Bad Gear - Yamaha DX7 - Synth Of Fear???

In this episode of Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools, we are going to talk about the legendary Yamaha DX7 digital FM synthesizer. Is it the Synth Of Fear?

[supremelc]

“We all have at least one DX7 in our lives...”. I didn’t believe you... but then i checked the attic and boom! You’re right!

[SuperSharkattacks]

Best life advice: We all have at least one DX7 in our lives, and we should not be afraid to confront it

[kenthejanitor]

There was a DX7 in my high school’s band room. This was in the late ‘90s. I learned how to program it from its user manual during lunch periods, and it was the first synth that I ever programmed. A bit like learning how to swim by jumping straight in to the deep end of the pool! I personally have a soft spot for FM synthesis.

[Taschenschieber]

The DX7 now is considered bad gear? What's next - "Bad Gear: Stratocaster"?

[xmadrugadaxeternax]

It is amazing how fast opinions change. Ten years ago, the DX7 was treated very dubiously, and a decade before that was outright hated, and now so many commentators (who have definitely never tried to program one) are confident that it's a perpetually-beloved instrument that nobody could ever have had negative opinions about.

[bouncytrapbeats]

Started like a gear review, ended like a life-affirming self-help seminar.

[kalenbaker]

One thing I've realized since I recently got my DX7 is you can use the mod wheel to simulate a cutoff knob by setting the Mod Amplitude Sensitivity on your modulators or sometimes a carrier as well. Takes a bit of trial and error to dial it in the way you want it but I find it helps make any patch way more dynamic and fun to play. Just remember to make sure Mod Wheel pitch is turned off so you don't throw a bunch of vibrato in... unless you want that.

[MattGreerMusic]

After the world is destroyed and Ragnarok has killed all, the DX7's will still be alive and well because you simply cannot kill old Yamahas.

[danieluecker]

The Dx7 in my life currently sits in the basement of a good friend and I am working every day on convincing them to sell it to me! 🔥

[earlsfield]

I got a DX7, and JV 1080, back in 1996, and i used DX only for the keyboard! and then, DX7 was my first synth in university - I was in the synthesis programme, and I was given blank DX7 (not only me, but my peers as well). There were guidelines how to program it, but we sucked....until we didnt. After that programming any synth feels like a breeze. But this was late 90 ties, i guess no one would do that to the students.

[antoniobrajkovic]

You're totally right. Fear was the only problem. It's not an easy thing to program, especially for ones who know only how to turn knobs and move sliders.
20 years ago a friend of mine lent it for a whole month. It was very difficult but after reading the manual and already excelled in phisics, I could recreate the sound of a pipe organ even included the click produced by the solenoid valve and the slow attack LFO.
Understanding the operators is like learning colours for the first time and the codependency in creating every colour you see.

[nauhkw]

Bringing one the all time great synths into a "bad gear" episode is probably one of the most ice cap melting hot takes of 2020.

[greatheightsu]

Legendary gear, definitely pop heritage. Such a classic sound that I can't help feel nostalgic over and people got so much variation out of it still.

Loved the intro on this episode with it and the jams.

[FatNorthernBigot]

Everyone remembers the first time they heard an FM bell sound. It was like magic.

[vampolascott]

I own a Montage since 2016 and I've worked with FM sound design for a few years now. The truth is, FM is unpredictable. It's good to understand the basics of FM so you aren't completely lost when you start programming, but in the end, I can only experiment until I hear something I like.

[churricardo]

L for even mentioning the words “bad gear” in the same sentence as “dx7”

[DerAykac]

The fact you showed us a clip from archer while talking about Dangerzone shows me that you definetely are a man of culture

[TheBBQify]

despite being literally the best selling synth of all time, the dx7 is still tragic to me. given the renowned keybed quality, aftertouch, and break point and velocity control independent for every operator; it has the potential to be extremely beautiful and expressive. but its such a shame that its difficulty to program held it back, and left almost every one of its users basically stuck with the same 32 sounds; leaving listeners to get tired of them very quickly. i highly recommend downloading dexed, or oxe fm, as they make fm synthesis much more intuitive and fully realized

[GRNDZA]

Playing Mega Drive compilations taught me to finally love FM synthesis.

[thewhomby]

'painting the hallway through the letterbox' - love your metaphor! The synth that shaped an era : )