sahayman@watcgl.UUCP (Steve Hayman) (11/07/85)
>I heard from several reliable sources that [the DX-9] is a piece of crap.
Not true at all. I bought a DX-9 two years ago and have been very
pleased with it. It's true that it has less features than the DX-7
(e.g. no touch sensitivity, 4 operators instead of 6, no cartridge
memory (but you can use cassette tapes which are a LOT cheaper))
but at the time I bought mine it was selling for about $900 (Cdn) less.
but the general idea is the same.
It's a good entry-level synthesizer. Yamaha supplies about 200 voices
on cassette tape, some better than others of course, but plenty to keep
you busy if you aren't into programming. Some of them are very nice -
the flute, pipe organ, bells to name a few. Some are not even close.
Synth programmers seem to have funny ideas about what brass instruments
sound like. But there is enough flexibility to keep you entertained for
a long time. I'm still coming up with new, interesting sounds.
The frustrating thing, of course, is that all the software and articles
you ever see are for the DX-7. Maybe if I had my life to live over
again, I'd save up the extra bucks and get the DX-7, but I haven't
really regretted the DX-9 at all. I've learned a lot about FM
synthesis and have had a plenty of fun with it. In fact, I'm the
organist at University of Waterloo hockey games. Guess what I use?
If the price is right, the DX-9 would be a good buy. Of course the
situation is clouded by the presence of the DX-21, about which
I know very little. But I've been happy with the DX-9, even though
I've never met anybody else who owned one....
One suggestion. Invest another $50 in a chorus box when you get
a DX-9. It warms up a lot of the sounds tremendously. And don't waste
your money on the breath controller, it doesn't really add much.
..steve hayman