> The maximum for a pure analog polysynth was 8 notes, and cheaper models had between four and six notes. No fancy jazz chords. Especially not with sustain.
Some had total polyphony though, by using divide down oscillators.
> The DX7 stood out because the keyboard responded to velocity, and it had an incredible 16 notes of polyphony. So you could play your fancy jazz chords on the epiano sound with the sustain pedal down, and the notes would respond to your fingers and wouldn't cut off too obviously.
The dx7 was capable of making sounds that were simply impossible to create with regular analogue subtractive synthesis, because FM (phase modulation in practice) allowed drastic tonal changes in a timbre "through time". So the attack of a patch could have a completely different "waveform" than its release, thanks to operator interaction. That's what the true novelty, a realism no analogue synth could achieve.
Some had total polyphony though, by using divide down oscillators.
> The DX7 stood out because the keyboard responded to velocity, and it had an incredible 16 notes of polyphony. So you could play your fancy jazz chords on the epiano sound with the sustain pedal down, and the notes would respond to your fingers and wouldn't cut off too obviously.
The dx7 was capable of making sounds that were simply impossible to create with regular analogue subtractive synthesis, because FM (phase modulation in practice) allowed drastic tonal changes in a timbre "through time". So the attack of a patch could have a completely different "waveform" than its release, thanks to operator interaction. That's what the true novelty, a realism no analogue synth could achieve.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ApmgnKkqaI