Yamaha rx 5

[ghd]

I've been offered this machine, is it bendable?

thanks Glenn

[Circuitbenders]

I think the RX-5 is a expanded version of the RX-7 with individual outputs and level slider isn't it? At least 90% of the hardware appears to be the same.

If thats the case then the RX-5 is certainly bendable but it has the annoying habit of only letting you use a couple of bent sounds at a time. If you make a short between the pins of the ROM chips most of the sounds can't be used while the connection is made. The ones that can be used are certainly circuitbent but theres not many of them. If you make a different short then another group of sounds disappear and another few sounds are circuitbent.

Its certainly bendable but its not much fun.

[Signal:Noise]

I was wondering about this as well, but to be honest after a little reading about it, I'd probably still think about getting it anyway if the price is good, they sound like extremely competent machines, you can apparently pretty much use them like an MMT8

[ghd]

Thanks for the advice.  The price is $45.00 Canadian, seems good to me price wise. I also just picked up an Alesis hr 16 for $20.00 so I'm hoping between the two I should get something interesting soundwise.

[Circuitbenders]

Now the HR16 is a whole different world of circuitbent action. Not as good a drum machine as the RX5 but has far more circuitbending potential.

[Matt the Modulator]

hi ive just got a RX5 for 20quid as they listed it as a mixer?? any way i openped it up and found many chips i whent streight for two chips that are in sockets (the ony two) that have a RX-5 rom sticker on and after shorting 2 pins the thing crashed mmmmm ive managed to reset the thing and it seems ok but all the sounds are gone as you need to load them from rom cards well waveform cards Has any one got a spare rom card or would anyone lend me one ??
as untill i try and load some sounds its dead theres some YM3907 chips in there which i think usually produce some glitch sounds when you short ?? on other machines anyway iam bored now ive crashehed this iam off to cry
bye bye

[Circuitbenders]

Try desoldering the backup battery and then doing a factory reset. That seems to work on other difficult RX's

[Matt the Modulator]

hi thanks ive just tried that it took 21 screws and 3 bolts to get at the battery to de-solder it and it hasn't sorted it out mmmm but it has stopped the wiered text on the prograamming screen so ile have to still hope usinga a cartridge will load up some new sounds. the click track still works ok and it looks like it functions just no sound
thanks again.

[Gordonjcp]

ghd: re the HR16 - you can replace the samples in them by changing all three ROMs.  You can easily turn it into an HR16:B (except it won't be black).  I wrote a little tool to replace the samples and alter the sample names in the firmware ROM.

[ghd]

Thanks for the advice. Where do I get the ROMs from?

Best always

Glenn

[Gordonjcp]

The ROM chips, or the ROM images?  I get the chips from eBay, usually.  It's almost impossible to get stuff like that in "high street" electronics shops these days.  As for the ROM images, Google is your friend, and will probably direct you to a site called Storm's Corner.

If' you're *totally* stuck I can probably buy a set, burn them and stick them in the post, if you cover the cost of the chips and postage.

[lazydog]

http://electro-music.com/forum/topic-56137.html
(also on Anafrog)(more details here in french:
http://forum.anafrog.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=9672)

this is a nice project for the RX5: USB adaptor to the cartridge, allowing
loading of samples (up to 128kb...), and with own PC editor!

i don't know if he has got any further with the project since. would be good
to have alternate eeproms semi permanently loaded with new sounds (eg:
write your own cart's). apparently 'loading via USB should not be attempted
with cart connected to the machine'. would be nice to be able to do this
without wrecking the original cartridge.

Gordon/Paul: did you identify any 'safe' bends with the RX7?

of course, it could always be used to sequence external sounds, since it
can transmit on different midi channels for each pad.