FM Synthesis, The DX-7 and TX81Z

Since really getting back into the studio I have been reawakening the drive to get the most out of my synthesizers. Analog synths are always fun and easy to manipulate with hands on knob tweaking and turning. But in the 1980s a bunch of scientists came up with a new form of synthesis called FM synthesis. Yamaha adopted this new mathematical form of synthesis and released the DX-7 in 1983 which became a power house synthesizer in the 1980s used by nearly everyone. Here is a video showing off the power of the DX-7 II FD which was a re-release that came out in 1987. You can hear how a lot of Italo songs got their sound from FM synthesis.



Years ago I got a Yamaha TX81Z rack mount synthesizer which is an affordable way to get DX-7 sounds. But editing on the TX81Z can be very difficult given that all you have is a LED screen. Here is a great site that I found that has some helpful hints as well as software to help edit the TX81Z. Also check out this great youtube vid from Muzik4Machines editing his TX81Z.



Nowadays you can get these sounds in software form without all the pain of editing. Native Instruments released the FM-7 and FM-8 which have some great sounds. But of course software sounds still don't always capture the depth of hardware.

Check out Audiopirate to test drive these powerful software tools.

8 bit Computer Music

And now for something completely different. Some cool 8-bit music from Commodore 64 games including this sweet Robocop Commodore 64 loading music. Hearing some of these made me want to use some of these 8 bit sounds for myself. And lo the internet offered a solution.


The basic64 is a VST plug-in that will let you synthesize 8-bit sounds. It is a VST plugin so its not standalone. You will need audio software like FL Studio, Cubase, Nuendo, etc to run it.

Download it here

Mr. Moroder

No conversation about Disco or Italo Disco could be complete without paying tribute to super producer Giorgio Moroder. Known primarily for his work with Donna Summer, Moroder also made a killing at the box office producing unforgettable soundtracks for films in the 80s such as Flashdance, Top Gun, American Gigolo, Midnight Express, Never Ending Story, and many more. His mastery of the synthesizer has inspired countless electronic musicians and his sound left an imprint on a generation, even if it may have been subconscious to many. He released a few solo albums in the 70s and 80s but I think his track From Here to Eternity is the pinnacle of his solo achievements.

He also has a pretty extensive website detailing many of his accomplishments. But the most impressive has to be his custom designed super car. Touted as "The Super-Performance Sports Car the Rich Daydream About," the Cizeta-Moroder V16T is definitely out of my price range. And don't worry, he still keeps busy with music. He recently won a competition by the Chinese Government to compose the theme song, "Forever Friends," for the closing ceremonies at the Beijing Summer Olympics 2008 (yikes!).

If you want to get into the head of this synthesizer mastermind Italfree.com has an extensive collection of Moroder interviews from 1978 to 1996. This video is an amazing documercial (?) for his album E=MC2.