[sdiy] fare thee well DX7

[ニコラス・ケント]

>
>> As Samppa just pointed out the difference in sound is most likely  
>> to do with the DAC and opamp quality (but I guess it could also be  
>> something to do with internal maths errors).
>
> Mostly the DACs, which are - well - primitive.

The math is said to be all 12bit on the DX7, TX7, DX9 TX816 (with the  
8 modules in it)

I assume the also DX5 and DX1 the circuitry in the DX1 surely had  
differences

I don't know if all the calculations to sum all the polyphonic voices  
remains 12 bit, but it starts with 12 bit sine waves.

I've not had much time on a DX5 (which I doubt is much different in  
parts quality) or DX1 but the cheaper 12 bit models have very low s/n  
besides the grainy quality.

The DX7II , TX802 (the 2 U unit with an interface) and later stuff  
used 16 bit math.

For what it's worth the Native Instruments FM7 offers optional bit  
decimation.

But what the FM7 sounds like is a 16 bit machine. I owned 12 and 16  
bit racks and the FM7 and didn't feel the FM7 sounded appreciably  
different than the TX802

> I have no idea if a DX7 will take a sysex send from FM7, but the  
> fact that FM7
> is able to load sysex DX7 patches could point in the direction that  
> it will
> send 'em to the DX7 as well.

The FM7 saves in a proprietary format allowing for it's multiple  
banks and new features. It has no sysex export, only sysex import

>> FM7's a free download now?

>> no its not free, i meant you can get it for FREE (not advocating  
>> piracy here)
> should be though, or at most $50

Why assign an arbitrary "for you" price when the actual cost is more?  
I think it's by and large software done just right and offers many  
controller options and additional features not available for any of  
the hardware units. There's also a simpler second interface that is  
useless for creating a sound from scratch but superb for say a  
controller with some knobs and sliders and very useful for realtime  
macro modifications to an existing sound.

You can get other less sophisticated VST FM-style synths for free. I  
kind of recall at least one could be sent a SYSEX file.

> FWIW, my DX7II sounds very different to the Fs1r, a later Yamaha  
> hardware FM
> synth when playing identical patches (you can upload from DX7 to  
> Fs1r). the
> DX7 sounds a lot better actually - don't know why.....

I still have one of those. It's using their formant technology that  
can do DX7 FM as a subset, that's probably the difference. It's not  
like they are simply adding on to the existing FM engine. Shame they  
never developed the software resynthesis programming front end the  
were hinting at

> The wheel has turned. Analog is ~out~ and
> Digital is back ~in~~

When was the last time someone saw a Jellinghaus DX interface  
controller for sale? You know the big thing with 200+ knobs?

Saw one in 1993 for $350 and it's one of the things I most regret not  
buying. Then again a lot of other things were cheap then, only the  
new digital stuff wasn't.

nick kent