Yamaha Vintage DX7 Special Edition ROM User manual

YAMAHA
AUTHORIZED
PRODUCTMANUAL
DX7
DIGITALPROGRAMMABLE
ALGORITHMSYNTHESIZER

YAMAHA
DigitalProgrammable
AlgorithmSynthesizer
OPERATIONMANUAL

PRECAUTIONS
Location
Avoid placing the DX7 in direct sunlight or closeto a
source ofheat. Also,avoidlocationsin which the instru-
ment islikely to besubjectedtovibration, excessive
dust, cold, or moisture. Extreme temperatures canruin
theLCDdisplay
Handling
Avoid applying excessiveforce to the slideknobs,
dropping or rough handling. While the internal circuitry
isofreliable, solidstatedesign,the DX7 isnonethelessa
fineinstrument that should betreatedwith care.
PowerCord
Always grip the plug directly when removing itfrom
an AC receptacle.Removing the plug from the AC
receptacleby pulling the cordcanresult in damageto
the cord,and possiblya short circuit. It isalsoa good
ideato disconnectthe DX7 from the AC receptacleif
you don't plan to usethe instrument for an extended
periodoftime.
Relocation
If you plan tomove the DX7 onceithasbeensetup,
first besure to disconnectallcablesthat connectit to
other equipment. This will help prevent accidentaldam-
agetothe instrument or shorting ofthe cables.
Connections
Carefully follow the "Setup"instructions in this man-
ual when you setupthe DX7.Improper connectionof
cablescanleadto seriousdamage ofthe instrument,
amplifier, and/or speakers.
CartridgeCare
TheRAM(userprogrammable)and ROM(factory
preset)cartridgeshave no moving parts,other than their
memory protector bank selectorswitches,nor do they
have batteries.They should, however,bekept cleanand
dry to protecttheir connectors.Theyshould alsobekept
away from strong electrostaticfields,asproducedby
sparking electricmotorsand solenoids,fluorescent
lights,and soforth; aswith allelectronicmemories, the
data (voices)could beaccidentallyaltered.Asa further
precaution againstvoicelossin the event ofa synthe-
sizermalfunction, itisa goodideatoremove the RAM
cartridge from itsslotin the DX7 before you turnpower
onor
off.
Cleaning
Useonly a mild detergentona cloth, and dry with a
softcloth. Never usesolvents(suchasbenzine or thin-
ner) sincethey canmelt ordiscolorthe instrument.
ElectricalStorms(Lightning)
Computer circuitry including that in the DX7, issensi-
tive tovoltagespikes.Forthis reason,the DX7 should
beturned off and unplugged from the AC receptaclein
the eventofan electricalstorm.This precaution will
avoidthe chancethat a high voltage spikecausedby
lightning will damage the instrument.
ElectromagneticFields
Computer circuitry isalsosensitiveto electromagnetic
radiation. Televisionsets,aswellasradio receivers,
transmitters and transceivers,and wirelessmicrophone
orintercom systemsareallpotential sourcesofsuch
radiation, and should bekept atleastseveralfeet from
the DX7 to avoidpossibleinterference orrandom "errors."
IfTheSoundisTooQuiet
Check the FOOTCONTROL. There aretwo foot con-
troller jacks,VOLUME and MODULATION. Twoaddi-
tionaljacksareforfootswitches,SUSTAIN and
PORTAMENTO.Ifthefootcontrollerispluggedintothe
SUSTAINorPORTAMENTO jack, it will not work. Also,
when the controller ispluggedinto the VOLUME jack
and istilted forward, there will belittleor no sound
regardlessofhow you setthe VOLUME control on the
front panel.
Somevoicesare inherently quieter than others. Often
this isdue tothe amount oftouch sensitivity which may
beprogrammed into a voice.If the voiceisprogrammed
sothat the note will becomelouder if you pressthe key
harder, orif you pressitfaster,then a lessvigorous play-
ing stylewill resultin a quieter note.Playedthe same
way another voicewhich islesstouch sensitive will
sound louder. Thevoice which isinitially louder, how-
ever,may not becomemuch louder (ifat all) asyou play
the notesharder.Thesequalities are user-programma-
ble,evenfor the presetvoices,asexplained elsewhere
in this manual.
SaveThisManual
The information in this manual islikely tobeuseful
for future reference.Even if you feelreasonablyfamiliar
with the instrument, savethis manual; reviewing it a
few months from now, after you have had considerable
experiencewith the DX7, may prove to bevery informa-
tive.

INTRODUCTION
The DX7 istheworld's first fullyuser programmable
and presetFM digital synthesizer. If you're usedto con-
ventional synthesizers, one lookatthe DX7 will tell you
that something unique has happened. There are no
knobs: just two linear controls, one ofwhich isfor vol-
ume, an LED digital display a small alphanumeric liquid
crystal display (LCD),and a number offlat panel mem-
brane switches.There are no voltage controlled oscilla-
tors,amplifiers or filters (VCOs,VCAs,or VCFs),nor are
there any conventional envelope generators (EGs).
Instead, the DX7 utilizes a totally unique method to
createtherichest, most naturally expressivesound avail-
able in any electronic keyboard. This specialsound
generation technology iscalledFM Digital Synthesis.FM
Digital Synthesis enables the DX7 to createtheover-
tones thatwould be present in an actual acoustic instru-
ment,and to vary them overtime in a precise,
controllable manner to produce uncanny realismwhen
you'replaying an acoustic voice— or toproduce incred-
ible fantasy sounds — the possibilities are without limit.
Because theDX7 createssounds differently thancon-
ventionalanalog or purely digital synthesizers,you'll
have to spend sometime re-educating yourself with the
aid ofthismanual. After you've becomefamiliar with
thepanel,a few new terms, and thegeneral concept of
FM digital synthesis,you'll lovethe precisionand tre-
mendous versatility atyour disposal.If you're already an
experienced synthesist, you will soonbeable to goright
for a particularsound. Whether you're a beginner or a
world classperformer, you canenjoythelargelibrary of
preset sounds that come with the DX7.
The DX7 isdelivered ready to play, loadedwith 32
beautifullyvoiced, useful, factory presetsounds. These
sounds can beinstantly changed, or can bereplacedby
additional factory-supplied sounds from a library of128
thatare supplied on specialsolidstate cartridges. Liter-
ally hundreds ofexciting sounds can beatyour finger-
tips withjustthepressa few selectorbuttons. You don't
have to program a single thing... unless you want to.
Presetswon't handle everyjob, and there's nothing that
saysyou have to use ours. You can make your own
voices.
The compact sizeand relatively few controlsofthe
DX7 canbedeceiving. Almost everybutton and knob
have multiple functions (depending on the selected
operating mode) sothata totalofsome168parameters
can bealtered. In fact, the DX7 has more programmabil-
ity than any synthesizers Yamaha has everbefore
offered tothe public, providing greatercontrol overthe
sound than largeor modular systems.
TheDX7 keyboardisfully polyphonic with 16-note
simultaneous capability, sothe sustain ofprevious notes
will not becut short when you're playing with all10
fingers. Itisalsohighly responsiveto playerexpression.
The harder orfaster a keyisplayed, the louder the
initial attack ofthe note — just like a piano. Unlike a
piano, however,the degreeoftouch responseispro-
grammable...both in sensitivityto the speed(velocity)at
which the key ispressed,and in sensitivity tohow hard
you pressafter the kit hits the stop(after touch).
You canprogram voicesfrom scratch(using a voice
initialize function). If you like an existing voice,you can
editittomake subtlechanges,or transform itscharacter
completely.
Becausethe DX7 employsunique FM tone generation
techniques and letsyou program them with the preci-
sion and repeatability ofdigital control, you'll beableto
createvoicesthat are a giant stepbeyond the capability
offormer synthesizers.Pure sounds.Richly textured
sounds.Outer spacesounds.Bold, heavy sounds. Sub-
tle,delicatesounds.Uncannily accurate acoustic sounds.
All are possiblewith the high fidelity that FM digital
tone generation canprovide.
Once you've editeda voiceor createdan entirely new
one,you canstoreit in theinternal memory and/or in
specialsolidstatecartridges.A battery prevents lossof
memory — evenafter the instrument isunplugged from
the AC receptacle.
Upto96VoicesCanBe"OnLine"Readyfor
InstantRecall
Voices(sounds or''instruments") may besavedin 3
different wayswith the DX7. Asmentioned above,the
synthesizer has 32internal voicememories that can
holdany combination offactory presetsounds or voices
you create.In addition to the internal memories, one of
two typesofmemory cartridgesmay beinserted in the
instrument for additional "online"memory. Pushbuttons
enable you toselectfrom the internal and cartridge
voices.
Atotalof128factory presetvoicesareprovided. Obvi-
ouslythey allcannot fit in the 32internal memories at
once;thesevoicesareactually suppliedtoyou storedin
2solidstateROM (ReadOnly Memory) cartridgesthat
eachhold64voices,arrangedin two banks of32.You
move a slideswitchonthe cartridgeto gainaccessto
voices1-32in Bank A or 1-32in Bank B — accessfor
playing, editing, orloading into the synthesizers internal
memories.Beforethe DX7 isshipped,32ofthe 128
voicescalledthe "MasterGroup" areloadedfrom the
bank A ofthe #3ROM cartridgeinto thesynthesizer's
internal memories.Thismeans that a cartridge doesnot
have to beinstalledin order for you to open thecarton,
plug in headphones oran amplifier/speaker system,
turnonpower,and begin playing.
You can edit the presetvoices, or makevoices from
scratch,but you cannot permanentlystoreyourown
voicesonthe ROM cartridges. For thispurpose, a third
storagemethod isprovided: an EEPROM (Electrically
EraseableProgrammable Read Only Memory) cartridge
which,forsimplicity,wecallaRAMcartridge(Random
AccessMemory). The RAM cartridges gointhesame
slotasthe ROM cartridges,and superficially they look
the same.However,becauseofthe added complexity of
RAM memory, only 32voiceswill fitinone ofthese car-
tridges.The slideswitchon the RAM cartridge isactually
an additional "writeprotect" featurethatprevents accci-
dental erasure ofvoicesyou have stored;it isnot a bank
A-B selector.
This arrangement lets youhave a total of 96voices at
your fingertips sinceyou can have any 32voicesyou
wishloadedin the internal memories, theninstallone
ofthe 64-voiceROM cartridges.You switch between
internal and cartridge voiceswith thepressof a button,
and betweencartridge banks A & B witha slide switch.
Ofcourse,ifyou allow for changing cartridges, which
takes just a second,your live performance voice library
isreallyunlimited.
NOTE Portions ofthe front panel are used to illustrate
the text throughout this manual; it should be relatively
easy to see where these "spot"illustrations fit in the con-
text of the entire instrument ifyou are reading the man-
ual with the DX7 in front ofyou. If the instrument is not
handy we suggest opening this cover fully revealing an
overall front panel illustration that willremain visible as
you flip through the inside pages. Originally ROMcar-
tridges were numbered #1& 2. Later models were
shipped with ROM cartridges #3& 4 instead. Both sets
have similar voices.

NOTEFORSYNTHESIZERSSOLDBYTHEU.S.A.
Internally,theDX7 generatessignalsintheradiofrequencyspectrum.Iftheinstrumentisinstalled
intheimmediateproximityofsometypesofaudioorvideodevices(withintenfeet),interference
mayoccur.
FederalCommunicationsCommission(FCC)RulePart15,SubpartJ,establishesdesignand
manufacturingstandardsthatwillprovidea reasonablelevelofprotectionagainstthepossibility
thattwoelectronicdevices,operatingsimultaneously,mightinterferewitheachother.
TheDX7 hasbeentypetestedandfoundtobeincompliancewith thedesignandmanufacturing
standardsestablishedfor "ClassB"computingdevices.Compliancewith thestandardsestablished
bytheFCCdoesnotguaranteethatinterferencewillbeeliminated.Ifyourinstrumentissuspected
ofcausinginterferencewith otherelectronicdevices,verificationcanbemadebyturningyour
instrumentonandoff. Iftheinterferencecontinueswhenyourinstrumentisoff, theinstrumentis
notthesourceoftheinterference.Ifyourinstrumentdoesindeedappeartobethesourceofthe
interference,oneormoreofthefollowingcorrectivemeasuresshouldbetried.
(1) Relocateeithertheinstrumentortheelectronicdevicethatisbeingaffectedbytheinterference.
(2)Utilizepoweroutletsfortheinstrumentandthedevicebeingaffectedthatareondifferentbranch
circuits(differentcircuitbreakersorfuses),orinstallAC linefilters.
(3)InthecaseofradioorTVinterference,relocatetheantenna;iftheantennalead-inwireis300
ohmribbonlead,changeit to75ohmco-axialtypecable(utilizingthenecessarytransformer/
adaptorsateitherend,asrequiredtomatchthecable).
Ifthesecorrectivemeasuresdonotproducesatisfactoryresults,pleaseaskforsuggestionsor
seekcorrectivemeasuresbycontactingyourAuthorizedYamahaDealeror:
MusicMarketingGroup
ServiceDivision
YamahaInternationalCorporation
6600OrangethorpeAvenue
P.O. Box 6600
BuenaPark,CA90622
If, foranyreason,youshouldneedadditionalinformationrelatingtoradioorTVinterference,you
mayfindhelpfulabookletpreparedbytheFCC:"HowtoIdentifyandResolveRadio-TVInterference
Problems."Thisbooklet,(stocknumber004-000-00345-4)isavailablefrom:
U.S.GovernmentPrintingOffice
Washington,DC20402
2

INTRODUCTIONInside frontcover
PRECAUTIONSInside front cover
CONVENTIONS3
"QUICK"BASICFEATURES4
SETUP12
Audio Output12
External FootController Jacks 12
Breath Controller 12
MIDI Connectors 12
AC Power 12
Installation ofMusic Rack 12
Additional Technical Installation Notes 13
PLAYINGTHEFACTORYPRESETVOICES14
Playing theInternal Voices14
Playing theCartridge Voices14
FUNCTIONMODE:SETTINGOVERALL
PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS15
Data Entry15
Function 15
Poly/Mono 16
Pitch Bend Range & Step17
Portamento Functions 17
Portamento & Glissando in Poly Mode 18
Sustain: Key Pitch Retain 18
Sustain: Key Pitch Follow 18
Glissando(KeyPitch Retain & Key Pitch Follow)19
Portamento & GlissandoinMono Mode 19
Fingered Portamento (and Glissando)19
Full Time Portamento (and Glissando)19
MIDI 20
Edit Recall20
Voice Initialize 20
Cartridge Format 20
Battery Check 20
Modulation Wheel 21
FootControl 21
Breath Control 21
After Touch 21
HOWTHEDX7CREATESSOUNDS23
Operators23
Carriers,Modulators and FM 23
Algorithms 24
The relationship betweenalgorithms and the sound 24
Feedbackisavailablein every algorithm 25
Envelopesand EnvelopeGenerators 26
PROGRAMMING VOICES:A TUTORIAL27
Twobasicapproachesto creating your own sounds on
the DX7 27
Programming a voice "from scratch" 27
VoiceInitialization 27
What isinitialization? 28
How to interpret the display 28
Looking attheinitial EGsettings 28
Experimenting with the EG 29
Learning to change theoperatorFREQUENCY settings 31
How to create Frequency Modulation: getting acquainted
with the OPERATOR SELECTOUTPUT LEVEL
and ON-OFFedit features 33
Additionaleditingfeatures:ALGORITHMSELECT
KEYBOARD RATE SCALING and LEVEL SCALING 38
LFOModulation: The relationship betweenthe "LFO"
settingsandthe"MODSENSITIVITY"settings,and
how to program these40
Programming the remaining 4 operators44
Programming velocitysensitivity 45
Naming and storing thenewly createdvoice 45
Edit Recall"Emergency VoiceRecovery" instructions 46
EDITINGA VOICE47
Analyzing and keeping a recordofvoices48
THEINTERNALAND CARTRIDGEMEMORIES49
Memory Protect49
Storingindividual voicestoRAM cartridge49
Savingall32internal memory voicesto RAM cartridge 49
Loading all32ROM or RAM cartridgevoicesto internal
memory 49
Transfering a singlevoicefrom one location toanother in
the RAM cartridge or internal memory 49
ADVANCEDPROGRAMMINGNOTES51
Playing styleand programming ofdynamic control 51
Additional envelopeconsiderations 51
Delayedturn-on using the envelopes51
How toselectan algorithm 51
Leamto program by studying how acousticinstruments
work 52
Thereismore than 1 way to createa pitch 52
Ensemble voicesmay differfrom solovoices53
Breathcontrollerapplicationsand hints 53
Specialeffects from [DATAENTRY] while in PLAY mode 53
Reference sourceson FMsynthesis 54
MIDI:A STANDARDINTERFACEFORREMOTELY
PLAYINGAND/ORPROGRAMMINGMULTIPLE
SYNTHESIZERS55
MIDI connections 55
Transmitting 32voicesfrom theMaster totheSlave56
Playing the Slavefrom the Master 56
Transmitting individual voicesfrom the
Masterto theSlave56
Using DX7 RAM cartridgesto saveDX9 voices57
Programming remotely with MIDI 57
Escapingfrom MIDI control 57
Aspecialsetup with two Masters and no Slave57
Moreinformation on MIDI 57
MAINTENANCEAND TROUBLESHOOTING58
Cleaning 58
Internal Memory Battery Backup 58
If something goeswrong 58
DX SYNTHESIZERGLOSSARY59
SPECIFICATIONS63
INDEX64

CONVENTIONS
Nearly every button on the DX7 has severalfunctions.
Typically, the editing parameters are labeledin violet,
the overall instrument functions are labeledin brown,
and yet other functionsare labeledin white or by
reversing out thecolorofthe button. Sincethis manual
isnot printed infullcolor,we have adoptedthe follow-
ingconventions when referring tobuttons. First, even
though thebutton has severallabels,we name only the
buttonlabelwhich applies tothe particular stepbeing
discussed.That button name will bebracketed to denote
abutton.Inaddition, in many caseswe actually illustrate
thebutton sothere is no confusion asto which control
isbeing discussed.
Lets lookat a few examples to illustrate theconven-
tions. Find the32numbered green buttons, and lookat
theupper left corner ofthat area.This ishow we illus-
tratethefirsttwo buttons:
Both buttonsare part ofa group of6 that are labeled
inviolet"OPERATORON-OFF/EGCOPY".Whenthe
DX7 is intheEDIT mode,this labelindicates that two
differentfunctionscan beselectedor activated by each
button:(a) turningtheoutputofan operator on or off,
and(b)copying an envelope from one operator to
another. Don't worry about what this means right now;
we describe operators and envelopesand soforth later.
Suffice it to saythere are multiple usesfor the buttons.
Tocontinue,when we are discussing theleft button in
thecontext of(a) above,theprinted reference to the
buttonlooks like this: [OPERATOR ON-OFF 1].The
same button,usedin context (b),isdescribedlike this:
(EG COPY 1]. When theDX7 is in theFUNCTION
mode ratherthantheEDIT mode, thebrown label
below itapplies instead oftheviolet label aboveit. In
thiscase,theidentical buttonnow prepares the DX7 so
thatits master tuningcan beadjusted, and thetext
describesthebuttonlikethis: (MASTER TUNE ADJ.).
When theDX7 isin PLAY mode, thegreen buttons
serve asVoiceSelectors.The label "VoiceSelector"does
not actually appear on the frontpanel, but when the
text asks you to play internal or cartridge voice
#
1by
pressing VoiceSelector[1],the
# 1greenbutton isthe
correct choice. As you can see,the text reference
changestosuit whichever ofthe button's severalfunc-
tions isunder discussion,yetthe button isalwaysillus-
trated the sameway:
In EDIT mode, press the
[OPERATOR ON-OFF 1]
buttononce to turnoff
operator
#
1 and again
to turn it on.
In FUNCTION mode,
press the [MASTER
TUNE ADJ] button to set
the [DATAENTRY] slider
so it can alter the tuning
ofthe keyboard.
We alternate betweenshowing you the complete
display window, including the LED voicenumber read-
out, and just the LCD portion ofthe display. There isno
particular signficance to this; the abbreviated display
savesspaceontheprinted page,and when we don't
considerthe voicenumber readout significant for an
instruction, we omit it. Similarly in somecaseswe
This illustration
is the same as this one
illustrate two ormore adjacent panel buttons, whereas
in other caseswe illustrate just one;the multiple buttons
areto help youidentify the one button we are discus-
sing.
This illustration
isthe sameas thisone
3

"QUICK"BASICFEATURES
Thissectionisprovidedfor referencesoyou
canquicklylocateacontroloraccessafunction.
Itismeantmoreforreviewthanasalearning
tool.Ifthisisyourfirsttimereadingthemanual,
wesuggestyoueitherskimthissection,orskip
it altogetherandgoontothesectiontitled"Play-
ingtheFactoryPresetVoices".
TheDX7 has 3 basicoperating modes:
•PLAY(MEMORY SELECT)Mode
This isthe "normal" performance mode in which pre-
programmed voicescanbeselected.
•EDITmode
This mode isusedtoedit an existing voiceortocreate
an entirely new voice.Someofthe "editing"functions
do not alter the structure ofthe voicedirectlyyetcan
have a major effect on the sound: for example, chang-
ing the sensitivity ofa given voicetovarious modula-
tion sources,transposing the voice,or changing the
keyboardscaling.
•FUNCTIONmode
This mode isusedto adjust parameters that affect
more than 1 voice,including the effect ofthe Modula-
tion Wheel, FootController, Breath Controllerand
AfterTouch(pressuresensitivity).FUNCTION mode
alsoprovides accessto certain utility functions such as
loading voicesfrom a cartridge,saving voicesonto a
cartridge, checking theinternal backup battery volt-
age,and initializing the instrument when you want to
program a voice "from scratch"(which then automati-
callyplacesthe instrument in EDIT mode).
The DX7 front panel isunlikeany conventional syn-
thesizer.Thereare many more functions than buttons. It
isimportant to bearin mind that the [DATAENTRY]
controls are assignableby means ofthe other buttons on
theDX7. Theytake the placeofthemany knobs and
sliders on conventional synthesizers.Another thing to
remember isthat,depending onthe operating mode,
the front panel controls may beusedin different group-
ings. Forexample, in one placewe may refer to VOICE
SELECTbutton [1].This isthe samephysicalbutton as
[OPERATOR ON-OFF 1]and the [MASTER TUNE]
function selector.The2 rowsof16buttons at the right of
the synthesizer are,among other things, the [VOICE
SELECT] buttons. They include largewhite numerals
[1]to [32],which apply when the buttons areusedto
selectvoicesfrom the correspondinglynumbered inter-
nal or cartridgememories.Many ofthe buttons include
asmall letter,number, or word at the right, inside edge.
Theseare usedforlabeling voices,asexplained inthe
[VOICE NAME]button description.
NOTE Refer to the illustration in the foldout front
cover to identify the following features.
Rearpanelconnectors
Thesejacks include the line leveloutput from the
DX7 toan amplifier, foot control jacks, and MIDI interface
connections. Refer tothe "Setup"and "MIDI" sectionsof
this manual for details.
VolumeandDataEntryControls
VOLUME
This adjusts the overall output levelatthe rear panel
OUTPUTjackand the frontpanel HEADPHONEjack.
Somepresetsare inherently louder than others, and this
can beusedto compensate,ortodo overall fades.If
volume istoolow, and the foot controller isplugged into
the VOLUME jack, make sure the pedalistilted flatfor
maximum level.Itisalsopossiblethatamplitude modu-
lation sensitivity has beenprogrammed into a voice,in
which case,to make the voiceplay louder, you may
want tousethe MODULATION WHEEL, BREATH CON-
TROLLER, FOOT CONTROLLER (plugged into the
MODULATION jack), or the AFTER TOUCH (pressing
harder after the key hits bottom). SeetheFUNCTION
mode information onpage10for more information on
thesemodulation controls.
DATA
This group ofa sliderand two buttons serveasthe
main programming controls for the DX7. Thetwo green
buttons are single-stepincrement/decrement controls
that do the samething asthe slider;the slider isfaster
for largechangesand the buttons arebetterfor small
adjustments.
Eachofthe buttons has fourdifferent labels.The
specificlabelsapply todifferent programming functions.
Forexample, if theDX7 asksyou "areyou sure",you
can reply [NO] or [YES]with the left and rightbuttons.
If you want to turnthe glissando or some other pro-
gramming function on or off, the[OFF]and [ON] labels
apply — samebuttons. Ifyou want to change the fre-
quency ratio orsomeother programming value by one
unitata time, the [-1]and [ +1] labelsapply.Ifyou just
want to move the cursor to a different position when
naming avoice,the [<] (move left) and [>](move right)
labelsapply Usually you will be able to getthesame
effect by moving theadjacent slider upand down.
Thesecontrolsare usedprimarily intheFUNCTION
and EDITmodes,but alsocontinue to modify thelast
selectedFUNCTION parameter after returningto the
PLAY mode (MEMORY SELECTINTERNAL or CAR-
TRIDGE).
Thesebuttonsare for increas-
ing or decreasing the values by
1, for turning a function on or
off, and for moving the cursor
when writing a voice name.
Thissliderisusedforrapidor largechanges. Moving it
all the way down and up covers the full range available
foreachparameter.
ModeSelectandEditingControlSection
These buttons letyousee &changetheMEMORY
PROTECTstatus-
This button is used for
copying EGdata and for
storingindividualvoiceson
an internalor RAMcar-
tridgememory
This buttonselects the
currentoperator(theone
beingadjusted) whenthe
synthesizer is in edit mode
4

These buttonsselect the internal orcartridge
memory andactivate the PLAYmode; they also
designatewhere individualvoicesmay bestored
This buttonselects the
EDIT mode and com-
pareseditedtooriginal
voices
This buttonselects the
FUNCTIONmode
STORE
This buttoncan be usedto storewhatever voiceyou
have selectedfrom cartridge or internal memory, or
whatever voice you have just programmed. A voicecan
be stored intoany of32internalmemories or intoany
of the32memories in a RAM cartridge (provided the
memory protect isturnedoff). This button isalsoused
in conjunctionwiththe[EGCOPY] buttons forcopying
envelopes fromone operator toanother.
MEMORYPROTECT
Thispairofbuttonsenable you to setthe internal and
cartridgememories sothat voicescannot beaccidentally
erased. Whenyou pressone ofthebuttons, thedisplay
shows you whether the associated memories are
controls to change the status. Remember, however, that
evenifyou turnoffthe cartridge memory protect, you
stillcannot savea voiceon a ROM cartridge, nor can
you savea voice if the On/Off switch on the RAM car-
tidge itself issetto theON position.
OPERATORSELECT
When you are programming or editing a voice,this
button letsyou selecttheoperator which isto bemodi-
fied, asshown in the upper right corner ofthe LCD
display.(Itsetsthe"currentoperator".)Remember that
someprogramming parameters affect the overall voice,
in which casethis button will have no effect. You can
only selectfrom operatorsthat areturned on, asshown
by the six1'sor0'sin the top line ofthe programming
display.
EDIT/COMPARE-CHARACTER
This button placesthe DX7 in the EDIT mode,
wherein you can edit any ofthe presetvoicesto change
them slightly, or createcompletely new voices.Once in
the EDIT mode,if you have changed a preset,then
pressingthis button letsyou compare the edited version
with the original. Once in the EDIT mode,if you have
pressedthe [VOICE NAME]button, then pressingthis
button [CHARACTER] and holding it enables you to
pressother buttons to enter the name ofthe voicein the
display
MEMORYSELECT-PLAY
Pressingeither ofthesebuttons preparesthe DX7 to
PLAY any ofthe voicesthat are storedin the 32INTER-
NAL memories,orin 32memories ofwhatever CAR-
TRIDGEisinstalled.Oncethe[INTERNAL]or
[CARTRIDGE] sourceisdesignated, specific voicesare
accessedby pressingthe VOICE SELECTbuttons [1]to
[32].Thesebuttons arealsousedto designate where
individual voicescanbe stored,in the internal or car-
tridge memories,either after being createdoredited, or
when you want torearrange the locationofvoices
within thesememories.
FUNCTION
This button placesthe DX7 in the FUNCTION mode,
which isusedtoprogram theentire keyboard rather
thanindividual voices.This mode isalsousedfor check-
ing battery voltage,storing allthe internal memories
onto cartridge at once,and vice-versa,and a few other
specializedfunctions. The functions designated by
brown labelsbeneath other buttons are available after
pressing this button.
LED&LCDDisplayPanel
TheLED (Light EmittingDiode)window indicatesthe
number oftheselectedinternal orcartridge voice mem-
ory.If the voicebeing played isin the midst ofbeing
edited, a decimal point appears to theright ofthevoice
number. Ifyou then pressthe[EDIT/COMPARE] button
to hear the original voicebefore theediting,theLED
numbers blinkon and off.The LCD (LiquidCrystal
Display)window displays thecurrentstatusof thesyn-
thesizer, which may bethevoice nameandsource, or
theFUNCTION or EDIT mode parameterwhichwas
most recently selected.Refer to theparagraph"How to
interpret the display,"on page 28.
LCDsynthesizerstainsandvoicenamedisplay
Voice number LED display
Voice/Edit/Functionselectsection
In PLAY mode.these32buttons selecteither the
voicesin the DX7's internal memory oron theexternal
cartridge, asdetermined by the[MEMORYSELECT]
buttons and indicated by the large numbers inside the
buttons. However,thesesame buttons actually have
multiple functions (up to 5 perbutton) which are accessi-
blewhen the DX7 isplaced in the FUNCTION and EDIT
modes.All labelson these buttons are colorand posi-
tion coded:white numbers on the inside left ofthe
buttons for PLAY mode, dark brown (reversed)typeon
the inside right ofthebuttons for naming voices,violet
charactersabovethe buttons for EDIT mode parameters,
5
protectedor not,andyoucan use the[DATA ENTRY]

and light brown characters belowthe buttons for FUNC-
TION mode parameters. A briefexample for two buttons
isshown here, with the specificreferencesfor these two
buttons noted in parentheses:
Violet EDITmode parameters (Pitch and Amplitude
Modulation Sensitivity)
Reverse printed
EDIT mode Voice
Namecharacter
(E&F)
BrownFUNCTIONmodeparameters(SAVEall32
voices from internalmemory to cartridge, or LOAD 32
voices from cartridge to the internal memory)
Tosimplify the presentation, we have furthersub-
divided thesebuttons into the EDIT (violet)and FUNC-
TION (brown) groupings. Therefore, if you don't seethe
operational descriptionthat appliesto what you're doing
with a particular button asyou readthrough the para-
graphs on the EDIT parameters, checkthe correspond-
ingbuttonintheFUNCTION parameter descriptions
(and vice-versa).
EditParameterSelection(violetlabels)
OPERATOR ON/OFF-EGCOPY(1-6)
Thesebuttons have two functions, (a)to turnindivid-
ual operators on and off while you are programming a
voice, and (b)to designate the operator into which you
wish to copyan envelope.When you are in the EDIT
mode, thetop center portion ofthe LCD display shows6
number 1'sor 0's,corresponding to the 6 operators:
1=ON,and 0=OFF Totoggle operator'soutput on or
off,pressthecorresponding [OPERATOR ON-OFF]
button.Tocopythe envelope, setthe operator whose
envelope you wish tocopyasthe current operator using
[OPERATOR SELECT],then press[STORE]and hold
itwhile pressing [EG.COPY]button foroperator1 to 6;
all4 ratesand levelsareinstantly copied.
ALGORITHM
In EDIT mode,this button activatesthe [DATA
ENTRY] sectionsoits controls can beusedtoselectany
ofthe 32available algorithms.
FEEDBACK
In EDIT mode,this button activatesthe [DATA
ENTRY] sectionsoits controls can beusedto alter the
amount offeedback in whatever algorithm isdisplayed
from none (0)toa maximum value (7).
LFO
In EDIT mode, these6 buttons eachactivate the
[DATAENTRY] sectionsoit can beusedtoprogram or
edit individual voiceswith regardtoLowFrequency
Oscillatormodulation. When the modulation isusedto
change the pitch, vibrato canbeobtained. When it is
usedto change the amplitude ofa carrier, tremolo may
result; changing the amplitude ofa modulator can create
"wah-wah."
WAVE
This letsyou setthe LFOwaveform to any ofthe
following: triangle, sawtoothdown, sawtoothup,
square, sine,sample& hold.
SPEED
This letsyou adjust the LFOfrequency in a 100step
range,0 being the slowestand 99the fastest.
DELAY
This letsyou setthe LFOsomodulation doesnot
beginuntil after a specifiedtime after you pressthe
key, 0 being no delay, and 99the maximum delay.
PMD
This letsyou setthe Pitch Modulation Depth. This is
the amount ofmodulation thatwill beapplied to shift
the pitch ofwhatever notes are played(according to
thesetwaveform and speed).However, themodula-
tion can only affect thenote if the pitch modulation
sensitivityissetto a value greater thanzero (see
[MOD SENSITIVITY-PITCH]).
AMD
Like PMD, this button letsyousetthe Amplitude
Modulation Depth, the amount ofmodulation that
will beappliedwhen you play but it affects the
amplitude (level),not the pitch. Likewise,the modu-
lation can only affect the note if the Amplitudemodu-
lation sensitivity issettoa value greater thanzero
(see[MODSENSITIVITY-AMPLITUDE]). Thesame
LFOspeedand waveform controls both the [PMD]
and [AMD].
SYNC
This letsyou turnonor off theLFOKey Synchroni-
zation. When SyncisON, the LFOisautomatically
resetto thebeginning oftheselectedwaveform each
time you play a note. When syncisOFF theLFO
waveform continues, and when you play a note, the
result will vary depending on where theLFO isin
the cycle.The effect canbeeasilydetectedatlow
LFOfrequencies (SPEEDsettings below 10).
MOD SENSITIVITY
In EDIT mode,this pair ofbuttons activate the[DATA
ENTRY] section soit can beusedto setthesensitivity
ofindividual voicesto LFO modulation. The modulation
sensitivity islike a master control for all the modulation,
whether it is"built into" the voicewith the adjacent
[AMD] and/or [PMD] buttons, or whether it comesfrom
the "realtime" modulation controls such asthe Modula-
tion Wheel, the FootControl, the Breath Control or the
keyboard AfterTouch. If the Pitch or Amplitude Modula-
tion Sensitivity issetat zero,then none oftheexternal
controllers can affect the voice,regardlessofhow much
Depth is setwith their FUNCTION mode controls.
White PLAY mode
voice number(15
&16)
6

PITCH
This lets you setthesensitivity ofthevoice toLFO
pitch modulation from no sensitivity (0)to maximum
(7).One setting affects the overallvoice.
AMPLITUDE
This lets you setthe sensitivity ofthe individual
operators ina voice to amplitudemodulation from no
sensitivity (0) to maximum (3).
OSCILLATOR
InEDIT mode, these 4 buttons each activate the
[DATAENTRY] section soit can be used to program or
edit thefrequency ofindividual operators ina voice.
MODE/SYNC
The DX7 toggles between two differentprogramming
functionswhen you pressthisbuttonsuccessive
times. One function,MODE, enables you to setthe
currentoperator soittracks thekeyboard pitch (this
isFrequency Ratio Mode),or sothekeyboard does
not affect thatoperator's frequency (Fixed Pitch
Mode). The other function,SYNC, enables you to set
theoperator soits "oscillator" begins at thestart of
thesine wave cycle each time you play a note. When
Oscillator Key Sync is OFF,thesine wave continues
sothatsubtledifferences will occur even when you
play thesame note repeatedly. You may not beable
to hear much differenceinsomevoices.
FREQUENCY COARSE
This lets you make large changes in thecurrent
operator'sfrequency It operatesin conjunction with
theadjacent [FREQUENCY FINE]button.Assum-
ing theFine setting isall the way down, then in
Frequency Ratio mode the ratio increases from 0.50
to 1.00and thenby integer values to a maximum of
31.00.In FixedFrequency mode, this letsyou setthe
beginning frequency to 1 Hz, 10Hz, 100Hz, or
1000
Hz.
FREQUENCY FINE
This letsyou make small changes in the current
operator'sfrequency With this control, the maximum
available increase in frequency isjust under the next
available "Coarse"setting (1.99times "FCOARSE").
DETUNE
Detune islike a "super fine" frequency adjustment for
eachoperator.You canshift the frequency overa
range of-7to +7. Mild detuning can enrich the
harmonic structure and more closelysimulate the
imperfect nature ofa realacousticinstrument. Maxi-
mum detuningbetweencarriers can beusedto cause
"beating" withina voice to help simultate chorusing
or multiple instrument effects.
EG
In EDIT mode,this pair ofEnvelope Generator but-
tons activate the[DATA ENTRY] section soit can be
usedto program oredit the envelopesofindividual
operators ina voice.4 parameters are programmable
with eachbutton, and the range ofadjustment isfrom
the minimum of0 to a maximum of99(100steps).
RATE
Pressing this button 4 successivetimes givesyou
accessto programming the 4 ratesin theEG.
LEVEL
Pressing this button 4 successivetimes givesyou
accessto programming the 4 levelsin theEG.
KEYBOARD LEVELSCALING
In EDIT mode,these3 buttons eachactivate the
[DATAENTRY] sectionsoit can beusedto program or
edit individual operators sotheir output levelschange as
you play upand down the keyboard. Eachoperator can
beprogrammed to have any of4 curves on either side
ofan adjustable break point. The scalingcan beusedto
make the tone and/or volume change asyou move to
different octaves,for more realisticacoustic instrument
simulations. Extreme settings can alsobe usedfor "split
keyboard"effects.
BREAK POINT
The levelcan bescaledupor down differentlyon
either side oftheBreak Point in thecurve. You can
setthisbreak point from1-1/3octavesbelow the
lowestkeyon thekeyboard (A -1) to 2 octaves above
the highest note on thekeyboard.
CURVE
Pressingthis buttonsuccessivetimes gives you ac-
cess toprogramming thescaling curve for the left or
right side ofthebreak point.Either curve may then
besetto any offourcharacteristics: negative linear,
negative exponential, positive exponential, positive
linear. The linear curves will give you a more exag-
geratedboostor cut in levelat any given depthset-
tingasyou play upanddownthekeyboard,where as
theexponential curves tend to give more natural
sounding scaling.
DEPTH
Pressing this buttonsuccessivetimes givesyou ac-
cess to programming the depth of theselected left or
right curve. At a minimumsetting(0),there is no
scaling, and you can increase or decreasethelevel
upto a maximum of99.Toincrease thelevel, there
has to be some"headroom," some operator output,
levelavailable for increase. Forexample, iftheOP-
ERATOR OUTPUT LEVEL issetat 90,and a positive
(+)curve isset,the greatestcurve depth thatcan be
achieved is9.This isbecause90+ 9 = 99,and 99
isthe maximum possibleoutput level.While the
curve depth can besetto a value greater than9.
there will be no more effect thanif it were setat9;if
you want more boostasyou move upor down the
keyboard, then you'll have to setthe Operator Out-
put Levelat a lowervalue sothat more "headroom"
isavailable for the scalingtoboostthe levelto the
maximum of99.Foryour reference,a -L1N curve set
to a depth of99produces a roll-offof22 dB peroc-
tave.
7

KEYBOARDRATESCALING
In EDIT mode, this button activates the [DATAEN-
TRY] sectionsoits controlscan beusedto program or
edit eachoperator soits enveloperatesbecomefaster as
you moveupthe keyboard. Theminimumsetting (0)
produces no scaling,soratesRl,R2, R3 and R4 are the
same on allkeys,whereas the maximum setting (7)
speedsupthe ratesmore and more asyou move from
thelowestto thehighest notes.The scalingis useful for
simulating thenatural scalingofenvelope ratesthat
characterizes many acousticinstruments.
OPERATOR
In EDIT mode, this pair ofbuttons activate the [DATA
ENTRY] sectionsoits controls canbeusedtochange
the output levelofeachofthe6 operators.
OUTPUT LEVEL
This button givesyou "direct"programming accessto
setting the output levelofeachoperator from no
output (0)tomaximum (99).Remember that the
[OPERATOR ON- OFF] buttons only have an effect
while you are programming a voice soif you want to
keep an operator turned off when you storea voice
(becauseyou don't needitseffect), then you have to
setits output leveltozero.The scalingissuch that
half thenumerical value (i.e.50insteadof99)
produces much lessthan half the audible volume.
KEY VELOCITYSENSITIVITY
This button letsyou program the velocity"touch"
sensitivity ofeachoperatorsothat the faster you
pressa key the greater the output level.This function
interacts with the [OUTPUT LEVEL] function so
that,if you seta maximum [KEY VELOCITY SEN-
SITIVITY] of7,and then pressa keyvery slowly
there will bevirtually no output from the operator;
pressthat key fast, and you'll getthe maximum
output levelyou have setwith [OUTPUT LEVEL]. If
the operatorisa carrier, this function causesthe
notestobelouder when you play faster, whereas if
the operatorisa modulator, the timbre changes as
you play faster.This isthe parameter that determines
why somepresetvoiceshave touch sensitivity and
others do not.
PITCHEG
InEDIT mode, thispair ofbuttons activate the[DATA
ENTRY] sectionsoitscontrolscan beusedtochange a
specialenvelopegenerator that altersthe frequency of
eachnote you play. The Pitch EG affects all6 operators
equally.The "shape"ofthe envelope follows the same
rulesasthe individual operators'levelenvelopes,with
fourratesand four"levels",although the levelsactually
refer to frequency excursions. The Pitch EG can beused
for automatic pitch bending effects, including the slight
pitch changesthat occur with plucked strings.However,
the 8 octaverange ofthis feature permits allsortsof
specialeffects tobeachieved.
RATE
Pressingthis button 4 successivetimes givesyou
accesstoprogramming the 4 ratesin the EG.
LEVEL
Pressingthis button 4 successivetimes givesyou
accesstoprogramming the 4 "levels"in the EG. If
you don't want any pitch bend, then all 4 levels
should beprogrammed toa value of50.When you
seta levelbelow50,the pitch decreases(azerovalue
isdown 4 octavesfrom the note you play), and when
you setit above50,the pitch increases(a99value is
up4 octaves).The [PITCH] wheel can furtheradd1
octaveaboveorbelowthis "automatic" pitch bend.
KEY
TRANSPOSE
In EDIT mode, this button DOESNOT RELY ON THE
[DATAENTRY] section.Instead, itactivatesthe key-
board soitcanbeusedtotranspose the pitch ofthe
entire voice.The"normal" pitch ofthe keyboard isset
sothat middle C (C3)is262 Hz. When you press[KEY
TRANSPOSE], the first key you then pressbecomes
the pitch which isproduced when you play middle C
(youwon't hear anything untilyou play a subsequent
note).The transposition range isgreatenough that mid-
dle C canbesetto sound the pitch ofany note for 2
octavesupor down.
VOICENAME
In EDITmode, this button DOESNOT RELY ONTHE
[DATAENTRY] sectioneither. Instead, it converts the
[EDIT/COMPARE] button to the (CHARACTER] but-
ton soyou can enter upto 10letters, numbers, spaces
or punctuation marks to name a voice.Once you've
pressed[VOICE NAME],you hold down the [CHAR-
ACTER] button and then presseach character you wish
toenter (indicatedby the reverseddark brown type in
the right corner ofmost buttons). A flashing "cursor"
showsyou the position ofthecharacter you are about to
enter, and you can move thecursor withoutentering a
character by pressingthe[<]and [>]buttons. You can
"write"new-characters on top ofprevious names, or
erasea name by using the[CHARACTER] and
[SPACE]buttons.
FunctionControlParameters
(lightbrownlabels)
MASTERTUNEADJ
In FUNCTION mode, thisbutton activatesthe[DATA
ENTRY] slider soit can beusedto tunethe overall
pitch ofthe keyboard plus or minus75cents.(The[-1]
and (+1]DATA ENTRY buttons are not usedinthis
casebecausethe tuningadjustment is already very fine.)
Largerpitch shifts can beprogrammed into a voice by
using the [KEY TRANSPOSE] button or by resetting
the frequencies ofalloperators.
8

POLY/MONO
In FUNCTION mode,thisbutton activates the [DATA
ENTRY] section soitscontrols cansetthe keyboardto
play polyphonically (up to 16notessimultaneously) or
monophonically (one note at a time).
PITCHBEND
InFUNCTION mode, this pair ofbuttons activate the
[DATAENTRY] sectionsoitscontrolscan program the
range and "smoothness"ofthe[PITCH] wheel. If the
RANGE is setto zero,the [PITCH] wheelwill have no
effect.
RANGE
This lets you program the maximum amount ofpitch
bend from no effect (0)to plus or minus an octave
(12 semitones). The numbers in theprogramming
display indicate how many semitones the wheel can
change thepitch in eachdirection. The [RANGE]
may only be adjusted when the[STEP]issetto zero.
If [STEP]isat 1 or higher, the[RANGE] isautomati-
cally fixed at 12semitones. Remember thata zero
settingturnsoff thepitch bend.
STEP
This permits you to setthesizeoftheincrements by
whichthewheel changes thepitch. A setting ofzero
(0) willcause perfectly smooth pitch bending. Each
unitabove zerorepresents thenumberofsemitones
by whichthepitch will"jump" asyou move the
wheel. The maximumsetting of12, for example, will
cause thewheel to change thepitch ina single,
1octave jump.
PORTAMENTO
In FUNCTION mode, these 3 buttonsactivate the
[DATA ENTRY] section soits controls can be usedto
setportamento (glide) and glissando (steppedglide)
effects, and to control certain sustain characteristics of
thekeyboard. Theparticulareffectsavailablewill
change,depending on whether the DX7 isin Polyor
Mono mode.
MODE
When the keyboard isin Mono mode, this letsyou
select"FINGERED PORTA"or"FULL TIME PORTA"
functions. Fingered Portamento isa glide that occurs
only when you hold one key down and then press
another while holding the first. Full Time Portamento
givesyou the glide from one note tothe next even
when you releaseone keybefore pressingthe next.
When the keyboard isin Polymode,this letsyou
select"SUS-KEYPFOLLOW"or"SUS-KEYP
RETAIN". InSustain-KeyPitch Followmode,ifyou
play a note orchord and then play another note or
chord, the sustain from the original note/chord glides
to the pitch ofthe most recently played note/chord.
In Sustain-Key Pitch Retain mode,the pitch ofthe
new note or chord glidesfrom that original pitch(es)
without disturbing the sustain ofthe original note or
chord.
GLISSANDO
When the Glissandofeature isturned ON, theglide
in pitch occursin discretesteps.This effect isbest
heard with a slowerrate and when two widely sepa-
ratednotesare played one after theother. When
Glissandoisturned OFF then normal Portamento
(continuous glide) isavailable.
TIME
This setsthetime ofthe Portamento or Glissando
effect. A setting of0 producesno effect, while a set-
tingof99produces the longest(slowest)pitch
changes.This iscontrary to theoperation ofmostDX7
rate controls whose fastestsetting is99.You don't
have to change the Time to zeroto turnthe effect off.
Instead, oncean effect isselected,it canalsobe
turned On and Off by plugging an FC-4or FC-5foot
pedal into the PORTAMENTO jack on the rear panel;
stepping on the pedal then turnsON the portamento.
NOTE: For[MIDI]information, see page 55.
EDITRECALL
This button activatesthe DATAENTRY [YES]and
[NO] buttons sothey can beusedtorecalla voicethat
you had beenediting in theevent you inadvertently
leavethe editing mode and selectanother voice to play
To"recapture"or recallthe edited voice,press[FUNC-
TION], then [EDIT RECALL], then answer [YES]to the
two display prompts "Edit Recall?"and "AreYou Sure?"
VOICEINIT
The VoiceInitialize button lets you create a neutral
starting point for programminq a new voice.Afteryou
selectVOICE INIT from theFUNCTION mode by press-
ing the button and then answering [YES]to thetwo
display prompts, the DX7 setsitselfto theEDIT mode. A
neutral "voice"then exists with no modulation, algo-
rithm 1,operator 1 output levelat 99and all others off,
"square"envelopes,andallfrequencyratiosat 1.00.
CARTFORM
NOTE: Since the format of a RAM cartridgeused for
other purposes, such as DX1 performance memories,
will vary' from that of a cartridge used for voice memo-
ries, make sure you observe the following procedure
when storing or saving DX7 internal voices into such a
cartridge.
TheCartridgeFormat button letsyou "initialize" all
the voicesin a RAM cartridge much like you initialized
the single voicein the edit bufferusing the [VOICE
INIT]button. It islike a cartridge "eraser."Touse this
function you first have turnoff the hardware memory
protectswitchon the cartridge,then turnoff the soft-
ware [MEMORY PROTECT-CARTRIDGE] function
onthe DX7. Then press[CARTFORM] and answer
[YES] to the two displayed prompts. THINK BEFORE
YOU DO THIS; IF THERE WERE ANY VOICES YOU
WANTED ON THAT CARTRIDGE, THEY WILL BE
GONE FOREVER. (Youcanloadone or more cartridge
9

voicesinto the DX7internal memory and then format if
you like.) You cannot format a ROM (factory preset)car-
tridge.
BATTERYCHECK
In function mode, thisbutton causesthedisplay to
show the voltage levelofthe battery which preserves
theDX7 internalvoice and programming memories
when power isturned off. The acceptablerange is2.3to
3.5volts.If thebattery isbelow2.2volts, contact your
Yamaha dealer to arrange for replacement; this isNOT a
do-it-yourself repair.
CARTRIDGE
This pair
of buttons sets the DX7 to transfer a full 32
voicesbetweenthe internal and the cartridge memory
Before voicescanbetransferred TOa cartridge orTO
theDX7, thecorresponding (MEMORY PROTECT)
features must beturned off.(Individual voicescan be
transferred by first using thePlay mode to "pick" the
voice,then pressing the [STORE]button and whatever
VoiceSelectoryou like from 1 to 32.)
SAVE
Pressing this button in FUNCTION mode storesall 32
internal memories to a RAM cartridge.You have an
opportunity to cancelthe command by answering
[NO]toeither displayedprompt; otherwise any
voicesin the cartridgewill beerasedwhen the tran-
ter occurs.The display shows"Under Writing" for 20
secondswhile the voicesare being "written"to the
cartridge.
LOAD
Pressingthis button in FUNCTION mode loads 32
RAM orROM cartridge voicesinto the DX7 internal
memories.Again, you have to answer[YES]twice
before the voicesare loaded(which erasesany exist-
ing voicesin the internal memories).The actual
transfer occursinstantaneously
MODULATION
Thebottom rowof16Function buttons isusedto set
the Modulation available from 4 control sources:the
MODULATION WHEEL, FOOTCONTROL, BREATH
CONTROLand keyAFTERTOUCH. Sincethe4 groups
are identical innature, we'llcoverthebuttonsjust once.
Pressingany ofthese buttons activates the [DATAEN-
TRY] sectionsoyou can program different settings.
NOTE: ifthe Amplitude or EG Bias is turned On, with a
low Range setting, certain voices may be inaudible or
nearly so due to their high modulation sensitivity.
RANGE
Thisletsyou program the amount ofmodulation
from none (0)to a maximum value (99).Bear in
mind, however,that the Pitch and Amplitude modu-
lation "range"may bezero (off) evenif this control is
setat 99unless the particular voice being played
includes somemodulation sensitivity. Sincesensitivity
differs betweenvoices,the identical Range setting
may produce different results with different voices.
PITCH
This letsyou turnOn LFOmodulation ofthe voice's
pitchforvibrato-likeeffects.
AMPLITUDE
This letsyou turnOn LFOmodulation oftheampli-
tude (level)ofthose individual operators withina
voicethat are programmed to besensitive to it. The
effect may therefore betremolo-like, or wah-like
depending onwhether a carrier ormodulator is
being modulated.
EG BIAS
This letsyou directly control the operator output
levelwith the corresponding modulation control
(Foot,Breath, etc.).Inthis case,the LFO is not in-
volved.Again, this will produce changes in brilliance
or volume or "wah" depending on the amplitude
sensitivity programmed intoeachoperator inthe
voice.
VoiceCartridgesocket
This socketacceptstheROM cartridges which each
hold 64pre-programmed voices(two are supplied with
the DX7), or theRAM cartridges which each hold 32
user-programmed voices.A protective door automati-
cally swings away when a cartridge isinserted. The
cartridges have a slotin their end connector, and the
sockethas a keyway sothatthe cartridges can only be
insertedfullywhen properly oriented. Ifa cartridge does
not seatproperly turnitaround and tryagain. DO NOT
FORCE a cartridge into place.
PowerSwitch
This rear panel switch turnspower on, permitting
the DX7 to beplayedand/or programmed. The inter-
nal voicesare preservedevenwhen poweristurned
off, solong astheinternal battery candeliver at least
2.3volts (which can beverified by selecting the
FUNCTION/Battery Check mode).
10

Keyboard
This isa 61-keykeyboard which has initial (veloc-
ity) and after (pressure)sensitivity, although these
parameters must beprogrammed into the voicein
order to beuseable.The keyboard has16-notepoly-
phonic capability or canbeswitched to monophonic
mode. The overall keyboard pitch produced can be
altered + 75cents using the Master Tune Adjust
parameterinFUNCTION mode, and thepitch ofa
particularvoice can be transposed over a 4 octave
range usingtheKey Transpose parameter in EDIT
mode. Each voice alsomay have an inherently
higheror lower pitch depending on the frequency
settingsofcomponents withinthe voice(the Opera-
tors).
PitchBendWheel
The Pitch Bendwheelpermits you toshift the key-
board pitch upand down;
the range ofthis shift
depends on how far the
wheel isdeflected from
the spring-return center
position, and on the
FUNCTIONmode[PITCH
BEND RANGE] setting,
witha maximum range of
plus or minus one octave.
The smoothness depends on
the [PITCH BENDSTEP]
setting.
11
ModulationWheel
The Modulationwheel permits you to introduce LFO
modulation ofpitch and/or amplitudeand/or EG bias
asyou move thewheel away fromyou. The range and
natureoftheeffect obtained depends on severalfactors
(1)how theModulation Wheel
parameters are setin
FUNCTIONmode,and(2)
whetherthevoice hasmodu-
lationsensitivity programmed
intoit;if either factor is
not setappropriately the
wheel willhave no effect.
Headphone& Breath Controller Jacks
TheHeadphone jack letsyoulisten without an exter-
nal amplifier/speaker systemby plugging in almost any
pair ofmono orstereoheadphones that has a standard
1/4"(6.3mm) diameter phone plug. The Breath Con-
troller jack acceptsthe miniature stereophone plug from
aYamaha BC-1BreathController, which may beusedto
introduce LFO modulation or EG biasinto mostvoices
depending upon how the FUNCTION mode Breath
Control parameters are set,and onwhether modulation
sensitivity isprogrammed into thevoice.(Ifthey are not
setappropriately the BC-1will have no effect.)

SETUP
NOTE: Do not turn power On until all other connections
have been made.
AudioOutput
The DX7 hasa built in headphone amplifier, so
stereoheadphones may beplugged into thefront
panel jack. However,the instrument doesnot have a
built in poweramplifier, and thus requires an exter-
nal amplifier/speaker system.TheOUTPUTjack is
suitable for connection toany unbalanced, lowline
levelinput. This includes the input ofthe self-pow-
eredspeakersystems,and the 600ohm or higher
impedance line inputs ofany Yamaha mixer.Remem-
ber (hat the audio output levelnot only depends on
theVOLUME setting,but alsoonthe selectedvoice,
the playing style,and the positionofthe foot control
if itispluggedinto the VOLUME jack.
Usea single conductor shieldedcablewith a standard
1/4"(6.3mm) tip/sleevephone plug. Coiledguitar
cordsarenot recommended sincethey typically degrade
the high frequency responsemore than a straight cord.
Standard guitar cord, 20 feet maximum recommended
length.
The lowimpedanceXLR inputs ofYamaha mixers
may beusedwith an adaptor cableor a "directbox,"as
explained in the technicalnotesatthe end ofthis sec-
tion.
ExternalFootControllerJacks
There are 4 phone jacks designedfor usewith exter-
nal foot controls. TheVOLUME and MODULATION
jacks eachaccepta Yamaha FC-3Afoot pedal,which has
atip/ring/sleeve (stereotype)phone plug. The PORTA-
MENTO and SUSTAINjacks eachaccepta Yamaha FC-4
orFC-5foot switch,which has a tip/sleevephone plug.
None ofthesejacks needs tobeusedfor normal opera-
tion ofthe DX7, but if the foot controllers areused,be
sure you plug in the propertypeofcontroller.The picto-
rialdiagrams onthe rearpanelshould make this clear.
BreathController
The optional Yamaha BC-1Breath Controller isa
pressuretransducer that isdesignedfor usewith this
synthesizer.Itsminiature tip/ring/sleeve phone plug
goesinto the BREATH CONT. jack on the front ofthe
DX7;DO NOT plug anything elseinto this jack.
MIDI Connectors
Thesemulti-pin DIN connectorsare for the Musical
Instrument DigitalInterface system(MIDI), a standard
adoptedby severalleading synthesizermanufactur-
ers.MIDI allowsthe DX7 toremotelycontrol (orbe
controlled by)other keyboards,sequencersand com-
puter interfaces.Seethe "MIDI" sectionofthis man-
ual for additional information.
AC Power
Plug the DX7 powercordinto any 120volt, 50or 60
Hzgrounded (3-prong)AC receptacle.It draws 40 watts
maximum. When using theDX7 with an amplifier or
mixer that has an unbalanced input, it isa goodidea to
plug both units into the sameAC receptacleboxor the
same"leg"ofthe AC service.Thiswill reducethe
chanceofhum.
After allconnections have beenmade, turndown the
mixer oramplifier volume asa precaution. Then turn
ON the POWER switchlocatedat the rearofthe instru-
ment (onthe right sideviewedfrom the keyboard). The
displaypanel will looklike the illustration here for a few
seconds,and will then change to display themode
which had beenengagedbefore the DX7 waslastturned
off.
InstallationofMusicRack
The music rack which comeswith the DX7 fitsinto
two socketson the rear panel (seediagram).
12

Additional Technical Installation Notes
When connecting the DX7 toan amplifier ormixer, a
maximum unbalanced cablelength of20feet will
reduce susceptibility tohum, noise,and high frequency
losses;if a longer cableisneeded,utilize a "directbox"
which usesa transformer or amplifiers to convert the
outputtoa balancedline, and then run2-conductor
shielded cablewith XLR-3 or1/4"Tip/Ring/Sleeve
phone plugs to a balancedinputon the mixer or ampli-
fier.
If the cablelength isunder 20feet, but the mixer or
amplifier inputrequiresan XLR connector, a direct box
may not benecessary;a simple adaptor cablewill often
do thejob, solong ascomplex grounding problems
don't causeexcessivehum. Toadapt the phone jack
OUTPUToftheDX7 to an XLR input,first check the
manual on theother equipment to seewhich pin ofits
XLR isthe "hot" or"signal"pin. In Yamaha equipment,
pin 2 is"hot."Cut the phone plug off one end ofa stand-
ard guitar-type cable,and connect the center conductor
to XLR's "hot" pin. Then wire the shield tothe other two
pins ofthe XLR; if humisa problem, cut the shield
connection topin 1 ofthe XLR.
The nominal output levelis-20dBm (77.5mV),
although the actual leveldepends on the voice,the
VOLUME setting,and how many notesare being played
atonce.The OUTPUT jack will drive lowimpedance
(600ohm) orhigher impedanceinputs. Maximum out-
put may beconsiderablyhigher; sincepoweramplifiers'
nominal input levelsarethoselevelsthat drive the
amplifier tomaximum power,an amplifier ratedat0
dBm or+4dBm inputlevelmay bewellmatched to
the DX7 output. Mixerswith adjustable inputsensitivity
may have tobesetanywhere from -20 to +4dBm
nominal, depending onthe selectedvoice,the playing
style,and the DX7 VOLUMEsetting.
Asisthe casewith any electricorelectronic instru-
ment, the AC powerreceptacleshould becheckedfor
correctvoltageand polarity.Tofind out what to do about
operationwith powermains that do not meet these
specifications,contacta Yamaha dealerorauthorized
Yamaha DX servicecenter.
13
Phone-to-XLR adaptor cable.

PLAYINGTHEFACTORYPRESETVOICES
PlayingtheInternalVoices
1.If the DX7 happens to beon, turnit off.Then turn it
back onwhile observingthe display window. This
will let you seethe initial displayswe are about to
describe.(Inthe future, you won't have toturnoff the
instrument just to change modes.)When you first turn
on the DX7, the LCD display will briefly show:
The number 88may ormay not appearin the LED
voicenumber display; in any case,after a few sec-
onds, the display will change.However,we don't
know what itwill showwhen it changes.
NOTE: A voice number will be shown in the RED
window, but its number will depend on the voice that
was last selected before the DX7 was turned off; we
have used question marks even though an actual
number will appear. Similarly we placed question
marks in the LCD display because we don't know
what will show in that window... it could be an inter-
nal (INT) voice name, a cartridge (CRT) voice name,
or a function; again, it depends on that which was
last used before power was turned off. In order that
you canexplorethe internal voices and find out for
yourself what they are, do the following:
2. Ifyou are using an amplifier/speaker systemwith the
DX7, make sure that systemisturned on and its
volume controls are setappropriately Whether you're
using an external amplifier/speaker system,orthe
DX7 headphone jack and a pair ofheadphones, be
sure tosetthe DX7 VOLUME control sothere issome
output; mid scaleisa goodstarting point.
Set the VOLUME so
you'll be able to hear
something
3.Enter the PLAY mode by pressingthe [MEMORY
SELECT-INTERNAL] button, then selectthe
#1
internal memory by pressingthe [1]button.
Press this... Then... Press this
The display will change to show the new voice
There won't bequestion marks. However,the 32
internal memoriesmay have beenloadedwith any of
the 4 factory presetbanks, something you or another
musician left in memory orsomething the dealer
placedthere during checkout ofyour instrument prior
todelivery Therefore, we don't know what voice
name will appear.The LCDdisplay "INT 1"isreally
redundant here;it tells you that internal voice1 is
selected,which you canreadfrom the top line ofthe
LCD window and the redLED voicenumber display
(Later,when you areediting voices,the "INTERNAL
VOICE"and "INT 1"areaswill have different labels,
and the redLED display will becomean important
reminder ofthe voiceyou have selected.)
4.Playthe keyboard,and explorethis voice.In fact,
exploreall the voicesin the internal memories.You
cando this by simply pressingselectorbuttons [1]
through [32].You don't have to press[MEMORY
SELECT- INTERNAL]eachtime.
NOTE Don't worry ifyou try to play a chord and the
keyboard acts monophonically rather than polyphoni-
cally This simply means the synthesizer is in mono-
phonic mode, and the change to polyphonic mode is
described in the following section of this manual.
AVOIDFRUSTRATIONAlthough weencourageyou to
explore all ofthe DX7 features on your own, please
try not to jump ahead and press buttons other than
voice selectors 1 to 32 at this time. This can place the
DX7 in a different operating mode so try to resist.
There's nothing wrong with pressing any buttons —
you can't damage the instrument — but if you do go
offon your own, these instructions may no longer
make sense. You may think something is wrong with
the instrument, and to get back to anything recognize-
able you will have to start all over again. Bear with
these step by step instructions the first few times, and
then after you really know what the controls do, you
can go ahead and have fun.
PlayingtheCartridgeVoices
1.Locatethe cartridgelabeled"DX7VOICE ROM" on
the top,with a largenumeral "3"onone sideofthe
cartridge.Slidethe switchonthat cartridge upward
(awayfrom the connector) togainaccessto the32
voicesin bank A. Theseare labeled"MasterGroup".
2.Insertthe cartridgeinto the slotnear the right sideof
the keyboard, orienting it soitsswitchfacesaway
from the keyboard.
3.Selectthe cartridgevoicecalled"BRASSHORNS",
which isin location
# A-5ofthe DX7 VOICE ROM
#
3
cartridge.Dothis by pressingthe [MEMORY
SELECT-CARTRIDGE] button and then the [5]
button.
Press this... Then press this
The display will change to show the new voice
14

FUNCTIONMODE:
SETTINGOVERALLPERFORMANCEPARAMETERS
NOTE Yamaha reserves the right to continue to refine
and update factory preset voices. For this reason,
some ROMs may have this voice in a different loca-
tion, or may have a different voice altogether. Refer to
the notes which are packaged with the ROMs.
4. Play thekeyboard, and explore this voice.
Observethechange in thesound when you
pressthe key gently and when you hit ithard
(not all voiceshave thistouch sensitivity pro-
grammed intothem). You'll probably want to
play allthe voicesin Bank A ofthis ROM car-
tridge. You can do thisby pressing selectorbut-
tons [1]through [32];you don't have topress
[MEMORY SELECT-CARTRIDGE] each
time.
NOTE At this point, the voice may not sound
"fight"or some of the features of the synthesizer
may not appear to work. This is likely to be due
to the settings of the FUNCTION controls, as
explained in the following section. WHAT
YOU'VEHEARDSOFARMAYBEDRAMATI-
CALLY CHANGED BY MOVING JUST A FEW
CONTROLS. This is demonstrated in the next sec-
tion of the manual.
5.Ifyou want to explore the "Keyboard& Plucked
Group" voicesthatare storedin Bank B ofthis
cartridge, slidethe switch on the cartridge down
to "B"position, and again pressthevoiceselector
buttons [1]to [32].The sameprocedures apply
to the"Orchestral & PercussiveGroup" voicesin
Bank A, and the"Complex & Effects Group"
voicesin Bank B ofthe DX7 VOICE ROM
# 2car-
tridge.
IMPORTANTNOTE
In order to provide meaningful examples aswe explain
the various buttons and functions on the DX7,we will
refer to specificpre-programmed voicesthat are pro-
vided in the "MASTERGROUP", which isfound in bank
Aofthe DX7VOICE ROM
#
3cartridgethat comeswith
the instrument. (Theseproceduresarevirtually the same
for theinternal voices,but sincewe don't know what
particular voicesareloadedin the instrument, we are
using a known setofvoicesfor now.Then our exam-
plesshould match what your instrument actually does.)
Somecontrol functions have no effect unless the voice
with which they are usedisalreadyprogrammed to be
sensitivetothe control.
Toplay the voicewe are using in this portion ofthe
manual asan example, you will needtosetthe DX7 to
selectthe cartridge voicecalled"ELEC PIANO 1"(Elec-
tric Piano 1),which isin locationA-8ofthe DX7 VOICE
ROM
# 3cartridge.From the previous instuctions we'll
assumethat cartridge isinstalled,the [MEMORY
SELECT- CARTRIDGE] button hasalreadybeen
pressedand the top line ofthe LCD displayalready indi-
cates"CARTRIDGE VOICE"(ifnot,do sonow).There-
fore you should only have topressthe [8]button.
Pressthis
The display will change to show the voice
NOTE There is no "right way" or "wrong way" to
approach programming of the DX7, although some
methods may be rather inefficient. This chapter is pro-
vided to familiarize you with the use of some of the
programming functions. Ifsomething isn't perfectly clear
to you at first, don't spend too much time on it; it will
eventually make sense as you play the instrument and
become familiar with its basic features and functions. We
suggest
you re-read these instructions after you've gained
acertain degree ofconfidence with the DX7.
[DATAENTRY]
Asliderand two buttons atthe left sideofthe control
panelaremarked [DATAENTRY]. This group ofcon-
trolsisusedfor adjusting the settingsofalmostall the
programmable levelsand modes.Moving the slider
down andup may turn oneitem OFF and ON, set
another for a leveloffrom 0 to7,and setstill another
for a levelor rate offrom 0 to99,and soon. Fornow,
just remember that [DATAENTRY] isan assignable
group ofcontrols that you useto change whateveryou
have selectedwith other controls on theDX7.
Whatever EDIT mode or FUNCTION mode program-
ming parameter value happens to bedisplayed may sud-
denly "jump" toa different value assoonasthe[DATA
ENTRY] slidecontrol isoperated,oritmay change
gradually,depending onthe specificvalue and the posi-
tion ofthe slider.Think ofthe sliderashaving a scale
(from bottom totop)of0-3,0-7,0-12,0-99or OFF-ON,
depending on the function. If the slider ispositioned at a
different point onitsrelative scalethanthevalue dis-
playedin the LCDwindow, then assoonasthe slider is
movedatall,the displayedvalue will jumptothe slider-
positionvalue. In mostcases,thetwo buttons next to
the sliderwill increment or decrement the displayed
value by 1 unit, with no "jump." The lastselectedFUNC-
TION parameter canbeadjusted while in the PLAY
mode.
[FUNCTION]
There are 3 main modesofoperation: PLAY mode,
EDIT mode and FUNCTION mode.The parameters
which canbeadjusted in FUNCTION mode are those
that affect the overallsound, no matter which voice you
select(provided, in somecases,that thevoice itselfis
programmed toacceptthefunction control). This in-
cludes such parameters asthe tuningofthe keyboard,
whether ornot the portamento isactive and how it
works, and the effects ofthe modulation wheel, foot
control, breath control, and the pressuresensitivity of
15