FM synthesis, as epitomised by the DX7 and its descendents, the ubiquitous keyboard synthesizer line of the late '80s, may have been long superseded by sampling technology. But while many of the original DX series instruments have probably been relegated to secondary duties in the keyboard arsenals of synth-savvy musicians, Frequency Modulation technology is far from dead.
What that means is, unlike the almost 20-year-old DX7, which was a pig to programme and could sound annoyingly grainy, the ergonomically designed DX200 offers the kind of editing ease and sonic clarity that you'd expect from many of today's power-packed plug-and-play dream machines.
It may be expressly aimed at dance-music makers (hip-hop, techno, trance, big beat, two-step etc) but anyone looking to add some classic FM flavours to home-cooked recordings should find plenty to pique their palate in this box.
The inside dope
The DX200 combines a six-operator, 16-note polyphonic FM synth and a 16-step sequencer in one compact unit. It also features analogue-style knobs (unlike the dinky membrane switches on the DX7) for real-time control.
There's an LFO section that lets you modulate the pitch or the filter of 21 dufferent waveforms, and a group of envelope generator (EG) knobs offers manipulation over attack, decay, sustain and release of the amplifier envelope (AEG), and filter envelope (FEG).
You can also fiddle with four types of distortion (great for lead synth patches) and use a portamento control to create pitch-gliding effects.
The Noise Level knob allows you to dirty up percussive sounds for some extra rhythmic oomph.
The processing brain of the synth section (derived from Yamaha's PLG150DX plug-in board) features 32 algorithms (sound-generating components similar to analogue synthesis' VCO waveforms) that let allow for infinite timbre variations.
Tweaking these components is a cinch once you get a firm fix on FM architecture. But even if you don't know your FM from spam, you'll be happy with the chunky-sized knobs that let your alter sounds with just a random twist. One of the niftiest knobs here is FM Depth which lets you shape everything from subtle harmonics to enthralling metallic clangs.
There's a useful but rather basic effects processor that offers a limited range of delay, flanger, phaser, overdrive/amp, chorus and reverb.
The useful sequencer, modelled on analogue-style step programming, is also a useful tool that allows easy control over pattern, pitch, gate time, velocity or drum note with the turn of a knob in real time.
The three rhythm tracks let you chain together patterns using 120 tunable drum, bass and synth percussion sounds. In addition, you can store real-time changes within a pattern as a scene, while Free EG, a PC-editable feature that lets you enhance groove feel on four tracks, takes the DX200 expression level to another plane.
All the knobs transmit MIDI messages, allowing you to record control changes into an external piece of hardware or PC-based sequencer, or control other synth modules that don't have MIDI-controllable knobs.
Besides the knobs, there are 16 tiny, numbered, multi-function keys that approximate the notes of black and white keys on a real keyboard.
The back panel includes stereo outs, MIDI In and Out (but no Thru), and a headphone jack.
The four-character LED is adequate for most functions. And the package comes with a PC/Mac software editor with three main screens -- Voice, Free EG and Step Sequencer -- and a bonus DX7 editing screen. You also get access to EQ settings via the software.
Clink, clack and clang
Being a proud owner of a Yamaha DX7 (Mark I version no less), I was pretty excited to find out what the DX200 was capable of.
I wasn't immediately blown away by what I heard, mainly because in instant-gratification mode, the DX200 functions as a floor-shaking disco machine.
But once I started checking out the 256 preset patterns and began muting the drum sounds, the glory of FM synthesis began to cut through with compelling clarity.
The familiar but crisper-sounding electric pianos, bells, glassy simulations, hollow basses and bright brass -- among the signature sounds of FM -- were pretty impressive. And while some of the sounds tended to be a tad too bright and clangorous, with a little filter-tweaking I was able to tame the harshness.
However, what makes the DX200's synth so intriguing is the ability to shift the shape of the sounds with just a bit of knob-twiddling. Anyone who has ever tried programming patches on a DX7 or any of the other FM keyboards it spawned would want to jump for joy.
Not only that; with the multimode resonant filter, you can actually transform the clean and thin FM sounds into rude and fat analogue-type creations.
The factory presets, which steer clear of the overused DX7 patches, are quite handy for everything from rockers to ballads, though they're tailored for electrodance and hip-hop vehicles.
And then sum...
Like the almost similar-looking AN200, a modelled analogue groovebox reviewed in these pages some issues back, the DX200 is a fabulous groovebox that any electro-beatnik will appreciate.
DJs looking for instantly syncable preset patterns with throbbing bass lines, buzzing synth loops and killer percussion concoctions will really dig many of the factory-created offerings here.
And they can fool with the patterns just about any which way they choose, playing them backwards, chopping up bass sequences, re-triggering entire sequences as if they were sample mixes or just simply going ape with the knobs.
But you don't have to be a dance devil to appreciate this highly portable danceband-in-a-box. The six-operator, 16-note polyphonic synth section is more than capable of holding its own in any respectable MIDI arsenal. And the fact that programming your own patches is so intuitive and painless makes this the perfect FM syntheziser module for knob-twisters.
PROS: Terrific sounds that have that unique zing that's a hallmark of FM synthesis; the swing and odd-meter features are great for creating unusual rhythms; the bundled Mac/PC software is a big help, especially for programming classic DX7 sounds.
CONS: The four-track sequencer will only record mono synth lines; a MIDI Thru connection would have made the MIDI implementation more complete.