🎹 TDL Synth Chat – FM Synthesis Deep Dive with Matt Atkinson!

This week on TDL Synth Chat, I'm joined by Matt Atkinson, an FM synthesis enthusiast and longtime Yamaha DX collector. Matt has owned almost every DX synth over the years — from the DX7 and DX9 to the V50 and beyond — and in this episode he shares stories, history, sound design techniques, and a full demo of his Yamaha V50 custom sounds.

If you love FM synthesis, Yamaha DX gear, the V50, or just retro synth chat in general, you're going to enjoy this one!

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction
00:07 – Matt's DX journey & love of FM synthesis
01:14 – Early synth memories: Korg Delta, DX21, and teenage synth bands
03:01 – Learning synths, piano lessons, and being "unteachable"
05:06 – The UK 80s synth scene & Top of the Pops influence
07:10 – Saving for a DX11 & the challenge of FM piano sounds
08:33 – DX expression, velocity, and why FM responds so well
09:57 – The legendary Yamaha demo cassette tapes
12:02 – The D-50 arrives and changes everything
13:27 – DX11, TX81Z, and the shift in late-80s synth trends
15:03 – V50 rediscovery & restoring classic DX patches
16:29 – FM in dance music, Orbital & the Lately Bass
17:15 – Migrating patches to the V50 & custom bank building
18:49 – Regretted trades: Juno 106, AKAI samplers & music shop nostalgia
20:06 – Collecting DX9s & the hidden power of 4-operator synths
21:31 – Sending DX7 patches to a DX9 (and why it works!)
23:54 – TX7 responsiveness vs keyboard-based DX synths
25:04 – Programming FM for expressive textures
26:36 – DX5 & DX1 discussion (and near misses!)
27:29 – Inside the Grey Matter upgrade for the DX7
30:10 – Expansion ROMs & the mythical DX7 arpeggiator
31:33 – Yamaha's 80s ecosystem: QX, RX, CX computers
33:45 – TX816 dream machine
35:01 – RX5 memories & cartridge expansions
37:20 – Yamaha CX5 computer & early FM software
39:35 – Transition to 90s synths & the SY series
40:47 – Modern FM synths: OPSix & new FM flavours
41:16 – FM synthesis vs analog: the filter debate
42:11 – FM envelopes & programming approaches
43:47 – Patch editors & librarians (DX Manager, sysex tools)
44:22 – Why FM still matters today
44:47 – V50 Sound Demo – Custom patches, effects, atmospheres & classics
52:31 – Wrapping up and listener links
53:06 – Where to find Matt online (SoundCloud, YouTube)
55:05 – Outro

🎧 What's in this Episode?

• The birth of FM synthesis in the 80s

• DX7 myths vs reality

• Growing up in the golden era of Top of the Pops keyboards

• Comparing DX7, DX9, DX11, TX81Z, TX7 and V50

• Why the V50 is an underrated FM powerhouse

• Classic DX patches: Lately Bass, Solid Bass, EPs and more

• Matt's custom FM patches with effects

• Grey Matter Expansion for DX7 — what it does

• The D-50 and the fall of FM

• Yamaha's full 80s ecosystem: QX sequencers, RX drum machines, CX computers

• FM synthesis in dance, ambient, Tangerine Dream & more