Worst Yamaha Synth EVER!

Phollop Willing PA · Post by **Phollop Willing PA** » Fri May 23, 2008 4:09 pm

Well, it was inevitable.

Perhaps the DX 7? Only for the fact that it once sold for over $2,500 and now you're lucky if you can sell it for $300 for it these days. It was very hard to program too, (without a computer). (I kind of think it was overused for a while - ) But boy was it built like a tank!

or perhaps the FB-01?

Great bell sounds but horribly 'swishy' in the low end...

Synthaholic · Post by **Synthaholic** » Fri May 23, 2008 4:57 pm

Worst Yamaha synth? Not the DX7. It's only cheap because there are a gazillion of them out there, and not all synth-heads are in the market for them.

Maybe one of the "little guy" DXes like the DX9 or DX21.

gcoudert · Post by **gcoudert** » Fri May 23, 2008 5:01 pm

It's a matter of taste of course but I love the DX7. Once you get into programming or at least editing, you realise what a powerful machine it is.

The worst Yamaha is probably the TX7 in my opinion, although I do love mine. Let me explain: you can't edit the sounds from the front panel; you need a computer + software or a DX7 to program it. And only by dumping banks to and fro. It's not rackmountable either.

On a positive note, getting a TX7 if you own a DX allows you to detune the same sound and pan them for thickness, create more complex sounds by layering (organ sounds in particular as algorithm 32 + 6 operators only allow 6-drawbar sounds).

Gilles

http://www.youtube.com/user/JMPSynth · Post by **JMP** » Fri May 23, 2008 5:08 pm

Synthaholic wrote:Maybe one of the "little guy" DXes like the DX9 or DX21

Nah, it's the DX27. Four operators, no split/layer, brown and green, blurgh.

Remember getting the hard sell to buy one in a music shop in 1987 (hey it's a DX !) After gathering dust for many a year, managed to sell mine last year for £70 which is probably top end these days.

Saying all this, if you can pick up the DX21 for £50 (which I've seen from time to time) or a DX7 for double then that's not bad value (sound for pound) if you like FM.

MrFrodo · Post by **MrFrodo** » Fri May 23, 2008 5:47 pm

Okay, here's my opinion. The worst Yamaha in my book is the all-powerful CS-80.

And, why? What's the point of that unmistakable sound and controllability if the rewarding features are (literally) outweighed by all else? I mean, I won't knock the ability to play the equivalent of 8 Minimoogs at once, but not at 220 pounds, (complete lack of) reliability and tuning stability from h**l.

The liabilities outweigh the assets. At least, you can plug in the DX7 and play it on your own.

[That's one virtual synth I'd be generally interested in if I were to indulge computer sequencing heavily, the Arturia CS-80V.]

hfinn · Post by **hfinn** » Fri May 23, 2008 6:00 pm

So because it's heavy and some have tuning issues it's the worst Yamaha synth? So you would rather have a DX-100 than a CS-80? (and none of this I'd take the CS-80 to sell it to buy 1200 DX-100's....)

MrFrodo · Post by **MrFrodo** » Fri May 23, 2008 6:03 pm

hfinn wrote:So because it's heavy and some have tuning issues it's the worst Yamaha synth? So you would rather have a DX-100 than a CS-80? (and none of this I'd take the CS-80 to sell it to buy 1200 DX-100's....)

I wouldn't want the 100. After the 21, I know that I like the DX sound. But not without the touch sensitivity.

urgetoplay · Post by **urgetoplay** » Fri May 23, 2008 6:27 pm

Always love people who talk about tuning instability. Do you own one? The several people I know who do have said that the reliability issues are severely overstated by the antifanboys.

Post by **Jack Spider** » Fri May 23, 2008 7:13 pm

Monsieur Frodo - although you were only stating your opinion, it's probably best to just speak from personal experience, rather than hearsay as it can understandably agitate those who do have experience with a given instrument.

calyx93 · Post by **calyx93** » Fri May 23, 2008 7:32 pm

Jack Spider wrote:Monsieur Frodo - although you were only stating your opinion, it's probably best to just speak from personal experience, rather than hearsay as it can understandably agitate those who do have experience with a given instrument.

My sentiments exactly - you beat me to it

Alex E · Post by **Alex E** » Fri May 23, 2008 7:34 pm

Not the DX7. No no no. That's a historical, revolutionary piece of kit. I didn't really find a whole lot of use for my DX7 but I really do miss it. My band mates and I called it "The Tank"

I think the worst yamaha synth is either the DX100 or the SHS-10.

The talkbox and solid bass hype surrounding the DX100 is absolutely mind numbing. Don't people know the DX21, 27, 11, and TX81z are basically the same machine??? Same goes for the CZ-101. People are truly insane.

th0mas · Post by **th0mas** » Fri May 23, 2008 7:43 pm

+1 on the shs-10. Not because of what it is, but because of what people are lying about it being.. people try to sell this as a professional keytar for $300 to catch in on a resurgent keytar craze.

nvbrkr · Post by **nvbrkr** » Fri May 23, 2008 7:45 pm

Of the ones I've played CS2x is pretty funny by most current standards. Had that mostly as a master keyboard at work though. Probably has its uses, couldn't just figure out what they might be!

Are there any haters of the lower-end of the original CS -line? I passed an opportunity to buy a CS15 last year, because judged from anything I've heard recorded with the thing, it would seem to be mostly a "blip or squeal" -type of synth. Altough the looks do scream "CLASSIC SYNTHESIZER" more than anything else ever manufactured.

hfinn · Post by **hfinn** » Fri May 23, 2008 8:02 pm

MrFrodo wrote:
hfinn wrote:So because it's heavy and some have tuning issues it's the worst Yamaha synth? So you would rather have a DX-100 than a CS-80? (and none of this I'd take the CS-80 to sell it to buy 1200 DX-100's....)
I wouldn't want the 100. After the 21, I know that I like the DX sound. But not without the touch sensitivity.

You totally missed my point.

Post by **nathanscribe** » Fri May 23, 2008 8:19 pm

Interesting how most people have equated 'worst yamaha' with 'something FM'.

My vote's the FB-01. It was a right crock, that one, I don't care how cheap they are. And I suppose Yamaha were largely responsible for the shift to people using presets and not programming things. When are we going to have a 'worst synthesizer manufacturer' thread? Or a 'worst nation for synth making' thread? that would be good. I expect there are lots of famous Maltese synths out there that just don't get the hype they deserve...