RMI electra-piano 368X demo [organ69]

[@aydanschlaffman6718]

I believe Ray Manzarek played this on “Hello, I Love You”, “Five to One”, “Shaman’s Blues”, and “Waiting for the Sun”.

[@jacobhoward-taylor]

That was actually the Gibson G-101, a combo organ.

[@miqueleto]

@@jacobhoward-taylor Gibson g101 in "Hello, I Love You" and "Shaman's Blues". "Five to One" and the chorus of "Waiting For The Sun" are definitely RMI sounds.

[@KorpKorpKorp]

​@@miqueletoHello, i love you was played with the rmi with the harpsichord preset and electric guitar. Waiting for the sun was played on the Gibson g101 with the repeat function

[@THECONTINENTALMAN]

​​@@KorpKorpKorpit was played with that and the RMI for sure. i'm sure the Gibson G101 was played in the beginning though. or there was a Farfisa in the beginning.

[@Le_Mer]

Beautiful instrument and great playing.

[@robertspencer5200]

Used by Blood Sweat and Tears "And When I Die" off 2nd album, keyboard solo. Also through rest of album.

[@meowzer999]

I love the quirky-cute sound.

[@UMAMIMAMU]

Love that bit crunching RMI sound!!! Best demo yet!

[@jumbosilverette]

Horace Silver used this instrument to great effect over several albums.

[@SuperDjlaf]

Fela Kuti-Expensive Shit(1975),the RMI 368X is on damn near every track and sounding good!

[@meowzer999]

Ron Mael, vintage glam-bubblegum Sparks!!!!

[@Le_Mer]

Stevie Wonder would make some real magic with this thing

[@audiodood]

He did! He didn’t use his much, but it’s used for the rhythm chords on Isn’t She Lovely.

[@therealniksongs]

Really good demonstration of the different voices of the instrument and the tonal variations to be had by selecting the stops in different combinations. The "Lute" plus "Accenter" was always a favorite of mine. The Lute sound was quite effective for playing bass parts.

[@DoctorRazzArea4]

Can't help but think of 70s sun ra

[@Stoney-Jacksman]

spaceways incorporated

[@wyattdoodat]

I used to have one of these, played it thru a Fender Twin. Each key had its own oscillator with a small thumbwheel trimpot for tuning. A capacitor circuit did the "damping" in piano mode and was disconnected for organ mode, however the organ did not sustain indefinitely. The Alesis QS6.1 I have now does a fair imitation of it.

[@meowzer999]

I useta have a sweet Yamaha which did a purr-fect RMI electric piano sound.

[@ericbgordon1575]

There's an RMI emulation in the *QS6.1???* Why wasn't that uploaded to the original QS6 I have? Talk about short change!

[@ericbgordon1575]

My own Yamaha, the S90XS has exquisite RMI patches,@@meowzer999.

[@wyattdoodat]

@@ericbgordon1575 You know how this is played....you sell your QS6 on Ebay for peanuts (minus shipping) then search for months for a QS6.1...you find one (missing 3-1/2 keys, no pedals, buzzes slightly, and shuts off every 17 minutes) for 10x your QS6 take. But you'll be happily synthesizing a 1968 keyboard at the 1999 level. KOOL!

[@ericbgordon1575]

Hehehehehehe, real cute,@@wyattdoodat. I am more than satisfied with the sounds I can get from from my Roland JX models or the Yamaha S90XS.

[@r0bertfrank]

sometimes I loop this video, throw on some UAD reverb, add rainy mood and just let it run for hours while im working

[@ZenArcher9091]

this was the keyboard of choice for Broadway pit orchestras in the 1970's "Pippin," "Godspell," and most of Sondheim's work from that period used the RMI

[@horowizard]

Interesting. That explains why I ended up playing one as the Musical Director of a local touring show while enrolled in the Performing Arts program in College which was right around that same time.

[@therealniksongs]

Never knew that. It might be because they were so reliable.

[@TheJerichoRambler]

I had one in the 70's - I don't remember it sounding this good but it looked killer cool with a blue top, was very sturdy/heavy and a Yamaha combo organ sat happily on top of it. Of course I wish I still had it.

[@audiodood]

the blue ones were earlier models, they were cool but didn’t sound quite as good

[@parkingcurb]

Winwood played one of the blue ones for blind faith I think.

[@therealniksongs]

There's a clip out there of Keith Jarrett playing a blue top 300A with Miles.

[@therealniksongs]

Bought one new 1/8/1972. Still have it.

[@THECONTINENTALMAN]

​@@therealniksongs cool!

[@iamdamosuzuki_]

All I can think of is "Night of the Purple Moon" and "Cosmos" by Sun Ra.

[@therealniksongs]

The RMI 368 (so-named for its 68 keys) and its predecessor the 300B (61 keys) were very popular in the early-mid 70's and were used by Tony Banks of Genesis (Just listen to "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway") and Rick Wakeman of Yes. You can also hear that distinctive sound on a couple of hits by The Spinners, "Rubber Band Man" and "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love." Dr. John's huge hit "Right Place Wrong Time" also features the instrument prominently.

[@therealniksongs]

Sorry, I should have looked more closely, it is a 368X.

[@stevec.1802]

Excellent. 🎧 all the basic food groups in one keyboard, and light weight. What’s not to love. Excellent presentation.

[@rhgmuziek656]

i had two RMI's in the early 70's. Great design with the fold-up legs and carrying handles.

[@awaken77]

For me associated with Rick Waleman's excerpt from "Wives" (Yessongs), and Tony Banks in "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway"

[@meowzer999]

For me Ron Mael of Sparks in their Glam heyday too!

[@meowzer999]

Is it RMI organ Rick plays in Yessongs Starship Troopers? I love the sound, cool day-glo vs. the usual Hammond sound Rick used.

[@awaken77]

@@meowzer999 yes it was used together with Minimoog in Starship Trooper final solo

[@Jdizzle6969]

Long distance runaround?

[@awaken77]

@@Jdizzle6969 i think in Long Distance real piano is used (for rhythmic part during the verse)

[@jaggass]

You can hear the influences it had on the Yamaha DX7.

[@longde]

you mean on the Piano 1 preset?

[@jaggass]

@@longde Yes.

[@gabekarp3008]

Horace Silver used this for a few records in the 70’s. Sound is unmistakable and wonderful.

[@Niktheman74478]

Steve knight used this keyboard occasionally in in mountain, listen to “Nantucket Sleighride”. I believe he also used it some live performances

[@godisbollocks]

Makes me think of Dr. John's classic "Such A Night".

[@horowizard]

And Right Place Wrong Time.

[@krisscanlon4051]

RMI used by Roxy Music and Sparks in the beginning of their careers...distanct sounds.

[@johnmeowzer8333]

Yes I love the organ sound Ron Mael used in Sparks' Thanks But No Thanks, very refreshing vs the same old Hammond sound so many others used

[@THECONTINENTALMAN]

​@@johnmeowzer8333do not discredit the Hammond like that! it's not the music complex's problems that many of the predecessors of the synthesizer where extremely unknown

[@johnmeowzer8333]

@@THECONTINENTALMAN No offense intended.

[@THECONTINENTALMAN]

@@johnmeowzer8333 cool.

[@CrandMackerel]

That Filles de Kilimanjaro sound!

[@Musichead1968]

Also used extensivy by Robert Bailey of Osibisa, especially on the album 'Woyaya'.

[@meowzer999]

The organ sound was cute, nice alternative to the usual heavy Hammond sound.

[@vampyros1]

Todd Rundgren used this RMI quite a lot during his Something/Anything? period. Sounded great, too.

[@edocampo9123]

Hey Paul iytson the under side of the piano.. look for a black nob, turn. Counter clockwise witth a slight push in movement and the fuse will be exposed. Copy what type of fuse. Simply push back in and all will be well.

[@peterkohlmetzmoller]

Sounds great!! Love the lofi vibe!

[@meowzer999]

Did it have an electric piano sound? I fell in love with this keyboard thanks to Ron Mael of Sparks playing it on Propaganda (I got that before I got Kimono My House!). I always assumed the electric piano on "B.C." was his RMI, but maybe it was a Fender Rhodes...? I thought the electric piano in the Ohio Players' "Ain't Givin' Up No Ground" was an RMI also.

[@audiodood]

all electrapiano

[@johnmeowzer8333]

cool thanx

[@jordanhedlund]

Great playing, man!

[@Kris.G]

one of Jon Lord's favourite instruments

[@awaken77]

solo in Rat Bat Blue

[@olliewalker6406]

That bass sound at 1:55 is enough sell me on this!

[@nuclearferrets]

that part from 01:30 on should be an actual worked out song, it's perfect!

[@izlepox5234]

i really like your playing style

[@rollerdam]

what a great sound!!!

[@EmiPianoMX]

Also on Dream On

[@brunorusso6957]

Tony Banks had one, I think

[@onsesejoo2605]

Capitan Brunoskji This was fairly popular in the 70's. Ron Mael of Sparks and Rick Wakeman of Yes also used one.

[@meowzer999]

I love the RMI sound Ron Mael got! Also love the RMI in Ohio Players' "Ain't Givin' Up No Ground".

[@onsesejoo2605]

John Meowzer It is also on John Lennon's Imagine together with acoustic piano.

[@didierleroux189]

the lamb lies down ...

[@officialpierluk]

He sure did and used it a lot on the lamb lies down on Broadway and used it to play the acoustic piano parts live until he got his Yamaha CS-70 electric grand piano

[@michaellavender]

What is being played around 0:54 and up? Love that

[@jaggass]

I wonder if Capcom sampled an RMI electra piano 368X to make the intro on many SNES games.

[@jerrypalmer3534]

I had one of these..I hated the action, but like the sounds..Sure wish I had it yet....

[@alantelles7379]

Love the sound of this piano. For contributing my 2 cents, it was very used at 70's in Brazil by great musician Cesar Camargo Mariano as it can be heard in many tracks of Elis Regina "Elis 1972" album. A great example is this song kzbin.info/www/bejne/i36WdqOpgrdsla8

[@noahbobrow]

I was just going to comment this haha what a great album

[@FEVERTEAM1]

Dr John, Right place at wrong time intro.

[@Daniel_L_Bain]

Has that 1970s nyc vibe

[@rot_studios]

That is quite impressive for an analog electric piano, some of those tones are very close to the real thing whilst giving an own nice vibe.

[@TheJerichoRambler]

RMI meant, get this, Rocky Mountain Industries. Too cool.

[@therealniksongs]

Actually, it stood for "Rocky Mount Instruments" named after the plant in Rocky Mount, NC where they were built. But it was always a part of Allen Organ Company of Macungie, PA, and all the design and engineering were done at Macungie.

[@serafeliz]

This is cool!!!!!!

[@maxfieldstarling7496]

Ok so I have been trying really hard to find out what keyboard is used in a variety of songs, but I’m convinced they’re all the same. Jerry Reed’s “It Don’t Work That Way”, Harry Nilsson’s “P.O.V. Waltz”, Bobby Goldsboro’s “She”, and Leon Russell’s “Me and Baby Jane”. If anyone could help me on this it would be nice.

[@jaggass]

I think i can hear pulse and sawtooth waveforms although in different frequencies.

[@beenthinkinaboutyou]

I would die to get one of these.

[@cotavic]

Steve Winwood used one on Empty Pages...

[@chieftp]

+Claudia Bouzas I was wondering how he got that shitty sound...

[@cotavic]

You can see him using the RMI at the Blind Faith Hyde Park show...

[@cotavic]

Sounds like it to me

[@jamesdelornhowlandjr.6516]

I love it

[@ericbgordon1575]

Is this one of the models that were so early in the game that RMI could not include touch sensitivity in the keybed?

[@keymbord]

I believe the 368x was released a bit before the 68d (touch sensitive model, special order & very rare) but was still being made when the 68d waa

[@ericbgordon1575]

Thank you @@keymbord.

[@DrakeJennings]

Didn't Ray Manzarek use one of these for the song Hello I Love You? Thanks, E.D.J.

[@horowizard]

No, I'm sure that was an Organ.

[@jameslarge434]

He did it was a blue one

[@jameslarge434]

@@horowizard no he did

[@meowzer999]

Did it have an *electric piano* sound too...? - I always thought it did. I thought the electric piano Ron Mael played in Sparks' "B.C." and also the one in Ohio Players' "Ain't Givin' Up No Ground" was RMI...all this time and I didn't know till now that it had an actual electrified-acoustic piano sound, ha!

[@therealniksongs]

Well, they called it a "piano" sound. I've had one for 52 years and NEVER thought it sounded anything like an acoustic piano, but the beauty of it is, nothing sounds like IT either. It's unique, and I loved it for what it was. Also very versatile with the "Organ Mode" allowing one to play it without the piano type decay so you could get by using it as an organ, especially if you ran it through a Leslie, as I did.

[@rosyrose2112]

Gentle Giant

[@gurgisjones1120]

Ron Mael brought me here. Maybe Tony Banks and Ray Manzarek too.

[@GoldenScarab45]

Sun Ra!

[@bostrowskij]

Fela Kuti used a RMI electrapiano

[@ciganaromungra]

Waaaaaannnnnnttttt

[@meowzer999]

Didn't it also have a more electric piano, Fender-y sound too? Or am I totally wrong, ha.

[@krissaxen3082]

it was used by Stevie Wonder, The Doors, Sly & the family...

[@pl443]

This instrument is so favoured by Ron Mael of Sparks.

[@jasonmcgary]

Do u own all these organs that you post videos for?

[@MiguelKertsman]

Hi, very cool channel! I've just got a fully restored RMI and have a question... without using a sustain pedal -- I need to get one -- the instrument plays and sounds like the sustain is always on. Also, the organ mode does not seem to make a difference, meaning the sustained sound quality is also engaged all the time. Have you experienced this issue as well? 2. Maybe the sustain pedal works in reverse...? Meaning, when you depress the pedal the sustain is gone? Would appreciate any info you may have thanks

[@organ69]

Hi, Thanks for your comments. OK, I changed the RMI sustain jack to 1/4 inch jack.And I use Yamaha sustain pedal not Korg pedal. If I use Korg type pedal, pedal works reverse.

[@MiguelKertsman]

@@organ69 Hi, many thanks. Will try different pedals and hopefully that will solve the issue. Right now it sounds like the keyboard is in organ mode all the time... cheers

[@pickrhead7185]

@@MiguelKertsman How about if there's no pedal plugged in? If it's still sustaining with the organ mode off you might have a bad jack or possibly the organ mode switch.

[@danmantyla3315]

@@pickrhead7185 @organ69 this is how all RMI Elektras work, so there is nothing wrong with yours. If you don't want any sustain at all, you can make a jumper between the tip and the sleeve on the jack for the sustain pedal. What I did is I made a switch and I put it next to the "accent" switch, replacing the black piece of plastic.

[@gorod2314]

すごくいい音ですね　温かみのある音です！　なんて曲を演奏しているんですか？

[@organ69]

ありがとうございます！これは友人ピアニストが弾いているのですが彼のオリジナルだと思います。

[@thepaulmacfarlane]

Wakeman, Banks.....

[@mikereiss4216]

RIck Wakeman used one on Fragile.

[@therealniksongs]

All over "Long Distance Runaround."

[@Valhall1414]

Dry sound all the way?

[@garrettmccleery6038]

Just saw one at a thrift store. Would have picked it up but they had it priced at $150 with a broken key.

[@entangledbandaustralia6671]

Would you mind telling us where you saw it. On the off-chance that I am in the same country as you, I would go and buy it :)

[@serafeliz]

where can I buy this piano

[@serafeliz]

Nick Palladino wow haha, you mean you're selling it?! how much it costs?

[@serafeliz]

+Nick Palladino oh i thought you're the guy. lol.

[@nickpalladino8265]

Yes I have the same one. I'm located in NJ if you would like to test it out?

[@serafeliz]

Nick Palladino Oops.. New Jersey? oic.. I'm in Singapore.. haha

[@edsknife]

What are the voices from left to right? I know that the furthest left lever reads "Piano" and another is "Lute," but I am still having a hard time figuring it out. All I want to do is find the voices that Tony Banks used in Carpet Crawlers.

[@therealniksongs]

Piano, Piano PP, (a softer version of "Piano") Harpsi, Harpsi PP (a sofetr version of "Harpsi") Lute and Accenter. The softer versions were there primarily to give the player a different blend when selecting one of the other primary voices; selecting Piano PP along with Lute gave a very different vicing than selecting Piano with Lute. I still have my 300B purchased new in January of 1972. It still works. RMIs were extremely well made, very tough and also very heavy! What they did NOT, have however, was touch sensitivity, except for a very rare model made only near the end called the 68D. But they did have a sustain pedal, and that was very useful in helping the player to be more expressive. Tony liked to run his RMI through a lot of phasing.

[@therealniksongs]

The "Accenter" was a percussive sound that was meant only to be added to the other sounds. It sounded something like a wood block, but was only one pitch, that is, it did not vary in pitch depending on the key, like the other sounds did.

[@therealniksongs]

Oh, sorry, forgot the "Organ Mode" tab which really only added a much longer sustain to any of the other voices. It allowed them to be played like an organ, although the sustain was not infinite as it is on a true organ.

[@therealniksongs]

From left to right: Piano, Piano PP, Harpsi, Harpsi PP, Lute, Organ Mode, Accenter. "Piano PP" is the same sound as "Piano" but softer, designed to be used when blending the "Piano" sound with the "Harpsi" or "Lute" sounds. "Harpsi PP" is the same idea but using the harpsichord sound. "Lute" doesn't have a PP option. It's a pretty neat sound on its own but also adds a bit of fullness to the other sounds. "Organ Mode" is not a sound at all but is a switch that changes the decay characteristics of the other sounds, extending the sustain of the note so that it, in effect, plays until the key is released. The "Accenter" just adds a sort of "wood block" sound to the other three. It's not very noticeable when added to the Piano sound but is more so when coupled with the Harpsi or Lute sounds.

[@stacks_horner]

Ray Charles used this keyboard on his albums as well

[@rofeher]

They used transistor oszillators. Says Wikipedia.

[@JVW325]

Does the 300b have the same sounds as the 368?

[@therealniksongs]

The 300B has pretty much the same sounds but does not have the Volume slider or Bass boost. And of course seven fewer keys at the top end than the 368. Some later models had a feature called "Undulate." The 300B did not have this either.

[@ChickenVendetta]

Can anyone enlighten me as to how these function compared to, say, a Wurlitzer or a Rhodes? Not tines or reeds, I assume, but then how?

[@wavecast64]

It uses analog oscillators to produce the tones

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

This should've been the piano in _Streets of Rage 2_.

[@biabear04]

+ClassicTVMan1981X hahaha

[@ROLT]

Very good, great instrument, guy, maybe you could help me with one thing, I am making a model in miniature of that keyboard, I´d like to ask you, if you don´t mind, the dimensions of it, such as width / length / height, in centimeters, as well for the front panel, would you help me with that, good wishes and thanks for the video.

[@organ69]

Unfortunately I don't have this piano now. I only know, 1,080mm(W)×910mm(H)×620mm(D)

[@ROLT]

Thank you, this is enough for me, All the best!

[@TealScarab]

I think Demon’s Eye by Deep purple when it comes to this keyboard.

[@ВасилийТёркин-й2ю5т]

The Yes :-)

[@tobiasgruner8732]

Rick Wakeman use this sounds on Yessongs (The Six Wives etc.).

[@viralbuthow000]

Galt Macdermot used this I think

[@pierrenhy3835]

It sounds a little bit cheap

[@davitofarito]

If I recall these ones had no touch sensitivity for note loudness.

[@therealniksongs]

That is correct. Except for the very rare Model 68D, introduced shortly before the ElectraPiano went out of production. I've always assumed the "D" in 68D was for "Dynamics" but never saw anything official from RMI or Allen stating that. And why "68D" instead of "368D" since this model was a continuation of the 300 series? We are left to wonder.

[@kingofallwhites]

eBay. No longer made.

[@kingofallwhites]

***** ?

[@rickperlstein9988]

That's about as good as one of those pieces of crap can sound. Poor Herbie Hancock, forced to play one on "Filles de Kilamajaro."

[@horowizard]

Yes, I always found that to be an interesting choice. Typical Miles Davis, always experimenting. Hancock is playing it (listed as Electric Harpsichord) on the recording of Splash. There's also a famous clip of Keith Jarrett playing one and grimacing that whole time.

[@thecrippledrummer]

@@horowizard Keith Jarrett grimaces no matter what he’s playing.

[@thecrippledrummer]

Apparently a lot of great players didn’t have your excellent ear for sound.

[@horowizard]

Even worse, Hancock had to play a cheesy Farfisa Organ on Tribute To Jack Johnson. Hancock just showed up. Miles said 'Play!' and the Organ was all they had there in the studio.

[@therealniksongs]

Hardly a "piece of crap." You can either love the sound or hate it--it's just different. Worst aspect is that it was not touch sensitive, so, difficult to play with the expressiveness that one could with a more piano-like instrument. This makes sense when considering that its sound generation method had more in common with an organ than a piano. Much better built than a Rhodes or a Wurlitzer. I've had all three. The Rhodes action would get sloppy and loose after a while, requiring maintenance. Wurlies would break reeds all the time, requiring replacement and a positively insane method of tuning the new reeds once installed by adding solder to them in just the right amount and having to add more solder or file it off to get the reed in tune. Nuts. I don't miss either my Rhodes or my Wurlie, as excellent sampled versions exist in much more reliable instruments with much better built actions like the Yamaha Motif series and Montage or just about any modern sample playback synth from Nord, Roland, Korg, etc.. I still have my RMI 52+ years after I bought it. It still works just fine. It is unique. Nothing sounds like it. You can diss it and say, "no one WANTS to sound like it" but many will disagree. But as far as build quality, it's a tank.