YAMAHA RX-15 DRUM MACHINE: Demo & Review

Bought the Yamaha RX 15 for $50 the other day and wanted to do a more in-depth review than what I've seen on youtube. Hope to do more of these with out older gear I have picked up recently. All comments must be approved first, so don't waste your time trying to be a dick.

[jordancortezsound]

Great demo man! i love it how you explained that it's not just about the sound that these vintage gears are worth buying and it's about how the sounds are conceived out of the machine and that can't be mimicked when you put the same sound into a DAW. Love it! Same way I feel about my gears!

[zedster]

by the way ... what is with the eerie spooky music/sound in the background????

[TheIcedroid]

Totally agree ! Really under rated piece of gear ! Most of us forget that In the eighties it was a real professional tool !

[NikFarr]

Awesome review, Blueprint. I appreciate not only the description of the machine and its sounds, but your discussion of the virtues of using the actual unit versus loading one-shot samples into sequencing software has really turned my head around.

Suggestion: I would love it if you did a demo video where you created a beat twice--once on a vintage drum machine, and then again using samples "in the box, " so we can hear the difference in terms of the sound and the feel. I absolutely believe you're right about these things; I'd just love to see them demonstrated, especially by someone with your depth of knowledge.

Again, awesome review/demo, thanks for sharing!

[d_vibe-swe]

Hi! Don't forget that you can switch sound on the closed hihat to pedal hihat and the snare drum to a low snare drum. Also, if you connect it to midi you will be able to play cowbell and shaker on the same time, plus get full velocity range (0-127)..

[robertt]

Great demo man, thanks a lot for taking the time to do it.

You know your stuff, thats for sure!

l8r

[monsterjazzlicks]

SUPERB demo.  You really understand the language, architecture and timbres of this machine.  Well done mate.  (Have subscribed!).

[garybrody]

I have one I bought in the 80's. I never cared for the samples, so I midi'd it to my Korg M1 and accessed the M1's samples. The best drums I ever heard for recording without an actual drummer. The RX-15 was/is a great controller, so to speak, to create great drum tracks.

[patmulh]

It's refreshing to see a good demo on youtube. :)

[zedster]

Way back in the mid 1980s, I bought one of these when I bought my DX7II-FD but hardly used it as I couldn't be bothered to learn how to programme it.... still got it and want to keep it

[nflyte]

Hello, Have the RX15 and RX 11. I'll keep my RX11 forever but will part with the RX15 for $75.00. Some of the original patterns are missing but can be re-programmed with the pattern book. Also the button is missing for the data entry fader but the fader is working fine without it. Just need to add a button. Everything else works great. Great video by the way. Opened my eyes to the accent button. Thanks.

[solodragun]

Man brings back memories. had this same DM about 15 years ago.

[poweredbyWatts]

Since you're the only one who seems pretty knowledgeable about this line of machines, I am curious. Did you have the stutter issue on the triggers? I have an RX-11 that seems to work flawlessly except that certain pads (kick and snare; undoubtedly the most used buttons) stutter or double trigger frequently. Is it just a contact cleaner (read: Deoxit) issue or something deeper? Also, the "replace battery" comes with turning it on. Any idea of what battery these unit use?

[jwandhistools]

Had one of these in the 90's. Did all my home recording with one. Once you figure out how to use the quantize feature, you can get pretty detailed fills. Thinking about getting another one, since I can't seem to figure out modern drum software.

[hvijayan]

Incredibly helpful PRINTMATICTV , thanks so much for the comprehensive vid. Just bagged one of these on eBay, looking forward to getting hold of it.

[markcoren]

Thanks for a great overview...I just found a killer new BuyItNow on eBay for one of these while I was looking for a RX11. I knew I had to make a quick choice about it and your review sealed the deal. Thanks!

[PRINTMATICTV]

I've never used an Alesis SR-16 but it's on my list as well. I actually tried to buy one for fifty bucks a few weeks back myself but missed out.

[MB-uzzu]

Love the comment about the stereo mix. So true. Great demo man.

[deafmusician]

I picked one up a few months ago for $25. Haven't had much of a chance to play with it yet. First drum machine to!

[bryanfoot]

Haha! Whats good Al? Its Ryan Hand. I just picked one of these up thrown in with a 505 and wanted to peep the demo and low and behold... Its print! Holler next time you're in SD. 😂