Bad Gear - Yamaha TX81Z

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Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools. Today we are going to talk about the Yamaha TX81Z FM Tone Generator. Is this classic Yamaha FM synth nothing but the home to the iconic 80s bass, the legendary Lately Bass preset? Can it be worse to operate than the Yamaha DX7? Will rack synthesizers ever look good on social media?

Thanks to Anders Enger Jensen for showing that rack synths can indeed look Instagram-worthy:

Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
01:10 Overview Yamaha TX81Z
01:27 UI and basic tweak
01:39 Presets
02:06 Lately Bass Preset
02:25 Lately Bass vs. Solid Bass comparison (Yamaha FB01)
03:02 Additional Waveforms
03:28 Compatibility (Yamaha DX21, Yamaha DX27, Yamaha DX100)
03:37 Envelopes, LFO, Midi Delay, Chords, Pseudo-reverb
04:11 Multitimbrality, Polyphony, Outputs, Menus
04:33 Pricing
04:43 Hate
05:11 Jam 1
06:07 Jam 2
07:14 Finale
07:44 Verdict

[TheHatMusic]

The description of the operator waveform shapes is absolute gold!

[brandonharris]

On an unrelated note, this thing is awesome, very direct and to the point, simple, powerful sounds. This channel is changing the instrument world and forcing musicians and producers to make do with what they have. Some of the greatest records in the world were made with undesirable equipment and because the artists had to fight with the machine to make it the best it could be, it ended up sounding unique and original

[hardwaresecuritymodule]

I was sitting impatiently after the second jam, waiting to weigh in about how I use it for sharp, percussive bass noises and squares and then you absolutely nailed it in the techno underground at the end - how could I have ever doubted you? Forgive me, my prince

[lairdkilbarchan]

My main (only) instrument used to be a Yamaha DX11 - a keyboard adorned TX. FM drums, bass, a lead sound and enough luxurious multitimbral polyphony left over for the occasional minor triad..

Ah, those happy, simpler, less complicated and totally frustrating days...

[raysubject]

FM synthesis is just amazing .. it shows when you start adding more and more fm sounds into mix and they still doesn't competite between each other but rather perfectly fit and shine ine mix ...

[cassildaandcarcosa]

TX81z is amazing. I use that still on a bunch of my tracks. It doesn't sound the same as other FM synths, it has this dirty quality that I love.

[yeahright]

That frequency modulated inter-dimensional man-machine gateway to a dark realm of ice-cold underground techno arenas was slamming, I really didn't anticipate those sorts of textures from the TX! Kinda makes me want an FM synth again...

[agenticdevices]

Bought one a couple of years back for $180. Along with a nice delay/reverb and a software editor this thing makes some of the lushest pads I have heard. And yeah, lately bass is a perfect sound. It’s rare you get a preset that doesn’t need any post-production at all. Loved the waveform descriptions btw haha

[rundtomrasmus]

The quality of this page keeps impressing me! That last jam was a fucking banger, and once again my mind is baffled by, where the hell you find these visuals <3

[djlocodoc]

Those Jams!!So tasty! That Space Echo is beautiful. My TX81Z was bought in the late 80's and it is not going anywhere for the reasons you listed. This little beast has been my secret weapon for decades! Great video sir!

[singingcookie]

Yet another piece of Bad Gear I have added to my wish list. Thank you!

[howardanderson]

Best channel, always entertaining and never boring. I can only imagine the time it takes to do one show is hours upon hours of editing, writing and tweaking. Thanks for doing what you do!

[engx]

that intro lead sounds fresh as heck! the best I have heard so far.

[Psychlist]

My favorite part of the TX81Z is the buzzy transformer inside. You can fix it if you want, but it also adds a nice "I think something is broken in my rack" background sound.

[thb-music]

I look forward to these episodes as the way to ring in the weekend. So damned happy.

[dfreeman]

Fantastic video as always. Love the Yamaha FM sounds in a track. I don’t think of sounds being dated, they either work or they don’t.

[dcall]

Literally the only channel where I push the like button before I watch the vid. Love Saturday mornings with a coffee watching the new Bad Gear upload after a groggy Friday night in the studio stuck in loopland cul de sacs

[alexmurphynj]

I still have my TX81Z I bought in the early 90s just for the Lately Bass. I don't use it much now but still nice to have in the rack.

[mikebass]

"Cold-iced underground techno" in the end of the video (from7:15) absolutely incredible.

[binarysoldier]

Those demo tracks are straight bangers