TX81Z

Back in 1987, this little rackmount gem broke new ground in FM synthesis by ditching pure sine waves for eight different waveforms, opening up metallic, percussive timbres that older DX models just couldn't touch.

It's an 8-voice polyphonic, multitimbral FM tone generator using 4 operators per voice across 8 algorithms, powered by a single Yamaha YM2414B chip with dedicated ADSDR envelopes, a 3-stage pitch envelope, and two LFOs offering saw, square, triangle, or random shapes. Controls are straightforward with 11 push buttons, a 32-character backlit LCD for editing over 100 parameters like operator levels, velocity sensitivity, fixed/ratio frequencies, and microtonal scaling from 13 presets. Housed in a compact 1U chassis—480mm wide, 282mm deep, 45mm high, and just 3.4kg—it packs stereo outs, a headphone jack, MIDI In/Out/Thru, sustain and portamento inputs, plus clever pseudo-effects like reverb via envelope modulation, delay by retriggering, pan, and chord memory. Memory holds 128 ROM presets (including the legendary LatelyBass), 32 user voices, and 24 performance setups for layering, splitting, or detuning voices across 8 parts.

Players love its upgraded sound quality and DX21/27/100 compatibility, making it a budget-friendly entry to classic FM tones that's still hunted for sequences and modern MIDI rigs, though the button-only editing can feel cryptic without an external librarian.