Emulating The Iconic DX7: The Hard Way

US David from Plogue goes deep with their new OPS7 22/09/21

Plogue have announced their new OPS7, an extraordinarily faithful software emulation of the iconic DX7. 38 years old this year (me too!) - it has a huge seller and changed the face of electronic music forever with it's bold sounds of 6-Operator FM synthesis. David explains in this video the painstaking attention to detail we've come to expect from Plogue on their numerous chip-adventures; providing pristine audio replication through diagnostics and testing of real-world components.

In terms of emulation, Plogue goes all-in: by exactly matching the digitally captured output of the original EGS and OPS chips, we've recreated every nugget of sound from the original keyboard.This includes exact envelope stepping patterns that vary note-to-note, every facet of the convoluted pitch calculation, and absolutely identical operator math for each algorithm down to the bit. The analog side of the original keyboards and modules is also recreated with lavish attention to detail: you want the unique crunchiness of the original DAC? We got it down to its insane compander and the full analog filtering section. Guaranteed 100% free of any samples!

More information on their new digital beast is over on the Plogue website: https://plogue.com/products/chipsynth-ops7.html

If you'd like to hear a full length interview with David, he appeared on the 'midierror meets...' podcast earlier this year.

About the author [midierror]: midierror makes nifty Max For Live devices, innovative music hardware, award winning sample packs and hosts a podcast speaking to people in the music world.