Yamaha CX5M

Yamaha CX5M is an MSX-system compatible personal computer released in 1983. It expands upon the normal features expected from these systems with a built-in eight-voice FM synthesizer module, manufactured by Yamaha Corporation. It also had a MIDI interface, and came installed with music creation software for digital synthesis and a graphical music sequencer, capable of sequencing sounds and rhythms, with its internal FM synthesizer or external MIDI devices.

This FM synth itself has stereo audio outputs, an input for a purpose-built four-octave keyboard, and a pair of MIDI Input/Output ports that could be used for normal MIDI on the second revision of the CX5M but only management of data from a Yamaha DX7 on the first model.

The CX5M was built to the MSX standard, which included slots for inserting programmed cartridges. These extended the machine's capability, accepting a range of games, office applications and so on. Yamaha produced a range of cartridges including a programmer for Yamaha's DX range of FM keyboards and a real-time sequencer. Two of these, the Voice Editor and Music Composer, allowed the user to program a bank of 48 sounds for the CX5's own built in synthesizer and to sequence up to eight channels of music, controlling the built-in module or external instruments via MIDI, in step-time using a musical-stave input screen.

Three versions of the CX5M were released. The first contained as its FM module the SFG-01, which could not receive external MIDI note information; it required a proprietary keyboard and only used its MIDI port was an output to send data to Yamaha's then-flagship DX7. The second version, the CX5M II (or CX7M/128 in Japan), upgraded the FM system to the SFG-05, which supported MIDI input and thus allowed the internal FM synth to be played by any external MIDI keyboard. There was also a later CX5M II with some smaller differences.

Later, Yamaha released the Yamaha FB-01 MIDI module, which was effectively an SFG-05 in a standalone, portable case.

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