DX7 Bass Lines

rushton · 24th February 2010

Ive been reading the new house music book bleepbleep on here and in the bass section he says the DX7 has a bass that really cuts through the mix. I dont know of any song in particular that had a DX7 bass line and was wondering if someone could point me in the direction of one so i could see whats hes on about.
Cheers

steffensen · 24th February 2010

Ive had a long love for the DX7, so i would like to know too. Always interesting.

lain2097 · 24th February 2010

Can't remember a popular one off the top of my head but the DX7 and TX816 was used quite a bit for 'pop' music bass.

I can totally understand way someone would use a DX for bass - it has such a fast env and can be programmed to sound really "in-your-face". Even my SH-2 is slow in comparison to my DX7.

The usual suspect for early detroit was the TX81Z to give you an idea. There is a lot that can be done with FM that is just not possible through analogue. btw if you don't have the space for a DX get either the TX7, TX802 or TX81Z.

jonnypowell · 24th February 2010

Check out the threads on 'Solid Bass' preset. There's heaps of links to the sound.

kpatz · 24th February 2010

Many, many, many, many, many songs in the mid 80s used DX7 bass.

Some that come readily to mind include Take On Me by A-Ha, Change of Heart by Cyndi Lauper, I Think We're Alone Now by Tiffany... give me 5 minutes and I can probably think of 10, 20, 30 more.

DX bass is definitely distinctive, definitely different from Minimoog bass.

rushton · 24th February 2010

i found an example of it, and yeah i definately know that bass sound, very twangy haha. definately an 80's thing cant think of any house songs that use it off the top of my head though

mike vee · 24th February 2010

not exactly house at all but New Order used the DX7 for a lot of baselines

W-W-Int · 24th February 2010

the dx7 excels at bass sounds. it's main use is bell like sounds, ep sounds and bass. as far as songs using it ....
most mid-late 80's pop music such as dead or alive, frankie goes to hollywood, miami sound machine, madonna, etc... lots of late eighties pop-funk bands used a dx7 and it was used a lot for early 90's industrial/ebm music.

the dx can do an amazing electric bass sound that's hard to distinguish from an actual bass. also layered with a simple analog synth like a juno or akai ax-60 gives you an amazing sound in the bass department.

SWAN808 · 24th February 2010

get a TX7 - Ive been using it with a DX7 Librarian that has thousands of patches you can instantly download and transmit...got some sweet punchy basses...not bad for £60. IMO sounds a lot ballsier than FM8.

jonnypowell · 24th February 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWAN808

get a TX7 - Ive been using it with a DX7 Librarian that has thousands of patches you can instantly download and transmit...got some sweet punchy basses...not bad for £60. IMO sounds a lot ballsier than FM8.

Yo - I love good DX bass sounds -
Hook me up with ur patches!

Altitude909 · 24th February 2010

Here is a good example of DX bass (from a 4 op one though)

7161 · 24th February 2010

the 'solid bass' preset

as the man says above, also this is from probably a 4op dx100 - it's a preset in the dx100 which is why you'd have to pry my dx100 from my cold dead hands!!

EVERY electronic music maker should have a dx100! it shoud be madatory! - you can plumb it into your mix in realtime via your soundcard & input monitoring switched 'ON' on an audio track

it doesnt even matter of the keys are knackered cos you will trigger it in use via midi anyways - so get one, they are so cheap in the free ads

SWAN808 · 24th February 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonnypowell

Yo - I love good DX bass sounds -
Hook me up with ur patches!

knock yourself out...

:

DX7 Librarian Page

steffensen · 24th February 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWAN808

knock yourself out...

:

DX7 Librarian Page

Only Mac?

depulse · 24th February 2010

Check Madonna's "Papa don't preach"

YouTube - Madonna - Papa Don't Preach Lyric Video

It's using the DX7 II Supabass preset.

Jake · 24th February 2010

I believe Depeche Mode used a lot of DX on Some Great Reward.

Jake · 24th February 2010

Just wanted to add that DX bass patches layer really well with analog bass and can help your bass lines pop out a bit -- if that's what you want.

junoir · 24th February 2010

Hazell Dean - They Say It's Gonna Rain

Funny, was just listening to this track when I read the topic. The bass is a DX7 (or one of it's 6op cousins). Stock, Aitken & Waterman was particulary fond of the DX-basses.

Another S.A.W. track with DX7-basses (atleast the twangy one which is on top of the other): Samantha Fox - Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now

flat earth · 24th February 2010

Alot of early 80s Bronski Beat used DX7 for bass lines.

Also Im pretty sure the infamous Kenny Loggins song 'Danger Zone' bass line was pure DX7 at its pure rugged form!

rockmanrock · 24th February 2010

Kylie Minogue covered in chugging, tinkling DX7 tones:

steffensen · 24th February 2010

Great thread, thanks.

Goldberg · 24th February 2010

Mr. Mister Broken Wings has a DX7 bassline too

kpatz · 24th February 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goldberg

Mr. Mister Broken Wings has a DX7 bassline too

I always thought that song had a real bass guitar, but there are other DX7 sounds in there.

Papa Don't Preach couldn't have used a DX7II preset because the song came out before the DX7II did. Now, a DX7 (mk1) preset, quite possible/likely.

Max3000 · 24th February 2010

There's a great TX7 on the bay right now which looks tasty

Jetty · 24th February 2010

If you have the record or Spotify came to your internets, check out A-ha's "The swing of things". It's probably mostly DX7, the bass really cuts through eventhough it's very balanced in the mix (perhaps even a little subdued).

Also, text book example of great synthpop

And while you're at it, listen to "Cry Wolf" too. Same situation. And check out the envelope on the opening sound. Bouncy.

Latinlover · 24th February 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWAN808

get a TX7 - Ive been using it with a DX7 Librarian that has thousands of patches you can instantly download and transmit...got some sweet punchy basses...not bad for £60. IMO sounds a lot ballsier than FM8.

i agree, there's something missing on the FM8, maybe the old DA on a DX7 impart something to the sound, i don't know.

dx7 is a must have for dance basses.

Mr. Varaldo · 24th February 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by flat earth

Alot of early 80s Bronski Beat used DX7 for bass lines.

check out "It ain't necessarily so" (from "The Age Of Consent" )

tpwuk · 24th February 2010

Pet Shop Boys "Opportunities" - Classic DX Bass!

Beermaster · 24th February 2010

mikael488 · 25th February 2010

IIRC the baseline on Two Tribes was sampled and sequenced on a Fairlight CMI.

24th February 2010	#1
rushton Lives for gear Joined: Sep 2008 Location: Byron Bay Australia Posts: 1,177 Thread Starter	DX7 Bass Lines Ive been reading the new house music book bleepbleep on here and in the bass section he says the DX7 has a bass that really cuts through the mix. I dont know of any song in particular that had a DX7 bass line and was wondering if someone could point me in the direction of one so i could see whats hes on about. Cheers

24th February 2010	#2
steffensen Gear addict Joined: Mar 2009 Posts: 309	Ive had a long love for the DX7, so i would like to know too. Always interesting. __________________ My Synthish/House/Dub/Techno/Ambient/Generative work: http://soundcloud.com/inspektor-pansar

24th February 2010	#3
lain2097 Lives for gear Joined: Jun 2009 Location: French quarter of Canada Posts: 1,620	Can't remember a popular one off the top of my head but the DX7 and TX816 was used quite a bit for 'pop' music bass. I can totally understand way someone would use a DX for bass - it has such a fast env and can be programmed to sound really "in-your-face". Even my SH-2 is slow in comparison to my DX7. The usual suspect for early detroit was the TX81Z to give you an idea. There is a lot that can be done with FM that is just not possible through analogue. btw if you don't have the space for a DX get either the TX7, TX802 or TX81Z. __________________ See my new new gear set up: http://www.gearslutz.com/board/6909198-post3523.htmll

24th February 2010	#5
kpatz Lives for gear Joined: Mar 2009 Location: NH Posts: 600	Many, many, many, many, many songs in the mid 80s used DX7 bass. Some that come readily to mind include Take On Me by A-Ha, Change of Heart by Cyndi Lauper, I Think We're Alone Now by Tiffany... give me 5 minutes and I can probably think of 10, 20, 30 more. DX bass is definitely distinctive, definitely different from Minimoog bass. __________________ There's nothing better on a cold winter evening than to tweak the knobs on a nice warm analog synth. Yamaha Motif XS6 ~ Alesis A6 Andromeda ~ Roland D-550 ~ Yamaha TX802 ~ Yamaha DX100 ~ OP-X ~ FM8 He did use the OBXa on Jump but I believe 1984 was a Roland JX3P. - posted on Youtube

24th February 2010	#15
depulse Lives for gear Joined: Oct 2008 Location: Europe Posts: 717	Check Madonna's "Papa don't preach" YouTube - Madonna - Papa Don't Preach Lyric Video It's using the DX7 II Supabass preset. __________________ Gear: FocusritePro40+Octopre2, MackieOnyx32, Korg TritonExtr+MOSS+EX800+TRRack, Roland XV5080+D550+MKS7+MKS50+MKS70+MKS80+S550+JP8080+Juno60+JD990+DR660, NordRack2, ATC1, ESQM, Yamaha A5k+An1x+TX802+TG77+TX7+MotifRackES, Akai S5k+MPC1k, Blofeld, Pulse, Mopho, Indigo2, ESynth, Emax, Rogue, MachineDrum, KawaiR100, ProOne, Drumulator, M1AM1, Linndrum, CZ101, CR78 Effects: API 512C+525, Boss SE50+SE70+CE300, UAD2Duo, Powercore, SRV330, MPX550, Rev2496, 1204, DP2, Filterbank, 9010, 1178clone

24th February 2010	#4
jonnypowell Lives for gear Joined: Feb 2007 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 1,337	Check out the threads on 'Solid Bass' preset. There's heaps of links to the sound.

24th February 2010	#7
mike vee Lives for gear Joined: Aug 2008 Location: Best Coast Posts: 1,627	not exactly house at all but New Order used the DX7 for a lot of baselines

24th February 2010	#8
W-W-Int Lives for gear Joined: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,240	the dx7 excels at bass sounds. it's main use is bell like sounds, ep sounds and bass. as far as songs using it .... most mid-late 80's pop music such as dead or alive, frankie goes to hollywood, miami sound machine, madonna, etc... lots of late eighties pop-funk bands used a dx7 and it was used a lot for early 90's industrial/ebm music. the dx can do an amazing electric bass sound that's hard to distinguish from an actual bass. also layered with a simple analog synth like a juno or akai ax-60 gives you an amazing sound in the bass department.

24th February 2010	#9
SWAN808 Lives for gear Joined: Jan 2008 Posts: 5,065 1 Review written	get a TX7 - Ive been using it with a DX7 Librarian that has thousands of patches you can instantly download and transmit...got some sweet punchy basses...not bad for £60. IMO sounds a lot ballsier than FM8.

24th February 2010	#11
Altitude909 Lives for gear Joined: Apr 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,294	Here is a good example of DX bass (from a 4 op one though)

24th February 2010	#12
7161 3 + infractions, forum membership suspended. Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 1,096	the 'solid bass' preset as the man says above, also this is from probably a 4op dx100 - it's a preset in the dx100 which is why you'd have to pry my dx100 from my cold dead hands!! EVERY electronic music maker should have a dx100! it shoud be madatory! - you can plumb it into your mix in realtime via your soundcard & input monitoring switched 'ON' on an audio track it doesnt even matter of the keys are knackered cos you will trigger it in use via midi anyways - so get one, they are so cheap in the free ads

24th February 2010	#16
Jake Gear maniac Joined: Sep 2005 Posts: 264	I believe Depeche Mode used a lot of DX on Some Great Reward.

24th February 2010	#18
junoir Gear interested Joined: Feb 2008 Location: Sweden Posts: 16	Hazell Dean - They Say It's Gonna Rain Funny, was just listening to this track when I read the topic. The bass is a DX7 (or one of it's 6op cousins). Stock, Aitken & Waterman was particulary fond of the DX-basses. Another S.A.W. track with DX7-basses (atleast the twangy one which is on top of the other): Samantha Fox - Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now

24th February 2010	#19
flat earth Lives for gear Joined: Sep 2009 Location: Church of Originality Posts: 2,275	Alot of early 80s Bronski Beat used DX7 for bass lines. Also Im pretty sure the infamous Kenny Loggins song 'Danger Zone' bass line was pure DX7 at its pure rugged form!

24th February 2010	#20
rockmanrock Lives for gear Joined: Feb 2009 Posts: 1,315	Kylie Minogue covered in chugging, tinkling DX7 tones:

24th February 2010	#22
Goldberg Gear Head Joined: May 2005 Location: Amstelveen, The Netherlands Posts: 38	Mr. Mister Broken Wings has a DX7 bassline too

24th February 2010	#24
Max3000 Gear nut Joined: Feb 2009 Location: London, UK Posts: 109	There's a great TX7 on the bay right now which looks tasty

24th February 2010	#25
Jetty Lives for gear Joined: Jul 2009 Location: Porno Norway Posts: 880	If you have the record or Spotify came to your internets, check out A-ha's "The swing of things". It's probably mostly DX7, the bass really cuts through eventhough it's very balanced in the mix (perhaps even a little subdued). Also, text book example of great synthpop And while you're at it, listen to "Cry Wolf" too. Same situation. And check out the envelope on the opening sound. Bouncy. __________________ Use the wheel, Luke! Use the wheel! WTB: Teisco 110F

24th February 2010	#28
tpwuk Gear nut Joined: Jan 2010 Location: NW England Posts: 115	Pet Shop Boys "Opportunities" - Classic DX Bass!

24th February 2010	#29
Beermaster Lives for gear Joined: May 2007 Location: London Posts: 2,136

25th February 2010	#30
mikael488 Gear addict Joined: Aug 2008 Posts: 414	IIRC the baseline on Two Tribes was sampled and sequenced on a Fairlight CMI.

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