Library Instrument
Yamaha DX7
The 1983 FM synthesizer that made digital synthesis commercially dominant and became the best-selling synthesizer of all time.
Released in May 1983 at $1,995, the DX7 was the first digital synthesizer to sell in mass quantities, built on John Chowning’s FM synthesis algorithm: six operators per voice arranged across 32 selectable algorithms, with 16-voice polyphony, driven by a pair of custom Yamaha LSI chips (the YM21280 operator chip and YM21290 envelope-generator chip). It sold over 200,000 units, commonly cited as the best-selling synthesizer of all time, and its glassy electric-piano and bell tones defined much of 1980s pop production.