Manage DX7 Synth Engine via Midi

Hey,
Is there a way to tweak effects on an operator of the DX7, via Midi? (So I can do cool effects.) Thanks!

Yeah, there used to be a 3rd party knob-per-function midi box for it. Not sure if it's still in production. Google it.

If it uses midi, I can try to use stuff like M4L?

I used to use a Kenton Control Freak MIDI control to do exactly what you're trying to do to a TX81Z.

AFAIK, all the Yamaha FM synths of this era are fully SYSEX-addressable. This is NOT as cool or easy as having a modern CC-mapping spec, but yes, you can @#$% with all the parameters remotely via MIDI... AND because it's SYSEX, you'll have way more than 128 steps of resolution on some parameters.

Bad news: for the TX81Z the SYSEX it wanted was achieved through pairings of MSB/LSB messages and hexadecimal values... which might take you a day our two to brush up on, but if I could figure out how to program it via the tiny buttons of a 1990s MIDI controller 20 years ago, you can definitely address it with Max or anything else that lets you send SYSEX messages. You're a smart guy, you'll figure it out.

The fun starts on page 30 of the manual.

This doesn't go into coding the messages yourself, but it's a start:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2J2NuZY2ro

Did you just acquire a dx7 mk1

I had it for a very long time, but never used it, because couldn't create stuff easily, and thought that this keyboard wasn't as cool as it's said. But a few days ago, someone told me that the DX7 has more potential than I think, so I took it down from the attic, played around, installed Dewed, and it's indeed fun.
But I want a synth where I can mess with its settings live.

I had it for a very long time, but never used it, because couldn't create stuff easily, and thought that this keyboard wasn't as cool as it's said. But a few days ago, someone told me that the DX7 has more potential than I think, so I took it down from the attic, played around, installed Dewed, and it's indeed fun.
But I want a synth where I can mess with its settings live.

To state the obvious: it's a purely digital synth. The DACs on the Mk 1 impart some extra grit and roundness to that digital path and the key feel on the MK1 is great, but fundamentally, you can use a VST emulation of a DX7 (Dexed, the Arturia DX7, etc) and not miss much of anything vs. the actual hardware... and trust me, recording/automating real time parameter changes is waaaayyy more practical with something that supports CC-based MIDI input for all parameters (and the old Yamaha DX synths don't support this, as mentioned)... even if you wire up the DX7 for real time control with SysEx, recording and editing those MSB/LSB data pairs in a DAW would be a huge pain compared to how easy it would be with a VST or a modern CC-mapped synth.

The mk1 and tx7 have a place in my heart. Those old DACs have a sound alright. I started on a mk2 and you can replace it with software... or an even more capable synth like an sy series or ex5. The FM in the later yamahas sounds exactly like the mk2 and you get a few other engines and fx.

EDIT: the SYs like the 22, 35 and even the 85 are not comparable, some are like a juiced up tx81z, and the 85 is a 99 without FM. But the 77 and 99 are like a dx7mk2+++++ and the ex5 is their greatest digital synth, made for deep sound design.

The mk1 and tx7 have a place in my heart. Those old DACs have a sound alright....

I'll add the DX100 to that list in terms of DXs with "extra DAC magic".

A DX7 takes up more room than I can spare these days, but it would be nice to have a TX7 and DX100 for exactly the reasons you point out... but I've been happy enough with Arturia DX7 for a few years now.

I always thought the 100 sounded brittle but people have made good use of it. There's also the full size key version, the dx27 and the other consumer model, the dx21. All of them are 12 bit converters IIRC

I always thought the 100 sounded brittle but people have made good use of it. There's also the full size key version, the dx27 and the other consumer model, the dx21. All of them are 12 bit converters IIRC

The DAC on the 100 is supposedly cheaper/crappier in a way that takes away some of the inherent sterility. I have never had hands-on a DX100 myself, but people I trust swear by them. The 21 and 27 are superior in terms of features, but supposedly lean more towards the cleaner sound of the TX81Z.

I don't want to make room for the 21 or 27, so DX100 wins on size, at least... but in reality, I'm gonna stick with the FM VSTis and call it a day.

I'm a tx7 man now. All my dx7 keyboards are gone. No space.

I'm a tx7 man now. All my dx7 keyboards are gone. No space.

Less is more.

If only the FB-01 was patch-compatible with the DX100 and had the same DACs.

I've heard an fb01 in action, I thought it sounded pretty decent. They're cheap as hell.

I've heard an fb01 in action, I thought it sounded pretty decent. They're cheap as hell.

I've got a sweet spot for 80s and 90s half-rack units. Don't ask me why.

I have a hard on for 1/2 and 1/3 rack compressors and EQs... little devices in a proprietary mounting shelf are sexy... I've got an obscene number of racked RNCs because you have 3 channels or 6 channels in stereo pairs in 1u, and the mounting hardware is spit cheap