I have a non-working DX7 if'n you wanna buy it.

And it's the best-sounding DX7 on the planet! Sorry, but I never liked that instrument, even back when it was a required piece of gear for every top-40 band. Today it makes me think of big hair, leisure suits and legwarmers.

Wow thanks everyone. You guys are ALL great.
 
I reckon I was sold the FM8 by Jeff and a few other. Great extended breakdown Jeff. FM8 it's gonna be! After watching some youtube clips, I'm even more sold by the idea.
 
I actually looked at Hexter by the way and you're right...it's off putting by sight. I though it was linux for some reason. I couldn't have read the page properly.
 
Laughs at Timidi and Bitflipper. 1980s tackiness is exactly the reason I want it. I want to stand playing my keyboard while wearing a polyester suit with the sleeves rolled up and a piano tie. Yikes !!!
 
Thanks again guys
 
Stewart
 
 

I want to stand playing my keyboard while wearing a polyester suit with the sleeves rolled up and a piano tie.

Oh, well it makes perfect sense now!


Come to think of it, I have a couple piano ties in the closet...one of them is sparkly. I should wear one of those next time I play the VFW.

getcha a prophet V instead!

I was into using the DX sounds more in a soundtrack capacity than creating 80's type sounds. It can sound very good in certain situations. I like the percussive quality it took on and if you spent time programming a lot of expression in terms of how your playing relates directly to the sound, it can sound incredibly real.

The TX 816 rack made a real difference too. Having 8 modules locked onto the one patch is pretty serious. You can pan and detune them and you end up with a very huge and lush sounding patch which was also very wide too. You really need a separate 8 channel mixer to mix the rack too. I had one with EQ and sends to a nice reverb for each module. The initial flaw with the synth was that it could not sound like that marvelous 2 oscillator slightly detuned sound that analog synths could. But the rack changes all that though.

Patches got better later and I have got some that even on one DX synth or module they sound amazingly detuned and very analog sounding. I have got some great Oberhiem sounds would you believe in DX format.

The black DX 7 II was meant to solve that issue . It had 2 DX engines on board and could be layered, detuned and panned. Live, I ran a single DX sound through a Boss Chorus Ensemble pedal. That adds a real analog and gentle chorus effect to the patches too. But I like it in its percussion mode. Like log drums etc. The amount of control over the tone and volume of a sound can be very precise from the velocity touch response and with a wide dynamic range. It can be a very expressive instrument. It can do deep complex textures too. The rack can go into multi timbral mode as well when in that mode. The rack sounds good doing a whole orchestral string section, ie violins, violas, cellos and double basses. Still got two modules per string section for a fat sound.

But the VST is every bit as good I believe anyway. And things get interesting too when you start layering original DX 7 patches with the newer FM8 patches. Some interesting sounds result that way too. There are more options with programming a DX type sound too in FM8 compared to the original instrument.

For those wanting a copy of my library yes I think just PM me with an email address and I can send it to you. I just need to zip it up and maybe include a list of the patches too. I have cut the library down to a more powerful set of sounds under my initial 7500 patches. But still plenty though. They will unzip to a bunch of sysex files. FM7 and FM8 can just import the banks in lots of 32 into the VST. You can then resave in its own native format if you want to. I have put all the sounds under 15 categories.

bitflipper

I have a non-working DX7 if'n you wanna buy it.

And it's the best-sounding DX7 on the planet! Sorry, but I never liked that instrument, even back when it was a required piece of gear for every top-40 band. Today it makes me think of big hair, leisure suits and legwarmers.

Yea, I tend to agree. Except for that ONE 'rhodesy' sound... You know the one:)
I never did get the hang of programming the dang thing. I have that and a Juno 106, and both are not faring too well.
I leave them leaned against walls when clients come over.

I'm going to chime in to agree with Jeff... the FM7 & FM8 are far closer to their hardware cousins than pretty much any emulation I've tried! I still have a pair of TX-81Zs in the rack, I like the way they react to guitar controllers. It requires some effort, but you can import the TX-81Z patches into FM7/8.
Some of the Korg digital emulations are pretty cool, Wavestation is one of my favorites.
I love the NI Prophet, but it does not sound like any P5 I played. Same goes for the Korg MS-20, I still have that hardware, and still use it. The thing about the software MS-20 is that it'll do things the hardware can't.
The Wayoutware Arp 2600 emulation comes as close as anything to the original hardware - and that's a much more difficult feat than emulating something that started out as software - Jeff's point about the DX7 being software is very important!
Bitflipper is right to a point, the poor DX7 was over-used, over-exposed even. It came along with a feature set that really was unbeatable. Thus everyone had to have one (I used to pride myself on never owning a 'real' DX7, right up until I bought a TX7, and later a TX816<G>). But in spite of the ubiquitous patches overrunning the airwaves, it can do a whole lot more.

And Jeff, that's a very generous offer, look for a PM!

I just wish they would come along with a real VST solution for the Yamaha FS1R, I've got one and LOVE the sound, but I refuse to go to the trouble of using outboard instruments anymore. Shoot, I really don't even like recording vocalists, lol

bitflipper


And it's the best-sounding DX7 on the planet! Sorry, but I never liked that instrument, even back when it was a required piece of gear for every top-40 band. Today it makes me think of big hair, leisure suits and legwarmers.

and really bad power ballads.

Thank guys

Jeff...Funny you should say that....Everytime I hear the DX7 on youtube clips, it reminds me of soundtracks of the era, among other things. The FM8 looks cooler in its functionality the more I research it. Oh...expect a PM from too regarding your generous offer   :)

Batsbrew...I already have a Prophet (Arturia). It's great. I just love tinkering away at all things synthy just now. It's like a new hobby.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in here. Much appreciated.


Stewart