Page 2: Yamaha RM1X

Real‑Time Machine

As you'd expect from a unit dubbed a 'Sequence Remixer', the RM1x offers a number of useful tools for transforming patterns on the fly, creating a unique, extemporised performance.

While it lacks the sheer knobbage of the MC505, not to mention that instrument's Part Mix fader section, the RM1x still offers most of the facilities you could expect, though some are hidden behind a button push ortwo. For example, the eight real‑time control knobs can be used for mixing — as volume controls, pan pots, and effects sends to the effects processors. All 16 sequence tracks can be accessed via eight knobs: pressing the Knob A/B button shifts each knob between two tracks.

The eight real‑time control knobs can be used for part mixing, controlling such features as volume, pan, and effects send level, or for modifying a wide range of synth and sequencer parameters.

The main job of the real‑time controllers, however, is to alter various synth and sequencer parameters. 16 are preset in two banks of eight, but others can be assigned if the presets don't suit your method of working. Although ideal for real‑time tweaking — and as soon as something is tweaked it becomes part of whatever you're working on — the controller knobs' movements can also be recorded into a pattern or Song.

Real‑time control possibilities aren't just confined to the knobs: Styles can be changed, patterns selected and Tracks muted (or solo'd) on the fly, using the micro‑keyboard and other front‑panel controls. Five mute scene memories, which can be assigned during playback, facilitate switching between previously created 'mute groups' of tracks at the press of a button. Real‑time transpose is available, and it seems to know which track or tracks contain drum parts and doesn't transpose them!

Funky playback parameters include Grid Groove, which Yamaha are particularly proud of. This feature is reminiscent of a cross between Logical Edit in Steinberg's Cubase VST and a standard 'groove quantise' facility. It applies note, velocity, gate time and clock position offsets to a part already recorded, or to arpeggiations. Making it work well can be tricky, but the results are satisfying — and the graphic display, illustrating the offsets against a 16th‑note grid, is very helpful. Simple effects include adding an arpeggio feel to incoming notes and recreating the slide‑driven filter effects of a TB303. Some quite sophisticated groove quantise effects can also be achieved.

The RM1x excels as a fast ideas machine — the pattern‑based sequencing that suits the contemporary dance scene would also suit anyone wanting to get songs finished quickly.

The so‑called Play FX and MIDI Delay are also reminiscent of software sequencing. Both process MIDI data that's already been recorded (rather than being DSP effects as we know them) and produce new data. Play FX include an octaver and two harmonisers, plus a 'beat stretch' for individual tracks which works in a similar fashion to the time‑stretch editing job. This latter feature allows tracks within a single pattern or Song to apparently play at completely different tempos, which can be interesting if you're into polyrhythms. MIDI Delay is self‑explanatory, with delay time, delay level, repeat time and transpose value (for ascending or descending repeats) parameters available.

The results of the playback effects can be 'fixed' — recorded into a pattern or Song. This would be a valuable option if you wanted to take the work elsewhere, as a MIDI file, but there's no real reason to do it otherwise. Besides, these features work without eating into sequence memory and once fixed, they would eat into it. It's worth noting that both Play FX and MIDI Delay can compromise overall polyphony, since they are generating new MIDI data to play alongside the notes already recorded.

On the MIDI front, the RM1X will transmit and respond to MIDI Song Position Pointer, and sync to MIDI Clock or MIDI Time Code (with control over MTC start offset). Additionally, most knob movements transmit over MIDI, and the RM1x will respond to a wide range of MIDI controllers.

Sound Sauce

Over 800 preset voices, including drums, is a pretty fair selection by anyone's standards — and more than the competition offers. Though some are average GM fare, Yamaha have included plenty of the analogue‑style techno and dance sounds currently in vogue, and there is apparently no duplication of voices with their other specifically dance‑orientated synth, the CS1x. The GM set in the first sound bank makes the RM1x GM‑compatible, which is good news for anyone who wants to use it as a MIDI file playback device, but it's not XG‑compatible (XG being Yamaha's extended implementation of General MIDI). This is because Yamaha have filled the slots which would usually be occupied by XG variation sounds with themed banks, namely Synth Bass & Lead, Synth Pad & Synth EFX, Synth Material (raw analogue anddigital synth waveforms), Band Instruments (largely electric pianos, guitars and basses), Classical Instruments & Wind, Ethnic & Percussion, SFX, Drum Kit, and GM Drum Kit. A quick scan down the RM1x's patch list reveals about a 50/50 split between specifically dance‑type and general‑purpose sounds. This should make the RM1x usable by a wider range of people — and anyway, who's to say what kind of sounds those making dance music should be using?

Let's take a necessarily quick look at the synth‑themed banks. For a start, there are more synth basses and leads than you could shake a stick at, mostly very usable, though some are obviously tweaked versions of the same sound. There's a lot of variety, ranging through all shades of warm and fuzzy to various types of sharp and cutting. We weren't so happy in the pad department, where we found a lot of weird and clever pads but perhaps not as many musically useful ones as you might prefer. Many of them have a rhythmic element, but other than changing LFO speed by ear, you can't get this to sync with tempo or MIDI clock. One or two of the pads had noticeable loops, and some were rather too FM‑sounding — even bearing in mind that FM is currently trendy. But overall the RM1x achieves the requisite percussive, aggressive, edgy sound character when required, as exemplified in many of the preset Styles.

A big plus for many will be the number of general‑purpose voices on board, and all of the voices can be customised with editing. Speaking of editing, RM1x Voices have to be edited in terms of patterns or Songs. There's no space for user‑modified voices to be saved in their own right, nor is there a real Voice Edit mode, in spite of there being a button labelled as such. Rather, voices are assigned to pattern or Song tracks, and if they're not quite right Voice Edit is used to apply an offset to a voice's parameters. These parameters are such as you might find on a Yamaha GM/XG module (basic envelope, portamento, LFO and resonant filter). The result becomes a part of the finished pattern or Song, though anything to do with a sequence track, including voice settings, can be copied to another pattern or Song, so favourite edits can be used repeatedly. This is not as good as having dedicated voice memories (as on the MC505), since it puts the onus on the user to remember where they used that great bass edit, for example (or to take notes). Effects editing is similarly arranged: tweak them — they're fully editable with a comprehensive set of parameters — and they're part of the current pattern or Song.

Time & Motion Study

In general, the RM1x is straightforward to use. Assembling new patterns from preset Phrases is simply a matter of assigning Phrases to tracks until you hear what you like — but with nearly 8000 cryptically labelled presets (though you always know what instrument is playing, courtesy of a two‑letter abbreviation), the going could get confusing. Recording from scratch, and editing, is also pretty painless, with the display helping to keep even the novice in the picture. The manual, while deficient in some ways, explains such basic procedures perfectly clearly, and the front panel offers a brief list of what the various mode and sub‑mode buttons offer, which also helps.

There's a definite Yamaha feel to the proceedings, and some touches are even recognisable from the SY85 workstation, which was our main synth for several years. Many parameters can be accessed and altered in various ways, and though this can cause some initial confusion, users should quickly settle down into a pattern of key presses that suits their style. Working with the RM1x often seems quicker than with the MC505, since you're never waiting for the operating system to catch up with your last move. Pretty much every change you make on the RM1x is instantaneous, and backed up immediately, as its memory is dynamic and non‑volatile. Nice touches include the Grid Groove and MIDI effects — a pleasant surprise on a hardware unit. The screen is used to good advantage as well; it's not quite a computer monitor (or a QY700 LCD!), but it shows so much more than the average 2‑line x 24‑character display. The four display knobs, which line up with parameters in the LCD, also help make light work of editing.

Though Yamaha have taken an existing technology and twisted it to fit a new market, they've done the job very well, and in some areas have actually improved on the competition.

Irritations are few: the on‑screen cursor will usually reset to one corner of the display when you move from one mode toanother and back, but this happens with most gear. And even after using the machine for a while, it can be easy to forget what mode the keyboard is in, and you can go to play it and inadvertently mute most of the currently playing tracks or quickly switch between several different patterns. But these are minor niggles.

Fading Out...

At the start of this review, we said that, given its provenance, the RM1x should ideally not only work for people currently after a 'groove' machine, but should be able to stretch to fit different requirements. After using the instrument for a couple of weeks it becomes apparent that it will do just that. We've been gigging with acoustic material that doesn't remotely approach dance, but now that we're thinking about introducing some sequencing, the RM1x is under serious consideration — for its powerful 16‑track sequencing capabilities, its large range of sounds, its disk drive, its price tag, and the fact that its operating system doesn't get in the way. The RM1x also excels as a fast ideas machine — the pattern‑based sequencing that suits the contemporary dance scene would also suit anyone wanting to get songs finished quickly.

Though Yamaha have taken an existing technology and twisted it to fit a new market, they've done the job very well, and in some areas have actually improved on the competition, making the RM1x almost certainly the best value 'groove machine' on the market.