DX11

Back in 1986, this synth stepped up the FM game by ditching plain sine waves for eight complex waveforms, letting you craft everything from glassy bells to punchy brass without the usual DX limitations.

It's built around classic 4-operator FM synthesis with 8-voice polyphony and true 8-part multitimbrality, so you can split the 61-note velocity-sensitive keyboard—complete with channel aftertouch—into zones for layered performances or MIDI sequencing. Controls dive into dedicated ADSDR envelopes per operator, a 3-stage pitch envelope, and a versatile LFO with saw, square, triangle, or random shapes, plus quick edits for tone, attack, and release. Effects include stereo reverb, DDL delay with pitch shift and feedback, pan, tremolo, and clever chord stacking for up to four notes per key. Memory holds 128 presets and 32 performances internally, with cartridge expansion for 64 more and a cassette interface for backups; MIDI In/Out/Thru handles breath control, mod wheel, and 13 microtuning scales.

Over the years, players have praised its expressive keyboard feel and multitimbral tricks for live layering, though some note the 8-voice limit can thin out dense patches compared to a DX7, and deep editing demands patience or third-party tools. Still, it's a gem for FM fans chasing those crystalline, evolving tones.