Yamaha DX9 from 1983 - The crippled twin brother of the DX7

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Yamaha DX9 from 1983 - The crippled twin brother of the DX7

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2 жыл бұрын

The DX9 is in many ways a crippled DX7. Some say it's the worst DX ever made. Some say it's a very charming and good sounding DX synthesizer. Use its strengths to the full potential and you'll soon have some very nice sounds on your hands.
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I use a Rockman stereo chorus from 1989 in this video. This is an analog chorus and it sounds very flattering on the DX9. I use a foot switch connected to the chorus to turn the chorus on and off when needed.
Reverb is from the Valhalla plugin.
The intro is from the song "Golden Boy" by myself. You can find the released version here:
open.spotify.c...
Be aware that the 4-operator DX9 isn't compatible with the later DX models from Yamaha in terms of patches- The DX9 shares its save-format with the DX7 as it uses the same envelope stages and scaling, where the later DX models do not. Later patches can be converted, but they will not sound the same on the DX9.
The DX7 and DX9 uses the same DAC and as such have the same crunchy 12-bit output stage.
The DX9 has no slot for any cartridge, there's only 20 preset memory slots and the keyboard has neither velocity nor after touch capabilities.
Another interesting fact is the function key#6, which is "empty" on the chassis front plate typing. That's were the MIDI functions are hidden, so the fact that this is nowhere written on the front just shows how late Yamaha was to implement MIDI onto the DX9. Admittedly MIDI had just been born and no one knew how it would go and so many manufacturers were reluctant to put it into their synths in 1983-1984.
Find my music here:
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Find my patches and sample packs through these links:
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Growing up I listened to so much synth-pop and it's only natural that my own music takes inspiration from many of the acts I loved back then. I still love them and listen to them!
Howard Jones, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, New Order, Erasure, Thompson Twins, Tears for Fears, The Human League, Propaganda. FGTH, Ultravox, OMD, Eurythmics, Duran Duran, Giorgio Moroder, Jean Michel Jarre, Jan Hammer, Alphaville, A-ha as well as loads of artists doing what is now called Italo Disco. And many more great acts like Nik Kershaw, Spandau Ballet, Wham, Dire Straits ++

Пікірлер: 402

@lundsweden 2 жыл бұрын

1983: This thing sounds so hifi! 2022: This thing sounds so lofi, crunchy ect! Of course there was so much grunge back in the 80s with cassette noise, LP pops, crackles and hiss that we thought this was crystal clean!

@doomslayerplushie6662 2 жыл бұрын

This still sounds super HiFi to me

@paulromsky9527 6 ай бұрын

The DX's are so perfect they sound thin, but a Stereo Chorus is all you need to fatten up the sound. Yamaha could have added variable note detuning (say a few cents of a semitone that moved around differnty for each note) to make the sound fatter (the DX1 is fatter as it is essentially 2 DX7s to make the fat sound) but they ran out of voice storage space to do it in a single DX unit. 256 bytes was allocated for a voice on the cartridges. Adding code to make it fatter was possible (there were aftermarket upgrades to do that), but Yahama could not add even add one byte to a voice else disrupt the whole DX series voice sharing and the number voices available on a cartridge or in memory. The DX7-II series added more memory so the wheels and such could be saved with each voice, this is called Performance Settings, the DX7 wheel and such settings are common to each voice so you have to set them up manually if you needed them to be different when changing voices. But for home, it was fine. In a concert, the sound director changed the voices and wheel settings via MIDI for the musician at the click of a button off stage, so it wasn't a big issue for large bands with big budgets.

@darthcalculusmusic Жыл бұрын

My dad got me one of these about 15 years ago...I didn't understand FM synthesis at the time and a velocity-free keyboard wasn't a great midi controller. Boy did I underestimate this thing. What a retro treasure!

@AndersEngerJensen 2 жыл бұрын

You’re most welcome! It’s been a hidden and partly forgotten piece of my collection. Bought it in Stockholm while I was on an event job there in 2012… I actually filmed SAS dropping it and throwing it onto the cargo belt while waiting for the plane to get ready! 🙄🙈 Got a video of it somewhere on a backup disk. Will maybe share it sometime if I can find it. But it shows how well constructed it is… Yamaha meant business back in the day. 😉

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

Yamaha gear from that time can survive anything it seems. ;-)

@HrafnNordhri 2 жыл бұрын

Anders, do you have any videos on creating patches? Most of what I can find are for the DX7 which I do not own.. or for a very specific sound. I'm looking for a way to better understand what I'm doing so I can practice to make some patches that I'd like. I'm pretty sure DX9 cannot do the wub wub sounds from dub-step, although many of those are FM... but I would love any assistance to help me better understand my DX9. I'm getting frustrated with the lack of info.

@AndersEngerJensen 2 жыл бұрын

@@HrafnNordhri Sorry, no. I haven’t used this one that much and no editor hooked up. Got little time to edit sounds in general actually. :/

@HrafnNordhri 2 жыл бұрын

@@AndersEngerJensen OK thanks anyways.

@rachelar 2 жыл бұрын

Right I won't use SAS Airlines then

@procta2343 2 жыл бұрын

The DX always has that lush electric piano, which is featured on every keyboard they have pushed out since.

@mrz80 2 жыл бұрын

In the Long Ago, we used to joke on a Christian music usenet group [I'm aging myself here aren't I?] about "The CCM Keyboard." A lot of contemp. Christian records had many of the same keyboard sounds, so the joke was that there was only one synth in all of CCM, a DX-7 owned by producer Michael Omartian. If you wanted to make a Jesus Music record, you borrowed that DX-7 from him, used it, then passed it on to the next group making a record. :D

@Ken5244 2 жыл бұрын

@@mrz80 Ha ha. That sounds about right. I lived in So. California at the time, and the powerhouse CCM station was KYMS. I noticed exactly what you're talking about -- I'd say 8 out of 10 CCM songs back then had the same or almost the same saccharine, soulless synth sounds on them. It was like they used 2 or maybe 3 patches, and they were all awful. I couldn't stand them. Thankfully that changed eventually, but there was a dark decade or so of that DX7 suckiness in CCM.

@rimmersbryggeri 2 жыл бұрын

@@Ken5244 Soulless sounding christian pop. Imagine that. LOL

@Ken5244 2 жыл бұрын

@@rimmersbryggeri I was referring specifically to the synth sounds as being "soulless," not the artists themselves. Granted there are always a few bad apples in any large group of people, and there's no shortage of apostate frauds within the millions of people who claim to be Christians, but my previous comment wasn't an indictment on the sincerity or authenticity of the CCM genre as a whole.

@rimmersbryggeri 2 жыл бұрын

@@Ken5244 That's fine. After all music is about making people happy. I'm swedish and here we have a certian kind of "dance music" that is very popular and does have a use but it's not very original or sincere. It does make alot of people happy when they go out to dance though and it keeps alot of great musicicians in pay. I guess it's kind of the same with CCM. Which make both good even if they are not for me.

@garyhoffman1 2 жыл бұрын

This was my first synth. I learned how to program FM on it. I practiced jazz scales and harmony on it late into the night without disturbing my parents. I scored a TV theme with it using a Tascam 244 4-track tape recorder. $1495. 500 cheaper than the DX7. I traded it for a Rhodes Chroma!

@rachelar 2 жыл бұрын

Good deal despite the chroma being non midi

@musicandfilms9956 2 жыл бұрын

I hope you still have that Chroma.

@garyhoffman1 2 жыл бұрын

@@musicandfilms9956 Yep, sure do. I have both the power supply and CC+ CPU upgrade that need to be installed. I have to get it from my mother’s house, however. I’m in Norway and she is in Texas. Won’t be cheap. Case, freight and total recap and upgrade installations. But TOTALLY worth it.

@rachelar Жыл бұрын

Tangent but does the Chroma sync to anything as it doesn't have midi?

@garyhoffman1 Жыл бұрын

@@rachelar It came with a pre-MIDI interface that would link to a Mac, but two guys in the Chroma community developed the modern CC+ midi interface that upgrades the CPU and memory, as well. That and power new power supply are a must if you want to have a reliable Chroma.

@annother3350 2 жыл бұрын

If you dont compare it to a DX7 it sounds perfectly valid and lovely

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

It does indeed.

@rachelar 2 жыл бұрын

😂

@michaelproctor8777 2 жыл бұрын

This was my first ever synth. All I can still remember about it was how heavy it was. Brought back some nice other memories when I heard those patches. Thank you

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

Cheers!

@nachovidal1521 5 ай бұрын

Beautiful DX9 and that "The Golden Age Of Wireless" behind there... everything is even more magical. Thanks for this video! From Buenos Aires Argentina.

@EspenKraft 5 ай бұрын

Cheers!

@mrz80 2 жыл бұрын

The stereo chorus definitely boosts most of those patches from despair into at least borderline respectability. :D

@rolandserna7805 2 жыл бұрын

Some guy at a swap meet tried to sell me one of these. I wasn't too sure because I was more interested in a DX7, but this guy promised that the DX9 was the more superior model. Glad I trusted my gut and didn't buy what he was selling.

@moodyk1979 2 жыл бұрын

If it was the DX1 on the other hand 😉

@DarkSideofSynth 2 жыл бұрын

@@moodyk1979 The owner clearly wouldn't be at a swap meet ;)

@rolandserna7805 2 жыл бұрын

@@DarkSideofSynth I don't even know if it worked. He wouldn't let me test it out.

@DarkSideofSynth 2 жыл бұрын

@@rolandserna7805 Not testing out used gear? That guy screams scammer from every possible angle and then some ;)

@rolandserna7805 2 жыл бұрын

@@DarkSideofSynth I’m pretty sure he was

@We.Are.Lockhart 2 жыл бұрын

SY/TG77 was the pinnacle of yamahas digital synth technology for a long time, combining the DX heritage with samples, filters and effects.

@madness8556 2 жыл бұрын

SY99 was the pinnacle because you could import your own samples.

@rubonz7714 2 жыл бұрын

SY77 came out in 1990, so there were alterantives in the digital realm at that time. The DX1 though... first FM-Synth to be released and still relevant today imo, not even a Montage can sound that way.

@-VCO- 2 жыл бұрын

@@rubonz7714 DX5 was pretty close to DX1, for quite a lot less money.

@rubonz7714 2 жыл бұрын

@@-VCO- true, but the DX1 is just that tad bit better: higher quality casing, less noisy, polyphonic aftertouch, weighted action keys (a matter of taste on that point). I wasnt talking about price, the DX1 is definetly in another league over the other FMers.

@mrz80 2 жыл бұрын

@@rubonz7714 Production was also very brief for the DX-1, so finding one nowadays is rather akin to finding the proverbial needle in a haystack made out of other haystacks.

@pekkagronfors7304 2 жыл бұрын

I love my DX9. I've even done a patch management program. Available for free download.

@soundsheavenly 2 жыл бұрын

I would be very interested to hear about how to download this program please?

@magnustorque5528 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Pekka, Where do we go to download your software please I'd actually be willing to pay for it. I have had my DX9 since 1983.

@pekkagronfors7304 2 жыл бұрын

I dont know if KZfaq/Espen allow links, but here it is https : / / modernretro . epizy . com

@ArtinRu 2 жыл бұрын

у меня MODX6 👍🏻

@BillVincent 2 жыл бұрын

I couldn't afford a DX7 in 1985-ish, and ended up getting the DX9 for $1500. Huge mistake. In just weeks after the purchase Yamaha released the DX100, which did EVERYTHING the DX9 did, had 400 patch memories instead of 16, was touch sensitive when played from a touch sensitive keyboard via MIDI, and ran on batteries too! It basically reduced the value of my new DX9 from $1500 to around the price of the DX100, which was $395. I bit the bullet and traded my DX9 in for the DX100 and soon got an Ensoniq Mirage with touch sensitive keys to play/layer with it via MIDI. To be fair, both the DX9 and the DX100 sounded like the DX7 if you ran a stereo chorus on them. The extra two operators on the DX7 almost always were used to chorus/thicken the basic sound created by the first four operators, so slapping a chorus on the output of the DX100 and playing it through a touch sensitive keybed gave me the "DX7 sound" and it was great. I never felt the need to get the DX7 again, and the DX100 was a perfect second keyboard, even with mini-keys. I was able to get through the 80's with that rig just fine. Then, like almost everyone else in the late 80's, I got the Korg M1 and it dominated in the early 90s.

@sauermusicDE 2 жыл бұрын

"400 patch memories instead of 16" >> Since nobody else seems to disagree, please explain to me how you mean that. Because as far as I know the DX100 had 192 preset patches (8 banks of 24 sounds each)...and you had to (sort of) "load" them into one of the 24 RAM slots (called INTERNAL memory, if not used for self-programmed patches) or use one of the 96 BANK memory slots (if not used for self-programmed patches from the INTERNAL area). Those 96 BANK slots are usually filled with the first four preset banks. By using "Shift" you can (alternatively) load the second bunch of 96 preset sounds into these BANK memory slots. If I understood that concept correctly it's not possible to have access to "400" (192 + 96 + 24 = 312) sounds at the same time. 🤔 BTW: The DX9 didn't have 16 slots...it had 20. 😉 (no offence)

@BillVincent 2 жыл бұрын

@@sauermusicDE It means I'm old and didn't get the numbers right! But yeah, even with only 192 sounds, it blew the DX9 away. And yes, again you are correct, the DX9 had 20 patches. What I remember most was feeling like the DX100 completely obliterated the DX9 - and it did, in just about every way but the actual keyboard, which wasn't velocity sensitive, not even if played from a velocity sensitive keyboard via MIDI, which the DX100 did. The DX9 was overpriced, overweight, lacking in features, and just boring after about 15 minutes on it. I don't think I was ever happier getting rid of a piece of gear then when I traded that thing in.

@robfriedrich2822 2 жыл бұрын

The Reface DX is in fact a DX 100 with less keys.

@wishusknight3009 2 жыл бұрын

But when you added eventide to a dx7 with a GreyMatterE you got total magic.

@BillVincent 2 жыл бұрын

@@wishusknight3009 Yes, I remember lots of people doing that.

@GeorgesChannel 2 жыл бұрын

Wonderful video! When you played that sounds you immediatly beamed me back to the 80's. It reminded me watching 80's VHS sci-fi movies on a Panasonic NV-333.

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

I was close to record this video on VHS tape, but I didn't have the time. ;-)

@GeorgesChannel 2 жыл бұрын

@@EspenKraft Maybe you will do it in one of your next episodes. I really love your channel and i also love the 80's technology, because i am also very much into 80's computer stuff.

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

I have done several videos on my channel in VHS. ;-) Cheers

@mcdosia420 2 жыл бұрын

Sounds great! I have a DX7 and a DX5 so once I get my DX27 I think I have all the DX bases covered but the 9 sounds great:) Thanks for the video

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

Cheers!

@rachelar 2 жыл бұрын

You're a real dx fan(atic) 😁

@mcdosia420 2 жыл бұрын

@@rachelar Haha. I just really love gear! I actually loathe the workflow on an FM synth but the sounds you can create are unbelievable:) You must be a gear junkie too if you are watching Espens channel!

@oupahens9219 9 ай бұрын

@@mcdosia420 Espen is the main man.

@ryubreathoffire1 2 жыл бұрын

That intro sounds so cool man

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! It's the chord progression to my most popular song ever. ;-)

@smoothstate 2 жыл бұрын

@@EspenKraft Is there a preset in DX-7 that sounds the same?

@BaconFire 2 жыл бұрын

I love the choice of vinyl albums in the background (Thomas Dolby, Naked Eyes and Roxy Music). Thanks for sharing the DX9, I had wondered about it and now I have a good idea, thanks to your video Espen. :)

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks man! Nice spotting of the albums. ;-)

@jbognap 2 жыл бұрын

@@EspenKraft The Golden Age of Wireless is stellar because in addition to great sounds it has legitimate songs.

@ChrisCebelenski 2 жыл бұрын

I remember being puzzled by the DX9 - But it was a common Yamaha product stratification at the time to create different price points. Honestly I believe that most of the cost saving for Yamaha was the keyboard mechanism itself - there's enough of the same electronics to make the cost similar except in the hardware (maybe some memory cost savings too.) The keyboard is also why it wasn't a consideration at all for me at the time - I could live without aftertouch, but velocity sensitivity was one of the major expressive paths of FM synthesis. Without that I thought it really didn't work.

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

Ironically the original DX7 preset bank makes very little use of velocity. Sure you could strike the keyboard hard or soft, but very few of the sounds changes even if you do. ;-)

@molekulaTV 2 жыл бұрын

@@EspenKraft seriously??? This is another gltch in the Matrix.

@SlowCarToChina 2 жыл бұрын

@@EspenKraft and the MIDI maxed out at 100 instead of 127 for velocity values. Crazy.

@BillVincent 2 жыл бұрын

@@SlowCarToChina That was SO annoying! I think the revered KX-88 controller (and probably the DX1 too, initially) suffered from 1-100 instead of 1-127 as well. It was fixed in the DX7II.

@rachelar 2 жыл бұрын

@@EspenKraft the presets were carp 🎏 anyway. You gotta program yer own like what Eno did

@madness8556 2 жыл бұрын

I bought a DX9 from a pawn shop years ago for $50 and sold it to another pawn shop not that long after for $150 as the store owner thought it was like a DX7! 🤪 Well in many ways, it actually was like a DX7!

@rachelar Жыл бұрын

😂

@paulromsky9527 6 ай бұрын

See my main comment, the DX9 is the same as a DX7 but with less memory, so it only can do 4 Operators and only a handful of algorithms and less internal voice memory. It all came down to the DX9 simply had less RAM and ROM (to lower the cost) so it could do roughly 2/3rds of what a DX7 could do.

@davidryle 2 жыл бұрын

I'd love to hear a Yamaha V50 in your hands too. It has some cool effects and sequencer functions but no filter. It also is a four operator FM synth. Highly under-rated I think.

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

I might do that next year. ;-)

@musicandfilms9956 2 жыл бұрын

I had a V50 in the early 1990s as a workstation for pub/club gigs. It was woefully underpowered for creating backing tracks, its display was minuscule, it sounded thin and weak except for basses and the floppy drive was often catastrophically unreliable. Mind you, one punter, CD in hand, approached me during a break and asked me to play it, apparently thinking that the V50 was replaying studio backing tracks. There, that's the V50 covered.

@soepil 2 жыл бұрын

Oh, the Rockman Stereo Chorus! I haven't used mine in ages, must try it out again soon. Thanks for the video, the DX-9 is an interesting synthesizer and it sounds great in your hands.

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

Many thanks!

@synthnomore696 2 жыл бұрын

Finally some decent DX9 video. This synth deserves less hate.

@adamharris7775 Жыл бұрын

In some 1991 The Rockets bumpers, the Yamaha DX9 electric piano was heard.

@BernardMaertens 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks. All your videos are just perfect.

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

Cheers!

@johnnymorgansynthdreams 7 ай бұрын

I love the DX9 - It's almost as if you can hear the structure of how the FM is working in each algorithm and patch. So simple and just has the something about it.

@ghostexits 2 жыл бұрын

I like the simplicity of 4 operator FM, perfect for bass and raw electronic tones, and much easier to learn dX-style FM programming on. just wish it had aftertouch. Someone should make an aftertouch ribbon to fit the the DX9 keybed and connect to the mouth pressure input.

@oupahens9219 9 ай бұрын

How's about a pedal on CC 4?

@ghostexits 9 ай бұрын

@@oupahens9219 would that work? Was just thinking Mouth Pressure is probably already routed everywhere it needs to be, and just needs an analog input, like a ribbon controller.

@lo-firobotboy7112 2 жыл бұрын

I've owned a DX9, DX21, DX27 and DX7. They were all either trades or garage (boot) sale finds. I really wanted to like them but I never connected with any of them so they all got traded away. For my money the FB01, PSR-36, and PSS-480 have always provided usable and interesting FM sounds with a much more intuitive interface. Nice demo though!

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

Cheers

@mrz80 2 жыл бұрын

Interesting. The PSRs and PSSs were preset-only home keyboards weren't they? No editable parameters?

@donkeyadaml. 2 жыл бұрын

Very nice performance 👍👍👍 Have a great new week 😉 Greetings 😎

@Howdy606 2 жыл бұрын

Great to see 'The Golden Age of Wireless' album on your shelf. Very under-rated album. Great memories of the DX9. My 1st introduction to FM back in the day,

@rachelar 2 жыл бұрын

RIP Matthew Seligman

@adamharris7775 2 жыл бұрын

The Yamaha DX9 patch "Tub. Erupt." was heard in the song "Two of Hearts" (1986).

@joakimbertil 2 жыл бұрын

Damn, this one sounds so nice.

@retro-dademusic6403 2 жыл бұрын

Sounds perfectly healthy with your hands though 😎 Also: I have a whole rack of Rockman stuff (including that chorus) because of Miami Vice. I HIGHLY recommend the Chorus and the Stereo Echo/Delay to anyone watching/reading-the latter being one of the best sounding delays I’ve ever had.

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

Cheers man!

@ladyapp-titude 2 жыл бұрын

Love those old half rack Rockmans. Used to use them on my DX11. Still have several of them. Recently they came out with a nice sounding plugin emulation, the T-HU Rockguy.

@dosgos 2 жыл бұрын

Those have been used on top-selling recordings for decades. Surprising how enduring the Rockman sound was.

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

They're so great and I should get more of them myself. ;-)

@Pintosonic 2 жыл бұрын

I still have an old Rockman X100 from the 80s, never tried it with a synth but with a guitar, you get instant def leppard Hysteria sound (and most Boston guitar sounds of course). I really need to try it with a synth. I’ve always been curious about those rockman half rack effects, they are still pretty expensive on the used market.

@dissident4117 2 жыл бұрын

As always a nice presentation of a forgotten synth. The DX7 shines but the DX9 should not stay in its shadow.

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

Cheers!

@sikkdlam 2 жыл бұрын

Espen, it is really Miami Vice / Jan Hammer Style what you played. Love it!

@unadomandaperte 2 жыл бұрын

There's no doubt this keyboard was one amongst Tangerine Dream's arsenal.

@justinbrown8214 Жыл бұрын

That brown finish looks fricken wicked

@What-the-meow-meow 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing this vintage stuff for those that are interested :3

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

Many thanks!

@marsupialmicron 2 жыл бұрын

I had one, and I liked it a lot. It was so much easier to program than the DX7, which I like too, and has 16 voices of polyphony. I have some videos of it here on youtube Yamaha DX9 - KZfaq

@rachelar Жыл бұрын

I guess if there is less you can do, then it's easier and you make do with what there is and make the best of it

@kefmif 2 жыл бұрын

I'll once again post a comment about the 1989 Yamaha V50. It's truly a magnificent synth. It's also a FM 4-op synth, but it's main advantage over other is that there's "performace" mode where you can layer up to 8 voices (at the cost of polyphony) which makes it a decent comptetitor to Roland's synthesis which also uses sound stacking. V50 with its internal effects, drum machine, floppy drive, breath control and sequencer is really a wonderful, unexpensive 80s workstation.

@sauermusicDE 2 жыл бұрын

That layering functionality is also on the DX11/TX81Z/FB01/YS100/YS200/B200/TQ5/DS55. But they all have only 8 notes of polyphony while the V50 has 16 notes.

@kefmif 2 жыл бұрын

@@sauermusicDE Yes, Yamaha V50 is basically an expanded TX81Z module

@desdel84 2 жыл бұрын

Hey man, I just noticed you have an old school San Diego Padres baseball cap hanging behind you. That’s cool. I’m from San Diego myself, and I too am the 80’s 😎

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, I often wear baseball caps in my videos. I love the sport and my fans here sends me caps from their favorite teams to wear in my videos. ;-)

@Gedomar 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much from France

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

Cheers!

@babyzorilla 2 жыл бұрын

crippled twin brother?! that's worth a good chuckle.

@DavidManley-Reeve-pj1kz Жыл бұрын

My first synth as a teenager in the 80's, eventually sold it during lockdown as lost most of my income. Nostalgia watching this, although I was always jealous of DX7 owners 😂

@rachelar 2 жыл бұрын

I ve always said this is a crippled DX7

@khawk2012 2 жыл бұрын

Hello Mr. Kraft.. I had not seen a DX9.. I know that Yamaha reassigned some of the labels when they were released but a 4 Operator DX! Wow.... any DX or FM synth sounds great with some good programming and FXs... looking good. Cheers Mr. Kraft.. as always well done video...

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jose!

@thegaragebandsq4317 2 жыл бұрын

This brand new looking DX9! That's really worth it!

@danielortizdecaracas 2 ай бұрын

the rockman chorus is a powerful upgrade for this synth

@SacSynths_Jack_Z 2 жыл бұрын

Boy that sure is a CLEAN example though, looks brand new! PS - Sweet Rockman chorus!

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

It does look brand new. Must be the cleanest example of a 1983 synth I've ever laid my hands on. ;-) The Rockman chorus is definitely awesome.

@lesalmin 2 жыл бұрын

@@EspenKraft That chorus gives so much "space" (... or something ?) to that boring dry dx sound.

@andypeck1972 2 жыл бұрын

This is the first time I have ever heard a DX9 sound pleasant...

@televisionandcheese 2 жыл бұрын

It took me so long to realise somehow but this synth is BROWN and I love it

@RealDavidN 2 жыл бұрын

I got a lot of good sounds out of my DX9, after learning to program it.

@dmlfoto 2 жыл бұрын

This was an old dear sight for me, I had the DX9 in the 80s, because I couldn't afford the DX7 :)

@thejdmguru621 2 жыл бұрын

I’ve been looking for a video on one of these for a while

@steve--smith 2 жыл бұрын

The oboe, bassoon, french horn, flutes all sound great. Limited, sure, but in 1983 it was miraculous.

@NachoMartyMeyer 5 ай бұрын

what a beautiful sound ❤

@rebeccaschade3987 2 жыл бұрын

Espen Kraft - "How to make the 2nd hand prices of an old synth double with one simple video." :D

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

I want a good price when I sell my stuff so think of this as my advertising videos. ;-)

@ProSimex84 2 жыл бұрын

Sounds good to me! Im not really a fan of velocity keys, im more of an on/off kinda guy, so thats no limitation for me at all

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

I can sympathize with that statement.

@mrz80 2 жыл бұрын

I'm a guitarist, so I could go with on-off keys and an expression pedal. 's just like doing volume swells on the guitar. :D

@Ancaja123 2 жыл бұрын

Always wanted one of those rockman units! works like a charm on this rather small sounding DX

@mcweb1036 2 жыл бұрын

Nice Sounds on a nice Synth

@user-df5ff4su5j 2 жыл бұрын

Oh, I recognized this watch))

@Komagb 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for not labeling in the video when you had chorus on and off, kept me from being super lazy!

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

It was too much to edit. ;-)

@theklangcollage4113 Жыл бұрын

I have a DX21 and always thought, that the basic sound should be pretty close to the DX9. But probably they did something about the DA converter etc. and some changes in the programming features (I never had a DX9). Anyway the DX21 and the closely following 27 and 100 were probably a logical next step to bring the 4op FM scheme into an affordable (and very compact) format. As always: thanks a lot for another inspiring video!

@EspenKraft Жыл бұрын

Cheers!

@oupahens9219 9 ай бұрын

DX9 though sounds more direct and defined. Got more parameters in the envelops and scaling functions.

@ashleywhiteman2684 2 жыл бұрын

you beat me too it! I picked one up not long ago

@gordon2402 2 жыл бұрын

Love my dx9 Simple Fm and simple programming Thx for a great review of a long Forgotten fm synth

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

Cheers.

@patriciaoudart1508 2 жыл бұрын

I have also a DX21, chorus and effects add a lot to the sound.

@mrz80 2 жыл бұрын

DX21 was a 4-op, roughly a DX100 with fullsize keys, right? I get 'em mixed up in my head nowadays :D

@adamo-7 2 жыл бұрын

@@mrz80 If I remember right, the DX21 had split and layer options. Plus the chorus as Patricia mentioned.

@legitimatefrenzy 2 жыл бұрын

Say what you will but that dx9 pulls some really nice synth brass like a Juno or oberheim if I dare say

@studioliv1 2 жыл бұрын

It’s my first synthesizer. ❤️

@yamitanomura 2 жыл бұрын

Sounds great.

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

Cheers :D

@makers1958 2 жыл бұрын

It pales (a little) compared to a DX7, but remember, at the time (and I was there), most polysynths didn’t have either velocity sensing or aftertouch. Plus the DX9 is a 16 voice polysynth, when almost all others were only 8 voice, tops!

@soundsheavenly 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for another great video. That is a good idea to add chorus to the classic DX sounds - I had used reverb on my DX9 but I prefer your chorus box! I love my DX9, it has the gritty sounds of the DX7 mk.1 that none of the other DX models can match, but it is WAY easier to program and cheaper to buy than a DX7. I would love to hear what those patches were that you played and if they are available to download?

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I play patches from a variety of banks, some even modified patches from later DX models.

@emmarossignol4445 2 жыл бұрын

That's a good idea. I sold my DX7mk1 to get a mk2 for the stereo/performance features but I do miss that crunchy sound. Maybe I'll have to start looking into DX9's soon.

@VIKTOR-pp8pu 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent

@rareform6747 2 жыл бұрын

I like the monster behind it ...and any RockMan !!!!!

@andygriffith5160 2 жыл бұрын

1:15 Ooh, that's nice!

@neuromancer9k 2 жыл бұрын

I had one of these in '99 or '00I wasn't a fan of the sound, and not being able to easily get under the hood didn't help. I still think that the synth in this video originally sounded bad, but Espen's playing enhanced it to what we are hearing. ;)

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

@richardsmith4992 2 жыл бұрын

Sadly Dave Smith, of Sequential Circuits and inventor of MIDI, Prophet 5 etc has passed away. Legend.

@merttopel 2 жыл бұрын

Lacking velocity sensitivity makes it a digital synth to be played using a volume pedal just like a Hammond organ. Voilà! New dimensions in creative synth playing!..

@joelalexander4513 2 жыл бұрын

Great stuff, as usual EK! iS YOUR dx9 brown? Or is that the lighting?

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! It's more the color grading. I did it exaggerated it a bit. ;-)

@joelalexander4513 2 жыл бұрын

@@EspenKraft now i want one just to paint it that color brown ha

@CngRAMBattery Жыл бұрын

You make it sound very likeable, although everyone talks bad about DX9…I have a DX11 and still working on it…have you watched videos from Hedge777?

@EspenKraft Жыл бұрын

I've watched some in the past yes.

@dosgos 2 жыл бұрын

Still sounds great!

@legionnairegonk4425 2 жыл бұрын

Always had a soft spot for the 9. I can't say exactly why, but it might just be because it is/was the mungrel/underdog of the range! A bit like the Jupiter 6, it's having to fight it's bigger more opulent brother for air.

@matthewgaines10 2 жыл бұрын

The DX9. The much forgotten DX. Even the DX100 got more love (deservingly). I guess the DX27 was equally unloved. Nice video.

@kennitrochrome6093 Жыл бұрын

I made my first EP with the dx9.

@djenofficialmy 2 жыл бұрын

The Golden Boy!

@igorcarvalhopadilhaandrade5886 10 ай бұрын

🤠✌🏻CLASSIC!!!!!!!!!!🤠✌🏻

@KozmykJ 2 жыл бұрын

I have a CX5-M which is basically a DX-9 in an 8-bit computer. Currently languishing in a box ... one day I'll plug it in again and see if the Blue Smoke is still contained within. 😜

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

Go for it!

@KozmykJ 2 жыл бұрын

@@EspenKraft It's on the list. So much time, so little to do ... 🙄

@Ringo-Morash 2 жыл бұрын

I need the patch of that piano at the beginning for my Reface DX! D:

@Latvian3Dman 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for video. By the way (before i try to search :)) did you ever have a video on DX100? Thank you.

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

No, not the DX100, but I have a video on the TX81Z and FB01 which (in different ways) are the same as the DX100 except they're modules.

@PatrickRosenbalm 2 жыл бұрын

Great video as always Espen! You made that DX9 sing! However, your Jupiter 8 high up on that stand worries me. I personally have never cared for those stands and have seen keyboards get knocked off of them. I have my JP-8 on a heavy double X stand. Those aren't my favorite either but this one's ok. It's held it up 23 years! ;-) I think the DX9 became the DX27 with half the polyphony. There's the DX21 that you can split or double the keyboard like the Jupiter 8. It also has a chorus. No velocity or after-touch. Yamaha made a bunch of 4 op low cost synths. The DX11 was a pretty good one. I had one. TX81Z is the rack version. I long since sold the DX11 but I do have a TX81Z and DX21. The latter being a freebie my sister picked up for me about 12 years ago.

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@Roboprogs 2 жыл бұрын

From what I understand, the DX11 was actually pretty capable, other than reduced polyphony (8 vs 16 notes at a time).

@PatrickRosenbalm 2 жыл бұрын

@@Roboprogs I was a very capable DX :-). The keyboard had a nice feel to it too. Kinda like a Korg DW8000.

@dareu_ 2 жыл бұрын

Delicious !

@ernestobevilacqua7288 Жыл бұрын

I like it very much!

@testohtoby 2 жыл бұрын

These 4 op FM synths are cool As a keyboardist the lack of velocity would drive me crazy so my trusty TX81Z does a wonderful job (with an 88 keys master too...)

@aselma10 2 жыл бұрын

Haha I remember I was a teenager and didn't have enough money for the DX7 and I ended up with the DX9. It has the same sound but had mo touch which wasn't great but I did enjoy it for awhile

@Quant-Beat 2 жыл бұрын

Nice color, brown... :)

@altinkosova4120 2 ай бұрын

Man, love it

@CaptainDangeax 2 жыл бұрын

smalltown boy and secret of monkey island are coming up to my memory

@xnonsuchx 2 жыл бұрын

I only had a DX21 for a while (as far as DX synths go). I made one patch I liked (I think I named it 'DIGIORGAN'), but ended up not liking it compared to analog synths, so traded it for something (can't remember). I did like that patch I made, though, and still have it saved on a cassette, so kinda wanna listen to it again. Same with saved Alesis HR-16 data dumps.

@Luis_Stereo 2 жыл бұрын

Nice Video! by the way... whats the name of the sound in the minute: 1:15? the dx7 also has the same preset?

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I can't remember, the DX9 does not show patch names on the display.

@donniekeay 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video Espen! There used to be a website for DX9 but it's down now. If you can't make this sound good you're NGMI at synths. There's an Aphex Twin bank for DX9 if anyone wants it pm me

@EspenKraft 2 жыл бұрын

Cheers!