This is what people missed with the DX range. They just plinked around on the factory patches, dry, until everyone was sick of them. Try programming it and bung on some FX and it still cuts it....and doesn't sound like every other regurgitated subtractive, analogue or modelled.
Connect a $25 Casio keyboard to this effect unit (Strymon BigSky) and you will even love that one.... EDit: uuups, actually my answer belonged rather to the posting below...
Back in the low budget day, a DX100 with a little Alesis reverb box was what I could afford but it did a few garage band jams. In a garage, not the app. Late 80s.
My Volca FM led to me searching the Internet for old DX patches. There's a bundle out there that contains thousands of patches that were configured over the years. Yes, people missed out THEN, but don't have to now. Me? I'd rather spend an hour finding the good patches then spend years learning FM synthesis ... I got jams to make. 😏
@@HazeAnderson I know what you mean about the difficulty of learning how to program FM. But I will add that after a little effort it really does start to 'click'. What is harder is predicting what you are going to get when you switch through the algorithms, but then that is also what I love about it. It sort of works like a randomizer, sending me off in another unexpected direction. My first FM synth was a DX9. I heard someone say once that programming a DX with its tiny LCD was like trying to wallpaper the hall and stairs of your house via the front door letter box! But these days with graphic interfaces available it is much easier to quickly learn how it all fits together. I use one program called Dexed, perhaps you know it? asb2m10.github.io/dexed/ It is good because you can run it as a softsynth on a PC and/or as a standalone editor for an external DX7 OR... Volca FM ...I think!
Love your videos Paolo! I've been a long time watcher and I just wanted to say thanks for all the great content over the years, you've been a big source of knowledge and inspiration. All the best! -Ross
Proof that the DX7 can sound amazing. I’ll be looking forward to the video that features that Module you bought at KnobCon. I really liked their stuff.
I know exactly how you feel. Any time I think of DX7, I think of the 6-10 most common, overused stock sounds from it from the mid-80s to mid-90s. I did have a DX21 for a while and was able to program a few interesting sounds of my own that I really liked, but FM synthesis wasn't really my thing. Even so, I kinda want a DX7 to play around with now and I keep trying to find a relatively cheap one.
Lol! I forgot to remove it from the picture frame! There's a eurocase to the right of the Strymon and was supposed to be moved in there prior to positioning the camera :-D I guess that's what happens when one sets the camera at table-height... didn't notice it made the shot lol
Yes. It is awesome what good fx can do. I do the same with Arturias dx7v and the valhalla reverb and delays it opens new worlds. I am so exited combining old stuff and new tecnoligy
I love that choir patch in the beginning. I like to think that I know what I’m doing with the DX7, but I haven’t been able to get a good choir sound with it. Care to share the patch notes?
I'm predominantly a guitar player and not very savvy with real or virtual synths & keyboards but I have the DX7 in my Arturia Analog Lab collection that I sometimes use with my Studio One 3 DAW and it's a shame because I don't think I'd be able to connect a pedal like this to my Akai MPK 25 midi controller keyboard and into my DAW. I don't own the Big Sky at the moment, I have the Mooer Ocean Machine which is a similar type of unit aimed at musicians who like to create a more ambient type of music.
You can do it, but you need an audio interface with more than just one speaker output. Basically the principle is this: you plug a set of outputs into your pedal, and the outputs of your pedal into another of the audio interface's inputs. Studio One comes with a effect device called "Pipeline" that can be dropped into a track and can be setup to pass the audio out through the additional output and receive it back through the additional input. At that point you can treat your pedal as another effect you would drop in the channel. There are a couple of decent videos on TH-cam about how to set up Pipeline also if this info is not enough.
Thanks for taking the time to share that info Justin 👍 I've not heard of pipeline and I'm far from knowledgeable or competent in using my DAW with anything other than my guitar and am pretty much beginner/novice level with keyboards etc but I'll try to explain my set up. I have a Presonus Audiobox iTwo which has 2 instrument/mic inputs, but my Akai MPK25 midi keyboard connects straight into my pc via usb so both inputs on my Audiobox are available to use, so would I need to connect the pedal as an instrument? I don't know if it's relevant but my Mooer Ocean Machine does have midi ports on it? I'm guessing that somewhere along the line I would need to alter the settings for the midi send & receive on my Studio One? Also, can you use any guitar effects pedal as an instrument when you use pipeline? Cheers
The other and easier and probably cheaper thing you can do is get a a good reverb plug in. I’ve seen people on TH-cam use the Valhalla shimmer reverb on the volca fm (small dx7-like pocket synth) and it sounded great
robfel68 I own an original and it’s great. SysEx allows you to load a shit ton of patches. Programming is hard but very rewarding. As for the DX7II, it’s got more patch memory, I’ve heard it’s cleaner sounding than the original, and you can split the keyboard. The original is also a weird brown color. I think the original would be your best bet, it’s cheaper than the II and it’s that gritty FM sound.
great sounds people dont understand dx7 its a beast get over this digital versus analogue idea dx7 sounds r just good sounds amazin all this hard 2 program idea its crazy its time consuming but that makes it interesting can get sounds you can never get with analogue just spend sum time and dont listen 2 all slagging dx7 off enos apollo was mostly dx7 its amazing album not digital or analog sounding just great sounds he got ...
Nop, it's not mine, I have literally a few thousand patches for the DX line that I started collecting in the '90s, and I'm not sure where that one is from, but probably from an expansion card of the '80s - There's a big collection available for free online, and it's very probably there
Paulo, I really love the BigSky but it’s a little bit pricey. Do you think you can ‘recreate’ this preset on a Lexicon PCM80 with memory upgrade (4 MB ram)?
Hey Paolo or any other DX7 enthusiast in the comments: I‘m currently in the situation that I could buy either a DX7 mk I or a mk II D for roughly the same price (around 400€) and now I‘m wondering, which one should I get? I know that the mk I has 12 bit DACs and is widely considered to sound rougher or even warmer (and I like the design of the mk1 way more, haha), but I’m intrigued by the layer and split function of the mk 2. what would you consider?
MKII also has polyphonic LFO which is worth considering. I’ve owned both and prefer the sound of the original, but sometimes I do find myself wishing I had stereo outputs, layering, and poly LFO… what did you end up getting?
These are patches from the library I have - I literally have thousands of patches that I collected since the '90s.... some are tweaked but if you google it, there's one collection that has all of them sorted out, freely downloadable on the net
Am I the only one who doesn’t like the big sky ...from where I’m sitting it colours the sound to much with that glassy shimmery choir type effect .. I just want a warm grainy reverb no extra bullshit . I’ve never had one but every demo I listen to seems to sound like it’s go something extra going on
Who needs rockets and spaceships when you can safely travel to other worlds with just a synth? ;)
This is what people missed with the DX range. They just plinked around on the factory patches, dry, until everyone was sick of them.
Try programming it and bung on some FX and it still cuts it....and doesn't sound like every other regurgitated subtractive, analogue or modelled.
Connect a $25 Casio keyboard to this effect unit (Strymon BigSky) and you will even love that one....
EDit: uuups, actually my answer belonged rather to the posting below...
Back in the low budget day, a DX100 with a little Alesis reverb box was what I could afford but it did a few garage band jams. In a garage, not the app. Late 80s.
My Volca FM led to me searching the Internet for old DX patches. There's a bundle out there that contains thousands of patches that were configured over the years. Yes, people missed out THEN, but don't have to now. Me? I'd rather spend an hour finding the good patches then spend years learning FM synthesis ... I got jams to make. 😏
I like the way the Big Sky makes the tremolo in some of the patches sound like delay.
@@HazeAnderson I know what you mean about the difficulty of learning how to program FM. But I will add that after a little effort it really does start to 'click'. What is harder is predicting what you are going to get when you switch through the algorithms, but then that is also what I love about it. It sort of works like a randomizer, sending me off in another unexpected direction. My first FM synth was a DX9. I heard someone say once that programming a DX with its tiny LCD was like trying to wallpaper the hall and stairs of your house via the front door letter box! But these days with graphic interfaces available it is much easier to quickly learn how it all fits together. I use one program called Dexed, perhaps you know it?
asb2m10.github.io/dexed/
It is good because you can run it as a softsynth on a PC and/or as a standalone editor for an external DX7 OR... Volca FM ...I think!
Lovely sounds Paolo, DX7 and Big Sky are a match made in heaven!
Right. I'm digging out the old brownie and sticking it through my boss sx700. That's Sunday sorted...thanks for the inspiration!
Love your videos Paolo! I've been a long time watcher and I just wanted to say thanks for all the great content over the years, you've been a big source of knowledge and inspiration.
All the best!
-Ross
The dx7 is one of the last great synths. Misunderstood by many.
There have been a few since. No worries about that, but a DX7 with E! and some deep patching is pretty hard to beat.
Proof that the DX7 can sound amazing. I’ll be looking forward to the video that features that Module you bought at KnobCon. I really liked their stuff.
this video hits me in the feels. I want a dx7 again.
FM synthesis is so nostalgic to me, thanks for this demo !!
Dx 7 is a great synth, also without effects !
Beautiful... FM Synthesis is BEAUTYFUL!!!
Sometimes it sounds like Vangelis' This kind of pedal lets old synths like DX7, D10, D50 a chance to be reborn.
Thx Paolo. Regards.
Wow... The Strymon really does a great job.... Nice Vid Mr P.
What a perfect combination! thanks for the video :)
Hyper-dimensonal, Neo-classical, ambient sounds
Fabulous - and most importantly, musical. Paolo, you've done it again!
Thank you, Andrew!
Sounds a bit like muzak in a doctor's waiting room. :D I like it.
I can't trust you anymore -- you made a DX7 sound appealing :D
Paolo knows to make synths shine!
Besides that: Connect a $25 Casio keyboard to this effect unit (Strymon BigSky) and you will even love that one....
Ha! :-D Seriously, though, this DX7 + BigSky is a good-sounding combo!
I know exactly how you feel. Any time I think of DX7, I think of the 6-10 most common, overused stock sounds from it from the mid-80s to mid-90s. I did have a DX21 for a while and was able to program a few interesting sounds of my own that I really liked, but FM synthesis wasn't really my thing. Even so, I kinda want a DX7 to play around with now and I keep trying to find a relatively cheap one.
Damn that DX7's clean
Thanks P . So happy I found my Dx7 few weeks ago
Very welcome
Looks like someone brought a eurorack module back from Knobcon :)
Lol! I forgot to remove it from the picture frame! There's a eurocase to the right of the Strymon and was supposed to be moved in there prior to positioning the camera :-D I guess that's what happens when one sets the camera at table-height... didn't notice it made the shot lol
I got a few easter eggs like than in some of my vids too. 😂Too many considerations! 😂
Call from another planet
Very nice.
Nice Paolo! ⭐🚀🌑⭐
Yes. It is awesome what good fx can do. I do the same with Arturias dx7v and the valhalla reverb and delays it opens new worlds. I am so exited combining old stuff and new tecnoligy
pure Awesomeness....*LOVE* it
Twins & Pads was heavenly
Anything going thru that stompbox seems to sound great. I need to try some sample fart sounds and make them bloom with the fx. :P
Through hardship to the stars sounds
Give DX7 propper reverb and magic happens. :)
ps. Try using it with both filter and reverb, even more magic.. :)
What filter?
Frostwave Resonator
I love that choir patch in the beginning. I like to think that I know what I’m doing with the DX7, but I haven’t been able to get a good choir sound with it. Care to share the patch notes?
another fun pedal for DX7 is the flashback x4 i got a little preview of it on my channel
Brian Eno has been looking around for you
I'm predominantly a guitar player and not very savvy with real or virtual synths & keyboards but I have the DX7 in my Arturia Analog Lab collection that I sometimes use with my Studio One 3 DAW and it's a shame because I don't think I'd be able to connect a pedal like this to my Akai MPK 25 midi controller keyboard and into my DAW. I don't own the Big Sky at the moment, I have the Mooer Ocean Machine which is a similar type of unit aimed at musicians who like to create a more ambient type of music.
You can do it, but you need an audio interface with more than just one speaker output. Basically the principle is this: you plug a set of outputs into your pedal, and the outputs of your pedal into another of the audio interface's inputs. Studio One comes with a effect device called "Pipeline" that can be dropped into a track and can be setup to pass the audio out through the additional output and receive it back through the additional input. At that point you can treat your pedal as another effect you would drop in the channel. There are a couple of decent videos on TH-cam about how to set up Pipeline also if this info is not enough.
Thanks for taking the time to share that info Justin 👍
I've not heard of pipeline and I'm far from knowledgeable or competent in using my DAW with anything other than my guitar and am pretty much beginner/novice level with keyboards etc but I'll try to explain my set up.
I have a Presonus Audiobox iTwo which has 2 instrument/mic inputs, but my Akai MPK25 midi keyboard connects straight into my pc via usb so both inputs on my Audiobox are available to use, so would I need to connect the pedal as an instrument? I don't know if it's relevant but my Mooer Ocean Machine does have midi ports on it?
I'm guessing that somewhere along the line I would need to alter the settings for the midi send & receive on my Studio One?
Also, can you use any guitar effects pedal as an instrument when you use pipeline? Cheers
The other and easier and probably cheaper thing you can do is get a a good reverb plug in. I’ve seen people on TH-cam use the Valhalla shimmer reverb on the volca fm (small dx7-like pocket synth) and it sounded great
I wonder if anyone can enlighten me about wich is the best DX7 model?
robfel68 I own an original and it’s great. SysEx allows you to load a shit ton of patches. Programming is hard but very rewarding. As for the DX7II, it’s got more patch memory, I’ve heard it’s cleaner sounding than the original, and you can split the keyboard. The original is also a weird brown color. I think the original would be your best bet, it’s cheaper than the II and it’s that gritty FM sound.
@@cac0demoncaravan Thank you my friend. Greetings from Sweden
Original DX7 every time
9.30minutes Blade Runner?! ?? !!
great sounds people dont understand dx7 its a beast get over this digital versus analogue idea dx7 sounds r just good sounds amazin all this hard 2 program idea its crazy its time consuming but that makes it interesting can get sounds you can never get with analogue just spend sum time and dont listen 2 all slagging dx7 off enos apollo was mostly dx7 its amazing album not digital or analog sounding just great sounds he got ...
WOW!
This android voices patch is so beautiful. Did you make the DX-7 Patch? Is there a way I can get it?
Nop, it's not mine, I have literally a few thousand patches for the DX line that I started collecting in the '90s, and I'm not sure where that one is from, but probably from an expansion card of the '80s - There's a big collection available for free online, and it's very probably there
look for the DX7 All The Web patches and you'll find voice patches that sound the exact same but without the reverb effects of course
Giant rabbits reminded me windows 95 launch music
Paulo, I really love the BigSky but it’s a little bit pricey. Do you think you can ‘recreate’ this preset on a Lexicon PCM80 with memory upgrade (4 MB ram)?
"Pituitary gland" 😵
Hey Paolo or any other DX7 enthusiast in the comments: I‘m currently in the situation that I could buy either a DX7 mk I or a mk II D for roughly the same price (around 400€) and now I‘m wondering, which one should I get? I know that the mk I has 12 bit DACs and is widely considered to sound rougher or even warmer (and I like the design of the mk1 way more, haha), but I’m intrigued by the layer and split function of the mk 2. what would you consider?
MKII also has polyphonic LFO which is worth considering. I’ve owned both and prefer the sound of the original, but sometimes I do find myself wishing I had stereo outputs, layering, and poly LFO… what did you end up getting?
@@kgbinfo the mkII got it for around 200€ with two RAM-Cards
are these patches available anywhere? or just personal bank?
These are patches from the library I have - I literally have thousands of patches that I collected since the '90s.... some are tweaked but if you google it, there's one collection that has all of them sorted out, freely downloadable on the net
Hello! And please make a comparison of the same sound in different synthesizers - DX7, Jupiter, JUNO, M1, etc.
Hello from Russia =)
lol
So tomita esque
Am I the only one who doesn’t like the big sky ...from where I’m sitting it colours the sound to much with that glassy shimmery choir type effect .. I just want a warm grainy reverb no extra bullshit . I’ve never had one but every demo I listen to seems to sound like it’s go something extra going on
Who has dared hit that dislike button !?
You need to check your recording setup, this is clipping all the time
Love it! A while back I made a DX7 + Big Sky + El Capistan video, including A/B, hope you enjoy: th-cam.com/video/BzaZGY6L4bU/w-d-xo.html
MINTED...
What's "Big Sky" ?
It is the blue reverb footswitch you can see on the dx.
A pedal by the brand Strymon.
Costs more than a DX7!
I believe it to be an overpriced DSP- based effect pedal
@@t55a2 but cheaper than the alternative non DSP option...a selection of plates springs concert halls cathedrals and....OUTER SPACE;-)
ого, такие ЖИРНЫЕ пальцы ?!?!? как у продовщицы на рынке )
am th