloke makes me happy

Thanks for the vid - lots of love for the dx7 out there ... now's the time for the dx8

[01010111]

Q: What can't the DX7 do?

A: Be easily programmable.

The band I played in had one of these. Programming it was like trying to set up a patch on a modular synth, one handed, in the dark, using chopsticks. You'll get there, but you won't have any fun doing it....

I know these things have TONS of controls under the surface, why couldn't they have at least put all the controls for a single operator on the surface, and kept things like operator-routing and selecting an operator to edit under the hood?

[brian m]

I have a DX7. It is an absolute chore to program it through the panel and if you don't use it often you'll completely forget how to program it.
It doesn't help that FM synthesis is so much less intuitive. I bought mine to make noises, not bells and pianos.

It doesn't have filters, but you can kind of fake it if you understand it well enough, but it never sounds quite the same. It's really hard to build a dreamy slow pad that isn't all bright and buzzy, and I don't remember any of the presets being good starting points.
You can turn a lot of the bell and electric piano sounds into crazy noises pretty easily though.

[JereFuzz]

I have a DX7. It is an absolute chore to program it through the panel and if you don't use it often you'll completely forget how to program it.
It doesn't help that FM synthesis is so much less intuitive. I bought mine to make noises, not bells and pianos.

It doesn't have filters, but you can kind of fake it if you understand it well enough, but it never sounds quite the same. It's really hard to build a dreamy slow pad that isn't all bright and buzzy, and I don't remember any of the presets being good starting points.
You can turn a lot of the bell and electric piano sounds into crazy noises pretty easily though.

The reface dx makes fm quite intuitive. You either run the sine wave (operator) in parallel (as a carrier) or in serial (as a modulator). Only having 4 operators makes the job easier. Of course more operators gives more options. I wouldn't invest in a dx7 today but I really want Yamaha to create a 8 operator version of the reface dx but with more patch memory and with the ability to route the operators any way you'd like ...

[Bartimaeus]

Q: What can't the DX7 do?

A: Be easily programmable.

[JereFuzz]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914&list=PLsAmsnfaNA4-CevYq1hrcD_aIP5xWe9Xr

Great 200+ list of DX7 songs ...

[MrNovember]

I picked up a DX7 a few months ago. I actually almost ended up selling it, but the internal battery died and corrupted the memory, which forced me to keep it and learn to program it.

This guy's videos have been helpful:

[Psyre]

Picking up a DX7 Sunday for $250. A little intimidated, but I've wanted for a long time now, and being semi-proficient at programming one is sort of a life goal. Looking forward to a life time of misery and frustration with this bad boy

[MrNovember]

Bumping this thread because I accidentally learned to program my DX7 and it's WAY easier than I thought! It's also pretty damned awesome!

I've had a DX7 for a while now, but never really bothered with programming it; 1) because the internal battery was dead and needed to be replaced and 2) because I really didn't have the motivation. But I just received an Avalanche Run, which I was messing with while I messed with programming the DX7, but apparently I plugged in the Avalanche Run incorrectly (L input and R output leading to no bypassed sound). But, I blamed the lack of sound on the DX7. So, I studied the web and the manual trying to decipher what went wrong and in the process. I couldn't figure anything out, but I did manage to figure out how to program the DX7 in the process.

The only thing I wish I understood better, is when to use one algorithm over another.