Yamaha DX-7

I am looking for a used synth under $300 and the DX-7 has been recommended to me. Can anyone offer some opinions on this unit?
I am not a professional muscian so is this difficult to operate? How are the built in voices? Can I add to the voice bank? How are the piano, organ and string voices?
What are the "synth" voices like? How do you program your own voices? Sorry for the stupid questions but this is all new to me.
Thanks you all
write at
chrissquire1@yahoo.com

If you have been offered a DX7 then go for it!! it's the best synth in history.

It is a very good synth. it was being used in most 80's music and up until now you can still hear it and notice the difference from new synth. The electric piano (DX piano) is remarkable. It you can find one just get it. Normally, anybody who owns it don't want to get rid of it. They usually keep it for good reason. I have the DX7s edition and I'm still using it in all music applications. Go for the DX7s or DX7ll.

The DX7 is a very great synth. The question is: for what kind of sounds do you want to buy it? If you're a beginner, you should be aware that this is not a "swiss-knife synth" Karl

DX7 is indeed no piece of cake to figure out, but if you do pick one up, be prepared to sit down and spend a whole whack of time learning or at least experimenting heavily. but as far as rewards go, you can get some wicked sounds out of it.

The DX7 is really a very good synth. You can create manifold sounds not reached by others synths (especially harp digital sounds). But if you are quite new on synths I would not suggest you to buy one because it is very complicated and difficult to program. The accoustic piano sounds are rather ridiculous from today´s point of view, the synth-sounds aren´t comparable with those of analogue synths. However, the DX7 is very good at organs, basses (synth or electric), e-pianos and metallic (bellish) sounds. If you really want to buy a synth of the DX7-family, then buy DX7IIFD or TX802. They both sound identically, but better than the original DX7; DX7IIFD has got a 3.5" floppy drive, the TX802 is the rack version of DX7IIFD and has 8 audio outputs. They both just cost a little more than the DX7.

DX7 is a legend. You can't imagine modern pop music without this baby. Many musicians have it only for one sound Electric Piano. The price is very good if it is in good condition (display,keyboard,etc.).Maybee you would hear some noise from audio output but don't worry, this is ussual stuff.

yep definitely go for the dx7. this was my first synth too and i don't regret it, although i'm still coming to terms with the esoteric programming (operators? algorithms??). But yeah, the best thing about it, in my opinion, is the organ sounds. There was this one wurlitzer patch i dloaded, and that initial organ 'hit' was just so spot on.. thanks dx7..

Hey........I have a TX81z which uses the same Yamaha technology.......and that old module still makes sounds unlike any others.
I'll never part with it. It does take some time, but it isn't really that hard to learn about Yamaha's FM synthesis with all that algorithm stuff. I have some aftermarket manuals by Alexander Publishing that go into laymans terms explaining it all. You can always just start tweaking any of the settings..........save what you like in a user bank......I don't think you can overwrite the factory voices, but if you can there is a way to restore Yamaha equipment from that era to factory settings. Either by a simple button configuration reset or at worst reloading sysex. Don't be afraid to experiment. The DX7 will always be an unforgettable piece of synth history!
P.S. If you do buy one make sure a manual is included!

Chris,

The DX7 is indeed a great piece of synth history. Keep in mind that if acoustic piano is an important part of your arsenal, you ain't gonna get it with a DX7, or any of its close relatives. A contemporary $300.00 arranger keyboard such as the Yamaha PSR292 will have a much better piano sounds and a lot of other very usable sounds, many of which will blow away anything you'll find on the DX7.

Midnite

Well I'll agree that the DX-7 is a legendary instrument, but really guys, it had it's faults too that someone should point out. First, it's incredibly heavy for a synth of it's size. Second, it is a poor MIDI controller: the MIDI velocity output on the original model would not go above 100. So a better buy is the models that were based on the original DX-7 such as the DX-7II or the DX-7IIFD. Also, any model that had the E! upgrades are better. And the DX-7's 16-voice polyphony is a limitation for anyone who really plays the famed electric piano with lots of sustaining notes. As to the voices themselves, the DX-7 had great electric pianos and organs but lousy strings. And it was notoreous for being one of the most difficult synths ever to program yourself (fortunately there are huge libraries of available patches on the web). I do think that $300 for a DX-7 in good condition is a good buy, but for an amateur musician this will be a daunting investment.