MIDI recording with Yamaha QX 21 hardware sequencer
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- Опубликовано: 18 дек 2010
- So, here is my first video about the QX 21 (first built in 1985). I show you how to record in real time and step mode on the two tracks. There is another third track. The original recording will be copied to the third when a track is quantisized. And of course it can be used for copy & paste to arrange a proper song with different patterns or recordings. Let me now if you want to know more about this little sequencer.
specs: 2 recording tracks, 16 MIDI channels, MIDI in-out-throu, tape interface, footswitch for start/stop, 1/4 - 1/64 notes with 1/8, 1/16 and 1/32 triplet, 8.100 notes without velocity, tempo control via dial (40-250 bpm)
See also here for what a sequencer in general does: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_se... 
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Super helpful. After longing for the days of step sequencers, I just got a hold of one of these and am now able to tell what the hell is going on, thanks to this video. Thank you.
LOL the old QX21, bless it. My first sequencer over 20 years ago now. I've still got mine collecting dust somewhere. That metronome sound brings back some memories. I used to be able to work so fast with this bit of kit. In fact I created much better music using a QX21 and later a QX5FD than any version of Cubase. For some reason it allowed me to create much more fluid, and creative music, more spontaneous. Love it. What a great bit of kit.
Thanks for posting this! It brings back a lot of memories for me. the QX21 was my first sequencer, i got it back in '86 or so as part of a package yamaha sold. came with an MT1X 4 track cassette, rx-17 drum machine, and a dx-100. my first home studio!
I just wanted to say what a great video especially as it showcases the defining feature thst maked the QX21 different and much more powerful than the QX7, namely the ability to selectively delete a MIDI channel. This is a broadly misunderstood machine, largely because the workflow is not what you would expect if you are used to more recent conventions, but it is a lot more powerful than many believe. I have produced a few videos using it recently, and I had great fun doing them. It is an inspiring piece of kit and the fact that you can turn it off and when you turn it on agaim everything is exactly as you left it, instantly, makes all the differenxe to someone like me who can only spare 15.mins here and there to work on my current music project... Thanks!
Thanx for your comment and great to see the QX21 in your videos in action!
@@grauoliv Thanks! I enjoy using this clunky old machine... :-)
Yeah it’s a cool little sequencer. I mean, super basic compared to my MC-500, but meant for different purposes.
Question - how many synths do you normally sequence on it for a song?
I find I can do 1 easily (of course), 2 is alright, but once you get to 3 or more, sequencing an entire song for all of them gets tricky.
@@krystianseibert6610 great question. I've connected 3 synths + a drum machine, no problems. Thre three synths were being sequenced by the QX21 (one of them doubling as cintrol keyboard) and the durm machime was just taking clock from it. If there is a secret, it might be to use a MIDI THRU box unstead of daisy-chaining the synths (I use a Banana Split). The other thing to note is ypu have to be careful how you set up the channels so you don't have feedback loops and other nastyness. I have Echo Back = ON on the sequencer and the master keyboard must be set up not to play from the keyboard, but only from the MIDI IN. Another thing I found is that many synths will automatically start their sequencers and I had to turn that off. With the Crave I had some problems when I tried to sequence in the QX21 transpositions of the onboard sequencer, but I haven't tried everything yet so I haven't given up...
@@telantas Thanks - that’s helpful. One more question - when you sequence multiple synths, do you lay down a full sequence for one synth first on the corresponding MIDI channel, and then do the second synth on another channel etc? Because with the second synth - if you do the sequencing bit by bit, you basically need to do it on Track 1 and then ‘Track Down’ so it merges with the first synth already recorded and on Track 2. Then you do the next bit, and again do Track Down. So unless I’m wrong, once you’re adding sequences for other synths (even if on different MIDI channels) the Insert and Chain functions aren’t that useful - because if you already have something on Track 2 (on a different MIDI channel for another synth), when you ‘Insert’ then it just replaces that completely. And ‘Chain’ goes to the end of Track 2, rather than the end of what you have on Track 2 for the synth you’re currently sequencing. Sorry - bit of complicated question, but not much around about the QX21!
The KraftWerk poster is uber cool!
I still have my QX-21. I also have a Brother MDI-40 and PDC-100.
Those Casio sounds were also in the MT-240 keyboard, which I used as a sound module.
Such memories you've brought back. I'm going to dig out those old gems and start using them again.
5argeTech Thx mate ... and yeah, dig'em out and let us see/hear somethin'! :-D The Casio is another project as I removed the keys and speaker and have to build a nice case for the rest to have it as a sound module!
Thanks for the video! I just got a QX5 the other day. I've never used a sequencer before but I'll have to learn now that I own one.
***** I have a Brother PDC-100 which IMHO is much more powerful than the QX5. and cost less too. Plus the Brother had a Floppy disk drive built in......to save sequences and system exclusive data....
A really nice device! I didn't knew things like that existed! I have a Rx-7 drum machine of Yamaha, also a very nice device.
@grauoliv This is an excellent video. Just what I needed to understand hardware sequencing. You did a really good job and explained everything really clearly and perfectly. Thank you.
Great Video, now hardware sequencing actually makes sense to me.
thanks a lot, very useful tutorial!
thanks for the tutorial. just got one of these from a buddy, and can't wait to start playing with it. please give us a heads up if you make a more in depth video for this unit. I'm particularly interested in seeing a bit of work flow in regards to creating arrangements.
Thanks, Bro!
Thanks for posting this. =)
i have a problem there is a bip and it's write PR please help me i can't record in real time or anything thank you to answer me
@grauoliv Vielen dank für die Antwort, mit Timbralitäten hatte ich mich bisher noch nicht beschäftigt, doch jetzt macht es auf einmal alles Sinn. Manchmal sind es eben so kleine Grundsätzlichkeiten an die man nicht denkt.
Would this device work with a VAS like the M-Audio Venom,also I am new to sequencing,what exactly does this do?
Hey, I just got one of these and I'm new to midi, Is there anyway to record vocals with a microphone and transfer a song onto a computer? thanks!
i did some wild ass sequences on the QX21 for a couple of years then i got an Alesis MMT 8
***** the mmt8 had 8 trks for recording. The QX21 had only 2 trks, but you can bump the recorded track to trk 2, then record other parts on trk 1.
@@sargetech Indeed, and with the ability to delet channels that's almost like having many tracks (up to 16 I think). I do enjoy my QX21, I recently posred 3 videos using it as the sole sequencer in my setup.
Can you drop in and out of recording and overdub in real-time? Thanks for this demo video
I've been using this synth for a few months now (check my last few videos) and while I enjoy it a lot that's ome thing that it cannot do as far as I can tell: if you want to overdub, you need to rexord from the start. You don't erase what you recorded previously but you have to wait until the player gets to the point where you want to record sgsin, you cannot set "in" and "out" points for the overdub.
Schönes Video und schöner, simpler aber zuverlässiger sequencer, ich bin seit einiger Zeit auch im Besitz eines QX21. Wenn ich beispielsweise einen Drum oder Zweittrack oder was auch immer mit meinem geliebten Roland Alpha-Juno aufnehmen will, bleibt der zuvor aufgezeichnete track nicht bei dem sound mit welchem ich ihn aufgenommen habe, die Abfolge der Noten bleibt die gleiche, aber der Klang ändert sich immer zu dem, welchen ich gerade auf dem Juno verwende. Irgendeinen Rat vielleicht?
Hello,
Excellent demo..thanks
Can this be used to play another synth such as an Emu orbit etc.
Ie: can you take a midi recording such as the one you've just done and then have it play the sounds from a rack synth?
This may seem like a dumb question to someone who fully understands how midi works, but I'm just getting into midi. Cheers
Hi I saw your question and thought I'd put my two pennies in. I have been using exactly the same sequencer for the last few months, my last three videos use it and indeed you can use it to sequence any MIDI synth. Once the sequence is recorded, it has a number of parts, each on one MIDI channel, and each part will play on whatever synth happens to be listening on the channel.
I got this one since about 7 years ago, i took it from a friend who thought it was non-working, then most of the time it has been stored, forgotten in a drawer, then one day i founded it and tried to this time learn how to use it, with no much luck... now another friend gave me a kawai q80 sequencer, this one a lot more powerful and easy to use, i'm very happy! now the question is what to do with the yamaha? what do you honestly think it's really good for? i don't want to toss it! danke schon!!
Tengo uno
¡y yo!
Hey so I recently got a rx21 DX21 and a qx21. I found out how to connect the rx21 to the DX21 but my only concern is with the sequencer. Which plugs do I put in for the sequencer? I’m trying to make some bass but I can’t seem to find how to put in the sequencer
The MIDI solution with only those three would be
DX21 Out -> QX21 In
QX21 Out -> DX21 In
DX21 Thru -> RX21 In
That way, you can record in real time or step mode from the DX to the QX. And the RX should be tempo synced to the QX via the Thru.
grauoliv was thanks for the tip!
I have one more question and I’ll be out of your hair. How do you activate the jobs? I see that job c-4 is turned and I don’t know how to turn it back on.
For C and D jobs hit RESET & the C/D button.
@grauoliv any chance you know the midi resolution?
Hi, sorry for delay, I waited to look up the manual, which is at my studio. I couldn't find anything concerning the MIDI resolution, as of ppq, when you mean that. The smallest note you can enter is a 64th, so I would say, the resolution is 64 ppq.
thanks for the tut. can you record chords on it?
of course!
If you are still interested, check out the video I posted a couple of days ago, all the chords (in fact, everything but the drums) are played by my QX21.
Even though you can bounce two tracks to one, Is it only cable of 2 part multi timbral?
Each of the two tracks can playback all 16 MIDI channels at once. :-)
Thanks man,I've also discovered in the Manuel, that you can have 8 part multi-timbral from a multi-timbral synth as well. Do you know how many songs you can store in it's internal memory?
As there are 16 MIDI channels, you can hook up a 16 part multi timbral synth, for example the Access Virus. The memory of the QX 21 has in fact only one song, with two tracks.
So just to clarify, you can store up to one song that will support a full 16 or 8 part multi timbral song to the internal memory? Will the song still be in memory when you pull the plug out?
Yup & yup! :-)
All data on the two tracks and the (third) internal track.
I have problem i use dx7 and qx21. When i tried change preset to record next track, preset in first track changed too
***** As the DX7 is only mono-timbral, you can only play one sound at a time! This is normal behaviour. The keyboard in the demo has 4 individual sound parts, is 4-times multi-timbral.
So Is the Qx21 cable of processing 4 part multi-timbral, even though it only has two tracks?
Dumb question, how do I get it make sound? Do I have to run it back through the keyboard?
I heard one say, there are no dumb questions! If you have one keyboard/synth in connection with the QX, you plug the QX OUT to the keyboard IN. Then the keyboard plays the programmed sequence. When you program the QX, you hear the keyboard direct on its own! What have you connected so far to the QX or another sequencer?
grauoliv running it to a Yamaha psr 36
So, then it should work the way I discribed it. Maybe it's turned LOCAL OFF. Pressing MIDI and Elec./Jazz Guitar should turn it on. Maybe the QX's ECHO BACK (Job C-4) is turned off! The good is, both manuals are available online from Yamaha!
Got it working. Thanks for the help. Needed new midicables. Next step learning to chain them properly. So will be watching this again
@@williambrown319 I got my qx22 hooked to a psr36 just lile you, see my last two videos. The psr36 has this great facility where you can set send and receive midi channels separately so you can record the psr36 part and then use the psr36 to control another synth while it still plays its part...
Aphex Twin actually tried using one of these once.
successfully uses
@@Music-ct6yh Tried, and succeeded epicly!
eek! creepy!