1.8.2 FM FM as a means of producing audio sounds was first comprehensively described by John Chowning, in a paper entitled The Synthesis of Complex Audio Spectra by Mean of Frequency Modulation, published in 1973. At the time, the only way that this type of FM could be realized was by using digital computers, which were expensive and not widely available to the general public. As digital technology advanced, some synthesizer manufacturers began to look into ways of producing sounds digitally, and Yamaha bought the rights to use Chowning’s 1977-patented FM ideas. Early prototypes used large numbers of simple transistor–transistor logic (TTL) chips, but these were quickly replaced by custom-designed chips which compressed these onto just a few more complex chips. The first functional all-digital FM synthesizer designed for consumer use was the Yamaha GS1, which was a pathfinder product designed to show expertise and competence, as well as test the market. Simple preset machines designed for the home market followed. Although the implementation of FM was very simple, the response from musicians and players was very favorable. The DX1, DX7 and DX9 were released in late 1982, with the DX1 apparently intended as the professional player’s instrument, the DX7 a mid-range, cut-down DX1, and the DX9 as the low-cost, large-volume ‘best seller ’. What actually happened is very interesting. The DX9 was so restricted in terms of functionality and sound that it did not sell at all, whereas the DX7 was hugely in demand amongst both professional and semiprofessional musicians, and the DX1 was interpreted as being a ‘super ’ DX7 for a huge increase in price. Inevitably, it took Yamaha some time to increase the production of the DX7 to meet the demand, and this scarcity only served to make it all the more soughtafter! By the time that the mark II DX7 was released, about a quarter of a million DX7s had been sold, which at the time was a record for a synthesizer.
_________________ vampi.tech
|