Yamaha DX7 or something else ?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Pier Calacino
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Pier Calacino

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Hello Folks,

I was thinking about picking up a Yamaha DX7 sence you can get them for a song and a dance any more.
I want to use a synth to add strings and other instrument sounds for acompaniment for my songs when I record.

My question is, how good are the string sounds and other synth sounds on the DX7 ?

What do you recommend ?

Thanks in advance
Pier
 
Pier Calacino said:
My question is, how good are the string sounds and other synth sounds on the DX7 ?

What do you recommend ?

Thanks in advance
Pier
Click to expand...

DX-7 came out in -84 and you must realize that it's an old sounding machine.
The string sounds are not realistic when compared to the keyboards and modules made today, since it hasn't got samples from real instruments.

But with an external reverb and filter you can get some descent sounding synth sounds.

If you want good strings I suggest that you either buy a module or keyboard made after -90 something.
It's hard to point out exactly since it all depends on your current gear and the price tag you can afford.
 
Thanks for the reply Smedis !

What can you recommend then for a keyborad unit that has great sounding strings and other sounds for around $500- $ 600.

I wood guess most of all the new units, Right ? but is there a older one that is good ?

Are there new keyboards at that price that will do what I need ?

thanks
Pier
 
You can get a QSR and a simple controller for that ($500-600)

I would also highly recommend a Roland JX-8P.

Great sounds and easy to create new ones.

:D

In my opinion, the DX7 was always a rotten sounding synth.

All through the latter half of the '80s everyone seemed to be using them and they all sounded the same no matter what patch they were using. That was because that lousy DX7's FM envelope makes all the sounds seem the same.

Like they're all the same color, can you dig it?
 
ive got a dx7. mate, the strings are awful. it's not sampled, so it's bound to be. the DX7 is great for pop music where you need some cheesy sounds, such as madonna-style production. there's also some cool bell and electric pianos on the DX7, but get something else for strings. even a GM Yamaha PSR thing will have better strings than a DX7.

if you definily want a DX7, have a look at the rack mount TX81Z. that's great too, it's basically a few DX7 in a rack.
 
If you are worried about strings etc for recording.... are you using a computer? If so sound fonts or something like a computer sampler may be your answer.

The DX (I have an SY77 and an FS1R which both include FM) does some cool stuff, but it is not capable of the "realism" of sampled or physically modeled synths. In someways it would be a good keyboard if you had sampled stuff on your computer. One of the things I still like to do with the "pure" fm sounds from the SY is add them to samples. FM can be a bit more expressive than samples, so I will frequently add an fm string or brass layer that is low in volume to the sampled strings from other instruments.

FM synthesis is also very good at bell and bell like sounds and does some amazing "strange" stuff.
 
I am recording into a Yamaha MD8 and I am not stuck on the DX7 either. I just thought thay had good string sounds, but I was wrong.

Thats why this forum is so good so that people can get good advice !

So in your opinion (I do want a keyboard that gives the most) what one in my price range has good sounding strings ? and an older one that I might be able to find on ebay.

Thanks Pier
 
you have to understand that strings are a hard instrument to re-create well on a keyboard. if you've got something like a triton, and trinity's and whatever, fine. but even with those, you need o apply various techniques to get it to sound realistic. i tend to record a quartet of real string players, and then use a triton to thicken it out. you're not gonna find many keyboard with great string patches for cheap. you could find a used Korg Trinity for about £500 which has good strings on it. Mind you, there's even some cool string patches on stuff like the korg O1/W modules ive got. you've gotta check stuff out and see what works really. i woudln't buy off ebay. i think you better try before you buy. if you're not that fussy, then even a Yamaha CS1X has some allright strings. they're only about £360, probbaly £200 second hand, and they're great dance synths.crap pianos though.
 
forgot to say,

i was playin on my sy22 last week and found an amazing string patch. so look out for that too. it's a pretty old keyboard, but that string patch really impressed me, for it's age!
 
String Sounds

I've always liked the Roland string sounds (as well as their other "pad sounds") - even the old keyboards (Juno's and JX's) had warm pads - in particular compared to the DX7 (which I have never been a fan of)

The Roland XP-30 has alot of very good sounds (and can be expanded) - and it falls in that $600 range.
 
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