Yamaha DX1

The Yamaha DX1 is the top-level member of Yamaha's prolific DX series of FM synthesizers.

DX1
Yamaha DX1
ManufacturerYamaha
Dates1983[1] to 1985
Price

JP¥ 1,950,000[2]

US$ 13,900[3]
Technical specifications
Polyphony32 voices in single or split mode
16 voices in dual mode
TimbralityMonotimbral
Bitimbral in split mode
Oscillator6 operators
LFO1
Synthesis typeDigital frequency modulation
Filternone
Attenuator6 envelope generators
Aftertouch expressionYes
Velocity expressionYes
Storage memorytwo sets of 4 banks of 8 voices (A and B channel, total 64), 8 banks of 8 performance combinations
Effectsnone
Hardware2x YM21280 (OPS) operator chip
2x YM21290 (ES) envelope generator
Input/output
KeyboardDX-1: 73 with
velocity and polyphonic aftertouch
DX-5: 76 with
velocity and channel aftertouch
Left-hand controlpitch-bend and modulation wheels
External controlMIDI

Background

The DX1 features two sets of the same synthesizer chipset used in the DX7, allowing either double the polyphony, split of two voices, or dual (layered) instrument voices. In addition, it contains twice the amount of voice memory as the DX7. It has an independent voice bank for each of two synth channels (engines). Each of 64 performance combinations can be assigned a single voice number, or a combination of two voice numbers - one from channel A and one from channel B.

Notable features

Case[4]

  • handmade Brazilian rosewood case

Keyboard[4]

  • 73-key weighted wooden keyboard with polyphonic aftertouch

Algorithms

On the left side of the front panel, a printed algorithm chart provides an overview of the 32 selectable algorithms and their associated operator structuring.

Displays[5][6][7]

A DX1 at the 2015 NAMM Yamaha booth, showing its display features

Compared to both the DX5 and of course the DX7, accessibility and programmability are greatly enhanced by the sheer amount of displays available:

Performance section

  • a comprehensive backlit LCD display (40 × 2 characters) which displays selected programs in Single, Dual or Split mode, as well as LFO setting and other voice-specific parameters

Algorithm panel

  • thirteen single-character 7-segment numeric displays for indicating (by means of 1, 2, 4, 6 displays in 4 consecutive rows, from top to bottom) the selected algorithm, by providing positions and relationships of all active operators, as each one of these displays is linked to neighboring ones via individual stripe-style LEDs
  • one single-character 7-segment numeric display (top) showing amount of feedback
  • one double-character 7-segment numeric display (bottom) showing algorithm number (as referenced by the chart)

Oscillator panel

  • two individual LEDs for indicating either (top) frequency ratio or (bottom) fixed frequency in Hz mode
  • one individual LED for indicating positive or negative detune
  • one single-character 7-segment numeric display (top) for detune amount
  • one four-character 7-segment numeric display (bottom) for value (ratio or exact frequency) of the selected frequency mode

Envelope panel

  • two individual LEDs for indicating either (left) center pitch or (right) amplitude level mode
  • eight double-character 7-segment numeric displays for showing each individual envelope parameter, from top to bottom: R1, R2, R3, R4 (=rates) and L1, L2, L3, L4 (=levels)
  • four 16-segment bar-style LEDs that graphically display either rates (in center pitch mode) or levels (in amplitude mode)

Keyboard scaling panel

  • eight individual LEDs indicating selected curve response
  • three double-character 7-segment numeric displays showing (left to right) left depth, break point, right depth values
  • one single-character 7-segment numeric display for showing rate scaling

Sensitivity panel

  • two single-character 7-segment displays showing (top) key velocity and (bottom) amplitude modulation
  • one double-character 7-segment display showing output level
  • one 16-segment bar-style LED that graphically displays the output level

Buttons

  • solid push-buttons as opposed to the membrane buttons on the DX7, many of them containing individual LEDs for indicating statuses[8]

Sales

Only 140 DX1 units were produced.[4] It was used by artists including New Order, such as their tracks "True Faith" and "1963".[9]

The Yamaha DX5 is a derivative of the DX1, introduced in 1985 with a list price of US$3,495. It has the same synth engine, but lacks the DX1's fully weighted keys, polyphonic aftertouch, aesthetics (rosewood case and wooden keyboard), and user interface features (parameter displays). It includes 76 keys with channel aftertouch and slightly improved MIDI features. Programming on a DX1 is still a little easier than on a DX5 because of its extensive parameter displays, but in general both are easier to program than a DX7, because they have larger displays as well as dedicated buttons for some programming tasks.

References
  1. Yamaha Synth 40th Anniversary - History 2014
  2. Yamaha LM Instruments (brochure) (in Japanese). Yamaha Corporation. 1985. pp. 3.
  3. "Yamaha DX1". Vintage Synth Explorer. Although the DX1 may seem like a better buy than the more popular DX7, remember that the DX1 is expensive. There were only about 140 of these synths made and the retail value of a DX1 during its production year in 1985 was $13,900. ...
  4. "Yamaha DX1". Encyclotronic. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  5. Digital Programmable Algorithm Synthesizer DX1 Service Manual. Yamaha Corporation / Nippon Gakki Co. Ltd. 1983–1986. Panel Layout, p. 5
  6. "Yamaha DX1 Synthesizer (1983)". Wolf Collection. 7 April 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  7. "Yamaha DX1". Matrixsynth. 11 April 2007. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  8. Gordon Reid (September 2001). "Sounds of the '80s Part 2: The Yamaha DX1 & Its Successors (Retro)". Sound on Sound. Archived from the original on 17 September 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  9. Buskin, Richard (March 2005). "CLASSIC TRACKS: New Order 'True Faith'". Classic Tracks. Sound on Sound. Sync'ing The Unsyncable.
    "When New Order commenced working with Stephen Hague, they brought an interesting array of gear into the studio: a Yamaha QX1 sequencer, a rackmounted Octave Voyetra 8 polyphonic synth, a DX5 that provided most of the bass sounds and which Hague succinctly describes as "Yamaha's attempt to put two DX7s under one roof – it weighed a ton," and an Akai S900 sampler."

Further reading
  • "[Chapter 2] FM Tone Generators and the Dawn of Home Music Production". Yamaha Synth 40th Anniversary - History. Yamaha Corporation. 2014. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014.
    The development outline of Yamaha FM sound synthesizer; especially, the prototypes of GS1 (TRX-100), DX series (PAMS: Programmable Algorithm Music Synthesizer), DX1 (prototype DX1), and these tentative programming interfaces are seen.
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