now available for kontakt!
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A LEGEND reborn
In 1983, the Yamaha DX7 changed everything. It had a sleek new look, a new type of synthesis, and a whole new sound: pristine, precise… digital. The sound of the DX7 was everywhere for much of the 80s, and it is a big part of countless hit songs.
The thing is, a DX7 isn’t all that inspiring by itself: it’s mono and has no built-in effects. Yet almost 40 years later, it remains extremely expressive and capable of some incredible sounds.
But the real magic happens when you layer multiple DX7s together, which was the concept behind the TX rack system: it had up to 8 modules (each equivalent to a DX7) that could create some truly massive sounds when layered together. Those sounds are like nothing else to this day, and DX Dreams captures that magic to create a whole new experience for today’s players and sound designers.
WHAT SETS DX DREAMS APART?
Unlike every other virtual DX7 on the market - all of which model a single, mono DX7 - DX Dreams is based on the TX rack paradigm, but with many advantages over the hardware. In DX Dreams, each of 8 modules has its own volume, tuning, solo and mute, effects sends, and chorus controls that emulate the famous Roland Dimension D, which was another big part of many famous 80s synth sounds. And all of this right from the front panel in Performance mode - you don’t need to go “under the hood” to edit these controls. And as always with a Backstage Pass release, it comes with a custom TouchOSC interface for hands-on live performance control via iPad:
iconic radio-ready sounds
DX Dreams starts with meticulously deep-sampled sounds recorded in stereo (when applicable) from as many as eleven DX7s all playing at once, and all recorded through iconic 80s hardware: 1073-style preamps, various analog tape models, Roland Dimension D chorus, and AMS or Lexicon reverbs.
So, while other virtual DX instruments give you a single DX7, a single DX Dreams patch can give you big, layered, fully produced sounds that would be impossible without stacks of real DX synths processed through iconic hardware that helped make some of the biggest hits in music history.
DX Dreams gives you access to those sounds the way they were meant to be heard, but it can also can form the foundation of new, forward-thinking sounds nobody has heard yet. For the first time since the 80s, you can now play the sounds that defined a generation, as we heard them.
Features
Over 30 GB of meticulously sampled content sourced from iconic Yamaha DX series synths: a DX7, TX816, and a custom-modified DX5. That’s up to eleven DX7 “engines” captured at once!
Stunning production-ready sounds sampled through the hit-making hardware of the DX era: 1073-style preamps, various analog tape models, Roland Dimension D chorus, and AMS RMX16 reverb
Built from the ground up for uncompromising performance in a live setting without the CPU/RAM penalties, authorization issues, and other hassles of 3rd party plugins
Virtual “TX Rack” featuring realtime control over major sound shaping aspects that weren’t available on the original hardware: each module has independent controls for volume, coarse and fine tune, solo & mute, 3 effects sends, and chorus effects that emulate the classic Roland Dimension D chorus
Layered Combination Patches that integrate with the existing BackStage Pass library, as well as DX Dreams-only patches
Famous “Icons” Patches meticulously programmed to emulate those used by major artists of the DX era: Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Genesis, Tears For Fears, Howard Jones, Kenny Loggins, Prince, A-ha, Mr. Mister, Van Halen, Simple Minds, David Foster, Toto, Duran Duran, Michael W. Smith, and others
A new TouchOSC controller file designed to correspond to all DX Dreams onscreen controls
Minimum System Requirements
Mac OS Mojave (10.14.6), Catlina, or Big Sur
MainStage 3.4.3 or higher. All content loads in Logic Pro as well; version 10.5.0+ recommended
An existing installation of BackStage Pass 1.1 if you want to take advantage of all patches and channel strips
62 GB free space for downloaded & installation; 32 GB installed
SSD (solid state drive) for sample streaming
Although it will run on lesser systems, a quad core i7 with 16 GB RAM & dedicated graphics processor is recommended for best performance
Recommended For Full Functionality
An 88-note keyboard controller
Any iPad (9” or larger, all the way back to first generation) running TouchOSC
Free TouchOSC Bridge utility running on Mac
FAQ
Q: What’s included in DX Dreams?
A: DX Dreams is a MainStage Concert file based on a virtual “TX Rack” for designing your own sounds. It also includes:
- Over 30 GB of custom deep-sampled sounds based on various combinations of up to 11 DX synths at once
- DX Dreams Patch Library for MainStage and Logic Pro (including channel strip and plugin presets, and 3 custom impulse samples from the AMS RMX16)
- 2 MainStage Concert files - one for users without BackStage Pass, and one with BackStage Pass Combo patches
- A Logic Pro session* with pre-mapped buses allowing import of all DX Dreams patches so they sound as intended
- A custom TouchOSC profile for iPad (requires TouchOSC app for iPad, sold on the App Store)
- 35 Combo patches that make use of Backstage Pass content as well as DX Dreams alone
- Over 30 “Icon” patches meticulously programmed to emulate some of the most famous sounds in pop music history, with more on the way in upcoming updates
- 3 custom impulse samples & Space Designer presets that faithfully model the AMS RMX16 reverb
Q: Is Backstage Pass required to use DX Dreams?
A: No, DX Dreams is a fully separate product with its own interface and content. However, DX Dreams is designed to integrate with some of the Backstage Pass library and be part of a larger ecosystem of forthcoming sounds. Without Backstage Pass, you will be missing out some combination patches that tie the libraries together in some really exciting ways. If you only want the core DX-themed sounds however, you can just use DX Dreams alone.
Q: Can I open DX Dreams sounds in Backstage Pass or vice-versa?
A: Absolutely! When I came up with the concept of DX Dreams, I realized it would need to be a wholly different approach from BSP. The dilemma is that BSP is meant to be the foundation of a keyboard player’s live rig, with lots of real-time control - but little to none of that applies to what I wanted to accomplish with DX Dreams. And since DX Dreams is just the first in a line of specific “themed” expansions, I decided to give each one a specific interface.
As described earlier, DX Dreams follows the TX rack paradigm, and further expansions will have their own unique interfaces as well. So, how do these all work together? The idea is to use each for their strengths: BackStage Pass as the core of your live rig - a place to bring everything together for live control - and expansions like DX Dreams to design all your sounds relevant to that collection - then import those into BackStage Pass, since that’s where all the program change buttons are, along with the B3 designer, Atmosphere generator, arpeggiator controls, etc. It all comes down to your needs and priorities; there’s no reason you can’t import BSP patches into DXD or vice-versa. And of course, you can also import BSP/DXD patches into other MainStage templates and vice-versa - the idea is to make it your own!
Q: How does DX Dreams compare to plugins like Dexed or FM8? Aren't they more accurate than sampling because of the complex nature of FM synthesis?
A: Technically yes, a plugin like Dexed or FM8 runs an actual FM synth engine, so you’re getting a “real” DX7 in that sense. However, while they are accurate at reproducing raw, single DX7 sounds, those sounds are, frankly, pretty boring until you process them through modern effects, or the kinds of effects used in the 80s if you’re going for authentic vintage sounds. That’s where DX Dreams has a massive advantage: you would need 8 or more instances of a plugin like Dexed or FM8 to equal just ONE of the big layered patches in DX Dreams - and even then, it wouldn’t sound nearly as good!
Most sounds in DX Dreams were sampled through the kinds of processing used to make the iconic sounds of the 80s: various analog tape models, preamps, and effects. So, the raw sounds are “idealized” and sonically much better than a raw, mono DX7. There are also many sounds that were sampled in stereo from multiple layered DX7s, a custom-modified DX5, and a TX816 rack - so one individual DX Dreams patch might actually be sourced from up to 11 DX7s at one time, for truly massive sounds.
For accuracy, DX Dreams content was deep-sampled where necessary to capture the full expressive range of each sound. DX7 electric piano sounds, for example, are notoriously difficult to capture with sampling. In those cases, enough velocity layers were captured across the full keyboard range in order to make a truly accurate model that’s indistinguishable from the hardware - except that DX Dreams sounds much better than the raw hardware!
Q: Is there a Kontakt version?
A: Yes! More info HERE
Q: What’s coming in future versions of DX Dreams?
A: The initial release of DX Dreams primarily covers the main “flavors” of DX7 sounds - the stuff a DX7 is known for: the iconic “famous” sounds we remember from the 80s (electric pianos, basses, bells, synth sounds and stacks) - but treated and “produced” so they sound the way they did back then. It’s like being able to play those songs straight off pop radio! However, there will be subsequent updates that will expand into more modern and experimental directions. Depending on requests, I will also add more “famous” sounds in addition to those that already come with the first release.
Q: Where can I hear demos of DX Dreams?
A: See the videos below! More will be added in the days following initial release, including full walk-throughs, etc. Stay tuned!
Q: Do you offer a bundle price if I don’t already have BackStage Pass?
A: Yes! Simply send a message HERE and Multitracks will set you up with a discount code!
Q: I have another question…
A: Happy to help! Get in touch using the Contact form - click here.
DEMOS
Complete Walkthrough:
YAMAHA® is used with the permission of Yamaha Corporation of America.
The DX logo is a registered trademark of Yamaha Corporation, and is used with permission.
All DX Dreams content and video demos are original and created specifically for DX Dreams/Backstage Pass;
No original audio or samples were used from any commercial recording or other product.