hi, interesting point. remember, the sound comparison is only one part of this presentation, there are many other differences that I highlight. In my opinion the comparison of factory presets on both instrument is more interesting than loading same presets on each instrument. after all, the mk2 has improved FM and newer presets so it would be a waste to just load in the same old mk1 presets? do you guys really want to listen to comparison of 12 bit versus 16 bit DACs? :) anyway I glossed over it in the video but I spent 4 hours trying to load dx7 mk1 presets into dx7s. at some point you have to move on. thx for the feedback, cheers, i'll pin your post. :)

It doesn't have to be mk1 factory presets. You could just load same SysEx dump into both instruments and then compare. But still it's fun video, and very professional, good presentation skills, enthusiastic personality, multiple cameras, multiple angles, fish eye lens, these are far more involved than loading SysEx dump. And yeah, I agree, that hearing the difference between 12-bit and 16-bit would have to be done in some clinical pure environment. I mean, human ear adjusts. For instance, when I switch over from Sony MDR-7506 headphones to Sennheiser HD280, it's quite shocking how muted the latter sounds compared to the first one. But after couple days of listening to the HD280, they sound as bright to me. Human ear has tendency to adjust and compensate (actually brain does this for us), same as white balance is also compensated by the brain depending on light condition. So we see roughly the same colors under different light condition, even though the color reflection and absorption are quite different under different light colors. So, good luck comparing 12-bit and 16-bit sounds within the same dynamic range. I have a Roland W-30 sampler, which is 12-bit, and it sounds absolutely gorgeous. You can compare it with 16-bit Roland S-770 all you want, but the differences will be for all practical intents and purposes negligible, especially if you sample at the same sampling rate.

True, although even with the same patch, the Mk 1 keyboard delivers a maximum velocity of about 117 (I can't remember the actual value) so, with velocity assigned to a modulator in particular, the difference would be noticeable. I owned a DX7 Mk 1, a DX7S and a TX7, albeit not at the same time and I couldn't really tell the difference. I liked them all. Makes me wonder why I sold them but there you go!

Mamãe aos 80 velocity value of 100 for the Mk1

Andrew Piatek Thanks!

It's idiotic to even voice an opinion when the patches are utterly different.

I agree about the A+B here, but generally the MK1 is the warmer if not noisier synth of the 2 in my experience

To me it sounds more distorted, unless my DX7 mk1 is faulty.

Its because its mono.

the DX7s is also mono

It is more distorted. Some major improvements went into the DX7 Mk2

The MK1 was very thin. And sadly not much could be done if you were wanting rich deep sound. It has a certain charm which some like, but it really is just a lesser to the MK2 in every way.

Update: just bought my Roland Super JX-10 yesterday, and I absolutely love it! It has amazing synth leads and amazing pads!! It also has after touch!! And much more! It’s heavy and built like a tank! Can’t wait to explore it more!!

glad to hear there was some redeeming factor!

i realize how exciting that must be, enjoy !

You're right. once played a DX 7 the Korg M1 Id love so much vanished away. although the Korg M1 has its style to for the more house musicgenre. Im the happy ower of them all. KOrg M1 Roland D50 Yama DX 7? ROland Jx8p, ROland XP50 , JV1000 JV1080 . TH ey hav all their specific timbre.

@@pascalvanelstlande6954 you have all the good ones.. lol. I still have a JV1000 , love that board, had a D50. of course my DX7.. then there's the korg Karma, M50 , and old DW6000. love that one too. Chroma Polaris, moog phatty.. I'm running short on Rolands.. would love another juno 106. people want to much for them.. lol.. I hit all the pawn shops every month looking.. ya never know what you might find

yes, those sounds made the m1 evn more iconic! remember that korg themselves have an official VST software version of this synth with all those sounds :)

That however makes zero difference to the sound other than a higher noise floor.

I midi transfer my DX7s voices 1-32 or 32-64 to the DX7 and TX7 and you're correct, some voices don't transfer correctly or don't sound the same. But sometimes you try several more times and you might get lucky as it auto corrects itself and transfers perfectly. This has been my experience. And frankly I much prefer the DX7 keybed I can barely hear myself think with the extremely noisy DX7s keybed unless I have my headphones on

lol, you type like a child. And there is no after-effects, no EQ, nothing, you can apply to remove digital noise. It's better to just use the Mark II from the beginning.

I agree. The Acoustic Guitar program is lovely, especially when you arpeggiate the keys to simulate strumming.

​@@WilliamCharlesShaver that nylon string guitar sound was not in the DX7IID and FD. It is a killer sound!

congrats on the SY vlad, I should pick one up some day....

I fully agree, I also love the fact that in the DX7II you could have two different sounds layered, only possible with the more expensive DX5 and DX1.

@@rogerfelez7478 yea exactly! Plus I think by my memory, it had no internal effects? Or was that the D50? 🤔 had to run separate sound modules and effects racks etc lol How technology has escalated!! 😂 I'd love to get an old DX7 just for pure nostalgia lol going for like silly money on eBay now! Should've kept mine but sold it years ago

howdy ak, thanks for the comment. it's such a special instrument, and a real pleasure to play every keyboard player needs to experience it! preferably on the mk1 :)

well said Woody !, i agree 110% 😎👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

thanks for the question! i'm turned off reface it because it's less capable in many ways (polyphony, operators) than the original. how can they release an inferior product after 35 years of technology advancement? If it was compatible with dx7 patches i'd be all over it, but it's not, what were Yamaha thinking? unbelievable. end-of-rant :)

Woody Piano Shack Hahaha tottaly agree . I guess it will appeal more to those who missed the first and second gen fm synths. Personally i prefer the little volca fm.

I'd love to see Yamaha package a FM-X (from the Montage)-only keyboard or module with just the effects section added. FM-x certainly reflects what FM should look like after 35 years. Woody, keep up the great work!

I'm sure the warmth is from the presets. I've heard other videos comparing the same presets on both models and they sound the same. I think the audio difference between DACs is marginal and has no effect on warmth.

I'm replying myself :) Finally decided to go for a TX802 and a couple of DX7s (mk1 and mk2) instead.

well, both are fantastic, I'd be happy with whichever was available!

I have the 802 and I use it for live work and especially for bass sounds that don't require lots of polyphony. I program a performance patch with 4 different bass sounds on different MIDI channels, That leaves me two notes for each sound which is enough for my bass needs and my sequencers play these parts. Works very well. That said I too prefer the sound of the MK1 and in the studio I nearly always turd to the original for my FM sounds. Cheers!

@anton, thanks for correcting me on my TX802 "8 DX7s in a box" statement. now you say it, it seems obvious that they share polyphony. i feel quite humbled that so many people more knowledgeable than myself have contributed to the comments, cheers.

Woody Piano Shack No problem, just infodumping people about the 816 at every opportunity I get! If you ever get your hands on a 816, I suggest you try it out with each module panned and detuned, and nice stereo reverb applied to them. It sounds absolutely bonkers that way. When I'm done recapping mine, I'll upload a factory preset playthrough! I mean, can you think of any other synth from the 80s with 128-note polyphony? Damn!

TX816 WTF, just checked vintage synth explorer => mind blown..... :-0 how much do those beasts go for? best of luck with the cap job... respect.. :)

It's not cheap, but definitely a lot cheaper than buying eight DX7s or even TX7s. TO my understanding they go somewhere in the 500-1000€ price range, but as you often need to buy an incomplete unit and add extra modules to it, it's hard to count. I combined two units over the period of a year, and sold the rest - so counting everything I think I paid 600€ for it in the end, and 130€ for DMP11 digital mixer (that has an inbuilt almost-dual SPX90 effects engine!). I think you can do a lot worse synthwise for that kind of money!

Past lives

I really know this feeling. Well, I was born in 1982, so my Childhood was in the 80s, but I wasn't interested in Pop Music or Keyboards at all, then. It began much later, at the end of the 90s. But I do feel high nostalgia about 80s Music, though. I have no idea how this is possible, but it is.

It's idiotic to even voice an opinion when the patches are utterly different.

It's idiotic to even voice an opinion when the patches are utterly different.

hi adamski, really need to find a "proper" mk2, i'd love to test that out, can only imagine how two dx7 basses would sound layered... :)

Woody Piano Shack Seriously it takes the sound to another level. Its best uses for me is when you layer a string sound for a massive almost analogue sounding patch.

great thx scott, congrats on your pair of classics!

@@WoodyPianoShack Thank you so much my friend.

ultimate support apex 2-tier, cheers!

@broKlee. You can buy additional and even longer arms for these stands. I have one carrying four synths! @@WoodyPianoShack

I still have, and still use a DX11. I use it as my main MIDI controller, because it plays so nice. But I also love the sounds on this thing as well. I created a whole song using only the DX11 and a drum machine. And yes, the DX11 IS built like a tank!

David Pay Is that the keyboard version of tx81z if so , i so want one .

Adamski Ajull That's the one😀

Yes indeed, the TX81Z ended up being more popular for some reason, but it's exactly the same as the DX11, but without the keyboard. Highly recommend the DX version :)

Thanks :-)

not really. The DX1 has 12-bit DACs and sounds bad if you listen to it really carefully. You have to bury it in a mix so people don't hear the bad quality. Same with the DX5, DX7 MkI, DX9, DX11, DX21, DX100. The second-generation DX7II sound exactly the same as for the patch, but with the aliasing and so on 24 decibels quieter. It's a night-and-day difference. The DX7 may sound nice but listen VERY carefully and you'll hear all sorts of digital farts and squeaks in the background. Ditto, DX1. DX7II, none. Amazing difference.

This is discussed at length at 4:20 with a picture of the IIFD.

wow seany, loved those tracks on your channel, awesome!!

Supposedly it can, same MiDi implementation Bear in mind though that the physical controls on the 200 are just a few, some of them are devoted to the extra VA filter that was implemented and the FX

Ah ah !! Excellent !!

that's a great idea with the init patch, i never thought of that!

hi, maybe you don't need the exact dx marimba? browse the nord sample library, you might find something close, otherwise you can load your own samples into the NE, NS, but I bet it's a hassle to find the DX7 samples, or make them, and transfer them. consider a MODX, MONTAGE if you're really into FM! :)

@@WoodyPianoShack Thanks Woody, I'm gauging it off Cyndi Lauper's" Good Enough" song which featured a DX7 marimba and most keys I've played didn't have that melodic tone in there library. But your right maybe there's 10 different versions of marimba sounds in Nords library. Thanks for the tip

It's idiotic to even voice an opinion when the patches are utterly different.

@@lqr824 I suggest you study text interpretation, because it is clear that you do not understand my comment

I own both and have to agree.

ZOOM H4N friend

you sure about the notes sustaining on the dx7 when you change patch? i don't remember mine doing that,

Yes, pretty sure about it. Actually, I had to ask for my friend's DX7 version 1 so that I could do what I needed. Here is the deal: if you have a patch that has a super long release, and you switch to another patch that has a super long release, when you change patch, the sound doesn't stop, but just modulates (immediately) to the new patch. In the second version DX7s (S, II, FD), when you do that same thing, the sound stops. I needed the first version to be able to play Tristan Murail's "Atlantys".

i think you can do that, but can't be 100% sure! cheers.

Thank you!

DX7 IIFD here, I think I did this back then, using a MIDI redefinition filter on Atari. I switched off the keyboard internal, played into the Atari, and multiple key regions got stacked and layered and distributed to two DX7 partials and two D70 sounds and a D110. Can't recall the details of the (voice) "stealing" algorithms though. The Atari program had a setup for each song or song segment, to step forward with the DX7 extra pedal switch.

Toni Fernandez Dxu mark where produced as S (single) and D (dual) in ref to the timbre mode. The original dx7 mk1 was single monotimbral.

it might be the ram batery. The dx11 im borrowing gives a low batery warning on startup but I've heard of older dx7s getting so corrupted as a result of a low ram cell that they refuse to startup. Chances are it will probably be repairable if it isn't something elce like a psu issue

Luis Montales , yes, you might want to check/replace the battery. did it once myself, many of the dx7's out there will be in need of this ☺

So, did they save you, or you’re still there?

I recently bought a DX7 mk1 also a DX7s. I love the sound of the original. Also when I was gigging back in 2000, I had just bought an EX5. A week later it was stolen and I found it smashed in an alley way. Talk about a heartbreak. So I just ordered another EX5 as well