Which was the "first" digital synth made?

[aciddose]

you're talking about hybrids here. the first fully digital synth _was_ in fact the dx-7. absolutely every part of the synthesis is performed digitally. there were many other synths before that using partially digital synthesis, but never complete digital synthesis.

what made this possible was the new vlsi techniques developed in the late 70s and early 80s (79,80,81) and one of the first uses outside a computer circuit was by yamaha in the processors for the dx-7, in 1981-1982. the dx-7 was released in 1983.

previous to that, there was never any technology to allow real synthesis (not including romplers or simple samplers like the fairlight, and hybrids like already mentioned) available, you just couldnt perform the operations fast enough at any realistic sample rate. think about this: for even a single voice you need to run at a sample rate of about 32khz to be useful, and you need an oscillator, and a multiplier, just to get a simple tone. for a ramp oscillator this is fairly simple, a low res (8 bit?) multiplier isnt too much.. but you're already using thousands of transistors at this point, which was beyond the capabilities of integrated circuit manufacture before 1980.

you could, i suppose, use a selective length shift register in real time to get scaling of the signal by some amount of bits.. but this would sound so ridiculously digital (which sounds cool now, but was totally out of style at the time) nobody could ever even think of using it. you especially need to consider the fact that the same could be implemented with an analog circuit which is very simple, using only about ten transistors, or less.

[augmented5th]

jupiter8 Thanks for correcting me on the Buchla's .

[whyterabbyt]

you're talking about hybrids here. the first fully digital synth _was_ in fact the dx-7. absolutely every part of the synthesis is performed digitally. there were many other synths before that using partially digital synthesis, but never complete digital synthesis.

The Synclavier isnt a hybrid, though.

and one of the first uses outside a computer circuit was by yamaha in the processors for the dx-7, in 1981-1982. the dx-7 was released in 1983.

The first release of the Synclavier was 1979.

previous to that, there was never any technology to allow real synthesis (not including romplers or simple samplers like the fairlight,

Yes there was. Several systems were built with discrete logic, including CCRMA's 'Samson Box', and IRCAM's 4X processor, its fourth generation of digital processor, was completed in 1980 using discrete ECL logic chips. In Barry Vercoe was managing real-time synthesis from about 1973 onwards, culminating in Music 11 running on a PDP11 in 1977.

[nuffink]

you're talking about hybrids here. the first fully digital synth _was_ in fact the dx-7. absolutely every part of the synthesis is performed digitally. there were many other synths before that using partially digital synthesis, but never complete digital synthesis.

what made this possible was the new vlsi techniques developed in the late 70s and early 80s (79,80,81) and one of the first uses outside a computer circuit was by yamaha in the processors for the dx-7, in 1981-1982. the dx-7 was released in 1983.

previous to that, there was never any technology to allow real synthesis (not including romplers or simple samplers like the fairlight, and hybrids like already mentioned) available, you just couldnt perform the operations fast enough at any realistic sample rate. think about this: for even a single voice you need to run at a sample rate of about 32khz to be useful, and you need an oscillator, and a multiplier, just to get a simple tone. for a ramp oscillator this is fairly simple, a low res (8 bit?) multiplier isnt too much.. but you're already using thousands of transistors at this point, which was beyond the capabilities of integrated circuit manufacture before 1980.

you could, i suppose, use a selective length shift register in real time to get scaling of the signal by some amount of bits.. but this would sound so ridiculously digital (which sounds cool now, but was totally out of style at the time) nobody could ever even think of using it. you especially need to consider the fact that the same could be implemented with an analog circuit which is very simple, using only about ten transistors, or less.

The DX7 wasn't even the first fully digital Yamaha. It wasn't even the first fully digital FM synth. It wasn't even the first DX...

[pschelfh]

you're talking about hybrids here. the first fully digital synth _was_ in fact the dx-7. absolutely every part of the synthesis is performed digitally. there were many other synths before that using partially digital synthesis, but never complete digital synthesis.

what made this possible was the new vlsi techniques developed in the late 70s and early 80s (79,80,81) and one of the first uses outside a computer circuit was by yamaha in the processors for the dx-7, in 1981-1982. the dx-7 was released in 1983.

previous to that, there was never any technology to allow real synthesis (not including romplers or simple samplers like the fairlight, and hybrids like already mentioned) available, you just couldnt perform the operations fast enough at any realistic sample rate. think about this: for even a single voice you need to run at a sample rate of about 32khz to be useful, and you need an oscillator, and a multiplier, just to get a simple tone. for a ramp oscillator this is fairly simple, a low res (8 bit?) multiplier isnt too much.. but you're already using thousands of transistors at this point, which was beyond the capabilities of integrated circuit manufacture before 1980.

you could, i suppose, use a selective length shift register in real time to get scaling of the signal by some amount of bits.. but this would sound so ridiculously digital (which sounds cool now, but was totally out of style at the time) nobody could ever even think of using it. you especially need to consider the fact that the same could be implemented with an analog circuit which is very simple, using only about ten transistors, or less.

The DX7 wasn't even the first fully digital Yamaha. It wasn't even the first fully digital FM synth. It wasn't even the first DX...

From http://www.vintagesynth.com/

DX7 : produced from 1983
DX1 : produced from 1984

Peter.

[nuffink]

From http://www.vintagesynth.com/

DX7 : produced from 1983
DX1 : produced from 1984

Peter.

You might want to check a few more sources

[aciddose]

it really depends where you define "digital".. if you want to define it as any synth with a digital signal path there are a few which qualify. if you are talking about system-on-a-chip, the dx-7 doesnt even qualify since it is made up of several chips. so, if we want to define the first digital synth.. well you cant define that, it was a process of steady evolution and there was really no single synth where anything suddenly changed.. except maybe the dx-7, which was the first mass produced fully digital synthesizer with a fully digital interface. in my opinion, the dx-7 really was the first. the previous versions were not practical.. without vlsi fabrication the older synthesizers were too expensive. the dx-7 changed that and made digital synthesizers affordable.

if you want to really go to "the first", i dont know, probably some guy built one in his garage out of some 7400s chips on a breadboard?

[whyterabbyt]

DX7 : produced from 1983
DX1 : produced from 1984

Peter.

According to the article below the first Yamaha FM synth was the GS1 and G2, in 1982. Note that the article confirms Synclavier preceding Yamaha to the market with an all-digital synth by 3 years.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug01/a ... ofmpt1.asp

There was also seemingly a model which became the DX1, in the forms of a prototype called the CSDX, which preceded the DX7 by a year.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep01/a ... ofmpt2.asp

[whyterabbyt]

it really depends where you define "digital".. if you want to define it as any synth with a digital signal path there are a few which qualify. if you are talking about system-on-a-chip, the dx-7 doesnt even qualify since it is made up of several chips. so, if we want to define the first digital synth.. well you cant define that, it was a process of steady evolution and there was really no single synth where anything suddenly changed..

Erm, no. 'Digital' has quite a clear and precise meaning. Non-analogue. And you were already insistent that 'all digital' had to be applied.

'Synth' might be open to a bit of leeway, but I think its pretty clear the OP meant 'musical synthesiser'. I would also tend to assume he meant 'for sale to the unwashed' as well, since there were probably bits and pieces of research kit floating around (like at IRCAM)

The implementation of 'digital' isnt under scrutiny, at all. Except for your unfounded claim that it cant have been done prior to VLSI chips. Its either digital or its not, so its not a point of argumentation, 'cept for you seemingly back-pedalling over terms you were quite dogmatic about a little while ago.

except maybe the dx-7, which was the first mass produced fully digital synthesizer with a fully digital interface. in my opinion, the dx-7 really was the first.

'Mass-produced' wasnt in the OP's question.

the previous versions were not practical..

I think plenty of people found the Synclavier 'practical'.

without vlsi fabrication the older synthesizers were too expensive.

So were Moog modulars. Didnt stop people buying them.

the dx-7 changed that and made digital synthesizers affordable.

Doesnt make it 'first' though.

if you want to really go to "the first", i dont know, probably some guy built one in his garage out of some 7400s chips on a breadboard?

More than likely its 'some guy built one in his research lab'. But I'd suggest that you check if the OP means 'sold to the public', as I suspect.