i read a pretty old fm tutorial using the fm7 in Computer Music (?) and their opinion was while the fm7 could use the old DX7 (over 180,000 sold)banks, there wasn't much reason to. their opinion was that the extended capabilities of the fm7 rendered the old DX7 banks more or less obsolete.

i've just got the demo and i love the dark pads. i've got a TX7 in the basement and i had 4 or 5, 32 preset banks and i don't recall anything that sounded like the fm7. i don't even recall any pads. what i recall are a lot of clangy metallic presets that cut through 80's guitars.

so have you fm7 users searched the web looking for that elusive golden preset? and if so what source/site/bank set has proved most useful (with or without tweaking/updating) ?

I've d/l some of the DX7 patches. In a word, unimpressed. Heck, even uninspiring. FM7 brought a LOT to the table, but reviving old DX7 patches wasn't one of them.

Devon

I would start under the files/sounds section here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FM7.

There are thousands upon thousands of DX7 presets out there--it is absolutely overwhelming to try to go through them to find some gems. I find that even the best DX7 presets need a lot of work before they sound usable in this day and age, although FM7 makes it incredibly easy to edit, make the patch stereo, etc.

The FM7 is definitely one of my favorites. The NI presets for it are fantastic, IMO.

I have a bank of 32 presets that were in my old TX7 when I sold it,they represented my favorite Dx/Tx sounds at the time they were loaded.Some were my original patches some collected from other sources.I imported them into FM7 tweaked them a little,added some Fm7 effects and saved them as a bank called "My Old Dx7" which can be found here:http://www.freewebs.com/teksonik/synthpatches.htm along with a bank of original presets done on the Fm7.Don't know if you'll find them useful but one way to find out-download and try them.

thanks Teksonic

i only have the demo verision of fm7 that won't let me load banks,
but

i did download your albino bank and it's very well done. i'm already using one of your rezy mild buzz lead voices in a project.
thanks.

In the recent thread about his Crystal bank, Tim Conrardy posted a link to his DX-7 site. Lot of patches there, including his own.

http://tamw.atari-users.net/dx7.htm

i think fm7 comes with a bank (or a few, not sure) of the original dx7 factory presets. they don't sound very good at all though.

cellular wrote:

i think fm7 comes with a bank (or a few, not sure) of the original dx7 factory presets. they don't sound very good at all though.

People forget that the DX7 didn't come with onboard FX. Without the FX most of the sounds designed for the DX series will sound like crap when loaded into FM7. So don't forget to add some reverb etc. Once you add in FX, and make use of some of FM7's other capabilities, then a lot of the sounds available are pretty decent, if a tad repetitive in some respects (There's only so many rhodes variations a person can handle.. )

[/quote]I've d/l some of the DX7 patches. In a word, unimpressed. Heck, even uninspiring. FM7 brought a LOT to the table, but reviving old DX7 patches wasn't one of them

Quote:

The one thing about DX7 patches is that you HAVE to add some sort of delay, reverb, chorus to it, and THEN then sounds will be excellent. Thats the main differance between sounds in FM7 and sounds you just import is that the FM7 sounds have effects programmed into them. You do the same to the DX7 sysex files from the web, and they will sound JUST AS GOOD ( IMHO) As someone else mentioned, you can get my own DX7 patches from my site. ( http://tamw.atari-users.net/dx7.htm )I have tried to programm 'space, ambient" sounds so it really does not external processing for them to sound the way they are suppose to.If you import them to FM7, try going to the effects section and turn on some delays and chorus...and you will be surprised how good these sysex files from the net can be!!

i myself haventbeen able to find any patches that sound good but the native ones are awsome

Hi Tim,I've still got an old Atatri St sitting in the corner(worked perfectly last time I booted her).I also have an original copy of DX-Andriod that may or may not still work(downloaded the new copyright free version from your site-thanks!).Can I send banks from DX Andriod directly to the FM7? I had hundreds of great sounds archived in Driod if the disks held their magnetics,would love to port them to the FM7.Thanks for your help!

last night i d/l'ed a host of dx7 sysex files from Tim's site (now I know it's that Tim) and a U.K. site that is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the DX7.
I only have the demo version of fm7, but on my budget I did pickup FM Heaven (which judging by the lack of traffic on its yahoo group list has been marginalized by FM7).

Anyway, way back in the 80's it sure looks like most presets were obsessed with emulating 'real' instruments. But some of Tim's presets qualify as pads and are really well done. I esp. liked many of the presets in the concert.syx and space.syx. Multilayered, moving pads -- so really it was possible back then, but these are gems among thousands of presets out there that have 32 e-organs, 32 strings, 32 brass, etc., etc..

And FM Heaven has multiple waveforms (the sysex patches import with their historical sine waves) -- so it's more than a strict emulation. With the multi envelopes working on different waveforms -- with a little tweaking it's possible to get some very nice evolving movement.

And it's easy on the cpu -- which is nice given my taste for high cpu synths and working in P-5. I loaded up one of Tim's presets named Mountain and changed a waveform or two, piled on the fx, the mhc resonator, Big Tick Hexaline and Angelina and a touch of Nasty Shaper. I got a great sound and pulled around 10% cpu usage even with those 4 fx. I'v egotten accustomed to similar layered sound on most other synths costing about 15 - 20% cpu.

So Teksonik -- bring out those old DX7 banks. Your albino bank was terrific. And I'd also like to express my appreciation for the Tikov Crystal bank -- first rate, very musical and usable. In the same league with Tim's and Teksonic's sound design.

I use fm Heaven to load dx7 sysex sounds,I've managed to collect 10's of thousands of these banks over the years,I'm mainly interested in Bass sounds,It is true, there are Hundred of thousands of these sysex files spread out over the net and its time consuming to sort through all these to find the keepers,but its worth it,me thinks

Wrench,Thanks for the kind words! I had lots of DX7 banks on my old Atari,trouble is that floppy disks die after a while,not sure if they sill hold data.I'd like to be able to send bank dumps from Atari's DX-Andriod directly to the FM7 since I no longer have my DX7 or TX7.Don't know how I would convert them from Android's format to .syx for FM Heaven to load.Tim would be the expert on this........Tim?
Hey I think I've still got the Dx7 .syx file I used to create the "My Old DX7" Fm7 bank.If I can find it I'll send it your way.

Teksonik wrote:

Wrench,Thanks for the kind words! I had lots of DX7 banks on my old Atari,trouble is that floppy disks die after a while,not sure if they sill hold data.I'd like to be able to send bank dumps from Atari's DX-Andriod directly to the FM7 since I no longer have my DX7 or TX7.Don't know how I would convert them from Android's format to .syx for FM Heaven to load.Tim would be the expert on this........Tim? Hey I think I've still got the Dx7 .syx file I used to create the "My Old DX7" Fm7 bank.If I can find it I'll send it your way.

well...normaly you can read these old atari discs on PC now with gemexplorer. ( see my FAQ page on my site..see sig below)However, DX androd used its own format BTW: see the cool pic on my dx7 site ( http://tamw.atar-users.net/dx7.htm )of a star wars type droid playing a rack of tx812's along side an Atari 1040ST

I was able to do it the hard way by setting up DX android on one computer, and a sysex app on another and bounce em. If you still have your atari, you can download DX androd from my site, run it on the Atari and capture the data on PC with a freeware/shareware sysex app and convert it to regular sysex.( or right into FM7 if it does this!!) Might be a project, but well worth an afternoon.

I would still keep the Atari now there are tons of great programs for it: nice groove generators and such. See my algorithmic section on my software page.

BTW: I would love your bank as well. Mail it to tconrardy@hotmail.com and thanks!

Hey cool! I still have the box with the Droid picture on it somewhere(see my post a little further up this thread).I think I'll try it someday-like you said it would make a nice afternoon's project.Just hope the old Atari disks still hold their data.Thanks!

EDIT: I forgot to say what a fantastic job you did on the Crystal banks! Top notch work,really brings out the power of this monster synth.Thanks!

Teksonik,
I for one would encourage you to recover your dx7 syx files if possible. I've been having a great time in FM Heaven with Tim's presets. (And then I still have a TX7 lying around and a new patch/preset editor program for my hardware that I keep meaning to get up and running)

it doesn't look like I'll be getting FM7 till Xmas -- academic discount from nephew in school -- but FM Heaven is all right. I've got so many presets to play with now I have to take notes on where to find the useful ones.

pads sounds with dx7 were relatively rare, but for whatever reason imho they've really held up better than all the 'instrument' emulations that are so common. given how good pads can sound in FM Heaven with some effects and a little tweaking, I can only imagine how FM7 might render them.

and given MEC's search for old dx7 bass presets, I have found a few that have this pushy, slamming percussive quality, that sounds very modern

Yes I will give it a go sometime in the near future.I had some great presets programmed by my mentor Cosmo Watts.He was one of the early patch wizards on the Dx(along with Bo Tomlin).Tomlin did a demonstration once many years ago where he layered several Dx sounds together in a TX816 rack an he was able to get some incredible pads.One of my favorite DX basses is Omsoc Bass by Mr.Watts.Real edgy and a lot of punch.I'll let you know if I have any success transfering the old banks.

i remember Bo Tomlin's name and reputation. I bought a few cheap extra banks of presets for my TX7 way back when. If I recall Bo's banks were extensive and expensive for that era.
my google search doesn't turn up anything for Bo Tomlin. I thought all of history was recorded on the web somewhere. guess not.
Good Luck with the transfer.