DX7

This is your master loudness knob. Slide it up for louder, down for quieter, for whatever you're currently hearing whether through an amp or headphones. Mid-scale is a good starting point when you first power up.

tip: If a voice sounds too quiet, remember the actual loudness also depends on the selected voice, how you play, and any foot controller plugged into the VOLUME jack (make sure the pedal is tilted flat for maximum level). Some presets are just inherently softer than others because of touch sensitivity built into them, so use VOLUME to even things out or to do overall fades.

This is the DX7's do-everything slider. It has no fixed job of its own; instead it changes whatever setting you last picked with a button. Pick 'LFO speed' and it becomes an LFO speed control; pick 'master tune' and it tunes the keyboard. It's the fast way to make big changes.

tip: If the slider's physical position doesn't match the value shown on screen, the value will suddenly jump to the slider's position the moment you touch it. Use the slider to get close fast, then use the +1/-1 buttons for precise final tweaks. Because it stays 'live' in PLAY mode, you can select something like PORTAMENTO TIME or LFO SPEED, return to play, and tweak it in real time as a performance control.

This button nudges the current setting down by one, turns things off, says 'no' to the DX7's questions, or moves the cursor left when you're typing a voice name. It's the gentle, precise sibling of the slider.

tip: Use this instead of the slider whenever you need exact values (like setting a frequency ratio or an EG rate) because it steps one unit at a time with no sudden jump. When the DX7 asks 'Are you sure?' this is your escape hatch — press it to cancel.

This button nudges the current setting up by one, turns things on, confirms 'yes' to the DX7's questions, and moves the cursor right while naming a voice. It's the precise partner to the slider for small, exact changes.

tip: For confirming operations like VOICE INIT, LOAD, or SAVE you'll usually press this twice (once for the initial prompt, once for 'Are you sure?'). For dialing in exact values, tap it repeatedly rather than fighting the slider.

This is your 'save' button. When you've made a voice you like, hold STORE and tap a number button to park it in that slot — but note this overwrites whatever was there before. It also has a clever shortcut: it copies one operator's envelope shape onto another, saving you loads of re-typing.

tip: If you accidentally press a voice selector WITHOUT holding STORE, you'll lose your edit and jump to that preset — but don't panic: press FUNCTION, then EDIT RECALL, then YES twice to recover it. You can't STORE onto a ROM cartridge (it's read-only), and you can't save to a RAM cartridge if either its hardware switch or the DX7's software memory protect is on.

This is a safety lock that stops you from accidentally erasing the 32 voices living inside the DX7. Turn it OFF when you want to save a new voice; turn it back ON afterward so nothing gets wiped by mistake.

tip: Get in the habit of leaving this ON except during the few seconds you're actually saving. You can always play and read voices regardless of this setting — protection only blocks writing, not listening.

This is the safety lock for a plugged-in cartridge. To save onto a RAM cartridge you must turn this OFF AND flip the little switch on the cartridge to off. Two locks, both must be open.

tip: Even with this turned off, you still cannot save to a ROM (factory preset) cartridge — those are permanently read-only. If a save fails and the display shows 'MEMORY PROTECTED,' check both this software lock and the physical switch on the cartridge.

The DX7 builds every sound from six ingredients called operators. This button picks which ingredient you're currently tweaking. Since many settings (like frequency, envelope, and level) exist separately for each of the six, you constantly use this to say 'now I'm working on this one.'

tip: Turning an operator OFF with its ON/OFF button automatically hands 'current operator' status to the next one that's still on — a handy shortcut when you're only working with a couple of operators. Always check the OP number in the display corner before adjusting an envelope or level, so you don't accidentally reprogram the wrong ingredient and hear nothing change.

This is your 'get under the hood' button — it opens up a voice for editing. Its second trick is instant comparison: tap it to hear your changes versus the original so you can tell if you actually improved things. When naming a voice, hold it and tap the lettered buttons to spell out a name.

tip: Use the compare function constantly while editing — it's the fastest way to check whether a tweak helped or hurt. A lit decimal point next to the voice number is your reminder that the current voice has unsaved edits; a flashing number means you're hearing the original during a compare.

This picks the DX7's own built-in set of 32 sounds and gets you ready to play them. Press it, then hit a number 1 to 32 to load that sound. You don't have to press it again each time — once you're in internal mode, the number buttons just switch voices.

tip: On power-up the DX7 returns to whatever mode it was last in, so if you're not hearing internal sounds, press this to be sure. If a chord plays only one note at a time, you're accidentally in MONO mode — press FUNCTION, then POLY/MONO, and set it back to POLY.

This is how you play the sounds that live on a plug-in cartridge rather than the ones built into the synth. Press it, then press any button 1–32 to load that cartridge sound. You don't have to press it again for each new sound — just keep tapping the numbered buttons.

tip: To reach voices on a ROM cartridge, remember to physically slide the switch on the cartridge to Bank A or B — the DX7 buttons only ever see 32 at a time. If STORE says 'MEMORY PROTECTED,' the cartridge's own hardware switch and/or the software CARTRIDGE protect are still on.

Think of this as the 'global setup' button. It doesn't change what a sound is made of — it changes how the whole keyboard behaves: how it's tuned, whether it plays chords or one note, how far the pitch wheel bends, and what the wheel/pedal/breath/pressure controls do. Press it, then press one of the brown-labeled buttons to pick which setting to adjust with the DATA ENTRY slider.

tip: After you pick a FUNCTION setting, it stays 'live' even after you return to PLAY mode — so the DATA ENTRY slider can still tweak that last parameter while you play (great for real-time master tune or portamento-time sweeps). If you don't want accidental changes, park it on BATTERY CHECK before playing.

Which sound-building block (called an 'operator') button number 1 controls, or — in the global setup mode — the fine tuning of the whole instrument. While editing, tapping it mutes or un-mutes operator 1 so you can hear what that piece adds. In FUNCTION mode it lets you nudge the overall pitch to match other instruments.

tip: For MASTER TUNE, just use the slider — it's already fine-resolution, so the +1/-1 buttons aren't needed. Center the slider for A=440. Turning operators off with this button is temporary: stored voices always save with all operators on, so set an operator's OUTPUT LEVEL to 0 if you want it silent permanently.

Controls sound-block number 2 while editing, or — in setup mode — decides whether the DX7 plays chords (POLY, up to 16 notes) or just one note at a time (MONO, good for lead lines and slides). Slider up = MONO, slider down = POLY.

tip: In MONO mode the keyboard uses 'last-note priority' — the newest key you hit sounds, whether higher or lower. MONO also unlocks the fingered-portamento glide effects that POLY doesn't offer.

Handles sound-block 3 when editing, or — in setup mode — sets the maximum distance the pitch wheel can bend a note. Zero disables the wheel entirely; 12 gives you a whole octave of bend in each direction.

tip: RANGE only works when PITCH BEND STEP (button 4) is set to 0 for smooth bending. As soon as you set any step size above 0, the range automatically jumps to 12 semitones and this control is overridden.

Manages sound-block 4 when editing, or — in setup mode — makes the pitch wheel bend in stair-steps instead of a smooth slide. At 0 the bend is fluid; at 1 you hear each semitone click by; at 12 the wheel jumps a whole octave in one leap.

tip: A step of 5 gives ±10 semitones total travel, while a step of 6 gives a full ±octave in two big jumps — the step size, not RANGE, decides your top and bottom pitch once stepping is on. Use small steps for a fretted-instrument or trill feel.

Runs sound-block 5 when editing, or — in setup mode — chooses how notes slide from one pitch to the next. In chord (POLY) mode it decides whether held notes stay put or slide along with new notes. In single-note (MONO) mode it decides whether the glide happens only when you overlap keys (fingered) or always (full time).

tip: This does nothing audible unless PORTAMENTO TIME (button 7) is set above roughly 30. In MONO/FINGERED mode a footswitch in the PORTAMENTO jack has no effect; in FULL TIME mode that footswitch turns the glide on and off.

Handles sound-block 6 when editing, or — in setup mode — switches the note-to-note glide between a smooth slide (OFF) and a stair-stepped, note-by-note run up the scale (ON). The stepped version is most obvious with a slow glide time and two widely spaced notes.

tip: Glissando obeys the same PORTAMENTO TIME and MODE settings — so you can get a stepped 'retain' or 'follow' effect in POLY, or a stepped fingered/full-time run in MONO. Pair a slow time with a big interval to really hear the steps.

When editing, this picks the 'recipe layout' — which of the 32 factory wiring patterns decides which sound-blocks make tone you hear directly and which ones color the others. In setup mode it sets how long a pitch slide takes: 0 means no glide, 99 is a long, lazy slide.

tip: Note that PORTAMENTO TIME is backwards from most DX7 rate controls — here 99 is the slowest, not the fastest. When picking an algorithm, remember the higher-numbered ones (toward 32) are simpler/more parallel and the lower ones (toward 1) allow the richest, most complex tones.

While editing, this feeds a bit of an operator's output back into itself to add grit and harmonic richness — 0 is clean, 7 is buzzy and aggressive, useful for brass and edgy tones. In setup mode the same button handles all the MIDI connection settings for hooking up to another DX7/DX9 or a computer.

tip: To send all 32 internal voices to a slave DX7, set both units to MIDI CH 1, turn on SYS INFO AVAIL on both, then press this button until 'MIDI TRANSMIT?' appears and answer YES (the slave's memory protect must be off). Beware: leaving MIDI as the last-touched FUNCTION parameter can let a YES press accidentally switch the slave's channel — park on BATT CHECK first.

The LFO is a slow, silent wave that the DX7 uses to wobble your sound. This button picks the shape of that wobble. Sine and triangle give smooth, even movement (good for natural vibrato); square makes it jump abruptly between two states (trill-like); the sawtooth shapes ramp and snap back; sample & hold jumps to random levels (a stepped, computery flicker). In FUNCTION mode it's a lifesaver: if you were building a voice and lost it, press FUNCTION then this button and answer YES twice to get it back.

tip: For realistic vibrato, use SINE. Turning power off and on does NOT erase your work-in-progress, so EDIT RECALL can rescue an edit even after a power cycle.

This controls how fast the wobble happens. Low numbers give a lazy, slow sway; high numbers give a fast flutter. Around 27 is a good natural vibrato speed per the manual's tutorial. In FUNCTION mode it's your 'start from scratch' button: press it and confirm YES twice to wipe the workspace down to a single pure tone so you can build a new sound from nothing.

tip: Set SPEED to about 27 for a musical, natural-sounding vibrato. Before using VOICE INIT, make sure any voice you care about is already saved — it clears the workspace (though your stored memories are untouched).

This makes the wobble hold off until a moment after you play a note, instead of starting instantly. That mimics real players who bring in vibrato only after a note has settled — around 55 gives a natural feel per the manual. In FUNCTION mode this same button becomes a cartridge eraser: it wipes an entire RAM cartridge blank.

tip: Try a DELAY around 55 so vibrato fades in naturally rather than being present from the attack. Be extremely careful with CART FORM — it permanently erases every voice on a RAM cartridge and cannot undo it; ROM cartridges can't be formatted.

This decides how deep the pitch wobble is — in other words, how strong the vibrato is that's built into the voice itself. But it's a two-gate system: this button sets the depth, and the pitch sensitivity control (button 15) opens the gate that lets it through. If sensitivity is at zero, you can crank this to 99 and hear nothing.

tip: For subtle built-in vibrato, the manual suggests a PMD around 15 combined with a low pitch sensitivity of about 2 — that leaves headroom so your mod wheel or breath controller can add more vibrato on top.

This is the volume/tone wobble instead of the pitch wobble. Applied to a carrier (a sound-producing operator) it gives tremolo — the note pulses louder and softer. Applied to a modulator it makes the tone open and close, giving a 'wah-wah' effect. Like pitch depth, it does nothing unless you also open the amplitude sensitivity gate on the operators you want affected.

tip: A little goes a long way — the manual dials AMD down to about 10 for a usable amount, leaving room for a breath controller or mod wheel to push it further live.

Sync ON means every note's wobble starts from the exact same point, so repeated notes behave identically. Sync OFF means the wobble is 'always running,' so each note starts at a slightly different point — that subtle inconsistency actually sounds more like a real acoustic instrument. The effect is easiest to hear at slow LFO speeds. In FUNCTION mode this button checks the battery that keeps your internal voices alive when the power is off.

tip: Leave SYNC OFF for a more organic, human feel on repeated notes. Check the battery occasionally: if it reads below 2.2 volts, save your internal voices to a RAM cartridge and get the battery replaced by a dealer — don't do it yourself.

This is the master gate for pitch wobble. It controls how much of the LFO's pitch depth (button 12) — AND how much of any wobble from the mod wheel, foot pedal, breath controller, or aftertouch — is actually allowed to bend the pitch. If it's at zero, none of those sources can add vibrato no matter how they're set. In FUNCTION mode this button dumps your entire bank of 32 internal voices onto a RAM cartridge for backup (the display shows 'Under Writing' for about 20 seconds).

tip: Keep this fairly low (around 2) rather than zero — that way built-in vibrato stays gentle but your real-time controllers still have something to grab onto. Before SAVE, turn off the cartridge's memory protect switch and the DX7's cartridge memory protect, or it won't write.

This is the gate for the volume/tone wobble, set separately for each of the six operators. Open it on a carrier and that operator can tremolo; open it on a modulator and the tone can 'wah.' It gates both the built-in AMD (button 13) and any wobble coming from the mod wheel, breath controller, foot pedal, or aftertouch. In FUNCTION mode this loads a whole cartridge bank of 32 voices into the DX7's internal memory (this erases whatever was in internal memory, so back it up first).

tip: For a breath-controlled sax-type voice, set the amplitude sensitivity high (up to 3) on the operators you want the breath to shape. Before LOAD, turn off internal memory protect — and remember loading overwrites all 32 internal voices.

In EDIT mode this switches an operator between 'follows the keys' (normal — the note changes when you play different keys) and 'fixed pitch' (stays on one frequency no matter which key you play, useful for noise, breath, or clangy fixed tones like a whistle). Press again and it controls oscillator sync, which decides whether each operator's wave restarts cleanly at each note or carries over for subtle note-to-note variation. In FUNCTION mode it sets how much total wobble the modulation wheel is allowed to introduce.

tip: Set MODULATION WHEEL RANGE to around 50 as a general-purpose starting point per the manual's recommended settings, then push it higher for voices you want to shake dramatically. Remember the wheel only does something if the voice also has pitch or amplitude sensitivity turned up.

This is the big tuning knob for one operator. On a carrier it shifts the fundamental pitch; on a modulator it dramatically changes the harmonics and brightness (ratio 1.00 = the played pitch, 2.00 = an octave up, and so on, all the way to 31.00 which is dog-whistle territory). Pair it with FREQUENCY FINE (button 19) for in-between values. In FUNCTION mode this button simply switches the mod wheel's vibrato feature on or off.

tip: Whole-number ratios (1.00, 2.00, 3.00) give clean, musical, harmonic tones; non-integer ratios give bells, metallic, and inharmonic sounds. Keep the volume down when auditioning very high ratios — the manual warns that extreme frequencies can damage your tweeters.

In editing mode this fine-tunes the pitch of whichever operator you've selected — it fills in the gaps between the big steps the COARSE control makes, letting you land on in-between ratios like 1.53. In the overall-settings mode, the same button decides whether pushing the modulation wheel adds a wobble in loudness or tone (tremolo/wah) to the sound.

tip: Slightly detuned fine settings on a modulator (like 2.001 instead of a clean 2.00) add the natural 'imperfection' that makes acoustic instruments sound real. Remember the wheel's amplitude effect does nothing unless that voice has amplitude Mod Sensitivity turned up on an operator.

In editing mode this is the finest pitch nudge available — smaller than FINE — for one operator at a time. A little of it thickens a sound by making layers beat gently against each other; a lot creates chorus-like or multi-instrument effects. In the settings mode, the button lets the modulation wheel act like a swell control, bringing operator levels up or down as you move it.

tip: Mild detune between two carriers creates the shimmering 'beating' that fakes chorusing or several instruments playing at once — great for pianos and ensemble pads.

In editing mode this controls how fast each stage of a note's shape happens — how quickly it fades up, drops, and dies away. Higher numbers are faster. Because of the DX7's design, the same number moves faster going up in level than coming down. In settings mode it sets how much total effect the foot pedal can add.

tip: Rate 1 is your attack speed and Rate 4 is your release/fade-out — those two matter most. Rates 2 and 3 shape the middle; if two adjacent levels are identical, set the rate between them to 99 to avoid odd behavior.

In editing mode this sets how loud (or, for a modulator, how bright) the note is at each point in its journey. Level 3 is the 'sustain' — the level it holds while you keep the key down. Level 4 is where it ends; keep it at 0 so notes fade to silence. In settings mode, the same button lets a foot pedal add vibrato.

tip: Don't confuse this with OUTPUT LEVEL (button 27). If a note never dies away after you release the key, your Level 4 is set above 0 — pull it to 0. For a normal sustaining sound, set Levels 1, 2, 3 high and Level 4 to zero.

In editing mode this picks the dividing key where an operator starts getting louder or quieter as you move up or down the keyboard — like an invisible line across the keys. In settings mode, the same button lets a foot pedal add a loudness/tone wobble.

tip: The break point is the anchor for the CURVE and DEPTH settings (buttons 24 and 25) — nothing happens from setting it alone. Put the break point mid-keyboard and use steep curves on each side to build split-keyboard sounds (one voice low, another high).

In editing mode this decides how an operator's level changes as you play away from the break point — either fading down or building up, and either gently (exponential) or aggressively (linear), separately for the low side and the high side. In settings mode, the button lets a foot pedal directly push operator levels.

tip: Exponential curves mimic how our ears work, so they sound natural for making an instrument quieter in the bass or treble; linear curves are more dramatic and better for hard keyboard splits. High notes on the DX7 can sound shrill — a negative curve on the right side tames them.

In editing mode this sets how strong the fade-up or fade-down is on each side of the break point — 0 does nothing, 99 is the maximum change as you move across the keys. In settings mode, the same button sets how much total effect blowing into the breath controller can produce.

tip: To boost a level as you play up or down (a positive curve), the operator's OUTPUT LEVEL must be below 99 to leave 'headroom' — if it's already at 90, you only get 9 units of boost before hitting the ceiling of 99.

In editing mode this makes notes attack and fade faster as you play higher — just like real strings, reeds and pipes, which respond quicker when they're shorter. The change happens in groups of three keys, not per-note. In settings mode, the button lets the breath controller add vibrato.

tip: A value of 4 is a good natural-sounding starting point for acoustic imitations. It mostly affects operators that act as carriers (the sound you hear); on modulators the effect is subtler.

In editing mode this is the master 'how much' knob for each operator. On a carrier it sets loudness; on a modulator it sets how much harmonic richness/brightness that operator adds to the sound it's feeding. In settings mode, the same button lets the breath controller add a loudness or tone wobble.

tip: To keep an operator silent in a stored voice, set its output level to 0 — the OPERATOR ON-OFF buttons only work while editing. Turning up a modulator's output is how you make a sound brighter or 'buzzier'; turning it down mellows it.

In editing mode this decides how much each operator reacts to how hard/fast you hit the keys. On a carrier it changes loudness with your touch; on a modulator it changes brightness — so hitting harder gives a punchier, more open tone. This is exactly why some presets feel touch-responsive and others don't. In settings mode, the button lets the breath controller push operator levels directly.

tip: This is per-operator, so you can make a sound get both louder AND brighter with harder playing by adding velocity to both carriers and modulators. Program voices while playing gently so a hard hit has 'somewhere to go' dynamically.

Half of this button (EDIT mode) controls how quickly the DX7 slides the pitch of every note on its own — press it repeatedly to move through the four speed settings for the automatic pitch bend. The other half (FUNCTION mode) sets how strong an effect you get by leaning harder on a key after it's already down.

tip: For a plucked-string or bowed-string effect, set Pitch EG Rate 1 to 99 (fast) so the note snaps from a slightly high starting pitch down to normal — pair it with a Level 1 just above 50. Remember After Touch Range does nothing unless the voice itself has pitch or amplitude modulation sensitivity set above zero.

In EDIT mode this sets the actual pitches the automatic pitch envelope moves to — think of 50 as the true note, below 50 goes lower, above 50 goes higher, over an 8-octave range. In FUNCTION mode it turns on vibrato that responds to how hard you press keys down.

tip: If you want no automatic pitch bending at all, set all four Pitch EG Levels to exactly 50. The regular pitch wheel can still add up to one octave above or below on top of whatever the Pitch EG is doing.

In EDIT mode you shift the whole voice to a different key: press the button, then press whatever key you want to sound like middle C — you won't hear anything until you play a note afterward. In FUNCTION mode it lets pressing harder on keys make the sound louder or change its tone.

tip: Key Transpose moves the entire voice, both halves of a split-keyboard patch included. To transpose just part of a layered voice, don't use this — instead double or halve the frequency ratios of only the operators you want to move.

In EDIT mode this is how you type a name for a sound you've made — up to 10 letters, numbers, or spaces. In FUNCTION mode it lets you use key pressure to swell the volume or brightness of a note directly (without the wobbling LFO), the way a wind player pushes into a note.

tip: EG Bias is the most expressive modulation for wind and brass voices: with max bias and full amplitude sensitivity, a note stays silent until you press harder after playing it. Always rename an edited voice with VOICE NAME so you can tell it apart from the original preset.

The big red number tells you which of the 32 sounds you've got selected right now. If a little dot shows up next to it, that's your warning that you've changed the sound but haven't saved it yet. If the number is flashing, you're temporarily listening to the original un-edited version.

tip: Watch for that decimal point — it's your reminder that unsaved edits are in the buffer. If you select another voice without storing, those edits are gone (though you can rescue them with FUNCTION > EDIT RECALL > YES > YES).

This little text screen is your window into everything the DX7 is doing. When you're just playing, it shows the sound's name. When you're programming, it shows exactly which setting you're adjusting and its value, so you always know what the sliders and buttons are changing.

tip: In EDIT mode, read the top line carefully: the six 1s and 0s show which operators are on, and 'OP?' in the corner shows which operator your edits will affect. If you can't find a parameter's description while programming, remember violet-labeled parameters are EDIT mode and brown-labeled ones are FUNCTION mode. LCDs can be permanently damaged by extreme heat or cold.

This is where you plug in the little plastic cartridges that hold extra sounds — the factory ROM cartridges with hundreds of ready-made voices, or blank RAM cartridges where you save your own creations. Slide it in with the switch facing away from the keyboard.

tip: Never force a cartridge — if it won't seat, turn it around. To play the manual's example voices, insert ROM #3, slide its switch up for Bank A (Master Group), and press MEMORY SELECT-CARTRIDGE. You can't save your own sounds onto ROM cartridges (they're read-only); use a RAM cartridge with its write-protect switch OFF for that.

Plug headphones in here to hear the DX7 on its own, without an amp or speakers. The DX7 has no built-in speakers, so this is your only way to listen privately. How loud it gets depends on the VOLUME slider plus how touch-sensitive the current sound is.

tip: If it's too quiet, first push the front-panel VOLUME slider up; then check that no foot pedal in the VOLUME jack is tilted forward, which cuts the level to near zero.

Plug the BC-1 breath tube in here and blow to shape the sound with your breath, like a wind player controls a saxophone. Depending on how it's set, blowing harder can add vibrato, swell the volume, or brighten the tone. It does nothing unless both the FUNCTION settings and the voice are set to respond.

tip: Only ever plug the BC-1 into this jack, nothing else. Try the "SAX-BC1" voice, set Breath Control RANGE near 99 and turn EG BIAS on, so notes only sound when you blow. A tiny screw on the bottom of the BC-1 adjusts its sensitivity if you have to blow too hard.

Roll this wheel up or down to bend notes higher or lower, like a guitarist bending a string; let go and it springs back to normal pitch. How far it bends and whether it glides smoothly or jumps in steps depends on settings in FUNCTION mode.

tip: If the wheel does nothing, its Range is set to zero — go to FUNCTION, press PITCH BEND-RANGE, and dial in up to 12 semitones. Note that any Step size above 0 automatically locks the Range at 12 semitones, and the Step size then limits how far you can actually bend.

Push this wheel forward to add movement to your sound — usually vibrato (a wavering pitch), but it can also add tremolo, tone-wobble, or a volume swell depending on how it's set up. Pull it back to remove the effect.

tip: The wheel has no effect unless two things line up: its FUNCTION-mode settings must be turned on with a Range above zero, AND the voice itself must have the matching modulation sensitivity set above zero in EDIT mode. A good all-purpose starting point is Range 50 with Pitch ON.

This is what you play. It senses two things: how fast/hard you strike each key (like a piano) and how hard you keep pressing after the key is down. But those touch responses only do something if the current sound has been set up to react to them — that's why some voices respond to your touch and others don't.

tip: If a chord plays as a single note, you're in MONO mode — press FUNCTION, then POLY/MONO, and pull the DATA ENTRY slider down (or press <) to return to polyphonic. When programming your own touch-sensitive voices, build them to sound soft/mellow first, so hard playing has 'somewhere to go.'

This is the on/off switch. Turn it on and after a moment the DX7 is ready to play the last sound you were using. It remembers your settings and voices between sessions thanks to the internal battery.

tip: The manual advises turning power on only after all other cables are connected, and turning down your amp/mixer volume first as a precaution. If the display ever shows 'garbage', locks up, or a function misbehaves, switch POWER off, wait about half a minute, then switch back on — this clears most 'soft' errors caused by power surges or static. Also, remove the RAM cartridge before switching power on or off to protect its stored voices.

This is the main audio output — run a cable from here to an amp, powered speaker, or mixer to actually hear the DX7 through speakers. On its own the DX7 makes no sound out loud.

tip: Use a straight single-conductor shielded (guitar-type) cable no longer than about 20 feet to avoid hum and loss of high end; coiled cords dull the highs. For a mixer's XLR input under 20 feet away, a simple phone-to-XLR adaptor cable usually works; longer runs need a direct box.

Plug an FC-3A pedal in here to control loudness with your foot, freeing your hands to play — great for swells and fades. Tilt back for full volume, tilt forward to fade out.

tip: If the DX7 suddenly goes silent, check this pedal first: tilted fully forward it kills all sound no matter where the VOLUME slider sits. Make sure you use the stereo-plug FC-3A here, not a footswitch.

Plug an FC-3A pedal in here to add effects like vibrato, tremolo, or a volume/tone swell with your foot instead of the modulation wheel. It gives you hands-free expression while both hands stay on the keys.

tip: You can set this foot pedal and the modulation wheel to do different jobs — for example, foot for amplitude wah while the wheel does pitch vibrato — since each modulation source has its own independent FUNCTION settings.

Plug a footswitch in here and step on it to hold notes ringing after you lift your fingers, just like a piano sustain pedal. It's also essential for hearing the Poly-mode portamento/glissando "Follow" and "Retain" gliding effects.

tip: Use the on/off FC-4 or FC-5 switch here, not the rocker-style FC-3A pedal. Don't confuse this with the PORTAMENTO jack — plugging a pedal into the wrong one won't work as expected.

Plug a footswitch in here to switch note-to-note pitch gliding on and off with your foot during a performance. Odd but important: with nothing plugged in, portamento stays on, so an empty jack can leave you with unexpected glides.

tip: A clever trick: wire a phone plug with tip shorted to sleeve and insert it here — it acts like an un-stepped switch, letting you flip between Mono fingered-portamento (for fretless bass slides) and clean Poly voices just by toggling POLY/MONO from the DATA ENTRY controls.

This is where the DX7 listens to other gear. Connect a cable from another keyboard's MIDI OUT to here and this DX7 becomes a "slave" — it plays the notes, changes voices, and can even receive whole banks of sounds from the master.

tip: To receive voices, set this DX7 to MIDI CH 1 (press [FUNCTION] then [MIDI]) and turn its memory protect OFF, or the transfer won't take. A DX9 sent from here can only pass along 20 voices, and they lose operators 1 and 2.

This is where the DX7 sends out what you're doing. Run a cable from here to another DX7's IN and the second unit plays along, switches to the same voice numbers, and can be programmed remotely from this keyboard.

tip: To send all 32 internal voices to another DX, set both to MIDI CH 1, enable "SYS INFO AVAIL" on this master, then press [MIDI] until it asks "MIDI TRANSMIT?" and answer YES. On the slave, pick a harmless FUNCTION like [BATT CHECK] before playing so a stray YES/NO doesn't accidentally kick it off Channel 1.

This is a pass-through copy of the incoming signal, used to feed a third (and fourth, etc.) instrument so one master keyboard can control a whole stack of them at once.

tip: To control several slaves from one master, run master OUT to slave 1 IN, then slave 1 THRU to slave 2 IN, and so on. Don't use THRU in the two-master "either one is boss" setup unless you specifically want to also drive an extra unit; keep total MIDI cable runs under about 50 feet.

This is simply the plug that powers the instrument on from the wall — it makes no sound on its own. Without it plugged in, nothing works, though a small internal lithium battery keeps your 32 saved voices intact even when the cord is unplugged.

tip: When running the DX7 into an amp or mixer with an unbalanced input, plug both units into the same wall receptacle box (or same 'leg' of the AC service) to reduce hum. Always grip the plug itself, never the cord, when removing it, and unplug during electrical storms since voltage spikes can damage the computer circuitry.