DX10

I bought the FL/Image Line version of DX10 after being so happy with SimSynth Live and Wasp. I have mixed opinions of this synth. It is wonderful for learning and exploring FM programming. For anyone that wants to learn, this is a great synth to start. It sounds good and covers the basics. Sadly, this synth is overshadowed by some major FM based products. I tend to forget I have it. That is a mistake. Not every instrument in a song needs loads of effects, filters, and complex eg’s. When you need a simple FM part DX10 can do the job reliably and with efficient CPU usage. In my opinion, it is worth the price just as a tool for learning the basics of programming FM. As with SimSynth Live and Wasp, you get FL, DXi and VSTi versions with the purchase.

Robert

Dx10 update by Image Line is a wonderful sounding easy to use synth. I sit down with this synth and creative songs just seem to flow from it for me. I wrote a song called bump bump bump (sounds stupid but it's really an excellent song!) using only this synth and Fruityloops for drums. This synth is really easy to program and the sound quality is top notch. The only thing is the include effects are really stiff and need more versitilaty.

id had the mda skinless version in my virtual rack for a while but it never really got much use because of the hassle of scrolling donw all those plain sliders in the massiva default interface ... so when i saw the imageline skinned version for only $19 it was a bit of a no-brainer ...

gui ... nothing flashy but makes the dx10 SOOOO much more usable ... like all the imageline synths it has a clean uncluttered look and i find the graphical envelope displays extremely useful [i wish ALL synths had this feature ... as a visual artist i find it much easier to understand / program sounds if i can SEE the effect my tweaking has ... numbers mean nothing to me]

features ... the addition of the usual imageline effects is nice [as is the fact you can switch them off] ... the parametric eq is a cool touch [especially as you can effectively use it as a crude filter]

docs ... minimal but useful ... an html file that explains the function / use of each control on the interface ... functional but an overview of how fm synthesis works would be nice too

presets ... loads of em in there ... covering all the usual fm bases [pianos / bass / percussion / bells] ... useful as they are or as a jumping-off point into the world of fm synthesis

support ... not had to use it but the instrument was delivered to my inbox within minutes and ive not heard too many complaints about imageline / fruity support overall

vfm ... $19 ... cheap as chips

stability ... hasnt crashed on me yet [massiva / win xp PRO]

sound ... im not the biggest fan of the fm sound but it is a useful thing to have in your rack and can produce some timbres you cant get any other way ... the dx10 does the fm thing very well for a synth with relatively few parameters [compared to other fm synths ... just look at fm7 !! ] ... its good for those metallic bell-like sounds and can produce some strong bass timbres too

This is the first downloadable synth I ever bought online. After using the free mda-Version for quite some time I decided that as little as $19 should be money well spent for the GUI alone. And I did not regret it.

The shiny new interface is clean, easy to read, easy to understand and for a VSTi even relatively pretty. So this alone would justify the price.

But it doesn stop there. Imageline also added a second modulator which gives a lot more options for creating diverse and exprimental sounds. The effects and the excellent EQ add even more value to the package and especially the reverb is quite useful for creating spacey fx sounds. The delay is more of a "spice up" effect than a real delay given the reduced parameter set, it this respect it's highly useful though.

The only feature I really miss - and it's a quite simple one, too - is the ability to reduce the polyphony. Since the synth lends itself so well to programming bass sounds it would be nice to switch it into mono mode.

The DX is rather easy on the CPU, even with the FX turned on, and it didn't crash once so far in Cubse SX.

This versatile little synth has become an indispensable tool and ends up in almost every track I produce. I figure it's also a good starting point for those who want to try their hands at FM synthesis but are overwhelmed by the FM7 interface. With the nice GUI, the added effects and at this ridiculously low price you can't go wrong.

One of the best bargains out there. I probably would have bought it if I already did not get it free for buying the soundfont player at the last fruity update. The presets in the vsti are simply excellent. The user interface is very well layed out, and the edition of the para eq is really nice. Its great for piano, bells, kicks, knocks, and about anything else percussive.