A Yamaha DX11 Digital Programmable Algorithm Synthesizer |
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| Manufactured by | Yamaha |
|---|---|
| Dates | 1988 |
| Price | Approx. US$ 200-300 |
| Technical specifications | |
| Polyphony | 8 voices |
| Timbrality | Multitimbral |
| Oscillator | 4 operators |
| LFO | yes |
| Synthesis type | Digital Frequency modulation |
| Filter | none |
| Aftertouch | Yes |
| Velocity sensitive | Yes |
| Memory | 128 preset patches, 32 performance patches, External cartridge memory holds 64 patches, cassette interface |
| Effects | reverb, delay, pan, tremolo |
| Hardware | YM2414 (OPZ) |
| Input/output | |
| Keyboard | 61-note with velocity and aftertouch sensitivity |
| Left-hand control | pitch-bend and modulation wheels |
| External control | MIDI |
The Yamaha DX11 was one of the latest models of the DX series that Yamaha produced in the 1980s. This synth has been reported to be the most upgraded 4-OP synth of the DX series (other 4-OPs were the DX9, DX21, DX27).
The DX11, released in 1988, four years after the DX7, offered 8-part multitimbrality and a choice of waveforms for each operator, features that were absent from previous DX synthesizers (like the DX7 or DX9), but which had appeared on Yamaha's TX81Z rackmount synthesiser module.
Like the TX81Z, the DX11 had 8-note polyphony, and a simpler set of algorithms that only used four operators rather than the six used in the DX7. However, like the TX81Z, the DX11's independent choice of waveforms for each operator allowed richer timbres to be created more easily and with less programming than was required on Yamaha's first-generation FM synthesisers, which were sinewave-based, and required multiple operators to be combined to produce more complex tones.
The DX11 was programmatically similar to the TX81Z, but added simulated reverb, DDL delay, pan and tremolo. As with the TX81Z, the DX11's multitimbral features allowed players to assign various sound patches across different "zones" of the keyboard, or to different MIDI channels, allowing complex ensemble performances using external sequencers, or while playing live using "Performance" patches, with the user being responsible for deciding how many of the DX11's eight notes of polyphony would be assigned to each sound.
The "Quick Edit" function was a helpful utility for programming sounds (a more laborious process on the DX7 or DX9); thus the user did not have to delve into the complexity of FM synthesis in order to make a few simple changes to a sound. These quick edits affected the tone, envelope attack and release times. Unfortunately, there were no on-board arpeggiators or sequencers. The DX11 had 61 keys (with velocity and aftertouch sensitivity), and its memory included 128 preset patches and 32 performance patches. It also had a slot for external cartridge memory (holding 64 patches) and a cable for connection to a cassette deck for data transmission and reception.
In Japan the DX11 was named the V2 (cf. Yamaha V50), but this was not used in the west for fear of association with the Nazi German missile of the same name.