In 1983, the DX7 changed everything. It had a sleek new look and a whole new sound. The DX7 was everywhere for much of the 80s, and it was a big part of countless hit songs.

In 2021, DX Dreams captured the essence of the DX series in a virtual version that gives you many of the iconic sounds of the 80s.

In 2023, DX Dreams II expands on the original with a fresh new set of sounds sourced from the second generation DX instruments: the DX7II, TX802, and FS1R.

In 2026, DX Dreams II almost doubles in size with new content deep-sampled from the SY77… a sleeper in some circles, but an absolute monster of a synth!

DX Dreams II meticulously captures over 50 new custom patches from 2nd generation DX instruments. Recorded through British mic preamps, various analog tape models, and legendary 80s FX, this is the ultimate reproduction of these legendary instruments. Most sounds were sampled across all 88 keys with as many velocity layers as necessary to make them indistinguishable from the original hardware. As with all BackStage Pass instruments, the level of detail and quality is off the charts.

Much of the focus is on new electric pianos you can only get from the DX7II, TX802, FS1R, and SY77; sparkly, crystalline, and textural. There are also several pads, synth bells, arpeggios, basses, effects, and 10 combo patches that layer the EPs with acoustic pianos for those iconic 80s ballads. Finally, DX Dreams II comes with custom AMS reverb samples for complete 80s authenticity.

• Over 27 GB of meticulously deep-sampled content sourced from a DX7IIFD, two TX802s layered together, an FS1R, and an SY77.

• Stunning production-ready sounds captured through the hit-making hardware of the DX era: British preamps, various analog tape models, Dimension D chorus, and AMS RMX16 reverb

• Built from the ground up for uncompromising performance without the CPU/RAM penalties, authorization issues, and other hassles of 3rd party plugins

• Built-in EQ, chorus, compression, and custom AMS “Nonlin” reverb samples for shaping your sounds right at the source - including that classic nonlinear reverb of the 80s

• MainStage 3.4.4/Logic 10.5.0 or later, along with all factory content

• 28 GB free space

• TouchOSC version 1 on any iPad if you want to use the optional touch editor (for MainStage version only)

DX Dreams II for MainStage/Logic is $99 and includes:

• 49 original source sounds (27.5 GB WAV data), deep-sampled from various combinations

• Detailed graphic environment for MainStage meant for live performance

• Logic Pro session that duplicates all sounds from the MainStage version including all FX routing

• Custom “Nonlin” reverb impulse sample from the AMS RMX16 reverb

• TouchOSC editor for iPad, for complete hands-on control (MainStage version only)

For a video answer to this question, click HERE

The MainStage versions were designed and built specifically for live performance, and as such, they have an elaborate interface with corresponding iPad controls using TouchOSC. They also come with a fully loaded MainStage “Concert” file where all sounds are loaded and ready to play, with onscreen controls that let you dial in effects and other settings as you play.

The Kontakt versions are much simpler: they give you the core sounds themselves, but since they are designed to use within a DAW, they have more basic controls for built-in EQ, chorus, compression, and the AMS “Nonlin” reverb. They are meant to be used as part of a larger production, where you add your own effects as needed from your DAW or other plugins.

It’s important to understand that there’s no way to exactly match some of the sounds between the MainStage/Logic and Kontakt versions; you can only approximate certain aspects since they use different filters, envelopes, and effects. I spent hundreds of hours obsessively tweaking the Kontakt versions to get as close as possible, but there will always be some differences on certain types of sounds.

However, this does NOT mean the sounds are compromised in any way: the Kontakt versions still maintain the world-class sound of any BackStage Pass instrument, and you simply won’t find any other way to get these iconic, massive sounds that DX Dreams delivers.

For a video answer to this question, click HERE

All modeled DX7 plugins give you just a single DX7 at a time. And like the hardware, those sounds are, frankly, pretty boring!

That’s where DX Dreams has a huge advantage: you would need 8 or more instances of a DX7 plugin to equal just ONE instance of DX Dreams - and even then, it wouldn’t sound nearly as good. DX Dreams was obsessively captured using stacks of DX hardware through top-notch processing.

For accuracy, DX Dreams was also deep-sampled to capture the full expressive range of each sound. DX7 “Rhodes” sounds, for example, are notoriously difficult to capture with sampling. In those cases, enough velocity layers were captured chromatically to make a truly accurate model that’s indistinguishable from the hardware - except DX Dreams sounds much better than the raw hardware!

Absolutely, when done right! See this video for more on this topic!

Absolutely! There is a $29 crossgrade for those who need to switch between the MainStage/Logic and Kontakt versions. Inquire HERE.

Yes! Simply send a message here and let me know what you’re interested in!