YAMAHA RX-5 (1986)
Digital Rhythm Programmer

The RX-5 is flagship model of RX series: digital drum machine with pads and sequencer.

DRUM MACHINE Main panel features a 16 x 2 lines display, 24 drum pads, 36 buttons, 4 sliders while on the opposite part there is a 12- parts instrument mixer.

Back panel terminal connectors:
- headphones out
- main analog signal out+ 12 separate analog outs + click out
- Midi interface
- clock sync I/O
- start / stop footswitch input
- 2 cartridge slots for data and PCM.

Power supply standard external PSU AC-DC 12V +)- polarity

TECH main core based on a 8-bits CPU Hitachi HD63B09 manages 16 voices polyphony, relative DAC is a 16 bits IC YM3014 (floating point). Each voice is assigned to a PCM sample (rompler) and a pad with different parameters:

- pitch tune - backward play - damp (for cymbal) - volume mix gain - stereo panning

WAVETABLE internal ROM contains 24 PCM samples at 25 kHz- 8/12 bits, split in 2 ROM banks (at IC 45/46 -about 1 megabyte).

DOWNLOAD Free RX5 SAMPLE PACK!

 

 

CARTRIDGE The wavetable can be expanded using special custom WRC cartridge models also suitable for module PTX8.

Catalog name PCM demo LINK WRC 01 Standard-Latin 28   WRC 02 Jazz & Fusion 24 WRC 03 Heavy Rock 15 WRC 04 Effect 19 Metrasound collection TR808 26   Metrasound collection Tr909 28   Note: WRC-1 is factory bundled with RX5 - Metrasound pictures from Ebay auction.

EDIT INTERFACE all sound and sequencer edit is done by pushing first the JOB button with a particular nippon logic -- intricate and poorly intuitive.

 

LFO just a single modulator: it is the BEND modulation raises or lowers the pitch in 60 semitones range in a determined time speed.

ENVELOPE each voice features a 4-segments EG ADDR (attack decay decay 2 release) + 2 times for D1 and GATE the overall sound time, excluding the fourth release segment.

TIP a good trick for strange lo-fi sounds is the special "loop switch" mode functions HEAR keyswitch

SEQUENCER there are 2 classic record modes:
- step grid
- real-time

Some sequencer main functions: -SIGNATURE variable time signature are available: 1/2 1/4 1/12 1/16 1/24 and 1/32 - QUANTISIZE levels from 1/2 to 1/48 precision - SWING option works only in quantize time of 1/8 or 1/16 with range 50%-70%.

SYNC frequency range from 40 to 250 BPM and 3 external sync modes:

- external Midi clock - tape sync in recorder TAPE IN. - external analog signal: trigger with an analog signal (generally pulse wave).

 

MIDI it is possible to trigger sounds using MIDI protocol channel RX and TX can be set by user (Midi control by IC YM3802).

 

MEMORY :

- 100 RAM patterns (up to 99 measures) - 20 RAM songs Memory doubled if a Yamaha RAM4 cartridge is fitted. LEFT - BATTERY REPLACEMENT: a standard 3V CR2032 soldered to mainboard. -Click to magnify PIC -

 

EDIT there is NO offical RX5 editor.

A hard to find retro- program is the YRM-302 RX EDITOR for MSX 8 bits computers - although it is optimized for models RX 11 / 15 / 21, it partially works on the RX5.

MODIFICATION & MAINTENANCE

RX5 is quite a workhorse and requires no particular care, maybe some cleaning the pot sliders. BENDING Due to its limit and its actual cheap price the RX series are often subject (victim?) to circuit bending experiments DISCLAMER WARNING: DO NOT PUT A SCREWDRIVER AT RANDOM INTO THE MACHINE (LIKE I DO) THIS IS DANGEROUS -- bla bla --

HEAR Circuit bending experiment

 

RELATED RX FAMILY:

RX11 first of the series	RX15 improved rx11	RX21 budget version with different soundset	RX21L same as RX17 but with latin-oriented sound
RX17 halfway between RX21 and RX21L	RX120 a preset pattern version of 21	RX7 less features than rx5 but more PCM	RX8 first with 16 bits sample

 

VST PLUGIN / SAMPLED VERSION there are some free and commercial samples set:

-denhaku

free sample set + card WRC1