@AudioPilz did your unit have replaced buttons, they look very white ? Mine have turned yellow and are a bit unreliable to press, have been thinking about trying to get the replacement pack of buttons and soldering them on
@@johangamb replace them, and be more careful with use in the future. These knobs are not made to get slammed with a hammer. No knob is , except arcade style buttons, maybe.
@@Projacked1 it's not the knobs that are the problem, they are fine. It's the black and white "key" buttons. It's a known issue, and definitely not due to abuse. I've barely used mine.
Florian, mate.. How many hours do you have in your week? Procure obscure old kit - learn how to use it - bang out three tunes and a highly polished video with endless memes in it. What a talent!
@@SoundOfVinyl to be honest FL has more then 20 people.... if we don't then make me 21..... I absolutely love this piece, but I use more then the bs pre set patches.... I make my own....
Ain’t gonna lie..my heart sank when I seen the RM1x. This is the best hardware sequencer I have ever used. I still use it in my performances. I use it with my integra 7 and my motif xs rack live. Those drums are gritty. Throw the sounds through an analog heat and this thing rocks hard. Great jamz as always!!!!
I refurbished one of these recently and rest assured, the built-like-a-brick-shithouse quality of the instrument is just as present on the inside. Infinite screws and metal spacers inside with plates and subassemblies that you could burgeon someone with. Good stuff, I never want to take one apart again.
I had to go in there too, to replace the eprom ( a few times...) Build like a tank. Casing and electronics inside: very well protected ) It even worked with a power adapter on the wrong voltage and even wrong polarity ( although sometimes it started behave strange , off course...) Solid metal, they were 40000 belgian frank back in the day. About a thousand euro, how much would that be today?
@@AudioPilz I have a RS7000, which is basically the same thing as the RM1X but on steroids, and I was thinking of taking it in for repair (doesn't power on, some keys are wonky and the storage needs upgrading), but this comment is making me rethink it. Shit's gonna be expensive!
Man I loved my RM1x, there was some amazing pads in that little box. Paired beautifully with my W-30. Man I miss my old trance days haha. Another amazing show man I love this series!
The sequencer is more powerful than many hardware sequencer that are sold today. You can make sound it great if you know which instrument can combine well with others. I used it last night to have 8 physical knobs midi controlling my Mpc One.
Finally! This and the Yamaha SU700 were my first gear purchases in 99/2000 the poor mans MPC, but in two boxes. Played a lot of shows with them, still have them both and use the SU700. Thank you!
I love this box. We had it in 99 and marvelled at the Chemical Brothers Setting Sun preset. I bought one a few years back but it didn’t suit my current workflow and the arpeggiator didn’t work, which kinda kills the vibe of this thing. I think it sounds great, but then I am 50 and the sounds have a place in a time when I was much younger and more hopeful.
Love this too....I had one.... it was about the work flow....the sounds were a contrast for me as a hip hop focused beat maker, so the marketing of “dance music “ didn’t put me off.... and I often resampled sounds and beats/grooves. It was as quick to navigate like a big QY70. This is a gem.
Up until I got this, all the keyboards I'd ever played had terrible built-in sounds and demos. It was all Casio keyboards playing 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go' with the "waw" sound for me. Then this came out and it sounded more like the Chemical Brothers and the Prodigy than they did. There were so many "patterns" and styles that more or less formed complete songs that I mostly just listened to it and twiddled a few knobs, as it was far too complicated for a newb like me to actually compose on it. I could never never make anything better than the presets, anyway.
Well, programming a track and not being able to hear another track while doing so, isn't realy a sign of an awesome sequencer. What were they thinking? I do use a lot till this day, but not for programming...
Bought one 13 years ago after seeing Legowelt playing live with one. Been my main sequencer ever since. Love the midi delay, every synth seems to react differently to it, so many happy accidents.
The big brother of the Rm1x is the Yamaha RS7000. It has the same sequencer, a better sound engine closer to the Motif line, sampling, and the ability to add an expansion board that gives you individual outputs plus digital I/O.
After watching the Pilz review lots of my early gear here, calling my trusted RS7000 professional (which I mostly agree with) makes me think that my later gear decisions haven't been that bad :). Top episode again.
@@AudioPilz Unfortunately, after the QY-700, 10 and 100, there was no more chord track feature. I don't know why Yamaha don't integrate the QY sequencer into the Motif/Montage.
I'm glad you were somewhat respectful of this awesome sequencer. For those of us who've owned and used one or two of these over last twenty odd years. It is a unique phenomenon. And we like it that way. Lol. Thanks for taking a peek. 👍🏼
When I was building my first set up, I was having some MIDI integration issues, so I searched the words MIDI solutions and like magic my prayers were answered. Most web optimized company name in the business!!
The first jam is sublime. People can hate on the sounds but the character of this era Yamaha was second to none. I always wanted one but I need to get the data encoder fixed on my an200 first ;) Congrats on 100k Florian! well deserved
I've had my Rm1x for years and it is still in use in my setup right now. However, I use mine in a very different way from the way it is commonly used. Instead of using it as a groovebox and using it's onboard sequencer, I use my Rm1x as a midi sound module (along with other hardware) sequenced by an MPC. I've read a lot of people on the internet negatively criticize it's sounds. However, I find the sounds in this machine very useful for my music and have featured them in more tracks than I could ever count! It has literally been one of my go-to sound sources. I really like the bass and guitar samples as well as bass synth samples too because they fit well for the old-school type melodies and styles I typically use in a lot of my beats. The sound effects are cool as well. The only thing I wish the Rm1x had was an additional set of outputs for routing any instrumental part I choose to another channel on the interface/mixer. That would allow me to run the bass parts separate from the other parts, thus making the mixing process easy. Just hearing some of the sounds in this video just reminds me of certain beats I've made ages ago with those same sounds!
Have a feeling I will get into a lot of pieces of gear just because you make videos about them, watched your videos on Polyend Tracker, Arturia Microbrute and Drumbrute Impact, now I own all those, thanks to you 😆 this actually sounds sick, I kinda want one 😂
Back in the day, when there were RM1X song packs floating around, there was one called "Pink Love" - in case the person reading this comment was the composer of that piece of music, I'd just like to say it was an audio sensation, thank you!
Yamaha rm1x fan here. I learned how to make electronic music on one. I bought one used right before ableton and laptops/midi controllers became the rage. So by the time I learned it inside and out everyone was doing shows with ableton live. It was cool because alot of people my age had never really seen anyone use grooveboxes at the time, so that made me stand out a little, but the dated sounds did become very limiting and frustrating. But I do love this machine. Its so much fun to write loops on. And actually song mode isn't that bad at all once you get the hang of it. I did buy ableton later on and I still use it, along with hardware and I must say, I'm glad I started out on something like this, instead of a computer. I feel like it helped me understand rhythm and things like call and response, and it also a good way to learn how to work with what you got. Which was good to know before I got into using DAWs. I sold mine later on while I was in art school. One of the only musical regrets I have ever made. I plan on buying one again. Too bad the prices went up. I bought my first one for 200 bucks. Now they start off around no less then 300-400. The sequencer on it is amazing.
The RS7000 GREATLY rectified the RM1x's shortcomings while adding some new ones (namely somewhat imprecise sample slice function, slow sample editing and saving). I'd love to see it's big brother featured here, especially a version with the OS update with the additional dual filters and step editing modes. Fantastic vid as usual, sir 🙏
The RM1x sounds range from useful to salvageable to just weird. (AnalogPd and SynthPad are truly magical.) For an *extremely* specific set of needs, the RM1x is everything you could possibly want.
This brings back so many memories. This a Nord Rack 2 and a A5000 was my first studio back in the day. Actually played live a few times with that setup. Still the best hardware live sequencer i have ever used.
I have the Big Daddy of the RM1X, the RS7000. I love that machine. I recently upgraded it with an SD/SCSI hard drive, so I can save all my sampling/resampling etc. I think if the RM1X could even just resample itself, it would be a lot more interesting machine. Either way, I highly recommend Rave Tracks' youtube channel where he makes some really nice stuff with the RM1X. Very inspiring stuff!
i remember getting this in late 99 it was the centre of my production, knew it like the back of my hand, wish i never got rid of it. Hearing some of those presets hit the nostalgia button hard!
I bought one when they came out and it's still sitting in my studio and has been all over the country with me and played at festivals in front of thousands. The onboard sounds aren't bad but where it really shines is as a sequencer. I used to ride out my entire 90-minute set in logic and then record it to the rm1x and break it into patterns. For since I used a virus and a Triton and an em1x.
I love using RM1x + Virus TI in Multi Mode. 1-8 Virus TI Sounds 9-16 Drums / PWM RM1x Sounds And the. A-P set parts for Intro Fill Chorus Verse etc Perfect combo!
got one around 2003, the unit got a beer a few months later, it survived but the display is pure glyphs, never missed it sounds, but listening to your jam i feel like turning it on again
yeah bad gear can't handle alcohol well... man i turned it on and the unit behaves like if nothing ever happened, seems your video was my rm1x plan all along
Of all my gear that got stolen, this is the one I miss the most I think. Finally got my hardware built back up to the point where it makes sense to grab one again, might have to pull the trigger. Such a good sequencer.
This was a very good piece of kit. I shuffled all 16 tracks on this with live with a 5 part funk band. It's quirky, peculiar but it inspired and delivered.
I bought one of these brand new in 2000 and I still have it. It was my first real sequencer and I used it with the Korg Electribe A and R. I loved it, especially pattern juggling and still pull it out from time to time for the nostalgia vibes and to get into that tracker editing mode. I was wondering if it would show up here and am not sorry to see it again.
I still have mine. I need to find those Memorex floppy disks with sweet neon translucent cases to go with it. It is a great sequencer! I loved this episode.
I got an RM1x the day they came out. The sequencer was fantastic and extremely intuitive. The sound engine was a little lacking. That wasn't much of an issue with good midi implementation. I liked it. The RS7000 was very similar with half decent sampling too. Great box if you can find one.
I just bought a qy70 the little portable version of the 700. When it's volca sized and battery powered you don't so much mind being limited an extended xg soundbank. It tickles all my foxes anyway. Also it was 100 quid .
@@ultramouse yes if you want to make a new "style" however I have found that being less strict about the rule can throw out some interesting and quirky motifs I guess the "walkflow"is an acquired taste with all the 90s Yamaha sequencers.
@@ultramouse no, you can use other roots and scales, you can set per track what you think the input data was played in. I have both QY-70 and QY-100, former being more funky and lofi with a much better clap, latter being better for dance music and more hi-fi sounding with a guitar input. Check out Galcher Lustwerk, I think he used a QY-100 for a lot of his albums. I love both, best portable composers, I'm not even sure there's anything comparable today that is fully portable and so compact. Pro tip, buy a CBX-K1 midi keyboard to access and automate internal parameters like filter cutoff. It opens up the playability while also remaining portable.
In the process of bringing this baby back to life. Awesome machine! The knobs and buttons are a weak spot tough. The real power of it is the MIDI capability, crazy setup.
At the first glance Florian is ticking all the Alex Gopher doppelganger boxes. I have a rm1x. Tend to agree with your review. Keyboard keys are a bit clunky too. Great channel. Fully hooked and eagerly await each new video.
My wifes rm1x is really a nice Rave Maschine..i love the crazy breaks but its not Easy to Programm it .for me..you are a Real synth nerd ..thanks for this ❤🖖
I got this one a while ago, it was my 1rst groovebox. First when i got it, i hated the sound, stored it in the closet, came back to it 6 month later, read the manual and started loving it. Don't get me wrong, the sounds were not great, but it was super fun to use. I played my first ever live act on this machine, built the whole thing on ableton, using the machine as an expander, imported the midi file, done
I chuckled out loud at the quick Fight Club cut in . Bad Gear is the warm little center that the life of this world crowds around , but also some of it looks the way Meryl Streep's skeleton would look if you made it smile and walk around the party being extra nice to everybody. Either way Bad Gar Friday is the little scratch on the roof of your mouth that would heal if only you could stop tonguing it, but you can't.
my first hardware sequencer! it's huge and heavy but holy crap do those keys suck, a few of those keys just don't work on my unit and some require significant force to press. i almost exclusively used it with an external midi keyboard because i was too scared to open it up and attempt to fix the keys themselves. i made several tracks with it some years ago but the only track i appreciate that was made on it was cheesy 2000s dance stuff which i guess is right up this thing's style. it was fun back then but ever since trying modern hardware sequencers i really don't have any patience with all its shortcomings: i.e. dated sound, menu diving and did i mention the terrible buttons?? i was looking forward to this one being covered on the show, thanks!
my screen has also faded but if you turn contrast all the way and leave it on in a warm room for an hour the screen warms up enough so I can use it. In winter it's more of a problem as it takes longer to warm up my studio but in summer it's visible within half an hour.
I have had this unit multiple times. Customized it and sold it for profit and regretted it. Now I own one again and bought all the custom electronic parts to fix the darn buttons and knobs, add white and blue LEDs and LED read outs, and all black buttons. I have to say I love the RM1X and RS7000 duo! Even the Floppy drive is standard PC DOS 1.44mb type so no issues with that. The battery for the memory is the bigger coin battery which can be hard to source but I am not worried too much there either and unlike the RS7000, this unit has that battery backed ram option for when you shut the unit off and unplug it. I have recorded songs with the unit and even an entire album with JUST the RM1x! Oh, it can be done! The limitations are mostly the 32 note polyphony and that you can not mute the local sounds on tracks when trying to use EXTERNAL midi sound sources without muting the external sound source too as each track transmits ALL midi messages like you say, the midi implementation is extensive.
@@AudioPilz Not for me! I normally get a new instrument and will record songs that I played on other synths,keyboards,etc, before and make a album of such songs featuring only that instrument. Some instruments bring out new songs as inspiration mandates due to new sounds, interface,workflow, etc. The RM1X is actually a full midi workstation in a metal box. Not unlike the Yamaha QS300 I had before it, or the snazzy SY77! The polyphony is good, midi note capacity battery backed, is 110,000 notes per song! You can back to DOS floppies instead of some expensive media(smart media is no longer cheap these days sadly), and 1 pattern length can be 64 bars! multiply by 16 tracks! AANDD, add 16 linear song tracks to that..wow.. I still do not tap into the power of this old beast. But I suffer from a dire case of G.A.S so that may be why lol!
Aside from the sounds being a bit mediocre i was seriously impressed when i got the RM1x back in the day. When the RS7000 came out i directly bought it and it became the audio and midi centre of my studio and livesets. Too bad Yamaha never released a follow up, it still has a following today.
Programming midi on this thing is better than most DAWs still today. I learned my craft on this thing. I actually used this on a project still in 2012.
It brings me back some memories. Couldn't really get used to it and sold it for 75euros around 10 years ago. Regret it now. My advice for young producers...Never sell your old gear.
Another piece of gear that I own! I could never figure out the interface and no one on here had any tutorials. I gave up on it and moved to the MC-303 because there was so many more videos covering it.
@@AudioPilz was that the guy who made lots of tracks, but never explained how to use it? I remember there was a guy who was fantastic at the unit, but never did tutorials.
Yamaha and Roland: The clash of the titans, slugging it out for the crown of 90’s dance nirvana! It occurred to me that my kids are now looking at all the ‘bad gear’ (they love the channel too!) in the same way I looked at the 303/808/909’s in the late 80’s……. The wheel turns full circle. Best wishes and Keep the bad gear coming! 👍🏼
This looks amazing to me, I'm a sucker for dated 90s dance presets though. I do think there's a gap in the market for a modern groovebox which has a focus on remixing. The closest I can think of is the Akai Force maybe.
I've got one, and it's sound is disappointing really, I wouldn't recommend one. Had it since launch haha. I don't think it quite has that desired 90's sound, it often just sounds cheap and cheesy.
I got a pristine ne from a friend in 2009 - quirky but sturdy and powerful love the Delay Lama reference I don't use it very much since the Electribe ESX/EMX are so much more fun :-)
great video! I wish Yamaha made an updated version of the RM1x , The original version had a MIDI bug and could only be updated by changing the eprom chip.
I have utmost respect to the guy who programmed such great sounding factory patterns on RM1X mediocre synthesis engine. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Norman Cook himself.
Once you get off the preset grooves and start programming your own the game changes. Save your tunes as midi files and mix them with modern kit ... Be warned, killer sounds evolve. This is a powerful music making tool once you learn programming and multi track sequencing on it. Take your ideas saved as midi to your DAW and/or hardware and make something outstanding.
I love the RM1X. Got one 2 years ago and am now using it as a second sequencer, playing sounds from an Akai S3000XL, next to my MPC One with ERM Multiclock for sync. Works great. RM1X also has nice pads and good old school FX sounds and drums. Kicks are good, too. Better than the MC303 for sure.
Dave smith evolver desktop? 4 oscillator, 4 lfos, 4 sequencers (with independent track lengths,) 3 digital delay lines, hack and distortion fx, fm and ring mod,tuned feedback, full stereo signal path and you can control the left and right filters independently, can process external audio…. But it’s a matrix style editor so you can only ever access parameters on 1 row at a time. The filter is often criticized as a weak point.
I bought one of these 3 weeks after they were released, from Electro Sounds. It was bloody brilliant. The sounds were a bit average but the sequencer, effects, and depth of programming was actually incredible at the time.
I asked and boy that was a hard episode. This box amazes me and I dont even use it with other gear. The screen goes dim over time but the box is a time capsule. Thanks for showing that a guy with a love for synths can program the metal coffin.
I remember looking at the MIDI controller data for the "guitar" sounds on the Prodigy and Chemical Brothers ripoffs and being a bit sad that I couldn't do my own, because the machine didn't have a pitch bend or modulation wheel and I didn't have any other device to control it with. I ultimately dropped mine off at the recycling plant when most of its buttons had stopped working. (I used to play those awful buttons like a piano). I wish I could have it back now to connect it to a MIDI keyboard and DAW, as it had some really cool patterns and sounds, albeit they'd be quite dated now.
I tried to get into sequencing with this oldie. But mostly use it as a midi sound source. To experiment with my yamaha refaces. The CS is a nice receiver. The rmx does the hard work, while I can experiment and learn to tweak the CS The CP piano can sound very NOT pianolike when the rmx feeds it. 😆
I seriously regret the day I passed on this box at Sam Ash. It’s like a QY70 or QY100 grooved out. I see videos on RUclips of people still using it to this day. I hope this video gives Yamaha a swift kick in the pants to get going on a modern version of this amazing machine!
I'm really glad you featured the BLEEP preset. That's one of the most beautiful presets I've ever heard, and on the day I got the RM1X (2001), I probably played with that one pattern for hours, lol. I sometimes miss mine, but only the sequencer. Tell me, is the sequencer really the same in the QY700? Thanks, and great episode.
The QY 700 has both a pattern mode and a linear song mode and allows to record pattern progressions into the song mode, like Ableton in a 90s hardware way. Also, I noticed that the RM1x suffers an audible delay when switching patterns containing XG program changes (but it's fine with manually inserted "regular" pattern changes) - this did not happen to me with the QY 700. The RM1x song mode is quite simple and rigid, much worse than the QY 700. The QY 700 also has two pairs of midi jacks and features 32 + 16 simultaneous channels (32 linear + 16 pattern mode) IIRC whereas the RM1x has 16. It even has a piano roll mode for editing. The main downside of the 700 vs RM1x is the lack of realtime controls, no potis or mute/solo buttons (have to use cursor buttons in menu), no arp and no midi delay. I own a QY 70, QY 700 and an RM1x. I keep them even though I never use them, it's quite irrational. I do like their concept of phrases and there is something about the build of the hardware I like (especially the PC-like keys of the 700) . I wish it was possible to hack and reprogram their firmwares to add modern features (entering record mode without stopping playback would be amazing).
@@GearAddict90210 .. I appreciate the reply. On the RM1X, within one pattern, you can trigger 16 phrases, as you already know. You can also set the resolution at which the phrases are triggered, with regard to the tempo of the pattern. 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16 etc. Is this possible also on the QY sequencers? Is this possible on the QY70/100? Thank you!
@@danieklerr On the 700 there are only 8 instead of 16. I am not entirely sure but I think you can not retrigger the phrase in a quantised fashion like you describe on the QY 70 or 700. You can only change the play rate AFAIK.
Just this miorning i see a used RM1X at local market. And my thoughts was like "did AudioPilz make a show about this unit?" And here you go - like telepath!
@@AudioPilz That would be so awesome! It had its problems (many) but to have basically a workstation / groovebox back then at an affordable price point was cool.
It was my first musical gear. With my budget I could choose between the RM1x and the MC-307. It has a very nice sequencer, but I find the the internal sounds to sound pretty bad. I later got the RS7000, but sampling with that thing was soooo slowww. A modern RM1x with sampler and VA synth engine (An1x) would be nice, it may also be a bit smaller and battery operated.
Thanks again for making me smile. I've had this one for over 20 years. I will have to put it in my will. Restored mine-all new clicky switches, had a pro tech go over it, it was worth it. One of the many reasons I saved it-you proved it with your track-the ability to create and mix tracks on the fly is incredible. There is one track that sounds like the guys in "Weather Report" created it-they might have. I hated disco, but there are 2 "disco" tracks that are excellent, sound as cheesy as the bands I had to work in back then-no actually the RM1X sounds better, but then we tried to pull disco off with an accordion, you can imagine how that worked There are 2 ambient tracks-one sounds like a perfect background for a cheezy porno movie, the other is beautiful-I loop it while I do my yoga-puts me into a "deep state" trance.!!! As far as other equipment to review-have you done the Alesis fusion-I've restored 2 it almost has obsoleted everything else I own but failed in the marketplace-dropped like a stale donut in old coffee but sounds amazing. And how about the Mattel "Synsonics". This was my first adventure into synth drums-I couldn't afford a Linn, so I got this one instead, about 40 years ago???? When people brag about being a piano or other virtuoso from when they were 3 years old, I think of my Synsonics and laugh at them, ha ha ha!!! Amazingly enough, my Alesis Micron and Akai Miniak drums sound just like it. Life is strange, thank goodness!
I wanted one of these SO BAD when I was a kid, until I used one at the local music store and realized how incredibly limited my creativity would be using it as my sequencer.
@@AudioPilz once you get used to it you can record a lot quickly. I think I had two disks full of user presets and songs. I liked how when you max out the polyphony how it would pick and choose what sounds it would mute would make interesting variations on its own. Paired mine with a Roland 808EX and MC-303. Fun times.
Audiopilz: *slaps roof of YT channel*
Full Tracks, Extended Jams, Sample Packs: www.patreon.com/audiopilz
Thanks brother I was waiting for this one.
your patreon is how we can buy your music?, im always wondering about that?
@AudioPilz did your unit have replaced buttons, they look very white ? Mine have turned yellow and are a bit unreliable to press, have been thinking about trying to get the replacement pack of buttons and soldering them on
@@johangamb replace them, and be more careful with use in the future. These knobs are not made to get slammed with a hammer. No knob is , except arcade style buttons, maybe.
@@Projacked1 it's not the knobs that are the problem, they are fine. It's the black and white "key" buttons. It's a known issue, and definitely not due to abuse. I've barely used mine.
Every piece of equipment I have bought has featured on Bad Gear. It’s almost like a shopping channel for me.
i mean give him 3 years and you wont find a synth that wasnt featured here.
dude is gonna recreate the Telharmonium just to roast it in an episode.
Florian, mate.. How many hours do you have in your week? Procure obscure old kit - learn how to use it - bang out three tunes and a highly polished video with endless memes in it. What a talent!
Thank you so much! I was on a vacation this weekend too;)
@@AudioPilz you're amazing man, never stop
I have marveled at this too. Each one of these vids would take me roughly 12 years.
That's what I'm FKN Saying!!!!
@@SoundOfVinyl to be honest FL has more then 20 people.... if we don't then make me 21..... I absolutely love this piece, but I use more then the bs pre set patches.... I make my own....
Ain’t gonna lie..my heart sank when I seen the RM1x. This is the best hardware sequencer I have ever used. I still use it in my performances. I use it with my integra 7 and my motif xs rack live. Those drums are gritty. Throw the sounds through an analog heat and this thing rocks hard. Great jamz as always!!!!
Thanks! Certainly goes well with serious outboard!
Yeah I think as a sequencer it’s very hard to beat
Sometimes Bad Gear actually features bad gear...but not often!
There is no bad gear if it gets the job done.
I'm glad I've already hoarded two of them. Just don't ask how many QY70s I have.
RM1X was my very first piece of gear. After so many years, still my favorite one.
I refurbished one of these recently and rest assured, the built-like-a-brick-shithouse quality of the instrument is just as present on the inside. Infinite screws and metal spacers inside with plates and subassemblies that you could burgeon someone with. Good stuff, I never want to take one apart again.
Mine stays closed too;)
I had to go in there too, to replace the eprom ( a few times...)
Build like a tank. Casing and electronics inside: very well protected )
It even worked with a power adapter on the wrong voltage and even wrong polarity ( although sometimes it started behave strange , off course...)
Solid metal, they were 40000 belgian frank back in the day.
About a thousand euro, how much would that be today?
Good point, I always wanted to hit someone with it, since it was so hard to program😜
@@AudioPilz I have a RS7000, which is basically the same thing as the RM1X but on steroids, and I was thinking of taking it in for repair (doesn't power on, some keys are wonky and the storage needs upgrading), but this comment is making me rethink it. Shit's gonna be expensive!
Taking one of these apart is a right of passage.
Man I loved my RM1x, there was some amazing pads in that little box. Paired beautifully with my W-30. Man I miss my old trance days haha. Another amazing show man I love this series!
Thanks! Instant Trance flavor!!!
The sequencer is more powerful than many hardware sequencer that are sold today. You can make sound it great if you know which instrument can combine well with others. I used it last night to have 8 physical knobs midi controlling my Mpc One.
It's a great midi controller indeed!
Finally!
This and the Yamaha SU700 were my first gear purchases in 99/2000
the poor mans MPC, but in two boxes. Played a lot of shows with them, still have them both and use the SU700. Thank you!
It was about time!!!
For me,it were much more creative boxes than mpc
I love this groovebox ❤️👍🏼 21 years and I still keep and using it
Nice!!!
This was my first machine. Never liked its sound too much, but as a sequencer was great and learned a lot with it.
The sequencer is indeed pro
Same. Wish I never sold it. Would be nice to still have my first piece of gear from back in the day. Been meaning to rebuy one... some day.
I love this box. We had it in 99 and marvelled at the Chemical Brothers Setting Sun preset. I bought one a few years back but it didn’t suit my current workflow and the arpeggiator didn’t work, which kinda kills the vibe of this thing. I think it sounds great, but then I am 50 and the sounds have a place in a time when I was much younger and more hopeful.
I heard that preset and was afraid it would trigger copyright strikes;)
@@AudioPilz good assumption, especially in today’s DRM minefield
Throw it through some post processing... it sounds amazing. Love this box and still keep it in the closet.
Love this too....I had one.... it was about the work flow....the sounds were a contrast for me as a hip hop focused beat maker, so the marketing of “dance music “ didn’t put me off.... and I often resampled sounds and beats/grooves. It was as quick to navigate like a big QY70. This is a gem.
Up until I got this, all the keyboards I'd ever played had terrible built-in sounds and demos. It was all Casio keyboards playing 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go' with the "waw" sound for me. Then this came out and it sounded more like the Chemical Brothers and the Prodigy than they did. There were so many "patterns" and styles that more or less formed complete songs that I mostly just listened to it and twiddled a few knobs, as it was far too complicated for a newb like me to actually compose on it. I could never never make anything better than the presets, anyway.
This was my first piece of hardware. I loved it and still kinda regret selling it. The sounds were terrible, but the sequencer is awesome.
Agreed!
Same here 😕
@@AudioPilz will you do a follow up episode with it’s groove sampler “partner in grime” the Yamaha SU700?
Well, programming a track and not being able to hear another track while doing so, isn't realy a sign of an awesome sequencer. What were they thinking?
I do use a lot till this day, but not for programming...
Yeah the sounds are super dated but some people can deal with that.
Bought one 13 years ago after seeing Legowelt playing live with one. Been my main sequencer ever since. Love the midi delay, every synth seems to react differently to it, so many happy accidents.
Nice, I have to check out Legowelts work on it
The big brother of the Rm1x is the Yamaha RS7000. It has the same sequencer, a better sound engine closer to the Motif line, sampling, and the ability to add an expansion board that gives you individual outputs plus digital I/O.
That one is indeed very professional kit!
After watching the Pilz review lots of my early gear here, calling my trusted RS7000 professional (which I mostly agree with) makes me think that my later gear decisions haven't been that bad :). Top episode again.
Please do the Rs 7000 one day I’m dying for it.
@@AudioPilz Unfortunately, after the QY-700, 10 and 100, there was no more chord track feature. I don't know why Yamaha don't integrate the QY sequencer into the Motif/Montage.
@@ascarletheart2138 I wish I never sold mine
I'm glad you were somewhat respectful of this awesome sequencer. For those of us who've owned and used one or two of these over last twenty odd years. It is a unique phenomenon. And we like it that way. Lol. Thanks for taking a peek. 👍🏼
When I was building my first set up, I was having some MIDI integration issues, so I searched the words MIDI solutions and like magic my prayers were answered. Most web optimized company name in the business!!
Their stuff is rock solid!
The first jam is sublime. People can hate on the sounds but the character of this era Yamaha was second to none. I always wanted one but I need to get the data encoder fixed on my an200 first ;) Congrats on 100k Florian! well deserved
I've had my Rm1x for years and it is still in use in my setup right now. However, I use mine in a very different way from the way it is commonly used. Instead of using it as a groovebox and using it's onboard sequencer, I use my Rm1x as a midi sound module (along with other hardware) sequenced by an MPC. I've read a lot of people on the internet negatively criticize it's sounds. However, I find the sounds in this machine very useful for my music and have featured them in more tracks than I could ever count! It has literally been one of my go-to sound sources. I really like the bass and guitar samples as well as bass synth samples too because they fit well for the old-school type melodies and styles I typically use in a lot of my beats. The sound effects are cool as well.
The only thing I wish the Rm1x had was an additional set of outputs for routing any instrumental part I choose to another channel on the interface/mixer. That would allow me to run the bass parts separate from the other parts, thus making the mixing process easy. Just hearing some of the sounds in this video just reminds me of certain beats I've made ages ago with those same sounds!
Have a feeling I will get into a lot of pieces of gear just because you make videos about them, watched your videos on Polyend Tracker, Arturia Microbrute and Drumbrute Impact, now I own all those, thanks to you 😆 this actually sounds sick, I kinda want one 😂
Happy to hear that! Thanks!
I love Arturia hardware so much
Back in the day, when there were RM1X song packs floating around, there was one called "Pink Love" - in case the person reading this comment was the composer of that piece of music, I'd just like to say it was an audio sensation, thank you!
I'm intrigued - didn't find it on YT tho
Yamaha rm1x fan here. I learned how to make electronic music on one. I bought one used right before ableton and laptops/midi controllers became the rage. So by the time I learned it inside and out everyone was doing shows with ableton live. It was cool because alot of people my age had never really seen anyone use grooveboxes at the time, so that made me stand out a little, but the dated sounds did become very limiting and frustrating. But I do love this machine. Its so much fun to write loops on. And actually song mode isn't that bad at all once you get the hang of it. I did buy ableton later on and I still use it, along with hardware and I must say, I'm glad I started out on something like this, instead of a computer. I feel like it helped me understand rhythm and things like call and response, and it also a good way to learn how to work with what you got. Which was good to know before I got into using DAWs. I sold mine later on while I was in art school. One of the only musical regrets I have ever made. I plan on buying one again. Too bad the prices went up. I bought my first one for 200 bucks. Now they start off around no less then 300-400. The sequencer on it is amazing.
The RS7000 GREATLY rectified the RM1x's shortcomings while adding some new ones (namely somewhat imprecise sample slice function, slow sample editing and saving). I'd love to see it's big brother featured here, especially a version with the OS update with the additional dual filters and step editing modes. Fantastic vid as usual, sir 🙏
Thank you!!!
Aphex Twin’s advice was to use one to cut up samples of the Hoover from the Roland Alpha Juno
The RM1x sounds range from useful to salvageable to just weird. (AnalogPd and SynthPad are truly magical.) For an *extremely* specific set of needs, the RM1x is everything you could possibly want.
The more oddball sounds are really usefull today
Muted guitar is always a banger.
Damn some of those pads are something else. Not a good something else either.
This brings back so many memories. This a Nord Rack 2 and a A5000 was my first studio back in the day. Actually played live a few times with that setup. Still the best hardware live sequencer i have ever used.
Nice early 2000 s setup!
You know this thing is destined for a shelf in my studio at the earliest opportunity...😁👍
Nothing collects dust quite like a 90s groovebox;)
@@AudioPilz - That's true, I think mine still have some ketamine inside
YOU DID IT! YOU FINALLY DID IT!!!! My life is complete. Thank you!!!!!
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Dude i got one if these yesterday and its freaking great i have no idea why everyone saying it sounds bad
It's legendary for a reason!
@@AudioPilz and really great sequencer I love it, barely used it and it is incredible and different!
I have the Big Daddy of the RM1X, the RS7000. I love that machine. I recently upgraded it with an SD/SCSI hard drive, so I can save all my sampling/resampling etc. I think if the RM1X could even just resample itself, it would be a lot more interesting machine. Either way, I highly recommend Rave Tracks' youtube channel where he makes some really nice stuff with the RM1X. Very inspiring stuff!
Thanks for the shout out Jeremy!
@@RaveTracks I love every single video of yours!
Love that channel!
i remember getting this in late 99 it was the centre of my production, knew it like the back of my hand, wish i never got rid of it. Hearing some of those presets hit the nostalgia button hard!
The RM1X, DX200, AN200, and the SU series samplers where representative of my favorite era of Yamaha. A shame they are nothing like that now.
I bought one when they came out and it's still sitting in my studio and has been all over the country with me and played at festivals in front of thousands. The onboard sounds aren't bad but where it really shines is as a sequencer. I used to ride out my entire 90-minute set in logic and then record it to the rm1x and break it into patterns. For since I used a virus and a Triton and an em1x.
Thanks for driving up the price!!👌
And all your work on the channel!
Always a pleasure;) Thanks!
I think he'll drive it down!... it seems like mostly negative.
i just recently found this page and its been my favorit thing ever since
So happy to hear that, thanks!
Thank You. I am actually glad to still have mine and didn't make another mistake by selling it.
These are going to get more expensive for sure
I love using RM1x + Virus TI in Multi Mode.
1-8 Virus TI Sounds
9-16 Drums / PWM RM1x Sounds
And the. A-P set parts for Intro Fill Chorus Verse etc
Perfect combo!
❤️❤️❤️
The jams in this episode were amazing. i love how the machine sounds.
Thanks!
got one around 2003, the unit got a beer a few months later, it survived but the display is pure glyphs, never missed it sounds, but listening to your jam i feel like turning it on again
Beer and machines don't mix;)
yeah bad gear can't handle alcohol well...
man i turned it on and the unit behaves like if nothing ever happened, seems your video was my rm1x plan all along
Of all my gear that got stolen, this is the one I miss the most I think. Finally got my hardware built back up to the point where it makes sense to grab one again, might have to pull the trigger. Such a good sequencer.
Extremely powerful for the time!
This was a very good piece of kit. I shuffled all 16 tracks on this with live with a 5 part funk band. It's quirky, peculiar but it inspired and delivered.
Cool!
This is an exciting piece of gear .
I hope you have more music including this piece . Cool episode 😎
Thank you!
Ahhhh the Rm1x🤘I played MANY raves with that sucker back in the 90’s/early 00’s. A solid sequencer and the sounds aren’t too bad either lolz
Cool! Ideal live rave machine!
I bought one of these brand new in 2000 and I still have it. It was my first real sequencer and I used it with the Korg Electribe A and R. I loved it, especially pattern juggling and still pull it out from time to time for the nostalgia vibes and to get into that tracker editing mode.
I was wondering if it would show up here and am not sorry to see it again.
You just described my exact same set up in the early 2000's. I added a Roland XP-30 into the mix later on.
Certainly nice with a few 'tribes
OMG I can't believe Delay Llama made an appearance in a Bag Gear video. These are so well curated.
Thanks!
I used the RM1x's sequencing and controller capabilities with a DJX2B. That combination compensated for every functional shortcoming the DJX2B had.
Nice technique!!!
Agree 100% had 2 that I renovated to mint condition. Used but never got used too. Sold both and bought a Deluge.
I still have mine.
I need to find those Memorex floppy disks with sweet neon translucent cases to go with it.
It is a great sequencer! I loved this episode.
Thank you!!!
Someone needs to make a Delay Lama hardware version.
Lovely video as always Florian, still the highlight of the week :)
Thanks! Hardware Lama all day!!!
I got an RM1x the day they came out.
The sequencer was fantastic and extremely intuitive. The sound engine was a little lacking. That wasn't much of an issue with good midi implementation.
I liked it. The RS7000 was very similar with half decent sampling too. Great box if you can find one.
I just bought a qy70 the little portable version of the 700. When it's volca sized and battery powered you don't so much mind being limited an extended xg soundbank. It tickles all my foxes anyway. Also it was 100 quid .
Nice one!
does it require you to compose everything in C major like the qy10?
@@ultramouse yes if you want to make a new "style" however I have found that being less strict about the rule can throw out some interesting and quirky motifs I guess the "walkflow"is an acquired taste with all the 90s Yamaha sequencers.
@@ultramouse no, you can use other roots and scales, you can set per track what you think the input data was played in. I have both QY-70 and QY-100, former being more funky and lofi with a much better clap, latter being better for dance music and more hi-fi sounding with a guitar input. Check out Galcher Lustwerk, I think he used a QY-100 for a lot of his albums. I love both, best portable composers, I'm not even sure there's anything comparable today that is fully portable and so compact. Pro tip, buy a CBX-K1 midi keyboard to access and automate internal parameters like filter cutoff. It opens up the playability while also remaining portable.
In the process of bringing this baby back to life.
Awesome machine! The knobs and buttons are a weak spot tough.
The real power of it is the MIDI capability, crazy setup.
At the first glance Florian is ticking all the Alex Gopher doppelganger boxes.
I have a rm1x. Tend to agree with your review. Keyboard keys are a bit clunky too.
Great channel. Fully hooked and eagerly await each new video.
Thank you so much!
My wifes rm1x is really a nice Rave Maschine..i love the crazy breaks but its not Easy to Programm it .for me..you are a Real synth nerd ..thanks for this ❤🖖
Thanks❤️❤️❤️
Nice!! This is almost Exactly like the RS7000!! Fun review!
Thanks!
I got this one a while ago, it was my 1rst groovebox.
First when i got it, i hated the sound, stored it in the closet, came back to it 6 month later, read the manual and started loving it.
Don't get me wrong, the sounds were not great, but it was super fun to use.
I played my first ever live act on this machine, built the whole thing on ableton, using the machine as an expander, imported the midi file, done
Nice!!!
I chuckled out loud at the quick Fight Club cut in . Bad Gear is the warm little center that the life of this world crowds around , but also some of it looks the way Meryl Streep's skeleton would look if you made it smile and walk around the party being extra nice to everybody.
Either way Bad Gar Friday is the little scratch on the roof of your mouth that would heal if only you could stop tonguing it, but you can't.
Well put! Have a nice weekend
@@AudioPilz Same . Cheers !
Mate, I cannot understand why you have not got a million subscribers!? Top quality content. Thanks.
Thanks! Working on it;)
my first hardware sequencer! it's huge and heavy but holy crap do those keys suck, a few of those keys just don't work on my unit and some require significant force to press. i almost exclusively used it with an external midi keyboard because i was too scared to open it up and attempt to fix the keys themselves. i made several tracks with it some years ago but the only track i appreciate that was made on it was cheesy 2000s dance stuff which i guess is right up this thing's style. it was fun back then but ever since trying modern hardware sequencers i really don't have any patience with all its shortcomings: i.e. dated sound, menu diving and did i mention the terrible buttons?? i was looking forward to this one being covered on the show, thanks!
Thanks for watching!!!
Thanks for this, was wondering about it (specifically for sequencing external gear)!
I replaced all my key buttons and then the screen faded so now it's a paper weight .
replace the tactile switches and all the encoders...
my screen has also faded but if you turn contrast all the way and leave it on in a warm room for an hour the screen warms up enough so I can use it. In winter it's more of a problem as it takes longer to warm up my studio but in summer it's visible within half an hour.
I have had this unit multiple times. Customized it and sold it for profit and regretted it. Now I own one again and bought all the custom electronic parts to fix the darn buttons and knobs, add white and blue LEDs and LED read outs, and all black buttons. I have to say I love the RM1X and RS7000 duo! Even the Floppy drive is standard PC DOS 1.44mb type so no issues with that. The battery for the memory is the bigger coin battery which can be hard to source but I am not worried too much there either and unlike the RS7000, this unit has that battery backed ram option for when you shut the unit off and unplug it. I have recorded songs with the unit and even an entire album with JUST the RM1x! Oh, it can be done! The limitations are mostly the 32 note polyphony and that you can not mute the local sounds on tracks when trying to use EXTERNAL midi sound sources without muting the external sound source too as each track transmits ALL midi messages like you say, the midi implementation is extensive.
Wow, an entire album is quite a challenge on this one! Respect!
@@AudioPilz Not for me! I normally get a new instrument and will record songs that I played on other synths,keyboards,etc, before and make a album of such songs featuring only that instrument. Some instruments bring out new songs as inspiration mandates due to new sounds, interface,workflow, etc. The RM1X is actually a full midi workstation in a metal box. Not unlike the Yamaha QS300 I had before it, or the snazzy SY77! The polyphony is good, midi note capacity battery backed, is 110,000 notes per song! You can back to DOS floppies instead of some expensive media(smart media is no longer cheap these days sadly), and 1 pattern length can be 64 bars! multiply by 16 tracks! AANDD, add 16 linear song tracks to that..wow.. I still do not tap into the power of this old beast. But I suffer from a dire case of G.A.S so that may be why lol!
Aside from the sounds being a bit mediocre i was seriously impressed when i got the RM1x back in the day. When the RS7000 came out i directly bought it and it became the audio and midi centre of my studio and livesets. Too bad Yamaha never released a follow up, it still has a following today.
Great to see the old tin box again! Had one back in the 90ies.
Programming midi on this thing is better than most DAWs still today. I learned my craft on this thing. I actually used this on a project still in 2012.
It can do most things DAWs can do midi-wise!
@@AudioPilz yes ofcourse, but 10x faster.
I welcome your obscure Twin Peaks reference. You are now above Alex Ball in my music RUclipsr tierlist.
Thank you so much❤️❤️❤️
It brings me back some memories. Couldn't really get used to it and sold it for 75euros around 10 years ago. Regret it now. My advice for young producers...Never sell your old gear.
Wise words!!!
I remember back in 2003 when a friend of mine used it in a production: once tracked, mixed and mastered in protools the song sounded great
Another piece of gear that I own! I could never figure out the interface and no one on here had any tutorials. I gave up on it and moved to the MC-303 because there was so many more videos covering it.
Check out Traxler Music on YT - great stuff!!!
@@AudioPilz was that the guy who made lots of tracks, but never explained how to use it? I remember there was a guy who was fantastic at the unit, but never did tutorials.
@@synthlord2368 He had 5 tutorials on the RM1X, but indeed they are rare on this unit.
Yamaha and Roland: The clash of the titans, slugging it out for the crown of 90’s dance nirvana!
It occurred to me that my kids are now looking at all the ‘bad gear’ (they love the channel too!) in the same way I looked at the 303/808/909’s in the late 80’s…….
The wheel turns full circle.
Best wishes and Keep the bad gear coming! 👍🏼
Will do! Thanks!
This looks amazing to me, I'm a sucker for dated 90s dance presets though.
I do think there's a gap in the market for a modern groovebox which has a focus on remixing. The closest I can think of is the Akai Force maybe.
90s dance presets all day!!!
I've got one, and it's sound is disappointing really, I wouldn't recommend one. Had it since launch haha. I don't think it quite has that desired 90's sound, it often just sounds cheap and cheesy.
@gridsleep I miss my TG33.... sold it many years ago, for way too cheap, when I relapsed... ugh say la vie
I love my RM1X!!
I've been waiting for this for so long!
Thank you for your patience
I got a pristine ne from a friend in 2009 - quirky but sturdy and powerful
love the Delay Lama reference
I don't use it very much since the Electribe ESX/EMX are so much more fun :-)
Electribes are hard to beat for stuff like that
i was waiting for this, great review and top quality memes as always. thank you!
Thanks for watching!
great video! I wish Yamaha made an updated version of the RM1x , The original version had a MIDI bug and could only be updated by changing the eprom chip.
Thanks! I'd get a modern Yamaha rave box in a heartbeat!
@@AudioPilz agreed. Even if it was just modernised version on rm1x.
You can still order the eeprom chip from a guy in the UK named Analogmonster.
you really do make everything you touch sound good!! i have one of these and i could never get through the crushing learning curve
It's powerful but definitely needs some attention. Thank you!!!
VERDICT: This man just gets better and better at what he does. His jams are top shelf.
Thank you so much!
I have utmost respect to the guy who programmed such great sounding factory patterns on RM1X mediocre synthesis engine. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Norman Cook himself.
Agreed! The factory patterns are quite a benchmark
that box is so underrated basically an rs7000 without the sampler
...or an QY700 with a smaller screen;)
Also without loop remix function i think, velocity sensitive pads and some other things from what I remember. And I don't think it is a bad gear.
As a very happy teenage DJX owner, I would have loved this back in 99
That 505 reference hit home, so hard. 😆
Sad but true!!!
@@AudioPilz Not to forget the sloppy pot securing, which I also had to fix. Great vid as always btw. :)
I appreciate the "JOB" section's menu diving, it feels like an actual job.
Once you get off the preset grooves and start programming your own the game changes. Save your tunes as midi files and mix them with modern kit ... Be warned, killer sounds evolve.
This is a powerful music making tool once you learn programming and multi track sequencing on it. Take your ideas saved as midi to your DAW and/or hardware and make something outstanding.
Yeah, it's super powerful
I love the RM1X. Got one 2 years ago and am now using it as a second sequencer, playing sounds from an Akai S3000XL, next to my MPC One with ERM Multiclock for sync. Works great. RM1X also has nice pads and good old school FX sounds and drums. Kicks are good, too. Better than the MC303 for sure.
Been waiting for this one 😀
It was about time!!!
Dave smith evolver desktop? 4 oscillator, 4 lfos, 4 sequencers (with independent track lengths,) 3 digital delay lines, hack and distortion fx, fm and ring mod,tuned feedback, full stereo signal path and you can control the left and right filters independently, can process external audio….
But it’s a matrix style editor so you can only ever access parameters on 1 row at a time. The filter is often criticized as a weak point.
Great suggestion, I'll have a closer look!
I bought one of these 3 weeks after they were released, from Electro Sounds.
It was bloody brilliant.
The sounds were a bit average but the sequencer, effects, and depth of programming was actually incredible at the time.
Yeah, people definitely got these for the sequencer
I asked and boy that was a hard episode. This box amazes me and I dont even use it with other gear. The screen goes dim over time but the box is a time capsule. Thanks for showing that a guy with a love for synths can program the metal coffin.
The RM1X and its bigger brother, the RS7000 are the among the best MIDI hardware sequencers ever made. It can fully "remix' remix MIDI on the fly.
I've yet to try out the RS7K
I was thinking about using it as a master controlled for my dawlesss setup.
I owned and loved this box. And the Prodigy Demo Song was pretty impressive!
I remember looking at the MIDI controller data for the "guitar" sounds on the Prodigy and Chemical Brothers ripoffs and being a bit sad that I couldn't do my own, because the machine didn't have a pitch bend or modulation wheel and I didn't have any other device to control it with. I ultimately dropped mine off at the recycling plant when most of its buttons had stopped working. (I used to play those awful buttons like a piano). I wish I could have it back now to connect it to a MIDI keyboard and DAW, as it had some really cool patterns and sounds, albeit they'd be quite dated now.
I recall being jealous of the techstep and gabber preset and shamelessly using them in "my own" livesets 😂
These two are fire!!!
There only reason to own one of these things
Need it just for those settings alone tbh haha
I tried to get into sequencing with this oldie.
But mostly use it as a midi sound source. To experiment with my yamaha refaces.
The CS is a nice receiver. The rmx does the hard work, while I can experiment and learn to tweak the CS
The CP piano can sound very NOT pianolike when the rmx feeds it. 😆
I seriously regret the day I passed on this box at Sam Ash. It’s like a QY70 or QY100 grooved out. I see videos on RUclips of people still using it to this day. I hope this video gives Yamaha a swift kick in the pants to get going on a modern version of this amazing machine!
I'm really glad you featured the BLEEP preset. That's one of the most beautiful presets I've ever heard, and on the day I got the RM1X (2001), I probably played with that one pattern for hours, lol. I sometimes miss mine, but only the sequencer. Tell me, is the sequencer really the same in the QY700? Thanks, and great episode.
Thanks! It's missing a few features like the chord track
The QY 700 has both a pattern mode and a linear song mode and allows to record pattern progressions into the song mode, like Ableton in a 90s hardware way.
Also, I noticed that the RM1x suffers an audible delay when switching patterns containing XG program changes (but it's fine with manually inserted "regular" pattern changes) - this did not happen to me with the QY 700.
The RM1x song mode is quite simple and rigid, much worse than the QY 700.
The QY 700 also has two pairs of midi jacks and features 32 + 16 simultaneous channels (32 linear + 16 pattern mode) IIRC whereas the RM1x has 16.
It even has a piano roll mode for editing.
The main downside of the 700 vs RM1x is the lack of realtime controls, no potis or mute/solo buttons (have to use cursor buttons in menu), no arp and no midi delay.
I own a QY 70, QY 700 and an RM1x. I keep them even though I never use them, it's quite irrational. I do like their concept of phrases and there is something about the build of the hardware I like (especially the PC-like keys of the 700) . I wish it was possible to hack and reprogram their firmwares to add modern features (entering record mode without stopping playback would be amazing).
@@GearAddict90210 .. I appreciate the reply. On the RM1X, within one pattern, you can trigger 16 phrases, as you already know. You can also set the resolution at which the phrases are triggered, with regard to the tempo of the pattern. 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16 etc. Is this possible also on the QY sequencers? Is this possible on the QY70/100? Thank you!
@@danieklerr On the 700 there are only 8 instead of 16.
I am not entirely sure but I think you can not retrigger the phrase in a quantised fashion like you describe on the QY 70 or 700.
You can only change the play rate AFAIK.
@@GearAddict90210 Cool to see your exp with the QY's.
Mind sharing which sequencers you prefer now?
You are by far the best reviewer of gear there is :) i always love your progressive house demos
Thank you so much!!!
Just this miorning i see a used RM1X at local market. And my thoughts was like "did AudioPilz make a show about this unit?"
And here you go - like telepath!
There's a matrix of Bad Gear connecting people all over the world
@@AudioPilz With internet connections as the patch cords :)
Awesome! I spent sooo much time on that thing after my 505 crapped out. I still have my floppies!
Really need to get the 505 on the show!
@@AudioPilz That would be so awesome! It had its problems (many) but to have basically a workstation / groovebox back then at an affordable price point was cool.
It was my first musical gear. With my budget I could choose between the RM1x and the MC-307. It has a very nice sequencer, but I find the the internal sounds to sound pretty bad. I later got the RS7000, but sampling with that thing was soooo slowww. A modern RM1x with sampler and VA synth engine (An1x) would be nice, it may also be a bit smaller and battery operated.
I really like the MC-307 tbh
@@AudioPilz I like the JX-305!
@@AudioPilz interesting! Must not have used the MC-909....
I asked and you delivered. Behold the rm1x. Such a fundamental part of my 90,s experience. From what I can remember 🤣 Cheers. 🙏
I always wanted one of these. It seemed way way better than any of the Roland stuff (aside from the floppy)
It's like Beatles and Stones;)
Thanks, I've been waiting for this one!
Bangers for breakfast!
Mmmmmh, bangers...
To hear the RM1X in full action listen to The Prodigy's album "Always outnumbered, never outgunned" 2004
Ah, didn't know they used it on this one!
Thanks again for making me smile. I've had this one for over 20 years. I will have to put it in my will. Restored mine-all new clicky switches, had a pro tech go over it, it was worth it. One of the many reasons I saved it-you proved it with your track-the ability to create and mix tracks on the fly is incredible. There is one track that sounds like the guys in "Weather Report" created it-they might have. I hated disco, but there are 2 "disco" tracks that are excellent, sound as cheesy as the bands I had to work in back then-no actually the RM1X sounds better, but then we tried to pull disco off with an accordion, you can imagine how that worked
There are 2 ambient tracks-one sounds like a perfect background for a cheezy porno movie, the other is beautiful-I loop it while I do my yoga-puts me into a "deep state" trance.!!!
As far as other equipment to review-have you done the Alesis fusion-I've restored 2 it almost has obsoleted everything else I own but failed in the marketplace-dropped like a stale donut in old coffee but sounds amazing. And how about the Mattel "Synsonics". This was my first adventure into synth drums-I couldn't afford a Linn, so I got this one instead, about 40 years ago???? When people brag about being a piano or other virtuoso from when they were 3 years old, I think of my Synsonics and laugh at them, ha ha ha!!! Amazingly enough, my Alesis Micron and Akai Miniak drums sound just like it. Life is strange, thank goodness!
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Absolutely love the sounds in there!
90s AF!
I wanted one of these SO BAD when I was a kid, until I used one at the local music store and realized how incredibly limited my creativity would be using it as my sequencer.
That sequencer has quite a learning curve
@@AudioPilz once you get used to it you can record a lot quickly. I think I had two disks full of user presets and songs. I liked how when you max out the polyphony how it would pick and choose what sounds it would mute would make interesting variations on its own. Paired mine with a Roland 808EX and MC-303. Fun times.