INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
WELCOME TO THE DX You have just purchased a most powerful tool for composition and performance. The
Oberheim DX Programmable Digital Drum Machine represents the latest in the Ober-
heim line of drum computers. The DX has been designed with the idea of giving you
better sound, and better control of it, than has ben previously available in a drum box
at a more economical price.
The DX generates the sounds of real drums. Actual drum recordings have been digi-
tized, stored in computer memory, and are avalable at the touch of a button. A drum
beat can be recorded in real time at any spee, remembereq, and edited to make any
beat of any length, tempo, or style-in short, any drum beat that you hear in your head
you can create on the Ox. After you have created your drum beats, you can save them
on tape for future use. Of course, the DX has a battery to keep the memory on when
the power is oft.
The DX has a MIDllntertace, which enables interconnections with other equipment
such as sequencers, keyboards, drum pads, and other drum machines.
The DX operates like a tape recorder: press RECORD + PLAY to Record your
rhythms; then press PLAY to hear It back. But there s more to it than that. There are
features incorporated into the OX that actually give you more control over your music
than a tape recorder allows. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with these
features in order to get the most out of your DX.
The OX can make most any drum beat that an acoustic drummer can create. In fact.
this rhythmic flexibility of the DX creates a new dilemma for the user. exactly WHAT
makes a good drum beat? It is not within the scope of this manual to try to answer this
question, but if you re not a drummer already. we strongty suggest spending some
time listening and studying the rhythms of your favorite music. Listen to where the
notes are and where they re NOT where the accents are, when the beat is pushed or
swung. If your drum machine sounds cold and robot-like, fl's beause you ve pro-
grammed it that way. It takes a good sense of timing to create rhythms that really
breathe.
Experiment! You ll never know what you ll discover.
