Yamaha RM1x

Hi, I'm Brian, on the Island of Malta.

A lot has been said about the infamous blue box, so I'll just add my bit. Some months after using mine, my initial amazement stated to wane, I got tired of mucking around with the presets, and I started to become more critical. Weak voices, a useless arpeggiator, and so on... I saw them all. Well, now, I am happy to say there is a workaround for most things, unfortunately, it's just not stated in the manual.

Regarding bass and lead, there are some real gems buried in there, but very few voices are 'ready to use' out of the box. You need to tweak those filters, and don't forget the effects.

With particular reference to hihat sounds, for those of you who like the sound of shimmering metal, all you have to do is to turn up CutOff and Resonance to get there.

With drums, it's not enough to dial up the right category of voice - you need to tweak it and combine it with other sounds to get something useful.

Most of the delay and echo effects have a bit of a problem with the arbitrarily set delay times - these don't follow the tempo settings, and results may not be immediately musical. But hey, you can always tweak the parameters yourself.

The arpeggiator is one of those features that makes me wonder whether a trainee had anything to do with the implementation. But once again, some mileage can be obtained if you use an empty track and use Beatstretch, and the rest of those knobs to control it.

The Pattern Chain mode is another badly executed addition. Apart from the awkward data entry mode, it lacks muting control and panel setting memory per measure. It is simply too sparse an implementation, and I'm surprised that Yamaha actually thought of providing a dedicated button for this 'feature'. I only find it useful, with some effort, to quickly set up drum backings based on preset and user patterns.

And the 'keyboard' keys really stink. Where the hell did Yamaha pick these up? I hope they're not recycling...

Good things? It's stable, and the timing is friggin fantastic. With some creativity, I think that yes, you can go a long way with this thing, if you have an external keyboard, that is.

In my case, the more I use it, the more I love it, and I certainly do not regret owning it.

Happy music making, boys and girls.

Best regards, Brian.

This machine has a multiple personality on this issue. it does succeed on a few counts...
and fails on others. if being "rapper 97" (with apologies to sifl and olly) and twiddling knobs is your bag,
then here ya go. just dial up a pattern and hit play. WHOOO-DOGGIES! 199x party in a box. the buttons and knobs are laid out logically.
however, if you come from a land of linear-based sequencing like me, you are in for a looooooong night over a manual
that reads like a recipe on how to build an rm1x using raw silicon and an engineer named sven. what's also crazy is the way the
bottom 16 buttons control, in any given moment, multiple features like track mute, changing sections, selecting tracks for real time
stuff, etc. you have to make damn sure what's going on above before you twiddle below. the large lcd is nice and
the job list concept is pretty neat.

for the jack, the features are pretty good. polyphony is adequate, effects are
are great and add a lot to the patches (careful with the bass boost, YOU WILL HURT SOMEONE, MAN!). if you are familiar
to pattern-based sequencing, i don't think you'll have any probs using the sequencer. unlike my current
sequences, which sounds like a bizarre quantized accident chained together nicely. memory's a tad low,
thank god for the floppy drive. but if this is your central brain in a live project, i'd
imagine there will be some between-song disk shuffling going on. and in the studio, you may have a helluva
stack going that will rival an egyptian pyramid. but, hey, but it's cheaper than a pc running cubase.and it looks
cooler than a laptop.

this isn't an instrument for realistic sounds. it's pretty much a serious dance box.
the synth sounds and pads are quite good, sit great in mixes, and, unlike your girlfriend
who feels neglected 'cuz you "spend so mach damn time in your room!", they love to be messed with.
(decent tb-303, if you are chasing one). piano and "real world" instruments are
better left untouched, unless you have some serious plans that john tesh hasn't
thought up yet. yup, real time knobbies are always fun for the kids. sounds getting old?
you can bypass the tone module completely and use the rm1x's nice midi delay on that
wizzy lead 2000 you are saving up for.

i haven't toted this box anywhere yet, it seems pretty solid in it's metal blue
existence. the electronics and MIDI have been straight with me. i wouldn't get all NIN on it though,
i don't think it likes water bottles. or chocolate sauce. dittos for vomit.

this is my only yamaha product so far, i've heard them pictured as
nice as custard pie, or as evil and devious as the devil rubbing his hand
together in glee.

i bought the rm1x to satisfy the lack of a decent hardware sequencer in
my rig. I wish it did, but it hasn't yet. maybe i need to spend some more time
with it. but it is hard when there are only so many hours in the day. but that doesn't
mean that is it not for you. i found some good sounds, good features, and good live
features that might fit the bill for you in this blue box. go down to
your local "guitar center" or music megamart of choice and play for yourself.
just bring headphones so you don't have to put up with that 5 year old kid banging
on the triton, or your greasy brother trying to figure out the chords to "jump".
yikes. then buy it used.

major pain to use this thing-----must read cryptic manual over and over and it makes my head hurt

maybe it would be easy if you are a technician but Im not.

presets suck bad

too many features----multi-function buttons and menus to drive you nutzo---I wish it was simpler so I could just use it and have fun but its not-----most features are hidden deeply within the machine and not apparent----you must read manual over and over to find them----many features are still hidden to me so whats the use of all these features if you cant find em?

this thing is full of rank sounds that are worse than bad. some of the lamest "pop" sounding presets I have ever heard.

Very disappointing! Usually Yamaha does a good sonic job, but what happened here? Very funky sounds that will embarass you

seems pretty reliable although I would not gig with this because its just too complex to use. I cannot afford a stress attack on stage so I leave it at my studio. It is built heavy and solid although the keys and buttons feel cheap and chintzy, the case is pretty tough.

Yamaha is not really too great for support, but who is? Last time I called for assistance, they wanted me to pay them for answers to questions on the RM1x. That was new to me and totally wierd.

Had this thing since 99 and found it to be a dust collector. I dont really feel that it was worth keeping around and I sold it after the holidays. Been playing for over 30 years and I like more simple gear. Kinda old skool, but I cant deal with all the complications of gear when Im tryin to create grooves so I stick with the simple stuff. For sequencing now I use the MAM SQ-16 which is very intuitive and fun to use. The RM1x was a road-block for me and I dont like roadblocks. Im amazed that people can figure this machine out or are they just playing the presets? I hope not cuz they do blow green monkey chunks!

Standard OS. Never needed to upgrade. Presets are great, although a bit "1998". Tweaking is possible, but it's not like an analogue maonster - it's quick and easy to fiddle around safely. Manual is good and well worth reaqding, even if an old hand.

Loads of voices at once, effects are pretty good too, but it's good for sending audio to a PC for further enhancement. "keyboard" is suprisingly useful, although not velocity-sensitive. The sequencer is perhaps the best on any hardware module.

It's brimming with dance sounds, that - with a bit of tweaking - can sound pretty current. GM sounds aren't too hot - look elsewhere if you just want standard MIDI files.

No problems ever. Floppy discs mean making backups is simple and cost-effective. Much safer for syncing equipment than a PC or Mac on stage.

You can make music straight away, by mixing preset patterns and then jamming basllines/riffs over the top. It's quicker to set up a sequence than a software sequencer, and you can play it in bed!
Must be the best VFM for any groovebox. Add sampling (the RS7000) and you have all you need to make dance music.

Unfortunately I'm at work. (bored) ^_^
I can't recall the software version. But I've never had any problems with the OS.
The presets are great! I've no problem with the preset sounds for 2 reasons. #1 It says in any ad for the RM1x that it's made for dance music, i.e. techno, trance, house, etc. These genres of music do not necessarily lend themselves to acoustic sounds. They call it electronica for a reason. If you want acoustic, absolutely do not get the RM1x because it's terrible and reproducing those sounds. But for what it was made for, it's excellent. #2 while it's not a synthesizer, it does contain a large amount of parameters for altering sounds. Don't be dismayed. It is however an excellent source for learning about the foundations of synthesis without getting too bogged down (unless you want to). So the tools are there to create great sounds for techno music, if you are not lazy. Editing is an absolute breeze, again if you're not lazy. If you listen to the preset songs, and break down each part and each phrase, you'll immediately see the amount of work you'll have to put into it. If you want the RM1x to create for you, you're SOL. You don't even have to be a tech head, just willing to explore. The greatest discoveries were probably accidental.

The manual doesn't require a PhD to get through it, but if you really wanna understand it, it will require LOTS of re-reading, while at the same time going over the instrument. There's a lot there, and it has quite a bit of depth.

Polyphony is 64, multitimbral at 16.
Effect include VCF Low pass, cutoff, resonance envelope, 11 reverbs, 11 choruses and 43 variations, including some kick @$$ echo, delay and panning effects. Midi is 16 channels. The keys are not pressure sensitive.
The sequencer is off the freakin' hook, and it easily its strongest point.

The instruments are NOT realistic. Read what the RM1x is for. Or go to vintagesynth.com you can listen to it there. It imitates some analog sounds pretty good, but for the most part, it is very digital.
Genres it works well for? Techno, hiphop, rap, trance, goa, drum and bass, house, ambient. Rock? LOL!!! Classical?? LOL!!! R&B maybe.
Playing is fairly static. Some expression from some sounds, like pads, but again you need programming skill to tweak it. Then it'll do pretty much anything you want. No velocity or aftertouch in the keys. I use a controller board, program in RM1x directly or program in Cubase or Cakewalk.

Great for gigs. Heavy, encased in metal, though the keys are plastic. It could easily be a great weapon if you ever need to defend yourself. Never once had a single issue with the OS, crashing or anything else. Without a backup? Hehehe... I don't know if I would ever do that. But that is not because of the RM1x... that's just me. The RM1x is definitely designed from a DJs perspective. If you've DJed you'll appreciate the layout and functions and the ability to switch stuff up on the fly.

I've dealt with yamaha, but not concerning the RM1x. They were courteous helpful and resolved my issue promptly.

If lost or stolen... yes, because of the price. Yamaha has an RS7000 out now that I might get instead, but that's around $1300. Wah! =(
But because of the programming and synthesis depth, the RM1x is a true investment that will last a long time in a studio. I don't see it really becoming dated anytime soon... unless you are just a gear whore. =)
I started playing sax in 5th grade. Moved to dance and rap when break dancing was popular. Played in a band in college (music major) for 3 years, did some gigs with DJs, did some DJing myself, quit for a long time and in 1999, decided to do dance again.
Gear? I have so much crap. most of it I rarely use. I should have a giant sale on ebay. But mainly this, the Su700, an old alpha juno, and a DJX that I'll eventually sample what I like from and sell. A compressor, some midi stuffs and other boring gear like that, and a ton of PC software.
I love that I can create mad, crazy, slamming techno tracks with it... the potential is only your imagination. I hate that you can't alternate effects. Example: you get 4 parameter effects to select for a song. So lets say you have a Flanger 3 on your lead, and you want to use Flanger 2 also under that same effect listing. That's a no no, and cancels the Flanger 3. There are ways around this, again through programming, but it's not a big enough deal for me to go through all that.

It definitely aids me in making music. Trance is an interesting study and vastly different from the house music, Kraftwerk and Afrika Bambatta I grew up on in the 80s. So the RM1x is a good tool for experimenting in that genre. But I must admit, sometimes the programming gets mind boggling and I find myself consulting online about synthesis technique. But it's simplistic enough to lay the groundwork ASAP, then go back and tweak whatever you need to later.

Just to put things into perspective I am a guitarist/bassist who came to
the world of MIDI sequencing about 5 years ago and I judge my capabilities t
to be competent in this arena. However I am NOT an expert so I will
usually defer to others who claim to be unless ,of course, it is
obvious that they are talking garbage.
In any case my goal in purchasing the RM1X was to use it as a
hardware sequencer with other gear (planet phatt, and various
other drum machines). With this setup I'm able to put together
a sonf structure and record the audio into Cubase or perhaps
an analog 8 track. From there I add vocals and guitar parts.

I realize that the on board sounds are not fantastic but I did not
expect them to be. Nor should anyone who takes some time to research
the unit before buying it. For those who continue to complain,
whine, and moan about the on board sounds.. why did't you listen
to the online samples or go to the music store to check it out
before you bought it ?? Only the most ignorant of consumers would
buy something like this without taking some effort to check out
the sounds.

The goal of this unit is to be a good, solid hardware MIDI sequencer
and in that regard it largely succeeds especially when you consider
the cost. Its compact and it does't crash like my computer with cubase
does on a regular basis. I do use Cubase and ACID to process MIDI lines
I have created on the Rm1-X. This is a very good combination. I recognize
the strengths offerred by each environment.

keyboard is not really a keyboard - though you can play chords
if you wish but just get a cheap controller . plug it in and quit
bitching about the lack of a real keyboard.

The effects are okay - nothing stellar or spectacular though ,again,
I suggest that the RM1X is best used with other programs and module
sounds so I usually reserve the application of effects for when I am
manipulating the MIDI files elsewhere - like in Cubase. Still The
harmonize and bass-boost can make for some interesting sounds.
Hey.. You can ALWAYS sample these sounds on one of those cheap
phrase samplers and whack the sound to your heart's content.

The best way to assemble tunes is to create MIDI loops (drums,bass,
lead sounds) and put them on a pattern button and then come up with
variations and put them on other pattern buttons. Do this for bridges,
intros and endings and then its a snap to organize a song or explore
arrangement possibilities. Its dead easy....

As far as features such as quantize. Well its got that as well it
should. I tend to try to play parts in real time to keep the groove
a bit loose so I don't tend to make everything robotically rigid
but for dance styles you probably would. The arpeggiator could have
been better. Its adequate but not exactly fantastic.

The sounds are not very realistic but I did NOT
expect them to be. I KNEW this before I bought it. I assummed that
others did too but I see alot of people posting reviews in this forum
who , for some reason, were too lazy to check out the sounds before
they bought the unit. Either that or they expected them to mystically
change into some EMu-module overnight. I cannot honestly understand
why some of the people here complain about the sounds for the price.
Mind boggling... Use the RM1X with a cheap phrase sampler or a shareware
audio editing program like cool edit and you can make awesome sounds.
Quit whining and get to work....

I really believe that some of the harsher critics of the RM1X are
simply frustrated with their inability to come up with good tunes
but instead of being honest about it they want to slam the gear.
"I'm a pro, I invented MIDI, I've been gigging for 40 years,
I'm so good that record companies won't give me a contract cuz I
will dominate the world market. blah, blah.. and the Rm1X is for
beginners... blah,blah..." Yea. Right. Tell us what CDs you've
produced and we might believe you.

Good loops and sounds are based on the groove. A good musician can
get good loops assembled on almost anything. We ALL KNOW (or should)
that once you get the MIDI loop tight and grooving you can use it to
drive samplers or modules and it will sound killer... Seems that some
of these "pros" haven't figured that much out.

I have never had problems with the unit. It works well and has never
crashed once on me. Not once. I've driven other modules with no problem.
Never !! Compare this to my PC which crashes
at least once every cubase session.

I have never had to deal directly with Yamaha. I've never had any
problems with their equipment.

I don't know if I would buy it again since this field keeps changing.
The RS700 is sort of a RM1X with a sampler thrown in though I think that
you could buy a second hand RM1-X and a second hand sampler and have
the basis for a nice setup for less than the cost of a new RS700.

For me the RM1-X is a great tool.

No idea which os.....bought about 2 years ago.
Presets are fun for pissed and stoned mates to "remix" with.
editing patches is verrrrry easy.
The manual pretty much sucks if you have little experiance in midi.

I forget what the polythony is, but its not enough...oh, 64.
The keyboard is made of little plastic squares layed out in the style of a keyboard, which is cool...but, they lose response after a while and are shit for chords and intuitive drums.
It has no expansion abilities other than a nice flashy light thing.
The midi is cool insofar as you can record every effect into the sequencer, in realtime or with simple programming.
The sequencer is the reason i bought it..as an alternative to a soft system, and, it has been a good friend in the last coupla years...
It must be the simplist sequencer avaliable to man, with lots of crazy effects to manipulate the totally crap onboard sounds.
16 tracks is not enough, and the memory is totally small, resulting in clock slowdown at best and total collapse of song due to zero memory left more often.....you NEED a sampler with this, and it can control my Akai s2000 perfectly, even adding the play fx, which is great....i cannot get it to control cc on the s2000 though.
Good for minimal and hip hop sequencing.

The instruments should be treated as raw sound to tweak as much as possible if you want them to sound anything like professional.
I have used rm1x for minimal experimental electronica.
Onboard fx are of low quality soundwise, but so good at totally changing sound beyond recognition you have to love them (midi delay, harmonize, octaver are cool,nice variation fx, interesting filter and lfo, but, the "job" fx are really what i will miss from this machine.
The rm1x is about sitting down and getting into programming, not being Rick Wakeman.

Like i said the low memory lets it down, but, i have gigged the rm1x and it didnt let me down.

I ordered a floppy of new patterns and it never arrived.
Never any freebies either.

I would not buy another...it is a beginners all in one.
I have been playing music a while now....also own s2000, Folio notepad and stuff.....but am about to move onto a pro set-up.
I love the Job fx and realtime recording of fx.
I hate the low memory, 16 tracks, voices and master fx.
Compared to mc303, mc505......maybe mc505 is better!
I wish it had expandable memory, 48 tracks, more master fx options, the sounds of a trinity and jp8000, imported akai files, more filters and lfo's, no presets at all, pads like an mpc, 2 midi outs, midi thru, audio ins and it rolled spliffs.
It certainly has helped me baby!
The rmix is a fantastic entry level machine that will learn you how to sequence midi, edit sounds and use fx like a madman....eventually though, you will either need a soft sequencer and new sounds or an mpc2000xl and new sounds.

Fun to use, and extremely easy to learn. Manual is atrocious. It's a good thing this machine plays itself. It doesn't like to play with other gear(tempermental)

Crazy sequencer, bass boost is awesome. Arpegiator needs work.

Ok. I hate when people trash this machine. It does sound bad but compared to what???? You paid $500 bucks for it!!! For that price it sounds wicked, compared to other machines it's pretty lame. If this is your first box or synth, you will love this. if you're an expert user buying this then you need to revise your career.

Machine is rock solid

Pray your stuff doesn't break! Only Roland are worse! Take heed Yamaha...

It was a good buy and fun at the time. I've had it for awhile (2 years)I mainly bought it for the sequencer, but it was still a fun piece of gear! definately a good place to start if you're learning and some usable stuff for advanced users.

I got this as my first non-guitar, non-saxophone music product, and I had never used anything like it before. I was going to get a Korg Electribe because I've heard lots of good stuff about them and their simplicity of use, but the salesman was a huge fan of the RM1X and, incidentally, played almost the same sort of stuff I do, so he gave me a used one for $500.
Most of the presests suck; okay, let me rephrase that, the only time the presets are worth anything are when you're drunk and joking about how you could take tokyo by storm if you only had a record deal.
The manual is alternately informative and confusing, but that may just be me. I used it to figure out some basics and then struck out on my own. The quickstart guide at the Yamaha page is better if you want to just plug it in and start experimenting.

It's got a built in effects block that I never use, so I can't comment on it. Reverb and chorus are okay, I'm more used to using guitar variations thereof and so I find them frustrating a lot of the time.
It can accept 3.5 inch floppy disks for storage purposes, and I've seen a few websites online selling expansions for the sound banks so I take it you can add sounds if you have the know how or a credit card.
It has one midi in and one midi out; it'd be nice if there were two of each but you can't have em all I suppose. The keys are preesure sensitive, but I prefer to just leave the sensitivity off as for some reason, if you don't tap the bottom third of the key, it just plain won't pick it up. Kind of annoying.
The sequencer is awesome. I love the grid feature, you can pump out some really good techno and rap on it.

Some of the instruments are really good and some are pretty damn bad. The pianos aren't terrible but you're better off with a different machine if that's your focus.
The bass sounds are pretty good, generally speaking. I want to get a Korg Electribe A that I can use in conjunction with this, as those seem to churn out better low end, they're cheap, and the Yamaha more than picks up the slack.
YOu could use this for a lot of genres. I play rock and use this to put in a good backbeat, mostly. Think of the Moog in Blur's song Girls And Boys or the Roland in On Your Own, the backbeats off of Filter's Title Of Record, or anything by Static X, that's how this thing measures up. Not bad for $500.
I've got a side project with a couple friends of mine who are MC's and I've done some rap with this box, sometimes adding some live guitar or bass to finish it off. I've also done some cliche sounding house music with it, which a lot of people seem to like.
Switching between sections (cuing in breaks and such) you have to be sure to hit the bottom part of the pad or it won't pick up you intentions, and it can ruin a perfectly good jam.

I tote this thing with me everywhere in a big shoulderbag. It's been a few months and it's not failed me yet, save for the F1 swicth popping off during midday rush on the subway, but that's no biggie, it just slides back on.
I'd gig without a backup synth, since I have a band and we don't necessarily need this thing to tear up the floor.

I've never dealt with Yamaha but their website is pretty informative, plus there are a few dedicated forums that provide a wealth of knowledge.

If someone stole this I'd get another. Definitely worth the 500, no doubt about that. I like the fact that it has an actual display screen as opposed to just a numerical display and a few LED indicators, which most of it's rivals in cost have.
I've been playing the RM1X for a few months now, I've played alto sax for five years and guitar for two. I've got a hotrodded Epiphone SG, Gretsch Bo Diddley, Fender Tele '52 reissue and a 1967 Aria 12 string hollowbody in the guitar department, all of which are lefty converts played over a Vox AC30. For my sax, i have a cheap Vito student model, and for production I have a Mac G4 with a wealth of software & hardware.
I love the whole thing, though a couple times I've lost really good tracks because if, say, you have drum parts on tracks 1 & 2, and bass on track 9, then you put something on track 4 (skipping track 3) and then something else on any track but track 3, track 3 will mimic the last track you used (follow me here?). It's annoying as hell!!! The only times I've gotten pissed off at this thing have been over that. If you just remember that's an issue and try to remember not to do that, it's okay though.
I did comparison shopping for a YEAR, mostly because my girlfriend was pulling one of those damn "you have enough gear already" things and either blew my $$$ before I could get a chance or our cat got sick and needed meds. I was looking primarily at this or an Electribe, particularly the S model, or possibly one of the many Roland/Boss offerings. A couple friends had the Rolands and they all hated them, or loved them but then would confess that there were some serious limitations, and the Electribes seemed like they'd be great if I had the resources to buy all of them, but if I had that money, I'd probably get an Emu groovebox or just save for a full-blown synth.
It definitely is an integral part of our sound, and it'll remain as such for quite some time to come.

i found this unit fairly easy to use,within an hour i was programming drum patterns and making-up simple songs..sometimes i got a lil lost looking for where i wanted to go,but one you learn your way around the editors its pretty easy..

the rm1x midi capabilities are very cool..you can set it up to control just about everything on other boards when hooked-up to midi..i used it mostly for contolling my emu sampler..the rm1x internal sounds and effects are pretty poor..i always wondered why they used such poor sounds and effects in a sequencer that can do so many things..

the internal sounds are horrible...i would only recommend a beginner that has no other keyboards to use its internal sounds..adding effects help make some of the sounds a lil better but they still sound old school..i made a few drum beats with the internal sounds but they just didnt sound cool with its own sounds..its hard to get expressive with sounds you dislike..some of the fx sounds are very silly..i usually made bad horror soundtracks with it..

i wouldnt take this to play-out with...this unit gets a lot of midi errors and your songs will get all jumbled-up..not good at a live show,it could get a lil embarrasing!..this happend to me often..i also asked others about it, and theirs do it to..alot of times i get midi bleed through from midi channel to midi channel!..you end-up with outta time or poor sounding songs..and to top it all off,most of the keyboard buttons dont trigger correctly!!..after time the buttons get worn and they trigger poorly..resulting in - no triggering,trigger off time or double trigger when you just want it to do one note!..

never tried to get any....

if it were stolen im sure id never buy another one...i ended-up trading it for a oberheim matrix-6...i feel much better being rid of this unit..i lost money on the trade but i have a much more professional piece of gear now..i do my sequencing with cubase now..its much better to do on a computer anyhow..now i dont get headaches looking at the lcd display!...i think this unit is for beginners or someone that really neds a hardware sequencer..but now yamaha has a much better sequencer out..save your money for that one!...

My RM1x came with version 1.12 of the OS. Since my intent for this box was to use it as my main sequencer, the free upgrade to v1.13 is a must. If you don't get this upgrade, everytime you press a transport button, it sends a program change. Also engaging the 'filter program change on MIDI out' doesn't work. I'm using an external rack-mount intelligent midi-merger to filter the program changes until my upgrades come in.
The presets are pretty good. Great if you're looking for sythesizer style sounds. It certainly doesn't replace a quality sampler, however. When I was reviewing this product, I couldn't believe how many negative comments there were regarding the sound quality. Sure, to a non-creative, impatient person with no patience I guess they're pretty lame. However, I bet that I could make the thing sound better than many more costly devices with just a little tweaking and careful recording techniques. In a phrase: is sounds fine.
You can edit the patches right from the box... no computer required.

The manual is ok. Some areas are a little shy of detail. It comes with a seperate manual written in languages other than english.

Sequencer: this thing really keeps the creativity level high. Very easy to get music into the box and make adjustments. This was the main reason why I bought it. I debated between the RM1x, the RS7000, and the QY700. For the price, you can't go wrong. And the built-in disk drive reads/writes IBM format.

The sequencer is great. I won't waste time repeating what others have already said on this. If you want a great sequencer, forget that expensive junk for the PC and get this baby.
One note: it claims to be MTC/MMC compatible. Here's the details: it won't generate MTC, only sync to it. It will output MMC only in song mode, not pattern mode. Also, I haven't found a way to change the frame rate (ie. 24fps, 30fps, 29.97fps, etc). I don't think you can do it.
The built in effects are not bad. Nothing you've never heard before though.

Not bad. But be prepared to get creative... it has a lot of potential.

Nice metal enclosure. The RS7000 costs over twice as much and it's all plastic. Like any equipment, if you're a careless and clumsy hoodlum, you'll have no problem breaking it. So be careful. The metal construction makes it more durable, not bullet-proof. I like the construction.
I've used it for extensive periods of time in the studio and it hasn't locked up on me.

Not sure yet. Let's see when I get my upgrade. Since the upgrade is free, Yamaha should post the ROM binary on their website so us engineers could burn our own ROM. Anybody want to send me the binary?
Don't cringe... sheesh, it's free for crying out loud. You can't use it on anything but an RM1x, which you have to buy from Yamaha.

Good value. If stolen, I would buy it again.. after, of course, exposing the thief to 200 dBspl 3kHz sine wave at a 2 ft distance for 1 hour and then yelling "Can you hear me now??"
If been playing/engineering with MIDI since 1985. Wrote one of the first FM synthesis generator/editors for the Ensoniq Mirage on a C64. Trust me, I've been around. I have a lot of other gear.
I did DETAILED comparison with the RS7000 (side-by-side). Very similar. RS7000 has basically same features, but a little easier to navigate through various functions: more menus. QY700 is great, too. Beautiful display. Had a hard time debating. They are very similar, function wise. I guess the knobs on the RM1x sold me. They're a great feature. Something to note: on the RS7000, you can make ANY knob control ANY MIDI controller value. The RM1x only controls PAN, VOLUME, REVERB, CHORUS, VARIATION, Q, FILTER, MIDI DELAY (internal), and a few other internal variables. I wish they'd change this to be like the RS7000. Simple software upgrade.
I got this thing to help me make music hello. If it didn't, I'd send it right back.
Personal note: make you're own music. Don't just settle for chopping up and gluing all these premade loops and press a button and say 'listen Mommy, to the cool music I made up.' All this fruity loop, and Acid nonsense has injured the creative talent of many people. Hey, if you want great music with one button? Buy a radio... much cheaper.

this is one of the easiest synths i have ever used. the presets are pretty lame but given the sounds on this thing i can understand.

the keys on this thing arnt pretty crappy. this isnt a real big deal however since a lot of sequencing is done in step/grid. speaking of which the grid recording is by the coolest recording on any sequencer i have used. very cool. no quantizing that i ever found. big minus. fx wise this box is decent. could use some more effects and more versatitly reguarding the fx inserts. on a better side the midi on this is a beast. it almost makes up for all the bad things about it. each of the rm1x's 16 tracks can be assigned its own midi channel in or out or both. this is an excellent box to use to control other machines via midi. specially live..with the muting and section changes real time with no delay. i also might add that while the sounds are often thin the cutoff on the rm1x is the best i have ever used. its very sensative giving you a better, bigger range.

lets put this simply..
-kicks - a few good sounding kicks most are pretty bad
-snares - mostly shitty
-cymbals - AWFUL. worst i have ever heard. mainly the open HH and crashes
-pads/strings - pretty bad here again. very thin sounding. almost useless
-fx - a stronger point in the box. some pretty good sounds here
-analogue/bass- very dissapointing. while there are a ton of analogish sounds they are 90% thin and crappy.
that covers most of the different sounds. again tweaking and effects can always improve any sound most of the time. but with what is given on the rm1x it might take hours..or a miracle.

no problems here. great live.

never needed

overall the rm1x is a GREAT sequencer/ midi master device. the internal sounds are far from good so be sure you have other instruments to pull sounds from. the 16 part multitimbralness is always great for that. im currently selling mine to get a nord lead 2 because i recently bought a karma.

I think its very easy to use, if you try the presets and
play with the knobs. The sequencer is great! Not like the
Roland-sequencer. Very good display, and very intuitive.

32 voice polyphony, I think thats enough for one box.
You have 16 tracks. I use always some tracks to sequence
my other gear. It works great with the Roland Alpha Juno 1
and also with the Korg Electribe EA-1. MIDI works great!
The effects are also good. You have reverb, flanger, and also
distortion and wah-wah,... The only thing i dont like is, that
you only can use one variation effect per pattern. You can
use reverb, flanger and one variation effect. If you like on
another track another variation effect, you have no possibility.
The next problem is, that you only have one audio-output.
2 Mono 1/4". (==> Stereo or mono if you only use the left.)
You also have a 3,5" floppydrive, like in the PC. You can download
songs from the net. Thats cool!

The sounds... thats the biggest problem with this box. The basses
aren't bad, but the bassdrums and the snares really sucks! I make
my bassdrum with the Korg Electribe ER-1. There is only one snare
on the RM1x I really like. There are also not much hihat's, so you
must always use the same. But you can pan them, filter them, effect
them,... thats not too bad.
But... THE BASSDRUMS REALLY SUCK!!!

It's not plastic, the knobs are good. I used it for one
year, without making a backup. I never had problems with it.

Never had a problem with the box. The manual is'nt bad.

If it where stolen, I would cry for my songs if I hadn't any
backup. I would buy it again, but not new from the shop!
Used you pay the half price.
I would wish that it has 2 or more audio outputs and a Midi-
through, and also a Mixer like the MC-505.
I also have the MC-303. The drumsounds are better from the Roland,
but the RM1x definitly is the better box. I think she's also better
then the MC-505.

Easy to get started on, but really takes a while to learn all the in's and out's of this baby. Lots of knobs and mute buttons make it really fun for live stuff.

Better polyphony than the competition easily.
Effects are pretty decent. Wish it had multiple audio outputs rather than just the left (mono) and right. Completely MIDI controllable, you can make this sequencer do about anything. This hardware sequencer is the best out there for the price, hands down. The keys are cheesey you will need a midi controller keyboard.

Anyone who says that the instruments are just crap has obviously not invested enough time with them. Theres so much tweaking that can be done you can make them sound like anything. Mess with the LFO/attack/decay/release/cutoff/resonance/etc. Get creative. Still they could be better and an extra sound module or synth or sampler is a nice companion.

This thing is built like a blue tank.
I specifically bought it to gig live and not have to rely on some crappy PC to do sequencing. I trust it completely.

Well the fact that Yamaha has decent support is already way beyond most stupid manufacturers. Though if you buy this baby used and try to upgrade it they will charge you for the OS upgrade. Buy new and its free (better keey the receipt, they're nazis about this stuff).

Its a vital piece of my kit. If you need a reliable kick butt sequencer for live work, this is your baby. The sounds are good for dance/industrial/house/ambient but you will want more eventually.
For all those brainiacs that say that software is better they are missing one major thing. This machine is geared specifically towards making music. I use software sequencers too (for the final mix) but its too easy to get thrown in a million directions with them. The way Yamaha has focused creation of beats into this machine while still allowing you to create completely original tracks under limitless conditions is simply awesome. I like it so much I'll be starting a fan/info site for it. Check out www.rm1x.org in the near future.

If you delve into it for about a week, you'll have this thing figured out. I was making crap patterns after a day. They get better with time.

Only 32 polyphony. It has one of those tiny little keyboards which means it is not pressure sensitive. Buy a cheap midi keyboard to control it. The sequencer is the strongest feature.

This thing has horrible sounds. It is best used for dance-type music, especially if you want to sound incredibly dated.

It is very dependable. I would use it without a backup.

Never had to deal with them.

If this unit were lost or stolen, I would replace it with a computer program. I personally feel that it is worth the price, but this thing is just not my style. The sounds are too light. The effects are good, but they do not work for me. I own a Roland Jx-305 keyboard. It has been discontinued due to the fact that it was not as popular as the MC-xxx series that it was modeled after. I like it better than the Rm1x, though. Computers are the best things to go for now. I've been using Fruity Loops and sound forge 5.0 for a few months, and those two put together are more than enough for me. I am making better music with those two programs than I could ever dream of with the Rm1x.

This thing is a breeze for anyone who has used a hardware or keyboard based sequencer. The big display is great and you can highlight any parameter showing and use cursors buttons OR the dedicated knobs. It's setup is very intuitive. After I figured out the Yamaha jargon compaired to Ensoniq it all made sense. A beginner might be overwhelmed but thats what the presets are for to mess with and figure out how things work.

This has everthing but sampling capability. I was going to wait for the RS7000 but since I all ready have a cheap sampler and learned how easy the RM1X is to assign MIDI I just bought it. It drive my drum machine and sampler tighter than my Ensoniq SQ2 did. The floppy drive is great, allthough a zip drive would've been better. The SMF import thing is cool to. I can do up a song convert it to SMF and give it to my bandmate and put it in his Korg N364! It responds great to a Real MIDI controller. It could have used a second set of MIDI ports and audio Outs though. The real time controls are great and their parameters can also be proramed by hand if your not into the knob twisting. The midi delay is crazy and when combined with its arpegiator. The manual just says what things do but isn't very detailed. Again a beginner of sequencing could be overwhelmed but that is a plus in the long run. I don't know if the OS can be updated or not and nothing can be expanded.

I like the sounds for what they are worth. I do Goth-industrial and have other gear for my realistic sounds. The dance bleeps and bloops and drums are all I expexted from it anyway. The drums are good I think and respond well to tweaking. I've found many of the pads and strings can be really expressive if you have GOOD Midi controller that has aftertouch and velocity. The voice Atoms Pad is a good example of this. The thing that does bug me though, is the fact that the sounds are all "dry" until you apply effects to your patterns. I'm used to synths that insert the sound w/ its default effect in a track. It's not hard to apply the proper effect but it can be time consuming. Overall the effects are really good and combine well with the play FX mode making up for this. I could see a button pusher, DJ, or preset using poseur really being annoyed by this.

I bought this for live gigging. I know this thing is a tank by how it feels. It feels solid (its metal) and balanced the disk drive it smooth and fast a hell and the wall wart has wire at both ends so it doesnt hog your power strip. I'll really know in a year or two after some gigging. It hasent burpped or don any wierd OS things so far.

Not that I had to for this but from the recent past Yamaha is great. I had a used SU10 and they sent me the manual free of charge. Yamaha also does a good job of putting manuals for almost everything on the internet. I got the .pdf and studied tha manual for free before I bought this. Music salesmen are like used car salesmen so having up front info (that is actually accurate unlike some companies) is nice. Try finding this for Roland or Korg instruments!

I bought this to replace my Ensoniq SQ2 for live gigging. I've ported two songs so far and they sound very close if not better. Sure it took some tweaking but 10lbs is better than 55lbs on the road anyday. It really is meant for composers but has enough for beginners. I liked some features of the of the competition (the MC's, Electribes, etc) but i need sequencing power not prewritten material (allthough there is plenty)or unlimited sound modeling. Like most Yamaha products, the RM1X price is fair value of features per dollar. Why buy an MC303 with a shit sequencer and Midi implimentation? The 505 is better for sound than an Rm1X and almost has a compairable sequencer but is only worth half as much as they charge and that new D2 box (the orange box) is a fucking joke for $500. Electribe sequencers dont come close. Any decent modeling synth or sampler can be driven from the RM1x anyway. Experienced DJ's and rich kids with their parents money "mommy look what I can do," push button, should stick to there overpriced groove products and stealing riffs from vinyl unless they are willing to learn how to be a musician. All others should buy this for the sequencer alone, which is WORTH the pricetag. Short of buying a laptop computer and all the software and excessories the RM1X is the best newer portable sequencer on the market. Hell, its the best synth workstation for the money too!

Preset Patterns sounded excellent 2 years ago, now they are a bit dated. Good voices: organ1, DX pianos, some EP, flute, Bad voices: grand piano. Editing voices does not do a big difference on the sound although it is fairly easy. The manual is thin (which is good) but for the amount of information it gives it could be even thiner.

Keys are hard to press and do not sound every time you press them. It has a reasonable amount of effects which are easy to use. Sequecesr has some good live performance features (sections, mutes, transpose) but in the editing department (cuting, copying of tracks and patterns) it is not that easy to use

It surprised me that it has good lead-solo voices. With its EPs or organs you can make a rock solo It will sound a little muddy and distorted but that is just the point. In general it sounds complex (compared to 2 variation of autoaccompainmetn keyboards)

Metal case.

Had it for a couple of months, It's not as fun to play as an autoaccompainment keyboard, I am probably going to trade it for one.

I had used an ensoniq asr-x for years, then I was forced to pawn it when I needed money. I was real close to buying another asr-x until a guy at my local music store showed me the rm1x and su700 by yamaha. I wasn't very familiar with yamaha and didn't really want to buy anything other than the standard roland or ensoniq products, but after I heard what these things could do and after listening to the quality they had, I took out a loan from the bank and bought both. Best purchase I have ever made. Oh by the way the rm1x is very easy to use. Especially if you are familiar with keyboards or similar gear.

This new "groove box" concept of finger tip sized keys really annoys the hell out of me, but I guess its better than having to pay $200 more for a keyboard, but I would recommend a midi controller for this unit. The effects are great espesially if you run them through an alesis nanoverb, adds a lot to the sound.

Very dance music oriented which is one of the main reasons I bought it. I can't stand it when I go to play a "synthesizer" and all it has in it is horns, pianos, guitars, and crap. If I want to play or hear those instruments I will pick them up and play them, but when I think of a synthesizer I want to hear techno sounds.

Extremely reliable. If I was a millionare I suppose I would buy a backup, that is a stupid question by the way.

I have never had to call them, and I hope I never have to.

My advice would be to go to a music store and play around with this thing for a couple of hours. If you love dance music this machine is perfect. For me this machine is perfect.

I found the RM1X easy to use. It is easy to make your own patterns, although the song mode is a bit fiddly. This machine is best used for pattern based material which it excells at. It is very good for dropping in tracks and muting parts etc. which gives a DJ kind of feel. Although I havent used it in a live situation I would imagine it is very easy to use and you can be creative and mix in and out of parts well giving you alot of originality in what you are doing rather than having everything pre-sequenced. Editing of sounds is'nt one of its strong points. You can edit everything but its not as intuative as I would have hoped for, but it does make what you can do easier if you know what I mean.

I found the keyboard useless for playing anything that you would normally do on a proper keyboard but it is'nt really intended for that use. You can easily add a midi keyboard anyway so that is not really a problem. The keyboard is usefull for step time sequencing with the key acting as each sixteenth beat of a note and you can drop in your note on each key. This is very good for buillding up beats but unlike on the MC303 etc you can only see one bar at a time, and it is is a bit awkward moving to the next bar. The effects are not bad, but I have dedicated effects units which I would prefer to use. There are no expansions to the unit. It would always be nice to load in new samples on any module, and I would love to with this as I am not too keen on the overall sound set included. The main advantage of this unit is the sequencer. It is very good for buiding up patterns and very easy to use. One of the reasons I bought it was the inbuilt disk drive. Very important to keep all your patterns and songs etc.

I found the sound set on the RM1X at first to be very good, but after playing around with it the sounds are all very similar. There are loads of digi type sounds, which are good if you like that type of thing, but I could have done with more original sounds to give this machine more of its own character. The pads are all very buzzy but there are some good sound effects, and some of the basses are very playable. The drum sounds are very weak and you look down the list and think you have 50 drum kits but most of the kits are the same samples in different arrangements and then you have 25 kits, with the other 25 the same kits just slight variations on the sounds. The kick drums are limp and the snares very sparse and not very pleasing. I would have expected allot higher standard in the rhythm samples, seeing as this is a dance machine. The realistic sounds are not very realistic. I sound like I hate the sounds but they are good (except for the drums) if you want to sound like everything else at the moment. If you want a bit of creativity and more depth to them then I would advice you go for a dedicated sound module and use an alternate midi sequencer. I had hoped to use this for making allot of my beats, You have the step sequencer which is great but no great sounds to back it up.

There is no doubt it is a reliable unit. I have no problems with the actual reliability of it. Solid and dependable.

Never needed to contact Yamaha with this product. I did send them an email once though and didn't get a reply for about three weeks.

I no longer own this instrument. I swapped it for an Emu Xtreme Lead with a Techno Expansion card fitted. If it had the sounds to back up the features it has it would have been an excellent piece of kit. I once had a MC303 and although it only had 8 drum kits I found I was making much more interesting beats with that. I would not recommend you buy the RM1X, but that is purely my own personal experience. Other people without a computer may find it brilliant for what they want, and what it does best is building up patterns. I found it tried to be too much of everything but didnt master any of them. This could also be my lack of creativity though as the preset patterns did sound very good.

This is a piece of cake to use. It takes a while to learn,
particularly if you are used to 808, 303 style interfaces, but once
you know your way around, it becomes second nature.
The size and resolution of the LCD screen makes for a very user-
friendly interface with menus and graphics, so you always know where
you are and whayt you are doing.

Sequencer, drum-machine, synth, effects.
Buy it for the sequencer. If this box had no sounds and no on-board
effects, it would still be worth the money for the sequencer alone.
There's nothing you cant do. The MIDI delay lets you change the pitch,
gating and velocity of the feedback and because it's all done with
MIDI, you can apply it to any of your instruments. How did I manage
before I got this???
The tweakability is another major selling point. The built in sounds
may be naff but you can twist and warp them all to hell until they are
unrecognisable.
I dont use the arpegiator but I imagine it's useful if you're a trancey
person.
Basically, the features on offer make programming original beats and
rythms very easy indeed.

To be honest. The sounds aren't great. They're flat and shallow. Most
of them I wouldnt touch. They're saved by the ease with with you can
play with them. There's a wide range of effects, and you can really
let rip by pitching sounds up and down, gating them, fiddling cutoff
and resonance. And you can capture all your tweaking in real time to
the sequencer. AND THEN you can go back and step edit one note at a
time. The possibilities are mind boggling. You really have to
push this thing to the limit to get an interesting sound out of it..
but it is possible.

I've been using it heavily and some of the knobs are starting to get
a bit wobbly. Take care.
I've also had the odd stuck note - which I imagine would be
embarrasing in a gig - especially since I couldnt get it to stop
without turning the bloody thing off and on again.

Never needed them

This is astonishing value for money. There's so much you can do.
Don't think for a second that its all you'll ever need. If you don't
have any other synths you'll soon be aching for a fatter, richer
sound. And if you want to make punchy dance music you're gonna want
a separate drum machine like a 909.
I use it to drive a drum machine, synth and sampler and the
sounds on the RM1x fill in the gaps nicely - but thats all. The trick
to getting a good sound is to tweak the hell out of it.
Most importantly, it's a very powerful and editable sequencer, and a
perfect replacement for the computer in a live setup. It's pretty
much at the heart of my setup and as far as I'm concerned it's
irreplacable.

Im using the latest versions of cakewalk, cubase and other editors. But find hardly use of them because the RM1x is fully equipped with everything you need. There are al lot of presets in sounds and ritmes. You can make your own from scratch or edit the existing ones. I love it. Good manual too (in diferent languages.)

16 multitimbral with a lot of effects to use. There's a diskdrive to and it's compatible with the computer.

I use it every weekend to drive my fans completely crazy. Im a DJ.

Can't comply to that. Only one reason, I didn't need it till this moment.

I am using the latest software version considering I just bought it brand new at guitar center exactly 16 days ago. Editing patches is a sinch. I have been Djing for 2 years and wanted to get into producing so I bought this as my setup along with a cs2x. The manual is good for learning the first few days you get it. I cought on extremely quick and started making my first track in 13 days.

The features on this thing are incredible. The poly is 32 in the tone generator and 64 in the sequencer block. The built in effects are good and can alot can be used at the same time, and are easy to use. It has midi in and midi out. Basic midi. The sequencer is where this thing is frigen incredible. I did some wacked out sick beats with this sequencer from scratch. AND I've only had it 16 days. You can create some crazy arpeggios on this sequencer and you will always keep this even when you expand your setup because of the extremely powerful sequencer. See, I was having trouble making up my mind on a hardware sequencer or a software sequencer. But I thought that a software sequencer would kill my creative mind and take the fun out of making music so I went with this and I am so glad I did.

The sounds on the rm1x are good for a beginer as myself. But I even think that the sounds are to mechanized in some weird way. That's why I got myself the cs2x. But as of now I just use the internal sounds and with alittle tweaking they are pretty darn good. I like the drums but the bass doesn't kick as hard as I would like it to but that can be fixed also.

I can no doubt depend on this blue monster. THe thing I don't like is the knobs are somwhat flimsy and seem that they will wear out alittle quickly but this doesn't bother me one bit. And the keyboard is flimsy but good for what it is meant for (triggering). I would use without a backup no doubt.

I've never delt with them so I have no comment here, but, I have heard they are not too good.

Well this is where the real shocker comes in. As my first thing I bought a korg triton 61-key workstation and wasn't too happy because of the learning curve and didn't have the sounds for my style of mellow house, and progressive trance. So i brought it back for the rm1x and a cs2x (I know most people out there think I am crazy and I kinda regreted it) UNTIL, I brought the rm1x home and started using it. I was so happy with my changeover. The rm1x just fit my type of music better. It is up to you and your style ofmusic on if you should buy this or not, go to your nearest music store and check it out. If it were stolen, first I would go on a search for the person who dear steal such a precious item and then probably be really mad concidering I am 16 and took the money for this gear out of my car money. So that wouldn't be good. I would no doubt replace this concidering it has helped me make a first song in only 16 days and have learned many aspects of it in that short of a time also. What I love about it is that it helps me take what is in my head and lay down a track in no time. As of now, there is nothing I hate but I will later post another review to the rm1x when I get better with it. I compared this to other products and did LOTS AND LOTS of research before making a decision. THe salesman at guitar center tryed to get me to buy an used Mc-505, but for some reason I had me heart set on the rm1x, and I am glad I did because I am happy with my purchase. It helps me make music no doubt. I recomend this for beginer-pro that wants a peice of kit that will expand with any setup, anyone in need of a great sequencer and decent tone generator, and anyone into house, trance, techno, dance, and even some hip-hop. Well this is it for now and I will post another review later on when I am done with a few more tracks and when I learn how to use it to it's max. Peace.

Once you get familiar with it, you can move around pretty quickly. It's super fun to tweak the sounds on. The control is great. The keyboard thing gets a little annoying, but you can always use a bigger controller.

Most features of any hardware sequencer in its class, hands down. This thing is the BEST. I like Yamaha because they don't seem to skimp on features (like roland, akai, etc.). This is no exception to that rule.

The sounds are great, and there are tons of 'em. Even if you don't like them, though, you can tweak them so much you that wouldn't care.

I've had this for over a year and never had a problem.

Never had to deal with them.

What a great machine. I could no longer live without it. I use it with a sampler for beat-loops and, and a couple of sound modules. I get amazing results. A real PRO piece of gear.

version 1.12 (i think!), this is the most easy piece of equipment i ever used (toasters aside!). editing patches or effects isnt a hard task on this one. the manual seems to be pretty well writen, but i honestly never read the thing...i was able to figure out how everything work within minutes (ok, maybe an hour then!)

the keyboard seems a little flaky, and not really reliable, it sometimes double trigger notes, or sometimes dosent trigger it at all...use a keyboard to trigger it if you want to extend the longevity of the keys.

by now you should already know all the specs for the unit, so ill just add my PROS and CONS!

PROS: sequencer to die for, very versatile in the recording modes dept., 16 keys to trigger differents parts (way cool!)...try to do this with a software sequencer! grid groove, once you master this function your groove and looseness will dramaticly improve! 16 tracks sequencer (well,its better than his 8 track silver cousin!)

CONS: the grid step sequencing DO NOT work in realtime, meaning that tr-x0x style editing is not really inspiring...for this deciving feature ill have to deduct 2 points....other than that its a nearly perfect machine!

first of all, i didnt bought the unit for its sounds or effects, and i didnt expect much in this dept either!

the drums are pretty good thought! since i dont own a drum machine, i was pretty impress on the rather wide selection of drum and perc the unit have (47 kits,and a boatload of other percs).

as for the other sounds, nothing really caught my attention, except maybe that sweet electric piano sound...there is not much to edit here, so go get yourself a good dedicated keyboard!

the fx section is good and fairly editable for such a cheap unit...but again, an outboard dedicated unit would be a plus.

i guess i could depend on it, but the keyboard will eventually crap on me!

Yamaha support?? you must be joking right??

go thru your dealer to prevent headaches.

i love it!

i dont rely on its sounds (i got other gear to back me up!), but the sequencer offer more than i've expected.

this machine actually saved me from all of this software madness. i used cubase for a long time, and this software actually killed the creativity i use to have, but the rm1x is making see the light again.

i recommend this unit to anyone seeking a creative boost or a change in the way of creating and manipulating tracks.

Okay I know that my software version is pre 1.13....
the manual was half decent, however i found it was written for new comers some what, me not being one it is a little annoying when everything is explained so simply....

The preset patterns shit all over the mc505's preset patterns..the preset sounds are better....i find the drum kits sound real, ie the 909 hi hats for example sound so much better than the 505's samples....

The menu system with super large green display is definetly a plus, however it requires a somewhat different approach to the mc505, so while being easy to use in one regard it can be more complex in another....

but unless u have a button for everything u can't really expect a box such as this to be 'simple' to use..u just have to grow into the thing...

I think the sequencer polyphony is 64 notes, with the tone gen having 32 notes...my keys are a little dodgy, however it was purchased 2nd hand so i'm not surprised..

The efx block is half decent, i've only had it for a few weeks and i haven't been able to get into it much...

Expansion capabilities? no.

Its a full blown midi sequencer though, however the bug with the original OS shits me up the wall, i can't use it to control external gear because it sends random PC messages when u do things like hit record etc, and the supposedly FREE upgrade isn't FREE in australia because of some jackass excuse that our dollar isn't strong enough...
basically this is a load of crap and a defect on the behalf of yamaha...since when do u have to pay for a free fix to a design fault?

Some sounds are crap, some are excellent, but being a ROMpler u are kind of limited...like with my 505 i have come to a point, after two years of exploring different genres, all my songs sound the same...to me anyway...u really need a synth/sampler to get the most out of this box. The onboard effects are half decent, midi delay is okay but i would have liked to have seen a delay efx unit as well....

I really love the way u trigger sections, like u play them like samples...me being a live performer it really allows u to be creative ....

Uhm....could i depend on it?

Yeah i guess so, i've been relying on the mc505 without a backup for the last year or so...and i think the rm1x is better in many regards...

but i have two minds about yamaha...that midi sequencer bug...hmmmmm

What shits me is the fact we are expected to pay for an upgrade that every other country gets for free, when the main point of the upgrade is to fix up a bug that yamaha overlooked.

If it were lost, i would buy it again. I've been playing out for a year, writing for about 6. I own an mc505, behringer mx2004, virtualizer, roland xp10, guilemot maxi studio isis sound card. I love its sounds, the section triggering, its look, i hate its midi stuff up, i hate its lack of a midi thru port (just like the 505..there is space on one and they don't require much circuity)..i hate external power packs...

I wish these things had samplers...i would say it helps me make music..i wouldn't have bought it otherwise..

i would have given this box straight 9's or 10's if it weren't for the fact i'm now a disgruntled yamaha customer because of the midi bug.....that i have to pay for to get fixed...bugger them all to hell u can never win hehehehehe