Yamaha DX-7

music synthesizer

Also known as: DX-7

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July 15, 2026

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The Yamaha DX-7 is a music synthesizer that utilizes FM synthesis technology. Introduced in 1983, it was a polyphonic instrument with a touch-sensitive keyboard and offered a broad range of timbres that musicians could adjust. The DX-7 achieved significant commercial success, selling over 100,000 units, and Yamaha extended its FM synthesis technology to various other instruments. Music synthesizers, in general, are machines that electronically generate and modify sounds, often using digital computers, to create electronic music and for live performance. They can produce sounds beyond the capabilities of traditional instruments by altering waveforms in intensity, duration, frequency, and timbre.12

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electronic instrument
Digital synthesizers
…best-known of these was the Yamaha DX-7, which was based on the results of Chowning’s research in FM Synthesis. Introduced in 1983, the DX-7 was polyphonic, had a five-octave touch-sensitive keyboard, and offered a wide choice of timbres, which the player could adjust or change to suit his requirements. Well…
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…best-known of these was the Yamaha DX-7, which was based on the results of Chowning’s research in FM Synthesis. Introduced in 1983, the DX-7 was polyphonic, had a five-octave touch-sensitive keyboard, and offered a wide choice of timbres, which the player could adjust or change to suit his requirements. Well…
Read More