The Yamaha DX7 is a digital sythesizer used by Prince and his band in the mid-1980s. Prince acquired one during the Purple Rain sessions and it was used on Around The World In A Day, Parade and Sign O The Times.
The DX7 was purchased for Prince to use on the song "Love and Sex" (from the Purple Rain Deluxe edition). Prince first commercially available song featuring the DX7 was "When Doves Cry", where it was used for the closing keyboard solo. It was also used on "She's Always In My Hair", which was recorded during the Purple Rain sessions (the "Gotcha" preset).
The DX7 became Prince's primary keyboard for the Around The World In A Day sessions, replacing the analogue synthesizers he had previously used. The rest of the Revolution also adopted DX7s, and all exploited the new sounds it was capable of. Other songs that feature the DX7 include Around The World In A Day (flutes), Manic Monday (harpsichord) and Nothing Compares 2 U (vibes).
Prince would continue using the DX7 on Parade and Sign O The Times albums, before replacing it with the newer Roland D-50. Dr Fink and Boni Boyer would continue using DX7s until the Lovesexy tour.
Prince sold his Yamaha DX7, along with his Emu E-max II sampler in 1995. The DX7 and E-max II were put up for auction in 2020.
