Oberheim DMX
The DMX is a programmable digital drum machine introduced in 1981 by Oberheim Electronics.
The Oberheim DMX was the second digital drum computer ever to be sold to the public as a product, following the Linn LM-1 in 1980. Its popularity among musicians of the era contributed to the sound and evolution of 1980's New Wave, synthpop and hip hop music.
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[edit] Background
Following the success of the LM-1, other manufacturers were quick to jump into the drum computer market. The DMX, like the Linn LM-1, featured sampled sounds of real drums, as well as individual tuning control and a swing function. In addition, it boasted several humanizing elements such as rolls, flams, and timing variations that were meant to mimic those of real drummers.
The DMX featured 24 individual drum sounds and allowed eight sound polyphony (up to eight sounds could be played at once). It also featured eight separate outputs for individual processing, and allowed up to 100 sequences and 50 songs. One of the more unique features of the DMX is that it allowed integration with Oberheim's proprietary interfacing system (the Oberheim Parallel Buss) that pre-dated MIDI and allowed Oberheim equipment to be synchronized with the machine. Third party companies also manufactured MIDI interfaces for the DX.[1]
The sounds samples were stored on easily removable voice cards in in UV eraseable EPROM 2732/2764 chips. These could be reprogrammed by the user of the device with raw PCM encoded sound files.[1]
The DMX's punchy and very realistic drum sound made it attractive towards many artists and producers involved in the fledging hip-hop scene and it is featured on many of the genre's early landmark recordings. It is in continuous use in dancehall reggae music.
[edit] Notable artists and songs that feature an Oberheim DMX
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[edit] Oberheim DX
Introduced in 1983, the Oberheim DX was a slightly stripped down version of the DMX, available at a lower cost. The look and feel of the machine is similar to that of the DMX, but it only featured 18 sounds instead of 24, allowed for 6-sound polyphony instead of 8, has a 4-digit 7 segment display instead of a 16 character alphanumeric display and has fake plastic wood instead of walnut. Additionally, the voices are stored on EPROMs directly on the circuit board, instead of removable voice cards. The DXa model added MIDI support from the factory.[4] Like the DMX, the DX was popular among early hip-hop artists.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Paul White (2011-11-02). "DMX Files Frequently Asked Questions". http://www.electrongate.com/dmxfiles/dmxfiles_faq.html. Retrieved 2011-11-13.
- ^ Roger Lyons (2004-04). "Recreating New Order's 'Blue Monday' Live". Sound On Sound. http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr04/articles/rogerlyons.htm. Retrieved 2011-11-13.
- ^ Richard Buskin (2004-03). "Classic Tracks: The Police's "Every Breath You Take"". Sound On Sound. http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar04/articles/classictracks.htm. Retrieved 2011-11-13.
- ^ "DMX / DX Comparison". http://www.electrongate.com/dmxfiles/comparison.html. Retrieved 2011-11-13.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Oberheim synthesizers |
- http://www.vintagesynth.com/oberheim/dmx.shtml
- http://www.vintagesynth.com/oberheim/dx.shtml
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GflqqvEZ9Ag Demonstration of classic DMX hip hop beats, programmed by Harlem Nights Music
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8P1a-795NI Demonstration of classic DMX disco beats, programmed by Harlem Nights Music
- http://www.electrongate.com/dmxfiles/index.html Technical information
- http://www.electrongate.com/dmxfiles/eproms.html Samples
