You can’t really mention synths without thinking of the Yamaha DX7. Although there were some great analogue synths before it, the DX7 was the first of a new generation of purely digital and affordable synths. Affordable by the standards of the day anyway, it was still around $2000 at launch but, everyone wanted one and it became a classic almost as soon as it hit the stores.
Its distinctive sound can be heard on many recordings, especially pop music from the 1980s. Its preset sounds were particularly prevalent due to the difficulty of FM synthesis programming combined with the immediacy of the stock DX7 sounds, meaning that players tended to perform and record with the sounds they had at their fingertips. These stock sounds ultimately proliferated to the point that they were regarded as clichéd by the end of the 1980s.
Below you will find a selection of DX7 downloads including service manuals, owners handbooks, guides and sound patches.