The Yamaha DX7 is a synthesizer introduced by Yamaha Corporation in 1983. It was the first successful digital synthesizer and is one of the best-selling synthesizers in history, selling more than 200,000 units.
In the early 1980s, the synthesizer market was dominated by analog synthesizers. Frequency modulation synthesis, a means of generating sounds via frequency modulation (FM), was developed by John Chowning at Stanford University, California. FM synthesis created brighter, glassier sounds, and could better imitate acoustic sounds such as brass and bells. Yamaha licensed the technology to create the DX7, combining it with very-large-scale integration chips to lower manufacturing costs.
With its complex menus and lack of conventional controls, few learned to program the DX7 in depth. However, its preset sounds became staples of 1980s pop music; in 1986, it was used in 40% of the number-one singles on the US Billboard Hot 100. Its electric piano sound was particularly widely used, especially in power ballads. The English musician Brian Eno was proficient at programming his own sounds, and it was instrumental to his work in ambient music. Chips based on the DX7 sound chip, such as the YM2612, were used in technologies such as the Sega Genesis game console.
The DX7 was succeeded by FM synthesizers including the DX1, DX21, DX27 and DX100. In later years, its sounds came to be seen as dated or clichéd and its use declined. In 2015, Yamaha released a smaller FM synthesizer, the Reface DX.
Development
By the mid-20th century, frequency modulation (FM), a means of carrying sound, had been understood for decades and was widely used to broadcast radio transmissions. In the 1960s, at Stanford University, California, John Chowning developed FM synthesis, a means of using FM to generate sounds that differed from subtractive synthesis. In 1971, to demonstrate its commercial potential, Chowning used FM to emulate acoustic sounds such as organs and brass. Stanford patented the technology and hoped to license it, but was turned down by American companies including Hammond and Wurlitzer.
At the time, the Japanese company Yamaha was the world's largest manufacturer of musical instruments but had little market share in the United States. In 1975, Yamaha negotiated exclusive rights for the technology.
Ikutaro Kakehashi, the founder of the Japanese company Roland, was also interested, but met Chowning six months after Yamaha had agreed to the deal. Kakehashi later said Yamaha were the natural partners in the venture, as they had the resources to make FM synthesis commercially viable. which was expensive to manufacture due to its integrated circuit chips. The DX7 was released in 1983.
Features
thumb|right|200px|The settings buttons include controls for effects such as [[portamento.]]
Compared to the "warm" and "fuzzy" sounds of analog synthesizers, the DX7 sounds "harsh", "glassy" and "chilly", with a richer, brighter sound. Its presets constitute "struck" and "plucked" sounds with complex transients. According to Bristow, Yamaha had hoped to sell more than 20,000 units. Within a year, orders exceeded 150,000 units,
The DX7 was the first synthesizer to sell more than 100,000 units. The FM patent was for years one of Stanford's highest earning. Chowning received royalties for all of Yamaha's FM synthesizers. Smith said it sold well as it was reasonably priced, had keyboard expression and 16 voices, and was better at emulating acoustic sounds than competing products. It was praised for its accuracy in reproducing tubular bells, metallophones and the harpsichord, and took over the electric piano market.
right|thumb|"[[Danger Zone (Kenny Loggins song)|Danger Zone", a 1986 single by Kenny Loggins, uses the DX7 "BASS 1" preset.]]
With complex submenus displayed on an LCD and no knobs and sliders to adjust the sound, many found the DX7 difficult to program. MusicRadar described its interface as "nearly impenetrable", with "operators, algorithms and unusual envelopes ... accessed through tedious menus and a diminutive display". The DX7 was widely used in 1980s pop music, in hits such as "When Doves Cry" by Prince, "The Best" by Tina Turner, "Smooth Operator" by Sade and "Smooth Criminal" by Michael Jackson. especially for power ballads; it was used by artists including Whitney Houston, Chicago, and George Michael, The preset imitates a Rhodes piano, prompting some to abandon the Rhodes in favor of the DX7.
A few musicians skilled at programming the DX7 found employment creating sounds for other acts. The English musician Brian Eno learned to program the DX7 in depth and used it to create ambient music on his 1983 album Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks.
Successors
In the mid-1980s, Yamaha released numerous cheaper FM synthesizers. A desktop module version, the TX7, was released in 1985. In 2015, Yamaha released a smaller FM synthesizer, the Reface DX.