Yamaha RX5 and RX drum machines timeline

[@synthfellow]

www.patreon.com/Synthfellow/membership For the sum of a cup of coffee I'd love your support! xoxoxo /Martin "Synthfellow"

[@tudorcris4953]

excellent

[@devingademan]

Excellent video and great timeline, Martin! The RX series are a special line of drum machines. Still lots of fun playing around with them. Recently I have uploaded some blogs and videos here on KZbin regarding the RX11 & RX5 as well!

[@synthfellow]

I’ve seen that video ;) … you got a new sub too.

[@JontasPocahontas]

Like the beat after ten minutes.

[@synthfellow]

Me too! :)

[@richardsmith4992]

Very nice vid, maybe a more detailed version on the RX5's sound mangling functions? I have the RX5, RX7, RX21 and had an RX8 and sold it on. The RX5 is IMHO the best drum machine of the mid 80's for sound manipulation - it's more like a synthesizer approach than a drum machine. The RX7 is really good for all the extra sounds, but is much the same, losing the mixer and multi-outputs, but still very good. The RX8 is nothing like any of the other RX's, in look and sounds, very dull and uninspiring TBH, has reverb and chorus effects...but so what! It's OK but just not a patch on the 5 or 7. One of Your drum button pads seems to be double triggering, probably the spring under the membrane is a bit weak and triggering the adjacent sound, easyish fix.

[@synthfellow]

Thank you and yeah I realised one pad was double triggering. Never done that before. I need to dive into the RX5 a little more but there will be a video with more in depth talking about sound editing. Somewhere in the future 😛

[@junksmith_wizard]

Did you mention the rx5usb? Its a open source modboard that lets you load custom samples onto your rx5. I built one and my rx now sounds like a lindrum (kinda)

[@synthfellow]

@@junksmith_wizard no I never mentioned that but have been looking for one. They’re always sold out ;)

[@PeranMe]

So many thoughts here… one of those snares I’ve always called the ”head drum snare”, because of Roxette’s ”The Look” (Head Drum Mix) which features it. I’m trying to remember a demo of one of the early RX machines in a store, my memory is saying even the very first models responded to velocity data over MIDI, but I’m not sure. Do you know if any of the RX machines lack velocity in? And finally, the most important question: is there a swing setting on the RX5?

[@synthfellow]

There is a swing setting on the RX5, yes and check on that question but if RX11 got velocity over midi I really can't say. My guess is yes but again... I don't know. My take from the RX11 is that it was used on Wonderland by Erasure. I've listened to that album A LOT so it's nice to know the drums where a RX11.. :)

[@billB101]

Of all the drums machines suitable for dance music and Hip hop back in the day, the RX series was easily bottom of the pile :). Shame really, the potential was there ( I once owned an RX21 ) just not the sound.

[@synthfellow]

Agree … the competition was rough!

[@billB101]

@@synthfellow For me it was the kick and snare, they just really didn't cut it. Rest of the percussion was OK ish. The rack mount RM50 that came out ten years later was pretty good though.

[@synthfellow]

@@billB101 I kind of like the kick and snare but as with most other drum machines it needs some eq and effect processing to stand out. Just as the DX7.