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Description
The Yamaha RX-5 is a powerhouse in the world of drum machines, designed for both studio perfectionists and live performance enthusiasts. Released during the digital revolution of the 1980s, this 16-bit PCM rhythm composer remains a favorite for its robust sound and versatility. With a wide array of pre-set drum samples, including kicks, snares, and toms, the RX-5 provides a rich palette for crafting dynamic beats. Its intuitive interface makes it easy to navigate, while advanced features like velocity-sensitive pads and real-time control give you the ability to produce intricate rhythms with ease.
The RX-5 is lauded for its expandable memory, allowing you to customize and store additional sounds, which is a rarity among drum machines of its era. This feature, combined with its solid construction and reliable performance, makes it a staple in the gear bags of DJs and producers around the globe. Whether you're laying down tracks in the studio or delivering electrifying performances on stage, the RX-5 ensures your beats are always on point.
Key Features:
- 16-bit PCM sound engine for high-quality audio
- 24 built-in drum sounds with the ability to expand via external ROM cards
- Velocity-sensitive pads for dynamic beat creation
- Real-time control for live performance adaptability
- Expandable memory for storing custom sounds and patterns
- MIDI compatibility for seamless integration with other gear
- Comprehensive editing features to fine-tune every aspect of your rhythms
Product specs
| Brand | Yamaha |
| Model | RX5 Digital Rhythm Programmer |
| Finish | Black |
| Year | 1986 |
| Categories | Drum Machines |
| Analog / Digital | Digital |
| MIDI I/O | MIDI Input, MIDI Output, MIDI Through |
| Number of Pads | 24 Pads |
| Polyphony | 16 Voices |
FAQs
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What type of sound can I expect from the Yamaha RX5 drum machine?
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The Yamaha RX5 offers a classic 80s digital sound with a variety of percussive voices, making it ideal for electronic, pop, and dance music genres. It features a distinctive, punchy tone that is characteristic of vintage drum machines.
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How many sounds can the Yamaha RX5 play simultaneously?
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The Yamaha RX5 has a polyphony of 16 voices, allowing it to play up to 16 different sounds at the same time, which is great for creating complex rhythmic patterns.
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Does the Yamaha RX5 have MIDI capabilities?
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Yes, the Yamaha RX5 is equipped with MIDI Input, Output, and Through, enabling it to integrate seamlessly with other MIDI-compatible devices for expanded control and synchronization.
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How many pads does the Yamaha RX5 have for triggering sounds?
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The Yamaha RX5 features 24 pads, providing a wide range of options for triggering its built-in sounds and creating dynamic drum patterns.
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Is the Yamaha RX5 suitable for live performances?
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With its robust build and reliable MIDI integration, the Yamaha RX5 is well-suited for live performances, offering versatile sound programming and real-time control over drum sequences.
Videos
zibbybone
Yamaha RX5 Drum Machine Demo
Reviews
PROS
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Versatile with deep sound editing options
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Iconic sounds recognized in late 80s tracks
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Affordable with great value for vintage gear
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Can emulate SP12 sounds using RX5USB Card
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Individual outs and full MIDI support enhance connectivity
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Stable performance, essential for live setups
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Unique pitch shifting for creative tones
CONS
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Plastic design and buttons feel fragile
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Larger footprint than some competitors
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Built-in drum sounds considered bland without modification
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Hard plastic pads can be loud and annoying in live play
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Some find it limiting despite expansions
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Yamaha RX-5.
Features and functionality
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The RX5 includes individual outputs for each sound, allowing detailed external sound processing and manipulation.
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The RX5 has MIDI in/out/through and supports internal, MIDI, tape, and external sync options, crucial for integrating with other gear without additional converters.
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The RX5 lacks a low-pass filter but offers editable ADSR for each sound, which can still be creatively used for sound shaping.
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Users describe the RX-5's 12-bit converters as key to its unique "crunchy" sound quality, contributing to its distinct sonic character compared to later models.
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Mods and upgrades
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The RX5USB Mk2 card enables custom sample loading, enhancing versatility with samples like 808/909 and E-MU Drumulator.
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Setup and maintenance
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Users often need to replace the internal battery and LCD as they tend to fade over time.
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Users note that the RX5 can go out of sync over time if not explicitly synced, indicating a need for careful MIDI clock management.
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Owners find button contact cleaning with isopropyl alcohol effective for restoring non-working buttons, improving overall functionality after years of use.
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Use cases and applications
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Known for its distinctive snare sounds, the RX5 was favored by Prince and used by Chromeo for select tracks.
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The RX5's voice editing capabilities are highlighted as a standout feature, though less useful for non-industrial genres according to some users.
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Individual outputs allow creative effects processing, such as using guitar pedals on select outputs to craft unique sound textures.
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User experience
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Owners highlight the 80s sequencer workflow as having a steep learning curve for those unfamiliar with vintage gear.
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The RX5 is notably larger than expected, comparable in size to a Minilogue XD and slightly smaller than a standard Hi-Fi component, impacting space considerations.
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Despite initial complexity, some owners report mastering the RX-5's menu navigation quickly, finding it more intuitive than other vintage Yamaha gear like the EX-5.
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Build quality
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Some users experience "crunchy" sounds, possibly indicating wear or damage needing repair, such as bent cartridge ports or broken volume sliders.
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Critic Reviews
4.5 out of 5
Based on 5 Reviews and 18 Ratings
200
One of my fav's
I must be honest, if I hadn't developed sound cartridges for this unit (Retrokits RK-001) I would probably not use it that much (although the RX5's sounds are iconic too) but now I can play custom and 808s, 909s, 606s,... on this machine it has become a stable clock in my setup. Loads of pattern memory, 80s style editing but hey. Stable as a rock.
41029
the stock RX5 sunds just kill, its like a Janet Jackson record.... or a skinny puppy record if you add some distortion
10
How did you develop sound cartridges? I'm interested in that.
23
Fun 80s drum machine
I love the snares and claps on this machine. The stock tambourine is one of my favorite tambourine samples that I use. It has discrete outs for each drum, which is really nice if you're doing more than grabbing one shot samples. Hard plastic pads get loud and clicky when playing things in live, which can be annoying, but it's a small price to pay.
41029
Dude I love the RX5. Wish mine hadn't broken :-(
363
Um, read below?
The built-in sampled drum sounds themselves are pretty bland, but there are sufficient means of sculpting the sounds even beyond recognition. Pitch and amp envelopes and sample looping just to name a few, and when you pitch down the samples you get that deliciously gritty 80s industrial sound. Mmmmmm!
257
Nice crispy fast drum machine, good sounds
Stephen Morris from New order used to use these and thats why i bought one, i only ever used it for reverse cymbals.. true story ! nice sounding, but really quite limiting. Had all the expansion waveforms for it, but let it go.. Not forgotten, but not really missed.
Artist usage
Add artist
"Out of the studio and on to the stage, the emphasis falls on sampling. A fully-expanded Akai S1000 does most of the hard work (Dangers calls it "the brain") in conjunction with a pair of Octapads. Additionally there's a Korg M1, a Yamaha RX5 for certain drum duties, and a Roland MC500 MkII sequencer."
Mastelotto isn't shy with electronics. He used "a fair amount of samples" for composite snare sounds, including three alone for "King for a Day," played on a Roland Octopad, and the overtone of "a very ringy Ludwig similar to a tube-lug snare" sampled on an Akai S900. The drummer and his tech Paul Mitchell bent the samples with a warp function "to a note that sounded good" for each track. Tabourine-shaker, congas, tablas and other oriental percussion came from Casio FZ-1 samplers. A Yamaha RX5 drum machine crops up on the fade of "Hold Me My Daddy"; elsewhere Mastelotto used an MX8 MIDI patch bay to increase the velocity of a LinnDrum fed into a Yamaha QX2 program. An old Simmons SD55's kicks and snares are on "Chalkhills and Children" and "Poor Skeleton Steps Out." There's a Pearl SC-40 on "Cynical Days" -- "similar to a tambourine but more of a bongo" -- and "Garden of Earthly Delights," "for a low kick that bends up like a tabla." "Garden" also employs a Roland TR727 drum loop. And Mastelotto still uses sticks: Pro-Mark 5Bs or 909s, "butt-end."
Georgy Guryanov used a Yamaha RX-5 drum machine in the recordings of KINO's albums ‘A Star Called Sun’, the collection ‘Le dernier des héros’, and the last so-called ‘Black album’ Information about this on timecode 12:05
Showed up in a list of Ryo Okumoto’s gear on the Spock’s Beard official website.
Studio F: Procussion and old RX5 drum machine (for cliks) on same MIDI circuit. Peter says assign RX5 to top note and set Procussion to ignore top note. Then in Vision you set metronome to top key on ‘drum machine’ channel.
The BBC Radiophonic Workshop is noted to have utilized the Yamaha RX-5 drum machine, as mentioned in the studio diary available on Whitefiles.
The instrument appears on the list of instruments on official artist's website (http://olszak.pl/).
This is Finn's RX5 drum machine, which is used in his new tracks and side projects
Artist Grit is shown using the Yamaha RX-5 drum machine in an Instagram post by inthegrit. The photo highlights its integration into Grit's studio setup, praised for its 80s charm, separate mixing channels, and versatile pattern capabilities.
Mike O’Donnell confirmed on Twitter that he and Junior Campbell used a Yamaha RX5 drum module when scoring Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends.
STRUMENTI E VINTAGE KEYBOARDS Pianoforte YAMAHA C3 CONSERVATORY mezza coda (Disklavier) Piano elettrico FENDER RHODES 88 tasti Piano Digitale YAMAHA P-60 HAMMOND B3 – HAMMOND C3 – HAMMOND T-500 – LESLIE 122 – LESLIE 147 Basso elettrico GIBSON RIPPER Chitarra elettrica GRETSCH BATTERIA PEARL con rullante LUDWIG e piatti PAISTE e ZILDJIAN CONGAS – PERCUSSIONI di vario genere VINTAGE KEYBOARDS MINIMOOG KURZWEIL K250 KURZWEIL RMX 250 KORG M1 KORG Trinity ROLAND D50 Linear Synthesizer ROLAND D550 Linear Synthesizer YAMAHA DX7 FDII ENSONIQ SQ80 Analog Sinthesizer ROLAND D-110 ROLAND U-110 EMULATOR III EMULATOR III XP 2 EMULATOR IV E6400 OBERHEIM Matrix 1000 KAWAI K1m BOSS Drums Machine YAMAHA RX5 Drums Machine
(All from the website)
Album Usage
The Yamaha RX-5 has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Yamaha RX-5, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
Community setups
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