Nice comparison! I'm amazed how much the keyboards sound alike. The Opsix sounds a little brighter to me. If used in a mix, that might be a slight benefit.
@DigitalCrickets I own a Volca FM and the Opsix seems like a big upgrade for me. Having more than one slider for data entry seems lovely. My only issue is, I can't decide whether I should pick the Opsix or the Modx! They both seem so incredible. Then again, I already have Native Instruments' FM8 which seems more powerful than either (to my mind which isn't very knowledgeable on the feature set of all these synths).
i think the sound patches are all spot on . i think the difference people are hearing is the velocity sensitivity . seems like the korg could be cranked up a hair . As a DX7 owner i can say that the velocity is really extreme on it if you really hammer down it can completely change the way the patch sounds . sounds like the korg just isnt quite getting the patches all they way opened up .
I'd have to agree. I am a DX7 mk1 and mk II (DX7S) owner also. It's just not....there. I am sure the Op6 can do some cool things but to be honest it just sounds thin. Very thin. Could be the old school filters are just hard to emulate.
@@scottcupp8129 thats not at all my point with my comment. i think that the engine is perfectly fine and probably sounds identical to a DX7. What i was saying is the reason i dont think they sound exactly perfect is due to velocity differences in the keys. Velocity on the keyboard can make sounds even on the same dx7 sound wildly different depending on how hard they are pressed. I guess my point is i would like to see another comparison where the dx7 and the opsix are on the same patch and the same velocity value is used on each trigger of a note. bet they would sound identical.
I totally agree. If the op6 is loaded with original dx7 patches those must be twicked. After all the dx7 works in a range of 0 to 99 for the Aftertouch and other parameters instead of 0 to 126 for the op6.
seems to be the case a lot of the time with comparison vids that there is a warmth missing in the sound, often newer fm synths that can produce dx7 patches don't have that same vibe of the original.
@@kcat80 The 12 bit DAC and velocity sensitivity of the DX7 makes the difference. But the OPSIX is a fine instrument. FM of the FUTURE. Not stuck in the 80s.
For 80s style FM piano, brass, guitar and a whole lot more, the DX7 is king. OpSix seems a whole lot easier to program and the step sequencer plus fx make it almost like a self-contained groove box. Really want one.
Yes - I've been hoping someone would do a demo with breath control either using an EWI or TEC, or Hornberg. That would reveal a lot more subtlety in the timbres.
Nice comparison. Got an opsix here and I can tell that the patch settings respond a bit different. Meaning you can get the same sound, but it requires a bit of tweaking here and there. For those who just browse patches, yes, these instruments will differ more.
While I’d really like to agree with you-and wish I could replace my old Yamaha gear with a shiny new Korg that takes up far less space!-I have yet to see anyone even come *close* to duplicating the patch 11 E. Piano from the original DX7, even on any other Yamaha FMs, let alone on the Opsix.
@@erik_gerhard There's something odd about it. First, the volumes of modulators should be set to around 50% of what you would do on the DX7. Feedback in the range of 50-60% is like full feedback on the DX. The machine just responds different. If you go through the very basics that would give you a saw or square wave, you get a different result. Can't tell why, I'm interested in how to 'properly' convert the original settings. Nevertheless, if you don't see it as a _replacement_ for the DX7 and as a different instrument, I find it hard to be disappointed :)
@@tehedx I have both and just recreating the square and saw waves is way less. I had to do around 39% and 75% feedback. Opsix goes into harsh territory very quickly plus the feedback turns to static noise around 80-85% most of the time, I do not see how this is useful (its too harsh in my perception is what I mean). I will still probably keep mine because it is pretty quick to dial in a patch compared to my TX802 but I think for most sounds, "for that tone", I will go back to my TX802.
@@fearmo1852 My oven can go hotter than the pizza needs, I just don't set it that high. No reason to ditch the oven :) My rule of thumb is: operator volumes about 50% of what the DX7 takes, feedback 60% at most.
honestly think if the Ops six had a 5 octave keybed that it'd win but the DXy will remain a beast for that reason no matter how fancy or easy to tweak the Opsix is.
The OPSIX seems to have a clean but slightly compressed sound that reminds me of my impression of the Wavestate. It doesn't seem to have the high end bandwidth and high end details of the DX7 on certain patches at high velocities.
Great comparison. The sound of the opsix is close enough to be convincing With the far superior user interface, effects and the fact that it's not 40 years old, for me the choice is easy ro make.
It's noticeably different but not overly so for use. Plug into a mix and the improved interface/software as well as the fact OPsix has tech that goes beyond what could be done at the time - it's simply more modern. It's easier to program out the gate. Dx7 wasn't. It's obviously got better modern integration. Dx7 doesn't. And and so on. Nothing wrong with the old board. Sounds wonderful. But it's certainly old. And anyone claiming it isn't is kidding themselves. Sound output is obviously most important to both preference and sound ambition. But in light of the scale of this small board and what it's for, yeah its 'close enough' for price point and target audience. Anyone looking for a real powerful go at FM is going to go for Modx. Not all that more expensive. Same company. 8op instead of 6. Same usual Yamaha stubborness - but deep as the ocean. We have options. Knock yourselves out with them.
the dx7 sounded a bit punchier on the lower ends and some of the transients, but this also could be due to slight differences of sound programming on the op6. the patches are pretty close though in a lot of ways.
To me, the DX7 sounds much warmer and fuller. The Opsix also has some weird things going on in the upper register I'm not sure if I'm a fan of. Given the massive difference in build quality, I'd go with the DX7. But I'm probably biased cuze I have one.
@@scottcupp8129 I think some of it is down to the programming of the patches... While the Opsix can load DX7 patches, the sound engines are different so they won't sound exactly the same. In some of the patches there was much more going on in the DX7, while other patches sounded almost exactly the same (with both synths sounding as fat). I don't think running DX7 patches is the best way to get the most out of the Opsix, since it's not a DX7. That said, the build quality is obviously what it is + no aftertouch, only 37 keys, etc. 😅
@@friendlynoise Paradoxically the low quality converters sound way better!, dont you think? Korg should be using 12 bits old ones, for the rest is a perfect take on FM
I'm not sure if this is exact patch per patch but from this demo, but the DX7 makes the Opsix sound wimpy and thin. Even noticeable harsher like a DX100. In comparison, I'd say the Opsix could not replace your DX7 sadly. Then again, these patches in the Korg could potentially be fine-tuned to get closer.
Esta muy bueno, tal vez lo mejor seria compararlos utilizando un buen controlador midi, asi no afecta ni depende de la mecanica del teclado, ni el desgate del DX7 con lo nuevo de Opsix, con el el sonido del sintetizador en si mismo. Saludos
Considering how much easier to use and capable the Opsix is, I would get the Opsix. I got one and it does everything I currently need a synthesizer to do! (Even the trippy glitchy stuff
Wow I must have amazing ears because I could hear quite a big difference, I understand that the patches weren't exactly the same but. Preordered anyway 👍
The opsix loads DX7 sysex and they are both digital synths with the same architecture. so they are in every way identical in regards to dx7 patches. the only differences you might be hearing is the velocity differences from the keyboard are probably not the same which can change the sounds slightly , but if the opsix had the exact same keyboard as the dx7 there would be literally no difference . It doesnt take "amazing ears" to hear it lol. Basically if you have an opsix you have a dx7 , just with more wave options on the operators and more features. plain and simple.
The DX7 II has a 16 bit architecture, but, the OpSix uses 8-bit waves when importing DX7 patches (to better reproduce the sound of the original DX7 Mk 1, which had a 12 bit resolution architecture). So I would expect the DX7 II that you are using in this video, to sound slightly more well defined and crispier. The OpSix has also simpler envelopes, which will affect some of the more elaborate patches.
Yes. But only '''sort of'. The Opsix can load sysex files, and of course edit them. But they are not the same engine. Results will vary. Best way to edit your DX7 sounds is a free VST called Dexed.
Strange the DX sounded much smoother to my ear for the patches tried here. I can hear aliasing on the op6 that wasn't obvious on the DX. Confused. The op6 should sound 30+ years better. I know there are two operator modes so maybe he used the op6 8 bit operator mode????
Listening on a set of studio monitors, yes I can concur the DX7 is warmer with more bottom end & the Opsix is brighter and lacks similar fullness in the bass by default... those sonic qualities are however easily modified with EQ or other effects, what can't be easily modified are some of the details present in the sound of Opsix that the DX7 lacks, which I'm assuming is because of its older, more primitve DAC & circuitry. I'm hearing much more detail in the resonances created by the Opsix over my JBL 305p MK IIs in a lightly treated home studio, now as a musician & sound designer, I want those things... so I'd personally go for the Opsix; however if you don't care about that & want a warmer, mayhaps more retro sound out of the box & more octaves then the DX7 is STILL beastmode and is absolutely a solid choice, understanding however that you can always lo-fi or warm sound at the expense of some detail, but good luck doing the opposite if you ever need to.
This is the most sensible comment I have seen on here. I can tell the difference too between the two as you had mentioned, and as you said EQing, perhaps an Expander, sure it can be replicated. I have an assortment of keyboards including an OG DX7 and DX7s MKII and I love them. I have those and my EX5 in my Yamaha rack. Also sporting a Behringer Deep Mind 12, Novation Mini Nova, an old school Ensoniq SQ1+ and two behringer clones, the Model D and K2. Most of my stuff (I compose for film and TV ) is done with VSTi's but when I need something specific, I have the bases covered. I'd definitely like to pick up an OP6 and see what it can do.
Nope. Can't be done. It's not about subjective terms like warmer or brighter etc. It's the FACT that the opsux cannot replicate the envelopes of the dx7, among other things.
like Musyk said, there are no effects in a DX7. long envelope release is about the best you can get. If the author used effects, they were added later.
Anyone that says DX7 sounds better wouldn't tell in a blind mix. Listen to the video with your eyes closed and you wouldn't guess 99% of which one is which. Only noticeable difference between both is the OPSIX seems brighter by a little and that's about it.
Lol i dont agree with you, i can hear difference in basses dynamic and also high harmonics. The dx7 mk2 sounds much more punchy. I would like to compare the st.helmos fire patch... I own all the dx7 and sy series since i was 17 years old, a comparison has no sense, a part from the 3 eg on korg, i would see the opsix like a modern fm awesome sound design machine.
@@krinzologicstudio On the speakers I listen to, I didn't notice a difference in punchiness. They're nice speakers, but then again, they aren't monitors. That could make a difference. Side notes: 1) I'm somewhat jealous on your collection! 2) I believe it's St. Elmo's Fire?
Dx7 sounds a bit warmer and has better changes in the sound with note velocity but damn that opsix is fat and cleaaaan but the guitar patches i've heard from it are fantastic.
@@GertBoers I can hear the transient more aggressive on the old glory DX7...and the "warmness" :) ...could be I'm listening it from my monitor studio reference speakers.... The St. Helmmo's fire patch is the patch reference comparison for my virtual instruments here FM7/8, Arturia, and Dexed..the virtual instruments fails! :) For this reason I would like to listen it thought the opsix. And to me the OPSIX is a very nice machine ...cheap and useful...I want to listen it from live in a music shop, also because I was shocked by the new Kurzweil PC4 FM engine that seems sounds perfect as the old dx7 (import syses too - 6 operators sine and more waves - 32 algho) but is another machine compared to the opsix.... :)
almost sounds like an eq thing. dx7 is fuller. opsix is thinner/brighter. I have a krome and an x-50 and both of them have brighter sound than my other synths. it might be a korg thing, especially the piano. i like the yamaha motif piano eq on the MX and roland pianos i have, a little darker and richer, but IDK if the opsix FM difference really means all that much. maybe get an opsix to control from your DX7. win-win. besides, the factory DX7 sounds arent all that special now.
Brzmienia fm oczywiście od Yamahy legendarnej dx7 są niepowtarzalne warto mieć je w domowym studio ja posiadam je w volce fm Korg za przystępną cenę mała polifonia ale wystarcza nie wykorzystuje w akordach.
In that opening patch, there is way more bass on the DX7. I do not agree at all. To someone not hearing them back to back, you wouldn't tell, but if you were looking for the DX7 to re-enforce your bottom end as you're mixing it, you'd be able to tell. They are very close, and as cliche as it sounds, especially considering they're both digital synths, the DX7 undoubtedly sounds "warmer" or more bottom and lower-mid heavy, to put a better point on it, but it's not just the EQ. The "univibe" sound at 5:20 sounds way better on the DX7. The DX7 just almost always sounds better, if you're talking about the same patch. That said, undoubtedly you can do some things in the EQ to fix the bottom end, but the general sound of the patches does sound better. It also seems like the DX7 might be more responsive to velocity. I think they sound similar and within the ballpark, but consistently, the DX7 sounds better.
Na prawdę uważacie ze różnica w brzmieniu jest tak niewielka? Przecież DX brzmi zupełnie inaczej. Korg jest zdecydowanie bardziej metaliczny, momentami jazgoczacy. Jak dla mnie to jest on fajnym rozwiązaniem ale z DX owa FM ja ma tyle wspólnego co Reface DX.
Been using FM synths for over 30 years and the Opsix has yet to entice me in the least! If I want “that” sound, I can just use an FM synth on my iPad! DX7-IIFD wins hands down! Actually the DX7-II outclasses just about any other synth you could put next to it. Superb build quality, controllability, sound quality, key feel, feature set...One of the greatest synths ever produced imo!
5:00 I mean listen to those....the DX7 is a beauty, and the opsix is a poor comparison. Too much to discuss, one important being the multi stage, multi rate envelope generators vs the boring adsr on the opsix 😂
Youre comparing apples and oranges here. We dont even know what we are listening to. Are these dx patches loaded onto the opsix? Because you can still tweak them to sound more alike. As for the opsix, it can do a zillion things that the dx can't so much more value.
There is an significant difference on the studio speakers, due to the fact that DX7 is 12bit. That said, OPSIX is a superior synth for 3 reasons: 1. You can actually edit your sounds and make new ones without having to do rocket science class and get a f*cking prophet to sit right next to you and tell you what you're editing. 2. New. 3. Stereo out, and integrated effects. And you can always lower the bitrate when you record it, if you wanna go for that vintage sound.
@@PRODUCEDBYLILDOUG I don't think that's what this person meant. I think they were saying that you could record at a lower bitrate. Nevertheless, Opsix does give you 3 different bit depth sine waves to choose from. (16, 12, and 8), among many other waveforms.
The stereo out thing I will give you. But then there are those that actually know how to program a DX7. LOL But I know what you are getting at. It is much more user friendly and sounds really good and is capable of quite a bit.
DX7 still wins. The DX7 has soul, warmth and sounds so much more musical. It’s all in the components - those old DA’s can’t be beat! The envelopes don’t match up either. The filters are not the same.
The Opsix just sounds like a cheap imitation. I know what you mean though. I have a DX7 mk1 and a DX7s mkII. Between the two, my mk1 sounds so much better.
@@scottcupp8129 Yeah definitely, but that’s not to say the Opsix is no good. For a modern FM synth it’s cool. But if you want that authentic 80s FM sound, the old synths are still available, and cheaper if you find a good deal.
@@theredfaceofficial I think I am going to look in to buying an OP6. The more I hear about them the more I want one. There are so many stiffs out there that think that vintage is the way to go and it can't be overdone. But the fact is, I am the type of musician that looks at the instrument as what it is and what it can offer. And I really think the OP6 would fit nicely in with my vintages :)
Niuanse tak nieznaczne w brzmieniu, że jamaszka moim zdaniem wygrywa choćby z uwagi na zasługi i rewelacyjną niezniszczalną klawiaturę. Przynajmniej w pierwszej wersji.
@@muzykujkropkacom M1, 01w, N364, Trinity. Te modele znam od środka :-) Mają taka sama klawiaturę co pierwsza wersja DX7. Podejrzewam że ograniczenie velocity występuje tylko w Yamaha ale mam zagwozdke.
35 years after the DX7 no one manages to reproduce the same sound? Can engineers please explain me why? Is it certain components that are no longer made?
Well I’m happy the Opsix isn’t just a copycat. The DX7 only had sine as waveforms and you had to waste operators and branches of algorithms to simulate saw and square waveforms to overcome this shortcomings. Im baffled how backward looking great parts of the synth community are. What do they actually want? A device that can load the old presets , sound as the old machine, but at a cheaper price ?
@@hermask815 I'm sure the backward looking community just wants to recreate the old sounds, among many other things. If a VST such as Dexed can almost perfectly copy the DX7, free of charge, then how hard can it be for Yamaha or any other manufacturer to include those sounds? Is it unreasonable to expect new machines to be capable of doing at least the same as the old ones, and preferably a lot more? What synth lovers appreciate most about the DX7 is its warm sound. Perhaps that sound it the result of the primitive technology you refer to, but somehow Yamaha never managed to replicate it. Yes, I would like to buy a modern, reliable machine. One that I don't have to sell a kidney for. One that is aimed at real musicians and therefore has more than 37 keys or comes in a rack version. One that focuses on the quality of the sounds rather than on the flashiness of its knobs.
@@jacquesmertens3369 Car companies seldom recreate models of yesteryear and when they do, they differ (Ford GT 40 and modern remake). Yamaha , the owner of the patent has some current FM-Synthesizers and they start well above 1000 $/€ and the Reface DX doesn't even load DX7 patches. Is it Korgs duty to deliver what Yamaha should do? I'm waiting for "B"ehringer to announce a "B"X7 to fulfill the longing of all DX7 lovers. the Volca FM loads DX7 patches and is ... cheap, so no one can complain. Opsix loads patches and steps forward with extra algorithms including user defined algo, 15 or more waveforms, and additional modes. and is well below 1000 $/€. Aaaaaah, i forgot, the analog folks are complaining that the filters don't sound like the 40 year old analog filters, when they heard that it has filters now, when old FM synths didn't even have filters at all. and what is this warmth anyway ? can it be defined in frequencies, harmonics or is it just a unclear fuzzy feeling you wouldn't see in spectral analysis ? someone here even said :KORG OPSIX sounds better, warmer and fatter : was this a troll ? is the difference noticeable to the average listener ? not to me; i damaged my ears with my walkman/diskman :-( Sorry, I don't want to be unfriendly, but i'd rather hypothesize if after the keypress (gate) we could set an *initial delay before the attack*[1] of the envelope and if this would advance FM-synthesis in general: the branches of the algorithms wouldn't have to start synchronously. I'm happy with the direction the Opsix thingy is going. You have my unconditional support for a rack/desktop version[2]. i'd like multitimbrality.[3] [1] like the Prophet '08 [2 ] sound design synths seldom have more than 37 keys and performance/stage pianos (61or more) are seldom targeted at sound designers. 49 keys are undecided. [3] timbre = different presets on different midi-channels with different line-out channels.
@@hermask815 Sorry to hear about your hearing impairment. I do see a use for the Opsix, despite its rather limited capacities. A lack of warmth is not specific for the Opsix. All modern synths have this ultra clean digital sound. Guess there's a market for boxes that distort the signal a bit, guide it through a tube etc. Probably those boxes exist already.
@@jacquesmertens3369 It’s just that I have difficulties hearing frequencies beyond 10khz. I don’t have the feeling that I miss that much. Have you heard a 10 kHz sine wave? That’s a rather high pitched sound. Yes it isn’t Hi-Fi anymore but most music and communication is way lower. C9=8300hz that’s not on the piano anymore. So, no worries.
every substractive synth is compared with a Moog every FM synth is compared with a DX7 can we look forward,please ? standing on the shoulders of giants...... you still can look forward, not backwards.
Sorry but the “punchyness” of the dx7 is sooo far from opsix. To me the best one fm is the pc4 and modx, the opsix is intended amazing in the way how you can easily do sound design and modern fm sounds.
I swear on my entire family.....YAMAHA DX7 model relased in 1983 is sounding more warm and better like that bullshit toy of KORG OPSIX relased in our modern times.... YAMAHA DX wins 💗
