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They don't make them like that any more: the Yamaha DX7 keyboard

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For me, the theme from the TV show Twin Peaks typifies the DX7 sound but, frankly, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a successful album from the mid-80s where you don’t hear it. Typically an electronic oscillator would generate a tone whose pitch was set by the key pressed, and then a variety of filters and amplitude modifiers would work on the sound to change its properties. You couldn’t play chords on an analog synthesizer, which made it a ‘lead’ instrument in popular music – something that carried a distinct tune rather than providing an accompaniment.

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